Episode 1,036 – Masculinity in America: A Fathers Day Special (Part 2). Guests are: Jack Posobiec, David Rodriguez, Dr. Don Colbert MD, SG Cheah.
Skip The Scoop | Seek Understanding
Mark Zuckerberg’s cellphone number goes online after massive Facebook hack
A massive trove of hacked data from more than 500 million Facebook users was made easily accessible Saturday — including Mark Zuckerberg’s cellphone number, according to one security expert. The information was initially stolen in January, after hackers exploited a vulnerability related to phone numbers associated with Facebook accounts, ultimately creating a massive database of…
Facebook data on more than 500M accounts found online
NEW YORK — Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers.
The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is.
The availability of the data set was first reported by Business Insider. According to that publication, it has information from 106 countries including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and email addresses.
Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years. In 2018, the social media giant disabled a feature that allowed users to search for one another via phone number following revelations that the political firm Cambridge Analytica had accessed information on up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent.
In December 2019, a Ukrainian security researcher reported finding a database with the names, phone numbers and unique user IDs of more than 267 million Facebook users — nearly all U.S.-based — on the open internet. It is unclear if the current data dump is related to this database.
“This is old data that was previously reported on in 2019,” the Menlo Park, California-based company said in a statement. “We found and fixed this issue in August 2019.”
Clear Thinking on Elections from Clarence Thomas
The Supreme Court shut the door on the 2020 election late last month, but Justice Clarence Thomas got the last word. In a dissent directed at the court’s decision not to take up two cases involving the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and mail-in ballots, Thomas encapsulated the world of electoral woe surrounding the 2020 presidential contest.
“We failed to settle this dispute before the election,” Thomas wrote, “and thus provide clear rules. Now we again fail to provide clear rules for future elections. The decision to leave election law hidden beneath a shroud of doubt is baffling. By doing nothing, we invite further confusion and erosion of voter confidence.”
The Pennsylvania cases centered on which state bodies have the ultimate authority to set election rules, the legislature or the judiciary? The U.S. Constitution says that the “Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections…shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.” But state courts often intervene.
In the run-up to the presidential election, the Pennsylvania state legislature gave all Pennsylvania voters the option of casting mail-in ballots. But it left in place a November 3 deadline for ballots to be in. Unhappy with the deadline, Democrats sued, arguing that in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the deadline violated a voting-rights clause in the state constitution stating that elections “shall be free and equal.” The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed, extending the deadline for mail-in ballots by three days.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined petitions to intervene in the case before the election. In February, with the election settled, petitioners tried again. The high court again declined to hear the cases, prompting the Thomas dissent.
It’s worth reading in its entirety. Thomas zeroes in on two key issues: legislative versus judicial power, and problems with mail-in voting.
Both “before and after the 2020 election,” Thomas notes, “nonlegislative officials in various States took it upon themselves to set the rules,” resulting in “an unusually high number of petitions and emergency applications” to the high court.
The Pennsylvania changes undermine confidence in the electoral system. “Changing the rules in the middle of the game is bad enough,” Thomas writes. “Such rule changes by officials who may lack the authority to do so is even worse.”
Thomas is clear-sighted on the problems of mail-in voting. “Voting by mail was traditionally limited to voters who had defined, well-documented reasons to be absent,” he notes. But in recent years, “many States have become more permissive, a trend greatly accelerated by Covid-19.”
The opportunity for cheating in mail-in or absentee balloting is substantial, Thomas writes. He cites a 2012 New York Times article that notes the “vastly more prevalent” risk of fraud in mail-in balloting. He cites ballot fraud cases in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. He reminds us that Heather Gerken—now dean of Yale Law School—told the Times in the same article that absentee voting allows for “simpler and more effective alternatives to commit fraud.”
At Judicial Watch, we’ve been tracking ballot fraud for years. We’ve noted that as far back as 2005, the bi-partisan Carter-Baker Commission warned that “absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.” In July, we pointed to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s rapid escalation of mail-in voting and reported on a New Jersey fraud case. Read the JW bulletin here.
The thanks Justice Thomas got for his rigorous dissent was to be attacked by Democrats and the progressive media. But the complex issues surrounding election fraud aren’t going away. The country owes Clarence Thomas a debt of gratitude for his clear thinking on the coming crisis.
***
Micah Morrison is chief investigative reporter for Judicial Watch. Follow him on Twitter @micah_morrison. Tips: mmorrison@judicialwatch.org
Investigative Bulletin is published by Judicial Watch. Reprints and media inquiries: jfarrell@judicialwatch.org
The post Clear Thinking on Elections from Clarence Thomas appeared first on Judicial Watch.
Psaki Doubles Down On Biden’s ‘Four Pinocchio’ Claim That Georgia Election Bill Ends Voting Hours Early
White House press secretary Jen Psaki doubled down Thursday on President Joe Biden’s claim that the recently passed Georgia election bill ends voting hours early, for which he earned four “Pinocchios” from The Washington Post.
Major League Baseball bends to bullies, endorses lies about Georgia voting law
It’s beyond ridiculous that Major League Baseball has caved to partisan politics and media hysteria by moving this year’s All-Star Game, plus the draft, out of Atlanta over Georgia’s new election law. Pressured by Democratic politicians and Twitter mobs, MLB is endorsing the overwrought and fundamentally false agitprop campaign. Democrats from President Joe Biden on…
South Carolina Democrat Introduces Bill Banning Minors from Gender-Reassignment Surgery
The debate over whether minors should be allowed life-altering gender reassignment surgery is, for whatever reason, contentious and partisan. The people in opposition tend to be Republican. Sen. Rand Paul had a well-publicized dust-up over the issue with Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine. The Republican-led Alabama Senate is putting forth a bill they say is to protect kids. In South Carolina, there is a similar bill being introduced banning minors from this life-altering surgery. Only it’s being introduced by a Democrat.
Democrat State Rep. Cezar McKnight has introduced the South Carolina Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act. From the bill:
No person shall engage in, counsel, make a referral for, or cause any of the following practices to be performed upon a minor if the practice is performed for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of or affirm the minor’s perception of the minor’s gender or sex, if that perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex as defined in this chapter.
If signed into law, not only would the bill make it illegal for minors to receive the treatment, but violating the law would be a felony with up to twenty years in prison. Rep. McKnight had this to say to the Associated Press:
Black Democrats tend to be more conservative than white progressives. I would not have ever put this bill forward if I didn’t think the people in my district wouldn’t be receptive, and they are. Pastors, young parents, older parents, they all tell me the same thing: If you want to do this, wait until you’re 18.
Where this legislation and legislation like it go from here will be interesting to watch. Rep. McKnight shows that there is bipartisan support for such legislation. Opposition so far comes entirely from the partisan far left. If more states start to take up this debate and activists on both sides organize for or against it, I can’t imagine any resolution without the Supreme Court chiming in. Nationally, the American people will have their first opportunity to have their voice heard with the 2022 midterm elections.
RAND PAUL: Biden’s Assistant Health Secretary is LYING To You! | Louder With Crowder
youtu.be
Need a quick laugh? Check out and subscribe to our CrowderBits YouTube channel for Louder with Crowder skits, opens, and parody videos!
Sen Paul blasts libs for ‘implying that people of certain races are not able to comply with rules’
Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE CHECK OUT WeThePeople.store for best SWAG! Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, believes that the […]
Continue reading Sen Paul blasts libs for ‘implying that people of certain races are not able to comply with rules’ …
Our Species Is Enduring Largest Uncontrolled Experiment Ever, We Shouldn’t Ignore Vanden Bossche’s Warning
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Defender is committed to providing a space for scientific debate. This is an opinion piece by Rob Verkerk, Ph.D., on concerns raised by Geert Vanden Bossche, Ph.D. about immune escape and mass vaccination during a pandemic. This article follows Verkerk’s recent interview and previous analysis of the ongoing debate (this piece + this piece) sparked by Vanden Bossche.
It was a week ago that we released my interview with Geert Vanden Bossche on our brand new Speaking Naturally channel. It’s caused something of a stir in some circles. Mainly among those of us who don’t see vaccines as a panacea or at least the sole exit strategy to exit lockdowns, social distancing and other elements of the surrealism that have swept the world since the genome of a virus causing pneumonia-like symptoms in China was sequenced last January.
The silence from those who are overseeing or administering the global mass vaccination program has been deafening.
Some of the scientific concerns around Geert Vanden Bossche’s arguments appear to be the result of linguistic interpretations. Others challenge Geert’s speculative concerns linked to immune escape through the application of selection pressure from vaccines that could create ever more vaccine resistant, and potentially dangerous, virus variants.
For the uninitiated, “immune escape” is a term used to describe when the host (in this case humans) is no longer able to recognize and counter (eliminate or sterilize) a pathogen (in this case, a relevant variant or mutant of SARS-CoV-2).
“Selection pressure,” on the other hand, is a term used to describe the process (gene-environment interactions) that helps an organism or pathogen to evolve in ways that make it better adapted (i.e., more able to survive and propagate) to its changing environment. Antibiotic (antimicrobial) resistance is a good example of selection pressure caused by overuse of antibiotic drugs, which has selected for more and more bacterial strains that can detoxify or tolerate commonly used antibiotic drugs.
Let’s be reasonable, not polarized
I’m not an immunologist, virologist or an epidemiologist. But I do have three science degrees in ecology with a Ph.D. and postdoctoral research (Imperial College London) in the area of multitrophic interactions in agroecosystems. I’ve therefore been long fascinated by interactions between hosts, herbivores, carnivores and pathogens. I’ve also been looking closely at the science around COVID-19 since the outset and have been a critic of health authority and government handling of it from the outset (see ANH-Intl covid zone).
I’m writing this update on the Vanden Bossche controversy because I’m concerned it has the potential to unnecessarily divide people who share many common views and values, while differing in others. Alongside generating mutant variants of SARS-CoV-2, one of the haunting consequences of lockdowns has been their ability to polarize communities. I believe passionately that we need to be more tolerant of those with whom we share significant areas of our respective COVID-19 Venn diagrams.
Don’t expect that you’ll find unanimous agreement with many people given the amount of scientific uncertainty that abounds on so many of the scientific, medical, social, political and economic issues surrounding COVID-19 and the way it’s been and is being handled. We must have forums to be able to discuss scientific matters and we must be ever careful to not destroy the reputation of individuals who potentially can be important catalysts for change.
The host-pathogen tango
The reality is that — as ever — the relationship between a pathogen and its host is not a simple one. It is not only highly complex, it is also dynamic. It’s a tango that involves both players who don’t like dancing to the same music. While lockdowns might increase the time it takes to achieve herd immunity, the mainstream scientific view accepted by governments with little evidential basis has been that lockdowns will also reduce opportunities for transmission chains being established. Lockdowns, curfews, social isolation and the like were meant to be temporary stand-ins until vaccines were ready.
There are two fundamental problems with this approach. First, people don’t stop transmitting viruses among each other even in lockdowns and more opportunities for mutation are created, including among the most vulnerable people that allow for the greatest level of viral replication.
This explains the generation of at least 16 mutant lineages in South Africa. Secondly now that the vaccines have come, they don’t stop transmission of all SARS-CoV-2 strains, especially those that are resistant to antigen-specific antibodies that they are designed to induce.
More than that, if you apply a very strong selection pressure because you have a highly infectious virus that has lots of opportunities to express its inborn error code (mutations) — or you vaccinate millions or even billions of people with a highly specific antigen constructed around the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, you are inducing massive selection pressure — like never before in human history. That is one of Geert Vanden Bossche’s concerns, one he has a right to have and express.
We also know (e.g., Ho et al 2021) that the UK variant B.1.1.7 that originated in the UK and B.1.351 from South Africa have extensive mutations in the main (receptor-binding domain, RBD) region of the spike protein that binds to the ACE2 receptors in human tissues. Not only that, neutralizing antibodies that have been created in response to exposure to wild virus or the vaccines (developed to match the original Wuhan strain) don’t neutralize the virus effectively.
Vanden Bossche’s red flags
The story continues to evolve and unfold because the relationship between the virus and its host does as well. What we’re now beginning to see is the same mutations in the spike protein cropping up in different parts of the world. For example, the UK variant (B.1.1.7), the Brazilian variant (P1/B.1.1.28) and the South African variant (B.1.351) all share common mutations such as E484K and N5011Y. These were Geert’s red flags.
It suggests that different virus strains have found the same way of outsmarting the highly specific vaccine and in the process, these new virus strains are becoming more transmissible including among younger people. That creates ever greater opportunities for mutation. The show goes on. And potentially never stops. Especially if you keep interspersing your strategy with lockdowns and related measures.
But don’t trust me on this — I’m just an ecologist. Some of the most thorough work in this area is being conducted by Paul Bieniasz’s group at the Rockefeller University, the same university with which Knut Wittkowski (see our separate interview) was associated for many years. The group has shown clearly that new mutant variants such as E484K and Q493R are resistant to antibodies produced by the original Wuhan strain on which the existing clutch of vaccines were based.
OK — so Bieniasz’s group has gone down the road of developing engineered monoclonal antibodies as a solution to get around the problem of immune escape both from wild infection or antigen-specific vaccines. In fact, they’re moving forward with trials for commercialization of monoclonal antibody therapies that could be delivered as injection.
Find out more about the research of Bieniasz around 37 minutes into the following video:
And so…?
What our species is currently enduring is the largest uncontrolled experiment ever conducted. Not only are highly-specific vaccines being applied in a manner that is considerably different from any previous vaccines, the frontrunner Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are also most definitely experimental (phase 3 trials results are incomplete), and they rely on lipid encapsulation delivery systems that have never been used at any significant scale to get synthetic codes into our muscle cells.
We also have no good idea of how effectively our T cells will be corralled into our armory of immune defense. Or how vaccine-induced immunity compares with naturally-acquired immunity (let’s not forget the SARS and MERS epidemics never had the same opportunity for mutation).
Geert Vanden Bossche has rung an alarm bell — that many, it seems, don’t want to hear. To ignore the wider concern he expresses around the selection pressure that will create immune escape and antibody resistant strains would be foolhardy — and would be inconsistent with the known science.
Originally published by Alliance for Natural Health International.
The post Our Species Is Enduring Largest Uncontrolled Experiment Ever, We Shouldn’t Ignore Vanden Bossche’s Warning appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.
Democrat Leaders Welcome MLB All-Star Game to Their States: Georgia Election Law Saga
After Major League Baseball decided to move out the All-Star game out from Georgia as a response to the state’s newly passed election integrity law, several political leaders, all Democrats so far, are welcoming the game to their states. The Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon wrote Friday on Twitter that his state would welcome the All-star Game. “Hey, MLB, we in Minnesota would welcome the All-star Game! Bonus: We have pro-voter election laws, and the #1 voter turnout in the nation,” Simon wrote. Recently, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law election reforms that would require photo ID for absentee voting, mandatory dropbox security, and mandatory early voting dates, among other measures. According to The Denver Post, a spokesperson for Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that he would welcome the All-Star game to their local field. “The governor knows that Colorado is the best home for the All-Star Game, especially because Colorado also …
Georgia governor on growing backlash to election reform law: ‘We are not backing down’
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday said state Republican leaders are not buckling under the growing pressure from activists and corporations opposed to the state’s recent election reform law.
“I can tell you, we are not backing down,” Kemp told Tucker Carlson on Fox News when asked about the controversy.
Is Dominion Voting Systems The Only Platform In The History Of Technology To Be Beyond Hacking As Dominion CEO Claimed Under Oath During Election 2020 Testimony? | Mike Lindell’s Second Television Special In Response | Video: 55 Minutes 39 Seconds
Is it any wonder that privately developers snicker at the notion that any platform is impervious to hacking (the latest fracas being Facebook), but everyday Americans are starting to scratch their heads looking at the real world and thinking, “Wait. The largest institutions in the world, from banks, credit agencies, governments and tech companies themselves are breached, but it’s impossible and even unthinkable, therefore it must never even be contemplated out loud, for Dominion Voting Systems to be compromised? Why would anyone in technology claim such a thing and then seemingly sue anyone that questions the premise?”
Mike Lindell has been sued by Dominion Voting Systems. He has responded by saying he’s not backing down and that he has his beliefs based on his own and other’s observations and sworn testimonies and as such has the right to express them as any American would, right or wrong.
“So this was the clue that told me that they were using population to control registration. . . (in Colorado they made a mistake using 2010 census data) the blue line is the population and the black line are the registrations. Oh, wait a minute, the registrations goes above the blue line.” ~ Dr. Douglas Frank | Scientific Proof
Scientific Proof | Video: 55 Minutes 39 Seconds
Will Joe Biden walk back these comments after son Hunter admits laptop ‘could’ be his?
During last year’s presidential campaign, then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden said information gleaned from the laptop, which was first reported by the New York Post that included Hunter Biden allegedly introducing foreign energy executives to his father, was a Russian disinformation campaign. […]
Continue reading Will Joe Biden walk back these comments after son Hunter admits laptop ‘could’ be his? …
Hunter Biden was ‘smoking crack every 15 minutes,’ his memoir ‘Beautiful Things’ reveals
His candid chronicle of his drug- and alcohol-fueled binges and relationship with Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden, are sure to shock — but don’t let all the tabloid fodder fool you.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has seen his fair share of ugly things. His alcohol and drug addiction sent him spiraling for years and led him to cook his own crack cocaine. But he’s seen a lot of beautiful things, too — namely the love he shares with his father and brother Beau Biden, who died of glioblastoma in 2015.
Biden wrote about all of it in in his new memoir, “Beautiful Things” (Gallery Books, 255 pp.), out April 6. His candid chronicle of his drug- and alcohol-fueled binges and relationship with Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden, are sure to shock — but don’t let all the tabloid fodder fool you. Biden has found love again with new wife Melissa, whom he credits for getting him back on the winding path to sobriety.
“Where’s Hunter?” was a rallying cry from former President Donald Trump to try and smear Joe Biden. “I’m not going anywhere,” Biden writes. “I’m not a curio or sideshow to a moment in history, as all the cartoonish attacks try to paint me.”
Yes, the book touches on Trump and Biden’s Ukraine business, but more compelling are the vulnerable, human details of Biden’s personal life. Here’s what we learned about Biden by reading his devastating memoir.
Hunter talks trauma, addiction: ‘Why I feel the way I do’
Biden has been through more than most would dare to imagine. He and Beau were in the 1972 car accident that killed his baby sister and mother. It’s a moment that defined not only Joe, but his sons too. Biden doesn’t think he ever fully came to terms with the violence of it.
“I don’t see that tragic moment as necessarily resulting in behaviors that lent themselves to addiction,” he writes. “But I do have a better understanding of why I feel the way I do sometimes.”
He took his first drink – a glass of champagne the night his father was reelected to the Senate in 1978 – when he was 8 years old. He drank more when he was 14, even though he knew he shouldn’t be doing it. He went to Mass with a hangover and threw up outside during the service.
His drinking followed him into adulthood (he attended Georgetown University and later Yale Law School). After his third daughter, Maisy, was born in 2000 to then-wife Kathleen, he started to drink more heavily after work at his law firm. He ultimately went to rehab in Antigua and remained sober – for a time.
‘I would not have survived’
In November 2010, Biden relapsed and had three Bloody Marys on a plane; when his father joined Obama’s campaign ticket in 2008, he had to upend his career because of his lobbying work (i.e., it would be a conflict of interest). He “had huge expenses and no savings, and now I had to bust my (expletive) to build another career from scratch.”
After Beau’s death, everything Biden did “for the next four years, resulted in me stumbling, then sliding, then racing downhill.” As his marriage to Kathleen fell apart, he returned to rehab and tried to stay on the straight and narrow. His drinking, however, only worsened. “I was drowning myself in alcohol,” he says.
With the encouragement of his father, he again went to get clean. “Left on my own, I’m certain I would not have survived,” he writes.
By Memorial Day 2016, however, someone offered Biden cocaine. He took it.
This led to his buying crack cocaine in Washington from Rhea – a homeless, middle-aged woman he met while he was at Georgetown. Rhea is a pseudonym, Biden writes.
“I spent a couple of thousand dollars on crack in those first two weeks, with Rhea serving as my conduit,” he writes. She even moved into his apartment and stayed there for approximately five months. When he’s strong enough, he says he hopes to see her again and help “get her in a position where she wants to be saved.”
‘I was smoking crack every 15 minutes’
In the spring of 2018, he used his “superpower – finding crack anytime, anywhere” – in Los Angeles. At one point, a dealer pointed a gun at his head before he realized Biden was looking for drugs.
He later learned how to cook drugs and spent a lot of time with thieves, addicts and con artists. “I never slept. There was no clock. Day bled into night and night into day,” he writes.
The situation grew out of control. “I was smoking crack every 15 minutes,” he writes.
Biden returned to the East Coast in the fall of 2018, again wanting to get better, though that didn’t happen.
Eventually, his family tried to stage an intervention. “I don’t know what else to do,” Joe Biden told him. “I’m so scared. Tell me what to do.” His son replied: “Not (expletive) this.”
It wasn’t until he met now-wife Melissa Cohen in Los Angeles – whom he married after only a week of knowing – that he got sober again. They told each other they loved each other on their first date; she had the same eyes as Beau, he writes. She championed his sobriety and dumped out his crack.
Hunter’s relationship with Hallie doomed from the start: ‘A failure of epic proportions’
Hallie and Biden connected — romantically — in the wake of Beau’s death, between their grief and Biden’s addiction. His then-wife Kathleen discovered texts between them on an old iPad. “That gave her the gift of justification: I was the sicko sleeping with my brother’s wife,” he writes.
But once they tried living together full-time, it didn’t work.
“It was a giant miscalculation on both our parts, errors in judgment born of a uniquely tragic time,” he writes. And later, when they tried to rekindle their romance after he got sober (again) in January 2018, it didn’t work. “It felt like a failure of epic proportions,” he writes.
The title ‘Beautiful Things’ comes from Beau
Beau’s mantra to his brother during his illness was “beautiful things.” He wanted them to “dedicate our lives to appreciating and cultivating the world’s boundless beauty” – referencing relationships, places and moments.
“It was our code for a renewed outlook on life,” he writes. Shortly before Beau died, Biden promised him he would stay strong and sober. Beau had gone with him to his first AA meetings, found him his first sponsor and taken him to rehab plenty of times.
“I had no idea then how many dead-end detours I’d take before I could finally keep those promises,” he writes.
Still, “Beautiful Things” serves as a fitting title, considering the book closes with a letter to Beau.
“I’ve survived, buddy,” the letter reads. “I know you were with me through it all.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) any time of day or night.
Read more at usatoday.com
GOP Senators Demand Intelligence Records on Hunter Biden’s Dealings with Chinese Energy Conglomerate
by Chuck Ross
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson called on the Biden administration Wednesday to turn over intelligence records regarding Hunter Biden’s work with a Chinese energy company with suspected ties to the Chinese military.
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, Grassley and Johnson said that it is “imperative” for Congress to understand the relationship between the Biden family and CEFC China Energy, the now-defunct energy conglomerate.
CEFC China Energy paid Biden approximately $6 million from August 2017 to September 2018 for consulting and legal services, according to a report that Grassley and Johnson released last year.
The Republicans said in the report that banking regulators flagged some of the wire payments from CEFC to Biden for “potential criminal financial activity.” Grassley and Johnson also noted that CEFC’s founder, Ye Jianming, was an official in the mid-2000s for a front group of the Chinese Communist Party.
Biden met multiple times with Jianming, including at Jianming’s home in New York.
CEFC also paid $1 million to Biden to represent Patrick Ho, a former Hong Kong official who operated a think tank funded by the Chinese energy firm.
Ho was indicted in November 2017, and later convicted on charges that he offered bribes in 2014 to two leaders of African countries for oil drilling contracts on behalf of CEFC China Energy.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported that the Justice Department obtained a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against Ho based on suspicions that he was acting as a foreign agent of China.
Grassley and Johnson called on the administration to produce “all intelligence records,” including information derived from the FISAs against Ho, by April 14.
Hunter Biden was first introduced to CEFC officials in 2015. In October 2015, a consultant working on behalf of the firm emailed Biden hoping to discuss investing up to $100 million in an asset management firm with links to Biden, according to records obtained by the DCNF.
In May 2017, Biden and a group of partners formed a consulting company that planned to scout out investment projects for CEFC China Energy in the U.S., South America and Europe.
Tony Bobulinski, one of the original partners, has said that Biden cut him out of the deal and formed a side partnership with CEFC in August 2017.
It is unclear what, if anything, Joe Biden knew about his son’s arrangement with CEFC.
In another email obtained by the DCNF, dated Sept. 21, 2017, Biden referred to his father and Gongwen Dong, a CEFC employee in the U.S., as “office mates.”
“The sharing of office space with Chinese nationals and entities linked to the communist regime and its military demands additional explanation,” Grassley and Johnson wrote.
Biden has acknowledged that he is the target of a federal investigation that started in 2018. He said in a statement on Dec. 9, 2020, that the probe centered on his taxes. CNN has reported that federal prosecutors have looked into Biden’s dealings in China and Ukraine.
– – –
Chuck Ross is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
The post GOP Senators Demand Intelligence Records on Hunter Biden’s Dealings with Chinese Energy Conglomerate appeared first on The Georgia Star News.
NPR issues stunning mea culpa after claiming Hunter Biden laptop story was ‘discredited’ by intelligence
National Public Radio has corrected an online article that falsely asserted that documents from first son Hunter Biden’s laptop had been “discredited by U.S. intelligence.” A book review of Hunter Biden’s memoir “Beautiful Things” initially dismissed the documents first reported in October by The Post. “The laptop story was discredited by U.S. intelligence and independent…
NPR Issues Correction After Falsely Claiming US Intelligence ‘Discredited’ Hunter Biden Laptop Story
NPR issued a correction Thursday to a book review after it incorrectly claimed that U.S. intelligence discredited the Hunter Biden laptop story.
Ron Elving, NPR’s Washington desk senior editor and correspondent, wrote the lengthy review for Biden’s upcoming memoir “Beautiful Things.” The article pointed out various topics covered in the book, such as Biden’s “relationship with Burisma” and efforts by former President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to “portray Hunter as a liability” amid President Joe Biden’s candidacy.
“The last gasp of Giuliani’s campaign against the Bidens featured a laptop supposedly obtained from sources that would document the younger Biden’s drug use and other offenses,” the NPR review originally declared. “The laptop story was discredited by U.S. intelligence and independent investigations by news organizations.”
Hunter Biden: Ukraine Laptop ‘Could’ Be His but Says He Possibly Hacked by Russians
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has acknowledged a laptop computer with a slew of previously secret messages could be his but also suggested he was hacked by Russians.
“There could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me. It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was the—that it was Russian intelligence,” Hunter Biden told CBS in an interview clip released Friday.
The post Hunter Biden: Ukraine Laptop ‘Could’ Be His but Says He Possibly Hacked by Russians appeared first on NTD.
Hunter Biden admits infamous laptop could be his, throwing media narrative for a loop
Hunter Biden was nowhere to be found when his father was running for president as controversy swirled over his business dealings overseas, including in China, but now […]
Continue reading Hunter Biden admits infamous laptop could be his, throwing media narrative for a loop …
NPR issues major correction on Hunter Biden laptop, Hunter admits laptop could be his
National Public Radio has corrected a story about Hunter Biden that stated the U.S. intelligence community had discredited stories about a laptop he left at a repair shop and that perhaps had information about his overseas business dealings.
The correction was made on Thursday in a story about a recently published memoir by Biden, the son of President Biden, titled “Beautiful Things.”
Hunter Biden will talk about drug intervention, notorious laptop in CBS interviews
Hunter Biden says an abandoned laptop “certainly” could belong to him. In CBS interviews, he also shares details of his family’s drug intervention.
Hunter Biden says he doesn’t remember having sex with Lunden Roberts
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden tells how he found his grieving sister-in-law ‘alluring’ and claims he doesn’t recall having sex with a stripper – who ended up having his child – months before meeting his current wife who ‘saved his life,’ in new memoir being released April 6, 2021.
Hunter Biden Addresses Laptop Saga for the First Time
by Chuck Ross
Hunter Biden said in an interview that a laptop of his purported emails released before the election “could be” his, but that it may have been stolen or released with the help of Russian intelligence.
“There could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me. It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was Russian intelligence,” he said in an interview with CBS, which will air in full Sunday.
Biden at first said that he was unsure whether the laptop is his.
“For real, I don’t know.”
Pressed on the question, Biden conceded that the laptop “certainly could be” his.
The short clip of the CBS interview does not show whether Biden was asked about claims from a Delaware computer shop owner that he dropped off the laptop at his store in April 2019 and never came back to get it.
There have been no reports that Biden filed a police report regarding any possible thefts or hacks of his email account.
Biden, who has not previously discussed the laptop in public, has been under federal investigation since 2018 over his taxes and foreign business dealings.
WATCH:
John Paul Mac Isaac, the owner of a repair shop in Delaware, told The New York Post on Oct. 14 a man he believed to be Biden dropped off the laptop for repairs
Isaac says he provided the device to the FBI in late 2019. He then shared it with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani in September 2020.
Giuliani helped place a story about the emails with The New York Post.
Many Democrats have suggested that Russian intelligence was behind the release of emails from the laptop. Isaac has vehemently denied having any connection to Russians.
Emails from the laptop, which the Daily Caller News Foundation obtained, provide insight into Biden’s business and personal dealings. He emailed frequently with business partners about Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company that was at the center of President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Another email shows that Biden referred to his father and an employee of a Chinese energy firm, CEFC China Energy, as “office mates” at an office he rented in 2017.
Senate Republicans this week asked the Biden administration to turn over intelligence documents on Biden’s relationship with CEFC China Energy, which had suspected ties to China’s military.
– – –
Chuck Ross is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
The post Hunter Biden Addresses Laptop Saga for the First Time appeared first on The Georgia Star News.
Text messages that allegedly sparked fed probe into Matt Gaetz emerge
Text messages that allegedly sparked a federal sex crimes probe into Florida rep Matt Gaetz emerged Friday in a new report. They are purported to show that Gaetz was with Joel Greenberg, a Seminole County tax official who’s under investigation for child sex trafficking, at the office he allegedly used to make fake IDs, the…
Matt Gaetz’ Communications Director Resigns Amid Sexual Allegations Scandal
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s communications director Luke Ball resigned Friday, days after his boss was accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and more.
One Hill source familiar with the decision told the Daily Caller that Ball struggled with the choice to depart and did not want to bring further criticism on the congressman, but thought it best to part ways.
How Matt Gaetz Got Here
The Justice Department is investigating whether Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and close ally of former President Donald Trump, broke federal sex trafficking laws. The inquiry focuses on his relationships with young women who had been recruited online, and whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl.
Report: Rep. Matt Gaetz Does Not Plan to Resign
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said he has no plans to resign after the Hill reported he is being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to allegations regarding an inappropriate relationship with a minor and violation of sex trafficking laws.
Orgies, blackmail, extortion, Iran hostages: The crazy claims against Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz
Blackmail. An alleged orgy with prostitutes. Accusations of sex with an underage girl. And a convoluted extortion plot involving a likely dead American hostage in Iran. Even by Florida standards, the Matt Gaetz saga is downright bizarre — and getting weirder by the day. Before this week, the young Sunshine State congressman and ally of…
Trump blasts big tech ‘censorship’ after interview pulled by Facebook
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday night decried big tech “censorship” after an interview he gave to his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was taken off Facebook. “I did a very nice interview with Lara,” the former commander-in-chief said in a separate interview on cable news channel Real America’s Voice. “Facebook took it off and it’s disgraceful,”…
Fauci on AstraZeneca Shots; Sinovac Milestone: Virus Update
Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease official, said the country may not need AstraZeneca’s vaccine even if it passes U.S. regulatory approval, Reuters reported, citing an interview. Sinovac said annual production capacity of its Covid-19 vaccine CoronaVac has reached 2 billion doses.
‘He is Risen!’: Aussie PM Celebrates Hope and Victory in Easter Message
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has expressed his optimism for the future in his Easter message, saying it is a time for families and communities to come together and celebrate hope and victory. “For Christians around the world, Easter is a time to celebrate the most important words of our faith—He is Risen!” Morrison said. “Christians everywhere can draw strength and heart from these words.” Morrison said that over the challenging last year the Christian community has heeded the ancient principles of protecting, valuing, and looking out for our family, friends, neighbours, community, and country. “It was more difficult to gather to worship as a faith community normally would,” he said. “Nor could we sing those joyful songs that mean so much to us.” However, Morrison said Easter Sunday was a chance for the community to remember the words of Psalmist; “this is the day which the Lord has made; …
Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for the First Flight on Another Planet
Humanity’s first Wright Brothers moment on another planet will happen in April. The Ingenuity Mars helicopter will attempt the first powered flight on Mars no earlier than April 8, according to NASA. It’s fitting that the mission, an experimental companion to the Perseverance rover, is carrying a piece of history. A postage stamp-size piece of […]
The post Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for the First Flight on Another Planet appeared first on NTD.
Berlin State Hospitals Pause AstraZeneca Shots for Women Staff Under 55
BERLIN—Berlin’s state hospital groups Charite and Vivantes have stopped giving women under the age of 55 shots of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, spokeswomen for the hospitals said on Tuesday. The moves follow reports of rare but serious blood clots, bleeding, and in some cases death after vaccination, mainly in young women. “From the Charité’s point of view, this step is necessary because in the meantime further cerebral venous thromboses have become known in women in Germany,” a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. Charite said the action was precautionary while they waited for final assessments. No complications have occurred in its hospitals following vaccinations with AstraZeneca. A spokeswoman for Vivantes clinics also said the move to pause the shot for younger women was a precautionary measure. Some 19,000 people work at the Charite hospitals and 17,000 at Vivantes, which operates clinics as well as care homes. Tagesspiegel, which first reported the …
Germany Indefinitely Suspends AstraZeneca Vaccine for Anyone Under Age 60
Germany indefinitely suspended use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine for anyone under 60 following advice from STIKO, the country’s independent vaccine committee and external experts. The committee investigated reports of blood clots, some fatal, in people who received the vaccine
According to the Associated Press, Health Minister Jens Spahn and state officials unanimously agreed to give the vaccine only to people 60 or older unless they belong to a high-risk category where the benefits outweigh the risk of a serious side-effect.
“In sum, it’s about weighing the risk of a side effect that is statistically small, but needs to be taken seriously, and the risk of falling ill with corona,” Spahn told reporters in Berlin.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) today said they’ve not yet identified any risk factors — such as age, sex or a previous history of blood clotting disorders — associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The EMA issued a new statement reiterating their previous conclusion that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks, but cautioned that people should be aware of the “remote possibility” of rare blood clots occurring, and must seek immediate medical attention in case of symptoms.
The EMA said it “continues to work with the national authorities in the EU Member States to ensure that suspected cases of unusual blood clots are reported” and analyzed.
As The Defender reported Tuesday, several regions of Germany, including Berlin and Munich, temporarily paused the vaccine for people under 60 after Germany’s vaccine regulator disclosed 31 cases of a rare brain blood clot, nine of which resulted in deaths. The decision was made as a precaution ahead of a meeting with national medical regulators scheduled for later in the day yesterday.
The outcome of the Tuesday meeting in Germany was the decision, announced today, to indefinitely suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people under 60.
The German regulators’ decision was “based on the currently available data on the occurrence of rare but very severe thromboembolic side effects. This side effect occurred four to 16 days after vaccination, predominantly in people [under] 60 years of age,” STIKO said.
STIKO is also looking into the possibility of administering a second shot with a different COVID vaccine, for those who have already received their first dose.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the suspension of the vaccine’s use in the under-60s would help boost citizens’ trust in AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine after a series of missteps, Reuters reported.
“Everything is based on one principle and that is trust,” Merkel said. “Confidence arises from the knowledge that every suspicion is counted in every individual case.”
In a statement ahead of the announcement, the vaccine maker said tens of millions of people had received the vaccine and that the EU regulator and World Health Organization concluded the benefits outweighed the risks.
AstraZeneca told CNBC it would continue to analyze its database to understand “whether these very rare cases of blood clots associated with thrombocytopenia occur any more commonly than would be expected naturally in a population of millions of people.”
“We will continue to work with German authorities to address any questions they may have,” it added.
Previously, Germany had not given the vaccine to people 65 and over, saying there was insufficient data on its efficacy in that age group. Earlier this month, more than 20 countries, including Germany, suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of rare blood clots in the brain, some resulting in death, in healthy people who received the vaccine.
Although authorized for use in the EU, AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been authorized for use in the EU, it has not yet received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the U.S. The company plans to apply for EUA in the upcoming weeks. If approved, AstraZeneca would become the fourth available vaccine in the U.S., joining Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
The post Germany Indefinitely Suspends AstraZeneca Vaccine for Anyone Under Age 60 appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.
According To The New York Times, Blue Cities & Towns Continue To Struggle With Covid | “Covid Surge in Michigan Alarms Health Experts”
Covid-19 vaccinations at Greater Emmanuel Institutional church in Detroit on Saturday. In Michigan’s largest city, local leaders are racing to vaccinate residents amid a rise in cases. Credit…Cydni Elledge for The New York Times
DETROIT — The country is a study in contrasts. New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and other states in the Northeast continue to report high levels of cases, and troubling upticks have emerged in Illinois, Minnesota and some other Midwestern states. But in much of the South and West, case numbers remain relatively low…
Nearly 500 Chicagoans testing positive every day raising concerns of a potential third surge of COVID-19 (LIVE UPDATES)
Here’s Wednesday’s news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.
Latest
Chicago sees ‘quantum leap’ in COVID-19 cases — widening Lightfoot-Pritzker split over vaccine plans
Illinois’ COVID-19 uptick took another jump Wednesday as Chicago’s “quantum leap” in cases raised more concerns of a potential third surge of the virus, officials said.
Another 2,592 residents across the state were diagnosed with the virus among 77,727 tests, which lowered Illinois’ average positivity rate to 3.3%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
But that key metric has shot up 57% overall in under three weeks, while COVID-19 hospitalizations have jumped 24% over the same time frame. More than 1,400 beds were occupied by coronavirus patients Tuesday night, the most the state’s hospitals have treated since Feb. 24.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot agree the uptick has halted any talk of further reopening — but they’re still far apart on when all adults should be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine dose.
The governor voiced concern Wednesday over the city’s timetable for that move, saying “I think that they will want to do that sooner than they are currently planning to.”
Read the full story from Fran Spielman and Mitchell Armentrout here.
News
9:24 a.m. James Taylor kicking off rescheduled 2021 tour at the United Center
Live music may be returning to the United Center this summer.
James Taylor on Wednesday announced his postponed world tour with special guest Jackson Browne will kick off at the Chicago venue on July 29.
Tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored for the trek that wraps up Nov. 1 in San Diego. (The tour was originally slated for a stop June 9 the United Center; refunds are available at point of purchase for those unable to make the new date.)
Taylor postponed the tour last April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down all live music/theater venues across the country. Browne contracted coronavirus last March, revealing at the time he suffered only minor symptoms and recuperated while quarantining at home.
“(Jackson and I/James and I) want to thank all those who have graciously held onto their tickets; we appreciate your continued patience as we navigate these unchartered waters. We didn’t want to have to cancel this tour that we’ve been waiting so long to perform together, so we’ve been working to get these dates rescheduled to a time period when the U.S. is reopened and safe to gather for a concert,” the two legendary singer-songwriters said in a joint statement.”
Read the full story from Miriam Di Nunzio here.
New Cases & Vaccination Numbers
- Another 2,592 residents across the state were diagnosed with the virus among 77,727 tests.
- Nearly 500 Chicagoans are testing positive every day, an average figure that has jumped 37% over the past week.
- Illinois is vaccinating more people than ever as the state’s rolling average is up to a new high of 109,538 shots doled out per day.
- On Tuesday, 137,445 shots went into arms, the state’s third-highest daily total yet.
Friend with George Floyd during arrest refuses to testify in Chauvin trial
A key witness who was with George Floyd when he was arrested is refusing to testify against the ex-cop accused of murdering his longtime friend, court documents show. Morries Lester Hall, 42, was one of the passengers with Floyd in a car in Minneapolis last May when the 46-year-old was arrested — insisting in interviews days later that he was “going to be his voice.”
But Hall filed a surprise motion in Hennepin County District Court late Wednesday asking not to be called in the murder trial of ex-cop Derek Chauvin — and insisting he would not answer questions even if called.
Rose McGowan slams Twitter for booting her over Clinton photo
Rose McGowan slammed Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for supporting “evil” after her account was suspended for tweeting about Bill Clinton. The outspoken “Scream” actress — and one of the most vocal Harvey Weinstein accusers — was recently banned for the post, showing the Democratic ex-president being massaged by a woman.
Joe Biden Supports MLB Moving All-Star Game Out of Georgia, Repeats Lies About Voting Bill
Sports hasn’t gone political enough, so here’s President Puddinghead joining in. Joe Biden would appear to be echoing his former wingman’s efforts to exploit sports for his political agenda. To set the stage, Georgia passed a voter integrity bill. Leftists think voter integrity is raaaaaacist. There have been calls for Major League Baseball to pull the All-Star Game from Atlanta to punish the state. Even though most sports fans don’t care for woke bullplop like this, Biden is all about the decision.
And then came the lies about the bill.
President Joe Biden speaks about fans returning to stadiums, vaccination progress | SportsCenter
youtu.be
The Georgia bill is Jim Crow on steroids. Did I mention that the Georgia bill is Jim Crow on steroids? They told me to say that it’s Jim Crow on steroids. If I say it five times, they’ll give me an extra pudding later. Jim Crow on steroids. Jim Crow on steroids.
Biden has already been tagged for lying about the bill. Actually, I can’t say for sure that he lied. He may just have been repeating what he was told to say. Let me put it like this: Joe Biden believes invalid truth about the bill. But just once, I’d like someone to ask him a simple question. How? How is the voting bill “Jim Crow on steroids”? Even if the president gave a meandering non-answer, at least he would have been challenged once.
Here’s a link to the bill. The bill INCREASES the early voting window. That gives people MORE opportunity to vote. If Georgia is suppressing the vote by increasing early voting, they really suck at suppressing the vote.
Two big matters of contention are a) needing to show ID for absentee voting, and b) tightening the electioneering rules within a close radius of polling places. That’s the “bans giving out water” part of the bill. Political activists can’t go inside that radius to “hand out” water. That may or may not be promoting one of the candidates or the activist’s partisan political agenda.
Anyone who says that is “Jim Crow on steroids” is either lying about the bill or has been lied to about the bill. Either way, you’re an asshole. We used to be able to expect more of the president. Instead, Joe Biden has decided the only way to push his agenda is through the politics of fear and division. And here I thought he was the guy to “unite” the country!
Get your content free from Big Tech’s filter. Bookmark this website and sign up for our newsletter!
Dementia Joe WALKS AWAY Mid-Question! | Louder With Crowder
youtu.be
Arizona Republican senators hire auditors to reviews 2020 election
Arizona state Senate Republicans have hired a team of independent auditors to recount the 2020 election, including a hand recount of all ballots in Maricopa County.
The lawmakers announced their decision Wednesday.
The team will be led by Cyber Ninjas, a cybersecurity company focusing on security in financial and government sectors. The firm will oversee the team of technology or cybersecurity companies, including Wake Technology Services and Digital Discovery.
Georgia House Strips Delta Air Lines of Tax Break After CEO’s Criticism of Voting Integrity Law
The Georgia state House voted Wednesday to strip Delta Air Lines of a significant tax break after the firm’s CEO condemned a recently passed voting integrity law. Led by Republicans, the Georgia House voted to strip the firm of the break that’s worth tens of millions of dollars per year. The Senate did not take up the measure before it adjourned. “It was very disappointing,” said House Speaker Rep. David Ralston, a Republican, said of Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s comment on the voting laws earlier this week. “You don’t feed a dog that bites your hand. You’ve got to keep that in mind sometimes,” Ralston added of the passage of the bill, according to local media reports. The final vote in the state House was 97-73. “The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie,” Bastian said in a statement of the Georgia voting bill, adding: “Unfortunately, that excuse …