- What It Feels Like To Survive An IED Blast
What It Feels Like To Survive An IED Blast
Authored John J. Waters via RealClearWire.com, (emphasis ours)
The following is an excerpt from River City One: A Novel (Knox Press; November 7, 2023).
I’m laughing now because I can still see him. He’s got his helmet on, the chinstrap dangling and tobacco spit coming off his lip. I tell you the right side of his face was blown up like a puffer fish. He kept himself grungy, so unclean that you’d think not even the bad guys would touch him. Maybe that’s why I liked him being nearby, because I thought it would keep me safe or something.
I was walking fourth in line that day and one place ahead of West, who was smack in the middle. “You’re in my world today, Sir—you know the drill.” He was the guy everybody wanted in charge of the patrol, so I did as he said.
We set off single file, like a group of schoolchildren walking across the playground, one right after another. It had rained the night before so the ground was thick with mud. It felt like I was walking through peanut butter, every step sucking at the bottoms of my boots. The point man had the metal detector stuck out in front of him, waving it back and forth like a flashlight in the dark. We only walked where the metal detector allowed us, each man planting his foot into the footprint of the man in front of him and that was how it worked: one footprint at a time, hoping the ground wouldn’t give out from underneath.
I can’t remember what I was thinking about before it happened. The weight of my pack, maybe, how it felt like carrying a limp body on my shoulders, that’s how heavy the gear felt. I wasn’t thinking about fighting. I was uncomfortable but not afraid. “Keep up, Sir. Speed is the name of this game,” was the last thing West said.
We crested the hill and were approaching the plateau.
Halfway to the center, there was a flash of white light, then heat, a wave of fire that burned the hair off the back of my neck. I felt something kick the side of my head and then, all of a sudden, I’m sitting on the ground. I feel the force of the blast on every part of my body, like a punch to the head and ribs at the same time. One second passes. My first thought is, “I’m dead.” Another second passes. I hear rocks and debris, clumps of mud splattering onto the ground around me. The air is reddish brown, a fog, like I’m inside a filthy cloud, picking wet mud out of the inside of my nose and spitting it from my mouth. More seconds pass. My conscious self slams back inside my head and I realize for the first time that I’m alive. I have memory. I remember I was walking, that I’m with my team and we’re near the end but we’ve been hit by something. More time passes. My ears are ringing and I notice that my head hurts, like I haven’t had a cup of coffee for the first time in months, and the ache is enough to make me stretch my forehead and close my eyes. A doctor told me later that the blast from twenty pounds of explosives shattered my eardrum, but for now, I’m just drifting in and out of focus. I hear voices, the sounds coming from a tunnel, inside a shaft. They’re getting louder as the sound expands, but still I’m staring into the fog and seeing nothing until I turn to see what’s going on behind me.
“I’m good!” I scream at the outline of a figure, sweeping my hands over my legs and in front of my face, then my chest. “I’m okay,” I whisper to myself. I made it. I look behind me and finally see the image of someone emerging through the fog. “Hey, buddy. I made it,” I call out. He’s quiet, just sitting there. His back is stiff and perfectly upright, like he’s just chilling, and I think to myself, “Hell of a time to sit around, isn’t it?” He’s holding something in his hands—a helmet turned upside down like a bowl with a bootlace hanging out of it, and it’s odd. I push myself to my feet so that I can stand above him and then I understand. West isn’t sitting. His upper body is planted in the mud, like he’s sprouting up out of the dirt, right up from his ass, and there’s something black and red tucked inside the boot he’s cradling in his helmet. I keep staring at the boot in his hands.
“My mind flips back to something I heard. “Sir, my orthotics don’t fit these issue boots, so I’m gonna need to buy a special pair. Check out this sweet-ass pair of boots.” The only dude in the platoon with boots that looked like Air Jordans. It’s his left foot he’s holding in that helmet, the tan leather is a dark red color, but otherwise in perfect condition. The toe box and throat of the boot are plump. The laces are tied.
He couldn’t have been more than five feet away. I dream about it sometimes at night, reaching for his tourniquet off the front right shoulder of his plate carrier, fingers dancing across the stub of his right thigh before I rip my own tourniquet off my plate carrier, fastening it across what little is left of his left leg, doing what I can to stop the bleeding. I do it right every time in my dream, but it didn’t happen like that. Seconds passed and I didn’t move. More seconds passed and I couldn’t move. Eventually, the lead man in the column is there in front of me, giving the aid I’d plotted out in my head but hadn’t been able to deliver.
Have you ever had that dream where you’re playing a basketball game and you steal the ball? There’s nothing but open court between me and the basket. Not a single defender stands in my way. Sometimes my legs are rubber, other nights they’re wood. He bled out on the helicopter, arteries sliced just as clean as cut grass is what the medic told us, said it was a “victim-operated IED.”
Victim-operated, like West had decided to kill himself when he stepped on the pressure plate, when he stepped into my footprints.
We both stepped on the plate. Only West was able to operate the bomb that killed him.
John J. Waters graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in the Marine Corps on deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. He lives with his family in Nebraska, where he was born.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 23:40 - 55 Global Nations Do Not 'Recognize' Palestine, 29 Don't Recognize Israel
55 Global Nations Do Not 'Recognize' Palestine, 29 Don't Recognize Israel
The recent conflict between Hamas and Israel has brought the Gaza Strip, and the partially recognized State of Palestine, prominently into the focus of the global news cycle.
In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti uses Wikipedia data to map the countries that currently recognize Palestine as a state and those that don’t.
55 Countries Do Not Recognize Palestine
On November 15, 1988, the State of Palestine was officially proclaimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) coalition. The state claimed sovereignty of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
As of November 2023, 138 of the 193 UN members (72%) recognize the State of Palestine.
Here are the 55 countries that don’t recognize Palestine:
State Recognizes Palestine? 🇦🇩 Andorra No 🇦🇲 Armenia No 🇦🇺 Australia No, informal relations 🇦🇹 Austria No, informal relations 🇧🇸 Bahamas No 🇧🇧 Barbados No 🇧🇪 Belgium No, informal relations 🇨🇲 Cameroon No, informal relations 🇨🇦 Canada No, informal relations 🇭🇷 Croatia No, informal relations 🇩🇰 Denmark No, informal relations 🇪🇷 Eritrea No, informal relations 🇪🇪 Estonia No, informal relations 🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia No 🇫🇯 Fiji No 🇫🇮 Finland No, informal relations 🇫🇷 France No, informal relations 🇩🇪 Germany No, informal relations 🇬🇷 Greece No, informal relations 🇮🇪 Ireland No, informal relations 🇮🇱 Israel No, informal relations 🇮🇹 Italy No, informal relations 🇯🇲 Jamaica No 🇯🇵 Japan No, informal relations 🇰🇮 Kiribati No 🇱🇻 Latvia No, informal relations 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein No 🇱🇹 Lithuania No, informal relations 🇱🇺 Luxembourg No, informal relations 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands No 🇲🇽 Mexico No, informal relations 🇲🇩 Moldova No, informal relations 🇲🇨 Monaco No 🇲🇲 Myanmar No 🇳🇷 Nauru No 🇳🇱 Netherlands No, informal relations 🇳🇿 New Zealand No, informal relations 🇲🇰 North Macedonia No 🇳🇴 Norway No, informal relations 🇵🇼 Palau No 🇵🇦 Panama No 🇵🇹 Portugal No, informal relations 🇼🇸 Samoa No 🇸🇲 San Marino No 🇸🇬 Singapore No 🇸🇮 Slovenia No, informal relations 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands No 🇰🇷 South Korea No, informal relations 🇪🇸 Spain No, informal relations 🇨🇭 Switzerland No, informal relations 🇹🇴 Tonga No 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago No 🇹🇻 Tuvalu No 🇬🇧 United Kingdom No, informal relations 🇺🇸 United States No, informal relations Many of the world’s Western countries, including the entire G7, do not recognize Palestine. Instead, many maintain informal diplomatic relations.
In contrast, emerging major economies like those within BRICS and other G20 nations, including Argentina, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia, officially recognize the state.
In 2012, the State of Palestine was also upgraded by the UN to become a non-member observer state, a status shared only by the Holy See of Vatican City.
Hamas and the Gaza Strip
Officially, the United Nations recognizes the PLO as the governing entity in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, both of which fell under Israeli control following the 1967 Six-Day War.
After the Oslo Accords were signed by Israel and the PLO in the mid 1990s, the PLO gained control over the Gaza Strip and 40% of the West Bank through the newly-created Palestinian Authority administration.
However, following a 2007 military conflict between rival Palestinian factions Fatah (the majority party of the PLO) and Hamas (a militant political party separate from the PLO), the Gaza Strip has been governed by Hamas.
* * *
The recognition of Israel’s sovereignty has remained a dynamic and intricate issue since its establishment in 1948.
In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti uses Wikipedia data to map the countries that currently recognize Israel as a state and those that don’t.
29 Countries Do Not Recognize Israel
As of November 2023, 164 of the 193 UN members recognize Israel as a state, including all G7 countries. Even the State of Palestine recognized Israel as part of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
Here are the 29 countries that don’t recognize Israel:
State Recognized Israel? 🇦🇫 Afghanistan Never 🇩🇿 Algeria Never 🇧🇩 Bangladesh Never 🇧🇴 Bolivia Suspended/Cut Relations 🇧🇳 Brunei Never 🇰🇲 Comoros Never 🇨🇺 Cuba Withdrew 🇩🇯 Djibouti Never 🇮🇩 Indonesia Never 🇮🇷 Iran Withdrew 🇮🇶 Iraq Never 🇰🇼 Kuwait Never 🇱🇧 Lebanon Never 🇱🇾 Libya Never 🇲🇾 Malaysia Never 🇲🇻 Maldives Suspended/Cut Relations 🇲🇱 Mali Suspended/Cut Relations 🇲🇷 Mauritania Suspended/Cut Relations 🇳🇪 Niger Suspended/Cut Relations 🇰🇵 North Korea Never 🇴🇲 Oman Never 🇵🇰 Pakistan Never 🇶🇦 Qatar Never 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Never 🇸🇴 Somalia Never 🇸🇾 Syria Never 🇹🇳 Tunisia Never 🇻🇪 Venezuela Suspended/Cut Relations 🇾🇪 Yemen Never With the exception of four countries—Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela—the countries that do not recognize Israel are predominantly Muslim.
Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria have never recognized Israel and technically remain in a state of war with the country. Iran also doesn’t recognize Israel, but actually had relations with the country in the past before severing all ties following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Likewise, Cuba recognized Israel in 1949, but reversed its position in 1973 and actively supported Egypt and Syria against it during that year’s Yom Kippur War.
On the other hand, some Muslim-majority countries including Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE, have gradually normalized with the country.
Effects of the Israel-Hamas War
Relations between Israel and other countries are often strained when it engages in military conflicts, especially in the Gaza Strip.
In some cases those relations have broken completely. Venezuela broke all diplomatic ties with Israel during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict. More recently, Bolivia cut official ties with Israel over the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
As of November 2023, 85% of UN members recognized Israel as a country, compared to 72% for the State of Palestine.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 23:20 - ATF Director Says Assault Weapons Ban Now On His "Wish List"
ATF Director Says Assault Weapons Ban Now On His "Wish List"
Submitted by Gun Owners of America,
Looks like Biden’s ATF director has drastically changed his views from his Senate confirmation hearing.
During a recent interview with Caroline Light, the Director of Undergraduate studies in Women, Gender and Sexuality at Harvard University, ATF Director Steve Dettelbach was asked about his gun control “Wish list.”
Steven Dettelbach (right) with historian Caroline Light (left). Source: Harvard According to Harvard Magazine, ATF Director Dettelbach answered that he’d like to revive the federal prohibition on “assault weapons,” which expired in 2004.
The so-called “assault weapons” that Dettelbach refers to are commonly owned modern sporting rifles that 1 in 20 Americans own.
This is a drastic change from Dettelbach’s nomination hearing, where he promised to be a fair regulator and only use the tools that Congress gave him.
These words earned him his nominations from holdouts like Senator Angus King of Maine and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.
Senator King was credited with torpedoing the previous ATF director nominee, David Chipman.
Chipman, a former ATF agent and veteran of the gun-control lobby, was withdrawn after his views on firearms confirmed that he would be antagonistic towards the firearms industry as a regulator.
Dettelbach was seen as a law enforcement candidate, with a background as a United States Attorney who promised to “never let politics in any way influence my action as ATF director.”
It is clear that Director Dettelbach has become a gun-control advocate in the vein of David Chipman. In fact, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, no ATF director has ever advocated for an assault weapon ban until now.
This is unsurprising, as the Biden administration recently announced an office of gun violence prevention — its sole purpose being to cozy up the gun control lobby with a direct link to ATF. Look no further than the Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s Deputy Director, Rob Wilcox.
ICYMI📢
Last week, Biden’s White House announced the new gun violence prevention office. This is just another attempt to take away your Second Amendment rights. pic.twitter.com/r1HejsNWvh
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) September 30, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Wilcox was the Senior Director of Federal Affairs for Michael Bloomberg’s gun-control organization Everytown for Gun Safety before working directly for the White House in their newly created office.
Interesting as well in Dettelbach’s interview was his attempt to characterize a GOA-backed overturning of an egregious gun control policy by the Department of Veterans Affairs as somehow related to the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.
Dettelbach suggested that the GOA-backed policy lowered barriers to gun ownership for those found to be mentally incompetent. This is the furthest thing from the truth.
In reality, the provision reversed a sinister policy by the VA, which added veterans to the list of prohibited persons in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) if they used a fiduciary to manage their finances. Over 250,000 veterans were disarmed because of this policy.
ATF is currently working to implement Universal Registration Checks by executive fiat (another item on Dettelbach’s wish list), and the rule is now up for comment. Click here to let ATF know that you oppose this rule by leaving a public comment.
Gun Owners of America proudly stands in opposition to ATF and Director Dettelbach in the defense of law-abiding gun owners’ Second Amendment rights.
* * *
We’ll hold the line for you in Washington. We are No Compromise. Join the Fight Now.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 23:00 - Not Married, No Kids: The Rise Of China's 'Single' Culture
Not Married, No Kids: The Rise Of China's 'Single' Culture
While Singles‘ Day was originally conceived as a celebration of people who are not in a relationship, Statista’s Felix Richter points out that the growing popularity of a lifestyle that prioritizes personal independence and self-discovery over traditional societal expectations has not come without side effects.
One such side effect has been a steep decline in marriage rates across the country.
Young adults in particular are increasingly likely to delay or forgo marriage altogether, breaking away from the longstanding societal pressure to marry early. While 47 percent of newly married people in China were 24 or younger in 2005, that number dropped to just 15 percent in 2022, with nearly 50 percent of newlyweds older than 30, compared to less than 20 percent in 2005. The reasons behind this shift are multifaceted, encompassing factors such as changing gender roles, increased educational and career opportunities for women and a desire for personal fulfillment outside the confines of a traditional family structure. As our chart shows, the marriage rate in China dropped to a historic low of 4.8 new marriages per 1,000 people in 2022, down from more than double that a decade earlier.
Accompanying the decline in marriages has been the concerning trend of a falling birth rate in China, which also fell to a new low in 2022, resulting in the country’s first population decline in over 60 years. The choice to remain single or delay marriage often translates into delayed parenthood or even a decision to remain childless. Economic considerations, career aspirations and the high cost of raising children in urban areas further contribute to this decline. The Chinese government’s efforts to encourage childbirth, such as the relaxation of the one-child policy, have yet to yield a substantial reversal of the declining birth rate.
You will find more infographics at Statista
So while the rise of the single culture in China is emblematic of evolving social attitudes and individual aspirations, it also raises questions about the long-term demographic and economic implications for the nation. As the number of single individuals continues to rise, policymakers are grappling with the need to adapt to this changing landscape, addressing challenges such as an aging population and potential strains on social welfare systems.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 22:40 - Is A Cyber 9/11 Coming?
Is A Cyber 9/11 Coming?
Authored by Marie Hawthorne via The Organic Prepper blog,
Talk of a “Cyber 9/11” has been circulating for years. With the next presidential election twelve months away now, some folks are predicting that a major cyber event will happen before then, throwing a monkey wrench into the 2024 election process.
What the heck is Cyber 9/11?
What does Cyber 9/11 mean? Is there a real risk? What should we be preparing for?
There are two aspects to the Cyber 9/11 concept. The first is the disaster itself; 9/11 was a catastrophe that ended the lives of over 3000 people in one day. There are fears that if power grids were hacked or enough damage was done to logistical centers, the ensuing chaos would cause deaths.
Quite memorably, back in 2000, a disgruntled public works employee in Australia hacked into the water treatment system and caused raw sewage to pour into public areas, flooding a Hyatt hotel. One man acting alone caused a disgusting, expensive mess. Of course security experts are concerned with what a team of angry individuals could do.
The second aspect to a potential Cyber 9/11 is the change in the regulatory landscape that occurred after 9/11 in 2001. I remember flying as a teenager in the 90s. So many things changed later. The airport changes were most obvious to regular citizens, but the passage of the Patriot Act in October 2001 was far more consequential. It dramatically changed the way surveillance was conducted.
Under the Fourth Amendment, private citizens are supposed to be protected from warrantless search and seizures. The Patriot Act really weakened that. Law enforcement is now allowed to delay the notice of search warrants. They don’t need nearly as much oversight from judges to conduct phone and internet surveillance.
These Constitution-weakening changes occurred after 9/11 in 2001.
How might our Constitutional rights be altered after a Cyber 9/11?
Centralized powers have made it obvious that they love using calamities to push through changes the public would never otherwise accept. Winston Churchill was the first person on record to say, “Never let a crisis go to waste,” as he worked to establish the UN in the 1940s, but he was hardly the last.
-
Rahm Emmanuel, regarding the 2008 banking crisis: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”
-
Hillary Clinton, regarding the push for universal healthcare in 2020: “This would be a terrible crisis to waste.”
-
Klaus Schwab, regarding the Covid pandemic: “. . . the pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world to create a healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous future.”
Understanding this tendency to see crisis as opportunity is absolutely vital to understanding everything else going on today.
So, is a Cyber 9/11 something we should be preparing for?
Some experts believe that a Cyber 9/11 would be difficult to pull off by the known terrorist groups for technical reasons. And the world is too connected, globally, for most governments to pursue large-scale cyberattacks, even between unfriendly nations. For people who want to use the internet to harm American society, there are simply better ways to do it.
However, we can’t ignore the fact that cyberattacks have been increasing. Ask any small business owner. Daisy has mentioned in previous articles that most of this site’s income goes to security. And I’ve heard similar things from friends that work in fields as diverse as accounting and energy.
These stories from friends align with what security professionals have found, too. The Information Security Forum is a London-based firm that provides guidance on internet security for many Fortune 500 companies and governments around the world. They have seen a huge increase in cyberattacks, too, and in June this year, they hosted an Operational Technology Cyber Simulation exercise in Brussels. This gave industry leaders an opportunity to meet and collaborate, working through a simulation of a cyberattack on a fictitious manufacturing facility
How would governments react to a major cyberattack?
I don’t think a major cyberattack is an unreasonable concern. I also don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask, if we did have a major cyber event, how would our governments react?
Central banks and governments around the world have been talking an awful lot about implementing CBDCs. In late June, 130 countries representing 98% of the global economy were exploring CBDCs. This is despite a lack of interest by average citizens. During Covid, many people became aware of how China used its social credit system, interconnected with online banking, to enforce compliance.
It’s not just China that people can look to with alarm. When Nigeria’s government tried to impose CBDCs on their citizens, widespread protests erupted.
In the U.S., Republican Senators introduced legislation that would ban the federal government from implementing a CBDC. Europeans don’t want CBDCs, either. It has simply become too obvious that CBDCs will be used as a means of control, and politicians have been caught admitting it.
Look at the Rumble pranksters who convinced European Central Bank President Christine LaGarde that she was on the phone with Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky. She admits, thinking that she is speaking privately, that CBDCs would be used to control what kind of payments the population would be able to make.
There’s no putting the cat back in that bag. Politicians and central bankers want total financial control, and they think they have the technology to do it, through CBDCs. Average citizens worldwide have been making it clear that they would really prefer to have the option of private, decentralized payments through crypto or cash, and so there is a legitimate concern that any upcoming cyberattack (no matter who actually conducts it) could be used to reset financial systems worldwide.
But do they have the technology to pull this off successfully?
Who knows.
We’ve talked before about Ukraine’s Diia app and how, shortly after it launched, they had a massive data breach in which millions of people had their personal information released all over the dark web.
This breach was tiny compared to what just happened to the people of India in the recent Aadhaar data breach.
Aadhaar is the Indian program launched to streamline the identification process of Indian citizens. The program was rolled out in 2009, issuing a unique 12-digit number to each person who registered in exchange for their biometric data/
Before Aadhaar, there was no universal identification program within India, and as you can imagine, this led to widespread abuse and corruption. Aadhaar claimed to solve that problem.
Within a few years of launching, Aadhaar had become the world’s largest biometric data collection service. As of 2023, 99% of Indians, or 1.3 billion people, have handed over their fingerprints and iris scans in exchange for access to government services. The Indian government has boasted that this allows the poorest Indians, many of whom had no official identification beforehand, to receive benefits.
A court ruling in 2018 claimed that the Indian government could demand Aadhaar data, but that private entities such as banks and phone companies could not. However, despite this court ruling, many educated people within India claim that it was not clear what services would or would not be withheld based on Aadhaar participation. Instances of fraud have been playing out since its adoption. It has been used for voter fraud. And, once you opt-in, there’s no opting out.
Within the past two weeks, India has suffered a massive data breach, with 815 million people having their biometric data and banking information put up for sale on the dark web.
This is the biggest data breach in history. Eight hundred fifteen million people means that more than 1 in 10 people on planet Earth just had their data stolen. You can find many, many videos on YouTube of furious Indians talking about the data breach, but Western media has totally ignored this for reasons that are probably obvious.
How am I preparing?
So, after all this, am I preparing for Cyber 9/11? Am I prepping for the attack itself, or some kind of biometrically linked CBDC to roll out?
General chaos, leading to Thirdworldization, is my pre-2024 election prediction. There are some power-hungry people individuals who would love to have the whole world living under a global digital system, but I think that forced implementation is more likely to cause chaos than anything else. These systems are not foolproof and lead to problems wherever they’re tried.
We may not be able to avoid attempts at forced implementation. But we can prepare by paying attention to our surroundings, becoming more skilled producers rather than consumers, and most of all, developing trusted networks of friends and family in the real world.
For more information on preparing for a cyberattack, check out this article and this one.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 22:20 -
- Seven Hezbollah Fighters Killed In Syria After Expanded Israeli Airstrikes On 'Iran Axis'
Seven Hezbollah Fighters Killed In Syria After Expanded Israeli Airstrikes On 'Iran Axis'
Lebanon’s Hezbollah has issued a rare announcement Friday, saying that seven of its fighters have been killed, describing that they were “martyred on the road to Jerusalem” – which is code for fighting Israel.
But it’s being widely reported that at least some of the slain Hezbollah members were killed inside Syria, after a new Friday Israeli airstrike on central Homs. In total on Friday, Hezbollah released seven death notices.
Hezbollah funeral procession on Monday, after a fighters was killed on the southern border, via AP. Hezbollah as well as international sources have cited a death toll of at least 68 Hezbollah fighters since the Oct.7 conflict began, centered on southern Israel and Gaza.
“A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security official said the seven fighters were killed in neighboring Syria this morning,” international press agencies and regional reports indicated. “They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.”
Israel’s attacks on Syria, where Hezbollah has long been operating in coordination with the Assad government, have grown to almost daily of late. This presents the prospect that the war could go regional, given these assaults are ultimately aimed at the ‘Iran axis’.
On Wednesday, there were reports that three ‘pro-Iran’ fighters had been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the outskirts of Damascus. And Bloomberg on Friday says that cross-border fire in southern Lebanon has persisted:
Iran-backed Hezbollah said it launched missiles at Israeli soldiers, the militant group’s Al-Manar TV reported. Israel Defense Forces said that a group launched a number of anti-tank missiles from Lebanon toward an army post in northern Israel. The Israeli army said it responded and struck the source of fire.
There also appears to be a concerted effort to degrade and destroy Israel’s string of observation and communications posts along the border…
For those who ask why Hezbollah is hitting the towers:
Hezbollah is destroying all Israeli observation stations, leaving the border completely open for an invasion of Israel.
Israel has spent billions of dollars on these observation towers. pic.twitter.com/J5m3Hj3R2M
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) November 10, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While most analysts have underscored that a full ‘war front’ has yet to be opened by Hezbollah, the fact of 60+ Hezbollah deaths does mean that significant fighting is taking place.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a recent speech said part of the purpose of operations was to divert up to one-third of Israel’s military hardware and personnel to the north, in order to divert these way from Gaza operations.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 22:00 - Taibbi: Big Brother Is Flagging You
Taibbi: Big Brother Is Flagging You
Authored by Matt Taibbi via Racket News,
“We just set up an election integrity partnership at the request of DHS/CISA,” wrote Graham Brookie of the Atlantic Council on July 31, 2020, according to a devastating new House report:
So much for “CISA did not found, fund, or otherwise control the EIP.” That’s what the public was told in March, after Michael Shellenberger and I testified to Jim Jordan’s Weaponization of Government Committee about the ubiquitous presence in the Twitter Files of the the Election Integrity Partnership, a cross-platform content-flagging operation set up ahead of the 2020 Trump-Biden election.
Nominally run by Stanford University, the EIP is really government censorship in a ski mask, a creature of the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Despite media protestations to the contrary, this has never really been in doubt. Stanford Internet Observatory Director Alex Stamos told the world EIP was formed because CISA “lacked both kinda the funding and the legal authorizations” to do its “necessary” work:
Now, after a damaging new report packed with subpoenaed documents just released by the House Weaponization of Government Committee, a thorough exposé by Michael Shellenberger and Alexandra Gutentag at Public, and new documents in this space from both the Twitter Files and the Missouri v. Biden case, the public hopefully will have enough information to shut the door on one of the more infuriating and shameless ass-covering campaigns in recent memory:
After Shellenberger and I testified in March, some partners in the EIP — which included the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP), Graphika, and the “Center for Internet Security” (CIS) — denied they were part of a censorship operation, claiming to be victims of “false statements” and mischaracterizations.
The denials triggered a furious campaign of counter-accusation leveled through national media, which was of course more interested in Jordan, Michael and me than in efforts by an intelligence service to build a domestic censorship operation. EIP members worked with everyone from Mehdi Hasan at MSNBC to PBS Frontline to the Washington Post, New York Times, and the New Yorker, unironically depicting congressional subpoenas and Freedom of Information requests as “tools of harassment.” Stanford’s Renée DiResta even told The New Yorker, “Matt Taibbi says something on a Twitter thread, and then members of Congress get to read my e-mails!”
Of course, congress gets to read such emails because voters chose to give politicians who wanted to read them subpoena power. Or: Freedom of Information laws allow anyone curious about the destination of public funds to see correspondence involving anyone working on public projects. That EIP “researchers” believe subpoeanas or FOIA rules to be unfair impositions says a lot about how much say they feel the public should have in publicly-funded programs.
The Twitter Files confirm information in the Weaponization Committee report, containing multiple references to DHS plans in 2020 to build an election content-reviewing program. Here for instance lawyer Stacia Cardille says, “DHS want to establish a centralized portal for reporting disinformation”:
Shortly after, in May 2020, a different Twitter official noted “CISA received a grant to build a web portal for state and local election officials to report incidents of election-related misinformation,” and “This tool has been built in beta form”:
The Committee report noted Twitter was “briefed on the portal” by DHS in May, 2020. In a June a Twitter exec noted in an email, “We have already done a demo with DHS/CISA,” and, “Twitter has already received a demo on this product.”
Along with the Brookie email about the EIP set up “at the request” of DHS/CISA, plus the EIP’s own bragging about filling the “critical gap” for a government agency that “lacked both kinda the funding and the legal authorizations” to do this work, it was already comical to claim “CISA did not found, fund, or otherwise control the EIP.”
Subscribers to Racket News can read the rest here…
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 21:40 - Visualizing The Expansion Of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Visualizing The Expansion Of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization
China has actively pursued the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic, and international security entity.
Established in 2001 by Russia, China, and former Soviet states, the organization serves as a counterbalance to Western influence in the region.
Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti and Sabrina Fortin created the chart below, using data from Incrementum, the UN, and the SCO, to illustrate the development of the largest regional organization globally.
SCO Timeline
The SCO, formed with objectives such as combating terrorism, promoting border security, strengthening political ties, and expanding economic cooperation, initially included China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
In 2002, member states ratified the organization statute to encourage political, trade, economic, technological, cultural, and educational collaboration.
Since then, the organization has undertaken over 20 large-scale projects related to transportation, energy, and telecommunications. A notable initiative is China’s expansive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to rebuild the Silk Road and connect China to Asia, Europe, and beyond through significant infrastructure investments.
The organization has also expanded its geopolitical influence. It attained observer status in the UN General Assembly in 2005 and gave Afghanistan observer status in 2012. Currently, it is working with the interim Taliban administration to include Afghan representatives in its future meetings.
India and Pakistan officially became members of the SCO in 2017, and Iran is in the process of obtaining full-time membership. Egypt and Qatar are dialogue partners, and Saudi Arabia, a traditional U.S. ally, has taken steps to join. Belarus is set to become a member in 2024 after signing a memorandum of obligations.
Furthermore, the organization also plays a crucial role in Chinese military ambitions.
In 2007, the SCO signed an agreement outlining the legal rights and responsibilities for military exercises in another member country.
The agreement allows Chinese armed forces to engage in air-ground combat operations abroad, covering activities like long-distance mobilization, counterterrorism missions, stability maintenance operations, and conventional warfare.
Military presence is particularly important for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which fears that separatist movements in the Uyghur-dominated autonomous region of Xinjiang could gain support from other Central Asian states.
Implications for the United States
Today, the SCO encompasses 42% of the global population and 32% of the global GDP.
Due to its growing influence, U.S. policymakers have been monitoring the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
In a 2020 report to the U.S. Congress, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission highlighted that through the SCO, China is establishing diplomatic relationships and expeditionary capabilities that could support power projection beyond its borders.
According to the document, “there is a significant risk that Beijing may leverage its relationships with SCO countries to limit the ability of U.S. armed forces to operate in Central Asia.”
Nonetheless, the same report mentions that the SCO could serve as a beneficial tool for Central Asian states, offering a platform for cooperation and presenting an alternative to potential domination by Russia, particularly in areas such as energy.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 21:20 - "Malpractice": Ramaswamy Denies Claim By RNC Chair McDaniel That He Voted For Obama
"Malpractice": Ramaswamy Denies Claim By RNC Chair McDaniel That He Voted For Obama
Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times (Emphasis ours),
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has denied claims made by Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel that he voted for former Democratic President Barack Obama.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 8, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The Ohio entrepreneur took to social media to accuse Ms. McDaniel of “flat-out lying” and reiterated his call for her resignation.
He repeated online anonymous claims that the RNC chair had allegedly vowed not to give “one cent” to his campaign after he criticized her during the third GOP debate held on Wednesday.
“I’ve never voted for Obama in my life,” Mr. Ramaswamy told Fox News on Thursday. “So, for a chair of the RNC to be saying that on national television, is malpractice.”
The RNC, in response to inquiries, directed The Epoch Times to a statement denying Ms. McDaniel’s reported remarks about withholding financial support for Ramaswamy’s campaign.
(L–R) Former Gov. of New Jersey Chris Christie, former Gov. of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) attend the third Republican presidential primary debate at the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 8, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) At the third GOP debate in Miami on Wednesday, one day after the Nov. 7 off-year elections that saw Democrats gain ground in key elections, Mr. Ramaswamy said the GOP had become a “party of losers.” He attributed the blame to the Republican establishment and called on Ms. McDaniel to resign.
“Since Ronna McDaniel took over as chairwoman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022,” he said. “We got trounced last night in 2023, and I think that we have to have accountability in our party.
“For that matter, Ronna, if you want to come on stage tonight, you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you resign, I will turn over [and] yield my time to you.“
Following the debate, Ms. McDaniel said the GOP should be focused on domestic issues, such as the border and fentanyl crisis, crime, U.S. families, and defeating President Joe Biden—not her.
“I’m not running for anything, so let’s focus on Joe Biden and beating the Democrats,” she said Wednesday night.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel delivers remarks before the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami, Fla., on Nov. 8, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) In further comments on Thursday, Ms. McDaniel dismissed Mr. Ramaswamy’s comments calling on her to resign, saying that he “needs a headline” and noting that he’s polling at “4 percent.”
She also said the RNC, a federal committee, isn’t involved in state elections.
“We’re a federal committee, so we weren’t involved in those races on Tuesday,” Ms. McDaniel said. “I know Vivek is kind of newer to the party. He voted for Obama, so he may not know that, but this is something we’re going to have to get right … as a party.”
Ms. McDaniel made her remarks during an interview with Fox News, in which she was responding to criticisms Mr. Ramaswamy leveled at her during the third GOP debate on Wednesday night.
Among the victories for Democrats on Tuesday were Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection and the keeping and flipping, respectively, of the Virginia state Senate and House of Delegates.
To qualify for the fourth GOP debate, candidates must meet either of two polling thresholds: “at least 6 percent in two national polls” or “6 percent in one national poll and 6 percent in one early state poll from two separate ‘carve out’ states,” according to the RNC.
They also need a minimum of 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 donors from each of 20 or more states and territories.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 21:00 - Lilly's New Weight Loss Medication Ignites Obesity Drug Price War
Lilly's New Weight Loss Medication Ignites Obesity Drug Price War
The obesity drug price war has just begun following the Food and Drug Administration’s Wednesday approval of Zepbound, a weight-loss drug from Eli Lilly and Company. Zepbound is anticipated to be more affordable than Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and will be stocked at US pharmacies after Thanksgiving.
Zepbound is the latest entrant into the GLP-1 craze this year as obese Americans give up Pelotons for ‘miracle’ weight loss drugs that can help people lose up to 5% of body weight in a month. The new drug costs 21% less per month – or about $1,060 for a shot, compared with the premium price of $1,349 a month for Wegovy, according to Bloomberg.
Despite the high monthly cost of Wegovy, which can be comparable to expenses like car payments, rent, or mortgage payments and thus unaffordable for many folks, along with some insurance companies unwilling to pick up the bill, the introduction of Zepbound offers hope for more affordable options in the GLP-1 space.
Bloomberg noted Lilly’s discount has likely instigated the opening move of a “war between the two drugmakers to win over insurers’ dollars.”
There could be a divide-and-conquer strategy between the two drugmakers with insures:
Even as list prices remain high, drugmakers often offer insurance companies steep behind-the-scenes discounts in exchange for favorable coverage, especially when there’s competition from a very similar drug. What drugmakers lose in rebates — as these deals are often called — they gain in potential market share. Winning over the fragmented, complex and lucrative US health-care system is imperative for Lilly and Novo in maximizing long-term profits.
The two drugmakers are experts at navigating the behind-the-scenes fights with insurers for access to their patients. For years, the two competed to get coverage for injectable diabetes drugs, including more recently Mounjaro and Ozempic. They have historically split market-share for diabetes treatments, but the stakes are higher for weight-loss medicines. -Bloomberg
Bloomberg Intelligence’s Michael Shah said Lilly and Novo “want to get broad access, so insurers will likely pit one against the other to secure the biggest discount.”
Shah estimates that Novo has discounted Wegovy by at least 55% to secure access with insurers. He said the obesity drug war will likely mean rebates will move higher. This is a good sign for obese folks that more affordable pricing is ahead.
On Wednesday, after Zepbound’s approval, Lilly wrote in a press release that its new drug is a “powerful new option for the treatment of obesity.” Clinicals have shown it can help people lose up to 52 pounds in 16 months.
Patrik Jonsson, a Lilly executive vice president, recently said the more affordable Zepbound is a “signal from our side” that Lilly is taking drug costs seriously.
Bloomberg noted the obesity drug wars will accelerate this weekend:
Novo is expected to present data at the American Heart Association meeting from a big trial showing that Wegovy can prevent heart attacks and strokes in cardiovascular patients without diabetes. Those findings could also pressure insurers to cover the drug if it has more perceived health benefits.
The beginning innings of the obesity drug price war appear to have started this week to ‘make America slim again’ (also make billions of dollars along the way).
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 20:40 - This Crime Data Is Not Real
This Crime Data Is Not Real
Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,
Headlines in recent weeks blared that crime is down, all based on a new report from the FBI.
News media picked it up and did the predictable kabuki dance over the greatness of the Biden administration, as if the president has anything to do with it.
Mainly, the point is that all is well.
There’s nothing about which to complain.
You’re safe and prosperous, so just stop your kvetching.
The report stated the following:
“The FBI’s crime statistics estimates for 2022 show that national violent crime decreased an estimated 1.7 percent in 2022 compared to 2021 estimates: Murder and non-negligent manslaughter recorded a 2022 estimated nationwide decrease of 6.1 percent compared to the previous year. In 2022, the estimated number of offenses in the revised rape category saw an estimated 5.4 percent decrease. Aggravated assault in 2022 decreased an estimated 1.1 percent in 2022. Robbery showed an estimated increase of 1.3 percent nationally.”
Before we examine this reported data, consider that there’s no reason to believe that it’s even close to the truth.
In all the chaos of the last several years, people have mostly stopped reporting theft and even assault. It’s so routine and everyone knows that the police will not and probably cannot do anything anyway. This truth is easily confirmed by asking any street-level store owner in any big city. Theft is rampant. Cameras are everywhere. But there’s nothing they can do about it.
Just a couple of days ago, I was in a CVS Pharmacy and startled that the toothpaste was under lock and key. That’s how terrible things have gotten in formerly civilized places.
One wonders about assaults, too. Based on what you can see in midtown Manhattan on any night, does anyone believe that assaults in this setting are being reported? What precisely would be the point?
To be sure, murders are different. Those data are less subject to reporting problems. But here’s another problem: a basic statistical error in how it is presented. It’s a sophomoric point but nonetheless real. Whether something is up or down, getting better or getting worse, entirely depends on the baseline that you choose as your starting date. If you choose the absolute worst peak of a trend, everything else looks good by comparison.
That’s precisely what the FBI has done.
It has chosen the worst possible year in order to make our present hellish reality seem great by comparison. Joshua Crawford of the Georgia Center for Opportunity explains:
“Part of the problem with most media analysis is that 2019 didn’t represent a historical baseline of homicide and violent crime rates in America—2014 did. Nationally, violent crime and murder were much more prevalent in 2019 than in 2014. So though U.S. rates have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, the country is well above normal violent-crime rates. Total violent crime in 2022 was 5 percent higher than in 2014, an increase that represents tens of thousands of additional victims in a single year. The national homicide rate in 2022 was 43 percent higher than in 2014. Since 2015, there have been roughly 30,000 more murders in the U.S. than there would have been if the homicide rate had stayed at the 2014 low.”
Which is to say, this is all terrible news. It’s only not as terrible as the most terrible possible reality of 4 years ago. This isn’t crime being down; this is crime persisting and even worsening in many respects in many places, especially in blue areas such as San Francisco.
We’re all getting pretty fed up with the lying by statistics. Sadly, it often works. It depends fundamentally on the public’s statistical ignorance, which is undoubtedly very high. People can only understand the most rudimentary notions, such as “up” and “down,” without asking more important questions such as “Compared with what?” much less more sophisticated questions such as “Are we talking about an absolute fall or a drop in the rate of increase?”
We experience this constantly with inflation data. For more than two years, we’ve kept hearing about a fall in the inflation rate. People hear that and think, “Oh, prices are coming back down,” without even realizing that this isn’t what it means. It means a falling rate at which prices are going up. Prices are still going up.
Mass statistical ignorance is extremely costly. It allows a ruling class to toss around numbers all the time to sound vaguely sciency but without having any real substance behind the claims. This is what enabled the Biden administration to say daily that the job market is great, that economic growth is strong, that Americans are growing wealthier, and now, that crime is down. It’s all completely gibberish and contradicted by every bit of reality that we observe with our own eyes.
The crime problem is a major one because it directly affects two fundamental points of security that are essential to the good life: security of property and security of person. Both are in deep trouble in America today. It only adds insult to literal injury that our own FBI is tossing around extremely misleading data to suggest that it’s all in our heads.
If and when things settle down, and America gets its act together again, there needs to be a mass educational campaign to do remedial classes in math and statistics (and probably logic, too). It was the ignorance of the basics that allowed so many people to be bamboozled during the COVID-19 era. When you don’t really understand the math or data, you have no real choice but to trust the interpretation of the featured experts. This is a huge problem.
During this period of our lives, property became ever less secure, first wrecked by government edict and then threatened by mobs of riots and now under assault from petty thieves and organized shoplifting gangs. Respect for life has declined, too. Generally, the very notions of human dignity and bodily autonomy have declined in moral legitimacy in the public mind.
Foot traffic in our cities has fallen dramatically, and this is partially a result of crime fears. Will murders decline from their highs, too? Certainly. But this isn’t because our streets are safer. It’s because people are too terrified to go there. This isn’t an improvement but evidence of a worsening problem.
That kind of analysis is too deep and rich for sound bites in today’s manipulated public square, where propaganda always seems to prevail over facts. It’s true in economics. It’s true in public health. And now we see that it’s true in crime reporting as well. It’s just another sector of life in which the decline in trust is much merited.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 20:20 - Vietnam Veterans Are The Largest Veteran Group In The US
Vietnam Veterans Are The Largest Veteran Group In The US
Tomorrow marks Veterans Day and, as Statista’s Katharina Buchholz reports, military men and women who served in Vietnam are still the largest group of vets in the U.S.
You will find more infographics at Statista
Even when counting both Gulf War periods together, like is done in some statistics, veterans of these wars only surpassed the number of Vietnam vets currently living in the US in 2016.
The Department of Veteran Affairs has also projected the future development of veteran populations in the U.S.
The smallest group to date, WWII veterans, are expected to lose its last members in 2045.
By that time fewer than 400 veterans of the Korean War are expected to remain alive.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 20:00 - Russia's Finance Ministry Says (Again) That The Digital Ruble Will Replace Cash
Russia's Finance Ministry Says (Again) That The Digital Ruble Will Replace Cash
Authored by Riley Waggaman via Off-Guardian.org,
The transition to CBDCs will be completely voluntary, though. You needn’t worry!
Alexei Moiseev, Russia’s deputy minister of finance, is the world’s most candid space lizard.
When he announced in a September 2021 interview that “the digital ruble is a replacement for the cash ruble”, skeptics and haters spread hurtful rumors that Moiseev’s refreshing and award-winning honesty had been taken out of context.
Here’s what Mr. Moiseev told RIA Novosti two years later, on October 30, 2023:
Essentially, [the digital ruble] is the real currency of the 22nd or any other century, which at the end of the day must replace cash.
He also promised that the digital ruble would be more “convenient” than cash and non-cash transactions. Safety and convenience are the guiding principles of the 21st century, so it’s easy to imagine that the 22nd century will be extremely safe and outrageously convenient.
source: ria.ru
But just to be 100% clear: Elvira Nabiullina and her devoted blog-admirers promise that Russians will never be coerced into using digital rubles.
The gradual transition to CBDCs will be an organic process—a naturally occurring result of Extreme Convenience.
Russians will never be prevented from using cash in certain situations, even though this is already happening right now, today, in 2023.
That was fast. (source / source)
But that’s neither here nor there. As the Bank of Russia’s universally loved chairwoman said just yesterday, Russians will always be allowed to decide how they receive their salaries and pensions—that is her current “position” and it would be rude to even consider the possibility that this position might change.
Just like it would be uncouth to think that the Bank of Russia’s position on placing restrictions on how digital rubles can be spent (“coloring” them) would ever change.
All Russians understand how convenient and voluntary the 21st and 22nd centuries will be.
Just look at what they’re saying on the internet forums:
source: yaplakal.com
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 19:40 - FBI Seized NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Phones, iPad
FBI Seized NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Phones, iPad
Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times,
An attorney for New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed on Friday that the FBI seized the mayor’s phones and an iPad as part of an investigation into his campaign financing.
“After learning of the federal investigation, it was discovered that an individual had recently acted improperly. In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this behavior was immediately and proactively reported to investigators. The Mayor has been and remains committed to cooperating in this matter,” his attorney Boyd Johnson said in a statement.
“On Monday night, the FBI approached the mayor after an event. The Mayor immediately complied with the FBI’s request and provided them with electronic devices. The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”
Mr. Adams also denied any wrongdoing in a statement.
“As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation—and I will continue to do exactly that. I have nothing to hide,” he stated.
Last week, the FBI raided the home of Brianna Suggs, one of the mayor’s chief political consultants, after which the mayor also issued a statement that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.
“I feel extremely comfortable about how I comply with rules and procedures. I’ve stated this over and over again. I hold myself to a high standard, I hold my campaign to a high standard, and I hold my staffers at city hall to a high standard,” he said. He also said that Ms. Suggs was a “real professional” and would remain on his team for his 2025 reelection campaign.
“I am outraged and angry if anyone attempted to use the campaign to manipulate our democracy and defraud our campaign,” Mr. Adams said in the statement.
“I want to be clear, I have no knowledge, direct or otherwise, of any improper fundraising activity—and certainly not of any foreign money.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney in Manhattan declined to comment.
Investigation
The FBI has not made public details of the investigation, but a search warrant was first reported by the New York Times, which reported that the federal investigation is related to alleged corruption in Mr. Adams’s 2021 campaign and possible ties to the Turkish government.
The seized devices, which the FBI has likely made copies of, were returned days later.
The mayor’s staff has confirmed that his office has met with the federal prosecutors, but did not disclose what they discussed.
After the raid on Ms. Suggs’s home, media reported that the relationship between the mayor’s 2021 campaign and Brooklyn-based KSK Construction Group’s ties to Turkey is the center of the probe.
The KSK Construction Group owns apartment buildings and condominiums throughout the city. It is owned by the KiSKA Construction Corp., a company that possesses two branches of a Turkish hotel chain in the United States.
Turkey
Mr. Adams has visited Turkey multiple times, including as part of official duties in different public offices.
“I’m probably the only mayor in the history of this city that has not only visited Turkey once, but I think I’m on my sixth or seventh visit to Turkey,” Mr. Adams said at a Turkish flag-raising ceremony in New York recently.
Two of those trips were made while he was the Brooklyn Borough President.
Campaign records show that he received donations from three members of a foundation opened by the son of the Turkish president.
At an event this week, the mayor answered reporters’ questions about the probe and his ties to Turkey.
“We just thought it was a great opportunity to exchange ideas as we do with all these…countries and we want to attract businesses here,” he said of the trips, according to The City.
“So Turkey as well as any other country, I want to attract people to the city. There’s nothing specific about that one particular country.”
He added that he frequently told his staff to “follow the law.”
“I just strongly believe you have to follow the law. It would really shock me if someone that was hired by my campaign did something that was inappropriate,” he said.
* * *
ZH: Well, that will be the last time Adams mentions the illegal immigrant crisis or the open borders…
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 19:20 - Pentagon Is Starting To Restrict Flow Of Military Aid To Ukraine As Money Runs Out
Pentagon Is Starting To Restrict Flow Of Military Aid To Ukraine As Money Runs Out
No more green for Zelenskyy.
With war funding for both Ukraine and Israel now seemingly snarled up beyond repair in Congress, on Thursday the Pentagon said that funding delays have forced the US to begin restricting the flow of military assistance to Ukraine, and the Pentagon has only $1 billion left to replenish stocks of weapons that were sent to the country, according to a spokeswoman.
“We have had to meter out our support for Ukraine,” Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. “We’re going to continue to roll out packages but they are getting smaller.”
Singh urged Congress to break a deadlock and approve the Biden administration’s $61.4 billion request for emergency funds for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, part of a masive $106 billion package that would include aid for Israel and the US-Mexico border, but which now has virtually no chance of passing. House Republicans have sought to separate the aid for Ukraine and Israel, an idea both the Senate and the White House oppose.
Singh said the US had burned through about 95% of previous funding for Ukraine, which she said also totaled more than $60 billion; of course, much of that $60 billion was then rerouted back to the Military Industrial Complex and Deep state back in the US, where it served to boost various military companies, and their political supporters and assorted hanger-on lobbies.
She said the remaining $1 billion is part of a program that allows President Joe Biden to send existing US military hardware to Ukraine and replace it with new orders.
Singh’s warning was only the latest from the administration, which has said repeatedly it’s scrambling to keep military aid flowing for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s forces. Last month, the Pentagon’s comptroller said a government shutdown, which is also looming later this month, would slow the pace of replacing weapons stockpiles sent to Ukraine.
Perhaps realizing that Ukraine’s military forces are about to expire, Telegraph reported that Russia has amassed an estimated 40,000 troops around the key battlefront in Avdiivka as it prepares for a third wave assault on the shattered eastern town, the Ukrainian military has said.
“They are building up reserves. They’ve brought in about 40,000 men here along with ammunition of all calibres,” said Anton Kotsukon, spokesperson for the 110th separate mechanised brigade. “We see no sign of the Russians abandoning plans to encircle Avdiivka.”
Russian forces, he said, had surrounded the town on three sides and were “playing cat and mouse”, sending up “huge numbers” of drones to scout out Ukraine’s defences.
Ukrainian forces regard the town as a gateway for future advances to recapture territory in the east; alternatively the Russian army expects capture of the town to allow to penetrate deep into Ukraine territory.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 19:11 - Pentagon Lays Out 4 Military Objectives For Middle East Amid Force Build-Up
Pentagon Lays Out 4 Military Objectives For Middle East Amid Force Build-Up
Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,
A Department of Defense spokesman explained Washington’s current goals in the Middle East. Since Israel launched a massive military operation in Gaza, the US has deployed thousands of troops and a large host of naval ships to the region.
According to a press release outlining Gen. Pat Ryder’s statement, the Pentagon’s four priorities for the Middle East currently are:
-
“Protection of US forces and citizens in the region.”
-
“Flow of critical security assistance to Israel as it defends against further Hamas terrorist attacks.”
-
“Coordination with the Israelis to help secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, to include American citizens.”
-
“Strengthening of force posture across the region to deter any state or nonstate actors from escalating the crisis beyond Gaza.”
On October 7, Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that killed over 1,000 people. Israel responded with a massive bombing campaign that killed 10,000 civilians, including 4,000 children, in the past month.
President Joe Biden has traveled to Israel, and the White House has offered full-throated support for Tel Aviv’s military operation in Gaza. While American officials have admitted that the Israeli operations have killed many thousands of civilians, the White House refused to call for a cease-fire or condition American weapons transfers to Israel on reducing civilian casualties.
US forces in the region have come under attacks from local military groups that view Washington’s support for Tel Aviv as crucial to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Over the past month, various groups have conducted 38 attacks on American soldiers, injuring at least 45 troops.
In response to the attacks on US soldiers, the Pentagon has deployed more military assets to the region, including thousands of troops, two aircraft carrier strike groups, and a nuclear-powered submarine.
Additionally, on Wednesday, US Central Command announced it had conducted two show of force operations with B1-B Lancer bombers in three days. “For the second time in three days, a US B-1 Lancer conducted a mission over the Middle East area of responsibility. US F-16s escorted the bomber,” CENTCOM posted on X.
The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened to attack the American ships in the region if a more expansive war broke out. “Since the outbreak of the war, the US has threatened to bomb us in Lebanon from its military ships in the Mediterranean. We are prepared for whatever scenario,” he said in a speech last week. “If an all-out war breaks out, you Americans will pay with your ships, your aircraft, and your soldiers.”
While the Biden administration has sought to secure the release of American citizens who are held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, Tel Aviv has rejected pauses in the fighting to facilitate prisoner swap negotiations.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 19:00 -
- 'Cocoa Mayhem' Sends Prices To $4,000 Per Ton, Highest Since 1978
'Cocoa Mayhem' Sends Prices To $4,000 Per Ton, Highest Since 1978
Cocoa prices Friday topped $4,000 per ton in New York, the highest level since 1978, as the outlook of poor crop harvests across West Africa has been a bullish factor pushing prices higher this week. There is also an increasing risk that El Nino-induced weather disturbances could cause the global cocoa market to sink into a deficit for the third year.
According to Bloomberg, harvests in Ivory Coast and Ghana – some of the world’s largest cocoa producers – are producing lower crop yields, which has led to tighter supplies, therefore supporting higher prices.
“The market does not seem convinced that production will recover enough to avoid a supply deficit for 2023/24,” ADM Investor Services Inc. analysts said in a note.
Cocoa futures rose 1% in New York, topping $4,000 a ton for the first time in 45 years.
Analysts warn El Nino-induced weather disturbances could bring drier weather to top-growing regions. They say that could result in a third year of deficits.
“The expectation of a supply deficit has been compounded with weather variations, especially in West Africa,” the International Cocoa Organization said in a recent report.
In June, we told readers: Global Cocoa Shortage Sends Prices Soaring As “Consumers Should Brace” For ‘Chocolateflation’… Fast forward to Halloween, ‘candyflation‘ strikes:
Data from retail price tracking website Datasembly reveals consumers have been slapped with the second year of double-digit inflation in the candy aisle. Prices for candy jumped 13% this month compared to prices last October. That’s up from a 14% increase in candy in October 2022.
Earlier this week, Oreo-maker Mondelez International said it would have to hike prices on some of its products due to the soaring cocoa and sugar prices.
Meanwhile, sugar prices hit decade highs on global shortage fears in April. And Arabica coffee prices are set to move higher after inventories hit 24-year lows.
This all might indicate that food inflation is very sticky. As one ag analyst warned this week, the current global food crisis is ‘much worse than 2008‘.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 18:40 - The Censorship "Switchboard": A New Layer To The Biden Administration's "Orwellian Ministry Of Truth"
The Censorship "Switchboard": A New Layer To The Biden Administration's "Orwellian Ministry Of Truth"
Free speech is in a free fall as millions embrace censorship as a political cause, including some now running for federal office on a pledge to silence others.
One of the most alarming aspects of this period has been the emergence of a type of triumvirate of censorship, an alliance of government, academic, and media corporations. Together they have established the most comprehensive censorship system in the history of this country.
That system is being forced out into the public by the investigation of House committees. This week the House Judiciary Committee released a 103-page staff report on the academic prong of the triumvirate. What is most chilling about this report is that it adds yet another layer of government-supported speech controls. It also reflects a conscious and coordinated effort to carry out censorship through allies in a labyrinth of academic and public interest groups.
Earlier this year, I testified at the first hearing by the special committee investigating the censorship system. I warned that there was ample evidence of a system based on “censorship by surrogate” where government agencies used academic and media allies to silence those with opposing views.
The latest report reveals details of the critical role played by government officials in “switchboarding” the censorship system by channeling demands for removal or bans from state and local officials. In addition to the direct targeting of individuals by federal agencies, switchboarding allowed the agencies to operate as a control tower in this sprawling system.
This switchboarding system was confirmed by Brian Scully of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the Department of Homeland Security. CISA has emerged as one of the critical control centers in this system.
CISA head Jen Easterly declared that her agency’s mandate over critical infrastructure would be extended to include “our cognitive infrastructure.” That includes not just “disinformation” and “misinformation,” but combating “malinformation” – described as information “based on fact, but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate.”
Despite the determined opposition by Democratic members and the Biden Administration, the investigation has revealed a wide array of grants to academic and third party organizations to create blacklists or to pressure advertisers to withdraw support for conservative sites. The subjects for censorship ranged from election fraud to social justice to climate change.
The Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) was created in partnership with Stanford University “at the request of DHS/CISA.” It is described as a “consortium of ‘disinformation’ academics led by Stanford University’s Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO).
EIP supplied a “centralized reporting system” to process what were known as “Jira tickets” targeting unacceptable views. It would include not only politicians but commentators and pundits as well as the satirical site The Babylon Bee.
Some of us have previously criticized Stanford for its effort to systematize and expand censorship. Stanford’s Virality Project pushed to censor even true facts since “true stories … could fuel hesitancy” over taking the vaccine or other measures.
In newly released emails, the secret coordination with federal agencies was made public, including a July 31, 2020 email from the director at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, an EIP partner.
Graham Brookie, the lab’s senior director, confirmed that her group “just set up an election integrity partnership at the request of DHS/CISA and are in weekly comms to debrief about disinfo.”
During this time many of us in the free speech community were raising the alarm over the evidence of a government-supported censorship system, including the use of surrogates in academia. As noted in emails in May 2020, government officials were privately saying that they need to avoid any move that would “openly endorse” censorship while funding these groups and switchboarding the system.
As officials served as the conduit, it continued to attach a standard disclaimer that CISA “neither has nor seeks the ability to remove what information is made available on social media platforms.”
Notably, EIP worked not only with CISA, but with the Global Engagement Center, a multi-agency entity housed within the State Department. It was the Global Engagement Center that contracted with the Atlantic Council, which sent suggested blacklists to Twitter. It got to be so reckless that Yoel Roth, then Twitter’s head of trust and safety, responded “omg” and “what a total crock.”
This system rests on grants coming from Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the State Department, and other agencies. That system included scoring groups through a grant from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to the British-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI). The index targeted ten conservative and libertarian sites as the most dangerous sources of disinformation, including sites like Reason which publishes conservative legal analysis. Conversely, some of the most liberal sites were ranked as the most trustworthy for advertisers.
The report on switchboarding is most chilling when placed within this larger context. The Biden Administration has funded a global effort to score, target, and ban opposing views through an ever-increasing array of allied groups in academia and corporations. A federal court recently enjoined aspects of that system after finding that it is an unprecedented censorship system that effectively created a type of “Orwellian Ministry of Truth.”
The solution is as obvious as the danger itself. Congress must bar any funding — directly or indirectly — for censorship systems. Calling opposing views “disinformation” does not alter the fact that there is a comprehensive censorship system using groups allied with the government. Federal agencies are always able to respond to claims that they deem are untrue about their own policies and programs. However, we need to get the government out of the business of speech controls, including shutting down the censorship switchboard.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 18:20 - Gun Owners Score Major Legal Victories On Pistol Braces and Ghost Guns
Gun Owners Score Major Legal Victories On Pistol Braces and Ghost Guns
This week, gun owners scored two major victories in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. One judge granted a preliminary injunction that halts the enforcement of the recent Biden Administration’s pistol brace rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on a nationwide basis, while another determined that the Biden administration did not have the authority to regulate ‘ghost guns.’
On Wednesday, in the case Britto v. ATF, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction halting the ATF’s enforcement of the rule that redefines braced pistols as short-barreled rifles under the National Firearms Act.
Enacted earlier this year, the pistol brace rule would jail or fine tens of millions of law-abiding Americans who refused to reclassify their braced weapons as short-barreled rifles.
Two of the three plaintiffs in Britto v. ATF were injured Marine veterans represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, who argued the rule violates their Second Amendment and be thrown out for “vagueness.” Pistol braces were designed in 2012 to help disabled veterans shoot rifles more accurately. Meanwhile, radical Democrats on Capitol Hill frequently lied about the braces, saying they were ‘machine guns.’
“Additionally, ATF admits the 10-year cost of the Rule is over one billion dollars,” Judge Kacsmaryk said. “And because of the Rule, certain manufacturers that obtain most of their sales from stabilizing braces risk having to close their doors for good.”
Kacsmaryk claimed, “The Court is certainly sympathetic to the ATF’s concerns over public safety in the wake of tragic mass shootings.”
“The Rule embodies Salutary policy goals meant to protect vulnerable people in our society. But public safety concerns must be addressed in ways that are lawful. This rule is not,” he added.
The Biden administration’s Justice Department will most likely appeal to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on the pistol brace ruling.
The next win for gun owners was realized on Thursday when a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with gun owners, gun rights groups, and manufacturers in declaring the ATF’s 2022 ‘ghost gun’ rule is “unlawful.”
The rule updated the definition of a “firearm,” “frame,” and “receiver” under the Gun Control Act of 1968 to force ghost gun makers and gun shops to run background checks.
In writing for the 5th Circuit panel, Circuit Judge Kurt Engelhardt said ATF’s rule “flouts clear statutory text and exceeds the legislatively imposed limits on agency authority in the name of public policy.”
“ATF, in promulgating its final rule, attempted to take on the mantle of Congress to ‘do something’ with respect to gun control,” Engelhardt wrote, adding, “But it is not the province of an executive agency to write laws for our nation.”
In a statement, Cody Wisniewski, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the Firearms Policy Coalition Action Foundation, called the ruling a “massive victory against ATF and a huge blow to the Biden administration’s gun control agenda.”
“The Fifth Circuit has thoroughly rebuked the Biden ATF for acts of legislation, which only Congress may do under our Constitution,” said Defense Distributed’s Cody Wilson, also one of the plaintiffs in the case.
* * *
Rulings:
Britto v. ATF
VanDerStok v. Garland
Tyler Durden
Fri, 11/10/2023 – 18:00
Digest powered by RSS Digest
Saving...
