Prince Andrew 'invited Ghislaine Maxwell and Kevin Spacey to Buckingham Palace'

It is claimed Maxwell, 58, and Spacey, 60, gave "regal waves" and "larked about" during the private visit to Buckingham Palace which was arranged by the Duke of York in 2002

Jeffrey Epstein's ex Ghislaine Maxwell and Hollywood superstar Kevin Spacey were given a tour of Buckingham Palace by Prince Andrew, it has emerged.

A recently surfaced photo shows the pair posing on the Queen's throne during the private visit in 2002.

The Duke of York had reportedly arranged the tour for former US president Bill Clinton - but it is not thought Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell's close confidante, was there at the time.

“They were larking about on the thrones, doing regal waves,” a source told the Daily Telegraph.

“Ghislaine sat on the Queen’s throne with Spacey pretending to be the Duke of Edinburgh.

"No one can recall if Prince Andrew was actually in the throne room at the time but he was in charge of the visit.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted by the Press Association and was not available for comment when contacted by the Mirror Online.

Kevin Spacey was accused, but not convicted, of making unwanted sexual advances against a 14-year-old boy in 2017.

Other unproven allegations left his career in tatters.

Maxwell, 58, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday over allegations she helped disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein "identify, befriend and groom" girls as young as 14.

Meanwhile, the duke has been urged to provide information in relation to the investigation after his friend Maxwell appeared in court accused of facilitating Epstein's sexual exploitation of underage girls.

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, told a press conference that authorities would "welcome" a statement from the duke.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-andrew-invited-ghislaine-maxwell-22299553

Ghislaine Maxwell is not a victim and her friend should be in arrested for not turning her in

Ghislaine Maxwell would never say anything about the Duke of York’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to one of her friends. Maxwell, who is due in court in New York this week, is accused of helping disgraced financier Epstein “identify, befriend and groom” multiple girls, including one as young as 14. Laura Goldman, a former investment banker, said she had spoken to Maxwell in the past month over the investigation into Epstein’s sexual exploitation of young girls, and that she had seen she was “coming to the end of the road”.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/ghislaine-maxwell-is-not-a-victim-and-her-friend-should-be-in-arrested-for-not-turning-her-in/

Skilled Tech Workers Shut Out Of US By Trump’s Visa Order May Find Open Arms In Canada

Many tech specialists in the U.S. seeking to move are of Asian descent

Toronto is developing a world-class tech hub

Of U.S.-based tech workers eyeing other nations, 39% favored Canada.

The Canadian government is preparing to welcome thousands of highly skilled tech workers who have been blocked from entering or staying in the U.S. due to President Donald Trump’s executive order that effectively suspended new work visas for the remainder of the year.

"If you don't want to go to the [U.S.], come to us, we will take you," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "If you want to bring someone in to work in your company at a certain high-tech job or a high-value job, we'll give you a visa in two weeks to get them to come in. Regardless of what happens in the United States, Canada continues to be welcoming and excited about people coming to Canada."

Alex Lu, a 26-year-old Chinese software engineer in San Francisco on an H1-B work visa, is planning to relocate to Canada in two years.

"The most recent executive order [by Trump] so far only affects me on traveling, as I can't leave the country or I won't be allowed back. But who knows what kind of policy will come out if Trump gets reelected this year? By then I might be forced to leave the country," he said.

Lu had initially planned on applying for permanent residency in the U.S.

"Canada seems very attractive now with its fairly easy immigration process and large Asian immigrant population. Plus the time difference and flight distance between Canada and California is not bad, so I can continue to work for my current company," he said.

A great many tech specialists in the U.S. seeking to move are of Asian descent.

In fiscal 2019, of than 420,000 people who applied for H-1B work visas in the U.S., 74.5% were born in India, followed 11.8% from mainland China.

A survey by Blind, a social network for tech professionals, revealed that 34% of H1-B visa holders in the U.S. plan to look for a job in another country, while 24% said they will return to their native countries.

Of those tech workers eyeing other nations, 39% favored Canada.

https://www.ibtimes.com/skilled-tech-workers-shut-out-us-trumps-visa-order-may-find-open-arms-canada-3006323

Congress departs for two-week recess without addressing coronavirus spikes, economic strains

The House and Senate have adjourned for a two-week recess without addressing the alarming new rise in coronavirus infections, setting up an intense struggle when they return over what might be the final major relief package for the pandemic.

Ignoring Democrats’ demands for immediate action, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has focused on other issues in recent weeks, such as an annual defense policy bill and confirming President Trump’s nominees.

When the Senate comes back into session July 20, McConnell plans to turn his attention back to the coronavirus, giving lawmakers just three weeks to negotiate and pass a big rescue bill before they adjourn again through Labor Day.

It appeared many states were going to accelerate their reopening plans last month, but a number of governors have reversed course after a large increase in cases in the past several weeks. Several governors have ordered bars to stay closed, and many small businesses remain shuttered. Another 1.4 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, an elevated level that has persisted for more than three months.

With some Republican senators resistant to spending any more money after pumping $3 trillion into the economy, McConnell has said the next bill will be their final effort. But he will face a challenge finding consensus among Senate Republicans and with a Trump administration that is itself divided, even before starting negotiations with Democrats, who are pushing for much more new spending than Republicans support.

“I think the key right now is to try and get sort of the White House and Republicans on the Hill in the same place,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday. “Senate Republicans are doing this assessment, determining where we think the greatest needs are going to be, watching what’s happening in the economy as it opens up. But definitely going to be heavily focused on the health-care crisis and making sure that we can get the schools open in the fall.”

Already, thorny disputes are shaping up over what to do about enhanced unemployment benefits that expire July 31, additional aid that Democrats are demanding for state and local governments, and a possible new round of stimulus checks to individual Americans favored by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin but opposed by some in the GOP.

A better-than-expected jobs report on Thursday bolstered sentiment among some Republicans that Congress has already done enough and that little if any additional economic assistance is needed, even though millions remain unemployed. At the same time, record new levels of coronavirus infections across the South and beyond are forcing lawmakers to reassess what they might need to put in the package, such as more money for hospitals, schools, testing and vaccine development.

http://www.womensystems.com/2020/07/congress-departs-for-two-week-recess.html

Disney/ESPN Announces Documentary on Colin Kaepernick, Jemele Hill to Produce

ESPN is planning a new documentary focused on the NFL’s original anthem protester, Colin Kaepernick. Moreover, the network is working with one of their most controversial former talents to do it.

Jemele Hill, who was once bought out of her contract at ESPN so she could give voice to her left-wing political activism on other platforms, will come back to the fold to work with her former employers on this project.

Though, ESPN’s deal with Kaepernick will not be exclusive to the planned documentary about the former quarterback’s anthem protests.

According to a statement:

The Walt Disney Company today announced an overall first-look deal with Colin Kaepernick’s production arm Ra Vision Media. The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and will provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers. The first-look deal will extend across all Walt Disney Platforms including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar, and The Undefeated. Kaepernick will work closely with The Undefeated, which is expanding its portfolio across Disney, to develop stories from the perspective of Black and Brown communities.

The documentary on Kaepernick, will focus primarily on the last five years. Stretching from the beginning of his anthem protests, subsequent absence from the league, collusion lawsuit, and other things related to the protests.

“I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives,” Kaepernick said. “I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing.”

The announcement of the documentary comes two days after Kaepernick posted a tweet on Independence Day that accused America having “dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized” black people for centuries.

Breitbart Sports reached out to Nike for comment about Kaepernick’s tweet. Specifically, to find out whether the company supported or agreed with the comment from one of their most high-profile pitchmen.

Nike never responded.

Together with Nike’s silence on Kaepernick’s Independence Day tweet, the decision of Disney/ESPN to produce a documentary that will honor the protest and anti-American legacy of Colin Kaepernick, fits in with a trend of corporations celebrating the NFL’s original anthem protester. Despite the fact that he has openly accused the country of celebrating “white supremacy.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that he would “encourage” an NFL team to sign Kaepernick.

https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2020/07/06/disney-espn-announces-documentary-colin-kaepernick-jemele-hill-produce/

Fitton: Judicial Watch Sues to Expose Full Truth Behind Obama Unmasking/Spy Abuses

The term “unmasking” refers to the practice of political appointees obtaining the identities of American citizens referenced in intelligence surveillance of foreign nationals.

Unmasking has a legitimate purpose, but in the final months of the Obama administration, his lieutenants were abusing the process as they frantically looked for dirt on the Trump campaign.

Reportedly, one of the worst abusers was Obama’s U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power. In 2017, it was reported that Power unmasked over 260 persons in her last year as Ambassador in an attempt to uncover associates of President Trump. She “was ‘unmasking’ at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016,” even seeking “information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration.”

We have now filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the State Department over requests by Power to unmask the identities of U.S. citizens whose names appear in intelligence reports concerning Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:20-cv-01729)).

We sued after the Justice Department failed to respond to a May 29, 2019, FOIA request for:

All requests for information submitted to any Intelligence Community member agency by former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power concerning:

Any actual or suspected effort by the Russian government or any individual acting on behalf of the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The alleged hacking of computer systems utilized by the Democratic National Committee and/or the Clinton presidential campaign.

Any actual or suspected communication between any member of the Trump presidential campaign or transition team and any official or employee of the Russian government or any individual acting on behalf of the Russian government.

The identities of U.S. citizens associated with the Trump presidential campaign or transition team who were identified pursuant to intelligence collection activities.

All records or responses received by former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power and/or any representative of United States Mission to the United Nations in response to any request described in part 1 of this request.

All records of communication between any representative of any Intelligence Community member agency and former United States Ambassador to the United Nation Samantha Power and/or any representative of the United States Mission to the United Nations concerning any request described in part 1 of this request.

Our FOIA request and this lawsuit were filed after a similar 2018 lawsuit filed in 2018 (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State(No. 18-0300)), which derived from an October 31, 2017 FOIA request, was closed on March 3, 2019. The court upheld the Department of State’s response that it need not disclose whether or not responsive records existed for national security reasons. This new lawsuit argues that the State Department’s earlier Glomarresponse (that it could neither confirm nor deny whether records existed) was no longer sustainable:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/07/06/fitton-judicial-watch-sues-to-expose-full-truth-behind-obama-unmasking-spy-abuses/

Here Are The Thousands Of Investment Advisors And Portfolio Managers Who Received Government Bailouts

Today the Treasury and the Small Business Administration released the full list of companies that received Paycheck Protection Program loans - which become grants and are fully forgivable if used to pay employee salaries and/or rent - for an amount greater than $150,000. The complete data, which includes a total of 661,219 recipients, can be accessed here.

As a reminder, the PPP was designed to help small businesses weather fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. It did so by funding small and medium companies with 500 employees or less; the loan/grant was meant to cover up to two and a half months of worker compensation (capped at an annualized $100,000) or in other words, the Treasury would provide at most $8,333 per employee for 2.5 months. That, at least, was the theory - in practice, things ended up being different.

To be sure, the PPP program helped a broad swath of organizations, including small restaurants, construction firms, retail locations and non-profits. Many of the conventional recipients of PPP loans were restaurant chains were struggling before the pandemic and were hit particularly hard by the health crisis, since they focus on dine-in service instead of to-go sales. Among them was P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc., a restaurant operator with more than 200 U.S. locations. Other restaurant chains included Mexican chain Rubio’s Restaurants Inc. and California-based Black Angus Steakhouses LLC.

That said, there was some "peculiar" recipients: among the recipients were Boies Schiller, the law firm headed by antitrust litigator David Boies, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Illinois-based megachurch Willow Creek Community Church and the prominent New York synagogue Temple Emanu-El.

Yet while many businesses legitimately needed the funds to continue operations as without the PPP emergency cash infusion thousands of businesses would have shut down and been forced to layoff millions of workers, when it comes to a certain subset of recipients, questions have emerged.

Take for example NAICS code 523930 which is defined as "Investment Advisors", or companies who are paid very generous fees to anticipate precisely the kind of downturn that the covid unleashed and to steer their business successfully through it, especially since many - such as this blog - were repeatedly warning about the potentially catastrophic consequences of the global pandemic as early as January.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/here-are-thousands-investment-advisors-and-portfolio-managers-who-received-bailout-grants

PPP1

https://www.scribd.com/document/468215072/PPP1#from_embed

William Engdahl: Pandemic "Reset" Pares West to Third World Level

ENGDAHL: "The word sustainable is the keyword. If we dig deeper it is clear it is code-word for a reorganization of world wealth via means such as punitive carbon taxes that will dramatically reduce air and vehicle travel. The less-developed world will not rise to the developed, rather the other way, the advanced civilizations must go down in their living standards to become 'sustainable.'"

For those wondering what will come after the Covid19 pandemic has successfully all but shut down the entire world economy, spreading the worst depression since the 1930s, the leaders of the premier globalization NGO, Davos World Economic Forum, have just unveiled the outlines of what we can expect next. These people have decided to use this [manufactured] crisis as an opportunity…

THE GREAT RESET

On June 3 WEF chairman Klaus Schwab released a video announcing the annual theme for 2021, The Great Reset…

"We only have one planet and we know that climate change could be the next global disaster with even more dramatic consequences for humankind."

The implication is that climate change is the underlying reason for the coronavirus pandemic catastrophe…

The new head of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, also endorsed The Great Reset. Other WEF resetters included Ma Jun, the chairman of the Green Finance Committee at the China Society for Finance and Banking and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People's Bank of China; Bernard Looney, CEO of BP; Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard; Bradford Smith, president of Microsoft….

The WEF sponsors have big plans:"…the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a "Great Reset" of capitalism." This is big stuff.

RADICAL CHANGES

Schwab reveals more of the coming agenda: "…one silver lining of the pandemic is that it has shown how quickly we can make radical changes to our lifestyles. Almost instantly, the crisis forced businesses and individuals to abandon practices long claimed to be essential, from frequent air travel to working in an office." These are supposed to be silver linings?

He suggests that those radical changes be extended: "The Great Reset agenda would have three main components. The first…would include "changes to wealth taxes, the withdrawal of fossil-fuel subsidies, and new rules governing intellectual property, trade, and competition."

The second component of the Great Reset agenda would …create a new economy, "more resilient, equitable, and sustainable in the long run. This means, for example, building 'green' urban infrastructure and creating incentives for industries to improve their track record on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics."

Finally, the third leg of this Great Reset will be implementing one of Schwab's pet projects, the Fourth Industrial Revolution: "The third and final priority of a Great Reset agenda is to harness the innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to support the public good, especially by addressing health and social challenges. During the COVID-19 crisis, companies, universities, and others have joined forces to develop diagnostics, therapeutics, and possible vaccines; establish testing centers; create mechanisms for tracing infections; and deliver telemedicine. Imagine what could be possible if similar concerted efforts were made in every sector." The Fourth Industrial Revolution includes gene-editing biotech, 5G telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence, and the like….

https://www.henrymakow.com/2020/07/Engdahl-Pandemic-Reset-Levels-West-With-Third-World.html

Are the Democrats a Political Party or a CIA-Backed Fifth Column?

How do the Democrats benefit from the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests?

While the protests are being used to paint Trump as a race-bating white supremacist, that is not their primary objective. The main goal is to suppress and demonize Trump’s political base which is comprised of mainly white working class people who have been adversely impacted by the Democrats disastrous free trade and immigration policies. These are the people– liberal and conservative– who voted for Trump in 2016 after abandoning all hope that the Democrats would amend their platform and throw a lifeline to workers who are now struggling to make ends meet in America’s de-industrialized heartland.

The protests are largely a diversion aimed at shifting the public’s attention to a racialized narrative that obfuscates the widening inequality chasm (created by the Democrats biggest donors, the Giant Corporations and Wall Street) to historic antagonisms that have clearly diminished over time. (Racism ain’t what it used to be.) The Democrats are resolved to set the agenda by deciding what issues “will and will not” be covered over the course of the campaign. And– since race is an issue on which they feel they can energize their base by propping-up outdated stereotypes of conservatives as ignorant bigots incapable of rational thought– the Dems are using their media clout to make race the main topic of debate. In short, the Democrats have settled on a strategy for quashing the emerging populist revolt that swept Trump into the White House in 2016 and derailed Hillary’s ambitious grab for presidential power.

The plan, however, does have its shortcomings, for example, Democrats have offered nearly blanket support for protests that have inflicted massive damage on cities and towns across the country. In the eyes of many Americans, the Dems support looks like a tacit endorsement of the arson, looting and violence that has taken place under the banner of “racial justice”. The Dems have not seriously addressed this matter, choosing instead to let the media minimize the issue by simply scrubbing the destruction from their coverage. This “sweep it under the rug” strategy appears to be working as the majority of people surveyed believe that the protests were “mostly peaceful”, which is a term that’s designed to downplay the effects of the most ferocious rioting since the 1970s.

Let’s be clear, the Democrats do not support Black Lives Matter nor have they made any attempt to insert their demands into their list of police reforms. BLM merely fits into the Dems overall campaign strategy which is to use race to deflect attention from the gross imbalance of wealth that is the unavoidable consequence of the Dems neoliberal policies including outsourcing, off-shoring, de-industrialization, free trade and trickle down economics. These policies were aggressively promoted by both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as they will be by Joe Biden if he is elected. They are the policies that have gutted the country, shrunk the middle class, and transformed the American dream into a dystopian nightmare.

They are also the policies that have given rise to, what the pundits call, “right wing populism” which refers to the growing number of marginalized working people who despise Washington and career politicians, feel anxious about falling wages and dramatic demographic changes, and resent the prevailing liberal culture that scorns their religion and patriotism. This is Trump’s mainly-white base, the working people the Democrats threw under the bus 30 years ago and now want to annihilate completely by deepening political polarization, fueling social unrest, pitting one group against another, and viciously vilifying them in the media as ignorant racists whose traditions, culture, customs and even history must be obliterated to make room for the new diversity world order. Trump touched on this theme in a speech he delivered in Tulsa. He said:

https://www.globalresearch.ca/democrats-political-party-cia-backed-fifth-column/5717891

'It's like we're in the Hunger Games': Residents inside Melbourne's public housing blocks clash with cops trying to enforce new Covid lockdown as New South Wales closes border with Victoria

The Australian city of Melbourne has introduced a 'hard lockdown' on 3,000 people living in nine public housing towers with bewildered residents claiming: 'It's like we're in the Hunger Games'.

The tough new measures ban residents of the tower blocks from leaving their homes for at least five days and have seen people attempting to leave being swooped on by police officers.

The lockdown, announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on the towers in North

Melbourne, Flemington and Kensington, began at 4pm on Saturday after an outbreak of COVID-19 within the buildings.

It comes as the state of Victoria saw a spike in coroanvirus cases, prompting authorities to close its border with neighbouring New South Wales.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2020/07/its-like-were-in-hunger-games-residents.html

>>9876644

Victoria deepens engagement with Beijing's controversial Belt and Road initiative

24 OctOctober 2019

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has signed a new deal with the Chinese Governmentto deepen the state's engagement with the controversial Belt and Road initiative.

The deal has angered some in the Morrison Government who are worried about Chinese influence in Australia, but the Premier, who is a frequent visitor to China, says the deal is designed to boost the Victorian economy and jobs.

So, what is this new deal?

It's technically a non-legally binding agreement for Victoria to be involved in the Belt and Road project; the Silk Road for the 21st century that includes new ports, highways and railways across the globe.

It is essentially a commitment by Victoria to work together with Beijing on future projects for the benefit of both parties.

Mr Andrews will co-chair a group that will meet half yearly.

A big part is for Victorian infrastructure experts to get access to the hundreds of billions of dollars of projects slated for the Belt and Road.

But it also encourages Chinese infrastructure firms to establish a presence in Victoria and to bid for major projects.

Two Chinese firms are part of bids for the $16 billion North-East Link.

Some critics have accused Mr Andrews of hypocrisy after he introduced laws ensuring local procurement for all government projects.

What will Victoria get out of it?

Foreign policy doesn't usually fall under the jurisdiction of state governments, but essentially it will mean a bigger market to sell wine, beef and lamb, as well as an opportunity for Victorian institutions to teach future Chinese doctors.

International education is already the state's biggest export.

Voicing public support for a major Chinese foreign policy initiative is likely to ease the way for Chinese companies to get approval from Beijing to make investments in Victoria, and for Victorian-based companies to sell to China.

For example, the partial granting in April of a licence for Bellamy's infant formula to sell Chinese-labelled product after years of delay came just days before a visit by Mr Andrews to Beijing for a Belt and Road forum.

But was that a coincidence? Whenever Mr Andrews is attacked over his cosy relationship with China, he says the deal is in the interest of the state's economy.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-24/victoria-deepens-links-with-china-controversial-belt-and-road/11636704

COINCIDENCE?

Dem Law Firm Behind Weinstein Defense Takes Millions in PPP Aid

Boies Schiller Flexner received small-business aid, despite $400 million earnings

An elite law firm known for representing disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein and Al Gore's presidential campaign accepted up to $10 million in federal coronavirus aid, data released by the Small Business Administration show.

Boies Schiller Flexner, a white-shoe firm founded by former Al Gore lawyer David Boies, applied for and obtained between $5 and $10 million through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the federal program aimed to support small businesses hurt by the pandemic. Boies Schiller Flexner earned more than $400 million in gross revenue in 2019, making it one of the highest-grossing law firms in the world, according to The American Lawyer. The multinational firm's partners took home more than $3.3 million on average in 2019, but it still capitalized on the taxpayer bailout that was designed to help mom-and-pop shops.

Boies Schiller Flexner, which claimed that the loan was necessary to save 490 jobs, declined an interview request, saying it does not "comment on our financials."

The law firm has been a major player in Democratic political circles since Boies represented Gore in the Supreme Court's landmark Bush v. Gore case in 2000. Its employees have already donated about $300,000 to Democratic candidates—more than 99 percent of its total contributions—in the 2020 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. More than $40,000 has gone to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), and Sen. Doug Jones (D., Ala.), among other Senate and congressional Democratic hopefuls. Firm employees also helped Democrats take control of the House of Representatives during the midterm elections, contributing more than $430,000 to liberal candidates.

The firm received the forgivable loan on April 28, weeks after the PPP program exhausted its initial $350 billion funding. It is now the latest high-profile entity to receive scrutiny after accepting small-business relief. While restaurant chain Shake Shack and news site Axios returned their loans following widespread criticism, some recipients have refused. Sidwell Friends School—a top D.C. prep school with a $50 million endowment—refused to return its $5.2 million PPP loan amid pushback in May.

Boies is best known for representing Weinstein against allegations of sexual assault, as well as Gore in his 2000 Florida recount dispute against former president George W. Bush. He has also represented fraudulent blood-testing startup Theranos and served on the company's board.

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/dem-law-firm-behind-weinstein-defense-takes-millions-in-ppp-aid/

Media Matters Takes Millions In PPP Aid While Criticizing Trump Coronavirus Response

Media Matters raked in as much as $2 million in coronavirus relief loans as the left-wing blog slammed the Trump administration's coronavirus response, according to federal records released on Monday.

Records show that Media Matters, the progressive activist group founded by Clinton loyalist David Brock in 2004, received between $1 million and $2 million from the government’s Paycheck Protection Program. The loan represents a significant portion of the group’s annual income, which was listed as $11 million in 2017, according to tax records. Media Matters is bankrolled by the Democracy Alliance, one of the largest progressive donor groups in the country. The deep-pocketed philanthropy network has steered hundreds of millions of dollars to liberal groups since it was founded in 2005—and pledged to distribute $100 million in 2020 alone.

Their million-dollar loan was much larger than the average PPP loan. The average loan size for businesses during the first round of funding that ended in April was $200,000, according to reports. The average for the second round of funding, which ended in late May, was $114,000.

Media Matters’s successful loan application has not stopped it from continuing to criticize Trump’s coronavirus policies.

"[T]hough Trump is set to ask Congress for emergency funds to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak—after weeks of failing to do so—some public health officials say he won’t ask for enough to do the job," Media Matters argued in late February, before receiving a PPP loan.

American Bridge 21st Century, a political action committee also founded by Brock that shares the same address as Media Matters, has attacked the administration for allegedly neglecting to provide loans to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program.

The group posted a Twitter message suggesting that Trump was directly responsible for the failure to provide "PPP Funds for Small Businesses" in late May.

"As indicated by the SBA, Media Matters received a PPP loan in the $1-2M range," Media Matters communications director Laura Keiter said. "Media Matters and American Bridge are two distinct organizations."

Another Media Matters article claimed that Trump "is ignorant, incompetent, and generally uninterested in the aspects of his job that don’t involve promoting his narrow personal interests. His response to coronavirus has not diverged from this baseline."

"He spent the last few years systematically dismantling U.S. pandemic response capabilities, dissolving the National Security Council’s global health security unit and slashing funding to the CDC’s global health section," claimed the group. "And since the coronavirus outbreak began, Trump has been largely detached from managing the government’s response."

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/media-matters-takes-millions-in-ppp-aid-while-criticizing-trump-coronavirus-response/

Feds Bust Leader And Members Of Cross-Country Drug Trafficking Organization

The Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging Jose Sergio Martinez-Aguilar, a/k/a “Orejon,” a/k/a “Andy,” a/k/a “Pa,” Vladimir PulstIlinkov, a/k/a “The Russian,” Miguel Lovos, Sebastian Ramos, a/k/a “Nimo,” and Ricardo Ruiz-Salinas with narcotics trafficking offenses based on their alleged participation in an international drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. All three were also are charged with possessing and using firearms in connection with the narcotics trafficking.

Martinez-Aguilar and Lovos were previously charged in Complaints filed in the Southern District of New York, and were taken into custody in California on June 26, 2020, and subsequently presented before magistrate judges in the Central District of California. Ramos and Ruiz were taken into custody in New York earlier today, and will be presented before Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn today in Manhattan federal court. PulstIlinkov currently remains at large. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Jose Sergio Martinez-Aguilar led an international drug trafficking organization that imported potentially lethal drugs from Mexico and distributed them throughout the U.S., including right here in New York. Now, thanks to the efforts of HSI, Martinez-Aguilar and his co-defendants are in custody and facing serious federal charges.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said: “As alleged, Martinez-Aguilar and his crew funneled highly addictive drugs across the southern border and from coast to coast, seeking to make a hefty profit off those addicted to his product. This case makes it clear that HSI’s capabilities across borders and across the country leave no one safe from the long arm of the law, and justice will be served.”

As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, the Complaints charging Martinez-Aguilar and Lovos, other court filings related to this matter, and statements made in court[1]:

Since at least June 2019, Martinez-Aguilar has led a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) that imports narcotics into California from Mexico, and then distributes those narcotics in California and other parts of the country, including New York City. The DTO is responsible for distributing large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.

https://breaking911.com/feds-bust-leader-and-members-of-cross-country-drug-trafficking-organization/

Georgia Governor Declares State of Emergency, Authorizes 1,000 Troops to Protect Citizens

Atlanta, GA – Following weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the City of Atlanta, the July Fourth weekend saw over thirty Georgians wounded by gunfire, including five confirmed dead. Today Governor Kemp issued Executive Order 07.06.20.01, which declares a State of Emergency across Georgia and authorizes the activation of as many as 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops.

“Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead,” said Governor Kemp. “This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city. I have declared a State of Emergency and called up the Georgia Guard because the safety of our citizens comes first. This measure will allow troops to protect state property and dispatch state law enforcement officers to patrol our streets. Enough with the tough talk. We must protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians.”

The Georgia Guard will provide support at state buildings, including the Georgia State Capitol, Georgia Department of Public Safety Headquarters, and Governor’s Mansion. This aid will allow state law enforcement personnel to increase patrols on roadways and throughout communities, especially those in the City of Atlanta.

https://breaking911.com/breaking-georgia-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-authorizes-1000-troops-to-protect-citizens/

Georgia Governor Declares State of Emergency, Authorizes 1,000 Troops to Protect Citizens

Atlanta, GA – Following weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the City of Atlanta, the July Fourth weekend saw over thirty Georgians wounded by gunfire, including five confirmed dead. Today Governor Kemp issued Executive Order 07.06.20.01, which declares a State of Emergency across Georgia and authorizes the activation of as many as 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops.

“Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead,” said Governor Kemp. “This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city. I have declared a State of Emergency and called up the Georgia Guard because the safety of our citizens comes first. This measure will allow troops to protect state property and dispatch state law enforcement officers to patrol our streets. Enough with the tough talk. We must protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians.”

The Georgia Guard will provide support at state buildings, including the Georgia State Capitol, Georgia Department of Public Safety Headquarters, and Governor’s Mansion. This aid will allow state law enforcement personnel to increase patrols on roadways and throughout communities, especially those in the City of Atlanta.

https://breaking911.com/breaking-georgia-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-authorizes-1000-troops-to-protect-citizens/

MKs advance bill allowing ministers to enact virus measures without Knesset okay

Under proposal, new restrictions will take effect immediately and only be rescinded if lawmakers fail to approve them within 7 days

A bill that would let the government impose coronavirus restrictions immediately and only later seek Knesset approval passed its first reading in the parliament on Monday evening.

Passed with the support of 45 lawmakers and opposed by 35, the bill must still go through a Knesset committee and pass two more readings before it becomes law.

The government is looking to fast-track the bill, unveiled Monday afternoon, in order to immediately impose blanket restrictions on gatherings and other rules intended to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

May 17, 2020, as their new coalition was sworn in. (Knesset)

A bill that would let the government impose coronavirus restrictions immediately and only later seek Knesset approval passed its first reading in the parliament on Monday evening.

Passed with the support of 45 lawmakers and opposed by 35, the bill must still go through a Knesset committee and pass two more readings before it becomes law.

The government is looking to fast-track the bill, unveiled Monday afternoon, in order to immediately impose blanket restrictions on gatherings and other rules intended to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories

Free Sign Up

The legislation process is expected to be completed overnight.

Under the proposed law, the government could put a rule into effect and it would only be rescinded if the Knesset fails to approve the measure or does not vote on it within seven days.

Under the current rules, government decisions must be approved by the coronavirus committee or another relevant panel, which can delay implementation by a day or more. Under the new measure, if a committee refuses to deal with the measure in a timely manner, it would move to the full Knesset plenum for a vote.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/mks-advance-bill-allowing-ministers-to-enact-virus-measures-without-knesset-okay/

>>9877189

Bullshit