News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
EPA Requests DOJ Investigate Foreign Funding of Environmental Groups
“Given heightened concerns that foreign countries, primarily China and Russia, are potentially funding U.S.-based ‘green’ groups to undermine American energy independence and to help maintain the integrity of the EPA’s decision-making, EPA will refer this matter to the DOJ [Foreign Agents Registration Act] Unit,” Wheeler said.
“The DOJ can then determine what appropriate steps to take, if any, including whether those entities should be registered as foreign agents.”
Gooden’s allegations follow calls from other Republican lawmakers to investigate the anonymous funding of green groups for potential foreign influence. In September, Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) asked the DOJ to investigate whether Russia and China are working to infiltrate environmental groups as a way of influencing U.S. policy.
Satanic Protester Dumped Blood All Over Christian Preacher at Washington Prayer Event
At the huge worship event held on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Sunday, a Satanist reportedly attacked one of the organizers.
Dr. Charles Karuku with International Outreach Church prayed for our nation, which has been torn by racial riots and discrimination, to unite and “let the healing begin!”
Afterward, he was attacked by a protester who dumped blood all over him.
Wind a risk as California fires keep tens of thousands away
Fierce winds that drove twin fires through brushy hills near cities in Orange County a day earlier were expected to pick back up, although not to the earlier extremes, according to the National Weather Service.
Southern California Edison reported to regulators that it was investigating whether its equipment might have sparked the Silverado Fire near the city of Irvine. With utility equipment blamed for several destructive fires in recent years, Edison was among the utilities in California that deliberately cut power to customers to prevent equipment from being knocked down or hit with debris in the winds and sparking wildfires.
Irvine residents had to evacuate after a fire broke out early Monday, while later and a few miles away, another blaze, the Blue Ridge Fire, sent people fleeing from the Yorba Linda area. More than 90,000 people were under evacuation orders.
US therapist kills her twin daughters in their sleep in murder-suicide
Authorities believe that Deegan was involved in a custody dispute involving the deceased girls at the time of her death.
The 55-year-old mother’s professional website states she was therapist who specialised in marriage and family therapy while attaining her doctorate of psychology.
In the days before she took the life of her daughters, she shared a series of posts on her Facebook page about “Narcissistic Parents” and suicide.
On October 23 she shared an article titled, “Narcissistic Parents Are Literally Incapable of Loving Their Children.”
Body of missing hip-hop artist found in friend’s car trunk after crash in Miami
Robert Coltrain, 25, was arrested and charged with illegal transport of human remains and second-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Brian Trotter, CBS Miami reported.
A Miami-Dade police report said Florida Highway Patrol responded to a crash on the Palmetto Expressway Sunday afternoon and found Coltrain and his silver Acura.
Troopers towed the car to the parking lot of Hialeah’s Westland Mall and became suspicious of Coltrain when he asked to remove his belongings from the car, which included a gun case.
Facebook Removes Black Man’s Anti-Biden Ad
Facebook removed a black man’s ad that criticized Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s record on crime and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement just days before the election.
The censorship comes in the midst of an uproar over social media platforms’ alleged bias against conservative writers and causes in the closing days of the 2020 campaign.
The advertisement, which Brandon Wallace wrote for the conservative American Principles Project, spotlights Biden’s record of supporting policies that “keep black men from raising their children,” pointing to his support for enhanced criminal sentencing during his four-decade career and praise for Black Lives Matter, which has openly called for the end of the nuclear family.
VIDEO: Teacher holds 13-year-old after class to lecture him about Trump’s ‘racist’ immigration policy
It’s the latest in a growing string of incidents in which teachers are bringing their anti-Trump political biases into the classroom. Now that remote learning is more prevalent, more and more incidents are being caught on tape.
Connor Seaman, a language arts teacher at Kopachuck Middle School in Gig Harbor, had apparently taken issue with the student’s choice of Trump as his “hero” for a recent assignment.
So he asked the student to stick around after class for a quick chat before he proceeded to spend nearly 10 minutes attempting to convince the student that his hero’s immigration policy is nonsensical and “racist.”
KTTH-TV talk radio host Jason Rantz, who first reported the news, said, “What started off as a reasonable — and correct — conversation about proper sourcing quickly devolved.”
Former Postal Worker Charged for Allegedly Tossing Absentee Ballots in Dumpster
“DeShawn Bojgere, 30, of, Louisville, Kentucky, has been charged with the delay or destruction of mail, a federal crime under 18 United States Code 1703,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Kentucky said in a press release Monday.
Bojgere admitted that he discarded the mail in the dumpster, the attorney’s office said.
Authorities retained copies of the mail as evidence and it was later put back in the mail stream for delivery to recipients, the release said.
CDC Reveals Hospitals Counted Heart Attacks as COVID-19 Deaths
The latest numbers from the CDC reveal hospitals have been counting patients who died from serious preexisting conditions as COVID-19 deaths.
One America’s Pearson Sharp has more, as the CDC counts over 51-thousand patients who actually died from heart attacks, as opposed to the coronavirus.
Protesters raid shops, ATMs after Philadelphia police shooting
Walter Wallace, who was allegedly holding a knife, was fatally shot while two police officers were responding to a complaint about a man with a weapon in Cobbs Creek, according to the Associated Press.
He “advanced toward” the officers, who then fired “several times,” the outlet reported.
Following Wallace’s death, which was recorded and posted on social media, hundreds of people — some armed with bricks — protested in the 52nd Street commercial district, and the demonstration quickly turned violent. Police cars and dumpsters were set ablaze and NBC10 Philadelphia reported that at least 30 police officers were hurt.
Politics:
The 15 Silicon Valley millionaires spending the most to beat Donald Trump
Over the last four years, the tech industry’s very richest have gotten far more political than they have ever been, channeling their money and energy into the world of partisan campaigning.
They’ve hired full-time political aides to manage their investments.
They’ve traded notes and organized to pool their money for maximum impact.
And they’ve become vocal public critics of the president, so incensed by the Trump presidency that they’ve eschewed the longstanding Silicon Valley tradition of staying out of politics.
Some of the biggest Silicon Valley celebrities are indeed staying out of the race, but here are the 15 Democrats of Silicon Valley who are most responsible for the current political awakening.
Recode reviewed all public federal campaign contributions this cycle through October 15.
Biden Eyes Wall Street Insider As Potential Treasury Secretary If He Wins In November
If elected next week, Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden’s transition team is reportedly considering Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island for Secretary of the Treasury — a choice bemoaned by the progressive base as a “subservience to Wall Street.”
“Raimondo has built her career on subservience to Wall Street — and her selection would be an affront to organized labor,” David Segal, Executive Director of Demand Progress, “a leading progressive organization in the battle over personnel in a hypothetical Biden White House, ” told the American Prospect.
Raimondo, who was also considered for Biden’s VP nominee, first became governor in 2015 after serving as senior vice president at Village Ventures and joining Point Judith Capital later on. During her time in office, the former venture capitalist has received “hundreds of thousands of dollars from executives of the largest Wall Street firms” such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and others.
Hunter Biden Group Touted Joe Biden In Investment Pitch To Chinese Firm
In 2017, Hunter Biden and a group of business partners seeking a $10 million investment deal with a Chinese energy firm touted Joe Biden’s friendly relations with Colombia’s president in their sales proposal, which suggested a series of oil investments in the South American country, according to documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Hunter Biden and four other businessmen, including his uncle James Biden, highlighted the former vice president’s positive relationship with Juan Manuel Santos in a May 15, 2017 investment outline for CEFC China Energy, a Chinese energy conglomerate.
The Biden consortium, which would be called SinoHawk, sought a $10 million seed investment from CEFC China Energy, with a goal of eventually securing billions of dollars in investments in the U.S. and around the world.
RIGGED ELECTION: TX ‘Ballot Chaser’ Illegally Pressures Voters To Change Votes; “I could go to jail”
Project Veritas undercover journalists infiltrated a ballot harvesting racket deep in the heart of Texas in a devastating report released today.
“We keep hearing voter fraud is a myth and anyone who challenges that notion is simply creating hysteria,” said James O’Keefe, the founder and CEO of Project Veritas.
“I went to Texas to be part of the Project Veritas investigation into election fraud and to be on the ground here with our undercover journalists,” O’Keefe said.
“Our journalists discovered a voter fraud system positioned to swing Texas in 2020,”
he said.
McEnany sounds off on Dem ‘squad’ for calling to expand Supreme Court
White House press secretary and Trump 2020 senior adviser Kayleigh McEnany joins “America’s Newsroom” to discuss Biden’s position on fracking, calls to expand the Supreme Court, and Trump’s response to COVID-19.
Election Interference: Google Suppresses Breitbart News in Search – Even with Exact Headline
In July, Breitbart News published data showing that Breitbart’s Google search visibility is down 99 percent compared to the same period in 2016.
RealClearPolitics later published data corroborating this, and showing that the same silent expulsion from Google search results has happened to a variety of other conservative news websites as well.
It appears that Breitbart News links are being hidden on Google searches even when users search for the exact string of words in an original Breitbart headline.
When links to Breitbart stories do appear, it is often below obscure websites that plagiarize Breitbart’s content.
World News:
BOOKED OUT: Restaurants and retail celebrate a return to business
Melbourne restaurants are celebrating a return to business with some filling four weeks’ worth of bookings in just one day after restrictions were eased at 11:59pm on Tuesday night.
U.S. urges diplomacy as Nagorno-Karabakh fighting rages
Both sides accused each other on Tuesday of striking targets outside Nagorno-Karabakh itself in defiance of a truce brokered by Pompeo at the weekend.
Pompeo, in India on Tuesday, spoke separately with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and “pressed the leaders to abide by their commitments to cease hostilities and pursue a diplomatic solution”, the State Department said.
World powers want to prevent a wider war that might suck in Turkey, an ally of Azerbaijan, and Russia, which has a defence pact with Armenia. The conflict is also close to pipelines that carry oil and gas from Azerbaijan to international markets.
The Chinese Communist Party’s ‘Hostage Diplomacy’ Has Backfired
A Pew Research survey of 14 advanced economies — including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom — shows the free world’s opinion of China is souring.
The Wall Street Journal recently disclosed that Chinese government officials have repeatedly warned their U.S. government counterparts: “The U.S. should drop prosecutions of the Chinese scholars in American courts, or Americans in China might find themselves in violation of Chinese law.” No other foreign government has ever made such blunt threats against U.S. citizens in such a fashion.
Beijing’s warning came after the U.S. Department of Justice charged several Chinese scholars with visa fraud in connection with a scheme of hiding their affiliations with China’s People’s Liberation Army so they could study, conduct research, and sometimes collect valuable intelligence in the United States.
Israel to thwart Iranian entrenchment in Syria; Turkey-EU-US tensions rise- TV7 Israel News 27.10.20
1) Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi reiterates to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Jerusalem’s resolve to thwart Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria.
2) Moscow offers to broker a negotiated solution between Ankara and Athens on all that pertains to the East Mediterranean dispute.
3) Tensions are rapidly increasing between Turkey and Europe; and separately, between Ankara and Washington – with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning US and European leaders to remember who they are speaking to.
Saudi Arabia Nearing Historic Deal With Israel, But Biden Could Derail It
It seems that Saudi Arabia, the largest, richest, and most symbolically important Arab country in the Middle East, is on the verge of recognizing the Jewish State of Israel.
Yet, according to the Jerusalem Post, the head of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad has said that Saudi Arabia is waiting until the U.S. presidential election to normalize relations with Israel.
Mossad Director Yossi Cohen said that if Trump wins, the Saudis will present the peace deal as a “gift.” If Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins, the Saudis will still want a deal with Israel, but the timeline would get murky.
Cohen noted that a Biden administration may want to link Israeli normalization with the Saudis to progress in negotiations with the Palestinians, a reversal of the Trump administration tactic of pressuring the Palestinians to work with Israel by moving ahead with Arab normalization deals without them.
A Biden administration would throw yet another large wrench into the situation by restoring the Iran Nuclear Deal, in which the U.S. freed up Iranian assets —
Italy to unveil lockdown relief package as protests continue
The Italian government is preparing to unveil a funding package for businesses penalised by the latest coronavirus restrictions as it scrambles to quell growing unrest.
The prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, is under pressure to act quickly after hundreds of people protested in towns and cities across the country on Monday night against measures that include the 6pm closure of bars and restaurants and the complete closure of gyms, swimming pools, cinemas and theatres.
But scepticism is high after it took months for companies to receive funding promised to them during the spring lockdown due to Italy’s slow and obstructive bureaucratic system.
Many workers are still waiting for payments owed as part of a furlough scheme.
Police hand out Covid-19 fines to activists rallying for ‘Hong Kong 12’ held in China, amid global campaign for release
The “Hong Kong 12” – who were facing charges related to the recent pro-democracy protests and unrest – were detained by mainland authorities in August after trying to flee by speedboat to Taiwan.
On Friday, the campaigners handed out transparent cards printed with the names of the detainees as part of a social media campaign. Their booth exhibited photos from Hong Kong protests last year.
A group of about 20 uniformed police officers cordoned off the area at about 5 pm and handed out penalty tickets to seven people for violating social distancing orders. Two individuals were searched, Stand News reported.
Police returned shortly afterwards and issued another six tickets. Gatherings with over four individuals are currently banned in Hong Kong under coronavirus guidelines.
University of Hong Kong appoints mainland professors as vice-presidents amid concerns over academic freedom
Two professors from a mainland Chinese university – one of whom was previously listed as a Communist Party member – were appointed to senior roles at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on Tuesday despite objections from the student union and critics who see a threat to academic freedom.
Max Shen Zuojun and Gong Peng were appointed as vice-presidents of research and of academic development, respectively, by the governing council of Hong Kong’s oldest and most prestigious university.
The website of Tsinghua University’s industrial engineering faculty previously listed Shen as a Communist Party committee member.
Commentary/Opinion:
China’s Next ‘Five-Year Plan’ Likely to Increase Animosity Between Washington and Beijing
This upcoming five-year plan is expected to be no less controversial economically.
China’s President Xi Jinping is increasingly pushing for private companies to conform to Chinese communist ideology.
Multiple crises have shown China’s economic weaknesses.
And tensions are growing with its largest trading partners, particularly the U.S.
The biggest policy initiative likely to come from China’s 14th five-year plan is the formal announcement of a “dual-circulation” strategy.
This strategy would essentially push for China to end its dependence on foreign products by increasing both domestic production and consumption.
A strategy that essentially cuts American products out of China’s market while also potentially increasing Chinese exports globally won’t be welcome in Washington (or in other countries for that matter).