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'Carrie's coup': UK PM's fiancée tried to damage career of two top female civil servants, one refused excessive redecoration bill for No.10

Carrie Symonds
Carrie on plotting: Boris Johnson's fiancée Carrie Symonds tried to damage career of top woman civil servant who refused to sign off No 10 flat refurb and made crude sexual insult about another woman tipped to become his Cabinet Secretary
Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds tried to damage the careers of Britain's top two female civil servants by manoeuvring against them and making offensive remarks.

Miss Symonds urged the Prime Minister to sack a female Whitehall official who refused to sign off a large taxpayers' bill for her refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, including expensive wallpaper.

And she made a crude remark about another mandarin tipped to be the first female head of the Civil Service - but who lost out when Mr Johnson picked a less experienced male rival.

Comment: See also: Police called to Boris Johnson's home after neighbours hear partner screaming


USA

Trump declares he won't start a new party at CPAC: 'We have the Republican Party'

trump flag hugging
© AP Photo/Carolyn KasterPresident Donald Trump hugs the American flag as he arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md., on March 2, 2019. Trump again hugged an American flag as he began his address to CPAC 2021.
Trump had 97% approval rating in CPAC straw poll.

Former President Donald Trump in his Sunday address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) clearly declared that he would not start a new political party, after some speculation last month that he might.

"We're not starting new parties. You know -- they kept saying, 'He's going to start a brand new party,'" Trump said. "We have the Republican Party. It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before."

Comment: More from RT:
Trump stopped short of declaring he will run for office again, but he set off a huge ovation by hinting at a 2024 run. "Who knows? Who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time," Trump said, alluding to his 2016 victory, his disputed loss in 2020, and the next election 2024.

Trump made it clear that he will seek to remain a powerful force in Republican politics. "I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we began together... four years ago is far from being over," he said. "This movement is just getting started, and in the end, we will win."

Trump took aim at President Biden, labeling the Democrat's first 30 days in office "the most disastrous first month" of any president in modern history. Continuing his wide-ranging onslaught against the president, he argued that the new administration has quickly taken the country further left than advertised, describing Biden's presidential campaign as "all lies." Trump accused the Democratic Party of being "anti-jobs, anti-family, anti-economy, anti-energy and anti-women and anti-science."

The former president blasted Biden's immigration reforms aimed at dismantling some of his own hard-line policies, calling them "not just illegal," but also "immoral" and "a betrayal of our nation's core values." Among other things, Trump criticized Biden for immediately ending the travel ban that blocked entry for most people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea. The Republican also took a swipe at the Biden administration for rejoining the Paris climate accord, arguing that Biden should have negotiated a better deal if he was hellbent on returning to the agreement.

"In one short month, we've gone from America first to America last," Trump charged.

On the issue of school reopenings, Trump accused Biden of caving to pressure from teacher unions, urging the Democratic administration to immediately get them reopened. Accusing Biden of "killing" over 40,000 jobs with the cancellation of the Keystone pipeline, Trump argued that the the US will lose its energy independence under the new administration. "You're going to see costs go like you've never seen them before," he said.
Trump also spoke at CPAC about Big Tech. Also from RT:
"The time has come to break up Big Tech monopolies and restore fair competition," Trump said on Sunday at the CPAC in Orlando. "Republicans, conservatives must open our platforms and repeal section 230 liability protections," he added.

While in the past the public had a chance to hear both sides of the argument before making an informed decision, Big Tech censorship disproportionately targeted conservatives, depriving them of the right to be heard, Trump argued.

"You would win, you would lose... But now there is no debate, because they refuse allow our side to even speak or to be heard."

If the power of Big Tech cannot be curbed at federal level immediately, Trump urged "every state in the union where we have the votes" to "punish Big Tech with major sanctions whenever they silence conservative voices." He noted that Texas and Florida "are doing this" already.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been championing a bill seeking to rein in tech companies by allowing users to bring a "cause of action" against platforms violating Florida law. The bill, if it becomes law, would bar platforms from rapidly changing their policy and enforcing it selectively against users. Under the law, consumers would have the right to "opt-out" from algorithms that shadow-ban certain information. "As these companies have grown and their influence expanded, Big Tech has come to look more like Big Brother with each passing day," DeSantis said, as he voiced support for the bill in early February.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott earlier this month announced that his office was working on a bill to "prevent social media providers like Facebook & Twitter from canceling conservative speech." The bill will reportedly give the state more leverage to regulate social media companies, and allow Texans, yanked off social media platforms over political or religious views, the right to take Twitter and Facebook to court.

Trump made his comments on Silicon Valley giants and the censoring of conservative voices - including his own social media accounts - after calling for reforms to ensure "fair, honest and secure elections." For instance, he said, the US must end mass mail-in voting, require voter identification, verify that each voter is a legal citizen and provide chain-of-custody protection for all ballots.

"All the election-integrity measures in the world will mean nothing if we don't have free speech," he stressed.
If only there were a President who would do, while in office, what Trump talks about once he's no longer in office. Too much to ask?

See also:


Vader

Biden White House not releasing virtual visitor logs as watchdogs call for transparency

biden
The Biden administration will not release White House virtual visitor logs, Fox News has confirmed, as watchdog organizations call on President Biden to do so in the name of transparency.

A White House official told Fox News that the administration does not plan to share the names of attendees of virtual White House meetings — which have become the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A White House official also told Politico on Monday it would not release virtual logs.

"Virtual meetings will not be subject to release — in the same way that previous administrations didn't release phone logs — but we're planning on regularly releasing the attendee lists for in-person meetings at the White House," the official told Politico.

Nuke

Holding Humanity Hostage: Dangerous prospects for Biden's nuclear weapons policy

Biden/Nukes
© therealnews.comUS President Joe Biden and the ever-present threat
President Biden will inherit the U.S. government's decades-long nuclear policy of flirting with apocalypse. The 46th president could very well fast-track the global path to doomsday if he chooses not to rejoin nuclear treaties, address international crises, and remove the corporate profit motive from plans to "modernize" our nuclear arsenal.

As the United States accelerates toward Inauguration Day, and as President-elect Biden announces more of his cabinet appointments, we are getting a clearer picture of how the incoming Biden administration plans to manage the "scorched earth foreign policy" he will be inheriting from Donald Trump. This is a foreign policy designed to create "as many fires as possible," even when it comes to managing humanity's most dangerous asset: nuclear weapons.

Trump has always maintained a somewhat strange and concerning fixation with the use of nuclear weapons. That fixation goes all the way back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Trump was best known as a New York City-based real estate developer who, before the dawn of Twitter, would speak his mind to eagerly scribbling tabloid reporters.

From the 2016 campaign trail to now, Trump's more recent, albeit scattered (and, at times, seemingly contradictory), comments about "nuclear" have been difficult to parse. What has been evident, however, is that, as a U.S. President navigating the geopolitical terrain, Trump's nuclear sensibilities have combined a Hollywood-style apocalypticism with his patented reality-show, tough-talking approach to any and all conflicts. Recall Trump's casual hinting (via tweet) of the potential nuclear annihilation of both North Korea and Iran. Trump has even gone so far as to ask, more generally, "'Why can't we use our nuclear weapons?'"

Comment: The overview explores the depth and breadth of the nuclear dilemma, proving why we can never be rid of this threat. The interview offers an airing of various perspectives, little known information and options.


Bad Guys

US intends to use 'humanitarian aid' shipments to Syrian camp to supply militants destabilizing the region - Russia, Syria report

Syria
© Reuters / Marko DjuricaBoys play soccer among destroyed buildings in Al- Khaldieh area in Homs, Syria, September 18, 2018. Picture taken September 18, 2018.
Washington is pressuring the United Nations to deliver international assistance to an overpopulated desert refugee camp but secretly planning to use the cargo to resupply armed militias it supports, Moscow and Damascus claim.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, the coordination headquarters of Russia and Syria insisted that their military coalition is "making significant efforts to restore peaceful life in the country and provide comprehensive assistance to Syrian citizens in voluntary and safe return to their homeland."

However, they add, the US is actively working to fuel fighting in the bloody civil war, which has been raging since 2011. According to the diplomatic partners, Washington has been politicizing the plight of the Rukban refugee camp, which has seen worsening conditions in recent months amid a rise in displaced civilians.

Comment: See also:


Jet3

Russia officially announced its readiness to shoot down Israeli planes in case of new raids on Syria

Lavrentyev
© Alexander Scherbak/TASSRussian Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev
Russia has threatened Israel with readiness to attack IDF fighters.

The special envoy of the President of Russia, Alexander Lavrentyev, made a report in which he emphasized the unwillingness of the Israeli side to fulfill the agreements reached between Israel and Russia to de-escalate the situation in Syria.

Lavrentyev noted that Moscow's patience has completely dried up, and if Israel does not give up aggressive actions against the Arab Republic in the near future, Russia will be ready to attack Israeli aircraft, obviously, not only over Syria, but also in the airspace over neighboring countries, or in international airspace. Lavrentiev warned:
"Sooner or later, the cup of patience, including the Syrian government, may be overflowing, and a retaliatory strike will follow, which will accordingly lead to a new round of tension. These attacks must be stopped, they are counterproductive. We hope that the Israeli side will hear our concerns, including concerns about the possible escalation of violence in Syria. "
Given the fact that we are talking about an official statement, it is obvious that Russia is extremely unhappy with Israel's actions, especially after strikes were struck in areas where Russian military and civilian Syrian citizens were stationed.

According to analysts, as a first step, Russia may begin to raise its combat aircraft into the sky to counter Israel, and if such a measure does not help, the next step will be to use Russian air defense systems to intercept Israeli missiles, and then, a more radical step, opening fire on Israeli aircraft posing a threat to the Russian military on the territory of the Arab republic.

Comment: Russia announces a clear and precise warning with ultimate consequences, should Israel even acknowledge it.


Arrow Down

Oklahoma House passes bill allowing state to reject Biden's executive orders

Mike Hunter/JoeBiden
© Unknown/KJNOklahoma AG Mike Hunter • US President Joe Biden
The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would allow the state to put the brakes on the power of President Joe Biden's executive orders.

HB 1236 would allow the Oklahoma state legislature to review each executive order and determine if the order should be forwarded to the Oklahoma attorney general, who would determine if it is permissible under the U.S. Constitution.

If the attorney general deemed one of Biden's edicts to be unconstitutional, the bill appears to direct the Oklahoma attorney general to sue for a court order invalidating the executive order.

On the other hand, if the attorney general decides not to take legal action, the state legislature could conduct a majority vote declaring it unconstitutional.

If the legislature invokes its option to declare an executive order unconstitutional, the statute is unclear whether the Oklahoma government would file suit or the state would simply ignore the order, leaving it to the federal government to enforce or try to take it to court.

HB 1236 states:
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the state, county, political subdivision or any other publicly funded organization shall not implement any action that restricts a person's rights or that the Office of the Attorney General or the Legislature by a majority vote determines to be unconstitutional.
Federal law always trumps state law, but any federal action that is unconstitutional is not a law at all. HB 1236 raises a series of interesting legal questions.

Nuke

If the US is really worried about a nuclear Iran, it would go back to JCPOA. But nukes are not at the core here

Biden/Netanyahu
© Reuters/KJNUS President Joe Biden • Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
The US keeps fear mongering about the dangers of the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. Yet, it doesn't rush to return to the JCPOA, suggesting the real fear of Iran stems from a completely different origin.

Tehran has repeatedly reaffirmed its readiness to return to respecting its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if the US lifts economic sanctions against Iran imposed by the Trump administration. However, US President Joe Biden's hesitancy on the matter has led to a diplomatic deadlock and resumption of hostile rhetoric.

The Obama-era JCPOA, or Iran nuclear deal, was designed, from a Western perspective, to prevent Iran reaching a nuclear weapon. We are now at a stage where the alarmist rhetoric, coming from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top Israeli Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi, predicts that Iran could develop the capability to produce nuclear weapons in the span of weeks to months. The question then would be, if there is truly a genuine fear of Iran quickly producing a nuclear bomb and potentially using it, then why would the US not be scrambling to re-enter the deal?

Whilst it is likely that the US government is truly fearful of an Iran equipped with nuclear weapons, it is less likely that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is the main reason behind the hesitancy to re-enter the JCPOA.

Comment: Israel's signs and portents are meant to provoke anger and outrage from Iran, knowing the West will pass on any reprimand or consequences:



NPC

It's always Putin! Russian president engineered coup in Armenia because Pashinyan insulted Moscow's missiles, Western media claims

Pashinyan Armenia
© SputnikSasna Tsrer's group members take part in a rally demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in central Yerevan, Armenia.
Not content with fixing US elections and making sure your favorite sports team loses, Vladimir Putin's shadowy hand is now behind a power struggle in Yerevan, after a row over rockets. At least, that's according to American media.

In an article by journalist Anna Nemtsova published on Friday, New York-based outlet The Daily Beast claimed that "Putin may have triggered an attempted coup in Armenia" because of a public spat over the effectiveness of the Russian-made Iskander missile systems. The Caucasian country's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on Friday that the country's army was planning to oust him after its top generals signed a joint statement calling for his resignation.

Pressure had escalated on the embattled leader after he requested the dismissal of a top military chief, Tiran Khachatryan, when the general contradicted his criticism of the Moscow-made rockets. Pashinyan had told journalists that the Iskander missiles had failed during bloody fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan, or had "exploded only by 10 percent."

Comment: See also:


Pirates

Divide & conquer: PM Ardern tells Kiwis to rebuke lockdown rule-breakers

Ardern
A frustrated Ardern said the breaches that led to Auckland being shut down for the second time in a month were intolerable
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders to "call out" Covid-19 rule-breakers Monday, as public anger built over a series of infringements that forced the country's largest city back into lockdown.


Comment: New Zealand MPs chose to lockdown, the situation didn't force them to do so.


A frustrated Ardern -- who has won widespread praise for her pandemic response -- said the breaches that led to Auckland being shut down for the second time in a month were intolerable.

She said some people involved in the latest outbreak had ignored clear instructions to remain in isolation and failed to fully disclose their movements to contact tracers.


Comment: Because under the emergency lockdown regulations citizens no longer have freedom of movement or privacy.


Comment: While that kind of deliberately divisive language may be shocking, it isn't surprising; here's a revealing video of PM Ardern discussing how to deal with citizens in quarantine:

See also: