Puppet MastersS


Pistol

Want to fight government - get F-15s, Biden tells opponents

Biden
© National Shooting Sports FoundationUS President Biden's finger gun
The president is pushing to ban the very weapons he says would be useless against the federal government.

In a speech on gun control, President Joe Biden taunted "brave right-wing Americans," telling them that if they want to defend themselves against the government, they'll "need an F-15." Biden was slated by his critics, who argued that the Taliban did perfectly well against the US without such weapons.

Speaking to supporters in Pennsylvania, Biden promised to ban "assault weapons," a poorly-defined term that Democrats in Congress claim covers the majority of semi-automatic rifles and pistols sold in the US.

Nuke

Pentagon admits 'likelihood' of Ukrainian shelling near nuclear plant

Zaporozhye
© Maxar Technologies/AP.jpgRussian-controlled Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
A senior US military official admitted on Monday that Ukrainian forces may have struck the area around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, but insisted that this was only in response to Russian fire allegedly coming from the area. Earlier in the day, the Russian authorities said a Ukrainian artillery shell damaged the roof of the building storing reactor fuel.

The unnamed official told reporters during a background briefing at the Pentagon:
"What I know for sure is that the Russians are firing from around the plant. I also know that there are rounds that have impacted near the plant."
The official said it was "hard to explain, I guess" how the US was monitoring the situation around the nuclear power plant, Europe's largest.
"And I don't want to say that the Ukrainians haven't fired in that vicinity either because I think there's probably a likelihood that they have, but in good - in a number of cases, it's returning fire of the Russians who are firing from those locations."
Russian forces established control of the Zaporozhye NPP in early March. National guard and nuclear protection specialists secured the site while the Ukrainian staff continued to operate without hindrance. The government in Kiev claims that Russian forces turned the plant into a military base from which they were attacking Ukrainian targets, but also that Russian troops were shelling themselves in a false-flag ploy to make Ukraine look bad.


Comment: That's all they could come up with?


Comment: Zelensky cannot risk experts assessing the damage and announcing the cause.
Ukrainian forces are shelling a route that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection mission could take to reach the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant this week, local authorities claimed on Tuesday.

Zaporozhye Region council member Vladimir Rogov told RIA Novosti that
"Ukrainian nationalists are targeting locations that could be visited by the IAEA mission in Energodar. [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky's regime also started a military operation in the south of the country, raising concerns for the safety of the IAEA mission."
Rogov also said Kiev's forces have shelled the NPP's resort house that could accommodate the IAEA delegation.

On Monday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced that an expert group would visit the NPP this week to assess the damage sustained by the plant and check the safety and security systems.

On Sunday night, Ukrainian forces shelled Energodar, the city where the plant is located, local officials said. They claimed that the attack, which injured nine people and deliberately hit a number of residential houses, was meant to torpedo the upcoming IAEA mission.



Footprints

Top agent exits FBI amid charge of political bias undermining Hunter Biden probe, sources say

Biden et al
© Manuel Balce CenetoUS President Joe Biden, son Hunter and family • Kiawah Island, South Carolina
A senior FBI official in the bureau's Washington field office has abruptly resigned after coming under congressional scrutiny for suspected political bias in handling the investigation of Hunter Biden's laptop computer.

The Washington Times learned that Timothy Thibault, an assistant special agent in charge, was forced to leave his post. The information came from two former FBI officials familiar with the situation.

Mr. Thibault was seen exiting the bureau's elevator on Friday. He was escorted by two or three "headquarters-looking types," according to eyewitness accounts provided to one of the former officials. It is not clear whether Mr. Thibault left on his own accord or was forced out of the bureau. The 25-year FBI veteran was on leave for at least a month over revelations about political statements he made while leading the public corruption unit.

The FBI declined to comment. Attempts to contact Mr. Thibault were unsuccessful.

Snowflake Cold

Western Europe headed for 'energy collapse' - Hungary

man bench
© Getty Images/Alexandra ArciszewskiLeft out in the cold
Western Europe's policy of rejecting Russian energy, even in the absence of suitable alternatives, could lead to systemic collapse when the public is left without heat this winter, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warned on Monday.

Szijjarto explained to a meeting of his country's diplomats, according to the Sputnik news agency:
"All these statements ... from Western Europe on the issue of energy supply simply do not work at all with winter approaching. While ideological, political, communication statements with effective support from the international media can easily inflate balloons that cover people's eyes, all the ideology in the world won't keep EU citizens warm when winter approaches.

"It is very difficult to explain to someone in winter that they are not cold when there is no heating."
Insisting that Hungary had not yet fallen into this trap, he warned that pressure from other EU governments would only get worse, as the current world order "is approaching a huge collapse, almost at the speed of an asteroid." Russian sources are integral to European energy security, he argued, implying that without them, social discontent could lead to systemic collapse.

Vader

US asked British spy agency to stop Guardian publishing Snowden revelations

edward snowden guardian
© Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras/APEdward Snowden’s revelations about mass data collection were published by the Guardian in 2013.
Head of GCHQ rebuffed late-night request from National Security Agency amid strained relations in Five Eyes intelligence coalition

The US National Security Agency (NSA) tried to persuade its British counterpart to stop the Guardian publishing revelations about secret mass data collection from the NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, according to a new book.

Sir Iain Lobban, the head of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), was reportedly called with the request in the early hours of 6 June 2013 but rebuffed the suggestion that his agency should act as a censor on behalf of its US partner in electronic spying.

Comment:


Bad Guys

Turning off the tap: Germany reaches limit in arms deliveries to Kiev

German PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery system
© Global Look Press / IMAGO / Sven Eckelkamp / FileGerman PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery system.
The German Army needs its weapons stocks to be able to guarantee national defense, Christine Lambrecht has said

The German Armed Forces can't send any more weapons to Ukraine if they want to retain their ability to defend their own nation, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht told the German government on Tuesday. As the defense minister, her focus is Germany's national security, she added.

"I have to admit, as the Minister of Defense, ... we are reaching the limits of what we can give away from the Bundeswehr [stocks]," Lambrecht told the cabinet during a meeting on Tuesday. The German Armed Forces - the Bundeswehr - must be able to "guarantee" security at the regional and national levels, she said, vowing to ensure that this "continues to be the case."

Comment: Germany isn't the only country feeling the pinch of providing unlimited military aid to Ukraine


Mr. Potato

Failing up: Joe Biden picks Hunter laptop denier for presidential intelligence board

Jeremy Bash biden pick intelligence committy hunter laptop
Bash served under former President Obama’s administration as Chief of Staff to the Director of the CIA (2009-2011) and as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (2011-2013).
President Joe Biden's latest pick for his Intelligence Advisory Board is an MSNBC pundit who was among dozens of former intelligence officials to sign a letter in 2020 claiming, without evidence, that the Hunter Biden laptop story was part of a Russian disinformation operation.

Jeremy Bash, a former chief of staff at the CIA and Pentagon, was picked by Biden to be part of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board on Friday. Bash, along with roughly 50 other ex-intelligence officials, signed a letter in October 2020 claiming the Hunter Biden laptop saga had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation," while Bash himself suggested on TV that the laptop story was "Russian disinformation."

Comment: More on Jeremy Bash:

The gross practice of MSM outlets hiring Deep State shills from the CIA/NSA continues unabated: Former CIA director Brennan joins NBC


MIB

RNA for Moderna's Omicron Booster Manufactured by CIA-Linked Company

Resilience CEO Rahul Singhvi
© ResilienceResilience CEO Rahul Singhvi
Since late last year, messenger RNA for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines, including its recently reformulated Omicron booster, has been exclusively manufactured by a little known company with significant ties to US intelligence.

Earlier this week, the United Kingdom became the first country to approve Moderna's reformulated version of its COVID-19 vaccine, which claims to provide protection against both the original form of the virus and the significantly less lethal but more transmissible Omicron variant. The product was approved by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with the support of the UK government's Commission on Human Medicines.

Described by UK officials as a "sharpened tool" in the nation's continued vaccination campaign, the reformulated vaccine combines the previously approved COVID-19 vaccine with a "vaccine candidate" targeting the Omicron variant BA.1. That vaccine candidate has never been previously approved and has not been the subject of independent study. The MHRA approved the vaccine based on a single, incomplete human trial currently being conducted by Moderna. The company promoted incomplete data from that trial in company press releases in June and July. The study has yet to be published in a medical journal or peer reviewed. No concerns have been raised by any regulatory agency, including the MHRA, regarding Moderna's past history of engaging in suspect and likely illegal activity in past product trials, including for its original COVID-19 vaccine.

Dollars

Trust linked to Gavin Newsom's in-laws made contribution to DeSantis PAC

Newsom DeSantis
© Getty ImagesThe father-in-law of Democratic California Gavin Newsom made a donation to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC under the family trust, records show.
A family trust run by Kenneth Siebel made a $5,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC, records show.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a vocal critic of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in recent weeks, but Newsom's in-laws seem to approve of the popular Republican.

According to contribution records on the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC website, the Siebel Family Revocable Trust made a $5,000 contribution on April 6, 2022.

That trust is run by Kenneth F. Siebel Jr. and Judith A. Siebel, the parents of Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel, records obtained by Fox News Digital show.

Comment: See also:


Laptop

Trump reiterates call for new election over FBI's handling of Hunter Biden laptop story

Trump rally to protect elections
© Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesFormer President Trump prepares to speak at the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference on July 24, 2021, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Former President Trump reiterated calls for a new election in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday morning.

"The Presidential Election was BADLY & IRREPARABLY TAINTED by the FBI's FAKE description of the 'Laptop from Hell' to Facebook & the LameStream Media - & for MANY other reasons as well," Trump wrote early Tuesday. "Declare the rightful winner, or hold a new Election, NOW! Our Country, which is failing badly, knows the 'score,' and will never accept Criminal Election Interference."

"The FBI just fired its Special Agent In Charge of this outrageous & very illegal assault on the Constitution of the United States of America!" he added.

Comment: See also: