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'Renminbi Diplomacy': Is this how China bought the US government?

Nauman Sadiq
Zero Hedge
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:20 UTC
Chinese claw on globe
© Ferguson
In an explosive scoop, alternative news outlet Zero Hedge has laid bare how China's state apparatchik clandestinely baited the family members of the Obama-era vice president and secretary of state into joint business ventures in order to surreptitiously influence the trade and economic policies of the US government favoring China's geo-economic interests spanning the globe.

Here are a few relevant excerpts from the investigative report authored by Christopher Balding, Associate Professor at Peking University HSBC School of Business Shenzhen, China, and also a Bloomberg contributor:
"Hunter Biden partnered with the Chinese state. Entire investment partnership is Chinese state money from social security fund to China Development Bank. It is actually a subsidiary of the Bank of China. This is not remotely anything less than a Chinese state-funded play.

"Though the entire size of the fund cannot be reconstructed, the Taiwanese cofounder who is now detained in China, reports it to be NOT $1-1.5 billion but $6.5 billion. This would make Hunters stake worth at a minimum at least $50 million if he was to sell it.

"The believed Godfather arranging Hunter's business ventures is a gentleman named Yang Jiechi. He is currently the CCP Director of Foreign Affairs leading strategist for America, Politburo member, one of the most powerful men in China, and Chinese President Xi Jingpin's confidant.

"He met regularly with Joe Biden during his stint as Chinese ambassador the US when Biden chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Later he was Minister of Foreign Affairs when the investment partnership was made official in 2013.

"Hunter Biden's 2013 Bohai Harvest Rosemont investment partnership was set-up by Ministry of Foreign Affairs institutions which are tasked with garnering influence with foreign leaders during Yang's tenure as Foreign Minister.

"Hunter's BHR stake (purchased for $400,000) is now likely be worth approx. $50 million (fees and capital appreciation based on BHR's $6.5 billion AUM as stated by Michael Lin).

"Joe Biden's foreign policy stance towards China (formerly hawkish), turned positive despite China's country's rising geopolitical assertiveness."

Comment: The picture of innocence grows murkier and murkier as those who deem themselves 'above the law' are increasingly exposed.

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Light Saber

Ultimatum day: Tikhanovskaya announces strike after Lukashenko refuses to resign and Minsk denies work stoppage

Jonny Tickle
RT
Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:26 UTC
LukashenkoTikhanovskaya
© Drop of Light/Shutterstock/DEBATI.bg/KJN
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko • Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya
Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, now exiled in the EU, called a nationwide strike Monday after long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko refused to step down following an ultimatum from the opposition.

The measure finally brings things to a head after months of protest and will be seen as a litmus test for the anti-Lukashenko coalition's attempt to force a transfer of power. Should the strike action fail to take hold, it will be seen as a victory for the incumbent, but if it gains momentum, then all bets are off.

On Monday morning, opposition-leaning media reported that multiple large businesses throughout the country had ceased working. This was denied by the government, which claimed that key enterprises are "operating normally" and "production has not been stopped."

On October 13, in what she called the 'People's Ultimatum', Tikhanovskaya demanded the president's resignation, as well as an end to violence against protesters, and the release of those considered to be political prisoners. Writing on her Telegram channel, Tikhanovskaya announced on Monday morning that the deadline had passed, and the general strike was to begin.
"Belarusians know that, on October 26, the main job is to show that no one will work for the regime. They are risking their personal freedom today so that we can achieve freedom for our country."
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USA

Make America neutral again: Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen wants to turn USA into a large, nuclear-armed Switzerland

Chris Sweeney
RT
Mon, 26 Oct 2020 17:03 UTC
Jo Jorgensen
© LightRocket/Getty Images/Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images
Libertarian Dr. Jo Jorgensen, 2020 presidential nominee
She may have no chance of getting her hands on the keys to the White House next month, but a growing number of Americans are coming around to her limited government, anti-interventionist, decentralized vision for the US.

Jo Jorgensen feels Donald Trump and Joe Biden are scared to debate her. The Libertarian candidate points to her party's burgeoning popularity and direct policies as two of the reasons for the two big hitters' reluctance to let her on the podium.

Speaking to RT on the way to a campaign event in Milwaukee, she said:
"They are the ones in power and they will do anything they can to keep from giving it up. They don't want me on the debate stage and they're not putting me in the media, as they know that I'll be the only real choice. Both of those candidates and parties want to spend our money and make our decisions for us, neither one has an answer to our healthcare problem."
Echoing another third-party candidate Don Blankenship, Dr. Jo is frustrated by how the system has prevented her from being part of the televised debate, alongside her Republican and Democratic rivals. She also claims the mainstream media are apprehensive to feature the other candidates - maybe why Dr. Jo doesn't once mention Trump or Biden by name during our interview.

Comment: Good or bad, some other points of view are finally surfacing from outside the locked 2-party system. It's no surprise the Libertarians have been gaining in numbers.

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Cell Phone

Judicial Watch: New Strzok-Page emails show 'missing' meeting entries


Judicial Watch
Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00 UTC
Judicial Watch Page/Strzok
© judicialwatch/fb/pressroom/KJN.jpg
Judicial Watch announced today that it received 163 pages of emails between former FBI official Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page. The records show that Microsoft Outlook's exchange server had to recreate multiple meetings that were "missing" from Lisa Page's initial calendar entries. These missing meetings included the subjects "Going Dark Strategy Meeting," "Twitter," and "702 Reauthorization Strategy Coordination Bi-Weekly."

The records were produced in response to Judicial Watch's January 2018 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the DOJ failed to respond to a December 2017 request for all communications between Strzok and Page (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:18-cv-00154)). The FBI is only processing the records at a rate of 500 pages per month and has refused to process text messages. At this rate, the production of these emails will not be completed until late 2021 at the earliest.

Multiple meetings were "missing" from Lisa Page's calendar and had the Microsoft Outlook message "Exchange Server re-created a meeting that was missing from your calendar." These meetings include a December 15, 2017, meeting that was recreated and has the subject, "Going Dark Strategy Meeting."
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Mail

Wisconsin mail-in ballots must be received by election day, Supreme Court rules

Brittany Bernstein
National Review
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:24 UTC
ballot drop box
© Gabriela Bhaskar/Reuters
Ballot drop box • Green Bay, Wisconsin
Wisconsin will not be allowed to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

In a 5-3 decision, the justices chose not to reinstate a lower court order that allowed mail-in ballots to be counted if they are received up to six days after the November 3 election. A federal appeals court had put that order on hold.

The three liberal justices dissented while Chief Justice John Roberts, who last week sided with the liberals to allow Pennsylvania to extend its absentee ballot deadline, voted to do the opposite in Wisconsin.

"Different bodies of law and different precedents govern these two situations and require, in these particular circumstances, that we allow the modification of election rules in Pennsylvania but not Wisconsin," Roberts wrote.

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Newspaper

UK's ex-SAGE member speaks out against 'circuit breaker' lockdown


RT
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 13:10 UTC
lockdown UK
© REUTERS / Andrew Couldridge
FILE PHOTO. Coventry, Britain.
London's response to the pandemic faces mounting criticism, but the cost of a lockdown would be overwhelming compared to the benefit in lives saved, an ex-member of the SAGE has argued.

On September 21, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) suggested that the UK should go into a short national lockdown to radically curb the spread of Covid-19. The scientists reportedly estimated that around 7,800 lives can be saved by the end of the year, if the 'circuit breaker' lockdown is introduced. Boris Johnson's cabinet has so far opted for maintaining the current three-tier scheme of local lockdowns, but there is strong pressure from the opposition to go for the national lockdown option.


Comment: All of SAGE's models and estimates have been proven to be deadly wrong in the past.


Saving lives at any cost is understandably a sound option from a publicity standpoint, but the grim reality is that governments have to use cost-benefit analysis when making decisions. And the lockdown proposal would not pass this test, a former member of the SAGE argued in the Times.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Arrow Down

Eternal lockdown: Welsh govt minister says second 'fire-break' likely in January or February


WalesOnline
Sun, 25 Oct 2020 18:30 UTC
wales supermarket
© WalesOnline
A second fire-break lockdown is likely early in January or February, a Welsh Government minister warned this morning as the row over essential items shopping continues.

Deputy minister for economy and transport Lee Waters said people should be prepared to come in and out of lockdowns until a vaccine against coronavirus is found.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement programme this morning he said: "This is not the last lockdown we are going to see."

He added: "The projections and papers we published on our worse-case scenario projections show it is likely we are going to need another firebreak in January or February."

He said the first and second lockdowns came too late and cases and deaths are rising again.


Comment: It wasn't "too late." It was ineffective, and harmful, as will be all future lockdowns.


"We are doing our best to flatten the curve. We can't stop the curve, we can't stop the virus spreading. Our best hope is to wait for a vaccine to help us bring it under control."

Comment: Luckily there are still heroes:
"Since when have clothes been exempt?, rip the f***ers off... kids' f***ing clothes, it is a disgrace," said 28-year-old Gwilym Owen as he tore away the sheeting.

"All you need to do is don't comply and take them off," he added as he continued to remove the protective covering.

After a member of security approached Owen, he responded, "'Since when has clothing not been essential?"

At the end of the clip, other members of staff appear to try to take the cameraman's phone away from him while he is recording.


Owen subsequently explained his actions on Facebook, noting that he didn't care about the backlash because he had "had enough" of the restrictions.

'I heard supermarkets have put covers over 'non essential' things such as clothes. We're heading into winter now and who would have thought clothes for children weren't essential?'

'I'm sure there are people out there who can barely afford heating in their houses and now they want to stop people buying clothes in supermarkets.

'I don't expect everyone to do what I've done here but I do expect everyone to know that denying the public clothing is nothing but immoral and inhuman.

'So no I'm not ashamed of what I've done.

'I'm not prepared to live in a society where they can take basic human needs away like being able to buy new clothes, especially for children. So I'll do what I can to stop it.

'I've had it up to my tether with what's going on and we need more people to take a stand for.

Tesco responded by saying they had been ordered by the government to cover up the items.


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Brain

Biden appears to confuse Trump with former President George W. Bush

Joe Tacopino
New York Post
Sun, 25 Oct 2020 23:45 UTC
joe biden interview cbs
© AP
Joe Biden during an interview on Monday, Oct. 19.
Joe Biden appeared to confuse President Trump with George Bush during an online fundraising event Sunday and got an assist from his wife Jill Biden who was sitting next to him.

The Democratic presidential candidate was speaking at the "I Will Vote" concert that included John Legend, Dave Matthews, Cher and Pink when he attempted to make the case for his election.

"Not because I'm running, but because who I'm running against, this is the most consequential election in a long, long, long time," Biden, 77, told moderators George Lopez and CNN analyst Ana Navarro. "And the character of the country in my view is literally on the ballot. What kind of country we're gonna be? Four more years of George, ah, George, gonna find ourselves in a position where if Trump gets elected we're going to be in a different world."

Comment: As could be expected, Trump took no time in pointing out the gaffe. From RT:
'He couldn't remember my name': Trump mocks Biden for confusing him with George Bush, accuses media of 'covering up' incident
26 Oct, 2020 13:46

Donald Trump has ridiculed Democratic challenger Joe Biden for apparently confusing him with former President George Bush during a virtual media event and accused journalists of helping "cover" for him.

"Joe Biden called me George yesterday. Couldn't remember my name," Trump tweeted on Monday morning. The president also accused "The Fake News Cartel" of being in cahoots with the Democrats and "working overtime" to cover the incident up.


Biden made the gaffe during Sunday's online 'I Will Vote' concert. "What kind of country are we going to be? Four more years of George, um... George, um..." Biden said with his wife Jill sitting beside him and somewhat awkwardly looking at the camera.

Trump's response instantly drew its own criticism, as many recalled times when he himself has mixed up the names of various high profile people.

"Tim Apple has entered the chat," quipped one commenter, referring to the president famously calling Apple CEO Tim Cook "Tim Apple".


Biden is not alone when it comes to mistaking Trump for former president Bush. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has referred to the sitting president as "Bush" on a number of occasions in recent years.


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USA

President Donald Trump TAKES LEAD over Joe Biden in Rasmussen daily 'White House Watch' — 4 point swing in ONE WEEK

Jim Hoft
Gateway Pundit
Mon, 26 Oct 2020 09:39 UTC
2020 presidential election
President Trump took the lead today over Democrat Joe Biden in the Rasmussen daily "White House Watch" poll.

Trump was down by three points last week.

That's a four point swing in a week!

Comment: It's not only the Rasmussen poll showing Trump in the lead. From Breitbart:
Post-Debate Polls Show Donald Trump Leading in MI, AZ, and FL
John Nolte 25 Oct 2020

Three post-debate polls in swing states that will decide the 2020 election show President Donald Trump with a small lead.

In Michigan, the Trafalgar Group, one of the most accurate swing state pollsters in 2016 and 2018, shows Trump leading former Vice President Joe Biden by two points, 49 to 47 percent, with third party libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen at two percent. Earlier this month, this same pollster had Trump up by a single point, 47 to 46 percent.

Trump is also up two with Trafalgar in Florida, 49 to 47 percent, over Biden. Jorgensen is again at two percent. Earlier this month, in this same poll, Trump had a similar two point lead, 48 to 46 percent, over Biden.

In Arizona, Trump sits at 50 percent, compared to just 47 percent for Biden. Jorgensen is again at two percent. An earlier Trafalgar poll had Trump up by four, 48 to 44 percent. So Trump's lead shrank by a point, but he is at the magic 50 percent mark.


Trafalgar's number are currently something close to outliers compared to other pollsters looking at those same states.

In Florida, the RealClearPolitics poll of polls shows Biden up 1.5 points.

In Michigan, the average shows Biden winning by 7.8 points. A Fox News poll released just five days ago has Biden winning by 12 points, 52 to 40 percent.

In Arizona, Biden is up 2.4 points in the average.

One thing we can look at now is what actual voting looks like. We don't yet know who specifically is winning the vote, but we do know the party affiliation of those voting early, and even the far-left Politico has been forced to admit that things do not look very good for Joe Biden in Florida right now.

"Florida Republicans are pouring out of the trenches," an alarmed Politicowrites. "After weeks of Democrats outvoting them by mail, Republican voters stormed early voting precincts in person this week, taking large bites out of their opponents' historic lead in pre-Election Day ballots."

Democrats still held an early vote lead of 387,000 on Saturday, but that's down 21 percent from the lead they held three days ago, and Republicans — including yours truly — prefer to vote in person on Election Day. Especially in Florida.

Here's a key metric Politico reports on that should very much worry Team Biden: "According to TargetSmart's analysis, Black voters aged 18 to 29 have cast 15.8 percent of the total ballots so far in Florida. That's half a percentage point down from the same period in 2016."

So as of right now, Biden is doing worse in Florida with a key constituency, young black voters, than even Hillary did. Diminished black turnout, Hillary's inability to recreate the Obama coalition, is something that is widely seen as contributing to her humiliating loss.

In Arizona, 36 percent of Republicans and Democrats requested early ballots. So far, of those returned, 42 percent are Democrats, 34 percent are Republicans.

Here's a real shocker...

In Michigan, of the 3.1 million mail-in ballots requested, 39 percent of those requests came from Democrats, 41 percent from Republicans.

Right now, two million of those ballots have been returned, and the GOP has a two point lead of 41 to 39 percent.

So, Republicans are leading the early vote count by two points right now IN MICHIGAN, and in the past, Democrats have almost always had to build a sizable early vote lead to overcome the surge of Republican turn out on Election Day.

A final thing to keep in mind... You have a much better chance of ensuring your vote is counted if you show up in person on Election Day. Mail-in ballots have a much higher rejection rate than in-person votes.


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NPC

This coming leftist coup could backfire — like 1991 in Soviet Union

Wayne Allensworth
UNZ Review
Sat, 17 Oct 2020 07:33 UTC
Soviet State Committee

The Soviet State Committee on the State of Emergency, August, 1991
Our country seems headed for a political crisis, with the enemies of Deplorable America making noises suggesting they are planning a post-election "Color Revolution"-type coup against Trump. As a long-time Russia-watcher, I suggest that the failed Soviet coup of 1991, and the collapse that it spurred on, is instructive.

The key point that year came when Soviet military and security units refused to move against Boris Yeltsin and his defenders. Could something like that happen here, with Trump playing the Yeltsin role?

What yours truly has dubbed the globalist Blob has been signaling for some time that it has no intention of yielding to Trump come election day. Hillary Clinton, in her guise as the post-American Madam Defarge of the present Cultural Revolution, has even stated publicly that Joe Biden should not concede the election to Trump "under any circumstances." [Morning Greatness: Hillary Clinton Says Biden Should Not Concede 'Under Any Circumstances', by Liz Steele, AmGreatness.com, August 26, 2020]

Meanwhile, the Democrats, with help from rabid Never Trumpers like Bill Kristol and David Frum, have been "wargaming" scenarios for preventing Trump from taking office should he win, developing a plan for what Trump has correctly described as "an insurrection." [The Billionaire Backers of the 'Insurrection', by Julie Kelly, AmGreatness.com, Sep 14, 2020] The plan is to claim that Trump has stolen, or attempted to steal, the election. "As far as our enemies are concerned," as I wrote here last month, "they are on the right side of history, and neither election law nor the Constitution or any antiquated notions about fair play will stop them." [Revolution and Resistance: How can elections continue?, American Remnant, September 4, 2020]
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