Joe Biden
So, when he gave America a scripted 'update' on his administration's efforts on Wednesday, a moment of awkwardness ensued when the President of the United States asked for permission to take questions.
Puppet Masters
Joe Biden
So, when he gave America a scripted 'update' on his administration's efforts on Wednesday, a moment of awkwardness ensued when the President of the United States asked for permission to take questions.
© Reuters
Israeli air force pilots are seen inside the cockpit of a F15 aircraft during "Blue Flag", an aerial exercise hosted by Israel.
Israeli air force pilots are seen inside the cockpit of a F15 aircraft during "Blue Flag", an aerial exercise hosted by Israel.
In an official statement last week, the special envoy of the president of Russia to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, indicated that Moscow was rapidly losing patience with Israel over airstrikes against alleged Iranian targets on Syria soil. "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."
The language, though diplomatic, leaves little room for misinterpretation. By using the term "including" about the Syrian government losing patience, Lavrentiev left no doubt that the other "inclusive" party was Russia. This linkage carries over into the not-so-veiled threat of a "retaliatory strike" and "possible escalation of violence." In short, Lavrentiev's warning was as blunt a threat against Israel that could be made short of stating the obvious - if Israel continues to bomb Syria, Russia will have no choice but to shoot down their planes.
© Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks outside of the Democratic National Committee headquarters on November 19, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks outside of the Democratic National Committee headquarters on November 19, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
President Joe Biden has backed increasing the minimum wage $15, but plans to push it through with COVID-19 relief measures via budget reconciliation have stalled after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that it should not be passed using this process.
Progressive Democrats have urged Vice President Kamala Harris to overrule the parliamentarian, though the White House has indicated she will not do so.
Comment: Further from RT:
The argument about well-compensated McDonald's workers in the European nation has been around for years and has been regularly used by progressive politicians in the US. The Danish branch of the international company prides itself on being among the best employers in the country.
Ironically, Denmark has no government-mandated minimum wage. The substantial pay rates and privileges enjoyed by working-class folks employed by McDonald's there are a result of collective bargaining on their behalf by a union. One could argue that this solution is inapplicable for US union-busting realities.
But direct wage comparisons are somewhat tricky considering the vastly different approaches to taxation and public services in the US and in Denmark — and obviously things like prices and unemployment rates should be factored in to tell how much the lot of European burger-servers and cashiers is better compared to their American counterparts.
A battle over such intricacies and whether they were relevant to force a vote on minimum wage in the Congress raged in AOC's comments, pushing Denmark's name to trend on Twitter. Some of her critics found a different line of attack, however. If the New York City representative is such a fan of Danish policies, wouldn't she endorse those on immigration, they pointed out.
This week Denmark became the first European country to strip residency permits from dozens of Syrian refugees and tell them to go back to their home country. The government argued it was safe to return to a government-controlled area surrounding Damascus.
The ruling Social Democratic Party has an anti-immigration stance and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen even pledged to work toward having "zero" applications for asylum in the country during a parliament session in January.
© AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, Trump supporters, including Doug Jensen, center, confront U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington. QAnon conspiracy theory believers were front and center at the Jan. 6 rally in support of Trump’s baseless claims of widespread election fraud as well as the riot that followed.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, Trump supporters, including Doug Jensen, center, confront U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington. QAnon conspiracy theory believers were front and center at the Jan. 6 rally in support of Trump’s baseless claims of widespread election fraud as well as the riot that followed.
"Based on the intelligence that we have, the Department has taken immediate steps to enhance our security posture and staffing for a number of days, to include March 4," the Capitol Police said in a statement. "The Department has communicated our enhanced posture as well as the available intelligence for the entire workforce."
The Capitol Police said it will continue to work with all of its law enforcement partners to make them aware of "concerning information and intelligence."
Comment: See also:
- QAnon hardliners are doubling down on theory Donald Trump will be reinstated on March 4
- QAnon conspiracy theory claims COVID vaccines will turn you gay or trans
- Marjorie Taylor Greene folds to Establishment pressure, blames Facebook for QAnon beliefs, before being kicked off House Committees anyway
- Congress 'QAnon' purge is about outlawing dissent and anyone hoping to restore the Republic should hate it
- 'You really believed this?' Anderson Cooper asks after former QAnon follower apologizes for thinking CNN host 'ate babies'
- 'QAnon Shaman' willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says
- Ghislaine Maxwell's Epstein court hearing 'hacked' by 14,000 QAnon followers
- QAnon: An FBI Psyop?
The Office for National Statistics has said over the whole of 2020 the economy dived by 9.9 per cent - the worst annual performance since the Great Frost devastated Europe in 1709
Comment: Note that's just what the government has paid out, this sum does not include the massive immediate financial losses by staff and small and medium businesses that have been prevented from working for nearly a year now.
In today's Budget, the Chancellor will extend the job protection scheme for an extra five months beyond the current deadline at the end of April.
The move takes the scheme, which has cost almost £5 billion a month, well beyond the official target for ending lockdown on June 21, and raises questions about whether ministers expect to lift all restrictions at that point.
Comment: Furlough extensions seem to coincide with lockdown extensions, which is notable because, as reported in the article, the UK government has just laid out it's 'road map' out of lockdown, and citizens are not expecting lockdown to last until (or past) October 2021: 'No route to zero-Covid': Boris Johnson unveils 'irreversible' lockdown-lifting plan
© Sputnik / Kirill Braga
Military personnel during the pre-holiday training camps dedicated to the Defender of the Fatherland Day at the Prudboy training ground of the Southern Military District in the Volgograd region.
Military personnel during the pre-holiday training camps dedicated to the Defender of the Fatherland Day at the Prudboy training ground of the Southern Military District in the Volgograd region.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled new sanctions against Moscow after the alleged poisoning and "attempted assassination of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny."
"The US government has exercised its authorities to send a clear signal that Russia's use of chemical weapons and abuse of human rights have severe consequences," a press statement from Blinken said.
As part of the restrictions, Russia has been included in Section 126.1 of the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which essentially means that any requests from Moscow to buy defense-related items would be flatly rejected.
© buchanan.org/Pixabay
"We're confident that the target was being used by the same Shia militia that conducted the strikes," said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. But Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy want to know where President Joe Biden got his authority to launch attacks in Syria, where there was no clear or present danger to any U.S. troops.
Days before the U.S. strike, Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement denying any complicity in the Irbil attack:
"We absolutely did not target Erbil or the Green Zone and have no knowledge of the group that did."
Iran has also denied any involvement in the missile attack on the Americans. On a visit to Baghdad, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called for an investigation as to who is initiating the attacks inside Iraq. "We emphasize the need for the Iraqi government to find the perpetrators of these incidents," said Zarif. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian forces in Syria got only four or five minutes' notice that U.S. planes were on their way to a strike.
Bottom line: Those conducting these attacks on U.S. bases and troops in Iraq, provoking American counterstrikes, seek to ignite a conflict between the U.S. and Iran, and its proxies in Iraq and Syria.
And they are succeeding.
Comment: Trump championed America. His instincts, whether or not allowed to play out, considered its wellbeing and its future. Buchanan offers an interesting perspective on Biden's dilemma - should he even realize there is one.
© Screenshot
Attorney Sidney Powell
Attorney Sidney Powell
Powell had promised in the aftermath of the Nov. 3 election to "release the Kraken," with lawsuits that would blow up the claim that the vote count was legitimate. Her lawsuits were rejected on procedural grounds, however, and her claims never got traction.
But her confidence that the election was invalid is unshaken. She told Erskine Radio in an interview Saturday that there is "more than enough evidence in the public now to more than reverse the election in at least five states."
Powell said the existence of "fractionalized votes" weighted in favor of Joe Biden, created by a computer algorithm, can be proved in multiple counties. And it could be proved across the country, she said, "if anybody would issue an order allowing inspection of the machines."
Comment: And...nothing changed. The Fraud Will Stand.
Last Monday the United States Supreme Court refused to review the Pennsylvania 2020 Election cases. The court made the announcement on Monday morning.See also:
Justices Alito, Gorsuch, and Thomas dissented from the denial.
On Monday, following their inaction last week, the US Supreme Court rejected without comment or explanation, lingering 2020 election challenges by Attorney Sidney Powell in Arizona and Wisconsin.
The Supreme Court rejected two mandamus petitions that Sidney Powell and other "Kraken"-aligned lawyers filed in late December. Those cases were stylized as In re Tyler Bowyer, et al. and In Re William Feehan. The cases took issue with the election results in Arizona and Wisconsin, where Trump lost to Joe Biden.
"The petitions for writs of mandamus are denied," the court said Monday. That's it, that's the order.
The matter-of-factness and brevity stands in stark contrast to the urgency and "public importance" that the lawyers communicated in the since-dismissed petitions. Each of the mandamus petitions said:"A submission directly to this Court seeking an extraordinary writ of mandamus is unusual, but it has its foundation. While such relief is rare, this Court will grant it 'where a question of public importance is involved, or where the question is of such a nature that it is peculiarly appropriate that such action by this Court should be taken."
Supreme Court still sees no steal, again declines to hear Trump lawsuit against Pennsylvania's dodgy election rule changes
© Getty Images/Jacob King/PA Images
Staff area inside GCHQ
Staff area inside GCHQ
On February 24, GCHQ issued a report - Pioneering a New National Security - outlining how it intends to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle child sex abuse, drugs, weapons and human trafficking, and online disinformation.
Mainstream media outlets widely reiterated the paper's headline claims without criticism or balance. The BBC went so far as to suggest the release reflected GCHQ's benevolent intentions and commitment to transparency.
News organizations particularly focused on the agency's pledge to use AI to prevent online grooming, track potential predators, identify sources of child pornography, and help law enforcement identify and infiltrate pedophile rings. That no alarm was raised about this particular commitment is understandable - after all, apart from pedophiles themselves, who wouldn't welcome child sex abuse being battled via every available means?
Comment: The plan, tech and mechanisms come first. The scenarios that require those aspects come second. The acceptance without question comes third. The elimination of public rights becomes irreversible.
© Sergei Bobylev/TASS
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
"We regard any such restrictions as absolutely unacceptable. They cause considerable harm to relations, which are already in a deplorable condition. They [sanctions] are nothing but interference in Russia's internal affairs."He added though that the new sanctions introduced against several Russian citizens essentially duplicate the restrictions placed on them under the Russian legislation.
"If one talks about specific people against whom the so-called sanctions, or rather restrictions, were introduced, then it is practically a duplication of those restrictions that are placed on these people under the Russian laws. As it is, these people do not go abroad, do not have the right to open accounts at foreign banks and do not have the right to own property abroad. This cannot be said for some legal entities [against] whom [the sanctions] were also announced."Asked if the Kremlin could offer an explanation as to why the United States and the European Union had selected a strategy of targeted restrictions, Peskov replied: "It is not our concern to explain motivations."
Comment: The Biden power trip is just beginning. It promises a bumpy ride.
Comment: It's becoming more difficult to hide Biden's cognitive deficits. Will Kamala be 25th Amendment-ed into office soon?