Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.
This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.
So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.
This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.
More fuzzy thoughts from the UN:
https://summit.news/2020/05/18/united-nations-claims-its-politically-incorrect-to-say-husband-or-wife/
From Magdeburg/Germany a musical “Homage” to the Philanthrope Bill “Mengele” Gates.
https://youtu.be/6sX7q9SEQdA
LAND GRABS during Lockdown, South Africa | Full story of Viral Video
Guinea police open fire on people protesting against lockdown
https://youtu.be/1GvQery4kf0
Two Terrorists Killed, 3 Soldiers Injured In Gunfight Underway in Kashmir Capital Srinagar – Video (sputniknews, May 19, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/india/202005191079348246-two-terrorists-killed-3-soldiers-injured-in-gunfight-underway-in-kashmir-capital-srinagar—video/
“Jammu and Kashmir has been grappling with spike in terror activities since April and the security forces and the state police department have undertaken several counter-terror operations.
Two terrorists were killed and three security personnel injured in a terror incident in the Nawakadal area of the Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar on Tuesday, police told media. Both terrorists were part of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.
Giving an update on the ongoing operation, the Jammu and Kashmir CRPF said, “after an exchange of fire last night, firing resumed during a search in the morning. Operation continues.”
A video shared from the site of the incident in Srinagar shows black smog rising into the sky while gunshots can be heard in the background…”
Indian troops kill rebel commander in Kashmir’s main city (abcnews, May 19, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indian-troops-kill-rebel-commander-kashmirs-main-city-70762836
“A rebel commander and his aide were killed in a gunbattle with government forces in Kashmir’s main city on Tuesday, officials said, triggering anti-India protests and clashes in the disputed region.
Scores of counterinsurgency police and paramilitary soldiers cordoned off a congested neighborhood in Srinagar’s old quarters on a tip that some militants were hiding there, said Pankaj Singh, a paramilitary spokesman. An exchange of gunfire began as troops scoured the area looking for militants, he said.
The gunbattle, the first in the city in two years, lasted about 12 hours and ended with the killing of Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, a militant commander with Kashmir’s largest rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen, and his aide. Junaid, son of senior separatist political leader Mohammed Ashraf Sehrai, joined the rebel ranks in early 2018 after graduating in business management from the region’s main university.
Three soldiers and a police official were injured in the fighting, police said.
Over a dozen houses were damaged, some completely destroyed, during the fighting as explosions and gunshots rattled the city during a tight coronavirus lockdown.
Residents accused troops of setting the houses on fire and looting jewelry and cash from some homes. Singh said these were “baseless allegations to malign troops.”
“It was a clean operation with no collateral damage,” he said.
Security officials said Junaid’s killing was a major success against militants in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety.
As the gunbattle raged, authorities cut off most mobile internet and voice call services in Srinagar, a common Indian tactic when fighting erupts in the region.
As news of the killings spread, scores of young men chanting anti-India and pro-rebel slogans defied the lockdown and hurled stones at government forces, who fired tear smoke and shotgun pellets to disperse them…”
Six Pakistani Soldiers, One Civilian Killed in Two Separate Terror Incidents in Balochistan (sputniknews, May 19, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/india/202005191079348126-six-pakistani-soldiers-one-civilian-killed-in-two-separate-terror-incidents-in-balochistan/
“n May 8, six Pakistani security forces personnel, including one officer, were killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) hit their reconnaissance vehicle while carrying out routine patrolling in Kech district’s Buleda area in Balochistan, which is about 14 kilometres from the Iran border.
Six Pakistani soldiers and one civilian died in two separate terror incidents in Balochistan province on Monday night, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military media wing of Pakistan’s Armed Forces, said on Tuesday.
According to a statement released by the ISPR, the first incident took place in the Mach area of Balochistan where six people including a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and a civilian driver, were killed when the Frontier Corps patrolling unit’s reconnaissance vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) while returning to its base.
“The deceased have been identified as soldiers – Naib Subedar Ihsan Ullah Khan, Naik Zubair Khan, Naik Ijaz Ahmed, Naik Maula Bux, Naik Noor Muhammad while the civilian driver has been identidies as Abdul Jabbar,” the ISPR statement said.
The second incident was reported from the Kech area of Balochistan where a soldier was killed during an encounter with militants. According to the military media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, the deceased soldier has been identified as Sipahi Imdad Ali.”
Migrant Women Face Greater Health Hazards During Pregnancy, Delivery – Finnish Research (sputniknews, May 19, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/202005191079347256-migrant-women-face-greater-health-hazards-during-pregnancy-delivery–finnish-research/
“Women with Kurdish, Somali, South and East Asian, South American and Caribbean backgrounds appear to have riskier pregnancies and births, according to Finnish research.
A Tampere University dissertation by has found that particular groups of migrant-background women have higher risks of health complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
According to doctoral health sciences candidate Kalpana Bastola, women with Somali and Kurdish backgrounds generally have a higher body mass index and faced a greater risk of pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, including diabetes.
“The identified high risk-groups may need additional counselling on weight management and special attention in maternal and newborn care,” Bastola said, as quoted by national broadcaster Yle.
Additionally, women from sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia were found to have a higher risk of preterm birth, emergency caesarian section deliveries and low birthweight babies, according to the research. Meanwhile, women with backgrounds from South America or the Caribbean had a greater risk of both elective and emergency caesarian deliveries.
By contrast, Russian-background women tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than women in the general population before pregnancy. Women the former Soviet Union in general appeared to have a lower risk of complications arising during pregnancy and delivery, as well as a lower risk of post-birth health problems.
“More research is needed to better understand the reasons and mechanisms behind these differences and to develop interventions for improving the health of the higher-risk groups,” Bastola concluded.
In her dissertation, titled “Health of pregnant migrant women and their newborns in Finland”, Bastola analysed single births recorded in the Finnish Medical Birth Register between 2004 and 2014 as well as data from Statistics Finland and the Care Register for Health Care. All in all, the records of 318 Russian, 583 Somali, 373 Kurdish and 243 women from the general population in Finland were examined.
Meanwhile, the number of births in Finland has been falling for about a decade. The national fertility rate for 2019 was the lowest on record, at 1.35 children per woman, Statistics Finland indicated. The last time Finland experienced baby blues of comparable proportions was during the great famine that happened roughly 150 ago.
By contrast, women of Somali and Turkish origins have a fertility rate of over 3, following by Iraqi background women, Statistics Finland reported.”
Mysterious new coronavirus outbreak hits China – 108 MILLION now back into lockdown (express, May 19, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1284199/China-coronavirus-new-lockdown-latest-Jilin-province-quarantine-COVID-19-update
“CHINA has increased fears of a second outbreak of coronavirus after two cities were placed under lockdown.
Chinese officials have imposed quarantine restrictions on two cities in the province of Jilin located in north east China. Jilin is part of a wider province located in the Dongbei region – which is home to more than 100 million residents. The threat level in the area has been raised to “high-risk” by health authorities.
Health officials have identified two emergency hospitals to treat the suspected spike in COVID-19 infections.
Around 40,000 residents in the cities of Jilin and Shulan have been tested for coronavirus after officials were alerted to a possible new outbreak.
In Jilin authorities stopped all major transport links to and from neighbouring cities until further notice.
In Shulan all villages and residential compounds were sealed off after a similar outbreak of COVID-19 cases last week.
The city quarantined 8,000 residents after 18 cases were detected since May 7.
Residents are only permitted to leave their homes for essentials in a two hour slot every other day.
Schools, public place and public transport were forced to close.
In the past 24 hours the Jilin health authority reported five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jilin – located near to the borders with Russia and North Korea.
On Monday the National Health Commission (NHC) said there had six new cases of the deadly virus in China – including one in the city of Wuhan – which is widely thought to be the epicentre of the disease.
The NHC said three of the six new cases were imported.
The imported cases were all in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia to the west of Jilin.
The total number of coronavirus infections in China currently stands at 82,960, with the death toll at 4,634.
This is a developing news story, more to follow. “
Africa coronavirus crisis: Quarter of a BILLION face infection – outbreak to last YEARS (express, May 19, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1283932/africa-coronavirus-outbreak-covid19-infections-deaths-world-health-organization
“AFRICA is bracing for a huge coronavirus crisis, with nearly a quarter of a billion people across the continent’s 47 countries at risk of being infected over the next year, according to alarming new forecasts from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The model by the WHO’s regional office for Africa has predicted there will be a lower rate of transmission and slower viral spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the continent than anywhere else in the world, resulting in up to 190,000 deaths. But the model suggests 22 percent of the one billion people in the near 50 countries measured would be infected in the first year of the pandemic. The disease would also likely linger for much longer than anywhere else – possibly for several years.
The authors of the research warned the massive surge in admissions to hospitals, care needs and “huge impact” on services such as immunisation and maternity will significantly overwhelm health services which are already reaching crisis point.
The WHO report warned Nigeria is set to have the largest number of infections, followed by Algeria and South Africa.
Smaller countries, such as Mauritius, are likely to be safer from infection, but for countries including Niger, Mauritania and Chad, the news is not so positive.
The report added that per head of population, Mauritius, Seychelles and Equatorial Guinea are likely to have the greatest number of infections.
But Africa’s younger age profile is the main driver for the lower transmission rates compared to other countries.
Lower rates of obesity throughout the continent in comparison to other large countries will also help slow the spread of coronavirus, the authors of the report added.
Data analyst Humphrey Karamagi said: “The biggest factor that plays out in our numbers is age.
“We also have very few people who are obese, although the numbers are rising, but not at the levels in the US.
“We tried to factor in what we are seeing on the ground.
“We are seeing slower transmission rates in African countries compared to Europe and the US.
“There might be an effect of reporting but we do not think that fully explains the rates, when we are seeing the pattern we are seeing.
“There is something around social-cultural or developmental or environmental structure that is slowing the transmission rates.”
Last month, the UN Economic Commission published a report that warned of a much worse scenario across Africa, with 1.2 billion infections and 3.3 million deaths.
But the models are not comparable as the latest one uses data from the WHO African Region.
This is a smaller grouping of Africa and does not include Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan or Tunisia.
Since the publication of the UN report, scientists have been able to develop their knowledge of coronavirus and its transmission rates.
The researchers from the latest WHO report have calculated the risk of exposure to coronavirus and predicted the number of infections and deaths for each of the 47 countries in the organization’s specified region.
Mr Karamagi said: “We are including a risk of exposure into our estimation of the risk of transmission.”
The WHO’s research has also benefited from recent data about who is likely to suffer more severe symptoms, such as those who are obese, or suffering from hypertension or diabetes.
The levels of diabetes in Africa are lower than most other places in the world.
But the majority of cases can go undiagnosed, so there could be a greater number of cases of severe infections in people that were thought to be healthy.
Mr Karamagi added: “The pattern that seems to be emerging is that it is diseases of lifestyle that pushes someone to severe illness as opposed to diseases of poverty.
“We have fewer people whose infections will progress to a more serious disease.””
Obama White House Kept Key Officials in Dark About Brennan’s Russia Intel
Barr Doesn’t Expect Criminal Investigations of Obama, Biden
COVID-19: Chan Chun Sing outlines Singapore’s plans to reopen economy after circuit-breaker exit
COVID-19: Singapore to adopt phased approach to reopening economy from Jun 2
India and China Fight Border Conflict
Thing is, border skirmishes have been going on since time immemorial. The excess reproductive-age Male Problem. Something Europe is only beginning to experience.
Now, though, it remains to be seen if it plays into regional dynamics like Chris is suggesting here. Hovering over a few perennial hotspots, like the LoC between India and Pakistan, and drawing sweeping conclusions rings hollow.
The big picture he describes is significant. Will India alienate China by playing Taiwan with the USA?
– – Probably not. They’ll try to finesse it, like they do with Iran. Send us some more HCQ with emoji hugs-&-kisses. China’s their biggest trading partner; neutrality’s programmed into modern India’s DNA.
The long-term view is that America First is America losing interest in the rest of the world. Client-state relationships are fading. Taiwan isn’t all that special to the USA, it’s just another weapon against today’s enemy China. Which may not be such an enemy next year or next administration.
India’s relationship with the USA is conditioned by who’s in office. Demonrats are as anti-India as they are anti-Israel[*]. Obama wouldn’t give Modi a visa till he became PM with overwhelming popular support. The Dems are MB partisans. (That’s Jamaat-e-Islami in Southeast Asia.)
PTrump may swing some supply chains over to India, but his foreign policy is strictly transactional. The betrayal of the Kurds for the filthy Turk was closely observed far beyond the Mideast. Putin never abandoned Assad. Even those who don’t know Kurds and detest Assad paid attention.
And PTrump’s equivocal political style doesn’t play well in India. I suspect he’s more diplomatic in person, but his public persona is grating. There’s always a threat, the complaint: They’ve taken advantage of us. For India, that’s not true and it’s not fair.
_________
[*]Western media just finds it easier to pick on Israel because Jew-hate resonates.
London shooting: Man confirmed dead with ‘gunshot injuries’ in horror attack in Haringey (express, May 19, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1284051/north-london-shooting-wiltshire-gardens-haringey-police-witnesses-Jemal-Ebrahim-crime-news
“A MAN in his 20s has been shot dead in north London, police have confrimed. The young man was found in Wiltshire Gardens, Haringey, on Monday evening.
Police were called to the scene at 8.22pm last night after reports of shots being fired in the area.
Officers attended along with London Ambulance Service and found a man suffering gunshot injuries.
The man, who has not yet been publicly identified, died at the scene and was pronounced dead by paramedics.
Police are trying to trace his next of kin and forensic teams remained in the area on Monday night, with the scene cordoned off.
They said: “At this early stage, officers are working to establish the full circumstances. There has been no arrest.”
Any witnesses, or anyone with information, is asked to call police on 101, using reference 7506/may18.
The death comes less than a week after another young man was killed less than a mile away.
The stabbing of 23-year-old Jemal Ebrahim took place in the same part of the capital.
The young man was found stabbed in Russell Road, Haringey on Wednesday.
Mr Ebrahim later died later in hospital despite being treated at the scene.
The next day, police arrested four men on suspicion of affray.
However, police said the person responsible for Mr Ebrahim’s death “remains in the community”.
There is no suggestion that the two killings are connected.
DCI Simon Stancombe said in a statement the person responsible for Jemal’s death “remains in the community”.
He said: “It remains unclear where the attack on the victim took place, and while our investigation is continuing at speed, I am still keen to hear from anyone who has information relating to the murder.
“A life has been taken, a family is devastated, and the dangerous individual responsible remains in the community, getting on with their life.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”
Police arrest 27 men in Bradford over online child sexual exploitation (express, May 19, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1284234/braford-news-arrests-online-child-exploitation-yorkshire-police
“POLICE have arrested 27 men in connection with online child sexual exploitation in Bradford
Officers also arrested a 16-year-old and raided homes across Bradford. They seized mobile phones and computers used to contact children or share indecent images. The men who were questioned were aged between 16 and 57.
They were all later released under investigation, bail or to allow further enquiries by the police
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Weekes, said: “We urge parents and carers, particularly in the current climate where children are spending more time at home, to regularly monitor their children’s devices.
“We also encourage them to report any concerns to the police or partner agencies, so these can be investigated fully.
“We would also warn anyone attempting to contact children online that they cannot hide behind their mobile phone or internet use.
“We will take action to make sure children can use the internet more safely.”
The news comes after police stated that nearly 100 children were targeted online by paedophiles during the first month of lockdown.
Police reports show that 45 suspected paedophiles were arrested in the first four weeks of the lockdown.
During the beginning of the outbreak in the UK police stormed the homes of dozens of suspected paedophiles.
Police have urged parents to be wary and vigilant as children are now spending much more time at home on the internet.
Children are now vulnerable to predators on social media.
There have been 92 children targeted by paedophiles in London alone between March 24 and April 23, Scotland Yard has revealed.
Furthermore, there are an average of around 50 alerts a week about potential online abuse cases in London.
These alerts are being passed to detectives by the National Crime Agency.
More to follow…”
Police armed with machine guns raid house in Kidderminster to arrest ‘machete gang’ spotted in quiet street (dailymail, May 19, 2020)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8335671/Armed-police-machine-guns-dogs-raid-house-arrest-suspects-machete-gang.html
“Armed police arrested four suspects during a raid on a house in Kidderminster after a machete-wielding gang were spotted in the area.
Shocking footage, filmed by a resident above, shows the cops positioned across the street pointing machine guns at the suspects as they ordered their arrest.
At least 10 officers with dogs surround the property as they apprehended the suspects during the daylight arrests.
One person was treated at the scene for injuries and later taken to hospital following the incident on Radford Avenue at around 2:40pm on Monday afternoon, with police sealing off the area.
West Mercia Police Force said: ‘Police were called at 2.40pm this afternoon after reports men were armed with machetes in Harold Evers Way.
‘One man has been taken to hospital, the extent of his injuries are not yet known however they are not believed to be life-threatening.
‘The road was closed for a short time to allow the incident to be dealt with.’
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called by West Mercia Police at 2:46pm on Monday to reports of an assault on Harold Evers Way in Kidderminster.
‘We sent one ambulance, a paramedic officer and BASICS doctor to the scene.
‘On arrival crews found one patient, a man, with injuries not believed to be serious.
‘He was treated on scene before being taken to hospital for further treatment.'”
Italians Urge G20 Nations to Join Trump in Defunding W.H.O. (breitbart, May 19, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2020/05/19/italians-urge-g20-nations-to-join-trump-in-defunding-w-h-o/
“More than 200,000 Italians have signed a petition to cut all funding to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) from G20 nations.
“We humbly ask you to join U.S. President Donald J. Trump to stop sending funds to the World Health Organization,” reads the CitizenGO petition, which is addressed to the heads of G20 nations.
The W.H.O. has demonstrated “that it supports and disseminates the false and incomplete information released by Communist China regarding the seriousness of COVID19” and “the W.H.O. internal decision-making and management processes are not subject to direct control by taxpayers,” the appeal states.
Moreover, the text continues, during the peak of the spread of Chinese coronavirus, W.H.O. has continued to use contributions paid with public funds for promoting abortion worldwide as a human right, supporting the legalization of prostitution, forcing doctors to perform sex reassignment surgery on children, and disseminating a curriculum for global sexuality standards that teaches masturbation to small children.
If President Trump goes through with his promise to halt U.S. funding to W.H.O., the organization will suffer the loss of $419 million, which accounts for 15 percent of its annual budget, the appeal notes.
Italy is currently the seventh largest national funder of the W.H.O., behind the USA, China, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, the appeal states.
“To compensate for the loss of funds from U.S. contributions, W.H.O. and its ideological allies are calling for an increase in voluntary donations from other countries. And the G20 countries are at the top of the list,” it reads.
“We don’t need a global ‘health’ organization that pumps billions out of our society every year to harm children,” it declares. “And President Trump’s plan to cut funding to the W.H.O. offers us a real opportunity to start seeing the end of their global agenda, that same agenda that does nothing but trample on human dignity and its true value.”
On Monday, President Trump warned the World Health Organization that it will permanently lose U.S. funding unless it commits to “major substantive improvements within the next 30 days.”
Trump cited the its role in “mismanaging and covering up” the global spread of the Wuhan coronavirus when he suspended U.S. funding of the U.N. subsidiary.
“They’re a puppet of China, they’re China-centric to put it nicer,” Trump said at the White House. “They gave us a lot of bad advice.”
Trump wrote to W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying he will reconsider America’s support of the organization only after numerous improvements are made, first and foremost dropping ties with China.
“It is clear the repeated missteps by you and your organization in responding to the pandemic have been extremely costly for the world,” the letter said.”
UN: Civilian casualties by Taliban, Afghan forces rising (abcnews, May 19, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/civilian-deaths-taliban-afghan-forces-rise-70757807
“The United Nations on Tuesday called for an immediate reduction of violence in Afghanistan, warning that civilian casualties at the hands of both the Taliban and Afghan security forces are on the increase. The U.N. mission also expressed concern about stepped-up attacks and brutality of the Islamic State group.
A horrific attack last week at a maternity hospital in the Afghan capital has not been claimed by any group, but the United States said it bears all the hallmarks of Afghanistan’s IS affiliate — targeting the country’s minority Shiites in a neighborhood of Kabul that IS militants have repeatedly attacked in the past.
The Taliban denied involvement in the maternity hospital attack, which killed 24 people, including two infants and several new mothers.
The U.N. report blamed the Taliban for killing or injuring a total of 208 civilians last month and also said that operations by Afghan forces in April had killed or injured 172 civilians. Civilians are often caught in the crossfire of the fighting and Afghan forces say they are targeting the insurgents, not civilians, in anti-militant operations.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Muhahed disputed the U.N. figures in a tweet and blamed “blind airstrikes and artillery fire by U.S. and internal forces” for the casualties.
“Parties have committed to finding a peaceful solution and should protect the lives of all Afghans and not jeopardize people’s hope for an end to the war,” said Deborah Lyons, the U.N. chief’s special representative to Afghanistan.
She added that “intra-Afghan peace negotiations need to start as soon as possible.”
The U.N.’s call for an end to violence comes as Washington’s special peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, began another round of talks with the Taliban to press them to start talking to the newly reconciled Afghan political leadership in Kabul and implement an immediate reduction in violence, said the U.S. State Department.
Khalilzad, who is the architect of a U.S.-Taliban deal signed in February, has been trying to salvage the agreement and jump-start intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government.
A power-sharing agreement on Sunday between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, ended months of wrangling and raised expectations that the next round of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, which calls for negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan leaders, can start.
The Taliban have said a permanent cease-fire would be on the agenda but have been critical of repeated delays in the promised prisoner release, which is to be completed before talks begin.
The U.S. State Department statement said Khalilzad would meet with the Taliban in Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office, and would “press for steps necessary to commence intra-Afghan negotiations, including a significant reduction of violence.”
Khalilzad will also visit Kabul. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said in March that the U.S. would cut $1 billion in U.S. aid to Afghanistan unless Ghani and Andullah resolved their differences, has bemoaned the time lost to their bickering.
“The United States remains committed to supporting the desire of the Afghan people and the international community for a political settlement that ends the 40-year conflict and ensures Afghanistan never again serves as a platform for international terrorism,” the State Department statement said.
The U.S.-Taliban deal provides for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops, but only if the Taliban live up to their end to battle other militant groups, such as the Islamic State affiliate.
The increasingly brutal IS attacks seem to have given urgency to U.S. efforts to get the Taliban into a coordinated battle against the group.”
Andrew Cuomo: People in nursing homes are going to die of COVID ‘despite whatever you do’
hh, that explains everything. According to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is taking flak over his disastrous nursing home policy, it’s not his fault. Yes, at least 5,400 elderly New Yorkers died after COVID-19 patients were sent in compliance with a state law back to the nursing homes, which then became hotbeds for the virus. But they would have died of the virus “despite whatever you do,” he now maintains.
Watch:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/05/18/andrew-cuomo-people-in-nursing-homes-are-going-to-die-of-covid-regardless-of-whatever-you-do/
europravda – Donald Trump claims to be taking unproven drug
The US president says he’s been taking an anti malarial drug to try to fight off coronavirus despite warnings about its safety and side effects.
europravda – Coronavirus: Donald Trump says he’s taking contested anti-malarial drug to protect against COVID-19
US President Donald Trump told reporters he has been taking a drug used by lupus and arthritis sufferers to protect himself from COVID-19
BBC – Coronavirus: Trump says he is taking unproven drug hydroxychloroquine
US President Donald Trump has said he is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus, despite public health officials warning it may be unsafe.
There is no evidence hydroxychloroquine can fight coronavirus, and regulators warn the drug may cause heart problems.
MSNBC – Sen. Schumer Criticizes Trump’s ‘Reckless’ Remarks On Unproven Drug
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, weighs in on the president’s public statement that he is taking hydroxychloroquine, calling it ‘reckless’.
MSNBC – Doctor Calls Trump’s Remarks On Unproven Drug ‘Irresponsible’
Pulmonologist and global health policy expert, Dr. Vin Gupta, weighs in on the president saying he’s taking unproven drug hydroxychloroquine to protect against the coronavirus.
MSNBC – Gupta: Trump Should Be ‘Ashamed’ Pushing Untested Drug To Fight COVID-19
MSNBC Medical Contributor Dr. Vin Gupta blasts Trump continuing to push taking the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine – which the president now says he’s taking – despite the fact his own FDA advises against it.
the telegraph – What is hydroxychloroquine and why is Donald Trump taking it?
Medical experts and politicians have expressed their concern after Donald Trump revealed he started taking hydroxychloroquine despite the risk of dangerous side-effects and lack of data to support its use as a Covid-19 treatment.
The US president, who has touted the anti-malarial drug as a possible coronavirus treatment, said he had been taking a pill daily for around 10 days and discussed it with the White House doctor before doing so.
Former government chief scientific adviser Sir David King, asked about Donald Trump’s admission that he was taking anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, told Good Morning Britain: “I think he speaks from the top of his head and every word he says should be ignored in terms of advice. I’m sorry but this is not the pronouncements of a person who is listening to the scientists. He is making it up as he goes along.”
There is no evidence hydroxychloroquine can fight off coronavirus, though clinical trials are under way.
” Please , please don’t do this ..”
… and don’t drink bleach ”
“…he is so so so dangerous …” ” he should loose weight ”
CNBC – Former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb on Trump’s decision to take hydroxychloroquine
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina and former FDA commissioner, weighs in on President Trump’s decision and what medical experts know about the effectiveness of the drug.
‘It will kill you’: The world reacts to Trump taking hydroxychloroquine
https://vladtepesblog.com/wp-content/uploads//2020/05/Abortion-vs-Chloraquine.png
Martin!find Chris~
lol!lollollol
[ er.... you were meaning that Chris ? ...]CNN – Chris Cuomo: Trump’s claim is a winning argument
CNN’s Chris Cuomo discusses how Trump taking hydroxychloroquine, despite the FDA warning about the drug, could be a political move.
@Martin - oops! I meant OUR Chris, Chris Jones~Anyway, he's bound to find this section of the thread. Our HCQ detective.
P.S. CNN is on The Boycott List.
McEnany explains Trump’s decision to take hydroxychloroquine
Trump defends unproven drug, calls Pelosi ‘sick’
President Donald Trump doubled down Tuesday on his decision to take a malaria drug that he’s been touting as a treatment for the coronavirus, despite criticism from health experts.
He also called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “a sick woman.” (May 19)
MSNBC – Trump Claims Hydroxychloroquine Gives An ‘Additional Level Of Safety’
President Trump defended his use of the drug hydroxychloroquine as an “additional level of safety” amid the coronavirus outbreak despite the Food and Drug Administration’s warnings about the drug.
Trump says Pelosi has ‘mental problems’ after ‘morbidly obese’ comments
Donald Trump refused to directly respond to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s criticism over his decision to take an unproven malaria drug to prevent coronavirus because he is “morbidly obese,” but minutes later he accused her of having “mental problems.”
the guardian – An individual decision’: Trump defends taking unproved coronavirus drug hydroxychloroquine
The US president has defended his use of the anti-malaria drug, dismissing a study indicating it was not an effective coronavirus treatment as a ‘Trump enemy statement’.
He also attacked Nancy Pelosi after she publicly expressed concern, claiming she had ‘mental problems’
CNN – CNN reporter on Trump claim: Where did he get that from?
President Donald Trump says he is taking daily doses of hydroxychloroquine, a drug he’s long touted as a potential coronavirus cure even as medical experts question its efficacy and warn of potentially harmful side effects.
yahoo news Johns Hopkins physician is hopeful others will not follow Trump by taking Hydroxychloroquine
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Senior Scholar Dr. Amesh Adalja joins Yahoo Finance’s Seana Smith to discuss President Trump’s claim that he is taking Hydroxychloroquine as a prevantative measure against COVID-19.
SKY NEWS – Trump claims to be taking ‘the hydroxy’
The drug has no proven benefit against the novel coronavirus, but Mr Trump claimed that ‘a lot of or front-line workers take it’ and said taking it was an ‘individual decision’.
One Fox News host warned viewers not to experiment with the unproven drug, saying ‘I cannot stress enough: This will kill you.’
Channel pr4vd4 – Trump says he is taking an unproven drug to avoid Coronavirus, despite risks
Donald Trump has once again threatened the World Health Organization saying it must “be much more fair to the United States” within the next 30 days.
The President’s threat came after he announced that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for more than a week to protect himself against Covid-19.
Taking the drug goes against the advice of his own Food and Drug Administration which has warned that it may cause heart complications.
+ comments on the YT page
Biden Comes Unhinged, Compares Trump Taking Hydroxychloroquine to Injecting Himself with Clorox
https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1262898680224415748
CBC – Trump defends taking hydroxychloroquine
….. UN…PPROOven — TÖKsic
Honestly. If he were actually taking it, the pharmacist would have violated HIPAA and leaked the Rx to the press.
May 19, 2020 Dennis interviews Dr. Zelenko. Zelenko discovered a formula that effectively fights Covid-19. He distinguishes between those exposed to high viral loads; he opines that the physician-patient relationship is paramount. (I wonder how the press would react if PT had said that he picked up some cannabis at a DC dispensary.)
Watch the entire show anytime at
https://www.dennisprager.com/watch-the-show/
https://livestream.com/accounts/27927937/events/8461739/player?width=640&height=360&enableInfoAndActivity=true&defaultDrawer=&autoPlay=true&mute=false See -3:21:35 for Dr. Zelenko interview
If I were Andrew Cuomo’s advance man, speech writer or campaign manager,
This is what I would say,
“Shut your mouth
and do it as of today”.
Did you hear him?
Did you hear what the governor of New York had to say?
When questioned about nursing homes
What this, globalist had to say.
“Let’s face it, people get old.
They get sick, and they die.”
He will not mention communist, China, how they sickened the world
With their lie.
I will plant a flat of forget-me-nots, on the slope of the hill,
In memory of Carol who died this May,
Diagnosed with cancer, left untreated,
She just starved away.
Astonishing that he feels he can voice such thoughts, and his godless, soulless voters won’t be appalled.
France: Fireworks and tear gas fly in 2nd night of clashes in Paris suburbs
Police officers clashed for a second night with protesting youths in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil after 18-year-old Sabri Choubi died in a motorbike accident the day before, which had been blamed on the police by some inside the community.
The police officers ran amid burned barricades and fireworks let off by the youths, as they threw tear gas to disperse the protesters late Monday night.
Relatives of Sabri refuse the possibility that the young man would have lost control while driving his motorbike in a poorly lit narrow street as he encountered a police car.
The lawyers of the family announced a complaint to be filed in the upcoming day so the circumstances of Sabri’s death can be further investigated.
PT letter to Tedros:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1262577580718395393&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fmarkets%2Fyouve-got-30-days-trump-torches-tedros-scathing-letter-slamming-deadly-failures
Part 1 :
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYWTnTSXYAIqldc?format=jpg&name=large
=======================================================
Part 2 :
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYWTnTRWoAAj4wg?format=jpg&name=large
Part 3
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYWTnTRXsAAi5Q7?format=jpg&name=large
======================================================
Part 4
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYWTnTUXkAA-khY?format=jpg&name=large
Trump continues freeze on WHO funding, says could become permanent
europravda – Coronavirus: Trumps accuses WHO of favouring China and makes funding threat
CBC – Trump threatens to ‘reconsider’ U.S. membership in WHO
+comments on the YT page
EU backs WHO after Trump pull-out threat
The European Union backs the World Health Organisation and multilateral efforts to fight the coronavirus after US President Donald Trump threatened to quit the global agency.
Associated Press – Expert: US leaving WHO would be ‘gift’ to China
President Donald Trump is doubling down on threats to withdraw U.S. funding and membership from the World Health Organization.
One expert says the move could hurt efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic and be a political win for China
the gateway pundit – FDA Suspends Coronavirus Testing Program Backed By Bill Gates
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indefinitely suspended a coronavirus testing program that has been highly praised by billionaire Bill Gates.
The Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN), in part backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, had been testing about 300 people per day before the FDA shut down the program, according to Reuters. The program allowed Seattle residents to swab themselves in a test and send the nasal samples to a lab.
In a statement posted to its website, SCAN said officials for the program are working with FDA regulators to resume the program.
“The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently clarified its guidance for home-based, self-collected samples to test for COVID-19. We have been notified that a separate federal emergency use authorization (EUA) is required to return results for self-collected tests. The FDA has not raised any concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of SCAN’s test, but we have been asked to pause testing until we receive that additional authorization,” the statement said.
We have been in conversation with the FDA since March 1st and hope to have our EUA soon. We initiated the process to authorize our lab-developed test and self-swab kit on March 23rd and, in accordance with the EUA process and timeline, submitted data to secure federal authorization on April 13th. We are actively working to address their questions and resume testing as soon as possible.
We are pleased to see the FDA’s recent clarifications regarding provisions for home-based self-collection of diagnostic samples in specific circumstances. This paves the way toward expanding access to safe, reliable, convenient, and scalable testing options across the country.
We are grateful for productive partnerships with the FDA, the Washington State Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as we continue to respond to this unprecedented and rapidly evolving outbreak.
In March, the Gates Foundation announced it would provide technical assistance for SCAN. In addition, a vaccine trial by Inovio was able to produce thousands of doses “in part thanks to backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as funding from other nonprofits and organizations.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/fda-suspends-coronavirus-testing-program-backed-bill-gates/
Saudi Writer: Erdogan Is Like A Monkey Who Dreams Of Being King Of The Jungle
Against the backdrop of the high tension between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the Saudi daily ‘Okaz published an unusually harsh article by Sattam bin Hadbaa mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The article tells a story about a monkey called Qirdowan (a play on the name Erdogan and “qird,” the Arabic word for monkey) who is adored by a group of foolish cats and dreams of becoming king of the jungle.
The monkey tries to stand up to the real king, the lion, only to get slapped in the face again and again. Eventually, he sees a squirrel in a dream who tells him that, since he is a dishonest and greedy coward, he should try becoming a gang leader rather than a king and live at the expense of the foolish cats who admire him.
Through this story, the writer implies that Erdogan, too, dreams of leading the world and renewing the glory of the Ottoman empire, but in reality he is more like a gang-leader who exploits the fools who admire him.
https://www.memri.org/reports/saudi-writer-erdogan-monkey-who-dreams-being-king-jungle
It’s brilliant, funny, and mean!
Enjoy!
WHEN IS LAYLAT AL QADR 2020?
As we all know that Laylat al Qadr is one of the odd nights of last 10 days of Ramadan, therefore This year, Laylat al Qadr 2020 is expected to be observed on Tuesday, May 19th. However, exact date is subject to sighting of moon of Ramadan, 1441.
Although the exact night on which Laylatul Qadr occurs has not been mentioned anywhere, however, prophet Mohammad has directed us to seek Laylat Al Qadr during the odd nights of last 10 days of Ramadan. The same is also evident from the following Hadith:
Narrated by Aishah that Messenger of Allah said:
“Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.”
(Sahih Bukhari: 2017)
https://www.islamicfinder.org/special-islamic-days/laylat-al-qadr-2020/
It marks the night when Allah is believed to have sent the quran down from the seventh heaven.
That’s beautiful.
Thread: Cabot Phillips
Professors around America have been caught selling secret research to the Chinese Communist Regime.
The national media won’t cover it, so here’s a thread of those who have been caught so far:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1262441045197049856.html
Govt Forced to Publish Report on Ethnicity of Rape Gangs After Pressure from Public, MPs (breitbart, May 19, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/19/govt-forced-publish-report-ethnicity-rape-gangs-pressure-public-mps/
“The British government has announced that it will finally publish a report on the “characteristics” of offenders in grooming gangs, following pressure from voters and MPs after accusations the Home Office tried to bury the report from the public under the guise of providing a “safe space” for lawmakers to consider policy.
In July 2018, former Home Secretary Sajid Javid had commissioned a report into the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of grooming gang rapists who have abused victims on an “industrial” scale in cities like Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford since the 1970s. The phenomenon has been reported on multiple occasions to involve the dynamic of Muslim, Pakistani-heritage rapists targeting mostly white, working-class underage girls.
The pattern was corroborated by a 2017 report by the counter-extremism think tank, the Quilliam Foundation, which found that 84 per cent of those convicted since 2005 for group-based child sexual exploitation were of south Asian heritage with the victims being “almost exclusively white girls”. Later reports revealed that British Sikh girls were also being targetted for exploitation and rape.
However, in February 2020, the Johnson administration and the Home Office, now run by Priti Patel, said that it would not release the results of the government report, insisting it was not in the “public interest” and that to do so would deprive ministers of a “safe space” to consider policy in private.
After an outcry from anti-rape gang campaigners, more than 125,000 people signed a petition calling for the findings to be released. In late April, more than 50 days after the petition reached the 100,000-mark, Boris Johnson’s government rejected the demand for a full parliamentary debate on the matter.
Johnson’s government faced renewed pressure from MPs after parliamentarians in charge of the petitions process told the Home Office that their response in rejecting the call was insufficient, nor was it acceptable to reject the petitioners’ request outright.
Petitions Committee chairwoman Catherine McKinnell MP had written to Home Secretary Patel on May 5th asking for an explanation which “should clearly state whether the Government will publish its research into the characteristics of group-based child sexual exploitation”, and if not, the rationale behind the refusal.
Ms McKinnell demanded the response be made by tomorrow, May 20th. Late on Tuesday the 19th, the Home Office announced that it would indeed be publishing the report “later this year”.
The Home Office said in a statement that it “will set up an external reference group of experts to review the research before its publication”, suggesting the document as it exists now could be liable to change before a future version is released to the public.
Ms Patel said: “Victims of these sickening child sex abuse groups have told me how they were let down by the state in the name of political correctness. What happened to these children remains one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience. It is shameful. I am determined to deliver justice for victims and ensure something like this can never happen again.”
The government said it hopes the report will help officials “better understand the characteristics of group-based offending” and will direct agencies on how they can “learn lessons” from the past.
The 2014 Jay inquiry had found that despite the mass rape of young girls, local authorities and police had ignored the crisis for decades over fears of being labelled racist or inflaming tensions within migrant communities.”
Greek Locals Angered over Migrant Camp for 3,000 Placed in Village of 500 (breitbart, May 19, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/19/greek-locals-angered-migrant-camp-3000-placed-village-500/
“In Malakassa, Greece, local politicians and residents have criticised a move to house over 3,000 migrants in a camp next to the village of just 514 residents.
The Greek government has placed over 2,000 migrants in the camp in Malakassa since March in what NGO Human Rights Watch labelled as “unsanitary and cramped conditions” and within another structure built for deportation, housing 1,180 migrants.
According to the Municipality of Oropos where Malakassa is located, the original plans put forward in 2016 stated that only 400 migrants would be housed at the facility, newspaper Proto Thema reports.
“Today, in violation of the agreement of the original request and despite the protests of the municipal authority, their number reaches 2,200,” the local council of Malakassa stated.
“In addition, on March 15th, 2020, amid a ban on the uncontrolled movement of citizens due to coronavirus, the second structure was set up within the same camp to accommodate migrants for deportation,” they added and claimed it had been built despite protest from local officials and citizens.
On the island of Chios, 1,044 citizens and local business owners sent letters to oppose the rental of a property by the Department of Immigration and Asylum to be used to temporarily house migrants for public health reasons due to the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.
Greek officials and others have previously expressed fears that Turkey may send migrants with coronavirus to Greece. Last week it was confirmed that several migrants who landed on the island of Lesbos earlier this month had the virus.
Greece has continued to warn that a new wave of migrants from Turkey could be coming to the Greek border soon. Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has also previously stated that once the coronavirus outbreak ends, he expected migrants would return to the Greek border.
“When the coronavirus pandemic is over, we are not going to deter any immigrants who want to return to the Greek-Turkish border in Pazar,” Soyilu said.”
India-Pakistan war fears: ‘Intensive clashes’ as ‘heavy shelling’ erupts in Kashmir (express, May 19, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1284411/India-pakistan-war-Kashmir-clashes-world-war-3-army-shots-latest-Poonch
“INDIA-PAKISTAN tensions have erupted amid reports of clashes and “heavy shelling” in the disputed region of Kashmir.
According to reports this evening, there has been heavy shelling in the region. It has not been confirmed whether there have been any casualties as of yet. The clashes are alleged to have taken place in the Poonch district of the Jammu and Kashmir region.
Within the Poonch district, the exchange of fire happened along the Line of Control in the Balakote sector.
According to the Kashmir Walla, Pakistani troops allegedly shelled Indian Army posts.
The Indian Army then retaliated leading to the exchanges.
The region has been the epicentre of dispute between both India and Pakistan.
On Tuesday morning, 15 houses were destroyed after police and paramilitary forces killed two alleged militants in the Kashmir Valley.
The rain occurred in the city of Srinagar and also saw a policeman and paramilitary trooper injured.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi revoked the special status of the region under Article 370 of the constitution.
Under this measure, the region was given partial autonomy in order to formulate its own laws.
More to follow…”
Cyber warfare, Israel, Iran and the new way of total war
Iran lacks a major army, navy or air force. So it uses other means, sometimes called “asymmetric” ones, in conflict. That means missiles, drones, militias – and now cyber.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Cyber-warfare-Israel-Iran-and-the-new-way-of-total-war-628543
“Cyber matters. Cyber warfare is the new field of war. Just as tanks or airplanes or submarines once changed war, giving people the ability to fight inside machines, under water or in the air, cyber is a new front line. It’s not so different than discussions about space as a place of conflict, or use of artificial intelligence and drone swarms. Iran has employed drone swarms against Saudi Arabia.
“It recently sent a military satellite into space. Iran is playing on all levels of the new conflict. Israel’s former chief of staff said more than 1,000 airstrikes were carried out against Iranian targets in Syria.
“Amos Yadlin, a former general in the air force, once head of military intelligence and now at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, tweeted on May 19 that this seems to be an Israeli response to the Iranian attack on Israeli water infrastructure. He notes that Iran, the US and other countries have shown they may use cyber rather than escalating in the field, meaning cyber instead of guns.
“If Israel did respond, he notes, then it shows that the Jewish state has made it clear that civilian infrastructure is an unacceptable target for cyber…”
Five things you need to know about cyber war
After the US killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, it was concerned about Iranian cyber retaliation against US infrastructure, such as the electricity grid.
{nutshell}1. Iran has already threatened cyber warfare
2. The US launched a cyberattack on Iran in June 2019
3. Everyone is getting in on cyberattacks
4. What can cyberattacks do?
5. Why is Israel so great at cyber
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Five-things-you-need-to-know-about-cyber-war-628533
Trump slams ‘double standard’ after Barr says Obama investigation is unlikely
Reaction and analysis from former House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz and former DNC spokesman Mo Elleithee.
the gateway pundit – BREAKING: Full Text of Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017 Email About Secret Oval Office Meeting Released – Comey and Obama Targeted Flynn!
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) wrote a letter to US Attorney General William Barr on Monday requesting he declassify the remaining portion of Susan Rice’s January 20, 2017 email to herself about the secret Oval Office meeting with the coup cabal.
“I request you review and declassify the remaining portion of Ambassador Rice’s January 20, 2017, email and provide it to my office,” Johnson wrote.
Acting DNI Richard Grenell on Tuesday declassified the remaining portion of Susan Rice’s email.
CBS reporter Catherine Herridge obtained the declassified email and released it to the public (screenshot below).
https://twitter.com/CBS_Herridge/status/1262820374548447238
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYZwa7zXkAAYHSC?format=jpg&name=large
It was previously known the junk Russia dossier and General Flynn’s calls to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were discussed in the secret meeting.
The newly declassified portion of the email once again implicates Barack Obama and Comey!
Barack Obama and Comey discussed Flynn’s communications with Kislyak.
Comey suggested to Obama in the meeting that the National Security Council [NSC] might not want to pass “sensitive information related to Russia” to then-incoming National Security Adviser General Mike Flynn.
“President Obama asked if Comey was saying that the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn. Comey replied “potentially” and noted “the level of communication (w/Russian Ambassador) is unusual.”
Tom Fitton said a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY .
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/breaking-susan-rices-january-20-2017-email-secret-oval-office-meeting-released-comey-obama-targeted-flynn/
Biggest four day out-performance of silver over gold in years. Gold/silver ratio just under 100 now.
https://www.kitco.com/charts/livesilver.html
THE NATIONAL REVIEW – – Unmasking? The Real Story Is When Flynn Was Not Masked in the First Place
Was his call with Kislyak recorded by a different agency than the FBI?
Despite Wednesday’s blockbuster news about the dozens of Obama-administration officials who “unmasked” then-incoming Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, there remains a gaping hole in the story: Where is the record showing who unmasked Flynn in connection with his fateful conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak?
There isn’t one.
There is no such evidence in the unmasking list that acting national intelligence director Richard Grenell provided to Senators Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R., Wis.). I suspect that’s because General Flynn’s identity was not “masked” in the first place. Instead, his December 29 call with Kislyak was likely intercepted under an intelligence program not subject to the masking rules, probably by the CIA or a friendly foreign spy service acting in a nod-and-wink arrangement with our intelligence community.
Intelligence Collection Under FISA
“Unmasking” is a term of art for revealing in classified reports the names of Americans who have been “incidentally” monitored by our intelligence agencies. Presumptively, the names of Americans should be concealed in these reports, which reflect the surveillance of foreign targets, primarily under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Broadly speaking, FISA governs two kinds of intelligence collection.
The first is “traditional” FISA — the targeted monitoring of a suspected clandestine operative of a foreign power. If the FBI shows the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) probable cause that a person inside the United States is acting as a foreign power’s agent, it may obtain a warrant to surveil that person. If the foreign power’s suspected agent communicates with Americans, the latter are incidentally intercepted even though they are not the targets of the surveillance.
The second kind of FISA collection occurs under Section 702 of the statute. It brings under FISC jurisdiction various intelligence-collection programs that target categories of non-Americans outside the United States. These foreigners also communicate with Americans, so the latter are incidentally intercepted.
Under federal law, both kinds of FISA collection are subject to so-called minimization procedures. These aim to safeguard the privacy of Americans who have been incidentally monitored. When raw intelligence is refined into intelligence reports (including transcripts of recorded conversations) that are disseminated to U.S. officials, the identities of these Americans do not appear. Rather, a designation such as “U.S. Person” is substituted — the “mask,” as it were.
If, upon reviewing intel reports, an official with national-security or foreign-relations responsibilities believes that the reporting is critical, and that the identity of the U.S. person must be known in order for our government to reap the full benefit of the intelligence, then that official may request unmasking. Decisions on such requests are made by specialists assigned to the agency that reported the intelligence in question — usually the FBI or the NSA for intelligence collected, respectively, inside or outside the United States. Our intelligence agencies, led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), keep records of these requests. This underscores that unmasking — because of its privacy implications, because foreign intelligence must never be a pretext for government spying on Americans — is a big deal that should be done only rarely and carefully.
The Flynn–Kislyak Narrative
With that as background, let’s get back to Flynn.
For three years, we’ve been led to believe that Flynn’s December 29 conversation with Kislyak was intercepted because the latter was “routinely” monitored. (Kislyak was replaced as ambassador in 2017.) That is, Kislyak was an overt agent of Russia, stationed at its embassy in Washington, so the FBI kept tabs on him. Indeed, the “routine”-surveillance story line was repeated by the New York Times just this week.
The implication is that Kislyak was probably subjected to traditional FISA surveillance by the FBI; or, since he lived in Russia and traveled to other places when not in America, perhaps he was also a FISA Section 702 target. In either event (or both), Kislyak was interacting with Americans, who were thus incidentally intercepted.
That, the story goes, is what must have happened to Flynn. Trump’s designated national security advisor was unmasked because, once intelligence agents intercepted the December 29 phone call, they decided it was essential to identify the person with whom the Russian ambassador was discussing sanctions that President Obama had just imposed against Moscow.
I no longer buy this story. If it were true, there would be a record of Flynn’s unmasking. DNI Grenell has represented that the list he provided to Senators Grassley and Johnson includes all requested unmaskings of Flynn from November 8, 2016 (when Donald Trump was elected president) through the end of January 2017 (when the Trump administration had transitioned into power). Yet, it appears that not a single listed unmasking pertains to the December 29 Kislyak call.
The Chronology
Grenell’s list notes an unmasking request for Flynn on December 28, 2016 — weirdly, by the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. There are no unmasking requests on December 29, the date of the Kislyak call. Nor is there one during the week after that. In fact, the next listed unmasking occurred on January 5, 2017. That one is attributed to President Obama’s chief of staff, Denis McDonough. This highlights how central that day is to the anatomy of the Democrat-crafted “collusion” narrative. It was on the morning of January 5 when Obama, Vice President Biden, and National Security Advisor Susan Rice discussed Flynn and the Trump–Russia investigation with FBI director James Comey and acting attorney general Sally Yates.
Yet we know that participants in that meeting already knew about Flynn’s identity as Kislyak’s interlocutor. The exhibits attached to the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the Flynn case relate that Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, knew about it no later than January 3, the day he briefed Mary McCord, who ran the Justice Department’s National Security Division. Plus, Yates recalled being surprised that Obama already knew about the Flynn–Kislyak call (and, in fact, is the one who told Yates about it). Clearly, the news had been percolating at the highest levels of the Obama administration for at least a couple of days, although it may not yet have made its way down to Joe Pientka, the FBI case agent on Trump–Russia, who on January 4 signed off on a memo closing the FBI’s Flynn counterintelligence investigation (“Crossfire Razor”).
To summarize, the list provided by Grenell indicates no unmasking of Flynn between December 28 (the day before the call) and January 5, even though news of Flynn’s identification was already circulating on January 3 (when McCabe briefed McCord about it).
Beware the ‘Incorrect Narrative’
There is another significant fact that has long been highlighted by the blogger known as “Sundance” at the Conservative Treehouse site. It comes from the infamous Strzok–Page text messages. On May 8, 2017, Strzok texted Page while watching Senate testimony by former acting AG Yates and former DNI James Clapper. As Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) questioned the two former Obama officials, Strzok wrote to Page (my italics):
F*CK! Clapper and Yates through Graham questions are all playing into the “there should be an unmasking request/record” for incidental collection incorrect narrative.
If we review the transcript of that Senate testimony, we find that Strzok’s observation related specifically to the December 29 Flynn–Kislyak call:
GRAHAM: So there should be a record somewhere in our system whether or not an unmasking request was made for the conversation between Mr. Flynn and the Russian ambassador. We should be able to determine if it did — if it was made, who made it. Then we can ask, what did they do with the information? Is that a fair statement, Mr. Clapper?
CLAPPER: Yes.
Now, to put it mildly, General Clapper is not a notoriously reliable witness. To be fair, though, he was responding here to a line of questioning about what generally should happen in an unmasking situation. He was not claiming specific knowledge that there existed a record of Flynn’s unmasking in connection with the December 29 Kislyak conversation.
Agent Strzok, by contrast, was deeply involved in the nuts and bolts of the Flynn investigation — and was speaking to Page, the FBI lawyer Page then serving as counsel to the bureau’s deputy director, McCabe. As we’ve seen, McCabe was deeply involved in the Flynn investigation and knowledgeable about how the Flynn–Kislyak call came to the bureau’s attention. Though Strzok, who was fired for misconduct, has significant credibility issues, there is no reason to believe he was misstating facts to Page. When he described Clapper’s claim that there should be an unmasking record as an “incorrect narrative,” we must assume that Strzok was right — especially since Grenell’s list contains no such record.
That has to mean Flynn was not unmasked in connection with the crucial December 29 call. Why not?
The CIA and Non-FISA Intel Ops
Well, the possibility that first leaps to mind is: Maybe Flynn was a FISA surveillance target. That is, his interception was not incidental. Rather, the FBI was monitoring him under FISA because he was a suspected agent of a foreign power — the theory based on which the bureau opened their counterintelligence investigation of Flynn in August 2016. But that can’t be right. After an exhaustive investigation of the FBI’s abuse of FISA, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded that there is no evidence the FBI “requested or seriously considered FISA surveillance of . . . Flynn.” (IG Report’s “Executive Summary,” p. vi.)
It is more likely, then, that the Flynn–Kislyak call was captured by intelligence operations that are not governed by FISA.
The CIA collects intelligence not under FISA but under Executive Order 12,333. The CIA is not governed by FISA because its intelligence operations are conducted outside the United States; the FBI is under FISA because its foreign counterintelligence mission is principally domestic.
Interesting thing about that: Flynn was not in the United States on December 29, 2016. He was taking a short vacation in the Dominican Republic. Where was Kislyak when they spoke? I don’t know. There is plenty of media reporting about Flynn being overseas, and about Flynn speaking with Kislyak. But if there is Western media reporting about Kislyak’s whereabouts, I haven’t found it. Obviously, though, this was the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s Day — if the Russian ambassador was in the U.S. capital, he was the only pol or diplomat who hadn’t skipped town for a respite after the heated 2016 election. Moreover, New Year’s is an important holiday in Russia, where most of those who observe Christmas do so on January 7, in the tradition of the Orthodox Church. It is reasonable to suppose that the ambassador may have been home in Russia, or otherwise outside the United States, in late December. I do not know that for a fact, but I’d be surprised if it weren’t true.
Readers of my book Ball of Collusion know I have argued that the Obama administration’s Trump–Russia probe/political-narrative long predated the FBI’s July 2016 opening of “Crossfire Hurricane.” I believe there were several strands of the Trump–Russia probe, and that they trace back to 2015, around the time of Donald Trump’s entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
The CIA played a central role. The agency collaborated — I’m tempted to say colluded! — with a variety of friendly foreign intelligence services, especially NATO countries that Trump made a habit of bashing on the campaign trail. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what former CIA director John Brennan told the House Intelligence Committee:
I was aware of intelligence and information about contacts between Russian officials and U.S. persons that raised concerns in my mind about whether or not those individuals were cooperating with the Russians, either in a witting or unwitting fashion, and it served as the basis for the FBI investigation to determine whether such collusion — cooperation occurred.
Brennan elaborated that, with respect to “leads that involved U.S. persons” that came to the CIA’s attention, he “made sure that anything that was involving U.S. persons, including anything involving the individuals involved in the Trump campaign, was shared with the bureau.”
I hypothesize, then, that Flynn was not unmasked in connection with the December 29 Kislyak call. Either the CIA monitored the call directly or a friendly foreign intelligence service — whether subtly tasked by U.S. intelligence or knowing that U.S. intelligence would be very interested — intercepted the call and passed it along, probably to the CIA. At the time, Kislyak was likely outside the United States, where the CIA would not have needed FISA authorization to monitor him. And while Flynn is an American citizen, he was not only outside the country, he was already regarded by the Obama-era intelligence community as a clandestine agent of Russia — i.e., not an innocent American citizen whose surveillance was merely incidental.
Don’t get me wrong. This week’s revelations about unmasking are important and intriguing. They should be thoroughly examined. In fact, they are only a snapshot of the unmasking issue — involving just one U.S. person (Flynn) over a period of less than three months. It is highly irregular for government officials on the political side of the national-security realm to seek the unmasking of Americans. It is eye-opening to learn that Vice President Biden and President Obama’s chief-of-staff (McDonough) unmasked the incoming Trump administration’s national security advisor. It is downright scandalous that Samantha Power, Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, who had little reason to seek unmasking, reportedly requested 260 unmaskings . . . and then told Congress that she did not make the vast majority of requests attributed to her — though it remains unclear, years later, who did make them.
But let’s not miss the forest for the trees. This is not just about unmasking. It is about how pervasively the Obama administration was monitoring the Trump campaign.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/michael-flynn-unmasking-real-story-is-when-he-was-not-masked-in-the-first-place/
Threat Of Military Coup Rises In Brazil
Talk of an impending military coup is growing in Brazil as Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the South American country and many have now lost faith in the nation’s leader, Jair Bolsonaro. As Greenwich Time reports:
For decades Brazil was ruled by a military dictatorship, so a move by the military to restore order wouldn’t be completely unprecedented, at least by Brazilian standards.
https://truedaily.news/2020/05/13/threat-of-military-coup-rises-in-brazil/
REAKING — “QUID PRO JOE’ — AUDIO Released of JOE BIDEN and Ukrainian President Poroshenko Discussing FIRING VIKTOR SHOKIN Who Was Investigating His Son — FOR IMF LOAN!!
An audio tape was released by Creative Destruction Media where Joe Biden is pressuring former Ukrainian President Poroshenko to fire former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.
The men discuss the firing of then Prosecutor Shokin for corrupt reasons, in order to prevent an investigation into Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and other criminal actions.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/breaking-audio-released-joe-biden-pressuring-ukrainian-president-poroshenko-fire-viktor-shokin-investigating-son/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
FDA Suspends Coronavirus Testing Program Backed By Bill Gates
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indefinitely suspended a coronavirus testing program that has been highly praised by billionaire Bill Gates.
The Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN), in part backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, had been testing about 300 people per day before the FDA shut down the program, according to Reuters. The program allowed Seattle residents to swab themselves in a test and send the nasal samples to a lab.
In a statement posted to its website, SCAN said officials for the program are working with FDA regulators to resume the program.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/fda-suspends-coronavirus-testing-program-backed-bill-gates/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Whistleblower Claims Obama’s Treasury Department Regularly Surveilled Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn’s Financial Records and Transactions But Obama Inspector General Covered It Up
An Obama Treasury Department whistleblower claims that the Obama Administration regularly spied on General Flynn, Paul Manafort and the Trump family. (This is a real whistleblower.)
An exclusive report at the Ohio Star claims that a whistleblower has come out who claims the crooked Obama Administration regularly spied on General Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort and the Trump family:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/whistleblower-claims-obamas-treasury-department-regularly-surveilled-retired-army-lt-gen-michael-t-flynns-financial-records-transactions-obama-inspector-general-covered/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Eight Afghan Soldiers Die Fighting off Taliban Attack in Kunduz
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/05/19/afghan-soldiers-kunduz/
“Eight Afghan soldiers were killed on Tuesday while repelling a fierce Taliban attack on Kunduz, a strategic city in northern Afghanistan that had briefly fallen to the militants twice in the past, officials said.
Taliban fighters attacked several government posts on the outskirts of the city at around 1:00 am, a defense ministry statement said, triggering heavy fighting. “With the support of air force their attack was repelled,” it said, adding the fighting lasted for several hours.
Defense Minister Assadullah Khalid, who visited Kunduz later on Tuesday, said the Taliban had “suffered big losses.” “Unfortunately, we have also lost eight brave soldiers,” he told reporters.
Three civilians were also killed and 55 others wounded in the overall violence that rocked the city, Kunduz provincial health director Ehsanullah Afzali said…”
Afghan Forces Repel Taliban Attack on Key City: Officials
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/05/19/taliban-kunduz/
“Afghan security forces on Tuesday repelled a fierce Taliban attack on Kunduz, officials said, a strategic city in northern Afghanistan that had briefly fallen to the militants twice in the past.
Taliban fighters attacked several outposts of Afghan forces on the outskirts of the city at around 1:00 am, triggering fierce fighting, a defense ministry statement said.
“With the support of air force their attack was repelled. Eleven Taliban were killed and eight wounded,” it said, adding that the fighting lasted for several hours.
Both sides have repeatedly clashed in rural areas in recent months, but an attempt to enter a city like Kunduz is seen as a serious escalation.
It follows a declaration by President Ashraf Ghani last week to resume offensive strikes against the insurgents, after a string of brutal attacks. The Taliban responded to the order by vowing to increase attacks against Afghan security forces.
During Tuesday’s fighting, the insurgents managed to briefly capture an Afghan army post, killing one soldier, but it was quickly retaken by security forces, Hadi Jamal, an army spokesman in northern Afghanistan told AFP.
The Taliban were not immediately available for comment…”
Jihadists Attack Nigeria Town Where Girls Abducted
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/05/19/jihadists-attack-nigeria/
“Jihadists have carried out a rare attack on the northeast Nigerian town of Dapchi, where more than 100 schoolgirls were abducted two years ago, military sources and residents said Tuesday.
One soldier was killed and three wounded as fighters believed to be from an Islamic State group affiliate looted shops and torched the home of a local chief in the assault Monday, the sources told AFP.
The attack comes days before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when jihadists who have waged a 10-year insurgency usually ramp up their deadly assaults in the region.
Fighters suspected to be from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction stormed the town, leading to a fight with troops in which sources said the soldier and five jihadists were killed.
Resident Bashir Manzo said the insurgents spent over four hours in town before soldiers backed by a military jet confronted them…”
All Foreign Troops Illegally Present in Syria Must Leave: Iran
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/05/19/2269020/all-foreign-troops-illegally-present-in-syria-must-leave-iran
“Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations highlighted the importance of Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, saying that all foreign forces whose presence “is not permitted” by the Syrian government must leave the Arab country’s territory…”
Iran Seeks Peaceful Ties with Neighbors: Envoy
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/05/19/2269213/iran-seeks-peaceful-ties-with-neighbors-envoy
“Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said the Islamic Republic is interested in forging “good” and “peaceful” relations with its neighbors…”
Iran Urges WHO’s Intervention for Lifting of Sanctions
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/05/19/2269128/iran-urges-who-s-intervention-for-lifting-of-sanctions
“Iran has called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to push for the removal of the “cruel sanctions” that have impaired the ability of nations to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said…”
Iranian Court Sentences Man, Wife to Death for Disrupting Economy
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/05/19/2269459/iranian-court-sentences-man-wife-to-death-for-disrupting-economy
“An Iranian financial criminal and his wife have been sentenced to death on a charge of major disruption to the country’s currency and car markets as they had purchased more than 6,700 automobiles and hoarded 24,700 gold coins, the Judiciary’s spokesperson said…”
Defense Minister Warns of Iran’s Crushing Response to Aggression
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/05/19/2269004/defense-minister-warns-of-iran-s-crushing-response-to-aggression
“Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami warned the enemies that any threat to the country’s national interests and security will draw a rapid and crushing response, making a reference to the January missile attack on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Iraq…”
Iran Launches ‘Resistance’ Award Named After Soleimani
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2291746/iran-launches-%E2%80%98resistance%E2%80%99-award-named-after-soleimani
“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani approved a resolution by the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution to launch a new award named after slain military commander Qassem Soleimani, who was targeted by a US airstrike last January.
The award is granted in the main category of “struggle and resistance” and six sub-fields of “people and society”, “culture and art”, “politics”, “education and research”, “media”, and “sports”.
A 19-member body would oversee the award to be held biennially. The body consists of representatives from militias and factions allied with Tehran including Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine Jihad, and Houthis. It also includes, inter alia, the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Minister, and the head of the state-run Radio and Television Organization.
The body would set general policies of culture and education in the country on all levels, as well.
The award will be presented to individuals from “the field of struggle and resistance,” IRNA said. Iran uses the term “resistance axis” to describe its network of proxies, allies, and terrorist organizations in the region.
This isn’t the first time Iran declares publicly its link to armed factions and militias in the regions, after the killing of Soleimani upon orders by US President Trump in Baghdad. Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, appeared in a press conference earlier and behind him, several flags of Tehran allies were raised. This stirred criticism from close circles at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as it indirectly proves the US criticism against the IRGC regarding its role outside the Iranian borders.”
Sisi Says Egypt Will Be Firm against Terrorist Groups and their Backers in Libya
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2292591/sisi-says-egypt-will-be-firm-against-terrorist-groups-and-their-backers-libya
“Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced on Tuesday that Libya’s stability is integral to Egypt’s national security.
Speaking during an African Union-led Contact Group meeting on Libya, he said Egypt will not be lenient with terrorist groups and their backers in Libya.
The contact group, held at the level of presidents, met virtually to discuss the developments in Libya.
Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said that Sisi stressed Cairo’s firm stance on Libyan crisis and reaching a political solution that safeguards the country’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
He stated that he backs the will of the Libyan people and rejects foreign meddling in Libya’s internal affairs.”