News of the World

[kyonides]

Republicans Sound the Alarm
on David Weiss’s Special Counsel Appointment

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel in the “ongoing investigation” into Hunter Biden, “as well as for any other matters that arose or may arise from that investigation.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said he hopes Weiss “gets to the truth,” but expressed concern with his appointment.

“I hope Special Counsel David Weiss informs Americans just how many millions of dollars Hunter Biden made on what his ex-partner called an “illusion” of access, and if the President financially benefited,” Bacon said. “How many LLCs were actually formed to mask where the money was sent? The President denied any involvement, but now we know he was on approximately 20 phone calls. I hope the Special Counsel gets to the truth.”

“At the same time, I’m concerned that Special Counsel Weiss previously recommended a sweetheart deal for Hunter that was rightfully rejected by the judge,” Bacon added.
...
Weiss’s appointment also came one day after House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) announced he would subpoena members of the Biden family to testify before his committee.

Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) called Weiss’s appointment “a clear attempt to cover up mounting evidence from the House Oversight Committee.”

 I'm sorry guys, but there's another scandal coming your way!

Electric Bus Company Proterra Backed Heavily
by Biden Administration Files for Bankruptcy

Proterra, an electric bus company that received heavy backing from President Joe Biden’s administration, filed for bankruptcy on Monday.

The Burlingame, California-based EV company has been a source of controversy for the Biden administration because Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm hyped the company in her official capacity despite the fact that she previously served on Proterra’s board and held over a million dollars worth of stock in the company even after she was confirmed as the head of Biden’s Energy Department.
...
Proterra was founded in 2004 and, according to Canary Media, had raised “about $682 million in venture capital from investors including Daimler, Generation Investment Management, Kleiner Perkins, Tao Capital Partners, Soros Fund Management, Cowen Sustainable Advisors and GM Ventures to build electric buses that gained a foothold in early North American deployments.”

Biden has heavily promoted Proterra throughout his presidency, at one point saying the company would help America own “the future” if it kept on track. Three months into his presidency, Biden held a virtual tour of the electric bus company’s South Carolina factory to promote his $1.9 trillion infrastructure plan.
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Biden’s promotion of Proterra continued when he highlighted his tour of the Proterra factory during a trip to Wisconsin in June 2021 to promote his infrastructure agenda.

In November 2021, Granholm and Vice President Kamala Harris announced 25 projects that were awarded $200 million in Department of Energy grants, which included $127 million in “SuperTruck 3” grants. Notably, roughly $76.8 million of the $127.8 million SuperTruck 3 grants announced went to a company with ties to Proterra, giving these Proterra-linked companies garnered more than 60 percent of the grants.

Further, Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg teamed up in December 2021 to promote Proterra at an event where the company’s buses were used as a backdrop.

Biden also touted Proterra’s investments during a March 2022 speech. In February of this year, Biden appointed Proterra CEO Gareth Joyce to serve on his Export Council, which provides Biden with advice on international trade.

Despite this massive push from the Biden administration, Proterra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, citing “various market and macroeconomic headwinds” that have impacted its business.

 That reminds us of what happened to Solyndra 12 years ago during the Obama administration where Biden served as vice president...

Solyndra Collapse a 'Waste' of Half a Billion By Obama, GOP Critics Say

Prominent Republican members of the House energy committee accused the Obama administration of "wasting" more than half a billion dollars in taxpayer money by making a federal loan guarantee to a "troubled" solar power company that collapsed in bankruptcy Wednesday.

"This is really bad news.... Half a billion dollars of taxpayer money and we may end up holding the bag," House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) told ABC News, raising serious concerns about the administration's energy loan program. "This is just a classic case of fraud and abuse and waste."

Solyndra, a California-based manufacturer of rooftop solar panels, opened in 2005 and in 2009 became the Obama administration's first recipient of an energy loan guarantee to the tune of $535 million meant to help minimize the risk to venture capital firms that were backing the solar start-up. Obama made a personal visit to the factory last year to herald its bright future.

Disgraced FTX Boss and Democrat Super Donor
Sam Bankman-Fried Jailed Ahead of Trial
over Witness Tampering Allegations

“There is probable cause to believe that the defendant has attempted to tamper with witnesses at least twice,” said U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan at a hearing in New York.

The judge said that Bankman-Fried would be allowed to spend time in his lawyers’ office to prepare for his trial in October, but the revocation of his bail means that the accused fraudster will likely spend the rest of his time leading up to the trial behind bars.
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Bankman-Fried was one of the richest men in the space before the spectacular collapse of FTX, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2022 after its liquidity evaporated.

The founder, often known as “SBF,” used his wealth to become a Democrat super-donor, and was the second-largest contributor to Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020. Scarcely 30 years old, the crypto baron had ambitions to displace George Soros as the largest donor to Democrats and Democrat causes.

Jack Smith Wants Trump Trial to Start
Jan. 2, 2024 — Right Before Iowa Caucuses

Special Counsel Jack Smith proposed to begin former President Donald Trump’s trial in January 2024 for the charges he’s facing in relation to the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

“The Government proposes that trial begin on January 2, 2024, and estimates that its case in chief will take no longer than four to six weeks,” the filing on Thursday states.

As Breitbart News has noted, Trump faces four charges related to his challenges to the 2020 election result, and the resulting riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. One of the four charges carries a potential death penalty if Trump were to be convicted.

Smith faces accusations from critics that he is shaping his prosecution to interfere with the 2024 election. The judge in the “documents” case in federal court in Miami set that trial date in May 2024 — after most of the GOP primaries will have been held.

Breitbart News has noted a pattern in which the government announces indictments or actions against Trump the day of, or after, damaging revelations about the Biden family.

Biden-Harris to Pass on Visiting Maui
They ‘Don’t Want to Distract’ from Relief Efforts

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will not visit Maui in the aftermath of the deadly wildfires because they “don’t want to distract” from the relief efforts, Harris announced on Friday.

The wildfires, which began Tuesday and continue to blaze, have destroyed acres of property and taken dozens of lives. On Friday, local officials announced the death toll increased to 67, making it the deadliest wildfire on U.S. soil since the 2018 Camp Fire in California killed at least 85 people.

The wildfires have destroyed at least 2,000 acres of land, including 80 percent of the Maui town Lahaina, a rich cultural area that was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Neither Biden nor Harris will visit the devastated Hawaiian island despite the destruction, according to Harris.

Mark Ruffalo Criticizes Socialist Brazilian President He Endorsed

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo criticized one of his “heroes,” Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Thursday over the latter allegedly not doing enough to protect the Amazon Rainforest during a regional summit.

Through a series of messages on Twitter, posted by Ruffalo on Thursday in both English and Portuguese, the “heartbroken” actor demanded more action from Lula to protect the rainforest, claiming that this is the Brazilian president’s moment to become “the next Nelson Mandela.”

Ruffalo is an American self-declared “climate justice advocate” with no publicly known family ties to Brazil. He has inserted himself prominently in Brazilian politics, however, engaging in several feuds with conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro and appearing at a Lula campaign rally during the presidential election last year.

“You’re one of my heroes, Lula, but it breaks my heart to see the Belém Declaration has no concrete goals to protect the rainforest,” Ruffalo wrote on Twitter. “The Amazon emergency is a climate emergency, and we can’t afford any delays.”

The Hollywood actor’s message was in reference to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) summit, which Lula hosted in the city of Belém on Tuesday and Wednesday. The summit gathered both regional presidents and representatives from ACTO member nations, as well as representatives of Norway, Germany, and France.

I get the idea that a large rain forest should not disappear, but no law nor initiative should prevent people from exploiting natural resources. There gotta be a balance not just a simple exclusivity or blind prohibition.

Russia Ships Oil to China Across the Arctic

Russian tankers that would normally carry oil to European customers are instead being rerouted through the Arctic to China, according to an OilPrice report Friday.

“Russia sent two initial crude oil shipments to China in mid-July, with four more oil tankers currently headed the same way via the Arctic, each carrying around 750,000 barrels of crude oil,” the report said.

The Arctic Ocean Northern Sea Route (NSR) is about 30 percent faster for Russian shipments to Asia than the Suez Canal route. The Russians have been contemplating a switch to the NSR for some time, and the Nordic nations have been exploring it as well.

When Europe and the United States imposed sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine and Europe began what appears to be a permanent move away from depending on Russian oil and gas, the NSR route became more attractive to Moscow.

Interest in Arctic shipping also picked up after the MV Ever Given disaster in March 2021, when a massive cargo ship got stuck in the Suez Canal and blocked a great deal of international shipping for several days. Chinese and Russian officials argued that opening another major trade route for nations with access to the Arctic would reduce dependence on the Suez and provide alternatives in the case of another blockage.

Of course, shipping through the Arctic poses some unique challenges. Analysts told OilPrice that Russia has been building up its fleet of ice-class tankers, and some Russian firms are in a position to switch almost all of their shipping to the NSR.