Puppet MastersS

Briefcase

Sauce for the goose: Senate panel now investigating Hunter Biden's failure to register as foreign agent

Joe y Hunter Biden
© Jonathan Ernst / ReutersThe Obama-Biden administration investigated six Trump campaign advisers for suspected FARA violations, but not Hunter Biden, above, with his father.
A search of Justice Department databases reveals that Hunter Biden failed to register as a foreign agent while promoting the interests of foreign business partners in Washington, including brokering meetings with his father and other government officials, and RealClear Investigations has learned that at least one Senate committee is investigating whether Joe Biden's son violated federal laws requiring disclosure of such foreign contacts.

The Obama administration did not prosecute Hunter Biden for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, despite its much more aggressive pursuit of FARA cases relative to other administrations โ€” including its opening of criminal investigations on no fewer than six Trump campaign advisers in 2016.

Comment: GOP senators are calling for a special counsel investigation. From The Daily Caller:
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn all told the Washington Examiner that Attorney General William Barr should appoint a special counsel to look into any allegations of wrongdoing.

"I certainly think it should be investigated, and I think a special counsel may well be warranted," Hawley told the Examiner. "My bottom line is I think the investigation needs to continue uninterrupted. So if it takes a special counsel to do that, then I'd be for it."

"Well, I think I'm not a big fan of special counsels, but I'm worried if Trump loses the election, then that will all be just swept under the rug," Cornyn told the Examiner.

Johnson agreed with Cornyn's assessment of special counsels, but argued that this situation could be different.

"In this case, it might be the only solution to make sure that we finally get to the bottom of this," said Johnson. "Again, it all depends on the election result, but that might be appropriate in this situation."

Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio called for a Justice Department investigation instead of a special counsel, according to the Examiner.

"I've studied this thing long enough. You don't need a special counsel. Just go with the normal process," said Grassley.



People 2

Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as Supreme Court justice at White House

ACB swearing in
© Ken Cedeno/UPIAmy Coney Barrett swearing in ceremony
South Lawn of the White House โ€ข October 26, 2020
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, fresh off her confirmation to serve as an associate justice on the nation's highest court, took her constitutional oath on Monday at the White House.

The Supreme Court said in a press release that Barrett will be able to start her new role after Chief Justice John Roberts administers her judicial oath on Tuesday. Justice Clarence Thomas administered the constitutional oath at Monday's ceremony.

Thomas has long been considered one of the more conservative justices on the court, along with Barrett's mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Echoing her mentor, Barrett underscored the need for a separation of powers between the judicial and legislative branches.

"It is the job of a senator to pursue her policy preferences," Barrett said to an audience on the South Lawn of the White House.
"In fact, it would be a dereliction of duty for her to put policy goals aside. By contrast, it is the job of a judge to resist her policy preferences. It would be a dereliction of duty for her to give into them. Federal judges don't stand for election. Thus, they have no basis for claiming that their preferences reflect those of the people."

Comment: Not satisfied with the outcome, AOC and Ilhan Omar had this to say:
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for more seats to be added to the Supreme Court โ€” shortly after Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as the newest justice on the bench Monday evening.

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted:
"Republicans do this because they don't believe Dems have the stones to play hardball like they do. And for a long time they've been correct. But do not let them bully the public into thinking their bulldozing is normal but a response isn't. There is a legal process for expansion."

It is believed Barrett โ€” President Trump's third appointment to the court โ€” will cement a conservative majority for decades, infuriating Democrats. Senate Republicans pushed through Barrett's nomination on a near party-line vote, with unanimous opposition from Dems.



Attention

Justice Barrett's baptism by fire: Protecting the integrity of elections

Amy Coney Barrett
© Greg NashJustice Amy Coney Barrett
As the U.S. Supreme Court's newest member, Justice Amy Coney Barrett immediately became enmeshed in a controversy that the high court, for its own sake and that of the country, must decide this week.

In an indefensible act of partisan muscle-flexing and judicial usurpation of legislative power, Pennsylvania's Democratic-controlled state Supreme Court overturned a perfectly valid statute, enacted by the state General Assembly, that required all mail-in and absentee ballots to be delivered to the appropriate county board of elections no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. Unlike the federal judiciary, which is insulated from electoral politics, Pennsylvania judges are elected. As is the custom of partisans driven by politics, as opposed to detached magistrates guided by law, the Democratic majority ruled 4-3 to modify the statute for purposes of the upcoming election.

The ostensible rationale was the coronavirus pandemic. That is yet another indicator of judicial imperiousness: Like the rules governing elections, health care regulation is principally a public policy area to be addressed legislatively, not determined by litigation. In their wisdom, although the four-judge Democratic majority admitted that the statute at issue was validly enacted and substantively sound, they nevertheless amended it, dictating that the counting of ballots must continue through Nov. 6 - three days after Election Day.

Take 2

'I was born for that': Hillary says she'd handle Covid-19 better, but Trump and Russian media 'stole' the election from her

Hillary
© AP/Gerry BroomeHillary Clinton, the rant goes on...
Failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is claiming Trump "basically stole the election" from her four years after her loss, a statement that is earning her plenty of ridicule on social media.

In an interview with journalist Kara Swisher's podcast for the New York Times Opinions network released on Monday, Clinton spoke about losing in 2016 because of a "disinformation campaign" run by then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and "Russian media." She even claimed the election was "stolen" from her:
"I think that Trump and a lot of the people around him know that his victory was not on the up and up. They had an extensive campaign to suppress black voters. We now know much more about that than we did."
She also blamed third party voters who handed Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein historic results for their parties and claimed they were "boosted" by "Russian media."
"They had third party candidates boosted, particularly by Russian media. And the lies and ridiculous stories made up about me were meant to either keep you at home, or drive you third party if they couldn't get you to vote for Trump."

Comment: This cess-pool of a woman has no grasp on reality. She even fails 'miserably' at failure!
Here are other responses:
Though she won the popular vote in 2016, Clinton lost the electoral college by 77 votes, with Trump scoring 304 votes over her 227.
There are many good reasons to suspect Clinton did not in fact win the popular vote in 2016...no one stole the election.


Bad Guys

China vows retaliation after US approves $2.4 billion more in arms sales to Taiwan

Harpoon missile
© Roslan Rahman / AFPHarpoon missile launchers on the US Navy USS Coronado (LCS 4) which docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on October 2016.
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 100 Boeing-made Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems to Taiwan in a deal that has a potential value of up to $2.37 billion, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The move comes days after the State Department approved the potential sale of three other weapons systems to Taiwan, including sensors, missiles and artillery that could have a total value of $1.8 billion, prompting a sanctions threat from China.

China will impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin LMT.N, Boeing Defense, Raytheon RTX.N and other U.S. companies it says are involved in Washington's arms sales to Taiwan, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Monday.

Comment: RT reports on China's comments:
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that arms sales to Taiwan "violate the 'One-China' principle'" and "seriously damage the Chinese-US relations and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

"China will take appropriate and necessary measures to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty and security interests."
See also:


Eye 2

France and Germany prepare to impose harsher lockdown restrictions

germany mask
© ReutersGermany is seeing record infection levels and ministers say they want to ensure families can get together for Christmas
French officials said Tuesday that tougher restrictions are looming to counter an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases as doctors warned many hospitals are just days away from being overrun with patients.


Comment: Hospitals have been warning since the first lockdown that they would be overwhelmed, and yet they weren't. And the only reason any of them are struggling to cope is because of austerity measures that have led to a lack of resources, and it's flu season, and this was the already the situation back in 2018.


President Emmanuel Macron is to address the nation on Wednesday evening to present new measures that will be decided at back-to-back meetings of the defence council and cabinet, the presidency said.

"We have to prepare for difficult decisions," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told France Inter radio.

"At some point we have to make hard choices... as our neighbours have," he said, referring to strict new measures announced for Italy, Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

Comment: Merkel is making sure Germany is acting in lockstep:
Chancellor Angela Merkel: 'Restrictions serve to protect our citizens and vulnerable groups in particular'

Germany on Wednesday ordered a new round of shutdowns for the cultural and leisure as well as food and drink sectors, in a bid to halt a surge in new coronavirus infections.

The tough restrictions to come into force from Monday November 2 to the end of the month would limit contact outdoors to people from two households.

germany lockdown
Deserted shops in the town of Eggenfelden, Bavaria
Schools, daycare centres and shops will remain open, but hotel stays will be allowed only for "necessary and expressedly non-tourism purposes".

Bars, cafes and restaurants must shut, although takeaways and delivery services can continue.

Professional sports, including Bundesliga football, have also been pushed back behind closed doors.

Theatres, operas and cinemas will also have to scrap their shows during what is traditionally their busiest season.

Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that the measures are "strict and arduous" but she urged a "national effort".

At the the current rate of new infections, "we will reach the limits of the health system," she warned.

The number of new cases had doubled today from a week ago, while the number of people in intensive care has also doubled in the last 10 days, she noted.

"The curve must be flattened again... so that contact tracing can be once again carried out," she said, adding that in three out of four cases today, officials are no longer able to determine where the transmission occurred.

New daily record

Europe's biggest economy coped relatively well with the first coronavirus wave earlier in the year but numbers have risen rapidly in recent weeks, in step with the rest of the continent.

The tally of new daily cases now regularly crosses the 10,000 mark, and hit a new 24-hour record of 14,964 on Wednesday, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control.

That is still well below figures seen in neighbouring France, where daily cases have topped 50,000, or Belgium where hospitals are reaching capacity.

But the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care in Germany has also surged, from just under 400 in early October to 1,570 by Wednesday.

Health Minister Jens Spahn, who is working from home after testing positive for the virus, said urgent action was required.

"If we wait until the intensive care beds are full, then it will be too late," he told regional broadcaster Suedwestrundfunk.

'We'll go bankrupt'

With a new shutdown to once again inflict the hardest blow to sectors which took the most painful hit in the spring, Merkel's government will offer 10 billion euros ($12 billion) in aid.


Merkel's government will offer the citizens it is locking down 10 billion euros of money that will ultimately need to be paid back via their taxes, how considerate.


The help targeted not only at businesses and associations but also thousands of self-employed people will reimburse up to 75 percent of comparable revenues a year ago.

But employees and bosses in the worst-hit industries marched on Wednesday in protest at new restrictions, while the federation of wholesalers and trade warned that shutting restaurants would sound the death knell for many small companies.

Pascal Reichsten, 23, who works at a bouncer, said he had been out of work for seven months.

"I do this job to pay my school fees. But I can no longer afford it because I have no more work," he said at the Berlin protest.

Cordula Weidenbach, 45, whose company rents furniture for exhibitions, meanwhile told AFP that the firm's revenues have almost completely collapsed.

"If it goes on like that, we'll go bankrupt."
With the population under control (they hope!) and small businesses going under, the World Economic Forum & co. will be able to roll their plans for the 'Great Reset': From Lockdown to Police State: The 'Great Reset' Rolls Out

See also: And check out SOTT radio's:


Arrow Down

Criminal fear-mongering: Second Covid wave could be more deadly than first with 'lower but longer peak' death toll, warn Govt scientists

covid sign uk
© REUTERS/Phil NobleCars drive past a sign about COVID-19 measures, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Manchester, Britain
Government scientists have predicted that the second Covid-19 wave could be even deadlier than the first with a "lower but longer peak."

Downing Street is supposedly working on the assumption that the death toll during the second wave this winter is going to be worse than that experienced by Britain in the spring.

uk covid forecast
The death rate is set to peak at a lower overall number than seen earlier in 2020.


Comment: They know they can't show a second spike, because the curve is so comparatively flat. So they imagine it will last much longer - with absolutely no evidence. Pathetic.


However, deaths are set to stay at the same level for weeks or even months on end.

If the analysis of the second wave is correct, it will mean that the coronavirus death toll could stay steady for longer than it did in March and April.

And gloomy scientists say all of England will need to be under severe tier three Covid restrictions by mid-December.

It has dashed Boris Johnson's hopes of a Christmas reprieve from lockdown rules.

Meanwhile, a police chief has warned cops will be able to burst in on festive family gatherings if Covid rules are being broken.

Comment: The UK's policies are not even effective. A recent study found the 'rule of six' measure doesn't work; neither does the 10pm curfew (d'uh). But that doesn't stop these malevolent idiots from continuing. This is some Mao-level idiocy going on here: pick an impossible goal (like 'stopping the spread'), then beat the population into submission until they achieve it, which they never will. It's a con. Thus, in addition to all the previous nonsense, now they are banning Halloween. As the article says, a regional UK police chief is saying police will intervene if families celebrate Christmas in violation of Covid rules.

BBC host Victoria Derbyshire had to apologize for saying she would ignore the 'rule of six' rule in order to celebrate Christmas with her family.

Manchester's mayor fears a winter of lockdown...


House

Fascist Scotland justice minister wants to punish citizens over 'insulting' conversations AT HOME

Humza Yousaf
© Reuters/Russell CheyneHumza Yousaf speaks at the Scottish National Party (SNP) conference in Glasgow, Scotland, October 10, 2017.
Scotland's proposed hate crime bill will penalize anyone whipping up hatred against "protected groups." That includes people making "insulting" remarks within their own home, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has revealed.

Quizzed on the bill by the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee on Tuesday, Yousaf assured critics that the proposed legislation would protect the "right to be offensive." However, anyone "stirring up hatred" against others on the basis of religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity or "variations in sexual characteristics" will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, he said.

That includes off-color dinner table conversations with friends and family. Asked whether people would be allowed to speak freely within their own homes, Yousaf said he disagreed "in terms of principle and policy" with the idea of keeping the law out of the living room.

Attention

Hunter audio reveals partnership with China 'spy chief'... Joe Biden named as criminal case witness

Hunter biden tape business china spy chief
© The National PulseHunter Biden spills the beans
An audio recording exclusively obtained by the National Pulse reveals Hunter Biden discussing business involvement with a "spy chief of China" and how his business partner Devon Archer named him and his father as witnesses in a Southern District of New York Criminal case.

Hunter Biden - in an audio file labelled "Most Genius Shit Ever" - appears to be referencing Patrick Ho, who was a former Secretary for Home Affairs in Hong Kong, as a "spy chief of China" while lamenting how his business partner Ye Jianming of CEFC China Energy had disappeared.

Ho was also involved in the CEFC venture, as originally reported by the New York Post and suppressed by the media and Big Tech firms.

Comment: The Twitterati leaped on the news:



The recording does not appear to be part of the laptop materials. Garnering such communications is more the province of the NSA and other alphabet spook agencies. So who did the Bidens annoy, that such a radioactive leak was launched days before the elections?


Mr. Potato

Best of the Web: The last days of the Trumpian reich

nazi trump
So, according to the corporate media, this is it for Russian-backed Hitler. Game over. The walls are closing in. It's the last days of the Trumpian Reich. Get those vuvuzelas ready!

Yes, apparently, the American people, who were all a bunch of Putin-worshipping, white-supremacist neo-Nazis when they elected Trump in 2016, have come to their senses and are going to deliver a landslide victory to "Slappy" Joe Biden and bring down the curtain on this "Age of Darkness," or save the world from "racial Orwellianism" or the "bottomless pit of facsism," or whatever.

White supremacy will be defeated and globalization will rise from the ashes! Decency will be restored! Love will trump hate! Black lives will matter!

Slappy and Kamala will immediately fly down and liberate the concentration camps. Trump will face some sort of Nuremberg trial, where he will have to answer for mass-murdering six million people with the Coronavirus by taking off his mask on the White House balcony.

Hillary Clinton will be appointed ... something.