News of the World

[kyonides]

Durham says CIA found data alleging
Trump-Russia connection not 'technically plausible,' was 'user created'

Special Counsel John Durham asserted in a court filing Friday that the CIA concluded data from Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann alleging coordination between Donald Trump and Russia was "not technically plausible" and was "user created."

In the filing, Durham responded to objections from Sussmann’s defense regarding what evidence could be admissible at Sussmann's trial, which is scheduled to begin next month. Sussmann is accused of lying to the FBI by saying he was not attending a meeting on behalf of a particular client when he was actually presenting the information on behalf of the HIllary Clinton campaign and a technology executive with whom he worked.
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But Sussmann is moving to preclude evidence concerning the "gathering" of that "DNS data" by "Tech Executive 1," who has been identified as Rodney Joffe, and his associates.

In Friday's filing, Durham argued that the gathering of the data is a "necessary factual backdrop to the charged conduct."

Durham's original indictment alleges Sussmann told then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in September 2016 — less than two months before the 2016 presidential election — he was not doing work "for any client" when he requested and held a meeting where he presented "purported data and 'white papers' that allegedly demonstrated a covert communications channel" between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, which has ties to the Kremlin.

The indictment alleges that Sussmann lied in the meeting, "falsely stating to the general counsel that he was not providing the allegations to the FBI on behalf of any client."

Sussmann has pleaded not guilty and has sought to dismiss the case. The federal judge presiding over the case denied that request this week.

Durham also alleges that Sussmann in February 2017 provided an "updated set of allegations," including the Alfa Bank claims, and additional allegations related to Trump to a second U.S. government agency, which Fox News has confirmed was the CIA.

In his filing Friday, Durham says the government expects to "adduce evidence at trial" that will reflect that the FBI and the CIA "concluded that the Russian Bank 1 allegations were untrue and unsupported.

Keep in mind that the article includes the filings submitted to the court on behalf of Sussmann and Durham (the State). So feel free to download them at any time.

Erdogan’s secret prisons in Syria

With no charges brought against her, and no legal process, Nadia was imprisoned in a series of unofficial jails across northwest Syria. For four months she was held in a facility she believes is maintained by Turkish Military Intelligence, and interrogated by Turkish-speaking officers.

Then, as part of a group of 11 other women, similarly held without charge, she was transferred to a jail of the Sunni Islamist, Turkish-supported Hamzat Division. In the frequent interrogation sessions to which she was subjected, Nadia was accused of association with the Assad regime and the Kurdish PKK.

Throughout her captivity, Nadia was repeatedly tortured, and on several occasions raped.
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Released after two years, Nadia succeeded with the help of smugglers, to escape from the Turkish-controlled area of Syria. She never heard from her husband again, and now believes him to be dead.

NADIA HASSAN Suleiman’s story is only one of many. Evidence is emerging of systematic and grave violations of human rights carried out by Turkish-supported Islamist militias in northwest Syria.

Testimony of survivors reveals a pattern of illegal incarcerations with no judicial process or oversight, grave abuses of detainees, including sexual abuse, rape, torture and instances of murder.

A dossier received by this author, and currently also in the hands of the US State Department, contains extensive testimony and detailed evidence. The dossier was compiled by Syrian activists unaffiliated with any political body. Independent Syrian experts who have examined the evidence find it to be credible.

According to two human rights bodies, the Violations Documentation Center and the Zaytouna Project, 8,590 people have been held in this system of off-the-grid prisons since 2018. Of these, 1,500 have disappeared entirely, leaving no record.

[kyonides]

Wuhan Lab Allowed to Destroy ‘Secret Files’ Under Its Partnership with US National Lab, Agreement Shows

The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) has the right to make a partnering U.S. lab wipe all data arising from their collaborative work, a legal document reveals.
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“The party is entitled to ask the other to destroy and/or return the secret files, materials, and equipment without any backups,” states the MOU obtained by U.S. Right to Know, a nonprofit investigative research group focused on public health, through a freedom of information request.

The MOU focused on promoting research and training cooperation between the two labs. It was signed in 2017 and stays in effect through this October. But the confidentiality terms would remain binding even after the agreement’s five-year-duration expires, the agreement states.
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“All cooperation and exchange documents, details and materials shall be treated as confidential info by the parties,” the MOU states.
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WIV and the the Galveston National Laboratory formally declared their partnership the following year to “streamline future scientific and operational collaborations on dangerous pathogens,” according to a joint announcement in the journal Science.
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The Galveston lab was also among the first in the world to receive samples of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly three weeks after Le Duc urged his Chinese counterparts to share the material.

The revelations contained in the 2017 MOU appear to contradict claims from WIV scientists that they would never scrub critical research information.

We can't expect a lot from  Chinese public institutions but their American counterparts are supposed to keep track of all studies, results, tests, genetic data, etc. they have ever obtained as result of their activities. Such a clause in their agreement is outrageous to say the least.  It clearly shows us that they don't care about transparency at all.

[kyonides]

Iran reportedly assists in smuggling weapons from Iraq to Russia

The Iranian regime has reportedly used its networks to assist in smuggling weapon systems from Iraq to its ally Russia.

While Moscow had initially planned to invade and quickly defeat Ukraine, the Russian military has suffered massive losses in manpower and equipment. After roughly 50 days of fighting, Russia has still not succeeded in capturing the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and its military resources are gradually being depleted.

Transfers of weapons have traditionally been from Russia to its client states in the Middle East. The fact that the reverse appears to be happening, underscores the increasingly dire state of the Russian war effort in Ukraine.

Iran’s Bavar 373 missile system, which is similar to the Russian-built S-300, is one of the weapons that Tehran is transferring to Moscow. The powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is assisting in smuggling military hardware and munitions bound for Russia.

The PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, reportedly also sent two dismantled Brazilian Astros II rocket-launcher systems earmarked for Russia via Iran. Much of the arms shipments are sent across the Caspian Sea from the Iranian port of Bandar Anzali to the Russian port of Astrakhan.

 This is kind of unexpected but war can make armies resort to all kinds of strategies to replenish their weapons, food reserves, etc.

Tennessee bill would force drunk drivers to pay support for victim’s kids

A bill that passed the Tennessee state Legislature this week would force convicted drunk drivers to pay child support if they’re in a crash that kills a parent of a minor.

Mark Hall, a member of the state House of Representatives who sponsored the bill, said children would have “the best chance of success after a tragedy” if the bill becomes law.
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“Not that they can ever be replaced, but this gives them some kind of financial support until they reach the age of 18 so they’re not financially devastated.”

The bill appears to be the first of its kind in the country. It now awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature.

This sounds like a terrific idea indeed!

Biden says US spending billions to make military vehicles 'climate friendly'

President Biden on Friday said his administration is working to make "every vehicle" in the United States military "climate-friendly."

The president, delivering Earth Day remarks from Seward Park in Seattle, Washington, discussed his administration’s efforts to address climate change, and called on Congress to take action.

"One of the things I found out as President of the United States, I get to spend a lot of that money," Biden said. "We’re going to start the process where every vehicle in the United States military, every vehicle, is going to be climate-friendly — every vehicle — I mean it."

He added: "We’re spending billions of dollars to do it."
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"You know, my view of this crisis, as I said, is a genuine opportunity, an opportunity to do things we wanted to do and only now become so apparent," Biden said.

As for legislation to address climate change, the president signaled to Congress: "You know, my pen’s ready. My pen’s ready to sign. I’m anxious to sign this. Get some of these bills to my desk."

So while Russia takes care of replenishing its weapon stocks... US will make their weaponry climate friendly!? And spend a lot of money on that!?  Does Biden think he works for Lockheed Martin or any other military company now?

[DerVVulfman]

Switzerland Blocks Ammo to Ukraine

The Marder armoured infantry fighting vehicle of Germany uses Swiss-made ammunition. And while Germany wishes to deliver many to Ukraine to help fend off Russian attacks, Switzerland put a stop to its use by legally restricting the 're-export' of the amunition.

Two inquiries were sent to the Swiss State Secretariate for Economic Affairs, both giving negative responses citing that it would harm Swiss neutrality and it went against the criteria of war material legislation.  While Switzerland went with the European Union in sanctions against russia, they state that their neutrality does not permit providing arms.

It should be noted that Switzerland also rejected Poland's request for arms to help Ukraine.

[kyonides]

Plastic Grocery Bag Bans Actually Boost Sale
of Small Plastic Garbage Bags

Researchers have discovered that bans and fees on plastic carryout grocery bags (CGB) could have serious unintended consequences.

The investigators found that both bag fees and outright prohibitions boosted the sale of 4-gallon and 8-gallon plastic bags—in line with the view that many consumers reuse their supposedly single-use bags as garbage bags around the house.

“The effect of a 5¢ fee for either paper or plastic CGBs is essentially the same as that of a ban on plastic bag and a fee of 10 or 15¢ on paper bags. While policy makers may choose fees over bans in order to soften the blow, our results suggest that the overall effect on consumers is little different,” wrote the authors, professor Richard Woodward of Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Yu-Kai Huang of both TAMU and the University of Georgia.
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Huang and Woodward found that plastic bag laws did not impact the sale of larger bags, lending additional support to the view that small plastic garbage bags end up substituting for the regulated grocery bags.
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Carryout plastic bag bans have been passed in California, New York, Maine, Vermont, Oregon, Hawaii, Delaware, and Connecticut.

Such bags have also been banned in China, New Zealand, and many other countries, including several African countries.

In Kenya, for instance, people caught producing, importing, or using banned plastic bags can suffer major fines or even imprisonment.

One thing is to prevent people from polluting the surrounding area with plastic bags and another to expect the world to be clean just because politicians forbid you from using them anywhere. The truth is that large companies like CocaCola are still polluting the seas with microplastics.
Don't blame me for letting you know about this!  Blame the BBC for  reporting it.

[DerVVulfman]

JOE BIDEN'S ORWELLIAN
MINISTRY OF TRUTH IS REAL

Joe Biden Created a 'Disinformation Board' to Reign In Social Media Posts

This Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkis was called to Congress to testify during a budget hearing, during which he declared that a Disinformation Governance Board was recently created to fight disinformation on the internet. The next day, Jen Psaki acknowledged that this board did exist and it was supported by President Biden.

Critics state it is an example of the Government trying to police free speech, likening it to the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell's classic novel, 1984. Among those were those such as Errol Webber of California relaying examples of both Nazi Germany and Communist Russia having Ministry of Truths, and Elise Stefanic of New York stating it is a crackdown on Freedom of Speech.

The Federal Government has no business creating a Ministry of Truth. The Department of Homeland Security's 'Disinformation Board' is unconstitutional and unAmerican, and I'll be introducing a bill to defund it.

To further this outrage, it was discovered that Biden placed Nina Jankowicz as the head of the board. This stirred plenty of controversy as she made public statements that the Hunter Biden story, now known to be true, was Russian Disinformation. And she was a strong proponent and defender of the Steele Dossier, the portfolio designed to attack then-candidate Donald Trump, and found to have ironically been based on Russian Disinformation.

GERMANY AUTHORIZES
TANKS FOR UKRAINE

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously blocked the sale

Under fire from both his political rivals and members of his own coalition, German Chancellor Olaf has finally authorized the sale of Gepard anti-aircraft tanks as well as various anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.

He initially blocked the sale, stating the move would escalate tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But now authorized, shipments of anti-aircraft tanks will finally make its way to war-torn Ukraine.

This follows reports that companies in the Czech Republic refitting Soviet Era T-64 tanks while also handling the expansion of other military vehicles.

[kyonides]

Putin Accepts Invitation to Attend G20, Setting up Potential Biden Showdown

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the Group of 20 event in November, according to Indonesia’s president, as White House officials publicly expressed reservations about the matter.+
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The Russian government has not publicly responded to Widodo’s statement. Russia is a member of the G20, which unites the world’s top economies.
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“The president has been clear about his view: This shouldn’t be business as usual, and that Russia should not be a part of this,” Psaki told reporters Thursday. “But, again, it’s six months away.”

G20 members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is currently invited as a permanent guest.

Indonesia has also claimed Ukraine has been invited as well. So far they have not received any formal or informal confirmation from Zelensky.

Biden Admin Approves $238 Million
Loan Cancellation for Former Beauty School Students

The Biden administration said it will discharge a total of $238 million in student loan debt for those who attended a now-defunct beauty school that failed to teach them how to cut hair.

The U.S. Department of Education in 2016 stripped the Marinello Schools of Beauty, a for-profit school chain with 56 campuses across the nation, of federal funding because of “pervasive and widespread misconduct.”

According to the department, Marinello made “widespread, substantial misrepresentations” about the education it offered, and failed to train students in key cosmetology skills, such as how to cut hair.
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Typically, students need to file borrower defense claims on their own in order to have their debt wiped out. But this time, the FSA said it will offer a group discharge for 28,000 borrowers, including those who hadn’t yet applied for borrower defense, the first time it has done so since 2017.

Including Thursday’s actions, the Education Department has now approved more than $18.5 billion in loan discharges for more than 750,000 borrowers, including $1.2 billion for those who attended now-defunct ITT Technical Institutes, and about $2 billion for 105,000 students who claimed to be defrauded by other schools.

 And guess who will pay the loans?
 Yes, it will be you the American taxpayers.

Sweden to Strengthen Military Infrastructure
in Baltic Sea Amid Tensions With Russia

The Swedish government on Friday announced plans to allocate more than $160 million to further increase its military capabilities on a strategically important island in the Baltic Sea amid security threats from Russia over its likely NATO membership.

Max Elger, the country’s minister for financial markets, told reporters the extra budget is to expand several military infrastructures on Gotland, Sweden’s biggest island.
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Gotland is strategically important due to its ideal location in the Baltic Sea. It is situated around 200 miles from Kaliningrad, the headquarters of Russia’s Baltic Fleet.
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Meanwhile, Sweden’s prime minister Magdalena Andersson said on Friday the government does not plan to hold a referendum if its parliament decides to proceed with an application for NATO membership, explaining she believes a referendum was a “bad idea.”

If the Swedish government wants to boost its war facilities and weaponry there, pretty much nobody would disagree with them. We never know if Russia might invade them some day in the not so near future.

What worries me about their next move is that they are not asking their own population if they truly want to join NATO.
Aren't they supposed to live in a democracy?
 Are they extremely afraid of losing their chance if they ever call a referendum?

[kyonides]

Enviro Groups Pocket Millions from Wind Industry

Both the National Audubon Society and Maine Audubon received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the New England Forests and Rivers Fund, which is financed in part by Avangrid and Eversource, both of which have large wind power portfolios.

Ocean Wind, another Ørsted subsidiary, has also funded New Jersey Audubon, as has the offshore wind firm Atlantic Shores.
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While a study financed by the pro-wind energy nonprofit American Wind and Wildlife Watch estimated there were just 214,000 to 368,000 wind turbine-related bird fatalities in the United States and Canada, many other studies have arrived at higher estimates.
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Linowes, who also serves as executive director of WindAction Group, told The Epoch Times she is concerned about the lack of data on the long-term ecological impact of wind installations.

The so called Big Wind group is contributing to NGO's to make sure they won't complain about how wind turbines affect the environment!?
Also take in consideration that the oil those machines required as a vital part of their maintenance isn't very ecofriendly at all...

[DerVVulfman]

ELON MUSK'S SATELLITES
CHANGED THE WAR

Ukrainian soldier says Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellites ‘changed the war’ with Russia

It was a boon to Ukraine that Musk chose to provide SpaceX Starlink satellite internet during the Russian Invasion. Thanks to them, it has been increasingly difficult for Russia to interfere with communications. And they even work in Mariupol where Russia has continued its shelling onslaught.

I want to say one thing: @elonmusk’s Starlink is what changed the war in #Ukraine’s favor. #Russia went out of its way to blow up all our comms. Now they can’t. Starlink works under Katyusha fire, under artillery fire.

There are more than 5,000 Starlink terminals active as of mid-March. And they have played a key role in Ukraine's military operations to communicate with drones to target and destroy Russian tanks. And in Early April, a top Pentagon official praised Starlink's ability to resist Russian hacking and jamming efforts.

[kyonides]

India seizes $725 million China’s Xiaomi over remittances

Indian authorities on Saturday seized $725 million from Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi, accusing it of breaking the country’s foreign exchange laws by making illegal remittances abroad, officials said.

The Enforcement Directorate, India’s financial investigation agency, tweeted that it had seized the amount from Xiaomi’s local unit. The move comes after an investigation was launched by the federal agency in February over concerns of illegal remittances, local media reported.

The agency said the smartphone maker had transferred $725 million to “three foreign based entities” under the guise of royalty payments, according to a statement quoted by the Press Trust of India. Earlier this month, the agency had also questioned Xiaomi’s global vice president, Manu Kumar Jain, at the company’s regional office in the southern city of Bengaluru, PTI reported.

Of course the  Chinese company claimed the transfers were legitimate.

Pelosi, Schiff Make Unannounced Visit
to Ukraine: ‘Support Is on the Way’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a delegation of U.S. lawmakers revealed that they traveled to Ukraine’s capital to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a bid to express solidarity with the country.
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Several other top Democratic House members traveled with Pelosi to Kyiv, including Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). A video posted by Zelenskyy’s Twitter account apparently showed the delegation walking on the streets of Kyiv before they were greeted by the Ukrainian leader.
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Pelosi said Congress would work with the White House to pass a $33 billion aid package for Ukraine. President Joe Biden last week called on Congress to pass the measure, while similarly announcing another $800 million in security assistance for the country.

Whenever Pelosi and Schiff get involved in any issue, I can't help but think that something is gonna go wrong in the (near) future.