Puppet MastersS


Radar

'Sophisticated naval forces' bombed Nord Stream - Danish navy veteran

US navy diver
© US Navy / Daniel James LanariA US navy diver prepares mock explosives for a pierside training event during exercise BALTOPS 22 in Simrishamn, Sweden, June 10, 2022
Whoever sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines likely had access to fast-moving underwater drones, one of Denmark's most "experienced navy divers" told Bloomberg on Thursday. NATO forces trained with these unmanned underwater vehicles near the blast site prior to the explosions.

The diver said that "finding the pipelines without precise coordinates or tracking technology, then transporting and placing the explosives, would've challenged diver-saboteurs," in the newspaper's words.

"The diver estimates the operation, including a safe ascent, would've taken an individual diver several hours. He surmises that whoever carried out the attack had access to a fast-moving autonomous submersible vehicle, like the ones employed by sophisticated naval forces," the report continued, adding that "a surface vessel remaining relatively static for hours...would've attracted unwanted attention."

The Danish navy described the diver's hypothesis as sound, while the country's intelligence agency, defense ministry, and foreign affairs ministry offered no comment.

Comment: See also:


Snakes in Suits

Biden campaign behind claim that Hunter Biden laptop story was "Russian influence operation", new testimony suggests

US Senate
© via Wikimedia Commons
Three weeks before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the New York Post published a bombshell story alleging that Democratic nominee Joe Biden had engaged in corruption while serving as vice president in 2015. The story was based on emails retrieved from his son Hunter Biden's laptop, which had been abandoned in a Delaware computer shop.

However, the story was immediately nixed by Big Tech in what the Guardian described as an "unprecedented step against a major news publication". Twitter users were blocked from posting the link, and then-White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, even had her account locked for doing so.

Five days later, an open letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials claimed that the emails' arrival "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation". This prompted an article in Politico with the headline 'Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say'.
Screenshot from ‘Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails’
Screenshot from ‘Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails’

Comment: The old adage that one should never believe anything in politics until it's officially denied, comes to mind.


Target

Up to their old tricks again: New intelligence leaks expose American spying on UN chief Guterres

Guterres
© Gehad Hamdy/picture alliance/Getty ImagesUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Among the classified documents allegedly leaked by US Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, as part of a huge trove, is one exposing how the US is spying intently on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and is deeply unhappy that he is engaging with Moscow.

What do we learn from this leak?

Several files that Teixeira shared with other members of a private Discord chat, an action that may land him in a US supermax prison for the rest of his life, show Washington is keeping a very close eye on all Guterres' sensitive private communications. One accuses him of "accommodating Russia to preserve [the] grain deal." According to "FISA-derived signal intelligence," Guterres is "taking steps to accommodate Russia in an effort to protect the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI)."
"[Guterres] considers [BSGI] a pivotal UN success and key to addressing global food insecurity, and his actions are undermining broader efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine. In early February, he urged Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov in a letter to renew the BSGI before its term expires on 18 March and Guterres emphasized his efforts to improve Russia's ability to export, even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals."

Comment: See also:


Chess

Bobby steps up

Archimedes Lever
© UnknownArchimedes
"It is neither our position nor our circumstances that define us, according to the Stoics, but our response to those circumstances; when destiny crushes us, small heroic gestures of courage and service can bring us peace and fulfillment. In applying our shoulder to the stone, we give order to a chaotic universe."
— RFK, Jr.
announcement
Of course, Yahoo News, and all the rest of the in-the-tank news media greeted Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s presidential announcement by branding him a "noted-anti-vaxxer," as if that's a bad thing. Yes, noted, thank you very much. Reuters elaborated: "Kennedy has been banned from YouTube and Instagram for spreading misinformation about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic." By now, whenever you see the agit-prop platitude spreading misinformation, does your brain not instantly translate that into telling the truth? And by now, does banishment from social media not tell you that certain guilty parties recognize a truth-teller when they see one?

Whistle

Whistleblower bombshell: IRS agent alleges DOJ thwarting criminal prosecution of Hunter Biden

Garland
© Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesSwearing-in of AG Merrick Garland
Whistleblower account to inspector general, notification to Congress calls into question AG Merrick Garland testimony.

A decorated supervisory IRS agent has reported to the Justice Department's top watchdog that federal prosecutors appointed by Joe Biden have engaged in "preferential treatment and politics" to block criminal tax charges against presidential son Hunter Biden, providing evidence as a whistleblower that conflicts with Attorney General Merrick Garland's recent testimony to Congress that the decision to bring charges against Biden was being left to the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Delaware.

According to a letter from the whistleblower's attorney Mark Lytle to Congress, obtained by Just the News, the IRS agent revealed he is seeking to provide detailed disclosures about a high-profile, sensitive case to the tax-writing committees in Congress, which have special authority under federal tax privacy laws to receive such information. That could pave the way to share the details with other committees in coming weeks.

The letter does not state that the whistleblower disclosures are related to Hunter Biden. However, Just the News has independently confirmed the agent's allegations involve the Hunter Biden probe being led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump holdover, according to multiple interviews with people directly familiar with the matter.

Arrow Up

Federal Reserve governor says CBDC risks likely greater than benefits

Dollar
© Unknown
It's unlikely that the benefits of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) would be greater than the potential risks. So said Federal Reserve Governor Michelle W. Bowman on Tuesday (April 18) during a speech at Georgetown University:
"From my perspective, there could be some promise for wholesale CBDCs in the future for settlement of certain financial market transactions and processing international payments. When it comes to some of the broader design and policy issues, particularly those around consumer privacy and impacts on the banking system, it is difficult to imagine a world where the trade-offs between benefits and unintended consequences could justify a direct access CBDC for uses beyond interbank and wholesale transactions."
Noting that it remains imperative to study the potential for a U.S. CBDC, Bowman said there are several instances in which it's likely a CBDC would not be the best solution for a problem.

Comment: CBDC wouldn't be 'news' if it wasn't already in the works. Next comes the 'snow job'.


Document

Prostitution rings and astronomical sums of money: Rep Nancy Mace describes bank reports on Biden family business dealings

Bidens/Mace
© UnknownHunter and Joe Biden • Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)
Republican representative Nancy Mace (S.C.) said Wednesday that she reviewed "over 100 suspicious activity reports on the Biden family," which show the Bidens' business dealings with "astronomical" sums of money.

Mace said in a video posted to Twitter:
"Every time you unturn, overturn, or look under a stone, there's so much more you have to investigate. Not only do the reports show 'astronomical' amounts of money, but they also detail the source of the funding, where the money's going, the shell companies, prostitution rings, etc. It's insanity to me that it's not been investigated in the way that it should be."
Mace and other members of the House Oversight Committee on Monday examined suspicious activity reports that banks sent to the Treasury Department flagging potential criminal activity in transactions involving President Joe Biden's family. The committee's chairman, Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.), said afterward that nine Biden relatives may have benefitted from the family's business schemes, six more than were previously implicated.
"The Biden family enterprise is centered on Joe Biden's political career and connections, and it has generated an exorbitant amount of money for the Biden family."

Comment:
See also:


Arrow Up

BRICS to surpass G7 in share of global economic growth - Bloomberg

BRICS
© Getty Images
The bloc of developing countries will be a larger driver of development than the Western Group of Seven major economies...

Members of the BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - are expected to outpace the US-led G7 in terms of their contribution to the world's economic growth, from this year, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

According to the outlet's calculations - based on the latest IMF data - the BRICS countries will contribute 32.1% of the world's growth, compared to the G7's 29.9%.

The Group of Seven nations (G7) - consisting of the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan - has long been considered the most advanced economic bloc of countries on the planet. Russia was a member, until 2014, when it was expelled due to the fallout from the Western-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine.

The report indicated that in 2020, the contributions from BRICS countries and the G7 to global economic growth were equal. Since then the performance of the Western-led bloc has been declining. By 2028, the G7's contribution to the world economy is predicted to decrease to 27.8%, while the BRICS will account for 35%.

Comment: BRICS has the momentum, the resources and the interest...thanks to the West.


Whistle

IRS whistleblower says Biden Admin interfering in Hunter tax fraud probe

hunter joe biden drugs laptop
Hunter Biden photo recovered from his laptop
(inset) President Joe Biden
Two Biden administration political appointees within the Justice Department are working to block charges against Hunter Biden for tax violations against recommendations, an IRS whistleblower alleged Wednesday, saying the appointees are engaging in "preferential treatment and politics."

Hunter is under investigation by the DOJ for tax fraud, money laundering, and violation of lobbying laws. Trump-appointed U.S. prosecutor David Weiss for months has been weighing if there is sufficient evidence for the grand jury to indict him.

According to the whistleblower's attorney, Mark Lytle, his client wishes to speak with congressional investigators to corroborate his claims of political interference in the probe, which he has reported to the Justice Department's top watchdog, according to a report.

Comment: Fox News comments:


Things could get very messy for the Big Guy. Fox news also reports:
A Republican on the House Oversight Committee is warning evidence of the Biden family's corruption is growing deeper and could lead to impeachment after new revelations from an IRS whistleblower and ex-CIA official in the Hunter Biden probe.

"This is just the very tip of the iceberg. This very brave IRS agent coming forward, I think will just start it. They're talking about impeaching Biden. How could we not impeach Biden if this does, in fact, reach him?" Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said on Mornings with Maria Friday.

The IRS whistleblower, who's reportedly been at the agency for more than 10 years, has alleged the federal investigation into Hunter Biden is being mishandled by the Biden administration. The whistleblower also alleges "clear conflicts of interest" in the investigation.

"Finally, we have one person inside the IRS that's doing it right. He's found something very bad, very troubling, very illegal," Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist also told host Maria Bartiromo.

The president's son has been under federal investigation since 2018. The investigation concerns the presence of suspicious activity reports (SARs) regarding suspicious foreign transactions.

"How could we not impeach Biden" if he's implicated in interfering with Hunter Biden's federal investigation, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., posited on Mornings with Maria Friday.

The lawyer for the whistleblower joined Special Report with Bret Baier Thursday night claiming his client is "not a political person" and does not have a "political agenda," but does have documents to support his allegations that he hopes to bring to both congressional Democrats and Republicans.


"If you delve into it deep enough, there's prostitution rings involved in this. Human trafficking has been rumored to be a part of some of these so-called companies that have allowed the Biden family to profit. It is gross and it is disgusting about what has been allowed to go on," Burchett said.

The whistleblower's attorney said his client has also detailed examples of "preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected."

Reports have suggested the senior political appointee could be in reference to Attorney General Merrick Garland and his testimony on Capitol Hill in March - and last year - that stressed that U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss can conduct the Hunter Biden investigation independently.

"I cannot imagine how the Justice Department allowed this to go on, if not for corruption at the highest level. And they are in some serious trouble right now. I think they know it," Burchett reacted.

Tax watchdog Norquist indicated that the IRS whistleblower is following the law and reporting the concerns appropriately.

"He didn't give it to his favorite journalist. He's not leaking it. He's taking it to the Congress and saying: you need to know the law is not being followed," Norquist said. "This is very important to follow up on. But we really have a lot of respect for this IRS agent who's playing it by the book."

Burchett further warned Chinese "collusion" goes "very deep" with the Biden family and the evidence he's seen in committee is going from "bad" to "worse."

"[China has] so much invested in this White House now, that their cover-up upon cover-ups will continue. But I can assure you that the American people understand what's going on," he said. "And I can assure you that [Oversight] Chairman Comer and Chairman Jordan are steering this in the right direction. As I stated before, this is complete collusion with the communist Chinese. They bought and sold this White House."

Meanwhile, testimony from a former CIA official has revealed that then-Biden campaign senior adviser now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken "played a role in the inception" of the public statement signed by 51 current and past intelligence officials that claimed the Hunter Biden laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell revealed that Blinken was "the impetus" of the public statement signed in October 2020 - weeks before the presidential election - that implied the laptop belonging to Hunter Biden was disinformation.

"If I was those 51 people, I'd be lawyering up right now because they're going to be asked in public at some point what they knew and if they knew that all this other stuff was going on, because it is very damning," Burchett said.
Is the Biden family finally falling victim to their greed and hubris, or is this an orchestrated exit for a now-worthless political pawn? Stay tuned . . . .


Eye 2

Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil acceptable - German defense minister

Ukrainian soldiers
© AP Photo/LIBKOSUkrainian soldiers fire a Pion artillery system at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine
Ukraine has every right to conduct strikes and other military operations on Russian territory, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has argued. He noted, however, that civilians should not be hurt in the process.

Ukraine has regularly shelled several Russian border regions ever since Moscow launched its military campaign last February. Dozens of civilians have lost their lives as a result, with many more injured.

Appearing on Germany's ZDF TV channel on Thursday, Pistorius said that it is "fully normal" that the "attacked [party] also moves into enemy territory, for instance to cut supply routes."

"So long as cities, civilians, civilian areas are not attacked, you will unavoidably have to accept this," the minister clarified.

Comment: How many thousands of innocent civilians have to die in Ukraine and Russia before these politicians actually start to care?