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Pepe Escobar - From 9/11 to 'The Great Reset'

Davos types issue a new "with us or against us" ultimatum eerily reminiscent of the old 9/11 world...
Sept 2001
© AFP / Seth McAllister
A hijacked commercial plane crashes into New York's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
9/11 was the foundation stone of the new millennium - ever as much indecipherable as the Mysteries of Eleusis. A year ago, on Asia Times, once again I raised a number of questions that still find no answer.

A lightning speed breakdown of the slings and arrows of outrageous (mis)fortune trespassing these two decades will certainly include the following.
  • The end of history.
  • The short unipolar moment.
  • The Pentagon's Long War.
  • Homeland Security.
  • The Patriot Act.
  • Shock and Awe.
  • The tragedy/debacle in Iraq.
  • The 2008 financial crisis.
  • The Arab Spring.
  • Color revolutions.
  • "Leading from behind".
  • Humanitarian imperialism.
  • Syria as the ultimate proxy war.
  • The ISIS/Daesh farce.
  • The JCPOA.
  • Maidan.
  • The Age of Psyops.
  • The Age of the Algorithm.
  • The Age of the 0.0001%.
Once again, we're deep in Yeats territory: "the best lack all conviction/ while the worst are full of passionate intensity."

Network

IBM says U.S. should adopt new export controls on facial recognition systems

ibm logo
© Desconocido
IBM Corp IBM.N said on Friday the U.S. Commerce Department should adopt new controls to limit the export of facial recognition systems to repressive regimes that can be used to commit human rights violations.

The company said in a statement the United States should institute new export limits on "the type of facial recognition system most likely to be used in mass surveillance systems, racial profiling or other human rights violations."


Comment: How about banning its development altogether, because it's not just American-designated "repressive regimes" who violate human rights with such technology. If anyone thinks the NSA and even IBM itself aren't doing exactly that, we've got some beachfront property to sell you.


In July, the Commerce Department had sought public comments on whether to adopt new export license requirements for facial recognition software and other biometric systems used in surveillance. Comments are due by Sept. 15.

Christopher Padilla, IBM's vice president for government and regulatory affairs, told Reuters the U.S. government should focus on "one to many" systems that could be used to pick dissidents out of a crowd or for mass surveillance, rather than "facial identification" systems that allow a user to unlock an iPhone or board an airplane.

IBM said the Commerce Department should control "export of both the high-resolution cameras used to collect data and the software algorithms used to analyze and match that data against a database of images" and argued it should "limit the ability of certain foreign governments to obtain the large-scale computing components required to implement an integrated facial recognition system."

Arrow Down

White House stenographer says former VP's 'mental acuity' has deteriorated: 'Not the same Joe Biden'

biden dementia
© Getty Images
Joe Biden
Joe Biden's former White House stenographer said the vice president's public speaking ability has deteriorated significantly since leaving office to the point where he's "not the same Joe Biden."

"It is a complete difference from what he was in 2017," Mike McCormick, who worked as a White House stenographer for 15 years and with Biden from 2011 to 2017, told the Washington Free Beacon in an interview. "He's lost a step and he doesn't seem to have the same mental acuity as he did four years ago."

"He doesn't have the energy, he doesn't have the pace of his speaking," McCormick said. "He's a different guy."

Yoda

Julian Assange REALLY got on the US intel agencies' nerves

Assange/CIA
© The Intercept
Julian Assange
What is wonderful is when personal freedom is experienced in the United States. What is horrible is when that country does a "Soviet-style" turnabout and imprisons you for free speech. This is the story with Julian Assange, whose Wikileaks site has been a vital player in calling out abuses of power within the United States - its government and otherwise politically powerful.

From what Glenn Greenwald reports here on Tucker Carlson Tonight, it seems that Mr. Assange ought to be awarded a meda of gratitude, rather than put away for 175 years.

But, Mr. Assange upset the powerful. He embarassed Hillary Rodham Clinton (and didn't die, at least not yet), and he embarassed President Barack Obama (and didn't die, at least not yet). He exposed the massive surveillance ("spying") system the American intelligence agencies have developed for spying at will on American citizens (so much for the right to be left alone!)

Comment:


Sherlock

Russia says it has timeline of Navalny's movements, investigators ready to go if Germany agrees - UPDATE

Navalny

Alexei Navalny
Russian police said Friday they were seeking to question opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Berlin after Moscow rubbished Germany's declaration that he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.

The 44-year-old Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia and was hospitalised there before being flown to Berlin.

Germany said there was "unequivocal evidence" that he was poisoned with the nerve agent but Russia says its doctors found no trace of poison.

The Siberian transport police, who have been retracing Navalny's movements, said in a statement Russia would be preparing a request for its officers and an "expert" to shadow German investigators.

Comment: From RT:
Russian police are searching for a woman who was with Alexey Navalny before his alleged poisoning in August. Marina Pevchikh, who was in Tomsk alongside the opposition figure, left Russia after refusing to answer police questions.

Pevchikh left for Germany on August 22, when Navalny was taken to Berlin for treatment at the request of his associates.

"To date, five out of the six citizens who accompanied Navalny during the trip have been interviewed: Vladlen Los, Georgy Alburov, Ilya Pakhomov, Kira Yarmysh, and Pavel Zelensky," said the police department's statement.

"Marina Pevchikh, who was with Navalny and permanently resides in Britain, refused to give her side of the story on August 20. According to the investigation, on August 22, she flew to Germany, and therefore it was not possible to question her."

The police note that the investigation is ongoing, and they are also establishing the whereabouts of passengers who flew on the plane with Navalny.

In response to the incident, officials from NATO and the European Union have demanded that Russia conducts a "full and transparent" investigation. Despite no conclusion yet being reached, some have called for Moscow to be sanctioned over the alleged poisoning, which the Kremlin has called "absurd."

On Wednesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest with Germany's ambassador, calling suggestions of state involvement "unfounded."

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Navalny's associates are now "slowly beginning to move to Germany," which, in the context of the country's accusations against the Kremlin, is "very unpleasant."

"It is still in the interests of our German colleagues to protect their reputation and provide all the necessary information that would somehow shed light on the so-far unfounded accusations," Lavrov said.
UPDATE 12/09/2020: The mysterious Maria Pevchikh has surfaced, claiming she had always been available for questions:
Russian police say they are searching for a woman who was with Alexey Navalny in Tomsk before his alleged poisoning, last month. They claim 'Marina Pevchikh,' who left Russia after refusing to answer police questions.

Investigators said on Friday morning that the woman left for Germany on August 22, when Navalny was taken to Berlin for treatment at the request of his associates.

However, later the same day, Pevchikh herself apparently spoke and insisted that Russian law enforcement officials had not tried to contact her, even though her Russian phone is always on. She added that she was never summoned for interrogations and questioning, nor she did not receive any summons.

The woman also clarified that her name is Maria, not Marina. She was speaking to Meduza, a Western state-funded Russian language news site, based in Latvia.

Russian investigators are now looking into the events surrounding Navalny's illness, which quickly left him incapacitated. The police have researched what he did in Tomsk, including who he met, where he stayed, and where he ate. The investigation led authorities to Pevchikh, who they claim previously refused to answer police questions.



Footprints

John Durham aide resigns reportedly due to pressure to complete Trump-Russia probe

Durham
© Unknown
US Attorney John Durham
A top prosecutor in the office of U.S. Attorney John Durham submitted her resignation on Friday, The Daily Caller News Foundation has confirmed.

The Hartford Courant reported that Nora Dannehy resigned because of political pressure from Justice Department headquarters regarding Durham's investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

According to the Courant, associates of Dannehy's said that she was concerned that Barr is pressuring Durham's team to release a report on the investigation before the probe is finished.

The story notes that Dannehy is not a supporter of President Trump.

"We can confirm that she resigned (effective today), and have no further comment or background to provide," Thomas Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Connecticut, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Attention

Fauci warns US needs to be prepared to 'hunker down' for fall, winter - 'wise to not underestimate a pandemic'

healthcare worker
© Reuters/Willy Kurniawan
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a panel on Thursday that the U.S. should be ready to "hunker down" in its fight against the coronavirus and indicated that the fall and winter will not be easy.

"We've been through this before," he told a panel of doctors from Harvard Medical School, according to the Hill. "Don't ever, ever underestimate the potential of the pandemic. And don't try to look at the rosy side of things."

The Associated Press reported that winter is ending in the Southern Hemisphere and countries noted that steps to prevent the virus' spread also limited the flu outbreak. The report said that it is not a certainty that the Northern Hemisphere will have the same outcome.


Comment: Doubling down, Fauci's belief system has not let facts or research get in the way. His mindset is in lockdown, no matter which 'hemisphere'.

See also:


Handcuffs

Maduro says US spy captured near oil sites just as Venezuela is facing a second deep scarcity of fuel

Maduro
© EPA
President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has claimed a "US spy" targeting the largest oil refining complex in the country, which is facing a severe fuel shortage crisis, has been captured.

Mr Maduro said the man, alleged to be a marine who served as a CIA operative in Iraq, was arrested on Thursday for spying on the Amuay and Cardon refineries in the northwest state of Falcon.

"He was captured with specialised weapons, he was captured with large amounts of cash, large amounts of dollars and other items," Mr Maduro, an adversary of the United States, said. Mr Maduro gave no identity but said the man was being interrogated about his activities.

The president also said Venezuelan authorities had foiled a plot on Wednesday that was aimed at blowing up a third refinery, El Palito in Carabobo state, and urged the nation's oil workers to be on alert for more attacks.

"The gringo empire wants revenge against Venezuela," he said. "It wants to prevent Venezuela from producing all petroleum products, gasoline."

Neither the US State Department nor the White House have commented on the issue.

Comment: See also:


Pills

In control of response panel, Remdesivir maker Gilead is behind the war on Hydroxychloroquine, will make billions

Gilead tech
© Gilead
It was beyond strange when the major media networks began to attack a pharmaceutical, especially in the middle of a pandemic. When did the major media networks ever criticize a drug?

It turns out that controversial pharmaceutical is a cheap medicine that helps human cells uptake zinc so their immune system can recover from coronavirus infections. Dr. Didier Raoult of France was using something as simple and cheap as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in combination with zinc and an antibiotic to successfully treat coronavirus patients.

The news of Raoult's success spread like wildfire, and U.S. President Donald Trump ultimately promoted the treatment, which acts as both a prophylactic and a therapeutic.

But it doesn't matter how many doctors successfully treat coronavirus patients using HCQ and zinc. It doesn't matter what people do in the home to help their immune system through the infection. What matters is drug company profits.
Cartoon treat covid19

Cult

'Whistleblower' redux: Looks like another Adam Schiff hit job is underway

adam schiff mask
© Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Adam Schiff punts the programming
The New York Times reported Wednesday that a "whistleblower" at the Department of Homeland Security had alleged that officials "directed agency analysts to downplay the threat of violent white supremacy and of Russian election interference."

The Times report noted the role of House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in releasing the complaint. Indeed, the "whistleblower" in this case is represented by attorney Mark Zaid, the same lawyer who represented the so-called "whistleblower" in the impeachment. Zaid also notoriously tweeted in favor of a "coup" against President Donald Trump.

In this case, the "whistleblower" has been identified — as Brian Murphy, a former intelligence official at the department — but the complaint was filed with Schiff's Intelligence committee rather than the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Comment: Gateway Pundit highlights Adam Schiff's spin:
House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) crawled out of his hole on Wednesday and said he received a 'new whistleblower complaint' alleging Russia is meddling in the election.

Schiff claims the whistleblower complaint alleges serious misconduct by senior Trump Administration officials to politicize, manipulate and censor intelligence to benefit Trump:
  • Improper Administration of an Intelligence Program and Abuse of Authority regarding Russian Influence
  • Improper Administration of an Intelligence Program with respect to the Homeland Threat Assessment
  • Improper Administration of an Intelligence Program regarding ANTIFA
  • Perjured Testimony and Abuse of Authority
Whistleblower Brian Murphy, who was the principal deputy under secretary in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the DHS before he was demoted, says DHS chief Chad Wolf instructed him to withhold intel notifications on Russian meddling because 'it made Trump look bad.'

Mark Zaid said in a statement that Brian Murphy had "followed proper lawful whistleblower rules in reporting serious allegations of misconduct against DHS leadership, particularly involving political distortion of intelligence analysis and retaliation."


The whistleblower reprisal complaint depicts a sustained and disturbing pattern of misconduct by senior Trump Administration officials within the White House and DHS relating to the activities of DHS's I&A — an element of the U.S. Intelligence Community which Mr. Murphy led from May until August of this year, before he was reassigned to DHS's Management Directorate, and where he previously served as Principal Deputy Under Secretary beginning in March 2018. The complaint alleges repeated violations of law and regulations, abuses of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis, and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence the U.S. election.

Whistleblower Brian Murphy alleges Trump's DHS attempted to censor intel analysis related to so-called Russian efforts to influence and undermine the US:
The complaint states that Mr. Murphy "made several protected disclosures between March 2018 and August 2020 regarding a repeated pattern of abuse of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence and undermine United States interests. The relevant officials at issue were Secretary [Kirstjen] Nielsen and Messrs. [Chad] Wolf, [Kenneth] Cuccinelli, [Miles] Taylor, and Acting Deputy Director for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Kash Patel."

The complaint asserts that, in mid-May 2020, and while purporting to serve as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Mr. Chad Wolf "instructed Mr. Murphy to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran. Mr. Wolf stated that these instructions specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien. Mr. Murphy informed Mr. Wolf he would not comply with these instructions, as doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger."
"Mr. Murphy's allegations are serious — from senior officials suppressing intelligence reports on Russia's election interference and making false statements to Congress about terrorism threats at our southern border, to modifying intelligence assessments to match the President's rhetoric on Antifa and minimizing the threat posed by white supremacists. We have requested Mr. Murphy's testimony before the Committee, pursuant to subpoena if necessary, alongside other already scheduled interviews with other DHS officials.," Schiff said in a statement.

"We will get to the bottom of this, expose any and all misconduct or corruption to the American people, and put a stop to the politicization of intelligence," he added.

The DHS denied Murphy's allegations in a statement to CBS News and said it "looks forward to the results of any resulting investigation and we expect it will conclude that no retaliatory action was taken against Mr. Murphy."

"As Acting Secretary Wolf outlined in his State of the Homeland Address today, DHS is working to address all threats to the homeland regardless of ideology," the spokesperson said. "The Acting Secretary is focused on thwarting election interference from any foreign powers and attacks from any extremist group."

You can read more of Adam Schiff's insane ramblings here.