03-13-2024, 05:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-13-2024, 06:24 AM by kyonides.
Edit Reason: 2 More Articles
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USA
Ukraine, Today's Your Lucky Day... Sort of
Quote:The White House announced Tuesday a stopgap $300 million package of vital military aid to Ukraine, sidestepping Republicans in Congress amid fears that Russia’s invasion is gaining ground.
The shipment, the first in months from Kyiv’s biggest ally Washington, will include anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition, artillery rounds and some armored vehicles, officials said.
The announcement comes as President Joe Biden hosts Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the White House to reassure them of US support for NATO and Ukraine.
“Today, on behalf of President Biden, I’m announcing an emergency package of security assistance and $300 million worth of weapons and equipment to address some of Ukraine’s pressing needs,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.
“The world is watching. The clock is ticking and we need to see action as rapidly as possible.”
The announcement comes as Republican lawmakers have been blocking Biden’s request for a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, with the Democratic president’s rival Donald Trump urging them not to give him a legislative win in an election year.
US defense officials said they had managed to find the $300 million for Ukraine by making savings on recent purchases by the Pentagon, but stressed the need for Congress to pass more aid.
Biden's New Strategy: Attack Your Own Ally?
Quote:U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly attempting to force the “collapse” of the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of a war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza and a potential war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Biden has been increasingly hostile to Netanyahu in his public remarks, recently saying that Netanyahu is “hurting” Israel more than he is helping it through his conduct of the war. (Netanyahu fired back, saying that Biden was “wrong.”)
Now, New York Magazine reports that the Biden Administration is actively looking for ways to force Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, which has been remarkably unified, to fall apart, which would bring about early elections. It reported (original emphasis):
One Israeli expert frequently consulted by American officials says, “I have been asked by a serious administration figure what it is that will force the Netanyahu coalition to collapse. They were interested in the mechanics, what can we demand which will collapse his coalition.”
In the event the new American position over Netanyahu remained unclear, Vice-President Kamala Harris left no doubts in a Friday interview with CBS News, which asked “Are the Israelis at risk of losing U.S. aid if this continues?” Harris replied: “I think it’s important for us to distinguish or at least not conflate the Israeli government with the Israeli people.”
Judiciary
Quote:A federal judge has ordered President Joe Biden to continue building border wall along the United States-Mexico border with funds allocated under former President Donald Trump.
Late last week, Judge Drew Tipton issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Biden administration to halt diverting funds — initially allocated to building border wall — away from border wall construction.
In 2019, Congress approved billions in funds to construct border wall along the southern border. On Biden’s first day in office, he halted all construction of border wall.
As a result, Texas and Missouri sued Biden for failing to use allocated funds for border wall construction.
Tipton ordered Biden to spend the funds as allocated, to build border wall:
The Government and all its respective officers, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, and other persons who are in active concert or participation with them are hereby ENJOINED and RESTRAINED from implementing the July 2022 Amended Plan to the extent that its obligations are not authorized under Subsection 209(a)(1) and Section 210 as laid out in this Order.
The Government is prohibited from obligating funds under Subsection 209(a)(1)—and corresponding funds under Section 210—toward mitigation and remediation efforts, repair of existing barrier, so-called system attribute installation at existing sites, or other similar purposes. Those types of expenses may be authorized under Subsections (a)(2) through (a)(5) where appropriate, however, Subsection (a)(1) permits only the construction of physical barriers, such as additional walls, fencing, buoys, etc.
This preliminary injunction shall remain in effect pending a final resolution of the merits of this case or until a further Order from this Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit or the United States Supreme Court.
Quote:The United States Supreme Court extended its pause, preventing the implementation of Texas SB4 immigration law on Wednesday. The nation’s highest court extended the temporary pause until Monday, March 18.
If allowed to take effect, the new Texas immigration law would allow state and local law enforcement officers to arrest and prosecute migrants who illegally enter the state. The latest pause is just one of several legal hurdles the law has faced since it was initially set to take effect earlier this month.
The controversial law would also allow migrants to voluntarily accept removal from the United States for a reduced sentence on the charge of illegally entering the country. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued the latest order extending the pause on the state’s implementation of the law.
The federal court wrangling on the constitutionality of Texas’ new immigration law has seen the law blocked, reinstated, and twice paused by the U.S. Supreme Court. In late February, Austin’s Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra halted the implementation of Senate Bill 4, which was to take effect on March 5, citing the federal government’s supremacy over the enforcement of immigration laws.
In his decision, Ezra stated, “For the past century, Texas has relied on its expansive police powers afforded to it under the Constitution to regulate crime within its borders. Texas may continue to do so, but it cannot regulate the federal field of unlawful entry and removal.”
Texas filed an appeal of Ezra’s ruling on the matter leading up to a federal appeals court ruling that granted a seven-day hold barring enforcement of the law to allow the Biden Administration to elevate the matter to the United States Supreme Court. Under the appeals court ruling overturning Ezra’s initial order, the law would have gone into effect on March 9 had the Supreme Court not stepped in.
Weaponized FBI
Quote:Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray refused to tell House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) at a hearing Tuesday whether the FBI is engaged in counterintelligence investigations into President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump.
During the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s Annual Threat Assessment hearing, Stefanik pressed Wray on the matter. She first emphasized that former FBI Director James Comey “testified that he did not follow the proper protocol regarding the notification of Congress of the opening of the Crossfire Hurricane” – the counterintelligence investigation into Trump in 2016.
The third-ranking House Republican also noted under the Intelligence Authorization Act, the FBI is directed to inform “Congressional leadership of any counter-intel investigation into a federal candidate for office” before asking about potential counterintelligence investigations into Trump or Biden.
After a long pause, Wray attempted to refer Stefanik to Special Counsel Robert Hur, but Stefanik demanded an answer, citing the IAA.
“There is no investigation that I could confirm here, no,” he said, his language seeming to raise alarm bells for Stefanik, who followed up with a grin:
Stefanik: Is there a counterintelligence investigation?
Wray: Again, I’m not confirming any investigation into either candidate.
Stefanik: Are you aware that you’re required by the IAA to notify Congress of any counterintelligence investigation?
Wray: And we will comply with the law.
Stefanik: Have you already complied with the law? Has there been a notification?
Wray: I believe we have been in compliance with the law.
Stefanik: You believe you have been or has there been a notification to Congress of any counterintelligence investigation of a federal candidate?
Wray: I believe we have complied with the law.
The director went on to say he is “not in the business of confirming, especially not at open hearing assessments or anything like that when it comes to counterintelligence matters” when asked if a “counter-intel assessment” had been conducted on either of the presumptive nominees or one of their immediate family members.
Biden & Special Counsel
Quote:Former Special Counsel Robert Hur testified at the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that the White House tried to interfere with his report to the Attorney General on President Joe Biden’s abuse of classified documents.
Specifically, he confirmed that the White House wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradey Weinsheimer, who were supervising Hur’s work, asking for changes to Hur’s comment on Biden’s poor memory.
The testimony confirmed earlier reports of attempted interference by the Biden White House in the investigation.
Democrats and the White House have been upset by Hur’s conclusion that “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Though Hur cited that as a reason not to recommend prosecuting Biden for what otherwise would be a clear case of willful mishandling of classified documents, Biden and his supporters are furious with Hur for his unflattering observations.
Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked Hur to comment on several letters sent by the White House to his superiors. Though Hur said that the White House counsel’s office and President Biden’s lawyers were entitled to write to whomever they wished, the purpose of the Special Counsel is to operate independently of political interference.
Democrats claimed that Biden had cooperated fully with Hur’s investigation, attempting to draw a contrast with then-President Donald Trump, who declined to be interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia “collusion” investigation.
Quote:The transcript of Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Bob Hur showed the president frequently wandered off topic, even making “car noises.”
The transcript, obtained by Breitbart News in advance of Hur’s testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, showed a prosecutor had asked Biden about his beloved Corvette, trying to pinpoint the timeline of when classified documents were moved to make room for the car in his home garage.
Attorney Marc Krickbuam asked Biden: “Do you remember whether it was when the Corvette was coming back after the Jay Leno show? So, in other words, it goes out for Jay Leno, eventually it comes back.” Biden responded, “Oh no, it was, it was in and out for a bunch of reasons,” before starting to chatter away.
“Because it drove me crazy; I wanted to drive it,” Biden continued. Krickbaum responded, “Got it. That makes sense. A beautiful car.” According to the transcript, Biden then proceeded to talk about his car, and make car noises.
“And the worst part was, they said I couldn’t drive it outside the driveway. It’s a long driveway. So I’d get to the bottom of the driveway, tack it up to about four grand (indiscernible) (makes car sound) (indiscernible) (laughter),” it quoted Biden.
Biden then started talking about cars in general, before Hur interrupted with, “Sir, I’d love — I would love to hear much more about this, but I do have a few more questions to get through.”
Biden ignored him, and continued talking about cars, to which Hur finally said, “All right. So let’s — let’s launch into the next subject which relates to the Penn Biden Center.”
Another portion of the transcript shows Hur asking Biden about the time he lived at the Naval Observatory as vice president that ended up with Biden discussing a man losing part of his testicles and penis.
Hur asid, “So now let’s talk about the Naval Observatory. So you’ve been living there for eight years. So at the end of your vice presidency, what kinds of papers or documents or files were at the Naval Observatory as you were preparing to leave and move out?”
Biden then launched into a long-winded story, where he talked about waiting for bar exam results and working for a law firm in the meantime that was representing a young man.
Hunter Biden
Quote:House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed Hunter Biden’s AT&T phone records, according to a March 6 subpoena obtained by Breitbart News.
The subpoena demands AT&T hand over all records related to Hunter’s activity, which includes 13 years of texts and call logs dating back to 2011. AT&T has until March 20 to comply.
In a cover letter to AT&T, Comer said Hunter’s user activity could encompass a personal phone line that President Joe Biden used during his vice presidency
Comer crafted the subpoena to target business entities linked to the Biden family: Owasco PC, Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC, and Rosemont Seneca Advisors, LLC.
Joe Biden received “direct monthly payments” from Hunter Biden’s “Owasco PC” business account, which received “payments from Chinese state-linked companies and other foreign nationals and companies,” Comer told Breitbart News in December.
“We know from the laptop that Hunter Biden’s business paid for a private phone line that Joe Biden used when he was vice president,” Peter Schweizer, a senior contributor at Breitbart News and president of the Government Accountability Institute, previously told Fox News. “It was AT&T. It was $300 a month. It was a global phone that you could access somebody anywhere around the world.”
“We shared that phone number and that account information with people at the House Oversight Committee,” he continued. “My hope is that if they haven’t already, that they will subpoena those records because I think it will give an indication of how tight the communication was.”
Comer also highlighted phone calls in the subpoena in which Hunter put Joe Biden on speakerphone during Hunter’s business meetings. Devon Archer, a Biden family associate, told House investigators that Joe Biden spoke about the weather during the phone calls. Archer also testified that Joe Biden was the “Biden brand.”
A Crime?
Quote:A former Boeing employee who became a whistleblower against the company has been found dead amidst a lawsuit he had been aiding.
John Barnett died on March 9 at the age of 62 from what police have described as a “self-inflicted wound. Prior to his death, he had “been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company,” per the BBC. Barnett had retired from the company in 2017 for health reasons after working with Boeing for 32 years. The BBC writes:
From 2010, he worked as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant making the 787 Dreamliner, a state-of-the-art airliner used mainly on long-haul routes.
In 2019, Mr. Barnett told the BBC that under-pressure workers had been deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the production line.
He also said he had uncovered serious problems with oxygen systems, which could mean one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency.
Barnett further said that emergency oxygen systems for the Boeing 787 had a failure rate of 25 percent in a real-life emergency, adding that he alerted upper management to the problems. After he began working in a South Carolina facility, he observed workers failing to follow procedures to track components through the factory, and in some cases, workers used sub-standard parts to prevent production delays. While Boeing denied all of his claims, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed in 2017 that some of his arguments had merit, determining that the location of at least 53 “non-conforming” parts in the factory were considered lost, demanding that Boeing take “remedial action.”
Barnett had been in Charleston at the time of his death and even gave a formal deposition last week. On March 9, he was found dead in his truck in the parking lot of the hotel where he was residing. His lawyer described the death as “tragic,” and Boeing expressed their condolences to his family.
Businesses
Quote:Over 100 pizzerias could shut down in New York City due to the government’s new green rule forcing shops that use coal and wood-fired stoves to cut carbon emissions by 75 percent.
Ted Timbers, spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, confirmed the new rules in June of last year.
“All New Yorkers deserve to breathe healthy air and wood and coal-fired stoves are among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality,” Timbers said in a statement at the time. “This common-sense rule, developed with restaurant and environmental justice groups, requires a professional review of whether installing emission controls is feasible.”
As pizzerias gear up for the new law to take effect on April 27, several business owners told Fox News they will have to shut down for good.
“This regulation will go a long way to put an end to charming wood-fired pizza restaurants in New York City,” Brooklyn pizzeria owner Paul Giannone said. “A sad day in my opinion.”
“I think putting this regulation in place for everyone, regardless if it’s having an impact on neighbors or not, is overkill,” Giannone added.
Quote:A Dollar General in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, saw all of its workers quit at the same time over the weekend, and a sign on the door explained why.
The walkout happened as the group of six employees that included managers claimed they were underpaid, undervalued, and overworked, WKOW reported Sunday.
One of the signs read, “We Quit! Thank you to our amazing customers. We love you and we will miss you!”
An image shows the large neon-colored sign:
Another sign said, “The store is CLOSED. The whole team has walked away due to a lack of appreciation, being overworked, and being underpaid.”
Former store manager Trina Tribolet said the group of workers did not agree with the company’s donation policy that said employees must trash items near expiration or the store did not sell anymore.
The group wanted the items to go to local charities, therefore, they tagged items set to be thrown away as damaged and handed them off to the charity groups.
Even though the group also said they were understaffed and overworked, Dollar General’s directive to cease donating unlisted items brought the decision to walk off the job to a boiling point.
Quote:Approximately 150 workers at the John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny, Iowa, will experience layoffs soon.
Factory leaders notified workers about the layoffs on Friday, KTVO reported Monday.
“The company said about 150 production employees will be placed on ‘indefinite layoff effective over the months of April and May,'” the outlet continued.
Details regarding the decision are still a mystery. In a statement, John Deere noted that “Each John Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility.”
There are reportedly 1,700 workers at the Ankeny factory and over 1,000 of them hold positions in production and maintenance.
It is interesting to note that in June 2022 John Deere planned to move part of its Tractor and Cab Assembly Operations facility located in Waterloo, Iowa, where about 1,100 people worked, to Mexico by the 2024 fiscal year.
Breitbart News reported at the time:
Breitbart News has previously documented the offshoring of American manufacturing jobs to Mexico. In 2021, the Ford Motor Co. announced plans to offshore a $900 million investment for a plant “originally intended for an Avon Lake, Ohio, plant to a site in Mexico.”
Breitbart News also reported “[i]n 2020, about 108,846 Americans lost their jobs as a result of free trade,” according to federal data.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
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KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE