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'KrakenOnSteroids': Sidney Powell says she 'understands' Trump's lawyers distancing themselves from her, vows to fight on


RT
Mon, 23 Nov 2020 02:37 UTC
octopus
© Global Look Press / dpa / Stefan Sauer
Sidney Powell, one of the most vocal legal voices championing the Trump campaign's allegations of large-scale election fraud, has said she stands by her claims after the president's legal team seemingly distanced itself from her.

"I understand today's press release. I will continue to represent #WeThePeople who had their votes for Trump and other Republicans stolen by massive fraud through Dominion and Smartmatic, and we will be filing suit soon," Powell told CBS News in a statement on Sunday, hours after the Trump campaign clarified she was not a part of the legal team led by Rudy Giuliani.

"The chips will fall where they may, and we will defend the foundations of this great Republic," Powell added, adding #KrakenOnSteroids hashtag to the message.

Comment: See also:

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Dollars

Newsom dinner at the French Laundry cost $15,000 with 22 people in attendance - some of them now privately laughing at controversy

Cristina Laila
Gateway Pundit
Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:10 UTC
gavin newsom french laundry dinner restaurant

Gov. Newsom and guests enjoy a private dinner at a San Francisco restaurant while regulars citizens were in lockdown
The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife attended a birthday party with 'at least a dozen people' from several different households for his advisor Jason Kinney.

Newsom attended a dinner party at The French Laundry, a restaurant in Napa Valley that charges $800 per person for their tasting menu while he tells Californians they can't gather with their families for Thanksgiving.

Photos of Newsom's swanky dinner party was leaked to Fox LA.

Comment: If you ever needed a better illustration: The elites aren't afraid of the virus, they don't care about the rules they make everyone else follow and they will continue to be blatantly hypocritical, even after getting caught. Your suffering means nothing to them - it's literally a joke.

See also:

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Attention

The Germans are back on the totalitarian track!

CJ Hopkins
Consent Factory
Sun, 22 Nov 2020 00:00 UTC
Nazi soldiers
Break out the Wagner, folks ... the Germans are back! No, not the warm, fuzzy, pussified, peace-loving, post-war Germans ... the Germans! You know the ones I mean. The "I didn't know where the trains were going" Germans. The "I was just following orders" Germans. The other Germans.

Yeah ... those Germans.

In case you missed it, on November 18, the German parliament passed a law, the so-called "Infection Protection Act" ("Das Infektionsschutzgesetz" in German) formally granting the government the authority to issue whatever edicts it wants under the guise of protecting the public health. The government has been doing this anyway — ordering lockdowns, curfews, travel bans, banning demonstrations, raiding homes and businesses, ordering everyone to wear medical masks, harassing and arresting dissidents, etc. — but now it has been "legitimized" by the Bundestag, enshrined into law, and presumably stamped with one of those intricate official stamps that German bureaucrats like to stamp things with.

Now, this "Infection Protection Act," which was rushed through the parliament, is not in any way comparable to the "Enabling Act of 1933," which formally granted the government the authority to issue whatever edicts it wanted under the guise of remedying the distress of the people. Yes, I realize that sounds quite similar, but, according to the government and the German media, there is no absolutely equivalence whatsoever, and anyone who suggests there is is "a far-right AfD extremist," "a neo-Nazi conspiracy theorist," or "an anti-vax esotericist," or whatever.

Comment: If seeing is believing check out this story:



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Snakes in Suits

Biden's getting the Obama band back together again for an encore performance celebrating nostalgia for a never-was golden age

Helen Buyniski
RT
Mon, 23 Nov 2020 02:32 UTC
obama and biden
© Reuters / Jason Reed
The incoming Biden administration's cabinet carries a strong whiff of deja vu, and that's no accident - the uninspiring president-elect is staking everything on evoking a lost utopia that never existed under ex-president Obama.

The Biden campaign's rule of thumb for his cabinet appointments seems to be to channel the Obama administration - with an extra helping of wokeness where possible. This has seen him float Pentagon veteran and dyed-in-the-wool megahawk Michele Flournoy as the first-ever female Secretary of Defense and former DACA czar Alejandro Mayorkas as the first Latino-Jewish head of the Department of Homeland Security.

There's also the rumor he's planning to pick Obama's former Fed chair Janet Yellen as the first-ever female Treasury Secretary - but even if she's not the lucky lady, fellow former Clinton adviser Lael Brainard could get the nod, or one of two black candidates - one of whom happens to be gay. Whoever he picks, they'll be a "first" - and, given their institutional history as reliable servants of the ruling class under Obama, a dependable source of more-of-the-same fiscal policies.
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Chess

Trump at the Rubicon: How the Insurrection Act and Militia Act empower Trump to cast the die

Alexander Macris
macris.substack.com
Wed, 18 Nov 2020 02:02 UTC
trump rubicon
In the closing days of 50 BC, the Roman Senate declared that Julius Caesar's term as a provincial governor was finished. Roman law afforded its magistrates immunity to prosecution, but this immunity would end with Caesar's term. As the leader of the populares faction, Caesar had many enemies among the elite optimates, and as soon as he left office, these enemies planned to bury him in litigation. Caesar knew he would lose everything: property, liberty, even his life.

Caesar decided it was better to fight for victory than accept certain defeat. In January 49 BC, he crossed the Rubicon River with his army, in violation of sacred Roman law, and began a civil war. "Alea iacta est," said Caesar: The die is cast.

In the closing days of 2020 AD, the American media has declared that Donald Trump's term as president is finished. As the leader of the deplorables faction, Trump has many enemies among the elite irates, and as soon as he leaves office, these enemies plan to bury him in litigation. Bill Pascrell, the Chairman of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Oversight, has officially called for the prosecution of President Trump for "government crimes" following his term in office. In his thirst for vengeance, Pascrell has made it clear there will be no Nixonian escape by pardon:
Donald Trump, along with his worst enablers, must be tried for their crimes against our nation and Constitution. Any further abuse of the sacred pardon power to shield criminals would itself be obstruction of justice, and any self-pardons would be illegal.
Like Caesar, Trump now must fight for victory or lose everything. Come January 2021, will Donald Trump decide to cast the die and cross the Rubicon? He might.
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Smoking

The Netherlands to ban cigarette sales in supermarkets from 2024, vending machines from 2022

Bart Meijer
Reuters
Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:07 UTC
Cigarettes
© ESM Magazine
The Netherlands will ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in supermarkets from 2024 in a drive to get more people to give up smoking, the government said on Friday.

Together with a ban on cigarette vending machines from 2022, the supermarket ban will remove around 11,000 of the current 16,000 tobacco vending points in the country, the government said.

Supermarkets currently make up 55% of all tobacco sales in the Netherlands.

"This will prevent a lot of unnecessary deaths and medical suffering," deputy health minister Paul Blokhuis said of the supermarket move in a statement.

Comment: See also: Smoke, Lies And The Nanny State

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Whistle

China says it will respond to US admiral visit to Taiwan, Washington says it 'is not leaving' the South China Sea dispute


Ahram Online
Mon, 23 Nov 2020 17:53 UTC
us china flag
China will respond to the reported visit of a US Navy admiral to Taiwan and firmly opposes any military relations between Taipei and Washington, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

A two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. Neither Taiwan nor the United States has officially confirmed the trip.

The Trump administration has ramped up support for Taiwan, including with new arms sales, alarming China, which views the democratic island as one of its provinces with no right to state-to-state ties.

Comment: RT reports:
'We're not leaving': Trump security advisor says Washington committed to deterring Beijing amid S. China Sea dispute

President Donald Trump's national security advisor Robert O'Brien has reiterated the US' commitment to back the Philippines and Vietnam over Beijing's territorial claims in the potentially energy-rich South China Sea.

The two states have been engaged in a long-running row with Beijing over sovereignty in the contested South China Sea, of which China claims 90 percent.

O'Brien said the way to deter China is the "peace-through-strength message" and reinforced Washington's military commitment to the region.

"Our message is we're going to be here, we've got your back, and we're not leaving."

The national security advisor reaffirmed that the US stands firmly behind the Philippines in building a deterrent against Chinese expansionism, adding that the sub-sea resources claimed by the Philippines belonged to its people and future generations.

"They don't belong to some other country just because they may be bigger than the Philippines...that's just wrong," he said.

In 2016, the dispute over the territory and exploration rights went to the Hague, where a court ruled in favor of the Philippines against China. However, Beijing rejected the ruling, with President Xi Jinping saying it would not impact his country's "territorial sovereignty and marine rights."

In October this year, the Philippines lifted a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, which may allow for both it and China to undertake joint operations in the area.

The South China Sea remains largely unexplored in regard to hydrocarbons, but estimates suggest there are 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil in proven and probable reserves.There may be even more in fields that are yet to be discovered.

Relations between the US and China have deteriorated significantly throughout 2020 as Washington increasingly stepped up pressure on Beijing.

Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing would enact a "necessary" response after an admiral of the US Navy made an unannounced visit to Taiwan over the weekend.

Zhao said China "resolutely opposes" any diplomatic or military relations between Washington and Taiwan.


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Snakes in Suits

California Governor excludes Hollywood from lockdown but can't explain why


RT
Sat, 21 Nov 2020 23:23 UTC
hollywood
© Global Look Press/ Hans Blossey
Hollywood's film and production crews won't have to be inconvenienced by California's new Covid-19 curfew rule because Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly excluded them from having to follow his latest pandemic lockdown order.

The month-long curfew requirement, which was announced on Thursday and runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day, excludes television and movie crews, as well as other entertainment industry workers, a representative of Newsom's office told media outlet Deadline. Unlike when the governor imposed a statewide lockdown in March, entertainment industry employees are exempted as "essential" workers.

The curfew, which takes effect on Saturday, applies to the 40 California counties that are categorized in the state's highest tier for infection rates, purple, amid a surge in new Covid-19 cases. The purple tier currently covers 94 percent of the state's population, including all of Southern California.
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Eye 1

DHS plans to begin collecting eye scans and DNA with the help of defense contractors

Felipe De La Hoz
The Intercept
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 12:52 UTC
Biometric scanner
© AP/Denis Poroy
Biometric Kiosk at pedestrian crossing from Mexico-USA Otay Mesa Port of Entry
Through a little-discussed potential bureaucratic rule change, the Department of Homeland Security is planning to collect unprecedented levels of biometric information from immigration applicants and their sponsors — including U.S. citizens. While some types of applicants have long been required to submit photographs and fingerprints, a rule currently under consideration would require practically everyone applying for any kind of status, or detained by immigration enforcement agents, to provide iris scans, voiceprints and palmprints, and, in some cases, DNA samples. A tangled web of defense and surveillance contractors, which operate with little public oversight, have already begun to build the infrastructure that would be needed to store these records.
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Mail

Interesting new lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania State Court by Pennsylvania GOP challenging legality of vote-by-mail

Shipwreckedcrew
RedState
Sun, 22 Nov 2020 05:45 UTC
Voter puzzle pieces
© Matt Williams/NBC News
Yesterday several Pennsylvania Republican Party officials and individual Republican voters filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to obtain declaratory and injunctive relief based on a claim that the legislation which adopted "no excuse" eligibility for absentee voting was an illegitimate amendment of the Pennsylvania State Constitution.

The Plaintiffs are Mike Kelly, a GOP member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the extreme northwest corner of Pennsylvania; Sean Parnell, a GOP politician who lost his race for the US House in a suburban Pittsburg District; Wanda Logan, a GOP politician who lost her race for Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia County; and five other individual voters from various Pennsylvania counties. The defendants are the State of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Tom Wolfe, the Governor of Pennsylvania, and Katherine Boockvar, the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Legislature passed, and Gov. Wolf signed, Act 77 which included amendments to Pennsylvania election laws — including a provision that expanded the availability of absentee voting on a "no excuse" basis.
Here is the issue as presented by the Complaint — the Pennsylvania Constitution sets forth the basis upon which voters ("electors") may cast an absentee ballot, and Act 77 did not "amend" the State Constitution as has been done in the past when changes were made to the Absentee Ballot provisions.

Comment: Supreme Court has declined to hear Trump's lawsuit to disqualify late-arriving Pennsylvania mail-in votes:
Republicans argued before the election that Pennsylvania's decision to allow the counting of ballots received after election day violated the state's constitution.

In a 4-4 decision in October, the US Supreme Court allowed these late-arriving ballots to be counted and, in a follow-up order, asked that they be segregated from the rest. The Trump campaign hoped that this order would pave the way for these ballots to be discounted, but when the nation's highest court met on Monday, it decided not to take action on the case.

The court's order list on Monday made no mention of the case. While the court could hear it when its justices meet again in December, Pennsylvania's counties must certify the results of the election on Monday. States must certify their vote tallies by December 8, before the Electoral College votes a week later.


Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, Trump's attorneys, wrote that they would seek an "expedited appeal" with 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, which has a conservative majority. Should the 3rd Circuit fail them, Giuliani and Ellis still have options, with Giuliani writing on Saturday that the Pennsylvania defeat helps the campaign "in our strategy to get expeditiously to the US Supreme Court."



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