Puppet MastersS


Eye 2

Total lockdown coming to the whole of UK as soon as Boxing Day, government warns

Aubrey Allegretti
Sky News
Wed, 23 Dec 2020 16:28 UTC
UK lockdown christmas
A meeting on moving more areas into Tier 4 is taking place this morning
More areas could be moved into Tier 4 after Christmas given the "very worrying" new coronavirus variant, a cabinet minister has told Sky News.


Comment: As with the fearmongering around 'cases' - based on faulty tests that give an overwhelming number of false positives - there's no evidence, at all, that this 'new variant' is anything to worry about: UK 'variant fears' are over-hyped says leading US microbiologist


Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the mutation "is very concentrated in London and the South East", where full lockdown measures are already imposed.

"We've now had time to think again about whether further action is required in other parts of the country, and that's the decision the prime minister and other ministers will need to take in the next couple of days," he explained.

Comment: As if citizens needed reminding that the government would change it's mind on a whim following 9 months of contradictions, fearmongering, flip-flopping and hypocrisy:
A number of papers, including the Metro and the Daily Mail, reported on Wednesday that PM Boris Johnson was preparing to announce the expansion of tier four plans to cover more of the UK.

Both papers say more areas could be hit with tier four restrictions, which resemble a full lockdown, as soon as Boxing Day.

The UK has identified a mutation of the Covid-19 virus which is supposedly up to 70 percent more contagious than other strains.


This '70%' claim has been debunked as having no basis in any fact at all.


Fear that the new strain might spread out of Britain has led many countries to close their borders to UK travel.

A number of experts have suggested that the virus strain may already be prevalent elsewhere in the world.
The new measures will apply to Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, some areas of Essex and the borough of Waverley in Surrey.

At least 18 million people in England are now living under the Tier 4 rules, which ban people from leaving their homes without a "reasonable excuse" and mean they cannot meet other people indoors, including over the Christmas and New Year period.

Speaking at a news conference, Hancock said other areas of the UK will also be escalated into Tier 3, which forces restaurants, cafes and bars to close and bans people from meeting indoors with anyone outside their own household.

However the health secretary also stressed that "Tier 3 is not enough" to control the new variant of the virus discovered almost two weeks ago and known as VUI-202012/01.

Areas that will move into Tier 3 include Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset (including the North Somerset area), Swindon, the Isle of Wight, the New Forest and Northamptonshire, Cheshire and Warrington.

Cornwall and Herefordshire will also be moved up to Tier 2, which allows people to drink alcohol in pubs and restaurants if they have purchased a substantial meal, but only with people they live with or have formed a 'bubble' with.


Nonesensical rules like allowing drinking but only with a 'substantial meal' reveal just how farcical and sadistic the situation is.


"Against this backdrop of rising infections, rising hospitalisations and rising number of people dying from coronavirus, it is absolutely vital that we act," Hancock said.

"We simply cannot have the kind of Christmas that we all yearn for."


It's unlikely the majority of people share anything in common with character disturbed individuals like Hancock.


The health secretary also announced that a new variant of the virus called 501.V2, linked to South Africa, has been discovered in the UK, the second mutation to be announced in as many weeks.

The two people who tested positive for this latest strain are both contacts of people who travelled from Britain to South Africa in the last few weeks.

The pair and their contacts are quarantining, while Hancock said the strain will soon be analysed at Porton Down, the UK's top secret laboratory.


How curious:


Incoming flights from South Africa will be suspended.
See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Windsock

Trump may close Iraq embassy following anonymous rocket attack, exchanges threats with Iran's leaders


RT
Thu, 24 Dec 2020 22:13 UTC
Iran
© Nazanin Tabatabaee / WANA via REUTERSFILE PHOTO: A woman walks in front of new murals of the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran November 2, 2019
President Donald Trump accused Iran of being behind an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad, amid rumors he's considering closing it, threatening Tehran ahead of the one-year anniversary of their most serious confrontation to date.

Tweeting out a photo of what he said were three rockets that failed to launch during Sunday's attack on the embassy, Trump said they came from Iran and that there was "chatter" about additional attacks against Americans in Iraq.

"Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over," he added.

Comment: Sputnik reports:
US Defense Chiefs to Give Trump Response Options to Iran After Baghdad Embassy Attack - Report

According to a senior US administration official, US President Donald Trump was joined by defense leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss possible responses to an attack against the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday.

The meeting reportedly included Pompeo, acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien, and other top defense officials. They intend to offer "a range of options" to Trump to deter attacks against US personnel by Iran or by militias in Iraq that are sympathetic to Iran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi denounced the attack, saying on Monday that a round of arrests prevented a second attack from being carried out, although he named no groups allegedly responsible for the first attack. However, Pompeo firmly pointed the finger at "Iran-backed militias."

Tehran has denied involvement in the attack. "The US military presence is the source of instability in our region. No amount of spin can divert blame for its evils," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Twitter on Monday.

The US made similar claims this time last year after the US blamed Kata'ib Hezbollah, a Shiite militia in Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, for a December 27, 2019, attack on an Iraqi base in Kirkuk that killed a US contractor and injured four US service members and two Iraqi service members. When the US launched an airstrike on Kata'ib Hezbollah positions the next day, mass protests descended on the US embassy and set fire to some of its outer structures, and Washington blamed Tehran for instigating those attacks as well.
See also:

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Info

Trump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner

Zachary Basu
Axios
Thu, 24 Dec 2020 00:24 UTC
roger stone and paul manafort
© Drew Angerer/Getty Images, Alexandria Sheriff's Office via Getty ImagesStone and Manafort.
President Trump granted full pardons to 26 more people on Wednesday night, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, longtime associate Roger Stone and Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Why it matters: It's a continuation of the president's controversial pre-Christmas pardon spree, which began in earnest Tuesday night with pardons for a trio of convicted former GOP congressmen and several military contractors involved in the 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians.

Comment: Question of the day:

See also:

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Dollar

Paying to run lizards on treadmills: Sen. Rand Paul releases his 2020 Festivus Report about ridiculous government spending

Brett T.
twitchy
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 19:22 UTC
festivus report rand paul
As Twitchy reported Monday, Americans were getting $600 each from the coronavirus stimulus bill while no less than $10 million was going to "gender programs" in Pakistan. Sen. Lindsey Graham defended those programs, telling Fox News Tuesday morning that he's trying to make life better for women there.

Speaking of government waste, Sen. Rand Paul posted a righteous Festivus rant last Christmas, and he's back to do it again with his 2020 Festivus Report.


Comment: See also:

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Light Saber

Trump huddles with House members ready to reject Electoral College votes on Jan. 6

Paul Bedard
Washington Examiner
Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:01 UTC
Trump and supporters
President Trump, on Monday, met with a group of House conservatives so concerned about voter fraud that they plan to vote to reject Electoral College votes and hope to have the House pick the winner of the presidential election, a long-shot move that could give him a second term.

Sources familiar with the meeting this afternoon told Secrets that the team, led by Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, planned to press Trump to continue his fight to shine a light on voter fraud. They were also expected to discuss a plan forwarded by Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks to vote against accepting Electoral Vote counts they feel were compromised by fraud.

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NPC

Biden picks 'social justice' architect for education secretary, ahead of expectations of Trump's 'critical race theory' ban reversal


RT
Wed, 23 Dec 2020 22:46 UTC
Miguel Cardona
© Reuters / Leah MillisMiguel Cardona gives a speech to news media in Wilmington, Delaware, US, December 23, 2020
Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona as his pick for education secretary. Cardona ups the diversity count of Biden's prospective cabinet, but supports bringing controversial race-focused lessons into the classroom.

Announcing his pick on Wednesday, Biden boasted that Cardona - a Latino - adds to his "historic cabinet," which features more minorities and women than any in history. "It's a cabinet that looks like America, taps into the best of America, and opens doors and includes the full range of talents we have in this nation," Biden declared.


Cardona was born to Puerto Rican immigrants, and spent the majority of his career teaching at public schools in Connecticut. Biden stuck to social justice themes when he described Cardona's efforts to root out the "deep roots of inequity" in the educational system.
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Dollar

Trump's call for $2K stimulus checks hailed - by critics Pelosi, AOC, Sanders

Dom Calicchio
Fox News
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00 UTC
SandersTrumpPelosi
© Getty Images/Unknown/Unknown/KJNSenator Bernie Sanders • President Donald Trump • Speaker Nancy Pelosi
As if 2020 hasn't delivered enough unexpected news, consider this: President Trump's call Tuesday night for Congress to raise coronavirus stimulus payments to Americans to $2,000 won raves from at least three of his harshest critics.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders all favored the president's proposal for $2,000 direct payments over the $600 that Congress has suggested in its $900 billion plan.

Trump made his pitch in a video posted on Twitter, in which he slammed the Covid bill as a "disgrace," and assailed many individual line items in the 5,000-page plan approved by Congress - calling on lawmakers to amend the package, which would require the president's signature to become law.

"It's called the Covid relief bill but it has almost nothing to do with Covid," the president noted.


Comment: Some folks have condemned the president for his generosity, others the Democrats for undercutting The People:
Lincoln Project senior advisor received backlash for her view of the stimulus increase:

Nobody was as tone deaf as former presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar. Speaking to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, she called Trump's demand "an attack on every American":

Where have the Democrats been the past four years? Certainly not on the side of the public. Why now? It's showtime!

See also: You can't stimulate an economy that's still manually shut down

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Document

White House memo details how 'Pence card' can save Trump's presidency on Dec, 23

Tom Pappert
National File
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00 UTC
TrumpPence
© UnknownUS President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence
A White House memo that details how Vice President Mike Pence is legally required to reject Electoral College votes from contested states.

Sources in the Trump administration confirmed to National File that President Donald Trump's most vocal advocates within the White House have determined that both U.S. Code and the Constitution contain language that requires Vice President Mike Pence to reject unlawful Electoral College certificates, but Pence must act by no later than Wednesday, December 23.

The drafters of this White House memo believe that the federal check to the states' elections resides with Vice President Mike Pence in his role as President of the Senate. Additionally, Pence has the sole power determine whether to reject impermissible states of electors. However, Pence is legally required to do this on the fourth Wednesday in December, which this year falls on December 23.

National File's sources in the White House indicated that the memo was requested by those in the President's circle who are most keen to see the 2020 election, and the ensuing fallout, administered in as transparent of a manner as possible. They also indicate that the push to find a path to verify the 2020 election's integrity is not coming solely from the White House, but also comes from across numerous agencies in the administration.

Comment: See also:

Law prohibits Pence from accepting electoral votes from fraudulently certified states claims constitutional lawyer

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V

Indoctrination: BBC issues guide for talking down to 'conspiracy theorist' relatives

Kit Klarenberg
RT
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 19:11 UTC
christmas
© Getty Images / skynesherFILE PHOTO.
The BBC has released a guide on talking to 'conspiracy theorists' during Christmas festivities - lecturing readers on how to dismiss alternative views instead of questioning and discussing them.

In a highly embarrassing yet entirely predictable U-turn, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has effectively cancelled Christmas for an untold number of Britons, less than four weeks after announcing plans to recklessly relax coronavirus restrictions significantly from 23rd - 27th December.

Nonetheless, the BBC feels the risk of people getting within 1.5 metres of loved ones possessed of dangerous, alternative opinions over the festive period remains sufficiently high to justify publishing a five-point guide on "how to talk to people about conspiracy theories without ruining Christmas".

Comment: As the establishment's propaganda arm the BBC has a lot to hide and a lot to lose were citizens to become wise to their agenda. Thankfully, it appears that, despite the BBC's best efforts, this is actually what is happening:

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Crusader

Why these 6 GOP senators voted against coronavirus relief package

Ronn Blitzer
Fox News
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 19:23 UTC
Rand Paul opposing relief package
Senator Rand Paul
After months of stalled negotiations, Congress finally passed a new $900 billion coronavirus relief package late Monday night with overwhelming support in the Senate, but six Republicans stood firmly against it.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., all stood firmly against the bill, which had been bundled with a $1.4 trillion spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. Their criticisms largely focused on the size of the legislation, both in terms of the dollar amount and the bill's page count.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

"To so-called conservatives who are quick to identify the socialism of Democrats: If you vote for this spending monstrosity, you are no better," Paul said on the Senate floor.

"When you vote to pass out free money, you lose your soul and you abandon forever any semblance of moral or fiscal integrity," he said, targeting his fellow Republicans.

Paul suggested that instead lawmakers should open the economy, cut obvious waste in the budget, and stop piling on debt for future generations.

Comment: See also:

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