News of the World

[kyonides]

Queen Elizabeth II has died

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

She died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where she had spent much of the summer.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.

Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother was a "moment of great sadness" for him and his family and that her loss would be "deeply felt" around the world.

The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will return to London on Friday, Buckingham Palace said. He is expected to address the nation on Friday.

Senior royals had gathered at Balmoral after the Queen's doctors became concerned about her health earlier in the day.

All the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.

Her grandson and now heir to the throne, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, also gathered there.

Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, said the monarch was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had "provided us with the stability and strength that we needed".

Speaking about the new King, she said: "We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much, to so many, for so long.
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Queen Elizabeth II's tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK's entry into - and withdrawal from - the European Union.
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On the Queen's death, Prince William and his wife, Catherine, became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall.

Published back in 2021:

Venezuelan oil, masked as Malaysian,
rushes into China before fuel tax

Traders are racing to deliver record volumes of Venezuelan crude oil masked as Malaysian bitumen blend to China, ahead of new fuel taxes that look set to upend the lucrative flow of sanctioned oil to the world’s top crude importer.

China has over the past 12 months bought an estimated $3.5 billion worth of Venezuelan oil relabelled as Malaysian fuel, according to cargo tracking and industry sources, throwing Caracas a vital lifeline while it grapples with a collapsing economy amid tough U.S. sanctions.

Much of it has come in as bitumen blend, a mix of tar-like heavy crudes and refinery residue fuels that doesn't attract consumption tax like fuel oil and also isn't subject to China's quotas on oil imports.

Bitumen blend shipments to China have jumped 13-fold since May 2020 with cargo-tracking specialist Vortexa Analytics estimating that 90% of the cargoes over the past year to end-April were actually heavy oil from Venezuela. That's some 324,000 barrels per day (bpd), or nearly 61% of Venezuela's total oil exports.

New fuel taxes that kick in on June 12, however, will increase the cost of bitumen blend to importers by 40% to 50%, making it uneconomic and choking off flows.
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Top Chinese state oil buyer CNPC stopped loading Venezuelan oil from August 2019 due to U.S. sanctions, but private traders and refiners have been willing buyers, re-certifying and blending the oil as Malaysian following transshipments in Malaysian waters, according to data and industry sources.

Some Venezuelan oil has been relabelled as Malaysian by branding it as Singma or Mal Blend crudes, while some smaller refiners, facing crude oil import quota restrictions, have looked for a feedstock that requires no import quotas, say industry sources.

Published in August 2022:

Chinese defence firm has taken over
lifting Venezuelan oil for debt offset

Since November 2020 China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) has been carrying Venezuelan crude on three tankers it acquired that year from PetroChina, CNPC's listed vehicle, the sources said. The oil is stored on a tank farm it also took over from PetroChina, the sources said.

The three CASIC tankers load in Venezuela with their transponders active, allowing third-party tracking, Eikon data showed.
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The 13 shipments, worth about $1.5 billion at formula prices for Venezuela’s flagship-grade Merey crude, were declared "crude oil" at Chinese customs, without specifying origin, said one of the sources.
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"These shipments are strictly under a government mandate, where CASIC was designated to move the oil as payment to offset Venezuelan debt (to China)," the person said.
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Without commenting on debt offset, China's foreign ministry said on Friday the two nations are engaged in cooperation over "oil for humanitarian goods".
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A second source said that although part of each cargo pays down debt, other goods, such as COVID-19 vaccines, are also being subtracted from the crude sales.
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China has not officially reported any crude oil imports from Venezuela since October 2019.

Venezuela's debt dates to 2007, the era of then-President Hugo Chavez, when the country borrowed more than $50 billion from Beijing under loan-for-oil deals.

[kyonides]

King Charles III, the New Monarch

At the moment the Queen died, the throne passed immediately and without ceremony to the heir, Charles, the former Prince of Wales.
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He will be known as King Charles III.

That was the first decision of the new king's reign. He could have chosen from any of his four names - Charles Philip Arthur George.
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There is also a new title for Charles' wife, Camilla, who becomes the Queen Consort - consort is the term used for the spouse of the monarch.
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Charles will be officially proclaimed King on Saturday. This will happen at St James's Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council.
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At the meeting, the death of Queen Elizabeth will be announced by the Lord President of the Privy Council (currently Penny Mordaunt MP), and a proclamation will be read aloud.

The wording of the proclamation can change, but it has traditionally been a series of prayers and pledges, commending the previous monarch and pledging support for the new one.

This proclamation is then signed by a number of senior figures including the prime minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Lord Chancellor.

The king will then attend a second meeting of the Accession Council, along with the Privy Council... he will make an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland.

After a fanfare of trumpeters, a public proclamation will be made declaring Charles as the new King. This will be made from a balcony above Friary Court in St James's Palace, by an official known as the Garter King of Arms.
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Gun salutes will be fired in Hyde Park, the Tower of London and from naval ships, and the proclamation announcing Charles as the King will be read in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
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Because of the preparation needed, the coronation is not likely to happen very soon after Charles's accession.

For the past 900 years the coronation has been held in Westminster Abbey - William the Conqueror was the first monarch to be crowned there, and Charles will be the 40th.

It is an Anglican religious service, carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury. At the climax of the ceremony, he will place St Edward's Crown on Charles's head - a solid gold crown, dating from 1661.

Biden to attend funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

Biden says he has not yet spoken to King Charles III

The president was asked before boarding Air Force One in Columbus, Ohio Friday if he would attend the queen's funeral.

"Yes. I don’t know what the details are yet, but I will be going," Biden told reporters.
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Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Thursday mourned the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, calling her a "stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy" who deepened the alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, and whose "legacy will loom large."
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Biden said he first met the queen in 1982 when traveling to the United Kingdom as part of a Senate delegation. The Bidens also met with the queen last summer during their first overseas trip as president and first lady.

Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against
Clinton, DNC, officials involved in Russia probe

Trump's attorneys say they will appeal the decision

Trump filed the lawsuit in March in the Southern District of Florida, alleging that Clinton and her "cohorts orchestrated an unthinkable plot" and "maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative" that Trump was colluding with Russia.

This week, U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks threw out the lawsuit, saying that "most of" Trump’s claims were "unsupported by any legal authority" and said the lawsuit lacks "substance."

Middlebrooks said Trump’s suit is "not attempting to seek redress for any legal harm," but instead is "seeking to flaunt a two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him, and this Court is not the appropriate forum."
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"We vehemently disagree with the opinion issued by the Court today," Habba said. "Not only is it rife with erroneous applications of the law, it disregards the numerous independent governmental investigations which substantiate our claim that the defendants conspired to falsely implicate our client and undermine the 2016 presidential election."

SC Democrats call for US Senate candidate
to drop out after video comments are leaked

South Carolina Democrats condemn comments made by U.S. Senate candidate Krystle Matthews

South Carolina state Rep. Krystle Matthews, running against incumbent Republican Sen. Tim Scott, was caught on tape speaking disparagingly of her constituents — specifically White constituents — in a series of remarks secretly recorded by activist group Project Veritas.

"You ought to know who you’re dealing with," Matthews said during the taped conversation. "You’ve got to treat them like s—. That’s the only way they’ll respect you."

In the leaked comments, Matthews additionally brags about keeping citizens in her jurisdiction "under her thumbs," and not putting up with "White sh—."

Matthews confirmed to The Associated Press that it was her voice on the tape but said the edited audio of a "tongue-in-cheek" exchange didn’t reflect the full picture, calling Project Veritas a "satirical MAGA-powered news outlet."

On Thursday, Democrats — including gubernatorial nominee Joe Cunningham — concurred with state Rep. Justin Bamberg, who in an op-ed published online called Matthews "toxic."
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The secretly recorded audio also features more of Matthews’ conversation, in which she spoke to an inmate about funding her campaign with "dope boy money" and having Democrats run as Republicans, saying "secret sleepers" represent "the only way you’re gonna change the dynamics in South Carolina."

State Sen. Brad Hutto, Democrats’ leader in that chamber — who was also his party’s nominee to challenge U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2014 — echoed Cunningham’s comments about Matthews’ Senate bid, telling AP, "When candidates of either party start making irresponsible statements, beyond what party they’re from, they need to re-evaluate their candidacy, and that’s what needs to happen here."

Eurozone interest rates in record rise to fight inflation

The ECB lifted all its key rates by three-quarters of a percentage point and warned that it was likely to raise rates again later this year.

The bank had raised interest rates in July, its first increase in more than 11 years.
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The ECB raised its key deposit rate - how much interest it pays on deposits - to 0.75% from zero, and lifted its main refinancing rate - how much banks have to pay when they borrow money from the ECB - to 1.25% from 0.5%.
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ECB president Christine Lagarde said the central bank could not control high energy prices.
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If Russia were to cut gas supplies to the EU completely, then one scenario the ECB envisages - if it is not possible to secure alternative gas supplies from Asia, Norway and the US - is gas rationing across the whole euro area and a recession in 2023, Ms Lagarde said.

With the ECB statement explicitly saying more rate hikes would be needed, markets continue to expect another half-point rise at the bank's October meeting.

Euro area inflation is expected to be 9.1 % in August, up from 8.9 % in July, according to Eurostat.

[DerVVulfman]

RUSSIA FLEES UKRAINIAN TROOPS

Massive Gains and Cutting Off Russia's Supply a Turning Point

A turning point indeed, Ukraine has gained control over a vital supply hub for the invading Russian offensive, Ukraine's shock counteroffensive having recaptured lost territory. According to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, Ukraine may have gained back close to 1000 square miles previously stolen by Russia.

Ukrainian troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine, liberating more cities and villages. Their courage coupled with Western military support brings astonishing results. It’s crucial to keep sending arms to Ukraine. Defeating Russia on the battlefield means winning peace in Ukraine.

And as of Friday, Ukraine's President Zelensky announced that Ukraine had retaken roughly thirty towns and villages in the northeastern Karkiv region.

UNDER ARREST, FIVE RUSSIAN OFFICIALS WHO
CALLED FOR PUTIN TO BE REMOVED

Russia's invasion having prompted Finland and Sweden to join Nato rather than remain neutral

Coming from Putin's own hometown of St. Petersburg, five municiple deputies were arrested by Russian Police for charging Vladimir Putin for Treason and his disastrous decision to invade Ukraine. The deputies applealed to the central governing body known as the Duma to punish Putin for the countless deaths, countless sanctions, motivated Nato and expanded Ukraine's military power.

These officials took great personal risk as they may easily face a death sentence based upon Russian federal law. And that it was Russian Officials that took a stance of defiance cannot be overstated.

But with Ukraine's counter-offensive gaining steam and Russia becoming as much an outcast as North Korea, a regime change from within may be forthcoming.

[kyonides]

RUSSIA FLEES UKRAINIAN TROOPS

Massive Gains and Cutting Off Russia's Supply a Turning Point

A turning point indeed, Ukraine has gained control over a vital supply hub for the invading Russian offensive, Ukraine's shock counteroffensive having recaptured lost territory. According to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, Ukraine may have gained back close to 1000 square miles previously stolen by Russia.

 If the war efforts are paying dividends, why doesn't US or UK enter the conflict and scare Russia off for good?
I mean, they want put an end to war asap, right?

Trump Attorney Accuses DOJ of Cover-Up After FBI Raid

Trump and the DOJ on Sept. 9 submitted their picks for the special master position. In a separate court filing, the DOJ last week submitted an appeal of the order to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Among other arguments, government prosecutors said that appointing a special master—a neutral third-party—would delay its investigation.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, also blocked the DOJ and FBI from using the seized records “for investigative purposes” but stipulated the order would not impact an assessment being carried out by the 17-agency Intelligence Community (IC) regarding the seized documents.

However, DOJ attorneys wrote that FBI officials would also be involved in the IC assessment, rendering it impossible to carry out.
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As Trump has maintained the raid is politically motivated and that he did nothing wrong, Trusty accused the DOJ of promoting a narrative that it cannot be questioned.

“It would have been so much more respectful of the department and of this attorney general if they turned around and said, ‘You know what, good idea to have a special master, we have nothing to hide. Let’s get at it.’ But that’s not the approach. It’s a constant fight,” he told Fox News.

Top Senator Wants ‘Briefing’ on Trump Mar-a-Lago Documents

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) says that the Senate Intelligence Committee, which he chairs, needs to obtain a briefing on the documents taken from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
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Neither the Department of Justice (DOJ) nor the FBI has elaborated on what documents were taken during the Aug. 8 raid. Prosecutors with the DOJ, in a heavily redacted affidavit that was unsealed last month, wrote there was “probable cause” to believe that allegedly classified materials remained at Mar-a-Lago and included a photo that purported to show “TOP SECRET” documents strewn about the floor of Trump’s Florida home.

In social media posts, Trump said the “TOP SECRET” documents that appeared in a released photo may have been planted. The former commander-in-chief also indicated that the seized documents may have been declassified while he was still president, pointing to a memorandum that he issued declassifying some FBI Crossfire Hurricane material.
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Warner signaled to CBS that “once we get clarification from the judge in Florida,” the Intelligence Committee will make a decision.

Texas Sheriff: Fentanyl Should Be Classified as ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’

Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson in Texas said that fentanyl coming across the U.S.–Mexico border should be deemed a “weapon of mass destruction” (WMD).
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Elaborating on the danger, Henderson said that “it only takes 2 milligrams of this stuff to kill you and we’re finding twice, sometimes three times the amount of fentanyl in a pill that’s not supposed to contain any fentanyl.” The county that he oversees is located in southeastern Texas, although it’s hundreds of miles from the border.
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Under the Trump administration, Homeland Security officials reportedly considered labeling fentanyl as a WMD. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) recently introduced a bill to classify the powerful synthetic opioid as one.

Much of the production of fentanyl starts in China, where laboratories create precursor chemicals that are needed to manufacture the drug, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

The compounds are then shipped to Mexico where cartels manufacture the drug before it is transported illegally across the border into the United States, according to Drug Enforcement Agency in a 2020 report. The notorious Sinaloa and the New Generation Jalisco cartels are “likely the primary trafficking groups responsible for smuggling fentanyl into the United States from Mexico.

CCP Reacts to UK’s Liz Truss and New Cabinet With Silence and Skepticism

New British Prime Minister Liz Truss took office and announced the members of her new cabinet on Sept. 6. Truss is known for her tough stance on China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP), and so are some of the new cabinet members. CCP leader Xi Jinping hasn’t sent congratulations to Truss, while the regime and its media are reacting to the new UK government with skepticism.

In two keynote speeches earlier this year, then-foreign secretary Truss warned that any attempt by the CCP to invade Taiwan would be a “catastrophic miscalculation.” She called for a “global NATO” to tackle global threats, including ensuring “democracies like Taiwan” are able to defend themselves.

During her leadership campaign, Truss also pledged to prioritize trade with Commonwealth countries to counter the “growing malign influence from Beijing.”

In early August, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit to Taiwan, the CCP held large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, which Truss condemned. She summoned the Chinese ambassador to explain the CCP’s actions.
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Tom Tugendhat, who was appointed minister for security, is among the new cabinet members who share the same views as Truss. He was sanctioned by the CCP last year for criticizing the regime’s human rights abuses of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.

He also founded the British Parliament’s China Research Group and co-chaired the group before taking his ministerial position this month.

Tesla Proposes New Lithium Refinery in Texas

Tesla is evaluating whether to set up a lithium refinery on the Texas Gulf Coast, in order to secure the supply of the precious material used to make electric car batteries.
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Tesla’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has previously said that the car company may have to directly enter the mining and refining industry as lithium prices surge worldwide.

The electric vehicle maker filed an application with the Texas Comptroller’s Office on Aug. 22, describing the facility as the first of its kind in North America.

There have been dozens of projects throughout North America, Australia, and the European Union, but other attempts have faced a range of setbacks.

Australia, opened production at a new processing site earlier this year, while Albemarle Corp., the world’s top lithium producer is constructing a separate refinery in the southeastern United States.

[kyonides]

White House Responds After Illegal Immigrants Transported to Martha’s Vineyard

The White House sharply criticized the governors of Texas and Florida for transporting illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard and outside the Washington residence of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Thursday that he bused illegal immigrants from the border to near Harris’s home in the District of Columbia. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took credit for flying dozens of illegal aliens from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts island that often draws the wealthy and powerful, including the Obamas, who own an estate there.

Illegal immigrants deserve better “than being left on the streets of D.C. or the streets of Martha’s Vineyard,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in response to a question about the governors’ recent actions.
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But Abbott, DeSantis, and other Republicans assert that the Biden administration’s policies on illegal immigration are deeply flawed and noted that after the White House rolled back Trump-era immigration rules, the number of illegal aliens crossing the border skyrocketed.
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Abbott, whose state has a lengthy border with Mexico, said that border communities in Texas cannot handle the current influx of people who are crossing the border illegally. By sending them to Democrat-run “sanctuary cities”—named as such due to their policy of resisting cooperation with federal immigration authorities—Abbott has argued that it’s designed to raise awareness about the issue.

[DerVVulfman]

White House Responds After Illegal Immigrants Transported to Martha’s Vineyard

The White House sharply criticized the governors of Texas and Florida for transporting illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard and outside the Washington residence of Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Yeah, it's rather hypocritical since it was discovered back in January that Biden was flying Illegal Aliens all over the U.S. (clickable)

MAINSTREAM MEDIA POSTING RACIAL SLUR STORY
OUSTED BY A STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Brigham Young University caught in headlines last month dropped a bombshell!

Duke University sophomore student Rachel Richardson made allegations that she received racial slurs at basically every volleyball game she served in Provo Utah, August 26. And not only did the mainstream news outlets run with it,
including the New York Times and CNN, but so did Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, who wrote in a since-deleted tweet: “I’m disgusted that this behavior is happening and deeply saddened if others didn’t step up to stop it.”

However, there were was an investigation where a review of all available video and audio recordings, including raw security footage was performed. And over fifty witnesses including those who were in the on-court student section were all interviewed.

The result of the investigation, published in 'The Cougar Chronicle' (a publication run by conservative BYU students), was that the university was unable to find a single source in the crowd that heard any slurs. The authors of the story in The Cougar initially did believe that the allegations were legitimat, but  started questioning the claims when readers of their student newspaper began contacting them saying it never happened.

 Even CNN's own John Avlon acknowleges there was widespread media failure over the story, but then brought up the subject of systemic racism.

[kyonides]

‘After We Get Rich With Our Hard Work, the CCP Is There to Harvest:’ Former Chinese Millionaire

Feng Zhenguo, former owner of a profitable wood furniture factory in China’s central Heibei province, experienced extortion from the environmental authorities and police, and was forced to sell his factory to Chinese police at a very low price.

“The communist regime’s so-called reform and opening up is just to loosen the shackles around Chinese people’s necks when both its rule and economy are on the verge of collapse,” Feng said.

“It allows you experience a little bit of freedom and lets you work hard until you make some money. Then, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) comes for your money.”

Feng’s solid wood furniture factory is in Qinhuangdao, a port city 190 miles east of Beijing. He invested over 3 million yuan (over $430,000) and had about 40 employees in his factory, customizing high-end solid wood furniture. But he was forced to sell his factory to the police for only 400,000 yuan ($57,000).
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However, the communist regime turned his life’s dream into a nightmare, asking for money from him time and again citing various excuses and guises, Feng told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Sept. 14.
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But in reality, the EIA [environmental impact assessment] actually facilitates constant extortion by the environment bureau that oversees the assessment process, according to Feng.

Judge Names Special Master to Review FBI Raid Documents, Rejects DOJ Criminal Probe Request

Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed a senior Brooklyn federal judge to serve as special master to independently review documents the FBI seized from former President Donald Trump‘s Florida estate.

U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie will serve as an independent arbiter in the case, tasked with deciding whether any of the seized documents are privileged and should be off limits to federal investigators.

Cannon, who was nominated by Trump in 2020, also rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) bid to revive its criminal investigation into classified documents seized during the unprecedented raid at Mar-a-Lago last month. The matter is expected to move quickly to an appeals court, and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.

The DOJ said in a court filing on Monday that Dearie has “substantial judicial experience” in cases involving national security and privilege concerns to qualify him for the special master role, but that it opposed private attorney Paul Huck, the other candidate proposed by Trump’s lawyers.

Lawyers for Trump opposed Barbara S. Jones and Thomas B. Griffith, two retired federal judges whom the DOJ proposed to be the special master.

Cause of Car Crash That Killed Rep. Jackie Walorski Revealed

The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana revealed the cause of the car crash that killed Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) and three other people last month.

Zachery Potts, the driver of the Toyota RAV4 SUV, was found to be at fault, according to the sheriff’s office in a statement over the past weekend. The vehicle was driving left of the center median at excessive speeds when it hit a Buick.

The statement notes that Potts was trying to pass another vehicle on a two-lane roadway when the collision occurred.

A witness to the accident was “traveling northbound behind both the Toyota RAV4 and the unidentified truck,” according to the sheriff’s office.
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The office also found that there was no evidence of cellphone usage or texting during the time of the accident by either Potts or the other driver, Edith Schmucker. The office also found no evidence of mechanical failure.

Sen. Cruz Urges DeSantis to Send Illegal Immigrants to 3 New Democrat-Run Areas

On Twitter, the Republican senator urged DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbot to send illegal aliens to Nantucket, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Like Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket is often used as a vacation spot for the wealthy and powerful. Rehoboth Beach is where President Joe Biden has a vacation house, and Palo Alto, a city located in Silicon Valley, is home to several large tech companies.
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“You know, the Democrats did not think it was a humanitarian crisis when we pulled over 50 bodies in body bags out of a truck in Texas of illegal immigrants who died because the smugglers let them die of heat exposure,” Cruz said. “And yet, suddenly 50 illegal immigrants show up in lily-white Martha’s Vineyard, where rich liberals and billionaires sip Chardonnay, and it is, it is World War II.”

Biden Warns Russia Against Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

President Joe Biden warned Russia’s leadership that they shouldn’t use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying that Moscow would face unspecified consequences.

“Don’t. Don’t. Don’t,” Biden told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in an excerpt of a rare one-on-one interview that was to be broadcast on Sept. 18.
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When asked about what the United States might do in response, the president declined to elaborate.
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Putin has said Moscow would respond more forcefully if its troops were put under further pressure, raising concerns among some Western officials that he could at some point use unconventional means like small nuclear or chemical weapons. However, Putin and other top Kremlin officials have repeatedly said Russia isn’t considering using nuclear weapons.
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In an intelligence update on Twitter, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said that Russia had launched several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since the start of the invasion. Those strikes, the ministry has said, have struck targets including an electricity grid and a dam.

Pelosi Visits Armenia, Condemns ‘Illegal and Deadly Attacks’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a delegation of lawmakers visited Armenia in the midst of fresh clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan that have killed more than 200 troops, according to U.S. officials.

While speaking in Yerevan, Armenia, Pelosi condemned the “illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory” that triggered border fighting.
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While the two countries agreed to a ceasefire last week, the fighting “was initiated by the Azeris, and there has to be recognition of that,” according to Pelosi.
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She’s the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Armenia in several decades and the first to do so since the country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Azerbaijan also was a Soviet republic before the bloc’s dissolution.
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She was joined by Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), according to embassy officials.

Other than visiting with Pashinyan, Pelosi also will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Armenian Genocide Memorial, and she’ll deliver a speech at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, the embassy stated.

‘Naivety Toward China Is Over’: G7 Nations to Take Tougher Stance on China Trade

German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck told reporters after the meeting that the G7 have agreed to take a tougher and more coordinated stance against Beijing on trade, as that “naivety toward China is over.”

He said that discussions about China were “part of an effort to ensure high international trade standards” in international trade and to prevent Beijing from using its “economic might” to steamroll other nations.
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Harbeck also said that Germany will persuade the EU to formulate “a more robust trade policy toward China and respond as Europeans to the coercive measures that China takes to protect its economy.” He believed “the other partner countries will do exactly the same.”

The G7 members include the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, and Japan. Germany currently holds the presidency, which rotates among G7 members.
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Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was often accused of taking a “friendly trade policy” toward China and not being tough enough on China’s human rights abuses when she was in power. German statistics show that by the end of 2021, China had been Germany’s largest trading partner for six consecutive years.

Su added that Germany has depended on Russia for energy and depended on China for trade. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the West placed sanctions on Russia while Russia has cut energy supply to Western Europe in retaliation. Germany has learned the lesson [not to trust the regime] the hard way, and has clearly adjusted its strategic direction, Su said.

Habeck also urged that Europe should not support the Chinese regime’s “One Belt, One Road” economic initiatives, which would allow Beijing to acquire more of Europe’s strategic infrastructure and exert influence on European trade policy. He also advocated for stricter scrutiny of investments by China-based companies in Europe, and opposed Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shipping’s acquisition of Hamburg’s container terminal “Blessed Land.”

 If Trump had not tried to convince China of accepting a formal trade deal, one broken by the CCP not long after, nobody would have exposed the CCP for economically invading or subjugating other nations, including not just a couple of European nations here.

[kyonides]

South Korean President Yoon's profane reaction to Biden speech caught on hot mic

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol went viral for his hot mic reaction to President Biden's remarks at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Yoon, who took office in May, reacted to Biden's pledge to increase the U.S. contribution to the U.N. Global Fund, which would require congressional approval.

"How could Biden not lose damn face if these f---ers do not pass it in Congress?" Yoon asked his aides on a hot mic Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post.

Biden has repeated the talking point that America has been respected again on the world stage since his election in 2020.

Yoon's comments raised concern in his home country — strong U.S.-Korean relations are pivotal for mutual defense in the East Asian region.
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"I think it's highly inappropriate to draw a link between private remarks and diplomatic accomplishments," the official added, referring to criticism that Yoon had created a diplomatic disaster. "It's quite regrettable that a diplomatic disaster is being talked about over something like that when he is doing everything to complete a demanding schedule in the national interest of the Republic of Korea."

Confirmed. Biden IS the world's biggest laughing stock indeed.

Minneapolis gang violence intensifies after police defunding: 'It's like you're playing Russian roulette'

Two nights we were in Minneapolis and both nights there was gunfire at the intersection. The first night, two people were shot.  It is so severe, the gas station on the corner has been nicknamed by the locals: murder station.  People who live close say the violence, drug use and gang activity in North Minneapolis has become intolerable.
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Mike Oker is the general manager of the 4th avenue saloon about a block and a half away from "Murder Station."  He was eager to show security camera pictures of the drug dealers he chases out of the alley behind his bar every night. "I've never seen it this bad. I think not anybody has seen it this bad," He says.
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The spike in violent crime times out with the defund/disband police movement. Year to date violent crime currently shows a 29% increase over 2019, the year before George Floyd was murdered. The year of the riots, violent crime jumped 20% in Minneapolis. "I think it really flared after the George Floyd situation," says King. After budget cuts and a public campaign by the Minneapolis city council to do away with the Minneapolis Police, the MPD is down 300 officers. As a result, people in the trouble spots complain it can take as long as an hour to get a response to a 911 call. "It takes police forever to get here now," says King.
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Rev. Darryl Spence, is a liaison between police and gang members in the twin cities. He says young gangsters are aware that police are understaffed, slow to respond and reluctant to respond aggressively. "If you’re a criminal you know the police aren’t coming. You have more time to do what you do and get away," says Spence.

Texas Governor Designates Mexican Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

“Fentanyl is a clandestine killer. And Texans are victimized by Mexican cartels that produce and import it. So cartels are terrorists. And it’s time that we started treating them that way,” Abbott said during a press conference in Midland, Texas.

He specifically named the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation cartels as terrorist organizations, but added ” any similarly situated Mexican drug cartels who may be identified in subsequent proclamations.”

The two he named are the primary sources of fentanyl drug trafficking in the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is often pressed into counterfeit pills and sold as Adderall, Percocet, or other common prescription pills.
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He said the new terrorist designation will target the cartels “for enhanced apprehension, prosecution, and disruption, while heightening awareness of their deadly activities for our citizens and the international community.”

[kyonides]

North Dakota political murder 'lands in the lap' of Joe Biden: Judge Jeanine Pirro

The alleged murder of the North Dakota teenager who was mowed down over a political dispute "lands in the lap" of President Biden, Judge Jeanine Pirro said Thursday, blaming the president's recent rhetoric for fueling the "extremist hate" that she says led to the fatal incident.
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Shannon Brandt, 41, reportedly admitted to fatally mowing down 18-year-old pedestrian Cayler Ellingson because he believed he was a Republican political extremist. According to court documents, "Brandt admitted to striking the pedestrian with his car because he had a political argument with the pedestrian and believed the pedestrian was calling people to come get him. Brandt admitted to State Radio that he hit the pedestrian and that the pedestrian was part of a Republican extremist group."
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Pirro pointed to Biden's recent speech in Philadelphia earlier this month where he suggested that "MAGA Republicans" are "extremists" who represent a "threat" to the United States.
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Brandt was released from jail after posting $50,000 bond on Tuesday. Pirro said the charges against him, which include vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident, are "nonsense" and should be upgraded to a pre-meditated murder charge.

Venezuela Empties Prisons and Sends Criminals to US Border: House Republicans

Venezuela is deliberately releasing prisoners, among them violent criminals, and has them travel to the U.S. southern border, a development that prompted 14 House Republicans to write to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
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The outlet reported on Sept. 18 that it had reviewed the DHS intelligence report from an unnamed source within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The report warned that released prisoners—including those convicted of murder, rape, and extortion—had been seen within migrant caravans traveling from Tapachula, Mexico, to the southern border, as recently as July.

The report also said the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, Venezuela’s intelligence agency, may have played a role in deliberately releasing prisoners.

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Former President Donald Trump issued such a warning several times in 2021. He did it again last week while speaking to radio show host Hugh Hewitt, when he said America had become a “dumping ground” as other nations were “emptying their prisons into the United States.”
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The letter comes as the United States is seeing an influx of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to CBP data, the number of migrants arriving at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 surpassed 2 million in August, with unprecedented numbers coming from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

The letter points out that there have been more than 130,000 encounters with Venezuelan nationals between October 2021 and July 2022.

CCP Diplomat Tried to Lobby US Lawmakers to Deflect Blame for Causing US’ Fentanyl Crisis

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), a member of the Doctors Caucus and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is among many lawmakers who have voiced alarm about how Chinese traffickers are sending fentanyl precursors to Mexico for cartels to convert to the end product and send across the border.

Chinese ambassador Qin Gang has recently reached out to Wenstrup to meet with him, the Congressman told “Capitol Report,” a program on The Epoch Times’ sister media, NTD.

The topic came up on Sept. 23 at the “Commitment for America” event in Pennsylvania, where House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), unveiled their legislative roadmap if they take control of the House. One of their promises was to implement strict oversight into China’s role in the influx of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine.

Qin at the meeting was defensive about the fentanyl issue, insisting that Beijing was “getting blamed for the fentanyl surge in the United States of America,” Wenstrup said.

“He said, ‘we’re just selling legal products.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but those legal products combined are making fentanyl, and you’re doing nothing to make sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands,’” the congressman said.

Vice-Director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology Revealed to Be Chinese Communist Party Official in Charge of Biosafety

A newly discovered email from 2013 discloses that the vice-director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Yuan Zhiming, is a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official who was formally in charge of international cooperation and biosafety at the Institute.
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The email is part of a large number of documents unearthed by transparency group U.S. Right to Know through ongoing Freedom of Information Act litigation to uncover pandemic-related information held by U.S. institutions. Although the initial batch of documents was released in June, the email pertaining to Yuan, which was obtained from the Galveston National Laboratory, was only discovered now by former Senate investigator Paul D. Thacker.
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Yuan’s academic biography does not mention his role as “Secretary of the Party Committee” at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Institute’s website does not provide information on the identity of the Secretary of the Party Committee. Publicly available information confirms that as of July 2021, Yuan was still a director at the Institute. Yuan claims to have previously worked at the Pasteur Institute in France, the Royal Danish University of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, the Danish National Institute of Environmental Research, and the University of Illinois. It is not known whether those institutions were aware that Yuan is a CCP official.

Yuan is also associated with James Le Duc, the director of the Galveston National Laboratory in Texas. The Galveston lab was built by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and operates under the auspices of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s National Institutes of Allergies and Health (NIAID).

The connections between the Wuhan lab and Le Duc go back to at least 1986 when Le Duc spent a year working at the Wuhan lab. Le Duc later trained Wuhan lab staff at his Galveston lab.

[kyonides]

Biden, Trudeau, welcome Lapid’s statement on the two-state solution

In a tweet, Biden wrote: “I welcome Israeli Prime Minister Lapid's courageous statement at the UN General Assembly: ‘An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy, and for the future of our children.’”
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Trudeau tweeted that a two-state solution “with Israelis and Palestinians living in peace, security, and dignity – is in everyone’s best interest.”
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Trudeau tweeted that a two-state solution “with Israelis and Palestinians living in peace, security, and dignity – is in everyone’s best interest.”

“We have only one condition: That a future Palestinian state will be a peaceful one,” he said. “That it will not become another terror base from which to threaten the well-being, and the very existence of Israel.

That we will have the ability to protect the security of all the citizens of Israel, at all times.”

I don't think that the prophet Joel on behalf of God would ever agree with those politicians at all.

Joel 3:2 NASB 1995
I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.