National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

3 St. Louis residents indicted on charges of spreading ‘disinformation,’ promoting pro-Russian ‘propaganda,’ and ‘sowing discord’ | 20 April 2023 | A federal grand jury has charged three St. Louis residents with illegally pushing pro-Russian “propaganda” and “misinformation” about Ukraine and sowing discord across Missouri, Georgia and Florida through the African People’s Socialist Party. The indictment alleges that African People’s Socialist Party Chairman Omali Yesh-tela and members Penny Joanne Hess and Jesse Nevel acted as illegal agents of the Russian government without notifying the U.S. attorney general. They each face up to 10 years in prison for that charge. They also face up to five years in prison for conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents. The indictment alleges Russian national Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov founded the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, a Moscow-based organization run by the Russian government, to promote pro-Russian “propaganda” and create influence campaigns among political groups across the country, including the African People’s Socialist Party… It says that Ionov would appear on video calls hosted by the party in which he likened support to Ukraine to supporting Nazis and that Yesh-tela made statements supporting Russia.

Journalist threatened with prison time by top Democrat over Twitter Files testimony –Stacey Plaskett told Taibbi he faces “up to five years’ imprisonment” while accusing him of perjury | 20 April 2023 | Independent journalist Matt Taibbi is being threatened with jail time by a top Democrat on Capitol Hill over testimony he gave about his reporting on the Twitter Files. Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Deranged-V.I., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, sent a letter to Taibbi regarding a comment he told lawmakers, which she alleged included an error that was previously propped up by an MSNBC host in a tense interview exchange regarding the name of one of the federal agencies swept up in the Twitter Files. The error was a specific reference to CISA, the government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, when he meant to refer to CIS, the Center for Internet Security, which is a private organization. Taibbi later addressed and corrected the error in his reporting. Plaskett pointed to Taibbi’s statement, saying it is “contradicted by your own admission.”

Facebook labels Seymour Hersh’s reporting ‘false’ –The U.S. social media giant has cited counterclaims by “independent fact-checkers” [sic] from Norway and Ukraine | 20 April 2023 | Facebook [FaCIAbook] has been criticized after opting to label reports by U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh as “false.” Hersh has made claims about American involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and the alleged theft of US aid by Kiev, although the social media giant said “fact-checking” by outlets connected with Norway and Ukraine justified its use of the label. Hersh claimed in February that last year’s sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which were built to transport gas from Russia to Germany, had been ordered by Joe Biden and carried out by a joint U.S.-Norwegian team. Both nations have denied any responsibility.

American taxpayers could be funding the TALIBAN: Special inspector general for Afghanistan makes startling admission and points finger at Biden for ‘unprecedented’ chaotic withdrawal – days after White House blamed Trump | 19 April 2023 | Special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko said the Taliban is likely stealing US aid intended for the Afghan people as he knocked the Defense and State departments, and USAID for an ‘unprecedented’ lack of cooperation. “I cannot assure this committee and the American taxpayer we are not currently funding the Taliban, nor can I assure you Taliban are diverting the funding from the intended recipients,” Sopko told the House Oversight Committee. Sopko noted that the U.S. has appropriated some 2 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and another 3.5 billion is slated to come in through an international fund. “Due to this [DoD, State, USAID] refusal to cooperate a significant portion of SIGAR’s work has been hindered and delayed. I don’t trust the Taliban as far as you can throw them,” Sopko went on. “The information we’re getting — again, not from the State Department who isn’t talking to us or USAID…is that the Taliban are already diverting funds.”

Bombshell filing: 9/11 hijackers were CIA recruits | 18 April 2023 | At least two 9/11 hijackers had been recruited into a joint CIA-Saudi intelligence operation that was covered up at the highest level, according to an explosive new court filing. A newly released court filing raises grave questions about the relationship between Alec Station, a CIA unit set up to track Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] chief Osama bin Laden and his associates, and two 9/11 hijackers leading up to the attacks, which was subject to a coverup at the highest levels of the FBI. Obtained by SpyTalk, the filing is a 21-page declaration by Don Canestraro, a lead investigator for the Office of Military Commissions, the legal body overseeing the cases of 9/11 defendants. It summarizes classified government discovery disclosures, and private interviews he conducted with anonymous high-ranking CIA and FBI officials. Many agents who spoke to Canestraro headed up Operation Encore, the Bureau’s aborted, long-running probe into Saudi government connections to the 9/11 attack.

Biden campaign, Blinken orchestrated intel letter to discredit Hunter Biden laptop story, ex-CIA official says –51 former intelligence officials signed a letter in October 2020 saying stories about Hunter Biden’s laptop were Russian disinformation | 20 April 2023 | A former CIA official testified that then-Biden campaign senior advisor, now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken “played a role in the inception” of the public statement signed by current and past intelligence officials that claimed the Hunter Biden laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign. Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, and revealed that Blinken was “the impetus” of the public statement signed in October 2020 that implied the laptop belonging to Hunter Biden was disinformation. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, sent a letter to Blinken Thursday, notifying him that the panels are “conducting oversight of federal law-enforcement and intelligence matters within our respective jurisdictions.”

Ex-top spy admits Hunter Biden laptop letter designed to influence 2020 election, Blinken involved | 20 April 2023 | A former acting CIA director has admitted to Congress that he organized the letter that falsely portrayed Hunter Biden’s laptop as Russian disinformation in an effort to influence the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden and that he did so at the direction of current Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a letter released Thursday by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. The extraordinary admission by career intelligence officer Michael J. Morell provides stunning evidence that the now-infamous letter from 51 security officials in October 2021 was not an organic intelligence community initiative but rather a political dirty trick originating with Blinken and the Biden campaign. Jordan sent a letter demanding Blinken answer a series of questions about Morell’s stunning testimony, as lawmakers weighed the enormity of America’s top diplomat being willing to accuse a nuclear-armed superpower of interfering in the 2020 election without evidence. That letter included major snippets of Morell’s testimony. Morell, who retired as deputy CIA director after a long and storied career and served as its acting chief, was on the short list in fall 2020 to be Biden’s CIA director when he became involved in the letter. He ultimately did not receive the job.

Attorney General Merrick Garland is ‘senior’ Biden official in Hunter Biden IRS whistleblower claim | 20 April 2023 | Attorney General Merrick Garland is the unnamed official whose sworn testimony before Congress is being challenged in a bombshell letter from an IRS whistleblower’s attorney that also alleges a cover-up in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation, The Post has learned. Attorney Mark Lytle wrote Wednesday that the longtime IRS employee wants to provide information to congressional leaders to “contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee” — Garland — and also to detail “preferential treatment” in the criminal probe of the first son. The whistleblower already made disclosures to the inspectors general of the Treasury and Justice departments. However, due to a quirk of federal law, he needs congressional approval to more fully describe his allegations to his own lawyers, which he wants to do before testifying to lawmakers.

Senior IRS agent blows whistle, alleging Biden DOJ thwarting criminal prosecution of Hunter Biden –Whistleblower account to inspector general, notification to Congress calls into question AG Merrick Garland testimony. | 19 April 2023 | A decorated supervisory IRS agent has reported to the Justice Department’s top watchdog that federal prosecutors appointed by Joe Biden have engaged in “preferential treatment and politics” to block criminal tax charges against presidential son Hunter Biden, providing evidence as a whistleblower that conflicts with Attorney General Merrick Garland’s recent testimony to Congress that the decision to bring charges against Biden was being left to the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Delaware. According to a letter from the whistleblower’s attorney Mark Lytle to Congress obtained by Just the News, the IRS agent revealed he is seeking to provide detailed disclosures about a high-profile, sensitive case to the tax-writing committees in Congress, which have special authority under federal tax privacy laws to receive such information. That could pave the way to share the details with other committees in coming weeks.

IRS whistleblower alleges cover-up of Hunter Biden tax evasion in bombshell letter to Congress | 19 April 2023 | An IRS whistleblower has informed Congress that he wants to come forward to reveal a cover-up in the tax evasion investigation focused on first son Hunter Biden, according to a letter obtained by The Post. A lawyer for the official told a group of congressional committee leaders Wednesday that he wants to expose “preferential treatment” and false testimony to Congress by a “senior political appointee.” The unnamed whistleblower is “a career IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent who has been overseeing the ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject since early 2020,” attorney Mark Lytle wrote to nine members of Congress. Although Hunter, 53, isn’t named in the letter, a congressional source confirmed the complaint pertains to the first son, who reportedly borrowed about 2 million last year to pay off a tax bill assessed on income earned overseas.

Biden Regime Allowed Migrant Children to Work in Brutal Conditions, Whistleblowers Fired for Reporting Widespread Exploitation | 17 April 2023 | …Over the past two years, more than 250,000 migrant children have come alone to the United States. Thousands of children have ended up in punishing jobs across the country — working overnight in slaughterhouses, replacing roofs, operating machinery in factories — all in violation of child labor laws, a recent Times investigation showed. After the article’s publication in February, the White House announced policy changes and a crackdown on companies that hire children. But all along, there were signs of the explosive growth of this labor force and warnings that the Biden administration ignored or missed, The Times has found. Again and again, veteran government staffers and outside contractors told the Health and Human Services Department, including in reports that reached Secretary Xavier Becerra, that children appeared to be at risk. The Labor Department put out news releases noting an increase in child labor. Senior White House aides were shown evidence of exploitation, such as clusters of migrant children who had been found working with industrial equipment or caustic chemicals.

CDC Director Admits Vaccinated Individuals Can Transmit COVID-19 to Others | 20 April 2023 | A top U.S. health official acknowledged on April 19 that people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine can transmit the disease to others. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), made the unsupported claim in 2021 that people who had received a COVID-19 vaccine “do not carry the virus” and “do not get sick.” …Dr. Tracy Hoeg, an epidemiologist based in California, also said the papers don’t support Walensky’s claim. “They all report observed reductions but none of them found that ‘vaccinated people do not carry the virus, do not get sick,'” Hoeg told The Epoch Times in a Twitter message. “Are they kidding? Seems delusional to come to that conclusion from those article.” Even in March 2021, Walensky’s claim drew criticism from scientists… The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the vaccines, said when authorizing them that the clinical trials did not test transmission and has maintained that stance to the present day.

Some Americans Shouldn’t Get Another COVID-19 Vaccine Shot, FDA Says | 19 April 2023 | Some Americans cannot receive another COVID-19 vaccine dose, U.S. regulators said on April 18, as they made sweeping changes to the vaccine system. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the changes, including replacing the old Pfizer and Moderna vaccines with updated bivalent shots that had previously only been available as boosters. Regulators are also scaling back the number of recommended doses for most individuals, including people who haven’t received a shot…

Judge: Mississippi must allow religious exemption from school vaccine requirements –Mississippi State Department of Health must allow religious exemptions by July 15 | 18 April 2023 | Mississippi must join most other states in allowing religious exemptions from vaccinations that children are required to receive so they can attend school, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden handed down the decision Monday in a lawsuit filed last year by several parents who say their religious beliefs have led them to keep their children unvaccinated and out of Mississippi schools. According to the lawsuit, some of the plaintiffs are homeschooling their children, while others have family or work connections in Mississippi but live in other states that allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations. Ozerden set a July 15 deadline for the Mississippi State Department of Health to allow religious exemptions. The state already allows people to apply for medical exemptions for a series of five vaccinations that are required for children to enroll in public or private school.

Train carrying hazardous materials derails in rural Maine, officials warn residents to ‘please stay clear’ –Rockwood, Maine, is located on the western side of Moosehead Lake in the northern part of the state, roughly 45 miles from the Canadian border. | 15 April 2023 | A train has reportedly derailed in the state of Maine and officials say they believe hazardous materials were on board. “Train derailment with fire north of rockwood [sic], hazzard [sic] materials please stay clear!” The Rockwood, Maine Fire & Rescue posted on Facebook Saturday. The Fire & Rescue team posted a photo of the incident that shows a derailed train and a fire burning in a snow covered forest area. It is unclear if anyone was injured during the derailment.

Court Rejects Bragg’s Request for Restraining Order Against Jordan | 14 April 2023 | Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s urgent request to enter a restraining order against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was rejected on April 11, the same day it was filed. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump appointee, turned down Bragg’s emergency request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Jordan, at least until a hearing is held. “The Court declines to enter the proposed Temporary Restraining Order and Order to Show Cause,” Vyskocil said, noting that she hadn’t yet received several documents that were referenced in Bragg’s filings.

George Soros’s army of lieutenants get easy access to Biden White House | 15 April 2023 | Billionaire oligarch [WEF dirt-bag] George Soros has a legion of loyal lieutenants who’ve racked up over two dozen meetings with top officials at the White House since Joe Biden took office, The Post has learned. The progressive kingmaker’s unrivaled access into the Biden administration extends well beyond his 37-year-old son Alexander, who chairs the powerful, liberal grant-making network Open Society Foundations founded by his dad, and as The Post reported on Page 1 last week, has taken on the role of a de-facto White House “ambassador” by making at least 14 visits there. At least four other past or present leaders at Open Society Foundations have amassed a combined 33 private meetings and other confabs in less than two years, according to recently updated White House visitor logs. Tom Perriello, executive director of the group’s United States operation, and a former Virginia congressman, scored 17 visits alone since May 2021, records show.  

Biden to grant illegal aliens free government health care, funded by debt placed on American taxpayers –Biden is also offering expanded assistance with renting or purchasing a home to illegals who qualify under DACA. | 17 April 2023 | In a statement this week, the Biden regime announced that illegal aliens who enter the country illegally can enroll in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, allowing them to receive free health care on the taxpayer dime. Eligible DACA recipients, also known as “dreamers,” will receive free coverage under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Barack Obama first launched the program in 2012 to ensure that illegal aliens get free health care coverage, even as millions of Americans are stuck having to pay for it out of pocket. If finalized…DACA recipients would be able to apply for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Other programs available to Dreamers that are not available to actual American citizens include [many others].

Virginia discovers nearly 19,000 dead people on voter rolls | 19 April 2023 | As Virginia election officials work to clean up the state’s voter rolls, they announced the discovery of a huge number of dead people still listed as registered voters in the state. After reviewing death records dating back to 1960, they found 18,990 deceased voters who had not been removed. “I knew that there was something there, but I didn’t know that it was this big,” said Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals. Beals said it was an error that was being corrected.

Los Angeles convicted felon out on probation accused of gunning down 60-year-old man removing gang graffiti –Los Angeles investigators are looking for other shooting victims to come forward| 17 April 2023 | A convicted Los Angeles felon is accused of murdering a 60-year-old man who volunteered to remove gang graffiti from a wall. Jamal Jackson, 24, was out on probation when the Sunday shooting occurred, according to local sources. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) investigators are looking for additional victims to come forward…three other victims were helping paint over the gang graffiti on an ice cream shop. John Hatami, a Los Angeles deputy district attorney who is running to replace District Attorney George Gascon, pointed fingers at the DA in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Jackson, who was placed on probation by George Gascon for carrying a concealed firearm on his person in a past case, was arrested today and is accused of shooting four innocent victims, killing one of them on April 15. George talks about prosecuting ‘gun violence,’ but it really is only words, phrases and politicians for George. No action. He can care less about true public safety,” Hatami said.

‘Save women’s sports’ bill passes House with zero votes from Dems, who call it transgender ‘bullying’ –One Democrat said that even just debating the bill was ‘traumatizing’ | 20 April 2023 | The House on Thursday passed legislation aimed at preventing biological males from competing as transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports at schools across the country, after a debate in which several Democrats accused Republicans of “bullying” transgender students by calling up the bill. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed in a 219-203 vote Thursday morning — all the “yes” votes came from Republicans, and all the “no” votes came from Democrats. Republicans defended the bill as an attempt to spare women and girls from having to compete against transgender women and girls — biological males who can sometimes dominate these sports and prevent some female athletes from making the team… Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said the bill would make school sports “less safe for women and girls,” and argued that even discussing the legislation on the House floor was doing harm to transgender students. “This debate itself has been traumatizing,” he asserted.

CVS ‘gender transition’ guide says employees must use preferred pronouns, can use bathroom reflecting identity –CVS employees may be entitled to medical leave of absence for gender transition treatment, guidelines state | 16 April 2023 | CVS Health’s “gender transition guidelines” for employees requires workers to address people by their preferred pronouns and names and that they may use whichever restroom or locker room they wish regardless of whether the individual identifies as transgender. In the guidelines obtained exclusively by FOX Business, employees are told they may be entitled to a medical leave of absence “under the Family and Medical Leave Act, state law, and/or CVS Health policy.” Transitioning employees are asked to tell their immediate leaders about their transition so the company “can provide support and to make your transition as smooth as possible.”