[NEWS.USNI.ORG] The FBI is investigating a Thursday shooting at a Texas naval air station, after a Navy security team there killed an "Arab male" who stormed a gate at the base, a U.S. official told USNI News. Sudden Jihad Syndrome™?
The official did not have any additional details on the identity of the shooter beyond apparent ethnicity. An FBI spokeswoman did not provide additional details when contacted by USNI News.
Navy Security Forces responded to an active shooter at NAS Corpus Christi at about 7:15 a.m. EST resulting in the injury to the NSF sailor. The shooter was killed by the NSF team, the official told USNI News.
"The sailor is in good condition and is expected to be released later today," the Navy said in a statement.
The base remains on lockdown while an investigation into the shooting commences.
"All gates on the installation remain closed while first responders process the scene," according to a statement from the service.
"NCIS, state and local law enforcement are on scene."
Corpus Christi police said the incident took place at one of the air station’s gates.
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is home to the four squadrons of Training Air Wing Four, which uses Truax Field on base and outlying airfields. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and foreign student pilots train at the base.
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi also houses the Corpus Christi Army Depot which serves as the primary maintenance depot for Department of Defense rotary-wing aircraft. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service also operates from Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
#5
More: A shooting at a Texas naval air station that wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead is being investigated as “terrorism-related,” the FBI said Thursday.
The shooting began around 6:15 a.m. Thursday at Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi.
The shooter tried to speed through a gate at the base in a vehicle, but security personnel put up a barrier in time to stop the shooting, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The man then got out of the car and opened fire, striking and wounding a Navy sailor who is a member of the security force at the base. During the exchange of gunfire, the shooter was killed by security personnel, the officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details about an ongoing investigation.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as “terrorism-related,” FBI Special Agent Leah Greeves said at a news conference Thursday afternoon, and investigators were working to determine whether a second person of interest was at large in the community.
“We have determined that the incident this morning at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is terrorism related,” Greeves said. “We are working diligently with our state, local and federal partners on this investigation, which is fluid and evolving.”
Greeves did not elaborate on a potential motive or specify what led investigators to believe the shooting is related to terrorism. Federal investigators also did not provide any information about the “potential second related person of interest at large in the community” or why they believe that is the case.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/21/2020 17:28
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#6
..did they check his Facebook page yet? Asking for a friend.
[FOX] Dr. Marc Siegel on whether coronavirus lockdowns actually saved lives.
Data from Europe's COVID-19 outbreak shows the strictness of lockdowns had little to do with mortality rates; insight from Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel.
#3
@ #1 - That is the twisted logic of the year. Let's mandated quarantines (of HEALTHY people as well), but here we already have a perfect quarantine setting, in this case prison, so what do the lamebrain politicians do? Well, let them out, of course. I wonder if any of them ran into Pritziker's wife at the airport on her way to Florida.
#3
Also titled Let's one more time milk the last thing we did that anybody cared about...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/21/2020 13:33
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#4
Isn't that basically how they ended the series, with a peace agreement or something? Not since Highlander 2 has a sequel so destroyed the credibility of the original.
[WION] There is ongoing censorship, even in the scientific literature, to restrict publication of information contrary to the accepted narrative that COVID-19 is naturally-occurring.
What follows is not an analysis of motivations or an indictment meant to assign blame, but a history of scientific investigation that eventually led to COVID-19.
A recent news article published in the scientific journal Nature noted, that while it is important to find the origin of COVID-19 to prevent reinfection, it has been difficult pinpointing the source.
"It is quite possible we won’t find it. In fact, it would be exceptionally lucky if we land on something," said Lucy van Dorp, a geneticist from University College London.
It may indeed be impossible to identify a natural source, if COVID-19 was the product of bioengineering.
Although there are hundreds of scientific publications on coronavirus, a few relevant to the present discussion will be highlighted.
Coronavirus research did not begin with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS, SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1) epidemic of 2002-2004, but it was certainly accelerated by it.
Additional impetus for studying coronaviruses arose after the 2012 outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS or MERS-CoV).
Much of the scientific inquiry related to those two diseases has centered on a particular component of coronaviruses called the spike glycoprotein, which carries the ability for the virus to attach itself to a human cell and gain entry.
Obviously, understanding and interfering with the processes initiated by the spike glycoprotein could have prophylactic or therapeutic value.
Most of that research effort focused on the cascade of events regulated by the protein part of the spike glycoprotein, or S-protein, which has two sections, S1, primarily responsible for binding to the human cell and S2, driving fusion with the cell membrane and entry.
The S1 section contains a sequence of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, called the receptor binding domain (RBD), which defines the coronavirus’ ability to bind to specific receptors, whether they be human or animal.
#1
The fact that no natural source of COVID-19 has been identified, that scientific evidence exists suggesting bioengineering and the clear ability to do so, all demand an expanded investigation as to its origin.
I don't expect 'investigative' answers anytime soon.
#3
If you hear hoof beats, think horses - not zebras.
I suppose a virus can jump from bats to pangolins to ... to humans. But in the neighborhood of China major virology & molecular biology research institute?
#6
Occam's razor. It was first detected in Wuhan, so thats the place to look. There is a zoological virus lab there, so thats a reasonable place to start.
Given that its probably not lucrative working for Xinnie the Pooh, I bet some exotic bats found their way to the local "special" market on the side by the lower hired help. Do that often enough and eventually the virus will hit the lottery with a mutation that lets it jump, and the right host to spread it.
Doesn't need to be engineered - mother nature is pretty damned clever, especially around stupid humans who tempt fate.
Posted by: Marilyn Tojo7566 ||
05/21/2020 23:07
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[Liberty Nation] A bewildered American public is still trying to come to grips with the seriousness of Coronavirus.
Anthony Fauci’s name has become dinner-table familiar as people discuss the doctor’s warnings, his comments, and President Donald Trump’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. As usual, a firm line has been drawn between the left and right sides of the aisle: Some blame the president for all the world’s problems and declare Fauci the hero in this crisis; on the flip side, the doctor is the villain and the president has been misled and misinformed.
In truth, the whole Coronavirus fiasco has been a pile of convoluted, wishy-washy, contradictory information since the beginning. The blame game won’t fix anything, but perhaps stepping back to examine a timeline of facts and figures may bring clarity to the epic snarl of today’s social-distancing America....
At 79, the doctor has advised six presidents on everything from HIV to biodefense drugs. Now, however, his credibility is coming into question as his contradictory statements and advice have confused the American people who want nothing more than to get back to the business of life.
THE FAUCI TIMELINE
Without going into conspiracy theories, this is a factual timeline of COVID-19 incidents, Fauci’s relevant comments, and the actions and statements of Trump and other members of his administration. As Liberty Nation’s Leesa K. Donner opined:
"As we take stock of where we are and how we got here, one name repeatedly pops up as a culpable character in this unholy mess: Dr. Anthony Fauci. There are more than a few people with an incipient suspicion that Fauci may have taken the president — and this country — for a ride. Thus, it’s worth asking if we the people have succumbed to the Great Fauci Fake-Out by shutting down America for something akin to the seasonal flu?"
First, Fauci seemed to predict this pandemic, or at least something similar, just after Trump took office:
Jan. 12, 2017: "And if there’s one message that I want to leave with you today based on my experience, and you’ll see that in a moment, is that there is no question that there will be a challenge to the coming administration in the arena of infectious diseases, both chronic infectious diseases, in the sense of already ongoing disease, and we have certainly a large burden of that, but also there will be a surprise outbreak." [emphasis added]
Conspiracy theory? History repeating itself? The knowledge gained by the doctor? The timeline may give some insight.
It all begins with what is not so affectionately called the China Cover-up.
Dec. 16, 2019: The first Coronavirus patient was seen at Wuhan Central Hospital, according to Dr. Ai Fen.
Dec. 31: More than two dozen cases of Coronavirus were confirmed by Wuhan health authorities. Local wet markets were closed, and China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the "pneumonia" but said it had "found no obvious person-to-person transmission, and no medical personnel have been infected." By this time, however, several health care workers had reportedly been infected. Also, Taiwan sent WHO an alert, claiming it was possible for the disease to transfer from human to human.
Jan. 1, 2020: The New York Times used cellphone data to discover that 175,000 people left Wuhan (seven million more over the next few weeks).
Jan. 6: Dr. Fauci begins interviews to discuss the Coronavirus outbreak.
Preparations for the Chinese New Year start January 17th, lasting until Chinese New Year on January 25th. Chinese people from all over the world head home to celebrate with their extended family.
Jan. 20: China’s President Xi Jinping issued the first public statement about the virus, saying it "must be taken seriously."
Jan. 20: Fauci announced a Coronavirus vaccine was already being worked on by the National Institutes of Health.
Jan 21: In an interview, Greg Kelly of Newsmax asked Fauci how serious the virus was. The doctor urged everyone to take the precautions that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out, "but this is not a major threat for the people in the United States, and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about."
Jan. 23: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voted against declaring the outbreak a public health emergency on an international level; he was the deciding vote. Wuhan lockdown went into effect, but by this time an estimated five million people had already traveled through and left the city for other parts of the country and world.
The Spring Festival runs from Chinese New Year (Jan. 25) through February 4th.
Jan. 28: A Health and Human Services (HHS) press briefing included Fauci, Director of the CDC Robert Redfield, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Nancy Messonnier, and Secretary of HHS Alex Azar. Azar warned that "Americans should know that this is a potentially very serious public health threat."
Jan. 30: The Trump administration had a conference call with state governors, Fauci, Azar, and Redfield, among others, and produced an action plan for the outbreak.
Jan. 31: Trump imposed travel restrictions to and from China.
Lantern Festival preparations start February 5th for the February 8th festival, after which everyone heads home, bringing infection with them.
Feb. 8: Fauci said the risk of contracting the virus is "minuscule."
Feb. 17: Fauci told USA Today that wearing a mask is for the infected to protect others. "Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask."
Feb. 20: WHO reported 77,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide.
Feb. 24: The Trump administration requested $2.5 billion from Congress to fight the Coronavirus. On the same day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) toured San Francisco’s Chinatown, telling residents to support the neighborhood. "That’s what we’re trying to do today is to say everything is fine here," she said. "Come because precautions have been taken. The city is on top of the situation."
Feb. 29: The first Coronavirus death was reported in Seattle, WA.
Feb. 29: WHO said that it "continues to advise against the application of travel restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks."
Feb. 29: Fauci talks to the Today Show about "community spread" but "right now, at this moment, there is no need to change anything you’re doing on a day-to-day basis."
March 9: Fauci tells reporters that young, healthy people can go on a cruise if they’d like. "If you are a healthy young person, there is no reason if you want to go on a cruise ship, go on a cruise ship."
March 26: In an article for The New England Journal of Medicine, Fauci said, "... the overall clinical consequences of COVID-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively."
April 28: Fauci said he is hopeful that a vaccine will be developed by the winter.
April 30: Fauci said he is "almost certain" the virus will return in the winter, yet he is optimistic for a vaccine.
May 12: Fauci now says the likelihood of developing a treatment or vaccine by the fall is "a bridge too far."
To be fair, the doctor did warn on several occasions that things could change if we reached "community spreading." But, looking over the progress of Coronavirus in the United States and the responses of experts, is it any wonder that the American people are bewildered?
With a final note via Zero Hedge:
Fauci 2005: Hydroxycholoroquine is found to substantially reduce the corona virus load
Fauci 2020: Generic hydroxcholoroquine does nothing to reduce the corona virus load even though 50% fewer people taking it at NYU-Langone went to ICU. But expensive Remdisivir is amazing. Instead of 12 people dying, only 9 died!
#7
Some history of recent pandemic "Second Waves" -
"H2N2 influenza virus [Asian Flu] continued to circulate until 1968, when it transformed via antigenic shift into influenza A virus subtype H3N2, the cause of the 1968 influenza pandemic." [Wikipedia]
"The H3N2 virus [1968 Hong Kong Flu] continues to circulate worldwide as a seasonal influenza A virus." [CDC]
"On August 10, 2010, WHO declared an end to the global 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. However, (H1N1)pdm09 virus continues to circulate as a seasonal flu virus, and cause illness, hospitalization, and deaths worldwide every year."[CDC]
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/21/2020 17:22
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#8
I know the weather is different but bars are inside and thus far different than swimming or tubing. NY can't do anything right.
[Bearing Arms] With little fanfare and almost no national attention, Virginians headed to the polls in local elections on Tuesday, and there was a stunning upset in one city that’s been dominated by Democrats in recent elections. Control of the Staunton City Council flipped from blue to red after a surge in turnout among Republican voters, and at least one local pundit believes that Gov. Ralph Northam’s anti-gun efforts are to blame for the massive increase in voter turnout that propelled conservatives to victory.
May elections have traditional been a hard nut to crack. Turnout is usually, frustratingly, in the 20 percent or less range, and it can be seductive to look at the relatively low vote totals of the winners and tell yourself, next cycle, man, all we’ve gotta do is get our side to come out, and we can steal this thing!
The tailwind for the Rs, dating back to the winter, was the tumult locally over gun-control legislation being advanced in the General Assembly by Democrats, who had run on gun control as a key issue in the 2019 legislative races that gave them control of the House of Delegates for the first time in more than two decades.
The political payback to Northern Virginia for flipping the House seemed poised to take out the pockets of D control in central, south and western parts of the state, as we all remember, in what seems like distant past now, the Second Amendment sanctuary movement, which was at its height in December and January.
As the Augusta Free Press’s Chris Graham notes, Staunton voters backed Barack Obama twice as well as Hillary Clinton in 2016. Voters in the Shenandoah Valley city also backed Democrat governors Terry McAuliffe in 2013 and Ralph Northam in 2017, but this year gun owners and Second Amendment supporters were energized by the gun control bills approved by the Democrat-controlled legislature and signed by Northam just a few weeks ago.
Graham says not only did Republicans take control of the city council in Staunton, they also flipped the city council in nearby Waynesboro as well.
#3
As the Augusta Free Press‘s Chris Graham notes, Staunton voters backed Barack Obama twice as well as Hillary Clinton in 2016. Voters in the Shenandoah Valley city also backed Democrat governors Terry McAuliffe in 2013 and Ralph Northam in 2017
I'd question the honesty of that vote since these two were involved.
#5
Just a couple weeks ago stories were out that about how the special election in CA and Wisconsin(?) could be a sign of a blue wave. Then the GOP won both by a landslide, but that doesn't suggest a possible RED wave, nope, not at all.
[IsraelTimes] A senior European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... official says he asked the bloc’s representative in Israel and the Paleostinian territories to investigate whether any EU funds are benefiting hard boyz or their supporters.
"I asked both the heads of delegations in Tel Aviv but also in the West Bank and Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, they will have to look deep, and if there is any concern — any concern — we will act immediately," Olivér Várhelyi, the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, says at a meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
"There is no terror financing from EU funds, as long as there are EU funds that will not be happening, this will not be tolerated, and if it happens, it will be rectified. And I will see to it myself that it is done and delivered," adds Várhelyi, a Hungarian national.
Earlier this month, Brussels and Jerusalem argued over the EU’s ostensible funding of hard boyz and their supporters, after the bloc’s envoy to the Paleostinian territories said in a letter that individuals affiliated with or supportive of hard boyz organizations are not automatically ineligible for EU support. The EU insists that it careful vets all recipient of aid and makes sure no funds are going to supporters of terrorism.
It's Kurt
So, Donald Trump, Jr., retweeted a mean tweet about Grandpa Badfinger and the usual suspects went through their collective panty wetting again. "Civility is important," we barbarians are duly informed, because of course it is. But we have noticed, over time, that in reality it only seems to be important when we are the ones breaching it. For us, it is open season. We have a big target on our collective back for the vilest slanders and the most ridiculous lies, but apparently that’s OK. "Civility" apparently only raises it’s well-coiffed, Romney-esque head when we breach it.
...It’s almost like "civility" is just a way to shut us up and ensure that we have no means to fight back against our opponents, who will then be free to pummel us into submission.
#1
Currently I am being monitored for posting a contrary CON virus post on Facebook. Using fact check as their weapon of choice. I now have a PRO CON virus main heading on my left top page that cannot be removed. Liberal dogma rules. Appears it will only get worse. I understand I can leave but I have not found a good alternative sight to visit.
[France24] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that millions of people could be pushed into extreme poverty in Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic and called for "global solidarity" with the continent.
"The pandemic threatens African progress. It will aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to disease," Guterres said in a statement accompanying a UN study with recommendations for the African continent.
While he congratulated Africa for responding swiftly to the pandemic, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives across the continent, Guterres noted that "as of now, reported cases are lower than feared."
"African countries should also have quick, equal and affordable access to any eventual vaccine and treatment, that must be considered global public goods," he said in his statement. "and free high speed internet...and a pony"
Since the pandemic is still in its "early days" in Africa, Guterres stressed that "disruption could escalate quickly."
"Global solidarity with Africa is an imperative — now and for recovering better," he said.
#8
/\ The Chinese face the same impediments to progress as others who have gone before them, the tribal citizenry. Perhaps science will provide the Chinese a 'way ahead.'
#10
How CV mostly skipped Black Africa is such an interest to me. Looking at the numbers, it's Europeanized S.Africa and Morocco, and Arabized Nigeria and Sudan that have the most CV deaths.
What's the outlier? The spike in deaths in anglo-ized and arabized countries, or the lull in deaths in Black Africa. I always considered black africa as a petri dish in seeing how contagions spread and how fatal they are. And I always thought any disease would ravage Africa at least three times the rate of Westernized countries. CV has flipped my model upside down.
As for the UN chief's comments, I thought we had long standing understanding that Africa was nothing but poverty and hunger. CV cant make the continent any more of a crap hole than it already is.
[Aljazeera] The uptick in crude prices has been largely motivated by severe output cuts and the easing of coronavirus lockdowns.
Oil prices rallied again on Wednesday on signs of improving crude demand and a drawdown in United States crude inventories, but gains continued to be capped by concerns over the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Global benchmark Brent crude settled up $1.10, or 3.2 percent, at $35.75 per barrel, while July US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ended up $1.53, or 4.8 percent, at $33.49. WTI's June contract expired on Tuesday, up 2.1 percent, avoiding the mayhem of expiry in May, when prices crashed to negative $40 a barrel over concerns about rapidly evaporating crude storage.
[Babylon Bee] ATLANTA, GA—CNN has praised Governor Andrew Cuomo's "brilliant" nursing home strategy as it ended in the deaths of thousands of senior citizens, who skew conservative and Republican.
The station's hosts said that forcing nursing home residents to admit COVID-19 patients was a "stroke of genius" that all other state governors really should start looking into.
"A genius move, brother," said Chris Cuomo as he interviewed Andrew Cuomo, which is not weird or biased at all. "Really inspired. How do you come up with it? You're so great."
"Aw, shucks," said Andrew Cuomo. "Stop it!"
"No, you stop it."
"You stop it!"
This went on for some time before the brothers argued at length over who would hang up first.
At publishing time, the station had also recognized another element of just how genius this move was, since those killed by COVID-19 are now voting Democrat.
#1
Had me for a second -- Cuomo is actually very likely to be guilty of manslaughter against scores of elderly nursing home residents -- but ultimately guessed Bee.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 1,100 former U.S. federal prosecutors on Wednesday blasted the attempt by Republican President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to dismiss a charge against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying the move puts Trump’s personal interests ahead of the public good.
The criticism came in a legal brief the nonprofit The Protect Democracy Project plans to file in federal court in Washington. They accused Attorney General William Barr of abusing his oath of office by asking to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI.
The group included former Acting Attorney General Stuart Gerson - who served in that role under Democratic then-President Bill Clinton, and former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer, who served under Republican then-President George H.W. Bush - marks the latest development in an escalating drama over whether U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will grant the department’s bombshell request to drop the case.
Go ahead, 'skin that smoke wagon.' Take it back into the courtroom. Attorney Sydney Powell and her team will pound it straight up your arses, and she may even reveal a few other tantalizing bits.
#2
They would say that, wouldn't they? These are the same folks whose m.o. is to routinely coerce over 95% or so of defendants in this country to cop a plea whether they're guilty or not.
Meet Sydney Powell, Esq. Get ready to have your head handed to you.
#4
This story keeps shifting around. Sometimes it's 1,000 former officials, sometimes it's 1,000 former prosecutors, and sometimes it's 1,000 former employees. The DOJ employs a lot of people, and a significant percentage of them are attorneys who are not "prosecutors", e.g., attorneys employed in the Civil Division. And many are not attorneys at all. And what's so special about the DOJ? How many former employees of the Texas State Attorney General's office are troubled by the Flynn dismissal?
Posted by: Matt ||
05/21/2020 11:29
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#5
Go ahead, 'skin that smoke wagon.' Take it back into the courtroom. Attorney Sydney Powell and her team will pound it straight up your arses, and she may even reveal a few other tantalizing bits.
It seems we are not the only ones concerned about this.
[FoxNews] Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned on Tuesday that individuals who reject an offer from their company to return to work after being laid off due to coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... are no longer considered eligible to receive federal unemployment benefits.
Mnuchin said that companies receiving benefits under the Payroll Protection Program who are inviting employees who had been laid off or furloughed due to the coronavirus crisis to return to work should plan to notify state unemployment offices of their offers.
If the employee, in turn, turns down the job, they would then be considered ineligible to receive expanded unemployment benefits.
"If you offer a person a job..and that person does not take the job..then that person would not be allowed to get unemployment," Mnuchin said Tuesday.
Mnuchin’s comments come as Republican politicians have ramped up warnings that the recent boost in jobless benefits amid COVID-19 will "push unemployment higher," as many individuals are able to collect more money through the unemployment programs than they made while on the job.
Under the "Phase 3" economic stimulus package passed in March, also known as the CARES Act, Congress provided $250 billion to extend unemployment insurance to more workers, and lengthen the duration to 39 weeks, up from the normal 26 weeks. The provision allowed for an extra $600 to be provided a week for four months to those losing their jobs amid the crisis.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that about half of U.S. workers can earn more with these jobless benefits than they did while working -- a factor that could hurt efforts by some businesses to reopen.
The CARES Act included a new "Pandemic Unemployment Assistance" program, which extends unemployment benefits to self-employed, independent contractors, those with limited work history, and other individuals not traditionally eligible for unemployment benefits who are unable to work as a direct result of COVID-19.
The stimulus package also provided an additional 13 weeks of unemployment compensation to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, as well as a supplemental payment of $600 per week for up to four months.
The average state already gives out $463 per week in unemployment benefits. When combined with the new $600 per week, the average unemployed individual can collect $1,063 per week—the equivalent of more than $26 an hour, or $55,000 per year.
#3
Mnuchin’s comments come as Republican politicians have ramped up warnings that the recent boost in jobless benefits amid COVID-19 will "push unemployment higher," as many individuals are able to collect more money through the unemployment programs than they made while on the job.
Duh. Pushing unemployment higher was the entire point of this perverse incentive the Democrats engineered. Get as many people out of work as possible, and entice them to stay out of work and remain on the government dole.
Democrats really do love poor people; that's why all their policies are aimed at creating as many of them as possible.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/21/2020 6:54
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#4
It's been some time since I was unemployed (back in the 1990s), but I do remember having to document 3 job search contacts every week and to affirm that I had not gotten a job offer that week.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/21/2020 13:41
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This is my county. I’ll need to follow up to make sure the four votes mailed in from my household were not among the 300+ misplaced. And I’ll make sure we vote in person in November — too much can go wrong, accidentally or deliberately.
[MSN] Several hundred Butler County ballots were lost in the mail following Ohio's first-ever mail-in primary.
The Butler County Board of Elections said although the 318 ballots were postmarked by the April 27 deadline, they didn't get to the Butler County elections board until this week, days after the May 8 deadline to be counted.
All but one of the ballots were delivered together on Monday. The remaining ballot has since been delivered.
County elections officials said this situation clearly shows there needs to be more time between the deadline to request an absentee ballot and Election Day.
"We are deeply disappointed by the failure of the postal service to deliver these properly cast ballots prior to the May 8 deadline," said Director Diane Noonan. "It was our understanding that the USPS was instituting additional checks to ensure all ballots were properly delivered, and that clearly didn't happen."
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose has written to Postal Service headquarters calling for an investigation and steps to make sure the issue doesn't happen this fall.
"These voters have effectively been disenfranchised in the Ohio primary election," LaRose wrote.
The secretary's spokeswoman, Maggie Sheehan, said Butler, in southwest Ohio, was the only county that has reported late deliveries so far.
LaRose is asking the Ohio legislature to expand the absentee ballot request deadline before the November general election. A three-day window between requesting a vote-by-mail ballot and election day is "logistically impossible," he has said.
Ohio's March 17 primary was extended after in-person voting that day was canceled for public health reasons amid the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... spread. The vast majority of votes cast were by mail.
#1
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose has written to Postal Service headquarters calling for an investigation and steps to make sure the issue doesn't happen this fall.
#4
This story is a few weeks old. AG Yost barked but so far has no bite. Since Dewine canceled the election he does not want to bring any attention to voting failures. Many suspect the D counties in the north held a few ballots as well. Ballots sit in the Post Office until after the election. Everyone here knows how each zip code leans.
Put this in the "nothing to see here" category.
#7
No mail-in voting except for the military and government officials and maybe a few others overseas and the infirm or bed-ridden. If people can't get out to vote, they don't deserve to vote. Also voter ID, a requirement--you need to prove who you are.
#8
I got to thinking, how did they know more than 300 ballots is missing? I would think that they shouldn't know until the ballots is actually delivered!
#9
how did they know more than 300 ballots is missing?
They were just delivered, almost two weeks after the deadline to include them in the count. I tracked the ballots from my household on the Ohio Board of Elections/Butler County webpage, and while all four of our records are marked as absentee ballots having been issued and mailed, for none of us is a ballot is marked as received. Final daughter has a different last name, three of us voted in the Democratic primary (by which time Joe Biden was the only candidate left standing), and we all voted for the library levy — which passed handily — so I suspect an overwhelmed post office in the early days of the shutdown rather than enemy action.
[WashingtonTimes] Voter integrity hawks are hailing an investigation by the Texas secretary of state that uncovered 95,000 noncitizen residents who illegally registered to vote.
He found about 95,000 noncitizens registered among 16 million voters on Texas rosters, of whom 58,000 actually voted since 1996.
It was one of the largest discoveries of non-eligible voters by any one state. Conservative groups say Secretary of State David Whitley’s inquiry produced real numbers to support their years of lawsuits and research. They say noncitizen voter fraud is significant, as opposed to the left’s contention that it is rare.
"Demonstrating, much less discussing, noncitizen voting activity is the worst form of heresy one can commit for left-wing groups," Logan Churchwell, director of communications and research at the Public Interest Legal Foundation, told The Washington Times.
Continued on Page 49
#2
All part of the Democrat plan to turn Texas blue like they did to California. It's game over if they succeed.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/21/2020 13:33
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#3
Want to make it go away? Tell Dems that Republicans plan to commit lots of voter fraud this coming election and their only hope is to agree to in-person voting only with ID.
h/t RedState
Sorry for the cliche, but this story is about a really, really hot nurse.
A medical worker on the front lines of our war against COVID-19 recently realized her required ultra-protective all-vinyl gown was just too unbearably unbreathable.
Therefore, to fight off fever, she lessened her layers.
In an effort to stay cooler while she tended to patients — in the all-male coronavirus wing of her Russian hospital — the compassionate caregiver decided to show up for shift work in only a bra and panties under her see-through pandemic poncho.
A photo found its way to the web: Wanna bet survival stats in this particular ward jumped up?
#2
Lefties are hypocrites. They'll use it, but sneer at anyone who openly says they are using it.
You must always remember, they are very progressive about how your affairs should be run (by others) but are very conservative when it comes to their own interests.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/21/2020 12:15
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it will be a truly great talking point for the Nov election
'we know whose side the Democrats are on'
Posted by: lord garth ||
05/21/2020 11:00
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#9
"Chinese Virus?" The virus came from China. Does that not make it the Chinese virus? Would it be more specific and accurate to call it the "Wuhan, Chinese virus?"
The only thing I'd add to that last sentence would be the word "bytch" at the end of the sentence.
[Jpost] His rise was meteoric and his fall just as sudden.
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, an Orthodox Jewish doctor who rose to fame in March while promoting a cocktail of drugs he claimed had successfully treated coronavirus – including one that President Donald Trump said Monday he is taking himself, despite the drug’s potentially dangerous side effects – has announced that he is leaving the Jewish community where he has practiced medicine for decades.
In a video shared by the Orthodox news site Yeshiva World News, Zelenko announced he would leave Kiryas Joel, the town north of New York City where, until the coronavirus pandemic, he was known as a beloved community doctor.
“Things have happened,” he said speaking directly to the camera. “I’ve decided that it’s time for me to move on. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do.”
The announcement comes after Zelenko was accused by community leaders of spreading disinformation about the rate of coronavirus infection in Kiryas Joel, leading to discrimination against residents of the village. Zelenko is also being investigated by a federal prosecutor over his claim that a study of the drugs he promoted had won approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
[ToloNews] At least 9 members of the public uprising forces were killed and 6 were maimed in a clash with the Taliban ...Arabic for students... in the northern province of Takhar on Tuesday night, local officials said.
The incident occurred in Lala Guzar village of Khwaja Bahauddin district on Tuesday night after the Taliban attacked and were engaged by security forces, according to officials.
"The Taliban also sustained casualties in the attack but there are no exact reports," officials said.
Hopefully this is just a criminal or gang thing, and not a jihadi.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
Sen. Martín Quezada tweeted Wednesday evening: 'I just witnessed an armed terrorist with an AR-15 shoot up Westgate. There are multiple victims'
Glendale police confirmed the incident, saying three people were injured
The suspect is said to have surrendered and is now in custody
'I saw 2 victims with my own eyes. Not sure how many others', Quezada add
Update at 2:20 a.m. EDT:
Gunman shot three people at the Westgate Entertainment District Wednesday
Suspect was identified Armando Hernandez, 20, by his mother, 12News reports
Disturbing footage, thought to have been taken by Hernandez, shows a gunman carrying out his rampage; the suspect is now in custody, police said
Officer Tiffany Ngalula did not confirm the identity of the gunman Wednesday evening but did say police are aware of the video circulating on social media
One of those injured is said to be in critical condition; two others were expected to survive following the shooting near the shopping district west of Phoenix
Update at 2:00 p.m. EDT: Moved to Page 3: Non-WoT because subsequent reports sound like a nutter (early schizophrenia?) rather than a jihadi or narco gang nonsense.
[IsraelTimes] In recent weeks, tens of thousands of Israeli troops took part in a military drill to prepare for possible conflict with Iran-backed Lebanese terror group.
Domestically, Hezbollah has emerged to become the preponderant force in Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... ," said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University in Beirut. But regionally, he said, "the position of Hezbollah is precarious" due to Israeli pressure, domestic turmoil and problems for its Iranian benefactors.
Continued on Page 49
[ALMASDARNEWS] Heavy festivities were reported on Wednesday between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Ottoman Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... (TFSA) at the Tadef crossing.
According to reports from this front, the Syrian Army and TFSA troops traded gunfire at the crossing, followed by brief shelling.
No deaths were reported; however, some military personnel suffered minor injuries during the brief encounter.
The reason for the festivities is still unknown at this time.
The Tadef crossing is located near the strategic city of al-Bab, which is currently under the control of the Ottoman Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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[Libya Observer] The Speaker of the Tunisian House of Representatives (HoR), Rached Ghannouchi, congratulated the Government of National Accord (GNA), on its capture of the strategically important, al-Watiya Air Base.
Ghannouchi, in a telephone conversation with the head of the Presidential Council (PC), Fayez al-Sarraj, discussed developments on the present situation in Libya, expressing his delight at the capture of al-Watiya and its return into the hands of the legitimate government, as it is so close to the Tunisian border.
He went on to say that there is no military solution to the conflict in Libya, stressing the need for a return to political dialogue.
On his part, al-Sarraj praised Tunisia’s keenness on security and stability in Libya, expressing his wish to enhance cooperation between both countries.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The China-based Sohu News Agency reported this week that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... will likely not focus on buying weapons from Russia, as they already copy many of their weapons already.According to Sohu, Iran has copied several Russian weapons, including tanks and their air defense systems.
The Sohu article specifically mentioned the Iranian Karrar tank, which is supposed to be a prototype of the Russian T-90.
However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... they were quick to point out that while it looks like a T-90 tank, it functions more like an improved T-72 tank.
"The design of the Karrar tank shows that Iran’s progress is not small, at first it surprised only by its appearance, but now it does not look like it. Nevertheless, if you look carefully, you will see that this is just a reference to the design of the T-90 tank. This is an improved model of the T-72. The range of changes is still not small. The tank did not get rid of the original design. The Russian technical base is still very good. It’s easy to see that Iran’s progress in tank technology is still pretty fast, but Iran’s imagination is very bad," Sohu News said.
Nevertheless, a number of authoritative sources in Iran stated that Tehran is not considering the possibility of acquiring Russian T-90 tanks, although the latter have proven themselves well in Syria, as they are more interested in using their technologies in Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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[BREITBART] House Speaker Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi Congresswoman-for-Life from the San Francisco Bay Area, born into a family of professional politicians. On-again-off-again Speaker of the House. It's not her fault when they lose, but it's her accomplishment when they win. Noted for her heavily botoxed grimace and occasional senior... uhhh... moments... (D-CA) during her weekly press briefing declared that President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...... and those who work for him had "doggie doo" on their shoes.
When asked about Trump’s Joe Scarborough tweets, Pelosi said, "It’s so completely inappropriate in so many that it is almost a given. It’s like a child who comes in with mud on their pants, that’s the way it is, they are outside playing. He comes in with doggie doo on his shoes, and everybody that works for him has that on their shoes too for a very long time to come."
She added, "I don’t know I hear doctors talk to me about saying what is the matter with him? The things he says are so inappropriate for a president of the United States. The comments he makes about women — the comments he makes about women so inappropriate. So, no, I don’t think it’s appropriate, but again there is a market for it obviously, and that is what he plays to."
#3
Damn. Reading the headline, I thought for sure this was the Bee!
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/21/2020 7:00
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#4
I found out her private jet flights back and fourth from DC to California cost 30,000 to 56,000 for fuel alone each way. Inside information that is.
#7
If she's been walking the streets of SF, she'll have human (putatively) doo-doo on her shoes. That may account for the fact she's traded her spiked heels in for combat boots.
[REDSTATE] The latest instance of a credentialed White House press corps "journalist" showing out came earlier today, when CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid asked one of the most ridiculously biased questions any of the press corps news hounds have since the start of the daily coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... task force briefings back in early March.
Reid, who has clashed with Trump and other members of the administration in recent weeks, grabbed for another moment in the media spotlight by asking this question of Trump:
“Mr. President, why haven’t you announced a plan to get 36 million unemployed Americans back to work? You are overseeing historic economic despair. What’s the delay? Where’s the plan?”
It was an idiotic question, considering journalists like Reid have been dunking on him non-stop for wanting states to reopen sooner which, you know, is actually the only thing that can revive the economy.
Trump let her know it in his response:
“Oh, I think we have announced a plan. We are opening up our country — just a rude person you are. We are opening up our country and we’re opening it up very fast. The plan is that each state is opening and it is opening up very effectively, and when you see the numbers I think even you will be impressed, which is pretty hard to impress you.”
[AlAhram] A cabinet committee tasked with legalising the status of unlicensed Christian places of worship has licensed 70 churches and service buildings that had been operating without a permit, the cabinet said in a statement.
This brings the total number of unlicensed Christian places of worship and service buildings that have been granted legal status to 1,638 so far, the cabinet said in a statement following a committee meeting on Tuesday.
Christians make up around 10 percent of the 100 million population of Egypt, a predominantly Moslem country.
In 2016, Egypt’s parliament approved a long-awaited law regulating the building and renovation of churches.
The committee to legalise the status of unlicensed churches was established in 2017 by the prime minister.
The 10-member committee comprises one Christian representative, six government officials from several ministries, representatives from the national security apparatus, the intelligence apparatus, and the administrative control body.
During its meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet also reviewed the situation of safety requirements for legalised churches.
#1
Excellent news! Would like to see more articles like this one.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/21/2020 13:38
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#2
I’ve been posting every announcement I’ve seen, Tom. This is a innovation of the el Sisi government — they’re very proud of their pro-Christian and pro-Jew activities. Plus it gets them points with President Trump, draws Western and Russian tourists, and keeps the substantial Coptic minority (~10 million) calm.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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#1
If he can avoid stupid scandals cooked up by the media and dems during his governorship of Florida, DeSantis is going to be a top-shelf Republican presidential competitor down the road.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/21/2020 8:19
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#2
You gotta love guys like this who are articulate, well acquainted with the numbers and who can think on their feet and respond with such eloquence to these nasty so-called journalists.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/21/2020 14:03
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(CNN)Oregon held its primary election on Tuesday, a mostly ho-hum affair, with Joe Biden cruising to a win over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential race and no incumbents facing any real tests either.
You'll notice I said that it was a "mostly" boring election, not an entirely boring election. In fact, Oregon Republicans did something very, very odd -- and potentially disastrous -- in choosing their nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley in November.
What they did is nominate Jo Rae Perkins, a financial adviser and self-professed QAnon conspiracy theorist. In a video posted to Twitter following her victory, Perkins said this:
"Where we go one, we go all. I stand with President Trump. I stand with Q and the team. Thank you Anons and thank you patriots -- and together we can save our republic."
#4
The Soetoro, Clinton, Brennan, Comey, Clapper 'bubble.'
Michael Hastings, The Operators, Pages 62-63
I'd seen the bubble in the White House, on the campaign trail, inside embassies, at the highest levels of large corporations. The bubble had a reality-distorting effect on those inside it, while perversely convincing those with the bubble that their view of reality was absolute true. ("Establishment reporters undoubtedly know a lot things I don't," legendary outsider journalist I.F.S one once observed. "But a lot what they know isn't true.") The bubble compensated for is false impressions by giving bubble-dwellers feelings of prestige from their proximity to power. The bubble was incredibly seductive, the ultimate expression of insiderness. If I succumbed to the logic of the bubble, I would lose the desire to write with a critical eye.
A bit of virtue signalling and finger pointing by the perfidious, loathsome Hastings, but nonetheless accurate.
#6
It's not a conspiracy that the Obama regime and his stooges attempted a coup. D.Bongino and S.Powell articulate the same arguments supported with the same facts as qanons. Of course the fan fiction of Bongino's base differs from the fan fiction of the qanon's. Like with any signal, you need separate the message from the noise. And the message from the three are the same.
#7
I don't think the efforts were coordinated, but clearly a large number of liberal Washington Bureaucrats stayed beyond with no intention of following any change in orders from the new admin, or in some cases as active saboteurs. I think deep state is as good a name as any for such garbage.
[Libya Observer] Pro-Qadaffy al-Jamahiriya ... An Arabic neologism coined by the late and unlamented Muammar al-Qadaffy. The word jamahiriya was derived from jumhuriya, which is the usual Arabic translation of republic. It was coined by changing the component jumhur ‐ public ‐ to its plural form, jamahir — the masses. Thus, it is similar to the term People's Republic, only more denigrating to the actual inhabitants of the country... TV issued a statement Wednesday accusing Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly... and his forces of being linked to foreign agenda and described Haftar as a traitor and a foreign agent receiving his orders from overseas.
The statement slammed Haftar for his role in the current conflict, saying real commanders should fight on the battlefield not in their luxurious houses thousands of kilometers away from frontlines "doing commercial and political deals at the expense of the blood of the ordinary people".
"We won't be part of a virtual command that hasn't even heard of the loss of Gharyan until three days later and al-Watiya airbase until today. A command that hasn't visited frontlines for over a year and half." The Gadaffi loyalists' statement says, adding that the tactical withdrawals and truces aren't as they claim, but in fact, they are orders coming from overseas and they must be implemented.
They also slammed Haftar's zero hour statements and delusional truces as well as the political mandate, saying they only believe in staying on the ground in Libya on the battlefield and that those who can't be on the frontlines can't be mandated for any role.
The statement was a response to Haftar's front man Ahmed al-Mismari who said their forces would move 2-3 kilometers away from south Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... frontlines to allow people to spend Ramadan days and Eid al-Fitr celebration in peace.
In an earlier statement, al-Mismari said their forces would withdraw from some southern Tripoli locations for "repositioning" as part of a "military tactic for mobilization of forces".
[NYP] Even after the Justice Department filed papers earlier this month to withdraw its deeply compromised case against Gen. Michael Flynn for making false statements to the FBI, the fate of President Trump’s first national security adviser is still unresolved. Presiding Judge Emmitt Sullivan disagrees so strongly with the government’s decision that he appointed a former jurist to find avenues by which Flynn might still be prosecuted.
It’s the latest reversal for the 33-year combat veteran and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Flynn joined the Trump campaign in 2016 and became one of the president’s closest advisers — which is why former Obama administration officials had their knives out. Forced out of the White House in February 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty after Robert Mueller’s special counsel prosecutors threatened to bring phony charges against his son.
All the time, Flynn’s large Irish Catholic family, which was raised in Newport, RI, had stood by him.
"The ocean was our backyard," says one of Flynn’s older sisters, Barbara. They weren’t from the wealthiest parts of the famous New England resort town. "We grew up nine kids in a 1,200-foot square house with one bathroom," she says.
Their father had also been in the Army, serving in World War II and Korea. Their mother was a lawyer with a strong sense of duty and patriotism.
"She had a special bond with Mike," says Barbara. "In the summers, there were lifeguard competitions, college swimmers, and here’s this wiry high-school kid who beats them all. And then after he won, he coached and cheered on the rest of us. If ever you followed someone into war, it’d be Mike. You know he would survive, he would win, and he’d do the right thing. We called him ’Iron Mike.’"
The Flynns knew something was rotten when the press started to smear him after Trump’s victory.
"All of the allegations about him ’colluding’ with Russia were so preposterous that we knew it was corrupt," says Joe Flynn, one of the retired general’s younger brothers. "He was being targeted and that galvanized us."
The Flynns started a legal-defense fund for their brother.
"At first, Mike was against it because he didn’t want it to look like he was pandering," says Joe. "Also, he figured it would be over soon."
In a December 2018 hearing, Flynn was prepared to plead his guilt when the judge began accusing him of treason. During a recess, Flynn’s wife, Lori, called attention to the gravity of the situation.
Who, precisely, made that promise, and when? What was the quid pro quo? Did the Senate vote to confirm the treaty?
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Reuters: CHINA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS U.S. ACTION ON TAIWAN VIOLATES THE PROMISE IT MADE AND SENT WRONG SIGNAL TO THE "TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE" SEPARATIST FORCES
[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant... warns there will be no peace in the Middle East if Israel doesn't stop the threat of annexation.
During a Tuesday virtual fundraiser with members of the U.S. Jewish community, Biden vowed to reverse President Trump's policies in the Israeli region and restore the hope of peace between Israelis and Paleostinians.
In order to achieve that goal, Biden said the United States should restore diplomatic relationships with the Paleostinian Authority. If elected president, the former vice president said he would help build efforts with Paleostinians to take steps toward a two-state solution if they agreed on it.
"My commitment to Israel is absolutely unshakable," Biden said, saying he would help the Israel maintain its "qualitative military edge" while taking steps towards peace.
Earlier this year, Trump unveiled a peace plan that would give Israel illusory sovereignty over approximately 30% of the West Bank territory and the Jordan Valley. The plan also calls for the eventual establishment of a Paleostinian state with a capital in east Jerusalem.
Biden said he does not support the Israeli annexation of the West Bank and called accusations of anti-Semitism, "The mother of all conspiracy theories."
"Criticism of Israel's policy is not anti-Semitism, but too often that criticism from the Left morphs into anti-Semitism," Biden said. "Arguably, we haven't heard enough about the Holocaust because people are still trying to deny its horrible reality. We have to keep talking about it. So many people forget. It’s almost hard to believe."
Trump has established a strong relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has expressed support for Trump's plan. The president made a longtime promise vowed by past presidents to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem into reality, fully recognizing the latter as Israel's true capital. Biden has vowed to keep the embassy in Jerusalem if elected.
Biden also said he has had a good relationship with Netanyahu for decades but is disappointed that the prime minister has moved "so, so far to the Right."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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#1
back in mid april J street endorsed Biden for Prez
it was the first time J street ever endorsed a candidate for President and J street also said they would provide $200k to some pro biden effort with more to come
if not for the virus, this would have been big news in the Jewish community as Biden has attended about a dozen AIPAC policy meetings and strutted his pro Israel resume at them
Posted by: lord garth ||
05/21/2020 8:28
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#2
As I recall, J Street is a Soros Foundation client.
[JUSTTHENEWS] The infamous story of Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant... ’s effort to force the firing of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor in 2016 has taken a new legal twist in Kiev, just as the former vice president is sewing up the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in America.
In Kiev late last month, District Court Judge S. V. Vovk ordered the country’s law enforcement services to formally list the fired prosecutor, Victor Shokin, as the victim of an alleged crime by the former U.S. vice president, according to an official English translation of the ruling obtained by Just the News.
The court had previously ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigations in February to investigate Shokin’s claim that he was fired in spring 2016 under pressure from Biden because he was investigating Burisma Holdings, the natural gas company where Biden’s son Hunter worked.
The court ruled then that there was adequate evidence to investigate Shokin’s claim that Biden’s pressure on then-President Petro Poroshenko, including a threat to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, amounted to unlawful interference in Shokin’s work as Ukraine’s chief prosecutor.
But when law enforcement agencies opened the probe they refused to name Biden as the alleged perpetrator of the crime, instead listing the potential defendant as an unnamed American.
Vovk ruled that anonymous listing was improper and ordered the law enforcement agencies to formally name Biden as the accused perpetrator.
[ALMASDARNEWS] Syria’s Ministry of Justice denied the reports that surfaced on social media and opposition channels about the arrest of Rami Makhlouf, the billionaire tycoon and first cousin of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... "Some pages on Facebook, based on biased foreign sources, published a fake decree of the Ministry of Justice about the arrest of all types of assets of Rami Makhlouf. The ministry denied ever issuing any decree in that regard," the ministry said on Facebook.
The ministry said there were accounts on social networks that were intentionally publishing fake news and exploiting the topic to spread rumors.
The state department of communications has recently informed Syriatel provider, headed by Makhlouf, about the need to pay nearly 234 billion Syrian pounds ($456 million) by 5 May. Makhlouf posted an appeal to the president on his Facebook page, asking for his company to be exempted from taxes and claiming that the special service mistreated his employees.
Syrian politician, Mari Bitar, told RIA Novosti that the cousin of the president was subject to the same laws as other citizens of the country and the decision on taxes concerned not just him but everyone who had not paid.
“You all will be equally abused by our morality police, not to mention our hard boys and even our hard boys in training, just up from the madrassah across the border in Pakistan. We’ll all have such fun together, especially not you!”
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced on Wednesday, a unilateral ceasefire to avoid bloodshed at the end of the month of Ramadan.
The Libyan National Army spokesperson, Ahmad al-Mismari, said that the forces decided to move away from Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... for a distance of 2 to 3 kilometres at all fronts.
Al-Mismari said in a statement that this ceasefire will allow citizens in the city to move freely at the end of the month of Ramadan and during Eid al-Fitr.
A front man for the Libyan National Army said that their forces will start moving their positions in the city by midday on Wednesday.
This comes at a time when Libya is witnessing an increase in violence between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army.
Earlier this week, the Libyan Army withdrew from the al-Watiya Airbase after a month-long battle with the Ottoman Turkish-backed GNA forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Egyptian Minister of Parliament, Atef Nasser, head of the Parliamentary Committee of the Future Party, attacked Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... , stressing that he was interfering in Libya.
The Egyptian parliamentarian affirmed the decisive position on the situation in Libya after the fall of the al-Watiya Airbase in the hands of the Ottoman Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces, saying that Egypt fully believes in a political solution in Libya, and considers the need to preserve the unity and illusory sovereignty of Libyan lands.
Nasser indicated that the statements of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi "are a clear message to Erdogan so that he does not consider using Libya as a platform to export Death Eaters again to Egypt and neighboring countries," he said.
He pointed out that Erdogan should review his movements in Libya and know his footprints well, adding: "He should not be reassured by a group of traitors and mercenaries next to him, because Egypt’s security is a red line and it should never cross its borders," as he put it.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has confirmed that the stability of Libya is one of the determinants of Egyptian national security, and that Egypt "has not and will not compromise with terrorist groups and those who support them."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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[AA.TR] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...Qatar's satrapy in Asia Minor... on Wednesday denounced a terror attack in southeastern Niger, said Ottoman Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
In a statement, the country's Foreign Ministry expressed the country's condolences on attack which targeted the Blabrine military base in the Diffa region, on Monday, claiming the lives of 12 soldiers and leaving 10 injured.
"We condemn this heinous terrorist attack. We wish Allah's mercy upon those who bit the dust, speedy recovery to the injured and offer our sincere condolences to the brotherly people and Government of Niger," it said.
In the country, more than 20,000 people died in the attacks carried out since 2009 by the Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... terror group, displacing more than 2 million people.
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[Newsweek] In international politics, few things are certain during these uncertain times. But I can predict one: the relationship between America and Hong Kong is in the throes of major change.
On May 22, China's leaders will convene for their annual People's Congress, during which they will discuss the status of Hong Kong and whether to push forward with their rebuffed attempts to impose upon that special jurisdiction the laws and circumscribed rights of mainland China. If they do so, America and Britain will push back—with lasting consequence.
Hong Kong has become ground zero for the ideological clash between democracy and heavy-handed Chinese communism. This tug-of-war was on global display last summer, when over two million Hong Kongers—26 percent of the entire population—peacefully took to the streets of Hong Kong, in sweltering 100-degree heat, to protest Beijing's overreach with a proposed extradition bill that would impose China's laws on Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong have completely lost faith in their embattled leader, Carrie Lam, and their police force. Peaceful protestors have been brutalized, pro-democracy figures have been illegally arrested and the Hong Kong Legislative Council's day-to-day operations have been tampered with by the Chinese government. During the most recent attempt to conduct a Legislative Council meeting in Hong Kong, in a scene that is reminiscent of an event that might take place in a failed state, fist fights broke out between the pro-China members and the pro-democracy members.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Democracy? Uh...if you think Hong Kong had democracy under the British, you've got another think coming. They ruled it with an iron fist and did exactly the same as the current rulers: used the police to suppress pro-democracy protests and called out the Triads as muscle. Where do you think the commies got the idea?
#2
^ Possibly. I have no direct knowledge, so tell you what: Let's let the HK-ers vote as to whether they want the CCP oppressing them or the Brits..... Oh, that's right, the Commies would never allow such an election.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Sadiq Al-Gharyani thanks #Turkey and #Qatar for standing with #Libya during its crisis, saying the deal inked with Turkey has put an end to #UAE’s bombardment of civilians in #Tripoli. He added that Turkey should have priority in oil and infrastructure projects pic.twitter.com/Rwhw401tPm
CDC Now Says Virus 'Does Not Spread Easily' on Surfaces
[PJMedia] “COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning about how it spreads. It may be possible for COVID-19 to spread in other ways, but these are not thought to be the main ways the virus spreads,” according to the CDC.
The change comes after a preliminary study from March suggested that the novel coronavirus can remain in the air for up to three hours, and live on surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel for up to three days, prompting many to take to wiping down packages and other items. However, at the time, the study was yet not peer-reviewed, and, as Yahoo notes, did not determine if people could be infected from touching certain surfaces analyzed.
Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer for the healthcare website WebMD, called the CDC’s changes an “important step in clarifying how the virus is spread, especially as we gain new information.”
“It also may help reduce anxiety and stress. Many people were concerned that by simply touching an object they may get coronavirus and that’s simply not the case. Even when a virus may stay on a surface, it doesn’t mean that it’s actually infectious,” Whyte told Fox News in an email.
California border hospitals hit by surge in COVID-19 cases from Mexico
[Jpost] The only two hospitals in Southern California's rural Imperial County were forced to close their doors to new coronavirus patients on Tuesday, after admitting scores believed stricken with the virus from across the border in Mexico, officials said.
The surge in patients consisted of US citizens who live in Mexicali, capital of the Mexican state of Baja California, and were turned away from hospitals overrun with coronavirus cases there, said Dr. Adolphe Edward, chief executive officer of the El Centro Regional Medical Center.
Edward said his 161-bed hospital in El Centro, the main city in Imperial County about 100 miles (160 km) east of San Diego, ended up with 65 COVID-19-positive patients from Monday night's influx, while the 106-bed Pilgrims Memorial Hospital in nearby Brawley admitted 28.
"Our numbers just skyrocketed last night," Edward said on his hospital's Facebook page.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2020
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#1
Only 1% of Danes have virus antibodies
They had 1920/M = 0.2% so for every registered CV19 case we have 5 asymptomatic.
Their Swinish neighbors had 3424/M = 0.3424% ==> 1.7% immune (maybe).
Herd immunity requires 90% immune.
Yet "people" criticize Neil Ferguson for pulling numbers from his ass!
#6
German virologist Hendrick Streeck talked about this "surface" matter weeks or months ago, even on door handles, etc. Nice to see the CDC kinda-sorta get with the program. Finally.
#8
The March 16 report by Imperial College epidemiologist Neil Ferguson is credited (or blamed) with causing the U.K. to lock down and contributing to the domino effect of global lockdowns. The model has since come under intense criticism for being “totally unreliable and a buggy mess.”
This is the same Neil Ferguson who in 2005 predicted 200 million could die from the bird flu. Total deaths over the last 15 years turned out to be 455. This is the same Neil Ferguson who in 2009 predicted that 65,000 people could die in the U.K. from the swine flu. The final number ended up around 392. Now, in 2020, he predicted that 500,000 British would die from coronavirus.
His deeply flawed model led the United States to fear over 2 million deaths and was used to justify locking down nearly the entire nation. Dr. Ferguson is a character of Shakespearean drama and tragedy. His March 17 presentation to British elites on the dire need to take action ironically may have infected Boris Johnson and other top British officials, as Mr. Ferguson himself tested positive for COVID-19 two days later. Then in May he resigned in disgrace after he broke his own quarantine rules to meet clandestinely with a married woman. [Excerpt from a Zero Hedge post]
Herd immunity starts having an effect depending on the R0 value. Its not a stark line, its a gradient. Herd Immunity Threshold is not that difficult an equation.
R = infectivity
p = proportion of the population that shows immune by infection recovered or by vaccination
pc is the HIT
R0 x (1 - p) = 1
so Pc = 1 - 1 /R0
For an R0 of 2, herd immunity shows up at about 50%.
To achieve an HIT of 90% the R0 has to be 10 or more. Do the math.
Right now, best estimates based on current models (which may very well be garbage due tio garbage data) is about 5.7, so for herd immunity to become a factor, you need a HIT of about 82%
Feel free to look up the equations yourself.
Posted by: Marilyn Tojo7566 ||
05/21/2020 23:24
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[REALCLEARPOLITICS] In national polling, former vice president Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant... is the clear 2020 front-runner. He's up nearly 5 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average; he's up in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona. That's because Biden campaigned as the anti-Bernie Sanders ...The only first openly Socialist member of the U.S. Senate. Sanders was Representative-for-Life from Vermont until moving to the Senate for the rest of his life in 2006, assuming the seat vacated by Jim Jeffords. He ran for the 2016 nomination for president, to be cheated out of it by Hillary Clinton, then went back to being an Independent socialist, waiting for 2020 to roll around... : a "return to normality" candidate rather than a transformational one. His entire pitch relied on his high name recognition, the general perception of his likability and his unthreatening demeanor.
Continued on Page 49
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[Fortune] In the world of online spying, great power lies with those who can get their hands on the data flowing through the world’s Internet infrastructure. So the fact that Germany is home to one of the world’s biggest Internet exchange points—where data crosses between the networks that make up the Internet—has given a lot of power to the country’s equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency.
The Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND, gets to freely sift through all the foreign traffic passing through that exchange junction in search of nuggets that can be shared with overseas partners such as the NSA. But now that power is in jeopardy, thanks to a Tuesday ruling from Germany’s constitutional court.
The case was brought about by journalists who report on human rights in conflict zones. They don’t want German spies potentially identifying their sources there and sharing that information with other countries.
Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled that foreigners also benefit from privacy protections under Germany’s constitution, so the surveillance conducted on them by Germany’s spy agency needs to respect their rights.
The legislation in question, which was introduced in 2016, does nothing of the sort. Indeed, those rules trample over foreigners’ rights in a variety of ways, the court said: They allow mass surveillance rather than targeted surveillance; there’s not enough oversight of the spying; there are no protections for journalists and lawyers, as there should be; and there aren’t enough restrictions or safeguards when it comes to sharing the information with the likes of the NSA.
The court said it was possible to have a constitution-compliant law governing the surveillance of foreigners in other countries, so the German government has until the end of 2021 to make the necessary adjustments.
THE FRANKFURT CONNECTION
Germany's signals intelligence agency‐the Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND‐has had an information-sharing deal with the NSA since soon after 9/11. After NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 spilled the beans about the American agency's international partnerships, it emerged that the NSA had been directing the BND to gather information on high-profile targets such as the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, and the administrations of France and Austria.
This triggered a parliamentary inquiry in Berlin, which revealed a lot about the BND's tapping of the data flowing through the DE-CIX Internet exchange point in Frankfurt (the world's second-largest Internet exchange point, after the Brazil Internet Exchange). DE-CIX's operators complained that the BND was supposed to monitor only a fifth of the traffic passing through but was actually scooping up the whole lot....
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
The Iranians will test this strategy by frontal positioning their ships then claim the US violated the 100 meter rule. Will they move or risk being “blown” out of the lane?
Parwan residents rally after many killed in mosque attack: By Ahmad Fareed Tanha on 20 May 2020 CHARIKAR (Pajhwok): Hundreds of residents of central Parwan province on Wednesday staged a protest rally against the... read more https://t.co/in9UgmGlt6pic.twitter.com/bfbfWF5lQ7
[IsraelTimes] Workers at sensitive facilities told to be on alert for malicious activity after hacking of Bandar Abbas port, which Israel has said is used to supply weapons to Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,, Hezbollah.
Israel’s security firms and agencies are reportedly preparing for a potential Iranian or Iran-linked cyberattack in response to an attack blamed on the Jewish state that was said to have crippled computer systems at a strategic port in the south of the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
The Washington Post reported Monday that Israel brought down the Shahid Rajaee port’s computer systems, causing a total shutdown of the facility, on May 9.
Continued on Page 49
[THEWEEK] The House will have to wait a little longer to see what's inside secret grand jury materials from the Mueller investigation.The House Judiciary Committee issued an emergency request for the undisclosed files last summer, and Washington, D.C.'s federal appeals court ruled in the committee's favor in March. But the Supreme Court overturned the appeals court's order on Wednesday, likely keeping the materials under wraps through the 2020 election, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#5
Remember, 5 demoncratic representatives have been authorized to look at the redacted data. None have of yet.
This is little more than a political attempt to bring the other names of Trump's people into the open and smear them and destroy their lives for the left's political gain.
Mary Jo Kopechne, 28, died after drowning in a car crash off the waters of Martha's Vineyard on July 18, 1996, known as the Chappaquiddick scandal
The car was driven by Senator Ted Kennedy, who fled the scene of the accident
He failed to report the accident for ten hours claiming he 'was overcome by a jumble of emotion – grief, fear, doubt, exhaustion, panic, confusion and shock'
New book Before Chappaquiddick, The Untold Story of Mary Jo Kopechne and the Kennedy Brothers takes a deeper look into Mary Jo's life and death
Ted never apologized to Mary Jo's parents but he went on national television to ask the people of Massachusetts for their forgiveness But see the graphic
The author reveals Mary Jo had been thrown into the back and her head was cocked back with her face pressed into the foot-well of the floor trying to get air
Despite Mary Jo being a loyal and trusted staffer to Robert Kennedy, the political family closed ranks and let the press run stories that she was an opportunist
#2
Another one of those "If they have a (D) behind their name" they can get away with a minor slap on the wrist in what would otherwise be a career ender for someone with an (R) behind it.
#3
while Ted is hopefully getting his rewards in hell, her family should also be ashamed for how they allowed her to be used. and the people of Mass for voting the Kennedy scum back into office for life.
all in the name of politics
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
05/21/2020 10:07
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#4
Mary Jo Kopechne, the "Lion of the Senate" legacy.
#5
Between "Lion of the Senate," and "Lions of Pisslam," real lions have a right to be grouchy around humans.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/21/2020 11:42
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#6
*Spit* Remembering people like Teddy Kennedy, "cold cash" Jefferson, and the currently serving Alcee "impeached judge" Hastings made me glad I wasn't registered (D) as a voter.
ISIS leader nominated to replace Baghdadi handed over to Iraqi authorities
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Iraqi Intelligence Service announced that the person nominated to succeed the terrorist leader and founder of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been handed over to them.
According to the Iraqi News Agency, the Intelligence Service announced that their forces have taken custody Abdel-Nasser Qirdash, noting that he is the candidate to succeed Baghdadi as the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Qirdash is the highest ranking Islamic State officer to ever be taken into custody.
It should be noted that while Qirdash was nominated to replace Baghdadi, the Islamic State ultimately chose to ’Abdul-Rahman al-Mawlah as the leader of the group.
He was first arrested in Syria last year, but was not handed over to the Iraqi authorities until recently.
The former Islamic State leader, Baghdadi, was killed during a special U.S. military operation in northwestern Syria in October of 2019.
Baghdadi was hiding in a jihadist-held town in the northern countryside of the Idlib Governorate; he refused to surrender during the U.S. raid and chose to detonate his own boom jacket.
Despite Baghdadi’s death in 2019, the Islamic State has remained active in both Syria and Iraq, often carrying out hit-and-run attacks against the Syrian and Iraqi armies, along with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Iraq claims capture of senior Daesh leader [ARABNEWS] Iraq claimed on Wednesday it had arrested a ISIS leader considered a successor to the terror group’s former chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The National Intelligence Service told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) it had picked up Abdul Nasser Qardash.
He served as the head of one of the terrorist group’s commissions, INA said, and served under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led the group that preceded ISIS.
However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... some reports suggested Qardash was captured by US or Kurdish forces in Syria last year and just recently transferred to Iraqi custody.
The US has previously identified Ameer Muhammed Saeed al-Salbi al-Mawla, as the new leader of ISIS. He is known within the group as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
Some reports said Qardash was the same person as al-Mawla, despite the photo used by INA of the captured holy warrior not matching that of al-Mawla.
[AnNahar] While a ceasefire in Syria has reduced combat between rebels and government forces, mercenaries from the two sides are still fighting in Libya on behalf of their Russian and Ottoman Turkish backers.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... supports some Syrian rebels and Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord, while Russia supports Syria's Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Continued on Page 49
...the Jerusalem Brigade is a Paleostinian-Syrian pro-Government group that operates in Aleppo, formed in 2013. The group is composed of predominately Sunni Paleostinians from the al-Nayrab district as well as the former refugee camp Handarat. It is believed to be the largest Assadist auxilliary force operating in storied Aleppo....
The U.S. also designated Ali Fallahian. As the head of Iran’s intelligence service from 1989 to 1997, he was behind multiple assassinations and attacks, including the 1995 killing of U.S. exchange student Alisa Flatow and the 1994 Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Following a late 1990 secret meeting involving Sudan and Iran intelligence services, Iranian agents began to use Khartoum as a base of operations in the Horn of Africa and the Med.
There then emerged for the first time the Iranian Security Minister Ali Fallahian, a powerful member of Iran's Supreme National Security Council chaired by Iranian President Rafsanjani. Western intel sources were aware that Iran's ruling Council had approved the decision to assassinate government opponents in exile, and Fallahian's minions were made responsible for ratifying the death sentence. Despite Fallahian's involvement in a myriad of terrorist activities (and despite Iranian active presence in Somalia and Bosnia) he was never listed by the USA. He's a little long in the tooth by now.
#2
Making it clear to the old guard that they are no longer safe? If it’s a less-than-hot war they want, it goes both ways?
The Twitter thread mentions still-unsanctioned Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who had served on Iran’s nuclear negotiation team but for the past four years has lived in the U.S. as a visiting scholar at Princeton — one of 2,000 recipients of blank Green Cards courtesy of President Obama’s negotiating team. They’ll want cleaning up too, I imagine, along with whatever dear little friends they’ve made since settling here with their families.
Unusual 'toothless' dinosaur discovered in Australia
An unusual "toothless" dinosaur has been identified by paleontologists in Australia.
The dinosaur, an elaphrosaur, roamed Australia 110 million years ago, according to a statement released by the Swinburne University of Technology.
A bone from the dinosaur was discovered by volunteer Jessica Parker during a dig in Victoria in early 2015. Initially thought to be from a pterosaur, the neck bone was studied by experts at Swinburne University who realized that it was from a theropod or meat-eating dinosaur. "The only catch this meat-eating dinosaur probably didn't eat meat!" said Swinburne paleontologist Dr. Stephen Poropat, in the statement. Unlike Trey it had a spine.
The bone matches a group of theropods called elaphrosaurs or light-footed lizards.'
[WashingtonExaminer] China has become a key battleground issue for the 2020 election as supporters of Trump hope a hardening in public opinion offers a populist route to victory that mirrors their 2016 playbook.
A poll published over the weekend shows the prize. FTI Consulting, a business advisory firm, found that 40% of U.S. adults say they won’t buy products from China. More than half don’t believe the country will follow through on its trade deal commitments. And more than three-quarters said they were willing to pay more for products if their manufacture were moved out of China.
For Trump supporters, that means something of a reprise of the playbook that proved successful in 2016, portraying their man as the outsider taking on vested interests.
#2
The Blue States and Blue cities were Draconian in their approach to COVID-19. The blue state tyrants seemed to enjoy their free rein (or free reign) for a short time.
The Red States were not so Draconian in their approach. A tribute to Trump is that he provided help centrally but left the administration of approach to COVID-19 to the States--a 10 Amendment approach as it should be.
COVID-19 revealed a great number of things.
Road to victory? Make the Communists in China as well as the Communists in the U.S. the top issue in 2020 (Enemies domestic and foreign).
#3
Trump broke tradition and sent son Baron to "The 14-year-old is making history by attending St Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland". This is great as I lived near Sidwell Friends a Quaker school but the kids ran wild there. Daughter just graduated Law school at Georgetown also. He is doing something right.
[NYPOST] A Brooklyn man donned a devilish Halloween mask before infiltrating a senior center and shooting a 62-year-old dead in his bed, police sources said Wednesday. "Miss Marple, to the white courtesy phone!"
Gregory Spears, 39, wore a horned-devil mask as he knocked on the door to alleged victim Angel Medina’s 14th-floor apartment in the Langston Hughes Senior Center in Brownsville around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, sources said. "No one will know me if I wear this here horned devil mask!"
Medina’s wife answered and led Spears to the bedroom — "Honey, there's someone here to see you! I dunno who it is. He's wearing a horned devil mask!"
"Bring him right in, sugar plum!"
where he whipped out a pistol and blasted Medina several times in the torso, fatally wounding him. "Agh! I am undone! And I don't even know by who!"
"'By whom, dear!"
It was unclear what sparked the dispute between the two — or why the mask-wearing alleged killer was allowed in. "Well, he looked okay, except for the mask!"
When cops arrived, they found Medina face down on the bed with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso, police said. Probably because that's where the Masked Marauder shot him...
EMS could not save the man and he died in the Langston Hughes Senior Center, cops said. "He's dead, Jim!"
Spears was identified by witnesses and collared Wednesday. "You there! In the horned evil mask! Halt or I'll go downtown to procure a warrant!"
He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. If they can't get him on one, they're sure to get him on the other.
Spears has been arrested 10 times, mostly on drug charges, and has been involved in five alleged domestic incidents, sources said. Other than that, he's been a model citizen.
Posted by: Fred ||
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If I saw a pic of the perp, what would I--oh.
Medina’s wife answered and led Spears to the bedroom
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Bearing Arms] With little fanfare and almost no national attention, Virginians headed to the polls in local elections on Tuesday, and there was a stunning upset in one city that’s been dominated by Democrats in recent elections. Control of the Staunton City Council flipped from blue to red after a surge in turnout among Republican voters, and at least one local pundit believes that Gov. Ralph Northam’s anti-gun efforts are to blame for the massive increase in voter turnout that propelled conservatives to victory.
[Aljazeera] The uptick in crude prices has been largely motivated by severe output cuts and the easing of coronavirus lockdowns.
[Babylon Bee] ATLANTA, GA—CNN has praised Governor Andrew Cuomo's "brilliant" nursing home strategy as it ended in the deaths of thousands of senior citizens, who skew conservative and Republican.
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...Arabic for 
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
Congresswoman-for-Life from the San Francisco Bay Area, born into a family of professional politicians. On-again-off-again Speaker of the House. It's not her fault when they lose, but it's her accomplishment when they win. Noted for her heavily botoxed grimace and occasional senior... uhhh... moments...
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
Trump let her know it in his response:
[AlAhram] A cabinet committee tasked with legalising the status of unlicensed Christian places of worship has licensed 70 churches and service buildings that had been operating without a permit, the cabinet said in a statement.
(CNN)Oregon held its primary election on Tuesday, a mostly ho-hum affair, with Joe Biden cruising to a win over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential race and no incumbents facing any real tests either.
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...
[NYP] Even after the Justice Department filed papers earlier this month to withdraw its deeply compromised case against Gen. Michael Flynn for making false statements to the FBI, the fate of President Trump’s first national security adviser is still unresolved. Presiding Judge Emmitt Sullivan disagrees so strongly with the government’s decision that he appointed a former jurist to find avenues by which Flynn might still be prosecuted.
...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call 
...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call 
[Fortune] In the world of online spying, great power lies with those who can get their hands on the data flowing through the world’s Internet infrastructure. So the fact that Germany is home to one of the world’s biggest Internet exchange points—where data crosses between the networks that make up the Internet—has given a lot of power to the country’s equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency.
[THEWEEK] The House will have to wait a little longer to see what's inside secret grand jury materials from the Mueller investigation.The House Judiciary Committee issued an emergency request for the undisclosed files last summer, and Washington, D.C.'s federal appeals court ruled in the committee's favor in March. But the Supreme Court overturned the appeals court's order on Wednesday, likely keeping the materials under wraps through the 2020 election, The Wall Street Journal reports.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
[ARABNEWS] Iraq claimed on Wednesday it had arrested a 
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
Unusual 'toothless' dinosaur discovered in Australia
[WashingtonExaminer] China has become a key battleground issue for the 2020 election as supporters of Trump hope a hardening in public opinion offers a populist route to victory that mirrors their 2016 playbook.
[NYPOST] A Brooklyn man donned a devilish Halloween mask before infiltrating a senior center and shooting a 62-year-old dead in his bed, police sources said Wednesday.
