truepundit--2020-11-17--Washington Restricts Indoor Gatherings Ahead Of Thanksgiving, Puts Capacity Limits On Weddings, Fune

Washington Restricts Indoor Gatherings Ahead Of Thanksgiving, Puts Capacity Limits On Weddings, Funerals

Democratic Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee announced a slew of coronavirus restrictions Sunday including limits on indoor gatherings , weddings and funerals .
Inslee ’ s proclamation titled “ Stay Safe — Stay Healthy ” forbids indoor social gatherings with those outside the immediate household unless visitors engage in a two-week quarantine or a 7-day isolation with a negative COVID-19 test .
Inslee ’ s order , set to last four weeks , also caps weddings and funerals to a maximum of 30 attendees and prohibits outdoor groups with more than five people from outside the household .
Restaurants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movie theaters , zoos , museums and aquariums are required to cease indoor service , according to the proclamation .
Additionally , the governor temporarily banned business meetings , open houses , indoor sporting activities and inside visits to longterm care facilities , authorities wrote .
Religious services , in-store retail buildings , offices and services like barbers and nail salons will be limited to no more than 25 % capacity at a given time under the order .
“ Violators of this order may be subject to criminal penalties , ” Inslee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if people fail to comply with the required social distancing and other protective measures while engaging in this phased reopening , I may be forced to reinstate the prohibitions established in earlier proclamations , ” Inslee wrote .
COVID-19 cases in Washington have surged to roughly 130,000 , according to the state department of health .
Cases spiked from around 75,000 in the beginning of September , the government medical authority wrote .

Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a slew of coronavirus restrictions Sunday including limits on indoor gatherings, weddings and funerals.
Inslee’s proclamation titled “Stay Safe — Stay Healthy” forbids indoor social gatherings with those outside the immediate household unless visitors engage in a two-week quarantine or a 7-day isolation with a negative COVID-19 test. Inslee’s order, set to last four weeks, also caps weddings and funerals to a maximum of 30 attendees and prohibits outdoor groups with more than five people from outside the household.
Restaurants, bars, gyms, bowling alleys, movie theaters, zoos, museums and aquariums are required to cease indoor service, according to the proclamation. Additionally, the governor temporarily banned business meetings, open houses, indoor sporting activities and inside visits to longterm care facilities, authorities wrote.
A pandemic is raging in our state. Left unchecked, it will overburden our hospitals. Our economic devastation will be prolonged. More Washingtonians will die. We will not allow this to happen. That’s why we are acting today. — Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) November 15, 2020
Religious services, in-store retail buildings, offices and services like barbers and nail salons will be limited to no more than 25% capacity at a given time under the order.
“Violators of this order may be subject to criminal penalties,” Inslee’s order stated. “Further, if people fail to comply with the required social distancing and other protective measures while engaging in this phased reopening, I may be forced to reinstate the prohibitions established in earlier proclamations,” Inslee wrote.
COVID-19 cases in Washington have surged to roughly 130,000, according to the state department of health. Cases spiked from around 75,000 in the beginning of September, the government medical authority wrote.


truepundit--2020-11-17--Moderna Announces Its Coronavirus Vaccine Is 94.5% Effective

The pharmaceutical company Moderna announced Monday that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5 % effective based on preliminary results from ongoing human trials .
Though the company ’ s announcement is big step in the effort to develop effective vaccines against the virus , Moderna said that its vaccine would not be widely available until spring 2021 .
Moderna is the second pharmaceutical to report promising news regarding vaccine development , joining Pfizer , which announced Nov. 9 that its vaccine was over 90 % effective .
Ten other vaccine candidates are in their Phase III trials , and over 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a New York Times database .
The Food and Drug Administration had previously said that vaccines for COVID-19 only needed to be 50 % effective to be approved .
In the Moderna trial , only five of the 95 people who contracted the virus had received the vaccine , while the rest received placebo salt water injections .
Of the 95 infections 11 became severe , but all of those patients had received the placebo , the company said .
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use synthetic genetic coronavirus material @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When the harmless mRNA enters a human , the person ’ s immune system fights it , simulating what it would normally do if infected with the actual virus and developing antibodies as a result .
“ The fact that two different vaccines made by two different companies with two different kinds of structures , in a new messenger RNA concept , both worked so effectively confirms the concept once and for all that this is a viable strategy not only for Covid but for future infectious disease threats , ” said Harvard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to The New York Times .
While Moderna ’ s announcement is a promising step to ending the pandemic , distributing vaccines across the country and the world poses additional challenges .
Moderna ’ s vaccine must be stored at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit , which could pose difficult when vaccinating low-income areas in warmer climates .
The Pfizer vaccine faces similar challenges , and must be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit .
Moderna said that it would have 20 million doses ready to ship by the end of 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , given the vaccine , like Pfizer ’ s , comes in two separate doses .
Both companies have partnered with Operation Warp Speed , the federal government ’ s effort to develop and distribute a vaccine nationwide free of charge , though Pfizer developed its vaccine without federal aid .
The announcement comes as virus cases continue to surge across the country .
The U.S. passed 11 million confirmed cases this weekend , and approaches 250,000 deaths from the virus , according to a Johns Hopkins University database .

The pharmaceutical company Moderna announced Monday that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective based on preliminary results from ongoing human trials.
Though the company’s announcement is big step in the effort to develop effective vaccines against the virus, Moderna said that its vaccine would not be widely available until spring 2021.
Moderna is the second pharmaceutical to report promising news regarding vaccine development, joining Pfizer, which announced Nov. 9 that its vaccine was over 90% effective. Ten other vaccine candidates are in their Phase III trials, and over 50 different vaccines are being developed worldwide, according to a New York Times database.
The Food and Drug Administration had previously said that vaccines for COVID-19 only needed to be 50% effective to be approved.
We just announced that mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, has met its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study.
Read more: https://t.co/vYWEy8CKCv pic.twitter.com/YuLubU1tlx — Moderna (@moderna_tx) November 16, 2020
In the Moderna trial, only five of the 95 people who contracted the virus had received the vaccine, while the rest received placebo salt water injections. Of the 95 infections 11 became severe, but all of those patients had received the placebo, the company said.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use synthetic genetic coronavirus material, called messenger RNA or mRNA. When the harmless mRNA enters a human, the person’s immune system fights it, simulating what it would normally do if infected with the actual virus and developing antibodies as a result.
“The fact that two different vaccines made by two different companies with two different kinds of structures, in a new messenger RNA concept, both worked so effectively confirms the concept once and for all that this is a viable strategy not only for Covid but for future infectious disease threats,” said Harvard Public Health Professor Dr. Larry Bloom, according to The New York Times.
While Moderna’s announcement is a promising step to ending the pandemic, distributing vaccines across the country and the world poses additional challenges. Moderna’s vaccine must be stored at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, which could pose difficult when vaccinating low-income areas in warmer climates. The Pfizer vaccine faces similar challenges, and must be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
Moderna said that it would have 20 million doses ready to ship by the end of 2020, enough to fully vaccinate 10 million people, given the vaccine, like Pfizer’s, comes in two separate doses.
Both companies have partnered with Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s effort to develop and distribute a vaccine nationwide free of charge, though Pfizer developed its vaccine without federal aid.
The announcement comes as virus cases continue to surge across the country. The U.S. passed 11 million confirmed cases this weekend, and approaches 250,000 deaths from the virus, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.


truepundit--2020-11-17--Atlantic Council, A Prominent DC-Based Think Tank, Wooed Russian Bankers, Emails Show

• The Atlantic Council pursued a relationship with the owners of one of Russia ’ s largest private banks , with one official at the think tank saying he would meet with one of the bankers “ to ask him what he wants.
” • Anders Aslund , the Atlantic Council official , noted in an email that the banker , Mikhail Fridman , had “ been extremely stingy ” with his wealth after an earlier meeting .
• The emails provide a rare glimpse into how one of the premier foreign policy think tanks views its relationship with potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlantic Council have come under increased scrutiny over their ties to donors , especially those overseas .
After the owners of one of Russia ’ s largest private banks announced in 2016 that they would give away all of their wealth , a top official at the Atlantic Council saw a chance to fill the Washington-based think tank ’ s coffers .
“ This could open an opportunity , ” Anders Aslund , a Swedish economist , wrote in an email on May 20 , 2016 , to his colleagues at the Atlantic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s most prominent foreign policy think tanks .
Mikhail Fridman and Peter Aven , the billionaire co-owners of Alfa Bank , had just announced they would both give away their wealth to charity , Aslund wrote , citing a Russian news report .
“ To date Fridman has been extremely stingy , ” Aslund said , noting that Atlantic Council executives had hosted the banker in Washington , D.C. months earlier “ and got nothing.
” “ I shall tentatively have dinner with Aven in Moscow Sunday night so I might be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Aslund wrote in the email , which was revealed in a lawsuit that Fridman , Aven and a third Alfa Bank owner filed over the infamous Steele dossier .
Other Atlantic Council officials wrote of forming a relationship with the bankers , according to emails from the lawsuit .
In one , Atlantic Council CEO Fred Kempe wrote of a potential partnership between the think tank and Letter One , an affiliate of Alfa Bank .
“ I ’ m also copying Rick Burt , who is helping us think about our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s also a larger role for you personally to play at the Atlantic Council , ” Kempe said in a letter to Aven on July 27 , 2015 .
Burt , a former U.S. ambassador to Germany , is a director at the Atlantic Council and adviser to the Alfa Bank owners .
The Atlantic Council ’ s fundraising attempts were unsuccessful , a spokesman for the think tank told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
But the emails provide a rare glimpse into the fundraising tactics of one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions .
The Atlantic Council , the Brookings Institution , the Center for Strategic and International Studies and other prominent think tanks have come under intense scrutiny in recent years over their relationships with foreign governments , as well as domestic and foreign corporations .
The State Department issued a notice in October calling on think tanks and other research institutions to disclose any funding they receive from foreign governments or government-linked companies .
The New York Times has published a series of reports detailing the increasingly cozy relationship between think tanks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationships have stoked concerns that donors have been able to shape their beneficiaries ’ analyses and that the think tanks are used as points of access for donors to the policy makers , diplomats and journalists who frequently attend think tank events .
Few if any think tanks register their activities under federal lobbying laws , allowing their benefactors to avoid the stigma attached to traditional lobbying relationships .
The Atlantic Council boasts a deep roster of former diplomats , military officers and other government officials on its board and as directors of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump , is a board member , as is Michael Hayden , the former director of the CIA and National Security Agency .
The Alfa Bank emails included Atlantic Council officials Richard Morningstar , John Herbst , Daniel Fried and Burt , all of whom have been U.S. ambassadors to European or Eurasian countries .
The Atlantic Council has faced perhaps the most scrutiny of the major think tanks over its donor relationships .
Its affiliation with the government of Turkey has drawn outcry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s increasingly authoritarian grip on his country .
Atlantic Council officials , including Kempe , met with Erdogan just after his bodyguards attacked a group of peaceful protesters in Washington , D.C. on May 16 , 2017 .
Atlantic Council has also partnered with Burisma Holdings , the Ukrainian energy firm that tapped Hunter Biden as a director in 2014 .
Herbst , a former ambassador to Ukraine who serves as director of Atlantic Council ’ s Eurasia Center , was the think tank ’ s chief liaison to Burisma .
State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diplomats in late 2016 regarding the Atlantic Council ’ s possible partnership with Burisma .
George Kent , an assistant secretary of state , pushed back on the idea , according to the emails , citing ongoing bribery and money laundering investigations into Burisma ’ s owner .
That did not deter Herbst or the Atlantic Council , which entered a cooperative with Burisma in January 2017 , the company announced at the time .
Herbst informed Kent about the arrangement through an email and noted that there was still “ some uneasiness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations against Burisma .
Burisma donated between $ 100,000 and $ 250,000 to the Atlantic Council , the think tank has said .
Burisma had also hired a consulting firm owned by Sally Painter , an Atlantic Council director , to lobby U.S. government officials as part of a campaign to burnish the company ’ s reputation in the U.S. , Painter told Senate investigators during a deposition on Aug. 31 .
Painter told the investigators that Devon Archer , a business partner of Hunter Biden ’ s who also served on Burisma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working for the company .
Herbst and Painter attended energy forums alongside Burisma executives .
Herbst also invited Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky to a “ Ukraine Strategy Session ” held at the Atlantic Council on March 19 , 2018 , according to documents released by Senate committees who investigated Hunter Biden ’ s work for Burisma .
BuzzFeed News reported in 2018 , a consortium of Latvian banks represented by Painter commissioned Aslund , the Atlantic Council senior fellow , to write a policy paper commending bank reforms in Latvia .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ABLV , was seeking approval to establish a branch in the U.S .
The effort failed after the U.S. Treasury Department identified ABLV as a “ primary money laundering concern.
” Aslund ’ s emails regarding Alfa Bank ’ s owners were revealed in court filings in a lawsuit that they filed against Fusion GPS regarding its role disseminating an anti-Trump dossier authored by former British spy Christopher Steele in 2016 .
Steele alleged in the dossier , which was funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to influence the 2016 election .
One of the 17 memos , dated Sept. 14 , 2016 , alleged that Aven and Fridman — the Alfa Bank owners — had bribed Russian President Vladimir Putin .
Fusion GPS and Steele also investigated the now-debunked claim that Alfa Bank had a covert communications channel with the Trump Organization in 2016 .
Steele testified in a lawsuit that Michael Sussmann , a partner for Perkins Coie , the firm that represented the Clinton campaign and the DNC , told him in July 2016 of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Steele said Glenn Simpson , the owner of Fusion GPS , directed him to dig up dirt on the bankers as part of his investigation into the Trump campaign .
A British judge ruled against Steele in July in the lawsuit filed by the bankers , saying that the allegations in the dossier were “ inaccurate ” and “ misleading.
” Lawyers for Fusion GPS cited the Aslund emails in their request to depose Burt , the Alfa Bank adviser and Atlantic Council director .
“ Having managed their relationships and appearances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testify about keeping up a Russian oligarch ’ s appearances with Western investors and government officials in Washington , ” Fusion GPS ’ s lawyers wrote in a court filing on Nov. 6 .
In addition to meetings in 2015 and 2016 , Aslund and other Atlantic Council officers met with the bankers in 2017 and 2018 .
The meeting in May 2018 generated controversy at the time after critics of the Russian government alleged that Fridman and Aven had close ties to the Kremlin .
Aslund and Herbst defended the dinner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bankers in order to gain insight into Russia ’ s economy and politics .
They did not disclose that the Atlantic Council had courted Aven and Fridman as potential donors to the think tank .
“ They come here fairly often .
They just want to know what ’ s happening in D.C. , and this is natural , ” Aslund told Voice of America ’ s Russian service in an article published May 23 , 2018 .
“ We talked about Russian economy and how it is affected by the sanctions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide additional details of the meeting because it was off the record .
Herbst issued a rebuttal to the critics , saying that a meeting with Aven and Fridman were “ well-connected people ” who could “ provide a wealth of insight ” into Russia ’ s economy and government .
“ This does not mean we are giving them a sweetheart platform .
Our private meetings are known for their candor , possible because they are private , ” Herbst said .
A spokesman for the Atlantic Council , Alex Kisling , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council has not received funding from Alfa Bank , its owners , or its affiliates.
” He characterized the meetings in 2015 and 2016 as “ informal exchanges … about a possible funding partnership.
” “ Those discussions never advanced to a formal stage of consideration , and Dr. Aslund did not offer anything in return for Alfa Bank ’ s support , ” Kisling said .
“ Neither Ambassador Herbst nor Dr. Aslund made any request for funding from Alfa Bank around the 2018 meeting.
” Aslund ’ s wooing of Alfa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Steele dossier .
He has touted the allegations in the dossier regarding collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia , while ignoring Steele ’ s uncorroborated allegations about the Alfa Bank owners .
Aslund praised the dossier as “ outstanding intelligence ” and said that “ most of ” Steele ’ s information had been proved true .
He wrote an essay for the Atlantic Council in February 2018 touting the dossier .
The think tank has since retracted the essay and removed it from its website , according to Newsweek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the analyst who served as Steele ’ s primary source .
Aslund wrote in a tweet on Oct. 21 that Danchenko was an “ excellent ” graduate student of his at Georgetown University .
Danchenko was identified as Steele ’ s source in July and gave interviews to several news outlets last month .
Despite Aslund ’ s praise , the dossier ’ s most explosive allegations about Trump have either been debunked or remain uncorroborated .
The special counsel ’ s office issued a report that said investigators found no evidence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia .
The report also debunked the dossier ’ s most specific allegations of collusion : that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen visited Prague in August 2016 to meet with Kremlin officials to discuss paying hackers who stole Democrats ’ emails .
Danchenko himself said that his sources provided him only with unverified rumors about Trump and his campaign aides ’ activities related to Russia .
Aslund told the DCNF he still views the dossier as “ largely credible.
” He said he does not have an opinion on whether Steele ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I have no view whether the Alfa Bank issue in the Steele Dossier is credible or not , ” he said in an email .
“ One can not know what one does not know .
”

The Atlantic Council pursued a relationship with the owners of one of Russia’s largest private banks, with one official at the think tank saying he would meet with one of the bankers “to ask him what he wants.”
Anders Aslund, the Atlantic Council official, noted in an email that the banker, Mikhail Fridman, had “been extremely stingy” with his wealth after an earlier meeting.
The emails provide a rare glimpse into how one of the premier foreign policy think tanks views its relationship with potential donors.
Think tanks like the Atlantic Council have come under increased scrutiny over their ties to donors, especially those overseas.
After the owners of one of Russia’s largest private banks announced in 2016 that they would give away all of their wealth, a top official at the Atlantic Council saw a chance to fill the Washington-based think tank’s coffers.
“This could open an opportunity,” Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist, wrote in an email on May 20, 2016, to his colleagues at the Atlantic Council, one of the Beltway’s most prominent foreign policy think tanks.
Mikhail Fridman and Peter Aven, the billionaire co-owners of Alfa Bank, had just announced they would both give away their wealth to charity, Aslund wrote, citing a Russian news report.
“To date Fridman has been extremely stingy,” Aslund said, noting that Atlantic Council executives had hosted the banker in Washington, D.C. months earlier “and got nothing.”
“I shall tentatively have dinner with Aven in Moscow Sunday night so I might be able to ask him what he wants,” Aslund wrote in the email, which was revealed in a lawsuit that Fridman, Aven and a third Alfa Bank owner filed over the infamous Steele dossier.
Other Atlantic Council officials wrote of forming a relationship with the bankers, according to emails from the lawsuit.
In one, Atlantic Council CEO Fred Kempe wrote of a potential partnership between the think tank and Letter One, an affiliate of Alfa Bank.
“I’m also copying Rick Burt, who is helping us think about our relationship with Letter One, but perhaps there’s also a larger role for you personally to play at the Atlantic Council,” Kempe said in a letter to Aven on July 27, 2015.
Burt, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany, is a director at the Atlantic Council and adviser to the Alfa Bank owners.
The Atlantic Council’s fundraising attempts were unsuccessful, a spokesman for the think tank told the Daily Caller News Foundation. But the emails provide a rare glimpse into the fundraising tactics of one of the think tank world’s most respected institutions.
The Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and other prominent think tanks have come under intense scrutiny in recent years over their relationships with foreign governments, as well as domestic and foreign corporations.
The State Department issued a notice in October calling on think tanks and other research institutions to disclose any funding they receive from foreign governments or government-linked companies. The New York Times has published a series of reports detailing the increasingly cozy relationship between think tanks and their government and corporate clients.
The relationships have stoked concerns that donors have been able to shape their beneficiaries’ analyses and that the think tanks are used as points of access for donors to the policy makers, diplomats and journalists who frequently attend think tank events.
Few if any think tanks register their activities under federal lobbying laws, allowing their benefactors to avoid the stigma attached to traditional lobbying relationships.
The Atlantic Council boasts a deep roster of former diplomats, military officers and other government officials on its board and as directors of its research programs.
H.R. McMaster, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, is a board member, as is Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA and National Security Agency.
The Alfa Bank emails included Atlantic Council officials Richard Morningstar, John Herbst, Daniel Fried and Burt, all of whom have been U.S. ambassadors to European or Eurasian countries.
The Atlantic Council has faced perhaps the most scrutiny of the major think tanks over its donor relationships.
Its affiliation with the government of Turkey has drawn outcry because of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian grip on his country.
Atlantic Council officials, including Kempe, met with Erdogan just after his bodyguards attacked a group of peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C. on May 16, 2017.
Atlantic Council has also partnered with Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy firm that tapped Hunter Biden as a director in 2014.
Herbst, a former ambassador to Ukraine who serves as director of Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, was the think tank’s chief liaison to Burisma.
State Department emails show that Herbst contacted U.S. diplomats in late 2016 regarding the Atlantic Council’s possible partnership with Burisma. George Kent, an assistant secretary of state, pushed back on the idea, according to the emails, citing ongoing bribery and money laundering investigations into Burisma’s owner.
That did not deter Herbst or the Atlantic Council, which entered a cooperative with Burisma in January 2017, the company announced at the time. Herbst informed Kent about the arrangement through an email and noted that there was still “some uneasiness” about the partnership because of bribery allegations against Burisma.
Burisma donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Atlantic Council, the think tank has said.
Burisma had also hired a consulting firm owned by Sally Painter, an Atlantic Council director, to lobby U.S. government officials as part of a campaign to burnish the company’s reputation in the U.S., Painter told Senate investigators during a deposition on Aug. 31. Painter told the investigators that Devon Archer, a business partner of Hunter Biden’s who also served on Burisma’s board, approached her about working for the company.
Herbst and Painter attended energy forums alongside Burisma executives. Herbst also invited Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky to a “Ukraine Strategy Session” held at the Atlantic Council on March 19, 2018, according to documents released by Senate committees who investigated Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma.
BuzzFeed News reported in 2018, a consortium of Latvian banks represented by Painter commissioned Aslund, the Atlantic Council senior fellow, to write a policy paper commending bank reforms in Latvia.
According to BuzzFeed, one of the Latvian banks, ABLV, was seeking approval to establish a branch in the U.S. The effort failed after the U.S. Treasury Department identified ABLV as a “primary money laundering concern.”
Aslund’s emails regarding Alfa Bank’s owners were revealed in court filings in a lawsuit that they filed against Fusion GPS regarding its role disseminating an anti-Trump dossier authored by former British spy Christopher Steele in 2016.
Steele alleged in the dossier, which was funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign, that the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election.
One of the 17 memos, dated Sept. 14, 2016, alleged that Aven and Fridman — the Alfa Bank owners — had bribed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fusion GPS and Steele also investigated the now-debunked claim that Alfa Bank had a covert communications channel with the Trump Organization in 2016.
Steele testified in a lawsuit that Michael Sussmann, a partner for Perkins Coie, the firm that represented the Clinton campaign and the DNC, told him in July 2016 of the alleged connection between Alfa Bank and Trump. Steele said Glenn Simpson, the owner of Fusion GPS, directed him to dig up dirt on the bankers as part of his investigation into the Trump campaign.
A British judge ruled against Steele in July in the lawsuit filed by the bankers, saying that the allegations in the dossier were “inaccurate” and “misleading.”
Lawyers for Fusion GPS cited the Aslund emails in their request to depose Burt, the Alfa Bank adviser and Atlantic Council director.
“Having managed their relationships and appearances in Washington, Amb. Burt can testify about keeping up a Russian oligarch’s appearances with Western investors and government officials in Washington,” Fusion GPS’s lawyers wrote in a court filing on Nov. 6.
In addition to meetings in 2015 and 2016, Aslund and other Atlantic Council officers met with the bankers in 2017 and 2018.
The meeting in May 2018 generated controversy at the time after critics of the Russian government alleged that Fridman and Aven had close ties to the Kremlin.
Aslund and Herbst defended the dinner, suggesting that they maintained relations with the bankers in order to gain insight into Russia’s economy and politics.
They did not disclose that the Atlantic Council had courted Aven and Fridman as potential donors to the think tank.
“They come here fairly often. They just want to know what’s happening in D.C., and this is natural,” Aslund told Voice of America’s Russian service in an article published May 23, 2018.
“We talked about Russian economy and how it is affected by the sanctions,” added Aslund, who declined to provide additional details of the meeting because it was off the record.
Herbst issued a rebuttal to the critics, saying that a meeting with Aven and Fridman were “well-connected people” who could “provide a wealth of insight” into Russia’s economy and government.
“This does not mean we are giving them a sweetheart platform. Our private meetings are known for their candor, possible because they are private,” Herbst said.
A spokesman for the Atlantic Council, Alex Kisling, told the DCNF: “The Atlantic Council has not received funding from Alfa Bank, its owners, or its affiliates.”
He characterized the meetings in 2015 and 2016 as “informal exchanges … about a possible funding partnership.”
“Those discussions never advanced to a formal stage of consideration, and Dr. Aslund did not offer anything in return for Alfa Bank’s support,” Kisling said. “Neither Ambassador Herbst nor Dr. Aslund made any request for funding from Alfa Bank around the 2018 meeting.”
Aslund’s wooing of Alfa Bank presents an inconsistency in his response to the Steele dossier.
He has touted the allegations in the dossier regarding collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, while ignoring Steele’s uncorroborated allegations about the Alfa Bank owners.
Aslund praised the dossier as “outstanding intelligence” and said that “most of” Steele’s information had been proved true. He wrote an essay for the Atlantic Council in February 2018 touting the dossier. The think tank has since retracted the essay and removed it from its website, according to Newsweek.
Aslund also praised Igor Danchenko, the analyst who served as Steele’s primary source. Aslund wrote in a tweet on Oct. 21 that Danchenko was an “excellent” graduate student of his at Georgetown University. Danchenko was identified as Steele’s source in July and gave interviews to several news outlets last month.
Despite Aslund’s praise, the dossier’s most explosive allegations about Trump have either been debunked or remain uncorroborated. The special counsel’s office issued a report that said investigators found no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The report also debunked the dossier’s most specific allegations of collusion: that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen visited Prague in August 2016 to meet with Kremlin officials to discuss paying hackers who stole Democrats’ emails.
Danchenko himself said that his sources provided him only with unverified rumors about Trump and his campaign aides’ activities related to Russia.
Aslund told the DCNF he still views the dossier as “largely credible.” He said he does not have an opinion on whether Steele’s allegations about Alfa Bank are accurate.
“I have no view whether the Alfa Bank issue in the Steele Dossier is credible or not,” he said in an email. “One cannot know what one does not know.”


truepundit--2020-11-17--Gov Whitmer Announces New Restrictions As Virus Cases Surge Across The State

Michigan Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer announced new restrictions Sunday evening meant to combat the worsening coronavirus pandemic .
The restrictions , which begin Wednesday and extend through the end of November , include the closing of high schools , colleges , indoor dining , casinos and movie theaters , Whitmer said in a press conference Sunday .
Michigan has recorded record amounts of virus cases in the past week , raising the state ’ s seven-day average of daily new cases to 6,200 , resulting in spikes in hospitalizations and deaths across the state as well , the Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state had “ smashed the curve ” through measures early in the pandemic , but the winter months could be more difficult .
“ As hard as those first months were for our state , these next few are going to be even harder , ” Whitmer said at the press conference .
Whitmer said that coronavirus models show “ that if we don ’ t take aggressive action right now , we could soon see 1,000 deaths per week here in Michigan.
” Though Whitmer had relied on the Michigan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1945 to enforce earlier coronavirus restrictions , the state ’ s Supreme Court ruled her actions unconstitutional in October .
Whitmer had relied on the law to enforce her restrictions since the Republican-led state Legislature had refused to extend Michigan ’ s state of emergency in April , according to the Free Press .
Despite the 4-3 ruling , Whitmer has still been able to enforce a statewide mask mandate in crowded and indoor settings and capacities for bars and restaurants , relying on a Michigan Public Health Code , the Free Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only the latest from local and state officials across the country in an effort to curb the virus ’ s spread .
Governors in New Mexico , North Dakota , Oregon , Vermont , Virginia , West Virginia and more have adopted some type of restrictions in recent days , and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently announced a citywide stay-at-home order .
The U.S. has recorded over 100,000 daily coronavirus cases every day since Election Day , with a record high 180,000 reported Saturday .
The U.S. also surpassed 11 million cases over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus deaths , according to a Johns Hopkins University database .

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced new restrictions Sunday evening meant to combat the worsening coronavirus pandemic.
The restrictions, which begin Wednesday and extend through the end of November, include the closing of high schools, colleges, indoor dining, casinos and movie theaters, Whitmer said in a press conference Sunday.
Michigan has recorded record amounts of virus cases in the past week, raising the state’s seven-day average of daily new cases to 6,200, resulting in spikes in hospitalizations and deaths across the state as well, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Whitmer said the state had “smashed the curve” through measures early in the pandemic, but the winter months could be more difficult.
“As hard as those first months were for our state, these next few are going to be even harder,” Whitmer said at the press conference.
Whitmer said that coronavirus models show “that if we don’t take aggressive action right now, we could soon see 1,000 deaths per week here in Michigan.”
Though Whitmer had relied on the Michigan’s Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945 to enforce earlier coronavirus restrictions, the state’s Supreme Court ruled her actions unconstitutional in October. Whitmer had relied on the law to enforce her restrictions since the Republican-led state Legislature had refused to extend Michigan’s state of emergency in April, according to the Free Press.
Despite the 4-3 ruling, Whitmer has still been able to enforce a statewide mask mandate in crowded and indoor settings and capacities for bars and restaurants, relying on a Michigan Public Health Code, the Free Press reported.
What we know: Michigan halts face-to-face instruction for high schools, colleges as COVID-19 cases spike https://t.co/wKfyP9CtXt — Detroit Free Press (@freep) November 15, 2020
Whitmer’s restrictions are only the latest from local and state officials across the country in an effort to curb the virus’s spread. Governors in New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and more have adopted some type of restrictions in recent days, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently announced a citywide stay-at-home order.
Whitmer to public: ‘Double down’ & take precautions so ‘we can avoid a stay-home order’ — David Eggert (@DavidEggert00) November 15, 2020
The U.S. has recorded over 100,000 daily coronavirus cases every day since Election Day, with a record high 180,000 reported Saturday. The U.S. also surpassed 11 million cases over the weekend, and is approaching 250,000 virus deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.


truepundit--2020-11-17--Softening Us Up for ‘Great Reset’ Climate Lockdowns

Democrats are eager to lock us down again — you know , because the previous lockdowns worked out so well .
Welcome to month eight of two more weeks .
Can you imagine the corporate media if , back in April , I had told you Democrats would use the coronavirus to cancel Thanksgiving ?
I would have been called a conspiracy theorist , ridiculed , and fact-checked to within an inch of my life .
Without evidence , Breitbart News claims Democrats want to cancel Thanksgiving .
But here we sit , eight months into two more weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving .
And yet they are canceling Thanksgiving while they are , at the same time , behaving as though they themselves believe the coronavirus is a big hoax , isn ’ t really all that serious , doesn ’ t really require any sort of lockdown .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom ( D-CA ) wants to cancel Thanksgiving while he ’ s out proving he doesn ’ t believe the coronavirus is a serious threat by attending a big party .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) wants to cancel Thanksgiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t believe the coronavirus is a serious threat by running around maskless , getting her hair done , and planning big parties of her own ( until she ’ s caught ) .- READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Democrats are eager to lock us down again — you know, because the previous lockdowns worked out so well.
Two more weeks, y’all…
Welcome to month eight of two more weeks.
Can you imagine the corporate media if, back in April, I had told you Democrats would use the coronavirus to cancel Thanksgiving? I would have been called a conspiracy theorist, ridiculed, and fact-checked to within an inch of my life. Without evidence, Breitbart News claims Democrats want to cancel Thanksgiving.
But here we sit, eight months into two more weeks, and these assholes are looking to cancel Thanksgiving.
And yet they are canceling Thanksgiving while they are, at the same time, behaving as though they themselves believe the coronavirus is a big hoax, isn’t really all that serious, doesn’t really require any sort of lockdown.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) wants to cancel Thanksgiving while he’s out proving he doesn’t believe the coronavirus is a serious threat by attending a big party.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wants to cancel Thanksgiving while she’s out proving she doesn’t believe the coronavirus is a serious threat by running around maskless, getting her hair done, and planning big parties of her own (until she’s caught).- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-17--Raphael Warnock: Freddie Gray, Victim of ‘Lead Poisoning,’ Shows ‘Intersectionality’ of Race & Clima

Raphael Warnock: Freddie Gray, Victim of ‘Lead Poisoning,’ Shows ‘Intersectionality’ of Race & Climate

Georgia Senate Democrat candidate Raphael Warnock said during a lecture in October 2019 that Freddie Gray had a criminal record partly due to lead poisoning as a child .
Warnock led a discussion at the Memorial Church of Harvard University in October 2019 , and during a Q & A after his speech , the moderator asked him about the “ overlap ” between crime and climate change .
Warnock , who hopes to unseat Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) during the January Georgia Senate runoff , charged that civil rights leaders to be more engaged in climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ for too long been suburban and white and middle class.
” He said that civil rights leaders need to pay attention to the “ intersectionality ” of race and climate change .
Warnock — the senior pastor of the Martin Luther King Jr-linked Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — then claimed that Freddie Gray , who died of spinal injuries in 2015 while riding in a police van , was a “ victim ” of lead poisoning .
He added that Gray ’ s confrontation with law enforcement originated from “ environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Georgia Senate Democrat candidate Raphael Warnock said during a lecture in October 2019 that Freddie Gray had a criminal record partly due to lead poisoning as a child.
Warnock led a discussion at the Memorial Church of Harvard University in October 2019, and during a Q&A after his speech, the moderator asked him about the “overlap” between crime and climate change.
Warnock, who hopes to unseat Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) during the January Georgia Senate runoff, charged that civil rights leaders to be more engaged in climate change activism and that the climate movement has “for too long been suburban and white and middle class.”
He said that civil rights leaders need to pay attention to the “intersectionality” of race and climate change.
Warnock — the senior pastor of the Martin Luther King Jr-linked Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — then claimed that Freddie Gray, who died of spinal injuries in 2015 while riding in a police van, was a “victim” of lead poisoning. He added that Gray’s confrontation with law enforcement originated from “environmental hazards” in Baltimore, Maryland.- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--PAINE IN THE MORNING: 10 things you need to know this Wednesday the 18th — November 2020 (LISTEN)

There is also a full , ad-free video podcast of this broadcast available on True Pundit ’ s Patreon Page @ @ @ @ @ SubscribeStar.com page for our subscribers to help us do what we do .
Listen above @ @ @ @ @ the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

There is also a full, ad-free video podcast of this broadcast available on True Pundit’s Patreon Page and/or True Pundit’s SubscribeStar.com page for our subscribers to help us do what we do.
Listen above or below.
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--Joe Biden Said His Family Wouldn’t Engage In Foreign Business If He Won The Election, But Records Sh

Joe Biden Said His Family Wouldn’t Engage In Foreign Business If He Won The Election, But Records Show Hunter Still Holds Stake In Chinese Firm

Business records show that Hunter Biden continues to hold a 10 % stake in a Chinese private equity firm despite multiple promises from President-elect Joe Biden that no one in his family would engage in business with foreign corporations or governments if he is elected president .
Hunter Biden holds equity in BHR Partners through his company , Skaneateles LLC , according to Qixinbao and Baidu , two independent services that provide business records on Chinese corporations based on China ’ s National Credit Information Publicity System .
BHR is co-owned by the Chinese state-controlled Bank of China , business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden is the sole beneficial owner of Skaneateles LLC , according to Washington D.C. corporate records accessed Monday .
Joe Biden ’ s presidential transition team and Hunter Biden ’ s lawyer , George Mesires , did not return multiple requests for comment asking if Hunter Biden intends to relinquish or sell his 10 % stake in BHR prior to Joe Biden ’ s inauguration in January .
Joe Biden promised in no uncertain terms in October 2019 that no one in his family would engage in foreign business if he was elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family will have an office in the White House , will sit in on meetings as if they are a cabinet member , will , in fact , have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country , ” Joe Biden told reporters in Iowa .
“ Period .
Period .
End of story.
” Joe Biden reiterated his pledge in December 2019 , telling Axios on HBO : “ They will not be engaged in any foreign business because of what ’ s happened in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to be seeking patents for things from China .
No one ’ s going to be engaged in that kind of thing , ” Joe Biden said .
BHR manages the equivalent of $ 2.1 billion in assets , according to its website .
Hunter Biden served as an unpaid member of the BHR ’ s board when it was founded in 2013 and obtained his 10 % stake in the firm in October 2017 with a $ 420,000 investment , according to a statement from his lawyer in October 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter Biden had not received any return on his investment in BHR , nor had there been any distribution to BHR ’ s shareholders since he obtained his stake in the firm .
Mesires also said in the statement that Hunter Biden had pledged to resign from the BHR board by the end of October 2017 , however , Chinese business records for the firm did not reflect his departure from the board until April .
Joe Biden lauded Hunter Biden ’ s announcement that he would leave the board of BHR as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man of integrity he is .
”

Business records show that Hunter Biden continues to hold a 10% stake in a Chinese private equity firm despite multiple promises from President-elect Joe Biden that no one in his family would engage in business with foreign corporations or governments if he is elected president.
Hunter Biden holds equity in BHR Partners through his company, Skaneateles LLC, according to Qixinbao and Baidu, two independent services that provide business records on Chinese corporations based on China’s National Credit Information Publicity System.
BHR is co-owned by the Chinese state-controlled Bank of China, business records for the firm show.
Hunter Biden is the sole beneficial owner of Skaneateles LLC, according to Washington D.C. corporate records accessed Monday.
Joe Biden’s presidential transition team and Hunter Biden’s lawyer, George Mesires, did not return multiple requests for comment asking if Hunter Biden intends to relinquish or sell his 10% stake in BHR prior to Joe Biden’s inauguration in January.
Joe Biden promised in no uncertain terms in October 2019 that no one in his family would engage in foreign business if he was elected president.
“No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in on meetings as if they are a cabinet member, will, in fact, have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country,” Joe Biden told reporters in Iowa. “Period. Period. End of story.”
Joe Biden reiterated his pledge in December 2019, telling Axios on HBO: “They will not be engaged in any foreign business because of what’s happened in this administration.”
“No one’s going to be seeking patents for things from China. No one’s going to be engaged in that kind of thing,” Joe Biden said.
BHR manages the equivalent of $2.1 billion in assets, according to its website.
Hunter Biden served as an unpaid member of the BHR’s board when it was founded in 2013 and obtained his 10% stake in the firm in October 2017 with a $420,000 investment, according to a statement from his lawyer in October 2019.
Mesires said in the statement that Hunter Biden had not received any return on his investment in BHR, nor had there been any distribution to BHR’s shareholders since he obtained his stake in the firm.
Mesires also said in the statement that Hunter Biden had pledged to resign from the BHR board by the end of October 2017, however, Chinese business records for the firm did not reflect his departure from the board until April.
Joe Biden lauded Hunter Biden’s announcement that he would leave the board of BHR as a representation of “the kind of man of integrity he is.”


truepundit--2020-11-18--New York Sheriffs Refuse To Enforce Cuomo’s Thanksgiving Gathering Restrictions

Two New York sheriffs on Monday joined the list of police who have vowed not to enforce Democratic Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ’ s Thanksgiving coronavirus restrictions .
The governor announced Wednesday a new prohibition on indoor gatherings of more than 10 people two weeks prior to the family holiday , according to Business Insider .
Sheriffs from Fulton County , Washington County , Saratoga County and Erie County have publicly refused to enforce the recent order , the New York Post reported .
Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy wrote that he won ’ t be partaking in a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to The Post Star .
“ Who and how many people you have at your house for Thanksgiving is your business , ” Murphy wrote , according to the local outlet .
“ I think we ’ ve all had quite a 2020 and can use our own best judgment without government oversight of a sacred and special holiday.
” Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo also vowed not to enforce the regulations on the same day as Murphy , WRGB Albany reported .
“ I can ’ t see how devoting our resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or investigating how much turkey and dressing they ’ ve purchased is for the public good , ” the law enforcement authority told the local outlet .
Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino said Thanksgiving plans are “ your business ” and he added that his office “ would NOT be enforcing ” the restrictions in a Saturday Facebook post .
“ With regard to the Thanksgiving Executive Order , the Fulton County Sheriff ’ s Office will NOT be enforcing it against our County residents , ” Giardino wrote .
“ Frankly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Constitutional challenge in Court for several reasons including your house is your castle .
And as a Sheriff with a law degree I couldn ’ t in good faith attempt to defend it Court , so I won ’ t. ” “ Who and how many people you invite in to your home is your business , unlike outdoor gatherings which may receive a police response if disorderly or other violations of public nuisance laws occur , ” he continued .
Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard , the first law enforcement figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said he had “ no plans ” to command his deputies “ to break up the great tradition of Thanksgiving dinner , ” according to the Post .
“ I have no plans to utilize my office ’ s resources or deputies to break up the great tradition of Thanksgiving dinner , ” he wrote .
“ This national holiday has created longstanding family traditions that are at the heart of America , and these traditions should not be stopped or interrupted by Governor Cuomo ’ s mandates .
”

Two New York sheriffs on Monday joined the list of police who have vowed not to enforce Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Thanksgiving coronavirus restrictions.
The governor announced Wednesday a new prohibition on indoor gatherings of more than 10 people two weeks prior to the family holiday, according to Business Insider. Sheriffs from Fulton County, Washington County, Saratoga County and Erie County have publicly refused to enforce the recent order, the New York Post reported.
Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy wrote that he won’t be partaking in a “Thanksgiving Crackdown” on Monday, according to The Post Star.
“Who and how many people you have at your house for Thanksgiving is your business,” Murphy wrote, according to the local outlet. “I think we’ve all had quite a 2020 and can use our own best judgment without government oversight of a sacred and special holiday.”
Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo also vowed not to enforce the regulations on the same day as Murphy, WRGB Albany reported.
“I can’t see how devoting our resources to counting cars in citizens’ driveways or investigating how much turkey and dressing they’ve purchased is for the public good,” the law enforcement authority told the local outlet.
Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino said Thanksgiving plans are “your business” and he added that his office “would NOT be enforcing” the restrictions in a Saturday Facebook post.
“With regard to the Thanksgiving Executive Order, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will NOT be enforcing it against our County residents,” Giardino wrote. “Frankly, I am not sure it could sustain a Constitutional challenge in Court for several reasons including your house is your castle. And as a Sheriff with a law degree I couldn’t in good faith attempt to defend it Court, so I won’t.”
“Who and how many people you invite in to your home is your business, unlike outdoor gatherings which may receive a police response if disorderly or other violations of public nuisance laws occur,” he continued.
Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard, the first law enforcement figure to resist the order in New York, said he had “no plans” to command his deputies “to break up the great tradition of Thanksgiving dinner,” according to the Post.
“I have no plans to utilize my office’s resources or deputies to break up the great tradition of Thanksgiving dinner,” he wrote. “This national holiday has created longstanding family traditions that are at the heart of America, and these traditions should not be stopped or interrupted by Governor Cuomo’s mandates.”


truepundit--2020-11-18--California: 2 Charged with Voter Fraud, Allegedly Submitted Registration Applications on Behalf of H

California: 2 Charged with Voter Fraud, Allegedly Submitted Registration Applications on Behalf of Homeless

Two individuals have been charged with multiple counts of voter fraud after allegedly submitting fraudulent voter registration applications on behalf of homeless people , according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney ’ s Office .
NBC 4 reports : Carlos Antonio De Bourbon Montenegro , 53 , and Marcos Raul Arevalo , 34 , were charged in a 41-count criminal complaint filed last week .
The pair faces one count of conspiracy to commit voter fraud , eight counts of voter fraud , four counts of procuring and offering a false or forged instrument and four misdemeanor counts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completed affidavit , according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney ’ s Office .
Montenegro is also facing an additional 10 counts of voter fraud , seven counts of procuring and offering a false or forged instrument , two counts of perjury and five misdemeanor counts of interference with a prompt transfer of a completed affidavit .
Montenegro submitted over 8,000 fraudulent voter registration applications between July and October of this year , according to the district attorney ’ s office .
Additionally , Montenegro allegedly falsified , “ names , addresses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of perjury to run for mayor in the city of Hawthorne.
” - READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Two individuals have been charged with multiple counts of voter fraud after allegedly submitting fraudulent voter registration applications on behalf of homeless people, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
NBC 4 reports: Carlos Antonio De Bourbon Montenegro, 53, and Marcos Raul Arevalo, 34, were charged in a 41-count criminal complaint filed last week. The pair faces one count of conspiracy to commit voter fraud, eight counts of voter fraud, four counts of procuring and offering a false or forged instrument and four misdemeanor counts of interference with a prompt transfer of a completed affidavit, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Montenegro is also facing an additional 10 counts of voter fraud, seven counts of procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, two counts of perjury and five misdemeanor counts of interference with a prompt transfer of a completed affidavit.
Montenegro submitted over 8,000 fraudulent voter registration applications between July and October of this year, according to the district attorney’s office. Additionally, Montenegro allegedly falsified, “names, addresses and signatures on nomination papers under penalty of perjury to run for mayor in the city of Hawthorne.”- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward: ‘This Election Is Far from Over’

Dr. Kelli Ward , chairwoman of the Republican Party of Arizona , provided an update on the state of the presidential race in the Grand Canyon State and assured Arizonans that “ this election is far from over.
” “ Do not lose heart .
Do not allow the negativity and the fake news to bring you down .
Arizona is in this fight 100 percent .
We are out to make sure that our elections in our state have integrity , ” Ward said in a Monday video , citing the viral tweets from Arizona Secretary of State Katie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a history of criticizing President Donald Trump and supporters , even referring to his base as neo-Nazis .
“ That doesn ’ t speak to being unbiased to me .
Does it to you ?
I think it ’ s something that we have to be very , very cognizant of .
We ’ re going into the canvassing phase of this election .
That means we ’ re assuring that the votes cast are cast as the voter intended and counted appropriately , ” she continued , adding that they have “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ward said that she , as well as her team , is working with the Trump campaign “ hand in hand ” to ensure that elections in Arizona have integrity .
“ So stay strong .
Stay firm .
Understand that this election is far from over , ” she said .
“ We do not have a president-elect at this time .
States have not certified elections , and that ’ s what makes a president-elect — not the media , not the pundits , not the talking heads , not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Dr. Kelli Ward, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Arizona, provided an update on the state of the presidential race in the Grand Canyon State and assured Arizonans that “this election is far from over.”
“Do not lose heart. Do not allow the negativity and the fake news to bring you down. Arizona is in this fight 100 percent. We are out to make sure that our elections in our state have integrity,” Ward said in a Monday video, citing the viral tweets from Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D), who has a history of criticizing President Donald Trump and supporters, even referring to his base as neo-Nazis.
“That doesn’t speak to being unbiased to me. Does it to you? I think it’s something that we have to be very, very cognizant of. We’re going into the canvassing phase of this election. That means we’re assuring that the votes cast are cast as the voter intended and counted appropriately,” she continued, adding that they have “questions that have to be answered.”
Ward said that she, as well as her team, is working with the Trump campaign “hand in hand” to ensure that elections in Arizona have integrity.
“So stay strong. Stay firm. Understand that this election is far from over,” she said. “We do not have a president-elect at this time. States have not certified elections, and that’s what makes a president-elect — not the media, not the pundits, not the talking heads, not the fake news”- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--Cindy McCain: ‘I’d Watch the Demise of Respect’ of the US Around the World During the Trump Admin

Cindy McCain is explaining how the rest of the globe has apparently lost respect for the United States because of President Donald Trump ’ s administration .
She detailed her experiences overseas and how she witnessed the effects of Trump ’ s decisions on other countries .
“ I was overseas at least once a month , if not more .
I ’ d watch the demise of respect of our country around the globe , watch us leave our allies on the battlefield , watch us throw away our treaties , etc.
, ” McCain told The Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You say , ‘ Well , we ’ re better than that.
’ But finally , there comes a time when there ’ s no explanation anymore , and that was very much the case with me .
There were so many people like my husband and so many millions of other people who served so nobly .
And then to have it tossed away by someone who I don ’ t believe really understands what it means to serve.
” McCain mentioned a report published by The Atlantic that alleges the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ losers ” and “ suckers.
” – READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Cindy McCain is explaining how the rest of the globe has apparently lost respect for the United States because of President Donald Trump’s administration.
She detailed her experiences overseas and how she witnessed the effects of Trump’s decisions on other countries.
“I was overseas at least once a month, if not more. I’d watch the demise of respect of our country around the globe, watch us leave our allies on the battlefield, watch us throw away our treaties, etc.,” McCain told The Washington Post on Tuesday.
She added: “You say, ‘Well, we’re better than that.’ But finally, there comes a time when there’s no explanation anymore, and that was very much the case with me. There were so many people like my husband and so many millions of other people who served so nobly. And then to have it tossed away by someone who I don’t believe really understands what it means to serve.”
McCain mentioned a report published by The Atlantic that alleges the president called American soldiers who lost their lives “losers” and “suckers.” – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--Tesla’s Supercharger Network In Australia Officially Costs More Than Filling Your Car With Gas

Using the Tesla Supercharger network , it is now costlier to recharge your vehicle than it is to gas up at a traditional gas station , according to a new report from Australia-based WhichCar .
The news came as a result of a “ recent price increase ” to use the Superchargers and – stop us if you ’ ve heard this one – “ incorrect fuel figures on the Tesla website ” .
This , of course , puts an end to Tesla ’ s years long claims that recharging its vehicles offered savings versus traditional internal combustion engine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost of charging a Tesla Model 3 is $ 7 per 100km compared with $ 12 for a rival petrol car , ” WhichCar notes , before revealing the estimate uses “ at least three incorrect figures ” .
The report disputes “ how much electricity a Tesla Model 3 uses , the cost of electricity at a Tesla Supercharger and the price of petrol.
” It also notes Tesla ’ s increase for its Supercharger to 52 cents per kilowatt-hour .
The article calculates this recharging “ even the most efficient ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9.78 per 100km using a Supercharger .
It then notes that BMW ’ s 330i costs $ 8 per 100km to fuel , assuming the country ’ s average cost of premium unleaded at $ 1.38 – a figure sourced from the country ’ s government .
The BMW consumes 5.8 litres per 100km , which is below Tesla ’ s estimates of 7.0 litres per 100km .
This means the BMW is actually 18 % cheaper to fuel than a Tesla is to recharge at a Supercharger .
– READ MORE Listen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ --

Using the Tesla Supercharger network, it is now costlier to recharge your vehicle than it is to gas up at a traditional gas station, according to a new report from Australia-based WhichCar.
The news came as a result of a “recent price increase” to use the Superchargers and – stop us if you’ve heard this one – “incorrect fuel figures on the Tesla website”.
This, of course, puts an end to Tesla’s years long claims that recharging its vehicles offered savings versus traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
“According to Tesla the cost of charging a Tesla Model 3 is $7 per 100km compared with $12 for a rival petrol car,” WhichCar notes, before revealing the estimate uses “at least three incorrect figures”. The report disputes “how much electricity a Tesla Model 3 uses, the cost of electricity at a Tesla Supercharger and the price of petrol.”
It also notes Tesla’s increase for its Supercharger to 52 cents per kilowatt-hour. The article calculates this recharging “even the most efficient” Model 3 Standard Range would cost $9.78 per 100km using a Supercharger.
It then notes that BMW’s 330i costs $8 per 100km to fuel, assuming the country’s average cost of premium unleaded at $1.38 – a figure sourced from the country’s government. The BMW consumes 5.8 litres per 100km, which is below Tesla’s estimates of 7.0 litres per 100km. This means the BMW is actually 18% cheaper to fuel than a Tesla is to recharge at a Supercharger. – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--Michigan AG: Trump’s Voter Fraud Lawsuits Are Racist

The Michigan Attorney General declared Thursday that President Trump ’ s efforts to force a recount in the state through the courts are racist .
Democrat Dana Nessel bizarrely contended that the lawsuits centre around the notion that black people are to blame for voter fraud .
“ Really the themes that we see , that persist , are this : Black people are corrupt , Black people are incompetent and Black people can ’ t be trusted , ” Nessel declared .
“ That ’ s the narrative that is continually espoused by the Trump campaign and their allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed , as reported by The Detroit Free Press .
Nessel ’ s “ proof ” to back up her claims is that Trump ’ s lawsuits are focused on Detroit , rather than outside counties in the state .
Because Detroit has more black residents , that somehow makes Trump ’ s lawsuit racist .
Of course , Detroit is the biggest urban area in the state , so it makes perfect sense that Trump ’ s suits are focused there , as that ’ s where the most votes are.- READ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Podcast Below --

The Michigan Attorney General declared Thursday that President Trump’s efforts to force a recount in the state through the courts are racist.
Democrat Dana Nessel bizarrely contended that the lawsuits centre around the notion that black people are to blame for voter fraud.
“Really the themes that we see, that persist, are this: Black people are corrupt, Black people are incompetent and Black people can’t be trusted,” Nessel declared. “That’s the narrative that is continually espoused by the Trump campaign and their allies in these lawsuits,” the AG claimed, as reported by The Detroit Free Press.
Nessel’s “proof” to back up her claims is that Trump’s lawsuits are focused on Detroit, rather than outside counties in the state. Because Detroit has more black residents, that somehow makes Trump’s lawsuit racist.
Of course, Detroit is the biggest urban area in the state, so it makes perfect sense that Trump’s suits are focused there, as that’s where the most votes are.- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--A Biden Presidency Would Be A Dream Scenario For Our Corporate Overlords

One of the biggest reasons why the elite hate Donald Trump so much is because they can ’ t control him .
But if Joe Biden ends up in the White House , that won ’ t be a problem .
Our corporate overlords know exactly what they are getting with Biden , and that is why they backed him so strongly during the campaign .
In fact , if our corporate overlords could create a perfect president from scratch , they would end up with someone that looks very similar to Joe Biden .
Let me explain what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ value in any politician is weakness , and today Joe Biden is very weak .
At one time he had a little bit more of a backbone , but at this point he has deteriorated very badly and his physical , mental and emotional weaknesses are apparent to everyone .
But a president can ’ t afford to be weak , because pressure is put on the White House from a thousand different directions on a daily basis .
Any sign of weakness from a president is like blood in the water , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be all over him .
Ultimately , Biden will be exceptionally easy for the elite to manipulate because of how weak he has become , but the downside for the elite is that Biden may not last that long in the White House because of how rapidly he is physically and mentally falling apart .
If our corporate overlords were creating a perfect president from scratch , they would also want someone that owes them favors , and Joe Biden owes them big time .
In the months leading up to the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech companies made sure that any negative stories about Biden were suppressed , and ultra-wealthy donors all over the nation absolutely showered him with money .
In fact , Biden raised money from the megadonor class like we have never seen before .
The following comes from the New York Times…- READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

One of the biggest reasons why the elite hate Donald Trump so much is because they can’t control him. But if Joe Biden ends up in the White House, that won’t be a problem. Our corporate overlords know exactly what they are getting with Biden, and that is why they backed him so strongly during the campaign. In fact, if our corporate overlords could create a perfect president from scratch, they would end up with someone that looks very similar to Joe Biden.
Let me explain what I mean. One thing that the elite value in any politician is weakness, and today Joe Biden is very weak. At one time he had a little bit more of a backbone, but at this point he has deteriorated very badly and his physical, mental and emotional weaknesses are apparent to everyone.
But a president can’t afford to be weak, because pressure is put on the White House from a thousand different directions on a daily basis. Any sign of weakness from a president is like blood in the water, and the political sharks are going to be all over him.
Ultimately, Biden will be exceptionally easy for the elite to manipulate because of how weak he has become, but the downside for the elite is that Biden may not last that long in the White House because of how rapidly he is physically and mentally falling apart.
If our corporate overlords were creating a perfect president from scratch, they would also want someone that owes them favors, and Joe Biden owes them big time.
In the months leading up to the election, the corporate media and the big tech companies made sure that any negative stories about Biden were suppressed, and ultra-wealthy donors all over the nation absolutely showered him with money. In fact, Biden raised money from the megadonor class like we have never seen before. The following comes from the New York Times…- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --


truepundit--2020-11-18--Dominion Confirms Clinton Foundation Donation, Pelosi Staffer Link

Dominion Voting Systems has refuted claims about being biased toward Democratic officials during the Nov. 3 election , including allegations about a raid on a server in Germany as well as ties to Sen. Dianne Feinstein ( D-Calif. ) .
However , it did note that it made a donation to the Bill- and Hillary Clinton-operated Clinton Foundation and did not dispute that a former staffer of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) was hired as a lobbyist .
In a lengthy statement , the Colorado-based voting systems provider first refuted that it has no ties to Smartmatic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did note that the two firms worked together in the Philippines and said it bought some assets from Smartmatic-linked Sequoia about 10 years ago , adding that the two companies had legal disputes .
Some Trump campaign officials made claims in recent interviews that Smartmatic had links to Dominion .
Dominion has been at the center of controversy since Election Day after Antrim County , Michigan , showed Joe Biden beating President Donald Trump before the results were reversed , with county officials saying the error was due to the county clerk not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it made a donation during a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in 2014 , but it asserted that it has “ no company ownership relationships with any member of the Pelosi family , the Feinstein family , or the Clinton Global Initiative , Smartmatic , Scytl , or any ties to Venezuela.
” – READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Dominion Voting Systems has refuted claims about being biased toward Democratic officials during the Nov. 3 election, including allegations about a raid on a server in Germany as well as ties to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
However, it did note that it made a donation to the Bill- and Hillary Clinton-operated Clinton Foundation and did not dispute that a former staffer of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was hired as a lobbyist.
In a lengthy statement, the Colorado-based voting systems provider first refuted that it has no ties to Smartmatic, another voting software maker, but it did note that the two firms worked together in the Philippines and said it bought some assets from Smartmatic-linked Sequoia about 10 years ago, adding that the two companies had legal disputes. Some Trump campaign officials made claims in recent interviews that Smartmatic had links to Dominion.
Dominion has been at the center of controversy since Election Day after Antrim County, Michigan, showed Joe Biden beating President Donald Trump before the results were reversed, with county officials saying the error was due to the county clerk not updating software.
The firm confirmed that it made a donation during a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in 2014, but it asserted that it has “no company ownership relationships with any member of the Pelosi family, the Feinstein family, or the Clinton Global Initiative, Smartmatic, Scytl, or any ties to Venezuela.”– READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--Even A Military-Enforced Quarantine Can’t Stop The Virus, Study Reveals

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a study that goes to the heart of the issue of lockdowns .
The question has always been whether and to what extent a lockdown , however extreme , is capable of suppressing the virus .
If so , you can make an argument that at least lockdowns , despite their astronomical social and economic costs , achieve something .
If not , nations of the world have embarked on a catastrophic experiment that has destroyed billions of lives , and all expectation of human rights and liberties , with no payoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies that show no gain in virus management from lockdowns .
Even as early as April , a major data scientist said that this virus becomes endemic in 70 days after the first round of infection , regardless of policies .
The largest global study of lockdowns compared with deaths as published in The Lancet found no association between coercive stringencies and deaths per million .
To test further might seem superfluous but , for whatever reason , governments all over the world , including in the US , still are under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through a range of “ nonpharmaceutical interventions ” ( NPIs ) like mandatory masks , forced human separation , stay-at-home orders , bans of gatherings , business and school closures , and extreme travel restrictions .
Nothing like this has been tried on this scale in the whole of human history , so one might suppose that policy makers have some basis for their confidence that these measures accomplish something .
A study conducted by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in cooperation with the Naval Medical Research Center sought to test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In May , 3,143 new recruits to the Marines were given the option to participate in a study of frequent testing under extreme quarantine .
The study was called CHARM , which stands for COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines .
Of the recruits asked , a total of 1,848 young people agreed to be guinea pigs in this experiment which involved “ which included weekly qPCR testing and blood sampling for IgG antibody assessment.
” In addition , the CHARM study volunteers who did test positively “ on the day of enrollment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 or day 14 were separated from their roommates and were placed in isolation.
” – READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a study that goes to the heart of the issue of lockdowns. The question has always been whether and to what extent a lockdown, however extreme, is capable of suppressing the virus. If so, you can make an argument that at least lockdowns, despite their astronomical social and economic costs, achieve something. If not, nations of the world have embarked on a catastrophic experiment that has destroyed billions of lives, and all expectation of human rights and liberties, with no payoff at all.
AIER has long highlighted studies that show no gain in virus management from lockdowns. Even as early as April, a major data scientist said that this virus becomes endemic in 70 days after the first round of infection, regardless of policies. The largest global study of lockdowns compared with deaths as published in The Lancet found no association between coercive stringencies and deaths per million.
To test further might seem superfluous but, for whatever reason, governments all over the world, including in the US, still are under the impression that they can affect viral transmissions through a range of “nonpharmaceutical interventions” (NPIs) like mandatory masks, forced human separation, stay-at-home orders, bans of gatherings, business and school closures, and extreme travel restrictions. Nothing like this has been tried on this scale in the whole of human history, so one might suppose that policy makers have some basis for their confidence that these measures accomplish something.
A study conducted by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in cooperation with the Naval Medical Research Center sought to test lockdowns along with testing and isolation. In May, 3,143 new recruits to the Marines were given the option to participate in a study of frequent testing under extreme quarantine. The study was called CHARM, which stands for COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines. Of the recruits asked, a total of 1,848 young people agreed to be guinea pigs in this experiment which involved “which included weekly qPCR testing and blood sampling for IgG antibody assessment.” In addition, the CHARM study volunteers who did test positively “on the day of enrollment (day 0) or on day 7 or day 14 were separated from their roommates and were placed in isolation.” – READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--UK Citizens ‘Could Be Banned From Going Into Work’ Without Proof Of COVID Vaccination

UK workers could find themselves banned from pubs , restaurants , and possibly even the workplace if they refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine , according to a senior MP .
Speaking with HuffPost UK ’ s Commons People podcast , as noted by Metro , Conservative Tom Tugendhat has warned that he could ‘ certainly see the day ’ when proof of vaccination was required to return to normal life .
‘ If vaccination works and if we ’ re confident it ’ s safe , and all indications so far are good , then I can certainly see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Look , you ’ ve got to return to the office and if you ’ re not vaccinated you ’ re not coming in , ” ‘ he added .
“ And I can certainly see social venues asking for vaccination certificates.
” That said , a government mandate over the vaccine is reportedly not on the immediate horizon , per Health Minister Matt Hancock .
The MP was speaking in the week Pfizer ’ s vaccine candidate was proven to be 90 % effective .
Preparations are now being made to administer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still in development .
The Government has outlined its strategy for getting people vaccinated as quickly as possible , starting with those who are most vulnerable or are working on the frontline of the pandemic .
Despite some experts urging the Government to make getting the vaccine mandatory , Health Minister Matt Hancock has previously stressed that this will not be the case .
–Metro As we noted last week , US-based Ticketmaster is planning to verify concertgoers ’ vaccination status or whether they ’ ve tested negative for COVID-19 within a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

UK workers could find themselves banned from pubs, restaurants, and possibly even the workplace if they refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a senior MP.
Speaking with HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast, as noted by Metro, Conservative Tom Tugendhat has warned that he could ‘certainly see the day’ when proof of vaccination was required to return to normal life.
‘If vaccination works and if we’re confident it’s safe, and all indications so far are good, then I can certainly see the day when businesses say: “Look, you’ve got to return to the office and if you’re not vaccinated you’re not coming in,”‘ he added.
“And I can certainly see social venues asking for vaccination certificates.” That said, a government mandate over the vaccine is reportedly not on the immediate horizon, per Health Minister Matt Hancock.
The MP was speaking in the week Pfizer’s vaccine candidate was proven to be 90% effective. Preparations are now being made to administer the jab, and potentially others that are still in development. The Government has outlined its strategy for getting people vaccinated as quickly as possible, starting with those who are most vulnerable or are working on the frontline of the pandemic. Despite some experts urging the Government to make getting the vaccine mandatory, Health Minister Matt Hancock has previously stressed that this will not be the case. –Metro
As we noted last week, US-based Ticketmaster is planning to verify concertgoers’ vaccination status or whether they’ve tested negative for COVID-19 within a 24-72 hour window. – READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--Week After Attending Election Party, Lightfoot Says Chicagoans Have ‘Responsibility’ to Obey Lockdow

Week After Attending Election Party, Lightfoot Says Chicagoans Have ‘Responsibility’ to Obey Lockdown

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot ( D. ) on Tuesday urged Chicagoans to stay home and avoid large crowds one week after she participated in a large rally celebrating the election of Joe Biden .
“ We are urging people to stay home , to not be in large crowds , to wear face coverings , and really take responsibility for their own lives , for the lives of their family members and for the lives of other people in the city , ” she said on MSNBC ’ s Morning Joe .
“ We have to rise above the me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a larger obligation to each other that we have got to get to.
” Lightfoot ’ s stay-at-home advisory comes just one week after the mayor went maskless into a large crowd of Biden supporters and told them , “ You should absolutely celebrate this victory and savor every minute of it.
” She defended the gathering by claiming on MSNBC last week that all attendees were wearing masks—which her own Twitter video disproves—and faced no pushback , even as she used the interview to tell citizens not to meet in “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving plans should be canceled .
– READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot (D.) on Tuesday urged Chicagoans to stay home and avoid large crowds one week after she participated in a large rally celebrating the election of Joe Biden.
“We are urging people to stay home, to not be in large crowds, to wear face coverings, and really take responsibility for their own lives, for the lives of their family members and for the lives of other people in the city,” she said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “We have to rise above the me and get to the we. We have a larger obligation to each other that we have got to get to.”
Lightfoot’s stay-at-home advisory comes just one week after the mayor went maskless into a large crowd of Biden supporters and told them, “You should absolutely celebrate this victory and savor every minute of it.” She defended the gathering by claiming on MSNBC last week that all attendees were wearing masks—which her own Twitter video disproves—and faced no pushback, even as she used the interview to tell citizens not to meet in “private places.” She also said traditional Thanksgiving plans should be canceled. – READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--Why COVID-19 Testing Is A Tragic Waste

Why COVID-19 Testing Is A Tragic Waste

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic , the clarion call has been to test , test and test some more .
However , right from the start , serious questions arose about the tests being used to diagnose this infection , and questions have only multiplied since then .
Positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR ) tests have been used as the justification for keeping large portions of the world locked down for the better part of 2020 .
This , despite the fact that PCR tests have proven remarkably unreliable with high false result rates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used as a diagnostic tool in the first place as they can not distinguish between inactive viruses and “ live ” or reproductive ones .
Dr. Mike Yeadon , former vice president and scientific director of Pfizer , has even gone on record stating that false positive results from unreliable PCR tests are being used to “ manufacture a ‘ second wave ’ based on ‘ new cases , ’ ” when in fact a second wave is highly unlikely .
Before his death , the inventor of the PCR test , Kary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this test should not be used as a diagnostic tool for the simple reason that it ’ s incapable of diagnosing disease .
A positive test does not actually mean that an active infection is present .
As noted in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention publication on coronavirus and PCR testing dated July 13 2020 : • Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms .
• The performance of this test has not been established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • This test can not rule out diseases caused by other bacterial or viral pathogens .
So , what does the PCR test actually tell us ?
The PCR swab collects RNA from your nasal cavity .
This RNA is then reverse transcribed into DNA .
However , the genetic snippets are so small they must be amplified in order to become discernible .
Each round of amplification is called a cycle .
– READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clarion call has been to test, test and test some more. However, right from the start, serious questions arose about the tests being used to diagnose this infection, and questions have only multiplied since then.
Positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests have been used as the justification for keeping large portions of the world locked down for the better part of 2020.
This, despite the fact that PCR tests have proven remarkably unreliable with high false result rates, and aren’t designed to be used as a diagnostic tool in the first place as they cannot distinguish between inactive viruses and “live” or reproductive ones.
Dr. Mike Yeadon, former vice president and scientific director of Pfizer, has even gone on record stating that false positive results from unreliable PCR tests are being used to “manufacture a ‘second wave’ based on ‘new cases,’” when in fact a second wave is highly unlikely.
Before his death, the inventor of the PCR test, Kary Mullis, repeatedly yet unsuccessfully stressed that this test should not be used as a diagnostic tool for the simple reason that it’s incapable of diagnosing disease.
A positive test does not actually mean that an active infection is present. As noted in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention publication on coronavirus and PCR testing dated July 13 2020:
Detection of viral RNA may not indicate the presence of infectious virus or that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms.
The performance of this test has not been established for monitoring treatment of 2019-nCoV infection.
This test cannot rule out diseases caused by other bacterial or viral pathogens.
So, what does the PCR test actually tell us? The PCR swab collects RNA from your nasal cavity. This RNA is then reverse transcribed into DNA. However, the genetic snippets are so small they must be amplified in order to become discernible. Each round of amplification is called a cycle. – READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--DC Public School Lesson: Capitalism Caused Coronavirus

A District of Columbia public school teacher encouraged students to blame the coronavirus pandemic on racism and capitalism instead of China , according to a lesson plan obtained by the Washington Free Beacon .
Hardy Middle School teacher Caneisha Mills had her students host a “ People ’ s Tribunal on the Coronavirus Pandemic , ” whose “ defendants ” included racism , capitalism , and the United States government .
“ I wanted to … point out that the capitalist system was behind the pain , trauma , isolation , and destitution were facing , ” Mills said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. government left us to die.
” As part of the tribunal , students had to answer a series of leading questions about America ’ s coronavirus response .
“ How does capitalism in the United States cause crises like the coronavirus and the flu pandemic of 1918 , ” one worksheet asked .
“ If the government and capitalist system are guilty , what should be the ‘ sentence ’ ?
” The material also applauded China for its handling of the coronavirus without mentioning its authoritarian political system .
China took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should take in times of crisis , ” a handout for the exercise claimed , and “ donated tons of medical supplies … to the United States.
” - READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

A District of Columbia public school teacher encouraged students to blame the coronavirus pandemic on racism and capitalism instead of China, according to a lesson plan obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Hardy Middle School teacher Caneisha Mills had her students host a “People’s Tribunal on the Coronavirus Pandemic,” whose “defendants” included racism, capitalism, and the United States government. “I wanted to … point out that the capitalist system was behind the pain, trauma, isolation, and destitution [my students] were facing,” Mills said. “Capitalism, racism, and the U.S. government left us to die.”
As part of the tribunal, students had to answer a series of leading questions about America’s coronavirus response. “How does capitalism in the United States cause crises like the coronavirus and the flu pandemic of 1918,” one worksheet asked. “If the government and capitalist system are guilty, what should be the ‘sentence’?”
The material also applauded China for its handling of the coronavirus without mentioning its authoritarian political system. China took “exactly the measures that a government should take in times of crisis,” a handout for the exercise claimed, and “donated tons of medical supplies … to the United States.”- READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--Report: Fortune 500 CEOs Will Intervene if Joe Biden Isn’t Inaugurated by January 20

Executives from Fortune 500 corporations say they are planning to intervene if Democrat Joe Biden is not inaugurated into office by January 20 , 2021 .
A report by CBS News states that in a conference call late last week , Fortune 500 executives were planning to step in on behalf of Biden to pressure Republican lawmakers if President Trump holds up the former vice president ’ s transition .
CBS News reports : But if Mr. Trump tries to undo the legal process or disrupts a peaceful transition to Biden , the CEOs discussed making public statements and pressuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to redirect Electoral College votes from Biden to Trump , said Yale Management Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld , who convened the meeting .
“ They ’ re all fine with him taking an appeal to the court , to a judicial process .
They didn ’ t want to deny him that .
But that doesn ’ t stop the transition , ” said Sonnenfeld .
“ They said if that makes people feel better , it doesn ’ t hurt anything to let that grind through.
” The CEOs decided to wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Georgia before meeting to decide their next moves .
Action could include threats to stop donations to political action committees or even corporate relocations , Sonnenfeld said .
– READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

Executives from Fortune 500 corporations say they are planning to intervene if Democrat Joe Biden is not inaugurated into office by January 20, 2021.
A report by CBS News states that in a conference call late last week, Fortune 500 executives were planning to step in on behalf of Biden to pressure Republican lawmakers if President Trump holds up the former vice president’s transition.
CBS News reports: But if Mr. Trump tries to undo the legal process or disrupts a peaceful transition to Biden, the CEOs discussed making public statements and pressuring GOP legislators in their states who may try to redirect Electoral College votes from Biden to Trump, said Yale Management Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who convened the meeting. [Emphasis added]
“They’re all fine with him taking an appeal to the court, to a judicial process. They didn’t want to deny him that. But that doesn’t stop the transition,” said Sonnenfeld. “They said if that makes people feel better, it doesn’t hurt anything to let that grind through.” [Emphasis added]
The CEOs decided to wait for the November 20 certification of votes in Georgia before meeting to decide their next moves. Action could include threats to stop donations to political action committees or even corporate relocations, Sonnenfeld said. [Emphasis added] – READ MORE
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truepundit--2020-11-18--US to draw down troops in Afghanistan, Iraq by Jan. 15, Pentagon says

New acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller made it official Tuesday : the U.S. military will draw down forces in Afghanistan and Iraq by Jan. 15 , 2021 .
U.S. forces will be cut by roughly half in Afghanistan to 2,500 , and by 500 troops in Iraq to 2,500 , Miller said in the Pentagon briefing room .
Miller said he called allies and spoke with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about the decision .
“ This decision by the president is based on continuous engagement with his national security cabinet over the past several months , including ongoing discussions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States government , ” Miller said .
“ I have also spoken with our military commanders and we all will execute this repositioning in a way that protects our fighting men and women , our partners in the intelligence community and diplomatic corps , and our superb allies that are critical to rebuilding Afghan and Iraqi security capabilities and civil society for a lasting peace in troubled lands.
” President Trump has called for American troops to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan since he assumed office in 2017 .
Earlier this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military officials by declaring troops should be “ home by Christmas.
” - READ MORE Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --

New acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller made it official Tuesday: the U.S. military will draw down forces in Afghanistan and Iraq by Jan. 15, 2021.
U.S. forces will be cut by roughly half in Afghanistan to 2,500, and by 500 troops in Iraq to 2,500, Miller said in the Pentagon briefing room. Miller said he called allies and spoke with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about the decision.
“This decision by the president is based on continuous engagement with his national security cabinet over the past several months, including ongoing discussions with me and my colleagues across the United States government,” Miller said. “I have also spoken with our military commanders and we all will execute this repositioning in a way that protects our fighting men and women, our partners in the intelligence community and diplomatic corps, and our superb allies that are critical to rebuilding Afghan and Iraqi security capabilities and civil society for a lasting peace in troubled lands.”
President Trump has called for American troops to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan since he assumed office in 2017. Earlier this year, he drew the ire of some military officials by declaring troops should be “home by Christmas.”- READ MORE
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