Aug 13

Today’s News 13th August 2024

  • UK Schools To Teach About "Misinformation" Amid Race Riots
    UK Schools To Teach About “Misinformation” Amid Race Riots

    Authored by Eric Lundrum via American Greatness,

    Schools in the United Kingdom will begin teaching students about so-called “misinformation” and “extremist content” as the nation faces widespread race riots by Islamic immigrants.

    According to Fox News, the new initiative will attempt to instruct students on how to discern real information from fake news, by “embedding” critical thinking into pre-existing curriculum, including English and math classes.

    “It’s more important than ever that we give young people the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge what they see online,” said Bridget Phillipson, the secretary of state for education and minister for women and equalities.

    “That’s why our curriculum review will develop plans to embed critical skills in lessons to arm our children against the disinformation, fake news and putrid conspiracy theories awash on social media.”

    Phillipson explained that each major subject would incorporate this new “misinformation” curriculum in some way.

    English classes will focus on the language used by “real” articles and “fake” stories, while computer classes will separate websites that are considered legitimate from websites that are considered “biased.”

    Math classes will incorporate statistics in order to compare and contrast the numbers of right-wing protests and the numbers of left-wing protests.

    This effort is in response to widespread riots across the country following a mass stabbing at a dance party in Southport on July 29th, where three children were killed and 10 more were injured. The suspect is an 18-year-old male whose parents are Rwandan immigrants.

    As it was the latest and most egregious example yet of violence as a result of mass migration to the U.K., a number of right-wing citizens began protesting in the streets, particularly outside of mosques and hotels housing migrants. Although the right-wing protests remained peaceful, Islamic migrants began forming their own counter-protests, which quickly descended into widespread violence and led to multiple instances of non-White migrants viciously attacking random White civilians in the streets.

    The government, now led by the left-wing Labour Party and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has already ordered U.K. citizens to stop sharing videos and images of the Islamic riots, under threat of prosecution.

    “Content that incites violence or hatred isn’t just harmful – it can be illegal,” the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service declared on X on Wednesday.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 08/13/2024 – 02:00

  • Sen. Grassley Questions Immigration Parole For New Alleged Trump Assassination Plotter
    Sen. Grassley Questions Immigration Parole For New Alleged Trump Assassination Plotter

    Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) posed a series of questions to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking clarity on the recent arrest of a Pakistani national regarding his attempts to assassinate high-ranking U.S. government officials, allegedly including former President Donald Trump, in light of the fact that he was flagged on a federal watchlist and recently granted immigration parole.

    Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during a Senate Judiciary hearing about sanctuary jurisdictions, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 22, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

    The alleged Pakistani plotter, Asif Raza Merchant, 46, was apprehended on July 12, 2024, when he attempted to leave the United States. Currently in federal custody in New York, Merchant’s plot was foiled when he allegedly conspired with undercover agents, who posed as assassins, to attempt to murder high-ranking U.S. citizens.

    The alleged scheme was conducted as part of a larger Iranian ploy to retaliate against the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said, according to an Aug. 6 Justice Department (DOJ) statement that revealed the incident. Soleimani was taken down in 2020 during the Trump administration for aiming to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

    On Aug. 9, Grassley wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking him for more information regarding Merchant’s immigration parole status. Citing media reports, Grassley said that Merchant was interviewed by the Joint Terrorism Task Force upon his arrival in the United States on April 13 because he was flagged in the federal database as a “Lookout Qualified Person of Interest.”

    Despite this, Merchant was granted Significant Public Benefit Parole on April 13 by the DHS, which he overstayed after it expired on May 11, Grassley said. He asked the DHS to provide answers to the following:

    1. Did the DHS grant Merchant Significant Public Benefit Parole before or after his placement on the terrorist watchlist and being listed as a “Lookout Qualified Person of Interest”?
    2. On what basis was Merchant granted Significant Public Benefit Parole?
    3. Provide the entire Alien Registration File (A-File) for Asif Raza Merchant.
    4. How many individuals on the Terrorist Screening Database have DHS granted parole and allowed entry into the United States?

    Following Merchant’s arrest, Garland said, “The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security.”

    FBI Director Christopher Wray said of the incident: “This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook.

    “A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI.”

    Assassination Attempts on Trump

    The Pakistani national’s plan to assassinate Trump has not been confirmed by federal agencies. The Epoch Times reached out to the DHS and the DOJ for comment regarding the issue. The FBI declined to comment.

    According to court documents, Merchant’s plot involved “three different criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; (2) planning a protest; and (3) killing a politician or government official.”

    Merchant told the confidential source, an undercover agent, that “trusted” people would be needed to conduct the killing and perform protests after the incident as a distraction, and that they would need “a woman to do ‘reconnaissance.’”

    Merchant paid the agent an advance sum of $5,000 to hire hitmen and told him that the final plans would be revealed after Merchant left the country.

    He was subsequently arrested on July 12, a day before Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

    “The failure of the Secret Service in Butler, Pennsylvania, is even more outrageous in light of suspected Iranian-backed assassins targeting former Trump Administration officials, including President Trump himself. That day, the threat of sniper attacks was even higher than normal,” House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said in a statement after the DOJ unsealed its charges against Merchant.

    “I was previously briefed concerning the Iranian threat and the circumstances of Mr. Merchant’s arrest and questioned then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on whether she had reviewed the intelligence concerning the Iranian threat. She confirmed to me that she read the intelligence and was aware of this Iranian murder-for-hire plot.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 23:25

  • Popular Sweetener Linked To Increased Risk of Blood Clots, Heart Attack, And Stroke
    Popular Sweetener Linked To Increased Risk of Blood Clots, Heart Attack, And Stroke

    Authored by Cara Michelle Miller via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Erythritol is a popular choice for those looking to cut down on sugar without losing flavor, but its health effects are often debated. New Cleveland Clinic research reveals a concerning finding: Erythritol makes platelets—blood cells involved in clotting—more active, leading them to react more strongly and increasing the risk of blood clots, heart attack, and stroke.

    Breaking down the study linking erythritol and cardiovascular risk, March 29, 2023 (Kabachki.photo via shutterstock)

    Cleveland Clinic researchers say this discovery, part of a series exploring the physiological effects of common sugar substitutes, may prompt a reassessment of how we use this sweetener.

    The new findings build on the research team’s prior erythritol study. The previous study was limited because some of the participants had poor health, with over 70 percent having cardiovascular issues. The new study addresses these limitations by recruiting healthy adults.

    “This research adds to increasing evidence that erythritol raises cardiovascular risk. In a small group of healthy volunteers, we show ingesting erythritol made platelets more hyper-responsive … which can raise the risk of blood clots,” senior and corresponding author Dr. Stanley Hazen, chair of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences in Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of Preventive Cardiology, told The Epoch Times in an email.

    Unlike Sugar, Erythritol Can Promote Excess Blood Clotting

    Erythritol is a popular sugar substitute used in many “low-carb” and “keto” foods. It is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar and is produced by fermenting corn or wheat starch. Health and weight-loss professionals often recommend it as a safer alternative to sugar for individuals with high cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.

    Although erythritol is classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority and is naturally found in fruits and vegetables, recent studies by Hazen’s group indicate that consuming typical amounts of erythritol may pose an increased cardiovascular risk.

    “This paper builds on our earlier studies with erythritol [published in 2023 in Nature Medicine],” said Hazen, in which large-scale clinical observation studies in the United States and Europe showed that cardiac patients with higher levels of erythritol in their blood were twice as likely to suffer a major cardiac event—such as heart attack, stroke, or death—within the next three years compared to those with lower levels. The study also showed that adding erythritol to blood or platelets increased clot formation. Preclinical studies confirmed these findings.

    The previous study had some limitations. Dr. Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist and clinical director of the COVID-19 Task Force at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, told The Epoch Times that it was a clinical observation study, which means it could show correlations but not establish causation. Additionally, the study’s participants were in poor health; they were overweight, had high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking habits, and existing cardiovascular issues. So it was unknown if their elevated risks were due to their poor health or due to erythritol consumption.

    The new human intervention study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, was designed to closely monitor how erythritol ingestion affects platelets at a dose typically contained “in commercial products,” such as an erythritol-sweetened soda or muffin, explained Hazen.

    In 20 healthy volunteers—nonsmokers with no cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes—blood samples were taken after an overnight fast. Participants then consumed a solution with either 30 grams of glucose or erythritol. Blood samples taken 30 minutes later showed that erythritol levels increased over 1,000 times in those who ingested erythritol.

    Results also “revealed participants showed a significant increase in the susceptibility for blood clot formation after consuming erythritol,” according to Hazen. “In stark contrast, no change was observed in participants after consuming a comparable amount of glucose. A significant new finding in these studies was the direct comparison of results with sugar (glucose), which did not have this effect.”

    Hazen explained that erythritol makes platelets more responsive, meaning they become more reactive and prone to forming clots. Consequently, even a minor trigger can cause a more robust activation of platelets, increasing the likelihood of blood clots. This heightened responsiveness can lead to excessive clotting.

    “This was seen [in the previous paper] in whole blood, with platelet rich plasma, with isolated platelets, in animal models of disease,” he added. “The results of these mechanistic studies are all aligned with the prior large scale clinical observation data showing higher erythritol levels track with higher risk of major adverse cardiac events.”

    1 Serving of Erythritol May Trigger Clot Formation

    “This research raises some concerns that a standard serving of an erythritol-sweetened food or beverage may acutely stimulate a direct clot-forming effect,” study co-author Dr. W. H. Wilson Tang, research director for Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, said in a press release. “Erythritol and other sugar alcohols that are commonly used as sugar substitutes should be evaluated for potential long-term health effects especially when such effects are not seen with glucose itself.”

    He added that these findings are particularly significant because they follow a recent study by the same research group, which found that xylitol, another common sweetener, also increased blood levels and affected how blood cells clump together in healthy volunteers.

    Like erythritol, Hazen noted in the email, “the investigations with xylitol also included large-scale clinical observation studies showing that elevation in plasma xylitol levels is associated with increased risk for heart attack, stroke or death over three years of follow-up.”

    These findings underscore the importance of further long-term clinical studies to reassess the safety of erythritol and other sugar substitutes, according to both researchers.

    The Rise of Erythritol: A ‘Natural’ Alternative to Synthetic Sweeteners

    Concerns about the long-term effects of synthetic sweeteners have led many to seek “natural” alternatives like erythritol, a widely used substitute for artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet’N Low), and aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet).

    While these artificial sweeteners were once favored for their calorie-free sweetness, they now face increasing scrutiny. For instance, aspartame has been linked to potential cancer risks, while saccharin has been associated with obesity and diabetes in animal studies.

    In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) advised against using nonsugar sweeteners, citing evidence that they do not support long-term weight loss and come with other health risks. The recommendations apply to everyone except those with preexisting diabetes.

    Erythritol, on the other hand, is often recommended for diabetics because it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels and reduces dental plaque and tooth decay.

    Reconsidering Erythritol: What the Latest Research Means for Your Diet

    Based on the evidence, Hazen said, “Choosing sugar-sweetened treats occasionally and in small amounts would be preferable to consuming drinks and foods sweetened with these sugar alcohols, especially for people at elevated risk of thrombosis such as those with heart disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome.”

    He added that future research will “explore how broadly the pro-thrombotic effect is in alternative sugar substitutes. Including both alternative sugar alcohols and common artificial sweeteners.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 22:35

  • Senator Graham Hails Ukraine's Incursion Into Russia as 'Bold', 'Beautiful'
    Senator Graham Hails Ukraine’s Incursion Into Russia as ‘Bold’, ‘Beautiful’

    Of course he showed up in Kiev at this most dangerous moment of the Ukraine war, when uncontrollable escalation is looking more and more inevitable as Putin will now be ‘forced’ to respond to the shock cross-border invasion into Kursk…

    Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was in the Ukrainian capital on Monday where he praised Ukraine’s move into Russian territory as “brilliant” and “bold”. He also urged the White House to pour more weapons into the fight, and to give Zelensky whatever is needed. Graham provocatively spoke of ‘kicking Putin’s ass’.

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    The Republican lawmaker made the trip with fellow anti-Russia hawk, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. “What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up,” Graham told reporters.

    “Bottom line is to the administration. …Give them weapons they need to win the war they can’t afford to lose,” he continued.

    Graham has certainly been no stranger to issuing fiery and ultra-provocative statements which seem aimed at goading Putin and the Kremlin. During a 2023 visit to Ukraine he told Zelensky that “the Russians are dying” and “that’s the best money we’ve ever spent.”

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    Soon after the meeting with the US Senate delegation on Monday, President Zelensky thanked them for strong American support and said on X, “We discussed what exactly is needed to bring this war to a just end, including our need to use long-range weapons.”

    What comes next is possibly Ukraine hitting places like Moscow with long-range missiles, something which would likely trigger escalation to WW3. The Europeans will also likely soon feel more blowback from all of these latest provocations as Moscow readies a response.

    Satellite photos have shown that gas measuring station in Sudzha, which helps supply Europe, has been badly damaged after Ukraine captured it during the now week-long Kursk offensive…

    Ukraine is now claiming that its forces hold 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, a Monday statement from its defense ministry said. According to more from Bloomberg, Russian officials have admitted that a sizeable chunk of Russian territory is in a state of emergency:

    More than 120,000 people have left their homes and about 60,000 more are waiting to be evacuated, Alexey Smirnov told Putin and Russia’s top security officials during a televised meeting on Monday. Ukrainian forces have penetrated at least 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into Russia and control a border area at least 40 kilometers wide, though there’s “no clear understanding” of where their troops are, he said.

    President Putin has issued his first detailed public statements since the incursion began. One thing he stressed in the Monday remarks is that now there will be no peace talks or settlement with Kiev after this extreme provocation.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 22:10

  • Tip Tax Toe
    Tip Tax Toe

    Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

    The genesis of Donald Trump’s “no tax on tips” policy idea, which started gaining ground earlier this year, came after the former president had a discussion with a server in Las Vegas who complained about her taxes.

    “We want to pay our fair share, but we also don’t want to be taken advantage of. I say it’s like the mob: They take what they want from us. We are pissed off about this,” Eileen Scott, a cocktail waitress on the floor of Harrah’s Las Vegas, told The New York Times, who commended Trump’s improvisational policy idea less than a month ago, on July 18th.

    The idea has gained so much steam, that the Harris campaign and Democratic party are now trying to adopt this policy as their own:

    Harris copying the Trump campaign on the idea sets off two alarm bells for me.

    First, it says their campaign is obviously incapable of coming up with their own novel and well-liked policy ideas, so they are stealing Trump’s.

    The second is that Harris’ out-of-the-blue stance against taxation stands in stark contrast to her record, and her party, which has focused excruciatingly on obsessing over tax revenue from the American public.

    In fact, in February 2023, barely a year ago, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s IRS introduced the “Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement (SITCA)”, which was specifically introduced to use electronic point of sale machines to “improve tip reporting compliance” — i.e. monitor employee tips and report them to the IRS.

    In exchange for “protection from liability under the rules that define tips as part of an employee’s pay”, the program asked employers to submit annual reports, compiled by their point of sale systems, on tip data.

    The same New York Times piece from July reported same:

    The I.R.S. has in recent years taken steps to try to collect more taxes owed on tipped income. The tax agency said that Americans appeared to underreport earnings in cash tips, and it started a new voluntary compliance program last year for employers. Americans reported roughly $38 billion in tipped income in 2018, according to I.R.S. data.

    Those that listen to me and read me frequently know I have often taken exception to the fruitlessness of obsessing over taxes such as these on middle America. It isn’t because I have some beef with paying taxes — I don’t — it’s because common sense would indicate to anybody with a brain that that spending is far more of a problem than missing miniscule amounts from revenue collection in the country right now.

    For example, last month — around the time the New York Times was complimenting Trump’s “no tax on tips” idea, Elizabeth Warren was celebrating collecting $1 billion more in taxes from the American people.

    But the “boosted” funding she is referring to cost American taxpayers $80 billion.

    Then, I step back from this and look at the tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid we are sending out the door — $66 billion in disbursements in 2023, $50 billion requested in 2024 — and and can’t help but think that if we just calm our spending addiction in the slightest, we could make far more progress than tightening the vice grip of taxation around American citizens. It’s a grip that had gotten so tight, they were coming after tipped employees last year.

    On top of going after tipped employees, the Biden administration had floated the extraordinarily asinine idea of taxing unrealized gains, which is the ideological love child of authoritarianism, overreach and a socialist state planned economy that’s guaranteed to brutalize our quality of life, all in one. I wrote about how that would all but destroy our country’s economy earlier this year: Taxing Unrealized Gains Would Obliterate The U.S. Economy.

    It’s an incredible morphing act that we are witnessing with Kamala Harris.

    We have watched a woman who was about as popular as shingles within the Democratic Party, who won zero primaries and zero delegates in 2020 and 2024, somehow fall ass-backward into the Democratic nomination spot. And now we’re bearing witness to watching her entire platform undergo an all-expenses-paid facelift courtesy of the incessant spin job that the mainstream media is happy to perform.

    Here’s the cover spot Time gave Harris this week without even interviewing her, saying she “pulled off the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history”. That’s a lot of words for “political coup”.

    Time magazine unveils new front cover: 'The reintroduction of Kamala Harris' | The Independent

    Look, it’s as simple as this: as of this writing, Kamala Harris has been vice president for 1,299 days. This should give pause to anybody who hears her say she’s going to change current policies “day one” in office.

    Have we forgotten that she has been in office for nearly 27,000 hours already?

    🔥 50% OFF FOR LIFE: Using the coupon entitles you to 50% off an annual subscription to Fringe Finance for as long as you wish to subscribe: Get 50% off forever

    Is it not obvious to people that her call for changes is a tacit admission that the policies she helped institute over the last three years have already been failures?

    The problem for Harris is that the policies on the right side of the aisle, with the exception of abortion, mostly fall in line with what the American people truly want: low taxes, privacy in their social lives, secure borders, price stability, energy independence, law and order, a strong military, and peace through strength. In order to try and secure the centrist vote in between both parties, the Democrats have to try to make their radical socialist agenda look as though it touches these bases, when it clearly does not.

    This means they’re going to say one thing and do another once they get into office. Hence, we a “no tax on tips” policy from a woman who cast the deciding vote on $80 billion in new IRS funding months before they introduced a program to bring in more taxes from tips. Could it be any clearer?

    Don’t let the Harris administration fool you into thinking they are on the side of everyday Americans — the record they’ve posted over the last three years starkly speaks otherwise.

    Now read:

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    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 21:45

  • ICE Updates On Illegal Alien Crimes Will "Make Your Head Spin" 
    ICE Updates On Illegal Alien Crimes Will “Make Your Head Spin” 

    President Biden’s appointed “border czar,” Kamala Harris, has single-handedly failed the American people. She owes citizens a straightforward explanation of why this administration facilitated the greatest illegal alien invasion this nation has ever seen. Some of these migrants are on FBI terror watchlists. 

    “In less than four years, the Biden-Harris Administration has released into the United States more than 5.4 million illegal aliens, with another 1.9 million illegal alien ‘gotaways’ escaping into the country during the same time,” GOP House Judiciary Committee wrote in a report last week. The report also revealed about 100 illegal aliens that crossed the border were on the terrorist “watch list.” 

    Biden officially tasked VP Harris on March 24, 2021, “to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle…in stemming the movement of…migration to our southern border.”

    The illegal alien invasion began shortly after VP Harris became border czar. 

    And the insanity followed:

    Tasking VP Harris as the border czar was doomed to fail from the very beginning. As a senator, she compared US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the KKK during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in 2018. 

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    “We have to critically re-examine ICE and it’s role … and we probably have to start thinking about starting from scratch,” Harris also said as a senator in an interview with MSNBC. 

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    And her running mate, Tim Walz, marched in an “Abolish ICE” protest in 2018. 

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    Harris and Walz share the same anti-ICE view. It’s worth reminding readers that ICE’s mission is to protect the US from illegal alien criminals and cross-border crimes. The call to abolish ICE seems like a recipe for disaster, especially after allowing millions of unvetted illegals into the country.

    Meanwhile, NYPost reported today, “NYC migrants allegedly raped woman at knifepoint in Coney Island: police sources.” 

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    Fox News’ Bill Melugin told X users earlier today, “Strongly recommend looking at the press releases page for ICE each day. Nonstop arrests of egregious foreign criminals the agency has to track down after they are caught & released at the border under the Biden/Harris admin.” 

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    Here are some of those headlines:

    • ERO Boston arrests Dominican national charged with fentanyl trafficking in Rhode Island

    • ERO New York City arrests Honduran national charged with carjacking and convicted of assault

    • ERO Boston arrests Guatemalan national charged with sex crime against Rhode Island minor

    • ERO Boston arrests Ecuadorian national charged locally with kidnapping, rape, assault

    • Mexican noncitizen sex offender convicted of unlawful re-entry into US following ERO Boston arrest

    • ERO Baltimore arrests Colombian gang leader wanted for homicide, arms trafficking, aggravated theft

    Melugin added, “It’ll make your head spin.”

    Democrats really want voters to forget about Harris’ role in triggering the border crisis. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 21:20

  • TikTok Algorithms Actively Suppress Criticism of Chinese Regime, Study Finds
    TikTok Algorithms Actively Suppress Criticism of Chinese Regime, Study Finds

    Authored by Frank Fang via The Epoch Times,

    China-owned video-sharing app TikTok is using its algorithms to suppress content exposing China’s human rights violations, in order to shape the views of its targeted users, according to a new study.

    Researchers from Rutgers University and the school’s Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) found that TikTok’s algorithms “actively suppress content critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while simultaneously boosting pro-China propaganda and promoting distracting, irrelevant content,” according to their study.

    “Through the use of travel influencers, frontier lifestyle accounts, and other CCP-linked content creators, the platform systematically shouts down sensitive discussions about issues like ethnic genocide and human rights abuses.”

    In recent years, TikTok has been facing scrutiny and accusations of being a threat to national security, as it exploits the minds of American teens and its China-based parent company, Bytedance, could be forced by the CCP to hand over data on U.S. users. The U.S. National Security Agency has previously called the app the CCP’s “trojan horse” that threatens America’s long-term security due to the CCP’s anti-U.S. views, while some lawmakers have likened the app to a form of “digital fentanyl” that makes addicts of its users.

    In April, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill into law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or be banned from U.S. mobile app stores and web-hosting services. ByteDance and TiKTok have filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law.

    The report also found that TikTok had carried out “successful indoctrination” of its users, particularly heavy users, given the changes in their attitudes towards China, based on the results of a psychological survey.

    “These users, through targeting or information environments engineered to sublimate free speech, appear to absorb these biased narratives unwittingly, leading to a distorted understanding of critical global issues,” the researchers wrote.

    A TikTok spokesperson responded to the findings, telling The Epoch Times by email that the study was a “non-peer reviewed, flawed experiment … clearly engineered to reach a false, predetermined conclusion.”

    “Previous research by NCRI has been debunked by outside analysts and this latest paper is equally flawed,” the spokesperson added.

    Study

    To conduct the study, researchers created 24 accounts across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, mimicking 16-year-old users in the United States. The accounts were used to test the three social media platforms’ algorithms when inputting four different search keywords often mentioned along with the CCP’s human rights abuses—“Uyghur,” “Xinjiang,” “Tibet,” and “Tiananmen.”

    The Trump and the Biden administrations have characterized the CCP’s suppression of Uyghurs in its far-western regions of Xinjiang as “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” In Tibet, the Chinese regime has turned the region into a surveillance state and installed labor camps.

    On June 4, 1989, the Chinese regime ordered its troops to open fire on student protesters and unarmed civilians at Tiananmen Square in China’s capital. The Chinese regime denies having initiated the violent crackdown despite the thousands of witnesses, and any discussion about the protest movement is considered taboo in China and Hong Kong.

    Researchers collected over 3,400 videos from their search results using the four keywords and classified each video as either “pro-China,” “pro-China,” “neutral” or “irrelevant.”

    In terms of Xinjiang, a “pro-China” video could include showing minorities’ folk customs or idyllic portrayals of rural life, and an “anti-China” video could show the Uyghurs’s plight in China or calls for boycotting products made in Xinjiang, according to the report.

    Only 2.3 percent of search results for “Xinjiang” on TikTok were considered “anti-China,” in comparison to 21.7 percent on YouTube and 17.3 percent on Instagram, according to the report.

    Meanwhile, more than 26 percent of search results for “Tiananmen” on TikTok were considered “pro-China,” while only 7.7 percent of research results on YouTube were “pro-China,” and 16.3 percent on Instagram, according to the report.

    According to the report, a “pro-China” video on Tiananmen could be “denials of the massacre and revisionist historical takes,” or “scenic pictures of the square that bear no mention of the massacre.”

    In terms of search results using the word “Tibet,” TikTok contained the least amount of anti-China content (5 percent) and the largest amount of pro-China content (30.1 percent) across the three platforms, according to the report.

    The report explained that a “pro-China” video on Tibet could “echo the CCP narratives that Tibet has been liberated,” while an “anti-China” video could be about footage of Tibetan protests or “details of Tibetan cultural erasure by the CCP.”

    “It appears that TikTok’s algorithm uniquely favors pro-China content in terms of views per like, irrespective of the overall engagement levels. Moreover, this finding is significantly more pronounced on TikTok than YouTube, suggesting a TikTok-specific bias,” the report reads.

    Survey

    Researchers also surveyed 1,214 American TikTok users, seeking to understand their perception of China based on the time they spent on the app.

    Heavy users of TikTok—those using the app for more than three hours a day—showed a 49 percent increase in positivity towards the CCP’s human rights records relative to non-users. For those using the app for 15 minutes to 3 hours, the percent increase was 36 percent.

    “By contrast, use of YouTube and Instagram showed no significant relationship on users’ perception of China’s human rights record,” the report reads.

    “This suggests that TikTok’s content may contribute to psychological manipulation of users, aligning with the CCP’s strategic objective of shaping favorable perceptions among young audiences,” it added.

    Heavy TikTok users also showed a 48 percent increase in the perception that “Tiananmen Square is mostly known as a tourist site.”

    Researchers recommended to creation of a Civic Trust funded by social media platforms and the public to help identify platforms that are manipulating user perceptions.

    “If social media algorithms are found to be subverting the very democracies that provide them the freedom to operate, they are both unjust and dangerous,” the report reads. “There must be accountability and corrective measures to ensure that platforms are not exploited by state actors to erode democratic institutions and values.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 20:55

  • Watch: Trump & Musk 'Break The Internet' As EU Censorship Czar Issues Explicit Threat
    Watch: Trump & Musk ‘Break The Internet’ As EU Censorship Czar Issues Explicit Threat

    Watch/Listen live:

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    *  *  *

    Update (0843ET): The X space is now live. 

    *  *  *

    Update (0830ET): After twenty minutes and countless refresh attempts, we’re all facing the same issue: the Trump-Musk X Spaces is unavailable.

    If that’s because X is overloaded or, as Musk posted on X, “appears to be a massive DDOS attack on 𝕏,” the billionaire’s conversation with Trump appears to be delayed. 

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    Hmm. 

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    Musk noted, “We will proceed with the smaller number of concurrent listeners at 8:30 ET and then post the unedited audio immediately thereafter.” 

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    *  *  *

    Musk explains why he calls it a ‘conversation’…

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    But, just hours before the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, and former president Donald Trump are set to ‘break the internet’ with a live-stream on X Spaces, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has thrown a temper tantrum, seemingly mad at Musk’s unwillingness to bend the knee at his censorious demands by daring to allow ‘orange-man-bad-literally-hitler’ speak on the only uncensored platform that remains.

    Specifically, Breton wrote “I am compelled to remind you of the due diligence obligations set out in the Digital Services Act (DSA),” adding that:

    “This notably means ensuring… that all proportionate and effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content in connection with relevant events, including live streaming, which, if unaddressed, might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.”

    The DSA is a NATO censorship law that is designed to stop the spread of populist parties in the West, according to cyber security expert Mike Benz.

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    Breton went on to threaten to use the full “toolbox” of measures to protect EU citizens from “serious harm.”

    “My services and I will be extremely vigilant to any evidence that points to breaches of the DSA and will not hesitate to use the full use of our toolbox, including by adopting interim measures, if it be warranted to protect EU citizens from serious harm,” he said.

    “With great audience comes greater responsibility,” Breton wrote on X, Monday.

    “As there is a risk of amplification of potentially harmful content in [the EU] in connection with events with major audience around the world, I sent this letter to Elon Musk,” Breton added.

    In response to Breton’s letter, Musk simply posted “Bonjour!”

    In a subsequent post, he added:

    “To be honest, I really wanted to respond with this Tropic Thunder meme, but I would NEVER do something so rude & irresponsible!”

    And so with that, it seems Musk is refusing to follow Breton’s orders and daring to amplify the voice of one of the two candidates for the US presidential election in November. Notably, the letters US do not equal EU…

     “As the relevant content is accessible to EU users and being amplified also in our jurisdiction, we cannot exclude potential spillovers in the EU,” Breton wrote.

    “Therefore, we are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political – or societal – events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections.”

    The EU accused X in July of violating the DSA, stating that Musk’s verification policy on the platform can be used to deceive other users, CBS News reported. Musk removed verification badges, otherwise known as the blue check, from all verified accounts of people deemed noteworthy and currently charges $8 for anyone to receive a blue check.

    “This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the U.S.,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in response to the letter on the platform.

    “It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.”

    Breton thus created a round of media coverage suggesting that the prestigious European Union has identified Trump as a purveyor of hate speech and disinformation. And yet the interview has not yet occurred, Breton presents no evidence that Trump will be a source of disinformation or hate speech, and there is no evidence of any link whatsoever between Trump and the recent riots in Britain.

    As such, Public’s Michael Shellenberger point out Breton’s letter could constitute a form of foreign interference in the upcoming US presidential elections.

    Breton is, without justification, using the recent riots in Britain to demand censorship in the U.S.

    In a normal time, the White House should issue a formal protest to the EU over Breton’s threats, and the Department of Justice should open an investigation. However, given that the Biden Administration is unlikely to do that, Congress should consider its own investigation.

    Oh, and there’s this fucking douchenozzle from WaPo…

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    As LibertyNation’s Sarah Cowgill concludes, a potential 193 million folks – a mix of elite media and curiosity seekers – could tune in to the X platform to watch the titans make a plan for America, talk smack about Harris and Walz, or compare golf scores – or whatever it is they end up talking about. It could be eye-opening and meaningful, or maybe this interview will be a nothing burger. Either way, the billionaires playing America-Monopoly with real money will at least be entertaining.

    Watch/Listen live:

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    As a potential crib sheet for the discussion, a number of conservative X users posted the following list:

    President Trump’s 20 Core Promises To Make America Great Again

    1. SEAL THE BORDER AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION

    2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY

    3. END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN

    4. MAKE AMERICA THE DOMINANT ENERGY PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, BY FAR!

    5. STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER

    6. LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS!

    7. DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS

    8. PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY – ALL MADE IN AMERICA

    9. END THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

    10. STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC, DEMOLISH THE FOREIGN DRUG CARTELS, CRUSH GANG VIOLENCE, AND LOCK UP VIOLENT OFFENDERS

    11. REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN

    12. STRENGTHEN AND MODERNIZE OUR MILITARY, MAKING IT, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST AND MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD

    13. KEEP THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WORLD’S RESERVE CURRENCY

    14. FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE

    15. CANCEL THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE AND CUT COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS

    16. CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN

    17. KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS

    18. DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN

    19. SECURE OUR ELECTIONS, INCLUDING SAME DAY VOTING, VOTER IDENTIFICATION, PAPER BALLOTS, AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP

    20. UNITE OUR COUNTRY BY BRINGING IT TO NEW AND RECORD LEVELS OF SUCCESS

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    *  *  *

    As we detailed earlier, former President Donald Trump is preparing for tonight’s highly anticipated interview on the X platform with Elon Musk, which is expected to be an ‘internet-breaking’ event. 

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    The interview on X is set to begin live-streaming at 8 pm EST. Musk wrote on X, “This is unscripted with no limits on subject matter, so should be highly entertaining!” 

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    The world’s richest man noted, “If you have specific questions & comments, post them under the chat.”

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    On Sunday evening, Musk launched multiple stream tests, garnering millions of views to ensure X’s backend systems are ready for scaling ahead of tonight’s conversation. 

    Test preparations followed the May 2023 streaming event on X between Musk and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which suffered multiple technical difficulties. 

    Despite Trump’s posting to only Truth Social, the former president has finally returned to X around 1120 ET. Trump’s last post on X dates back to August 2023. 

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    And another.

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    In the days following the attempted assassination of Trump at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in mid-July, Musk endorsed Trump. With that came Trump’s U-turn on electric vehicles as well, declaring: “I’m for electric cars; I have to be because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So, I have no choice.”

    Musk and his entourage of tech VCs have for decades supported Democrats, if that’s Obama, Clinton, and Biden. But in recent years, especially for Musk, he has declared war on the ‘woke mind virus‘ and Marxism pushed by Democrats. Furthermore, Musk believes in secured borders and law and order in cities – something the Trump ticket supports at the very core level. Yet, VP Harris supports a radical far-left agenda (an extension of Biden’s) of open borders (hence her failed position as ‘Border Czar’), and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate, has had a horrendous response record during BLM riots. 

    The Washington Post said VP Harris has no public events scheduled on Monday. She and her team will likely be tuning in to the event, as keyboard warriors on both sides of the political aisle will engage in a meme war on X during the interview. 

    VP Harris has yet to give a press interview since she was catapulted to the top of the Democratic ticket. The reason likely stems from her poor debating skills, hence why she cannot go off script of the real VP Harris will be revealed. She must have a teleprompter nearby to speak coherently. 

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    The interview with Musk and Trump, unscripted, is yet another sign legacy ‘far left’ corporate media is dying as the next-gen media rises from the ashes this election cycle. It’s only a matter of time before presidential debates will be held on X. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 20:43

  • Labor Talks At Major US East Coast & Gulf Coast Ports "Very Far Apart" As Potential Paralyzing Strike Looms 
    Labor Talks At Major US East Coast & Gulf Coast Ports “Very Far Apart” As Potential Paralyzing Strike Looms 

    The US may be headed for a supply chain crisis this fall as a labor contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) approaches expiration on Sept. 30. This could ignite strikes as soon as Oct. 1 across major ports along the US East Coast and Gulf Coast, instantly paralyzing complex supply chains ahead of the Christmas shopping season. 

    The ILA represents more than 45,000 dockworkers across the US at major ports. On Sunday, Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett addressed members in a Facebook post, indicating talks between the union and USMX are still far apart. 

    Here is Daggett’s memo to union members: 

    Attention ILA Members,

    I want to address the recent communication from USMX and make it clear—do not be fooled by this letter. We are indeed continuing to bargain in good faith to settle all local contracts, but the reality on the ground is far different from the picture they are trying to paint.

    Employers like APM Mobile have been dragging their feet on resolving critical issues. One such issue is their use of Autogate in TIR Lanes, which we consider a clear violation of our Master Agreement. This isn’t just happening in one location; many other ports are facing similar challenges in getting local management to agree on terms and conditions for local supplemental agreements.

    On top of that, when it comes to the Master Contract negotiations, let me be frank—we are very far apart, particularly on the economic issues. In fact, we are at an impasse. The propaganda coming from USMX is just that—propaganda, likely the work of a PR firm trying to spin the situation in their favor.

    Remember, unless you hear it directly from us, it’s not the truth. Stay strong, stay united, and know that we are fighting every day for the fair contract that you deserve.

    In Solidarity,

    Harold and Dennis Daggett

    ILA workers “operate multimillion-dollar pieces of equipment with precision, maintain them with the expertise of highly skilled technicians, and clerks who manage complex operating systems for gates, vessels, and yards,” the union head said in a separate Facebook post from several days ago. 

    Daggett continued, “What I find particularly appalling is that while CEOs like those from CMA-CGM are taking home bonuses in the billions, ocean carriers continue to rake in skyrocketing profits by raising rates on their customers due to global conflicts or natural disruptions.” 

    Bloomberg noted, “Daggett has repeatedly warned of a strike if no deal is reached by the deadline and last weekend set a meeting in early September for union delegates to discuss wage demands and strike strategies.” 

    USMX released a statement late last week: “We are very far apart, particularly on the economic issues. In fact, we are at an impasse.”

    Major importers are paying close attention because any strikes at major ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast ports will instantly spark significant delays in the delivery of goods and the return of the inflation monster that still haunts Fed head, Jerome Powell. 

    Logistics news site More Than Shipping outlined the widespread economic fallout that could occur if a strike materializes in the coming months:

    1. Supply Chain Disruptions: A strike would cause significant delays in the delivery of goods, severely disrupting supply chains. This would particularly affect industries that rely on just-in-time inventory systems, such as retail and manufacturing​.

    2. Economic Losses: The East Coast ports handle a large portion of the nation’s imports and exports. A strike could result in economic losses running into billions of dollars, impacting businesses that depend on these ports for importing raw materials and exporting finished products. 

    3. Retail and Consumer Goods: There could be delays and shortages in consumer goods, ranging from electronics to clothing and food items. Retailers might face empty shelves, leading to increased prices and reduced availability of products for consumers​.

    4. Automotive Industry: The automotive sector, which heavily relies on parts imported through these ports, could face production halts and delays in vehicle availability, affecting both manufacturers and consumers​.

    5. Agriculture: The export of agricultural products, including grains and produce, could be delayed, affecting farmers and exporters who rely on timely shipments to maintain market access and pricing.

    6. Economic Ripple Effect: The strike’s impact would ripple through the economy, affecting jobs not just at the ports but also in transportation, warehousing, and other related industries​.

    7. International Trade Relations: Supply chain disruptions could strain trade relationships with other countries, potentially leading to long-term consequences for US trade policy and agreements.

    8. Shipping and Logistics: Shipping companies might need to reroute vessels to other ports, increasing transportation costs and times. This could lead to congestion at other ports and further complicate the logistics network.

    Let’s not forget that President Biden pledged to be “the most pro-union president in American history.” Does the president still remember what he said a couple years ago?

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 20:30

  • Netanyahu Blasts Own Defense Minister For 'Anti-Israel' Comments
    Netanyahu Blasts Own Defense Minister For ‘Anti-Israel’ Comments

    Via The Cradle

    The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the call for “absolute victory” against Hamas following critical remarks regarding such a strategy by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Times of Israel reported Monday.

    Defense Minister Gallant took a jab at Prime Minister Netanyahu during a Knesset committee discussion about Israel’s response to the ongoing fighting against Hezbollah along the northern border with Lebanon. “I hear all the heroes with the war drums, the ‘absolute victory’ and this gibberish,” he said during a meeting of Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, via Flash90

    Gallant made the statement after he was asked why Israel has not initiated a full-scale war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding, “The conditions today for war in Lebanon are unlike those at the beginning of the war [last October].”

    A short time later, the Prime Minister’s Office released a statement titled: “Gallant is bound by ‘absolute victory,’ too.”

    “When Gallant adopts an anti-Israel narrative, he hurts the chances of reaching a hostage deal,” the statement said.

    “He should have attacked [Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar], who refuses to send a delegation to negotiations and who was and remains the only obstacle to the hostage deal.”

    Netanyahu has stated that Israel must achieve “absolute victory” by eliminating Hamas’s military and governance capabilities and winning the release of the remaining 111 Israeli captives held by the Hamas since its ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ on 7 October.

    “This is the clear directive of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the cabinet, and it is binding on everyone – including Gallant,” the statement concludes.

    In contrast, top Israeli officials, negotiators, and families of the captive Israelis have alleged that Netanyahu seeks to sabotage a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

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    The ministers in Netanyahu’s government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have stated they want to continue the war. They say they wish to destroy Gaza, ethnically cleanse the strip of its 2.3 million indigenous Palestinian inhabitants, and settle Israeli Jews in their place. 

    Former US army Colonel Douglas McGregor has asserted that Netanyahu’s objective is to “systematically destroy or kill the population of Gaza.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 20:05

  • Sex, Suicide, And Terrible OpSec: Trump's Secret Service Detail Is A Mess
    Sex, Suicide, And Terrible OpSec: Trump’s Secret Service Detail Is A Mess

    Authored by Susan Crabtree via RealClearPolitics (emphasis ours),

    Rancor, recriminations, and serious formal misconduct complaints have plagued all levels of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect former President Donald Trump over the last year, distracting the team from its core mission of securing Trump from physical harm and preventing an assassination.

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    Trump’s regular detail team, a force of 60 employees – special agents and support staff – has been beset by internal division, long workdays and weeks, and constant stress. Last year, the team lost one of its members to suicide.

    Among the allegations are accusations of improper sexual relationships or fraternization within the team, debilitating mental health issues, non-merit-based promotions, conflict of interest issues, unfair retaliation and the creation of inappropriate memes and social media posts.

    On May 15, the top two leaders of Trump’s detail sternly dressed down the entire 60-member staff in a virtual meeting, announcing formal investigations into what they argued were serious misconduct violations, several sources in the Secret Service with direct knowledge of the online meeting tell RealClearPolitics.

    Sean Curran, the detail leader and top boss of Trump’s regular 60-member protective team, and his deputy, Matthew Piant, complained of “rumors, innuendo and toxicity” among the detail, as well as “selfishness and immaturity.”

    They reminded all employees that they had worked to mentor and train them, and, up to this point, had refrained from referring agents and support employees for discipline even though there had been violations that they could have reported to agency headquarters for investigation.

    Curran and Piant complained that they were not getting the same treatment in response from the team. Over the last year, the two leaders have been the target of formal complaints, and some members on the team viewed the all-hands lecture as an effort to turn the tables and retaliate on those complaining about their leadership.

    Piant spoke first, accusing someone on the detail of stealing from another. But he quickly shifted to harshly condemning an incident in which a teammate took cellphone photos of two members of the support staff sleeping in a command post while guarding Mar-a-Lago and circulated those to others on the detail.

    The No. 2 on the detail deemed the prank a betrayal of the team for the purpose of “humor and gossip,” according to detailed accounts. Those encountering the sleeping individuals should have simply held the team members accountable by waking them up with a nudge, he said.

    Piant also argued that taking the photos of individuals who fell asleep and circulating them among the other staff made those team members less safe and endangered the mission. He told the entire team that the pranks and the divisiveness showed a “lack of basic human decency” that had drawn the attention of headquarters “at the highest levels,” according to the sources familiar with the meeting. He then announced an inspection investigation for potential policy violations and promised consequences for those exercising “bad judgment.”

    Yet, some rank-and-file members of the detail team familiar with the sleeping incident said the real outrage was that the individuals who fell asleep while guarding Mar-a-Lago were, to their knowledge, were never disciplined. They noted that at least one was the daughter of a retired former Secret Service leader who remained influential among the agency’s top brass.

    Sleeping on the job at Mar-a-Lago this spring, the critics said, was especially egregious because of a series of recent security breaches across the Secret Service, including one in which a drunken intruder entered Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s home in the middle of the night. That incident occurred in April 2023 even though Sullivan has 24/7 Secret Service protective detail because of the high-profile and highly sensitive nature of his job.

    Curran spoke after Piant, expressing deep disappointment in the team, echoing the contention that the pranksters had put their teammates’ safety in jeopardy just for a laugh.

    Toward the end of the virtual meeting, Curran said he was issuing a final warning to the entire team. Though he didn’t want to alert headquarters to the violations of a handful of people, he said he might have to do so if everyone didn’t start supporting one another.

    The detail leader also acknowledged that the team, which has been solely dedicated to protecting Trump from the beginning of his reelection campaign, likely carries more stress than any other division in the Secret Service, and he admonished the pranksters for adding to the tension.

    During his remarks, Piant obliquely referred to the team member’s suicide last year, arguing that all members of the team should be especially attuned to mental health problems and risks involved with ridiculing people.

    Over the last two weeks, the Secret Service inspections department, which investigates employee misconduct, is homing in on allegations against an agent on the Trump detail who played a key role during the Butler rally and is partially responsible for developing the security plan, which contained egregious mistakes that left an opening for shooter Thomas Crooks.

    An official briefed on the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly told RCP that the Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility also investigated the allegations of sexual impropriety and fraternization within the Trump detail and found the allegations to be “unfounded.”

    The allegations against the site agent are a separate matter.  The agent is now under the microscope not only for her role in devising the security plan for the rally. She’s also facing internal scrutiny for posting videos and photos from her protective assignments to social media. The Secret Service discourages the practice, especially while standing watch on protective duty because it can pinpoint to would-be assailants exactly where the Secret Service positions its assets, risking the protectee and fellow law enforcement agents and officers, according to several sources within the Secret Service community.

    The agent in question served as the official site agent for the July 13 Butler event that ended in an assassination attempt wounding Donald Trump in the ear and killing rally-goer Corey Comperatore in front of his family. RealClearPolitics is not naming the agent out of concern for her personal safety.

    As a member of Trump’s 60-member regular detail, the agent was responsible for helping formulate the security plan for the event, although she was mostly focused on the inner perimeter. She also joined forces with the event’s lead agent, a woman from the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh Field Office, in conducting a walk-through of the security with supervisors. The lead agent typically oversees security at the entire event from airport arrival to event to hotel stay to airport departure.

    An RCP analysis of the Butler rally site agent’s Facebook account noted a photo that appears to be taken from Mar-a-Lago looking across the intercoastal waterway.

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    “A sunset to be grateful for …” the post states, including a heart and sunset emojis and the hashtags “#nofilter #southflorida #thankful #workmode …”

    Sources familiar with the videos said most appeared on the agent’s Instagram account, which is marked private.

    Sources within the Secret Service say the site agent was inexperienced for such a critical security role but noted that the position is rotated throughout the Trump detail, not routinely assigned based on merit or experience.

    There is now concern within the agency that the site agent for the Butler rally will take the fall for the event’s egregious layers of security failures – that Rowe will fire her over her social media posts, but not for any security failures at the July 13 event.

    In contrast, the lead agent had decades of experience within the Secret Service but did not have experience on a protective detail, the innermost ring of security for presidents, first ladies, former presidents, and their families, according to sources in the Secret Service community familiar with her background.

    While the months of rancor and recriminations leading up to the assassination attempt against Trump undoubtedly distracted the Trump detail from its ultimate mission, the Butler rally served as a wake -up call and a reset, according to sources close to Curran.

    “Some agents have referred to it as their 9/11 moment where people are opting back onto the detail,” remarked a source in the Secret Service community. “Morale is high, people are motivated. These agents [protecting Trump] are stiff-jawed with steel in their spine.”

    Rowe also plans to address the entire workforce on the 14th and to be present in Chicago for the Democratic National Committee next week.

    While many agents are approaching their protective mission with new vigor, lawmakers are demanding the firing of those responsible for the security failures at Butler. After a month, they say, we still don’t know exactly who was at fault for failing to man the rooftop where Crooks opened fire.

    Sources within the Secret Service, however, argue there was plenty of blame to go around that day.

    It was the first time counter snipers were assigned to a Trump reelection event, apparently because of an elevated Iranian threat. But Secret Service leaders at headquarters didn’t provide a sniper team for the rooftop where would-be assassin Thomas Crooks fired off his shots. Nor did they allocate a counter-surveillance unit, roaming agents who work to find and intercept suspicious people or fortify vulnerable areas during a rally.

    In addition, supervisors from the Pittsburgh Field Office and the Trump detail were ultimately responsible for evaluating and signing off on the security plan and were thereby integral to ensuring that the plans are sound and all vulnerable areas were covered.

    During Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe’s July 30 Senate testimony, Sen. Josh Hawley demanded to know the identity of the lead agent for the rally, implying that the person was responsible for the decision to leave the American Glass Research, or AGR, building up to local law enforcement to protect. Hawley, however, erred slightly in his questioning, combining the jobs of site agent and lead agent, two separate roles.

    Rowe responded that he couldn’t give Hawley that agent’s name because the person was still “operational, still doing investigations, still doing protective visits.” Hawley then demanded to know why Rowe hadn’t fired the person. Rowe explained that the agent is cooperating with the FBI investigation and with the Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

    “We will let the acts of the mission assurance and any other investigations play out,” Rowe said. He also objected to Hawley’s efforts to “zero in on a particular agent” instead of the “entire decision process” involving multiple individuals responsible for formulating and executing the Secret Service security plan and allocating assets for the rally.

    “I want to remain neutral and make sure we get to the bottom of it and interview everybody to determine whether there was more than one person who perhaps exercised bad judgement,” Rowe said.

    Both lead agents and site agents are typically involved in walk-throughs with supervisors. The lead agent oversees a whole team of site agents for the airport, the overnight accommodations, and the rally. The lead, considered the point person for the entire trip of a protectee, typically requests the number of post-standers, counter snipers, and other security assets needed for every stop during a visit to a region, including the main event – in this case, the Butler rally.

    An additional member of the Pittsburgh team was responsible for working with local law enforcement entities for the plan in the outer-most perimeter and likely determined whether local law enforcement needed to be posted on top of or inside the AGR building, from where Crooks fired at Trump and the crowd.

    But these same sources argue that the system which simply rotated the site agent role and didn’t require protective experience for the lead agent set both up for failure. The top supervisors who had to sign off on the security plan for the Butler rally are Tim Burke, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh Field Office, and Nick Menster, assistant special agent in charge of the Trump detail.

    Burke is a friend of Rowe’s from the time they both served on a counter-assault team together early in their careers. Some critics within the Secret Service community question whether their close ties are impacting Rowe’s decision not to fire Burke or anyone else in the Pittsburgh Field Office.

    Curran was one of the agents who quickly used their bodies as human shields to protect Trump in the iconic photo of the assassination attempt showing the former president raising his fist, bloody and defiant, against the backdrop of an American flag.

    Trump has repeatedly praised the members in that inner security ring, including Curran and a female agent who also appeared in the photo, placing her body across the president’s torso. The woman has been ridiculed on social media by Elon Musk and many others for being too short to fully shield Trump from additional bullets.

    “There was great bravery displayed … Every one of them. There wasn’t one that was slow,” Trump told the crowd at a rally in late July. “There was a woman to my right shielding me. A beautiful person. She was shielding me with everything she could.”

    Despite the clear bravery of several Secret Service agents and the professionalism of the counter sniper who killed Crooks, a month after the assassination attempt critical questions remain unanswered, including why no one was occupying the AGR rooftop when Crooks opened fire.

    Rowe, during Senate testimony July 30, said he could not defend the decision not to have anyone posted on that rooftop but wouldn’t say who made the decision. Instead, he blamed local law enforcement.

    “Why was the assailant not covered when we were told that building was going to be covered?” Rowe angrily demanded during his testimony. “That there had been a face-to-face that afternoon – that our team leads met.”

    Aside from the Butler rally, there has been a string of security lapses or improper activity across the Secret Service as a whole. The latest, which came to light late last week, involved a bizarre July 27 intrusion or break-in of a Pittsfield, Massachusetts salon, allegedly by the Secret Service covering Vice President Harris’ first fundraiser. It’s still unclear whether the Secret Service or local law enforcement is responsible for picking the salon door lock to allow emergency medical services agents and local law enforcement officers, and possibly others, to use the salon’s bathroom.

    A woman in what appeared to be Secret Service special agent attire covered the salon’s front-door Ring camera with duct tape, in what knowledgeable sources tell RCP is a common practice at event sites to guard against any camera possibly capturing Harris or other protectees in private moments.

    The salon owner has said she was left with a messy bathroom and felt violated by the incident. The head of the Boston-based field office called her to apologize for any role the agency played in entering the salon without the owner’s permission.

    Several other instances of bizarre behavior and serious security lapses have occurred over the last year and a half.

    In late April, Michelle Herczeg, a special agent assigned to Harris’ detail had an apparent mental breakdown at Joint Base Andrews, home to Air Force One and Air Force Two. RCP has since learned that Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who chaired the Rowley Training Center when Herczeg was training there, passed her even though Herczeg failed to meet some critical standards and some fellow workers expressed concern about her mental fitness, according to four sources within the Secret Service community.  

    Cheatle, who resigned amid bipartisan furor after her July testimony about the Butler rally security lapses, was reportedly “livid” over the Sullivan security failure in May 2023. The agency chocked up the security lapse to “human failure” or inattention among agents guarding Sullivan’s home. Luckily for Sullivan, the intruder appeared to be an intoxicated neighbor who simply entered the wrong home. There were no signs of forced entry into Sullivan’s home, but the agents stationed outside also did not detect the intruder, with whom Sullivan had a brief physical encounter. 

    Over the last year, there have been at least two other previously undisclosed intrusions, some that have been reported but two that have not. One involved a breach at President Obama’s Hawaii residence, and another involved a strange intruder stay at the Miami Field Office this spring.

    In the Obamas’ residence intrusion, the Secret Service managed to locate the intruders. Two sources described those who managed to breach the waterfront compound’s cutting-edge security as young people trying to get photos of the residence and its impressive grounds to post on social media. The property previously served as the set for the popular law enforcement drama television series Magnum P.I. in the 1980s and in a recent remake.

    The former president and first lady were not home during the time, but sources said their two daughters were on the premises.

    (The Obamas’ friend Marty Nesbitt, a wealthy Chicago businessman, purchased the three-acre property on O’ahu, paying $8.7 million in 2015. As of at least the spring of 2018, the property was held in an LLC registered to Nesbitt, who serves as chairman of the Barack Obama Foundation. That same year, the owners tore down the dated 9,000 square-foot residence, known on the television series as “Robin’s Nest,” according to Honolulu Magazine. In its place, Nesbitt, with the Obama’s input, built three custom structures on the compound, including a state-of-the-art security system and two swimming pools.)

    In late May of this year, an erratic man was able to infiltrate and spend at least one night in the Miami Field Office, according to four sources familiar with the incident.

    Some agents working out in the gym violated office policy by propping open the door to help ventilate the room. A man in shorts and a t-shirt entered through that partially opened door, and no one noticed. The man, identified as Ashtyn Domenech by one knowledgeable source, apparently found the “bunk room,” took a shower, and fell asleep in a bed overnight, sources said.

    Domenech accessed computers on an open internet line and downloaded and watched porn, according to two sources familiar with the trespassing incident.

    The next morning, Domenech asked administration staff where he “could get a cup of coffee around here,” and the employees responded by fulfilling his request for coffee without realizing he didn’t belong there, the sources said. He then ventured into a class on defensive tactics that a supervisor was teaching. The supervisor confronted him about his identity and apprehended him.

    The Secret Service didn’t arrest Domenech on federal charges, but instead turned him over to the local Miami Beach Police Department, which charged him with burglary, petty theft, and unlawful use of a police badge. Domenech had been arrested earlier that month for indecent exposure, according to Miami court records.

    Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics’ national political correspondent.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 19:40

  • Federal Fiscal Burden Consumes 93% Of America's Wealth
    Federal Fiscal Burden Consumes 93% Of America’s Wealth

    Authored by James D. Agresti via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Based on data from a U.S. Treasury report, the federal government has amassed $142 trillion in debts, liabilities, and unfunded obligations. This staggering figure equals 93 percent of all the wealth Americans have accumulated since the nation’s founding, estimated by the Federal Reserve to be $152 trillion.

    The U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunrise in Washington on July 31, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

    Unlike other measures of federal red ink that cover an arbitrary period, extend into the infinite future, or ignore government resources, the figure of $142 trillion applies strictly to Americans who are alive right now and includes the government’s commercial assets. Thus, it quantifies the financial burden that today’s Americans are leaving to their children and future generations.

    Complete Versus Incomplete Accounting

    Federal law requires the U.S. Treasury to publish an annual report that details the government’s “overall financial position.” In addition to the national debt, the “Financial Report of the United States Government” also includes the government’s explicit and implicit financial commitments, such as:

    • federal employee pensions and other retirement benefits like healthcare.

    • environmental liabilities like contaminated nuclear sites.

    • unfunded obligations for social insurance programs like Medicare.

    Such “fiscal exposures,” as explained by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), “represent significant commitments that ultimately have to be addressed.” Thus, GAO stresses that ignoring them can “make it difficult for policymakers and the public to adequately understand the government’s overall performance and true financial condition.”

    Yet, that is precisely what the media does. Although the Treasury published the report in February, Google News indicates that no major media outlet has mentioned it. Meanwhile, the same outlets have frequently reported on the national debt and federal budget, which are incomplete measures of the federal government’s fiscal situation.

    The commonly cited national debt and federal budget are mainly based on cash accounting, which is the simplistic process of counting money as it flows in or out. Thus, liabilities like pension benefits for federal workers aren’t measured until they are actually paid, which is often decades after they are promised.

    In contrast, the Treasury report mainly uses accrual accounting, which measures financial commitments as they are made. This is how the federal government requires large corporations to report their finances. In the words of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which is tasked by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to create private-sector accounting rules, accrual accounting is the “most relevant and reliable” way to measure the financial health of pension plans.

    The same applies to other retirement benefits like healthcare. The accounting rule that governs such benefits explains that “a failure to accrue” implies “that no obligation exists prior to the payment of benefits.” Since an obligation does exist, failing to account for it “impairs the usefulness and integrity” of financial statements.

    The Grand Total

    A methodical tally of accrual accounting data in the Treasury report shows that the federal government has amassed $142 trillion in debts, liabilities, and unfunded obligations beyond the value of its commercial assets. This reflects the government’s finances at the close of its 2023 fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2023.

    The primary components of this burden, which are unpacked below, include:

    • $26.3 trillion in publicly held national debt.

    • $16.6 trillion in liabilities that are not accounted for in the publicly held debt.

    • $104.2 trillion in unfunded social insurance obligations.

    These figures tally to $147.1 trillion in debts, liabilities, and unfunded obligations. Offsetting this is $5.4 trillion in commercial assets owned by the federal government, leaving a grand total shortfall of $141.7 trillion.

    Numbers in the trillions are hard to conceive, so it’s revealing to place them in context. The figure of $142 trillion amounts to 93 percent of the net wealth Americans have accumulated since the nation’s founding, estimated by the Federal Reserve to be $152 trillion. This includes all of their assets in savings, real estate, corporate stocks, private businesses, and consumer durable goods like automobiles and furniture.

    The government’s $142 trillion shortfall also amounts to:

    • $430,252 for every person living in the United States.

    • $1,098,087 for every household in the United States.

    • 2 times annual U.S. economic output (GDP).

    • 30 times annual federal revenues.

    Publicly Held Debt

    The simplest major item quantified by the Treasury report is the publicly held debt, which is $26.3 trillion. This is the money the federal government owes to non-federal entities like individuals, corporations, state governments, and foreign governments.

    Publicly held debt is a partial measure of the national debt that excludes $6.9 trillion the federal government owes to federal programs like Social Security and Medicare. The Treasury report also details these intergovernmental debts and consolidates them with the items below.

    Liabilities

    Pension and other retirement benefits are a large part of compensation packages for government employees. With these generous benefits included, civilian non-postal federal employees receive an average of 17 percent more total compensation than private-sector workers with comparable education and work experience. Postal workers receive even greater premiums ranging from 25 percent to 43 percent.

    In 2022, federal, state, and local governments spent $2.3 trillion on employee compensation, costing each household in the nation an average of $17,299.

    The Treasury report shows that the federal government currently owes $14.3 trillion in pensions and other benefits to federal employees and veterans that are not accounted for in the publicly held national debt. To pay the present value of these benefits will require an average of $109,005 from every household in the United States.

    The Treasury reports other liabilities of the federal government, such as:

    • $124 billion in accounts payable.

    • $645 billion in environmental and disposal liabilities.

    • $99 billion in insurance and guarantee program liabilities.

    Altogether, the Treasury records $16.6 trillion in liabilities that are not accounted for in the publicly held debt.

    Social Security & Medicare

    A similar but far more expensive situation exists with social insurance programs like Social Security and Medicare. This is because—contrary to popular belief—these programs don’t save workers’ taxes for their retirements. Instead, they immediately spend the vast majority of those taxes to pay benefits to current recipients. Thus, they are called “pay-as-you-go” programs.

    In stark contrast, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis explains that “federal law requires private pension plans to operate as funded plans, not as pay-as-you-go plans.” The reasons for this, as explained by the American Academy of Actuaries, are to increase “benefit security” and ensure “intergenerational equity.”

    Social Security and Medicare, on the other hand, have levied dramatically increased tax burdens on succeeding generations of Americans, thus creating severe generational inequality. And unless retirement ages are raised or benefits are reduced in some other way, taxes will need to be increased again to keep the programs solvent.

    Federal actuaries measure the unfunded obligations of Social Security and Medicare in several different ways, but only one of them approximates accrual accounting. This is called the “closed-group” unfunded obligation, which is the money needed to cover the shortfalls for all current taxpayers and beneficiaries in these programs.

    In the words of Harvard Law School professor and federal budget specialist Howell E. Jackson, the closed-group measure “reflects the financial burden or liability being passed on to future generations.” These burdens are $49.8 trillion for Social Security and $53.9 trillion for Medicare. Placing these figures in context:

    • Social Security’s unfunded obligations amount to an additional $272,237 from every person who currently pays Social Security payroll taxes.

    • Medicare’s unfunded obligations amount to an additional $201,932 from every U.S. resident aged 16 or older.

    Those shortfalls are what remain after the federal government has paid back with interest all of the money it has borrowed from Social Security and Medicare.

    Social Security and Medicare differ from true pensions because taxpayers don’t have a contractual right to receive these benefits. Nevertheless, paying these benefits is an implied commitment of the federal government, and federal law requires that these programs be included in the Treasury report.

    The Treasury report estimates that the combined closed group unfunded obligations of Social Security, Medicare, and some smaller social insurance programs are $104.2 trillion. This figure doesn’t include intergovernmental debt, which is consolidated with other data in the report.

    Federal Assets

    The Treasury also records the federal government’s commercial assets, such as:

    • $922 billion in cash and other monetary assets.

    • $1.2 trillion in property, plants, and equipment.

    • $1.7 trillion in receivable loans, mainly comprised of student loans.

    However, the report doesn’t account for federal stewardship land and heritage assets, such as national parks and the original copy of the Declaration of Independence. While these items have tangible value, the report explains that they “are intended to be preserved as national treasures,” not sold to the highest bidder to cover debts.

    In total, the government owned $5.4 trillion in commercial assets at the close of its 2023 fiscal year.

    Adding up the federal government’s debts, liabilities, and unfunded obligations and then subtracting the value of its commercial assets yields a fiscal shortfall of $142 trillion.

    Root Causes

    The first critical step in solving a problem is to understand its root causes. However, scientific surveys show that many voters are misinformed about the root causes of government debt.

    A scientific, nationally representative survey commissioned in 2020 by Just Facts found that 25 percent of voters believe the main driver of the rising national debt is military spending. This accords with the reporting of media outlets that frequently blame the debt on military spending.

    In reality, military spending has plummeted from 53 percent of all federal expenses in 1960 to 17 percent in 2022:

    The same survey found that another 25 percent of voters believe tax cuts were the main driver of debt, in accord with news stories that blame the debt on tax cuts.

    In reality, federal revenues have stayed at a roughly level portion of the U.S. economy for the past 80 years:

    As shown in the charts above, the primary driver of the national debt is increased spending, particularly on social programs. These programs—which provide healthcare, income security, education, nutrition, housing, and cultural services—have grown from 21 percent of all federal spending in 1960 to 64 percent in 2022.

    Yet, only 39 percent of voters correctly identify social spending as the primary cause of rising debt.

    Moreover, the vast bulk of the government’s unfunded obligations are due to Social Security and Medicare. Thus, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the main drivers of future debt will be Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Obamacare, and interest on the national debt. Under the weight of these, the publicly held debt is due to soar to unprecedented levels over coming decades.

    Harmful Effects

    A broad range of academic publications explain that excessive government debt can cause far-reaching negative outcomes, such as lower wages, increased inflation, weak economic growth, higher taxes, reduced government benefits, or combinations of such results.

    Likewise, GAO warns that “the costs of federal borrowing will be borne by tomorrow’s workers and taxpayers,” which “may reduce or slow the growth of the living standards of future generations.”

    Such effects may have already begun. Although association does not prove causation, the national debt has skyrocketed over recent decades, and with this, the United States has experienced episodes of historically poor growth in gross domestic product (GDP), productivity, and household income. Along with this, rapid inflation has set in, another common consequence of excessive government debt.

    While some believe the U.S. government can spend and borrow with abandon because it can print money, one of the most established laws of economics is that there is no such thing as a free lunch. The prolific economist William A. McEachern explains why this is so:

    “There is no free lunch because all goods and services involve a cost to someone. The lunch may seem free to you, but it draws scarce resources away from the production of other goods and services, and whoever provides a free lunch often expects something in return. A Russian proverb makes a similar point but with a bit more bite: ‘The only place you find free cheese is in a mousetrap.’”

    From Just Facts Daily

    Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 19:15

  • Biden, European Leaders Tell Iran to 'Stand Down' Amid Frenzied Speculation
    Biden, European Leaders Tell Iran to ‘Stand Down’ Amid Frenzied Speculation

    Is tonight the night? In a familiar refrain of the past several days, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Monday the military is on “peak alert” for an attack from Iran or Hezbollah.

    The White House too believes an attack is imminent or at least within “days” away. At the same time a senior Israeli official told Axios: “The Iranians openly signal (on the ground) their determination to carry out a significant attack in addition to their public statements that the attack will exceed the one they carried out in April.”

    The official additionally observed that “Iranian public statements do not reflect any retreat.” Warnings from the West urging Tehran to not retaliate have been on repeat for a week-and-a-half following the July 31st Israeli killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

    The US has been joined by European countries in calling on Iran to “stand down” amid reports of significant Iranian and Hezbollah weapons movement and positioning.

    US President Joe Biden alongside the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy issued a fresh joint statement Monday: “We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” a joint statement said after their presidents and prime ministers spoke by phone.

    As for the IDF, its latest statement also described that the Israeli Air Force has increased its patrols over Lebanon “to detect and intercept threats.”

    “We view the statements of our enemies seriously, and are therefore prepared at the highest level of readiness for defense and attack,” it continued.

    Even the Vatican has tried to intervene toward preventing a broader regional war:

    Following Haniyeh’s assassination, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Haniyeh’s death would “not pass in vain,” and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that “blood vengeance” for the killing is “certain.”

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian furthered those threats on Monday, telling a Vatican official in a phone call that the assassination warrants Iran’s right to “self defense” and to “respond to an aggressor,” Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

    Meanwhile amid fears of the wider Israeli confrontation with the ‘Iran axis’, the IDF has kept up its operations and strikes inside Gaza.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    “Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes on several areas of Khan Younis on Monday killed at least 16 people and wounded several,” reports Reuters. “Meanwhile more families and displaced persons streamed out of areas threatened by new evacuation orders telling people to clear the area.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 18:50

  • US Marshals Arrest Over 230 Fugitives, Including Rapists And Murderers, In Maryland Operation
    US Marshals Arrest Over 230 Fugitives, Including Rapists And Murderers, In Maryland Operation

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The U.S. Marshals Service has announced the conclusion of “Operation Silver Shield,” a 90-day interagency operation that resulted in the arrest of 232 fugitives across Maryland, including individuals wanted for serious crimes such as rape and murder.

    Members of the U.S. Marshals Service monitor an area in New York City on April 2, 2015. (Victor J. Blue/Getty Images)

    The large-scale, public safety initiative, which ran from May through August 2024, targeted non-compliant sex offenders and fugitives associated with violent crimes, the U.S. Marshals said in an Aug. 9 press release. Among the arrested were 36 individuals wanted for sex offender registration violations, 17 for rape, and 14 for homicide.

    “The arrest of these fugitives represents a step in the right direction to keep Maryland safe,” Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement.

    As part of the operation, law enforcement also seized seven firearms and successfully recovered four critically missing children.

    Dozens of federal, state, and local agencies participated in the operation, with deputies from the District of Maryland prioritizing the arrest of non-compliant sex offenders, while members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, a unit of the U.S. Marshals, focused on catching violent fugitives.

    “Throughout this operation, we worked hand-in-hand with local communities to take dangerous offenders off the streets,“ Mathew Silverman, chief deputy U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland, said in a statement, adding that the results of the operation reflect ”the true power of our public safety partnership.”

    The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, which has apprehended over 78,000 fugitives since its inception in 2004, has partnership agreements with over 133 federal, state, and local agencies operating in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

    Besides the U.S. Marshals Service, some of the law enforcement agencies involved in Operation Silver Shield include the Baltimore Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the FBI.

    Operation Silver Shield was launched on May 3, 2024, aiming to protect the community by prioritizing the recovery of critically missing children and arresting offenders who pose the biggest risk to public safety.

    A similar operation in 2023, dubbed “Operation We Will Find You,” led to the recovery of 225 missing or endangered children.

    At the time, the U.S. Marshals noted that cases involving missing or endangered children are some of the most challenging due to the presence of “high-risk factors,” such as involvement in child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual and physical abuse, and serious medical and mental health conditions.

    The passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act in 2015 strengthened law enforcement’s ability to recover missing children. The legislation enhanced the U.S. Marshals’ authority, enabling them to better address cases involving endangered children, even when a fugitive or sex offender wasn’t directly involved.

    Since the law’s enactment, the U.S. Marshals, in collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, have successfully recovered over 3,100 missing children.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 18:25

  • Amnesty On The Table: Biden Officials Want Maduro To Regime Change Himself
    Amnesty On The Table: Biden Officials Want Maduro To Regime Change Himself

    A fresh Wall Street Journal report reveals just how desperate Washington officials are to see Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro swiftly exit power, after the US has accused him and his officials of stealing the vote, keeping former diplomat Edmundo González from power while reportedly locking up thousands of opposition supporters.

    “The U.S. is pursuing a long-shot bid to push Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to give up power in exchange for amnesty as overwhelming evidence emerges that the strongman lost last month’s election, people familiar with the matter said,” WSJ writes. 

    “The U.S. has discussed pardons for Maduro and top lieutenants of his who face Justice Department indictments, said three people familiar with the Biden administration deliberation. One of the sources said that the Biden administration is putting “everything on the table” in order to peaceably persuade Maduro to step down before his term is up in January. To translate, Biden officials are asking nicely: please Mr. Maduro, won’t you cancel yourself?

    US DOJ “wanted” chart 

    But Maduro and his government have hailed him as the legitimate victor of the July 28th national election. He’s set to enter a third 6-year term. He has many times over the last several years accused Washington of plotting coup and regime change against his rule, and there is ample evidence that there is more truth than falsehood to these accusations.

    Rather than present the US as in a position of power vis-a-vis Caracas, the whole WSJ report and its claims—largely the product of the usual ‘anon security and defense officials’—is a testament to just how pathetic, weak, and desperate US policy toward the ‘rogue’ state remains.

    Maduro will supposedly turn himself in on cocaine charges in return for an ‘amnesty’ based on what he sees as total fictions of a fraudulent and ‘imperialist’ American system? The following could arguably be some of the dumbest and most fantastical lines ever cooked up by the gaggle of career national security pencil pushers in charge of Latin America policy:

    Another person familiar with the talks said the U.S. would be open to providing guarantees not to pursue those regime figures for extradition. The U.S. in 2020 placed a $15 million bounty for information leading to Maduro’s arrest on charges of conspiring with his allies to flood the U.S. with cocaine. 

    The talks represent a flicker of hope for a Venezuelan political opposition that meticulously collected voter tallies showing its candidate, little-known former diplomat Edmundo González, defeated Maduro in a landslide in the July 28 election. Over the past two weeks, Maduro has jailed thousands of dissidents, maintained the military’s loyalty and tasked the Supreme Court, stacked with his handpicked allies, with resolving the election impasse, buying him time.  

    Flooding US streets with cocaine? …The CIA might have some past expertise on that.

    As recently as Friday, Maduro put it very simply in a televised news conference: “Don’t mess with Venezuela’s internal affairs, that’s all I ask for,” Maduro said.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Where does US policy go from here? Biden’s gambit to ease sanctions on Venezuelan crude, bring Maduro ‘in from the cold’, and tap cheap energy at a crucial moment of wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East appears at a standstill.

    Now with a crack-brained plan to offer “amnesty” to Maduro having been floated (surely an object of laughter and mockery among Venezuelan officials), perhaps Washington is ready to try the whole Guaidó-style thing with González, who has even less name recognitions internationally, and declare him ‘Interim President’.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 18:00

  • Smith & Wesson Asks US Supreme Court To Expedite Its Appeal Of Mexico Lawsuit
    Smith & Wesson Asks US Supreme Court To Expedite Its Appeal Of Mexico Lawsuit

    Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    U.S. gun maker Smith & Wesson asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 8 for “immediate review” of its appeal in Mexico’s ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. firearms companies.

    A Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver is displayed at the Los Angeles Gun Club in Los Angeles, California on December 7, 2012. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

    The request was made after a lower court on Aug. 7 threw out the case against six out of eight gun companies in the lawsuit, which is pending in federal district court in Massachusetts. The decision left gun maker Smith & Wesson and gun wholesaler Interstate Arms remaining as defendants.

    In the suit, Mexico is seeking $10 billion from U.S. gun companies for allegedly flooding that country with firearms. Mexico blames the companies for a violent crime wave, saying their actions benefited criminal cartels.

    Although some gun control activists welcome Mexico’s lawsuit, gun rights advocates say it constitutes foreign interference in U.S. affairs and is aimed at crippling the U.S. firearms industry and weakening the Second Amendment protections enjoyed by Americans.

    The gun companies say the suit is barred by the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) of 2005, which was enacted to protect the industry from frivolous lawsuits.

    The Supreme Court already is scheduled to consider on Sept. 30 whether to hear the appeal of the eight gun companies called Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos.

    The appeal concerns the Jan. 22 decision of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

    Circuit Judge William Kayatta wrote that even though the PLCAA limits lawsuits that foreign governments may bring in U.S. courts for harm experienced outside the United States, Mexico could move forward because it made a plausible argument that the companies committed “knowing violations of statutes regulating the sale or marketing of firearms.”

    Mexico claims that illegal gun trafficking into that country is driven largely by Mexican drug cartels’ demands for military-style weapons.

    Kayatta wrote that a spike in gun violence in Mexico in recent years “correlates” with the boost in gun production in the United States that started when the U.S. assault weapon ban lapsed in 2004.

    The First Circuit returned the case to U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor of Massachusetts, who had previously dismissed the lawsuit against all eight corporate defendants on Sept. 30, 2022.

    Saylor found in 2022 that the PLCAA “unequivocally bars lawsuits seeking to hold gun manufacturers responsible for the acts of individuals using guns for their intended purpose.”

    When Saylor revisited the case on Aug. 7, he ruled that Mexico had failed to present enough evidence to show that six of the companies were connected to gun crime in Mexico.

    The six defendants Saylor dismissed from the suit are Sturm, Ruger & Co.; Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc.; Glock Inc.; Colt’s Manufacturing Co. LLC; Century International Arms Inc.; and Beretta U.S.A. Corp.

    Mexico indicated it may appeal the dismissal decision.

    In the meantime, this means that Smith & Wesson and Witmer Public Safety Group, which does business as Interstate Arms, are still named as defendants in the suit pending in Saylor’s court.

    In the Aug. 8 filing, Smith & Wesson attorney Noel Francisco of Jones Day in Washington told the Supreme Court that “immediate review … is still needed” because Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms are “unaffected by” the Aug. 7 decision.

    “As a result, Mexico is still pursuing ‘joint and several’ liability—to the tune of billions of dollars, plus far-reaching injunctive relief—against those two defendants,” Francisco wrote.

    With joint and several liability, a plaintiff who secures a judgment against the defendants collectively may collect the full value of the judgment from any of the defendants.

    “So just as before, leading members of the American firearms industry are facing years of litigation costs and the specter of business-crushing liability,” Francisco wrote.

    “And just as before, this Court’s review is warranted now, because Congress made clear in PLCAA that this sort of lawfare against any law-abiding member of the firearms industry has no business in American courts, and must be promptly dismissed.”

    Lawfare is the strategic use of legal proceedings to undermine or frustrate the efforts of an opponent.

    Mexico argued in a brief that it filed with the Supreme Court on July 3 that the First Circuit’s decision was correct.

    The lawsuit should be allowed to proceed because the companies “deliberately chose to engage in unlawful … conduct to profit off the criminal market for their products.”

    According to the brief, the gun companies were wrong to argue that the prospect of them being held “liable for negligence and public nuisance” presents “an existential threat to the gun industry.”

    Mexico’s attorney, Cate Stetson of Hogan Lovells in Washington, didn’t respond by publication time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

    Stephen Katte contributed to this report.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 17:40

  • US Records 2nd Biggest July Deficit In History As 25% Of Tax Revenue Go To Pay Interest
    US Records 2nd Biggest July Deficit In History As 25% Of Tax Revenue Go To Pay Interest

    While there was much more talk about the soaring US budget deficit earlier this year, when debt seemed to rise by $1 trillion every other month, lately it appears that the topic has become almost taboo perhaps because neither presidential candidate has any plan or clue how to normalize the trend which assures fiscal collapse for the US and the loss of dollar reserve status.

    But while others may have conflicts of interest in reporting on this most important topic, we don’t, and we are sad to inform our readers that July was another catastrophic month for US fiscal viability: that’s because US tax revenue of $330.4BN (down sharply from the $466.3BN in June, if higher than the $276.2BN a year ago), was far below the $573.1BN in government outlays (which was materially above the $537.2BN in June and also the $496.9BN last July)…

    …. resulting in a monthly deficit of $243.7BN, the second largest July budget deficit on record, surpassed only by the record post-covid print in July 2021.

    With two months left in the fiscal year, the US budget deficit for fiscal 2024 has hite $1.517 trillion, tracking last year’s blowout expansion almost dollar for dollar (one year ago the cumulative deficit was $1.613 trillion), and the 4th highest on record despite there being no raging emergency and no war demanding such a massive deficit spend.

    Unfortunately, that’s as good as it gets, because when one takes a step back and ignores the monthly calendar effects, the picture remains the same: the US is spending far more than it is generating in tax revenues.

    In fact, at $581BN, the 6-month moving average (to smooth out month-to-month changes) in US government spending has risen to the highest level since August 2021, when the US was still reeling from the covid shock.

    So how is this possible? How can the US, which is now $35 trillion in the hole justify this kind of irresponsible, profligate spending? The only possible answer for why this level of explosive deficit (and debt) growth continues, is the admin’s ongoing attempts to buy as many votes as possible, as well as the relentless increase in interest on the US debt.

    And it only goes downhill from there, because as we have noted previously, the biggest risk factor is not so much spending on such discretionary items as social security, health and national defense (“how dare you say these are discretionary! these are mandatory, untouchable outlays” some will scream, but if and when the taxes dry up and the dollar loses its reserve status you will see just how discretionary they are), but on interest, and here recall what we said back in April: “interest on US debt – currently the second biggest government outlay at $1.2 trillion – will surpass social security and become the single biggest US expense before the end of 2024 at $1.6 trillion.”…

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    … and hit $1.7 trillion by April 2025, at which point it will be by far the single biggest outlay of the US government.

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    So where are we now? Well, according to the latest Treasury Monthly Statement, in July the US spent a gross $88.6 billion on debt interest, bringing the YTD total to $956 billion and is on pace to hit $1.157 trillion for the full year.

    And putting it in context, the $87 billion in gross interest spending (which follows June’s record $140 billion) was 25% of all US receipts (mostly taxes) in June…

    … a staggering number fast approaching the threshold where everyone will be forced to admit the US has crossed into a Minsky moment.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 17:20

  • FOIA Files: How Feds, Press, and Academia "Coordinate" On Speech
    FOIA Files: How Feds, Press, and Academia “Coordinate” On Speech

    Authored by James Rushmore via Racket News,

    In March 2023, the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP) put out an article asserting that the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) — comprised of the CIP, the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), Graphika, and the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) — was not a “government cut-out” controlled by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

    Racket has sent out numerous Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests about the Election Integrity Partnership. Recently, we received several new batches of results from the University of Washington that cast doubt on their earlier assertions. These disclosures, which have been added to the Racket FOIA Library, hint at a dynamic perhaps more intimate than reported. This is the first of a series of disclosures we’ll be publishing this week.

    On March 4, 2021, Shira Ovide of The New York Times emailed the EIP to ask what government officials and social media platforms did to “stop disinformation from having a material effect on the [2020] election.”

    The response came from Matthew Masterson, at the time a non-resident policy fellow at the Stanford Internet Observatory. Masterson then only just finished working as a senior cybersecurity advisor at CISA, a position he held from March 2018 to December 2020. He stayed at CISA through the 2020 election, then moved to Stanford just in time to receive Ovide’s inquiry as a private citizen. His response is humorous in its frankness (emphasis ours):

    Happy to talk regarding the work we (the feds) did in coordination with social media companies to anticipate and respond to efforts to undermine the election.

    Masterson’s choice of verb is interesting. For years, “anti-disinformation” activists have insisted that state actors merely contacted social media companies with helpful tips regarding troublesome accounts. Masterson’s response suggests CISA was in close contact with platforms like Twitter throughout the 2020 election cycle, though Ovide wasn’t told how close. (See the accompanying article by Matt Taibbi to learn more.) He’s explicit in his characterization of the EIP-CISA dynamic as a coordinated effort.

    When reached for comment, Ovide directed Racket to an article she published shortly after her conversation with Masterson. The former DHS official told Ovide that “coordination was the biggest change that helped shore up digital defenses in [2020] election management systems.” At the time, Masterson said, “This is as good [sic] as the federal government has worked on any issue in my experience.” The piece doesn’t mention the EIP, but it still captures the degree to which federal law enforcement agencies like CISA were in contact with 2020 election officials.

    You’ll find more evidence of the tight-knit relationship between CISA and the EIP in their communications the following year. On March 14, 2022, Nicky Vogt, the senior advisor for public affairs at CISA, reached out to the EIP in order to coordinate their messaging efforts on MisinfoDay. (MisinfoDay, for those unfamiliar, is an annual celebration intended to help students, educators, and librarians “learn how to navigate complex information environments and make informed decisions about what to believe online.”)

    In an email marked with the subject line “Social Amplification on MisInfo Day?”, Vogt asked Julia Carter Scanlan, the CIP’s director for strategy and operations, if the EIP could “amplify” CISA’s MisinfoDay-themed graphics on its social media accounts. Vogt offered to return the favor by promoting the EIP’s MisinfoDay content on CISA’s accounts. Also worth noting is the “as our team may have mentioned” at the start of Vogt’s email. CISA and the EIP seemed to be on very friendly terms!

    Carter Scanlan’s response was enthusiastic (emphasis ours):

    I’m so glad we can coordinate on this to help get the word out on both fronts. I’m looping in here my colleague Michael Grass, the CIP’s Assistant Director for Communications. He’s managing all of the social and other media for MisinfoDay and will be point on this.

    The word of the day is “coordination.”

    A few hours later, Vogt made contact with Grass, who promised to share the EIP’s MisinfoDay content on the CIP’s Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts. Grass also indicated that other schools would be participating in the day’s festivities through the #MisinfoDay2022 hashtag.

    Here’s the tweet CISA asked Grass to promote.

    These emails illustrate the synergies between the “anti-disinformation” industry and the national security state. In theory, the two factions are supposed to be separate entities, but in practice, they represent the same interests. It’s not often that a single disclosure offers evidence of the alacrity with which outfits like the EIP did the bidding of federal law enforcement agencies. We should be grateful for their candor.

    Below are a few more excerpts from this latest batch of FOIA disclosures, which you can access in full at the Racket FOIA Library.

    • In July 2020, shortly before the EIP officially launched, the key players debated what they wanted to call their partnership. Emerson Brooking of the Atlantic Council recommended against going with the “Election Disinformation Partnership,” arguing that it could “very easily be made to sound like [they] are spreading disinformation,” and suggested the “2020 Partnership.” His suggestion was co-signed by the SIO’s Alex Stamos (“[S]ounds a bit like an Olympics thing.”) and Graphika’s Camille François (“It will fit on a shirt”). The group ultimately settled on the “Election Integrity Partnership,” a name that Stamos described as generic and unlikely to be misinterpreted. (See page 109.)

    • On November 17, 2021, Ashley Quarcoo, a senior director at the Partnership for American Democracy, reached out to the EIP to discuss how they could take steps to prepare for “election misinformation” in the 2022 cycle. (See pages 47 and 48.)

    • On October 31, 2022, Mark Scott of Politico emailed the SIO’s Renée DiResta with some examples of Telegram channels that were spreading “election-related falsehoods” in swing states during the runup to the midterm elections. Scott asked DiResta if she could account for the spread of such theories “from fringe networks like Telegram to more mainstream networks.” (See page 17.)

    Click here to access Racket’s library of University of Washington FOIA productions.

    Subscribe to Racket News here…

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 17:00

  • West Threatens Iran Over Plan To Supply Russia With Ballistic Missiles
    West Threatens Iran Over Plan To Supply Russia With Ballistic Missiles

    NATO countries have been warning of swift and severe consequences in the wake of widespread reports that Iran is considering transferring sophisticated ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

    A weekend Reuters story authored by multiple national security veteran reporters alleged that Russian personnel are already being trained to operate the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system. Several European intelligence sources were cited as the basis of the report, which Iranian leaders subsequently denied.

    Via Tasnim news agency

    Biden’s national security council has said this would mark a “dramatic escalation” in military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, which has so far seen thousands of small Iranian drones transferred and utilized over Ukraine’s skies.

    Reuters details the following: 

    Citing multiple confidential intelligence sources, the officials said that Russian personnel have visited Iran to learn how to operate the Fath-360 defence system, which launches missiles with a maximum range of 120 km (75 miles) and a warhead of 150 kg. One of the sources said that that “the only next possible” step after training would be actual delivery of the missiles to Russia.

    Moscow possesses an array of its own ballistic missiles, but the supply of Fath-360s could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line, while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets, a military expert said.

    An expected delivery date wasn’t disclosed in the report, but it would be consistent with the trend of much closer cooperation on defense between the two ‘pariah’ nations which are highly sanctioned by the West. 

    At his point there’s not much left to sanction, and so increasingly both Russian and Iranian leaders have demonstrated a “nothing to lose” attitude in terms of flaunting their defiance of Western warnings.

    We also recently highlighted that Russia has appeared to step up supplies of air defense equipment to the Islamic Republic, at a moment Tehran is threatening massive retaliation attacks on Israel for the July 31 killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The expectation in such a scenario is that Israel’s counter-response would be bigger.

    Allegations further say Russia has already received many Iranian ballistic missiles…

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    The Iranians are reportedly also pressuring Moscow to fulfill delivery of Su-35S fighter jet fighters which were previously pledged in a defense deal, given the regional temperature is heating up fast.

    Moscow likely feels obliged given the significant Iranian drone transfers it has received throughout the course of the Ukraine war. Iran has heavily aided Russian forces, and now Russia is quickly coming to Iran’s assistance.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 08/12/2024 – 16:40

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