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DeSantis slams 'Soros-funded' Manhattan DA for 'weaponizing the office' as Trump rumors swirl

Brooke Singman
Fox News
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 12:43 UTC
DeSantis
© Getty Images
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Florida gov says he will not be involved in 'manufactured circus' surrounding potential Trump charges...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Monday as a "Soros-funded prosecutor" who is "pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office" as he reportedly considers indicting former President Donald Trump on charges related to alleged hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

When asked about the potential indictment of the former president, DeSantis said:
"I've seen rumors swirl, I have not seen any facts yet, and so I don't know what's going to happen. But I do know this. The Manhattan district attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor, and so he, like other Soros-funded prosecutors, they weaponize their office to impose a political agenda on society at the expense of the rule of law and public safety."
The potential charges against Trump stem from the $130,000 hush-money payment that then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen made to Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.

Federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Stormy Daniels payment in 2019, even as Cohen implicated him as part of his plea deal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.
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Briefcase

Fallout: JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to face lawsuits over Jeffrey Epstein ties

Edward Helmore
The Guardian
Wed, 22 Mar 2023 18:56 UTC
JP Morgan
© Dylan Martinez / Reuters
Manhattan judge allows central accusations that banks benefited from ties to sex trafficker to proceed

A US judge has ruled that a pair of lawsuits accusing two major banks of knowingly benefiting from ties to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein can proceed, though in a narrower form than had been initially filed.

The four-page ruling by Manhattan district judge Jed Rakoff granted motions by JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to dismiss some counts against them, but permitted the central claims brought by Epstein accusers and the US Virgin Islands to proceed.

The lawsuit against JPMorgan, filed by a woman on behalf of other Epstein victims claims the bank "knowingly benefited from participating in a sex trafficking venture" led by Epstein, a client from 1998 through 2013, and had "negligently failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent physical harm".

The judge also permitted similar claims against Deutsche Bank which had accepted Epstein as a client in 2013 even after 40 underage girls made sexual assault claims against him.
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Bad Guys

Portland bus drivers have 'zero confidence' in far-left DA to prosecute assaults on employees


The Post Millennial
Wed, 22 Mar 2023 18:31 UTC
portland bus drivers attacked
© The Post Millennial
(L) A Portland TriMet bus (R) Portland prosecutor Mike Schmidt
The union representing Portland's transit workers is calling out the far-left Multnomah County District Attorney for not prosecuting offenders after assaults on drivers.

ATU 757, the union for TriMet's drivers, said there are hundreds of assaults or attempted assaults against their employees every year, including 170 in 2022.

The union's Vice President Fred Casey told KATU, "I am not aware of any of those going to prosecution on an assault charge. As far as I know, the DA's office has either dropped the charges or settled on a plea deal with a misdemeanor of 'interfering with public transportation.'"

He noted that he does not see the same lax prosecution happening in nearby counties. "There's a stark difference when something happens on a bus out in Washington County or Clackamas County. And the response is quite different than here in Multnomah County."

Comment: The TriMet drivers have good cause to doubt Mike Schmidt, given his dismal record:

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Eye 1

Bill Gates plots a global pandemic prison state

Jeffrey A. Tucker
The Epoch Times
Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:01 UTC
bill gates time100 summit
© Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME
Bill Gates speaks onstage at the TIME100 Summit 2022 on June 7, 2022 in New York City.
An epic disaster like the COVID response, one might suppose, should inspire some humility and rethinking on how public health could have gone so wrong. They had their run at it but created a global disaster for the ages.

This is more than obvious to any competent observer. The next step might be to see if there are any places where matters went rather well, and Sweden comes first to mind. The educational losses were non-existent because they didn't close schools. In general life went on as normal and with very good results.

One might suppose the Swedish way would be vindicated. Sadly, our leaders care nothing for evidence, apparently. Their concern is for power and money at any cost. As a result, we are witnessing a concerted effort not only to double down on errors the next time but make them even worse.

Comment: See also:

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Brick Wall

US aid worker freed over 6 years after kidnapping in Niger

Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis
The Gazette
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:01 UTC
jake sullivan press brief
© REUTERS/Tom Brenner TOM BRENNER
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 10, 2022.
American aid worker Jeff Woodke has been released more than six years after being kidnapped by militants in Niger, U.S. officials said on Monday.

Woodke's release was announced days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Niger for an official visit, becoming the first top U.S. diplomat to visit the country.

"I'm gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity," U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Twitter. "The U.S. thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him."
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Briefcase

Epstein victim allowed to sue big banks for allegedly enabling sex offender: 'We will leave no stone unturned'

Ben Zeisloft
The Daily Wire
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:01 UTC
epstein maxwell
© Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
An unnamed victim of deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, will be allowed to file suit against JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank.

United States District Judge Jed Rakoff tossed most of the charges against the two financial institutions in proposed class action lawsuits on Monday, according to a report from Bloomberg, and threw out three of the four claims against JPMorgan Chase in a separate suit from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Attorneys will be permitted, however, to contend that the firms benefited from the Epstein sex trafficking scheme by providing him with financial services.

"Epstein's sex trafficking operation was impossible without the assistance of JPMorgan Chase, and later Deutsche Bank, and we assure the public that we will leave no stone unturned in our quest for justice for the many victims who deserved better from one of America's largest financial institutions," lawyers for the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Epstein victim, identified only as Jane Doe, said in a statement.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Four Oath Keepers members found guilty of obstruction in the far-right group's third Jan. 6 trial

Daniel Barnes and Ryan J. Reilly
NBC News
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 18:43 UTC
oath keepers
© U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
William Isaacs, Laura Steele, Sandra Parker and Connie Meggs.
The third set of Oath Keepers to go on trial were not facing seditious conspiracy charges like the first two groups.

Four members of the Oath Keepers were convicted of conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Monday, as a judge ordered jurors to continue deliberating over the most serious counts against two additional defendants.

Sandra Parker, Laura Steele, Connie Meggs and William Isaacs were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The jury found Michael Greene, another member of the Oath Keepers, not guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding but was still debating whether he was guilty of aiding or abetting the obstruction of an official proceeding. Bennie Parker was found not guilty of aiding or abetting, but the jury was still deliberating over the charge of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

Comment: See also:

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Cult

Vegan 'guru' charged after baby dies from suspected malnutrition


RT
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 07:50 UTC
Maksim Lyutyy
© Instagram/yarilo_drug
The Russian fitness coach claimed he lives healthily on fruit, vegetables and sun rays.

A Russian self-styled personal growth coach who advocates a vegan lifestyle has been arrested in connection with the death of his one-month-old son. The child died from apparent malnutrition and a lack of medical treatment.

Maksim Lyutyy, a 43-year-old resident of a village near the Black Sea resort of Sochi, has been placed in pre-trial custody after being charged on Sunday at a local court.

The mother of the child, Oksana Mironova, was moved from jail to house arrest last week. The infant was pronounced dead on March 8 when his parents took him to the hospital. The child was born at the couple's home on February 11, investigators said.

Comment: See also:

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Bulb

Moldova resumes gas purchases from Russia's Gazprom, just a few months after declaring 'independence' from its supplies


Reuters
Tue, 21 Mar 2023 23:04 UTC
gazprom
© REUTERS/REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER
The logo of Gazprom company is seen on the facade of a business centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia March 31, 2022.
Moldova has resumed gas purchases from Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) in March after a break of about three months, the head of public natural gas distributor Moldovagaz said on Monday.

"In March of this year, on the basis of a current contract, Gazprom has been providing the supply of natural gas to the Republic of Moldova in a total volume of 176.7 million cubic metres per month, or 5.7 million cubic metres daily," Moldovagaz head Vadim Ceban wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Since December, Gazprom had been providing supplies only to Moldova's Russian-backed Transdniestria separatist region, east of the Dniester river. None had gone to the part of Moldova west of the river, including capital Chisinau.

Comment: See also: 40,000 protest in Moldova against recently collapsed pro-Western government, energy costs soar eightfold



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Megaphone

Protests & strikes rage on in France, MPs 'threatened with guillotine' ahead of crucial vote


RT
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 22:49 UTC
france protest oil worker

Oil workers on strike block the access to an oil depot in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, Tuesday, March 21, 2023
The French government has survived two parliamentary no-confidence votes over President Emmanuel Macron's decision to push through a controversial pension reform bill without lawmakers' approval. The failed motions on Monday were followed by renewed violent unrest overnight.

The first no-confidence motion, tabled by a small group of opposition lawmakers, garnered significant support in the National Assembly, dominated by Macron's centrist alliance. The motion fell just nine votes short of the 287 required to pass. The second motion, put forward by the right-wing National Rally party, was backed by only 94 lawmakers.

Despite failing to pass the motions, some opposition lawmakers urged the government to resign anyway. "The government is already dead in the eyes of the French," left-wing MP Mathilde Panot said after the votes. "It doesn't have any legitimacy anymore."


Comment: She has a point; polls have shown that 52% of people support a 'social explosion' movement against the government, and a few percent more support rolling strikes to bring the country to a standstill.


Comment: It's not just in France protests and strikes against deteriorating living standards, and increasingly totalitarian governance, are occurring:

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