Puppet MastersS


Red Flag

Hunter Biden special counsel appointment is a blatant act of corruption

David Harsanyi
The Federalist
Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00 UTC
Garland
© YouTube/CBS NewsUS AG Merrick Garland
The only plausible reason for Merrick Garland to appoint David Weiss special counsel is to protect the president.

There's simply no rational or legal explanation for Attorney General Merrick Garland naming David Weiss a special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation. Other than the most obvious one, of course.

While Garland contends he's "confident" the Delaware federal prosecutor "will carry out his responsibility in an evenhanded and urgent manner and in accordance with the highest traditions of this department," evidence strongly suggests something corrupt. For one thing, no one genuinely seeking an "evenhanded" inquiry would hand the job to a prosecutor who's already attempted to shower the target of the investigation with an extraordinarily favorable immunity deal. It defies credulity.

And not only was Weiss ready to bequeath Hunter with a hall pass on the felony gun and tax charges but also blanket immunity on a slew of serious potential offenses, including failure to register as a foreign agent, evasion, bribery, and corruption — and any other entanglements of the Biden family. That fact alone should be disqualifying.
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Briefcase

Biden appoints Ed Siskel, who shielded Obama from GOP's Benghazi investigation, as new White House counsel

Lawrence Richards
Fox News
Tue, 22 Aug 2023 09:16 UTC
Siskel
© Lucas Oleniuk/AP'The Appointed' Obama's former law student, Ed Siskel
President Biden has appointed Ed Siskel, a veteran of the Obama-Biden administration who shielded then-President Obama amid House Republicans' inquiries into Benghazi and Solyndra, to be his new White House counsel.

In a statement Tuesday, announcing the new hiring, Biden said:
"Ed Siskel's many years of experience in public service and a career defending the rule of law make him the perfect choice to serve as my next White House Counsel. For nearly four years in the White House when I was Vice President, he helped the Counsel's Office navigate complex challenges and advance the President's agenda on behalf of the American people, and first as a federal prosecutor and then as the top counsel for one of America's biggest and most vibrant cities, his hometown of Chicago, Ed has shown a deep commitment to public service and respect for the law."

Siskel's arrival comes as the president faces a special counsel investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents, a special counsel investigation of his eldest son Hunter Biden, and as House Republicans have launched multiple investigations into him, his son and the origins of COVID-19. Also, some Republican lawmakers are pushing to impeach the president.

Comment: Who better to serve as legal counsel than one who was on duty during the Biden(s)-Ukraine-China fleecing operation.

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Nuke

China slams Japan over 'irresponsible' Fukushima plan


RT
Tue, 22 Aug 2023 23:25 UTC
fukushima
© Kimimasa Mayama/Getty ImagesMedia visit TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
July 21, 2023 • Okuma, Japan
Beijing is "strongly opposed" to the dumping of water from the disaster-stricken nuclear plant into the ocean...

The Japanese government's plan to discharge water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean is "extremely selfish and irresponsible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.

Wang told reporters at the daily press:
"The Japanese plan unjustified, unreasonable and unnecessary. The ocean sustains humanity. It is not a sewer for Japan's nuclear-contaminated water. Japan is putting its selfish interests above the long-term wellbeing of the entire humanity. China is gravely concerned and strongly opposed to this.

"Beijing intends to take all necessary steps to protect the marine environment, ensure food safety and safeguard people's life and health."
Earlier on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that the dumping of waste water into the Pacific Ocean would begin on August 24, "weather conditions permitting."

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has for two years sought approval to start dumping water from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The plant produces 100 cubic meters of radioactive water every day, to keep its reactors from melting down, and TEPCO is running out of storage on site.

The company intends to release a total of one million metric tons of water into the ocean, starting with around 7,800 cubic meters over 17 days.
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Yoda

Elon Musk declares war on Soros-funded NGOs

Ananya Gairola
Benzinga
Thu, 24 Aug 2023 18:16 UTC
soros musk
© Getty ImagesElon Musk and George Soros
Promises legal battle to defend free speech

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk intends to launch a high-stake legal action against billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros-funded NGOs.

What Happened: On Wednesday, Musk, who acquired Twitter, now rebranded as X, made this announcement in response to a user Michael Shellenberger's post on the platform.

Shellenberger said that Soros-funded NGOs had been deliberately spreading false information about increasing "hate incidents" to advocate for stricter limitations on free expression, along with a screenshot of a report published by Public and written by Irish journalist Ben Scallan.

Replying to him, the tech billionaire announced, "X will be filing legal action to stop this. Can't wait for discovery to start!"

Comment: Good luck to Musk. He is probably the only individual on the planet with the resources to take on this particular demon.

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Light Sabers

BRICS bank a solution for Africa's challenges - Rousseff


RT
Thu, 24 Aug 2023 18:37 UTC
Developing countries infrastructure
© Global Look Press / Alexander Farnsworth
The New Development Bank will financially back infrastructure and education projects, the chair of the institution has pledged.

The New Development Bank will provide African nations with valuable financial help to tackle their most urgent needs, the chair of the multinational lender, Dilma Rousseff, said on Thursday, adding that the members of the BRICS group are "good partners" for Africa.

Speaking at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, Rousseff, who was formerly the president of Brazil, promised that the Shanghai-based lender would finance projects related to physical and digital infrastructure, as well as education, on the continent

"The New Development Bank has the potential to be the leader of projects that address the most urgent challenges of African countries," she stated.

Comment: BRICS are starting to lift off for a truly multipolar world interesting in solving the many problems in the world.

See also:

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Bad Guys

Forbes reports 'powerful' Ukrainian brigade has already lost 10% of US-made demining vehicles


RT
Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:49 UTC
M1132 Stryker Engineer Squad Vehicle with Light Weight Mine Roller
© Ralph ZwillingM1132 Stryker Engineer Squad Vehicle with Light Weight Mine Roller
The vehicles' Stryker-type armor may not be suitable in a combat environment, the outlet's report suggests

A Ukrainian brigade, which Forbes magazine had described as Kiev's "most powerful unit" at the front lines, has lost 10% of its valuable mine-clearing vehicles just a week since joining the push against Russian defense lines, the outlet has reported.

The 2,000-soldier 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which is armed with four British-made Challenger 2 tanks, 40 German-made tracked Marder infantry fighting vehicles and 90 wheeled Stryker infantry fighting vehicles, had been kept in reserve until last week. It has since "written off" at least two of its 20 or so M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicles, Forbes reported on Tuesday.

The M1132 is a variant of the Stryker vehicle, which is equipped with mine rollers and is meant to clear a path through a minefield for advancing forces. The loss was hardly surprising, the report suggested, considering the role of the armor and its relatively weak protection.

Comment: Some analysts have said that Russia has laid mines at a density of nine units per square meter in their kilometers-long defense belts. There is no realistic way for Ukraine to make their way through such an area without being cut to pieces.

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Better Earth

BRICS more than doubles number of members


RT
Thu, 24 Aug 2023 09:14 UTC
The 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
© Sputnik / Grigory SysoevParticipants attend a news conference as Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his remarks virtually during the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Six more nations have been approved to join the bloc of rising world powers.

Six nations will become full-fledged members of the BRICS group of nations starting January 2024, after their candidacies were approved by leaders of the current member states, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced. The expansion topped the agenda of the summit in Johannesburg this week.

Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were welcomed as new members on Thursday. The bloc currently consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

Tucker's "Debate Night with Donald J Trump" hits 90M views in three hours

Jordan Dixon-Hamilton
Breitbart
Wed, 23 Aug 2023 22:40 UTC
Tucker Carlson Donald Trump
CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images
Carlson released the interview five minutes before the GOP primary debate began in Milwaukee at 9:00 p.m. EDT. Within twenty minutes, the video view counter showed 33 million, as Breitbart News reported.

By 12:00 a.m. EDT, the video received more than 90 million views, according to the social platform now known as X.


Trump campaign senior adviser Susie Wiles said the interview provided a "a clear contrast between President Trump engaging in a thoughtful policy discussion about what his second term will look like versus 90-second canned sound bites and platitudes from the debate stage."

"President Trump won this evening's Republican debate in dominating fashion. More people watched President Trump's interview with Tucker Carlson than the rest of the field on the debate stage combined," Wiles said.
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Bad Guys

After Hunter's deal imploded, here's what's next from Dad's DOJ

Margot Cleveland
The Federalist
Wed, 23 Aug 2023 21:26 UTC
merrick garland
© Image Credit Senate Democrats/Wikimedia Commons/Cropped/ CC BY 2.0Merrick Garland
The collapse of Hunter Biden's sweetheart plea deal left many questions unanswered. Here's what you need to know to understand what happened, what may come next, and what to watch for.

The Sweetheart Plea Deal

In late July 2023, Hunter Biden appeared before federal Judge Maryellen Noreika planning to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts and to resolve a gun charge with a pretrial diversion agreement. Things did not go according to plan, however, with Noreika — instead of rubber stamping the plea agreement — questioning both the government and Biden's attorney on the specifics of the deal.

As the in-court colloquy with Noreika revealed, the language proved confusing — more on that shortly — leaving Hunter Biden to plead not guilty and the hearing to continue later.

In formulating the deal for Hunter Biden, Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss separated the charges into two separate criminal dockets and two separate "informations." An information is a charging document, like an indictment, but while an indictment is issued by a grand jury, a prosecutor states the charges in an information. Generally, federal prosecutors use an information in cases charging misdemeanors or in felony cases where the defendant has waived his constitutional right to a grand jury indictment, typically as part of a plea agreement.

Comment: The stripped-down version from Will Scharf:
Typically, if the Government is offering to a defendant that it will either drop charges or decline to bring new charges in return for the defendant's guilty plea, the plea is structured under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(A). An agreement not to prosecute Hunter for FARA violations or other crimes in return for his pleading guilty to the tax misdemeanors, for example, would usually be a (c)(1)(A) plea. This is open, transparent, subject to judicial approval, etc.

In Hunter's case, according to what folks in the courtroom have told me, Hunter's plea was structured under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(B), which is usually just a plea in return for a joint sentencing recommendation only, and contained no information on its face about other potential charges, and contained no clear agreement by DOJ to forego prosecution of other charges.

Instead, DOJ and Hunter's lawyers effectively hid that part of the agreement in what was publicly described as a pretrial diversion agreement relating to a § 922(g)(3) gun charge against Hunter for being a drug user in possession of a firearm.

That pretrial diversion agreement as written was actually MUCH broader than just the gun charge. If Hunter were to complete probation, the pretrial diversion agreement prevented DOJ from ever bringing charges against Hunter for any crimes relating to the offense conduct discussed in the plea agreement, which was purposely written to include his foreign influence peddling operations in China and elsewhere.

So they put the facts in the plea agreement, but put their non-prosecution agreement in the pretrial diversion agreement, effectively hiding the full scope of what DOJ was offering and Hunter was obtaining through these proceedings. Hunter's upside from this deal was vast immunity from further prosecution if he finished a couple years of probation, and the public wouldn't be any the wiser because none of this was clearly stated on the face of the plea agreement, as would normally be the case.

Judge Noreika smelled a rat. She understood that the lawyers were trying to paint her into a corner and hide the ball. Instead, she backed DOJ and Hunter's lawyers into a corner by pulling all the details out into the open and then indicating that she wasn't going to approve a deal as broad as what she had discovered.

DOJ, attempting to save face and save its case, then stated on the record that the investigation into Hunter was ongoing and that Hunter remained susceptible to prosecution under FARA. Hunter's lawyers exploded. They clearly believed that FARA was covered under the deal, because as written, the pretrial diversion agreement language was broad enough to cover it. They blew up the deal, Hunter pled not guilty, and that's the current state of play.

And so here we are. Hunter's lawyers and DOJ are going to go off and try to pull together a new set of agreements, likely narrower, to satisfy Judge Noreika. Fortunately, I doubt if FARA or any charges related to Hunter's foreign influence peddling will be included, which leaves open the possibility of further investigations leading to further prosecutions.
Still true even if it went pear-shaped: Hunter Biden's cushy 'sweetheart' plea deal eviscerates his father's credibility

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Crusader

Carlson And Trump Team Up To Upstage Fox's GOP Debate

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Wed, 23 Aug 2023 20:01 UTC
Trump and Tucker Carlson
As you may have heard, former President Donald Trump is skipping Wednesday night's GOP debates, and will instead appear for an interview with Tucker Carlson - where the pair will undoubtedly upstage the current crop of GOP candidates, who according to current polls, have no chance in hell of receiving the Republican nomination.

Former President Donald Trump confirmed in a social media post that his interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson will be released tonight (Aug. 23), just before the network's Republican presidential primary debate.

The former president announced on Truth Social that his previously recorded interview with Mr. Carlson will broadcast at 9 p.m.

"Sparks will fly," President Trump wrote in his post about the interview, which will reportedly stream on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Comment: Smart move by Trump. Voters will know which channel is the most interesting to tune into tonight.

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