National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Florida Supreme Court Approves Governor’s Request for COVID Shot Investigation | 23 Dec 2022 | Yesterday, the Florida Supreme Court approved Governor Ron DeSantis’s request to impanel a grand jury to review evidence to hold COVID-19 injection manufacturers accountable under Florida law. Governor DeSantis (R) held a “Public Health Integrity Committee” live roundtable conference on December 13 with medical professionals and vaccine-injured citizens and announced that the state of Florida is taking action to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for COVID shot-related injuries and misconduct. DeSantis stated, “In Florida, it is against the law to mislead and to misrepresent, particularly when you’re talking about the efficacy of a drug.” …During the conference, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said that Florida will be increasing surveillance regarding scientific dishonesty and media dishonesty.

Jordan demands FBI turn over all communications with Twitter as probe of censorship heats up | 23 Dec 2022 | House Judiciary Committee Republicans led by incoming Chairman Jim Jordan demanded Friday that FBI Director Chris Wray turn over records of all communications and payments the law enforcement agency had with Twitter, signaling aggressive investigations of social media censorship next year. Jordan’s office said the release of internal files by Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, had unmasked an “ongoing surveillance operation” that exceeded FBI investigative authorities and that resulted in a “coordinated misinformation effort between the FBI and Twitter to suppress and censor free speech.” “We are investigating politicization and abuses at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as Big Tech’s censorship of conservatives online,” Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote Wray in an oversight letter. “Newly released information shows the FBI has coordinated extensively with Twitter to censor or otherwise affect content on Twitter’s platform.”

FBI paid Twitter $3.5M ‘to do its bidding’: Taxpayers’ money was used for ‘processing requests’ from the bureau amid Hunter Biden censorship scandal – as anger grows over secret state censorship of the American people –The most recent batch of Twitter files show that the FBI paid off staffers at the tech giant to the tune of 3.5 million –Emails show that Twitter’s deputy counsel Jim Baker met with feds for top secret meeting – a day before he said Hunter laptop should be banned | 21 Dec 2022 | The FBI handed nearly 3.5 million of taxpayers m-ney to Twitter to pay its staff to handle requests from the bureau as it sought to ban accounts. A Twitter employee wrote in a February 2020 email that the company’s Safety, Content & Law Enforcement (SCALE) had “collected 3,415,323” in less than two years from the FBI for “law-enforcement related projects.” The email, which was revealed by journalist Michael Shellenberger, stated that SCALE had instituted a “reimbursement program” in exchange for devoting staff hours to “processing requests from the FBI.” The emails was entitled “Run the business – We made m-ney!.” The accounts the FBI asked Twitter to ban were largely linked to conservatives and “foreign influence operations.”  

Notes from the Digital Gulag By CLG Founder, Michael Rectenwald Ph.D. | 23 Dec 2022 | As the author of Google Archipelago: The Digital Gulag and the Simulation of Freedom, I guess I should not be surprised to find myself squarely in the digital gulag–banished, perhaps permanently, from Twitter and Facebook. Twitter permanently suspended my account several weeks ago, mere days before Elon Musk took over the helm… Now Facebook has demanded proof that I am who I say I am, and has completely barred me from my account, which has been, at least temporarily, utterly erased from the site. I submitted a picture of my driver’s license, which Facebook rejected, and then a picture of my passport along with my license. I await Facebook’s response, which I read could take anywhere from forty-eight hours to forty-five days to arrive.

DOJ snooped on House Intelligence Committee investigators during Russia probe, subpoenas show | 19 Dec 2022 | In an extraordinary intrusion on congressional oversight, the Justice Department used grand jury subpoenas to secretly obtain the personal email and phone data of at least two top House Intelligence Committee investigators back in November 2017 just as they and their boss, then-Chairman Devin Nunes, were assembling bombshell evidence of FBI abuses in the Russia collusion probe, Just the News has learned. The subpoenas, obtained by Just the News, show the DOJ demanded that Google turn over personal email and phone data from the two senior staffers on Nov. 20, 2017, and that responsive materials were to be returned to DOJ by Dec. 5, 2017. The subpoenas were delivered during a critical time frame in the committee’s effort to expose the Donald Trump-Russia collusion investigation as having been driven by an uncorroborated political opposition dossier funded by Hillary Clinton. Nunes’s committee was locked at the time in a bitter struggle to force the FBI and DOJ to turn over records to the committee.

House GOP locates emails, texts showing Pelosi office directly involved in failed Jan. 6 security | 21 Dec 2022 | House Republicans gathered a trove of text and email messages showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was directly involved in the creation and editing of the Capitol security plan that failed during the January 6, 2021, riot and that security officials later declared they had been “denied again and again” the resources needed to protect one of the nation’s most important homes of democracy. The internal communications were made public Wednesday in a report compiled by Republican Reps. Rodney Davis, Jim Banks, Troy Nehls, Jim Jordan and Kelly Armstrong that encompasses the results of months of investigation they did of evidence that had been ignored by the Democratic-led Jan. 6 committee. The lawmakers were authorized by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to do their own probe.

White House Can’t Mandate COVID Jabs for Federal Contractors – Appeals Court | 20 Dec 2022 | A federal appeals court on Monday struck down a White House rule requiring anyone employed by a federal contractor to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of government contracts. A three-panel judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to affirm a lower court judgment that barred Joe Biden’s September 2021 executive order in three states after Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi sued to challenge the rule. These three states sued the Biden administration in the Western District of Louisiana in their capacities as federal contractors themselves, winning an injunction and stay by the district court. In upholding the lower court finding, Judge Kurt Engelhardt, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said in his majority opinion (pdf) that a broad interpretation of the law could have given Biden “nearly unlimited authority to introduce requirements into federal contracts.”

U.S. public not warned that monkeys imported from Cambodia carried deadly pathogens –Documents reveal that pathogenic agents, zoonotic bacteria and viruses, including one deemed bioterrorism risk, entered U.S. but “no indication CDC has been transparent” | 18 Dec 2022 | Animal activists are calling for the US government to stop the importation of non-human primates for laboratory use after documents from the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that deadly pathogenic agents, zoonotic bacteria and viruses — including one deemed to be a bioterrorism risk — entered the country with monkeys imported from Asia between 2018 and 2021. Documents obtained by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and seen exclusively by the Guardian, along with a case report by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, reveal that there have been six cases of Burkholderia pseudomallei identified in primates imported from Cambodia to the U.S. B pseudomallei, endemic in Southeast Asia, causes melioidosis, a rare but potentially deadly disease in humans, usually caused by contact with the pathogen in soil or water. It has a mortality rate of up to 50% and B pseudomallei is, according to the CDC, a “Tier 1 select agent” with potential as a bioterrorism agent. Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, a PETA senior science adviser, told the Guardian: “There is no indication that the CDC or research industries have been transparent with the public about these diseased monkeys.”

Biden Regime Delays Paychecks to National Guard Members for Christmas After Announcing Another $45 Billion Giveaway to Ukraine| 23 Dec 2022 | Earlier this week, Senate Republicans, under the leadership of Mitch McConnell, came to an agreement with Democrats on a 1.7 trillion spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The bill gives another 44.9 billion to Ukraine — where it disappears into the ether. According to Roll Call, “The package includes 858 billion in defense spending, a nearly 10 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, and 787 billion in non-defense spending, close to an 8 percent increase. It also would provide roughly 85 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine and disaster relief.” But despite the price tag, the bill does not secure the open US border with Mexico. And the bill does little to help working Americans or their families. National Guard members were informed this week that their check will not come in until after Christmas.

IRS delays controversial $600 reporting requirement for digital commerce sites like Venmo, PayPal | 23 Dec 2022 | The IRS announced Friday that it will delay the implementation of a plan to require e-commerce platforms such as PayPal [and others] to send tax forms to customers who have transactions of more than 600. “The additional time will help reduce confusion during the upcoming 2023 tax filing season and provide more time for taxpayers to prepare and understand the new reporting requirements,” acting IRS Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell told The New York Times. This rule doesn’t change what income is taxable, just what payment information the IRS will receive.

‘Without a Shadow of a Doubt’: Kari Lake Responds After 2-Day Election Trial Ends | 23 Dec 2022 | Arizona GOP candidate Kari Lake released a statement Thursday saying that her lawyers proved that there was “malicious intent” that caused disruption during Maricopa County’s Nov. 8 election, although lawyers for Arizona’s Secretary of State office and Maricopa County argued that she didn’t offer any evidence of alleged fraud or misconduct. …Kurt Olsen, one of Lake’s attorneys, said officials tried to downplay the effects of the printer problems in Maricopa County. On Nov. 8, County Supervisor Bill Gates and Recorder Stephen Richer announced during a news conference that there were printer errors at dozens of polling locations countywide, telling voters to either drop their ballots inside drop-boxes or go to another polling location. “This is about trust, your honor,” Olsen said. “It’s about restoring people’s trust. There is not a person that’s watching this thing that isn’t shaking their head now.”

Kari Lake’s election fraud case WILL go to trial: Republican warns Americans to ‘buckle up’ as she attempts to overturn Arizona ‘election’ result: ‘These people are corrupt’ –Lake told her followers on Monday night: “Buckle up, this is far from over” | 19 Dec 2022 | Kari Lake’s election case will be going to trial, after attempts to throw it out by Governor-elect [sic] Katie Hobbs were squashed on Monday. Lake was the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona and has launched legal action to have her defeat overturned or have the [so-called] election rerun because of [myriad] problems at polling stations. The two phases that will be moving forward to trial are her chain of custody challenges and intentional malice regarding widespread printer breakdowns — leading to her loss [sic] to Democrat Katie Hobbs. She tweeted this evening: “Our Election Case is going to trial. Katie Hobbs attempt to have our case thrown out FAILED. She will have to take the stand & testify. Buckle up, America. This is far from over.” …Lake, 53, alleges that a Maricopa County official interfered with the machines, violating both federal and state law.  

Chip Roy blows up over $1.7T spending bill in fiery floor speech: ‘Destroying the United States’ | 23 Dec 2022 | Rep. Chip Roy on Friday blew up at the process that is forcing a quick vote on a 1.7 trillion bill that no one has read and said the Democratic rush job is destroying the country. “We’re spending m-ney we don’t have,” the Texas Republican said Friday morning on the House floor. “Go home and sell your projects, go home and talk about all the pork you’re bringing home. But you’re destroying the United States of America, absolutely destroying this body.” Roy offered several amendments to the mammoth spending bill, none of which were allowed as Democrat leaders pushed for a vote by midday Friday. …”Everything the American people is watching right now is a complete sham,” Roy added. “It’s a fraud, a fraud being perpetrated on the American people right before their eyes, right as we head into Christmas.” …Roy also bristled at the idea that more than half of the House members voting Friday might already be home for Christmas. Most lawmakers requested proxy voting Friday, which lets them claim worries about COVID as a reason to vote remotely.  

McConnell’s Ukraine comments show why Republican voters flocked to Trump | 22 Dec 2022 | Senate Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell (R-KY) is a veteran of the Washington Swamp and a savvy politician who’s been in office since 1985… But his most recent comments about Ukraine are indicative of why Republican voters have grown to loathe the “establishment.” Even more so, it shows why many of them supported former President Donald Trump. McConnell believes the country should keep sending endless billions of taxpayer m-ney to Ukraine. It’s a puzzling statement, given his political experience, and not representative of the sentiment of most Republican voters. “Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the No. 1 priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans,” McConnell said.  

$1.7 Trillion, 4,155-Page Omnibus Bill Passes Senate with Help of 18 Republicans | 22 Dec 2022 | The 1.7 trillion omnibus bill passed the Senate by a vote of 68-29 on Thursday afternoon. Eighteen Republicans voted for the 4,155-page bill just released days ago. The House will vote on the bill potentially Thursday and be signed into law before Friday night’s deadline ahead of a government shutdown. Senators were rushing to vote on the bill before terrible weather hit Washington, DC, that would prevent them from returning home. The 1.7 trillion, 4,155-page bill includes 45 billion of aid for Ukraine, adding to the 66 billion of taxpayers’ m-ney lawmakers have already approved for Ukraine. As a blank check and without any accounting for funds spent, American taxpayers have given more aid to Ukraine in 2022 than Afghanistan, Israel, and Egypt combined in 2020. In just a few short months since the Ukrainian war began, the amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine also surpassed three of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid in history.  

Supreme Court temporarily blocks lifting pandemic-related asylum restrictions | 19 Dec 2022 | The Supreme Court is temporarily blocking an order that would lift pandemic-era restrictions on asylum seekers. But it is leaving open the prospect of lifting the restrictions by Wednesday. The order Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts comes as conservative states are pushing to keep limits on asylum seekers that were put in place during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. They are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort before the limits are set to expire. In the one-page order, Roberts granted a stay pending further order and asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday.  

ICE Lost Track of 150,000 Illegal Immigrants – Florida AG | 21 Dec 2022 | Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody has revealed new video evidence that shows officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lost track of 150,000 illegal immigrants who had entered the United States. In March 2021, border officials began releasing immigrant illegals, asking them to report to the ICE office closest to their intended residence. However, the officials did not issue formal charging documents for these migrants. Charging documents require illegal aliens to appear before a federal immigration judge. ICE officials use these documents to locate and remove them. In November 2021, the Biden administration implemented “Operation Horizon” to locate over 150,000 migrants released by the officials so that they can send official charging documents by mail. However, ICE training videos released by Moody, which were recorded between November 2021 and February 2022, show that officials were quite restricted in their ability to locate and remove illegal immigrants as they lacked the identifying information of such aliens.

El Paso Mayor Declares State of Emergency Amid Surge of Illegal Aliens | 18 Dec 2022 | The mayor of El Paso declared a state of emergency on Dec. 17, citing a surge in the numbers of illegal aliens in the city’s streets and an expected influx of more to come across the Southern border as the Title 42 border policy is set to end by Dec. 21. Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, said the emergency measures will allow the city to have more resources and authority to shelter those who have crossed the southern border, and that this is expected to become more necessary with the Title 42 policy’s ending on Dec. 21, reported the El Paso Times… On Dec. 21, the increase in illegal aliens would be “incredible,” and daily apprehensions and street releases could reach up to 6,000 per day, Leeser told reporters, according to the El Paso Times.

4 dead after nearly 50-car pileup shuts down Ohio Turnpike near Sandusky | 23 Dec 2022 | A nearly 50-car pileup that left four dead and multiple injured closed down the Ohio Turnpike Friday afternoon. Ohio State Highway Patrol crews respond to multiple crashes on I-80 eastbound between Route 53 and State Route 4 in Groton Township in Erie County. Troopers have confirmed that at least four people are dead and multiple injuries have been reported. Buses were used to take people from their vehicles to a local facility so they could stay warm.

2 dead, ‘widespread damages’ after 6.4 earthquake in Humboldt Co; at least 12 hurt –One county official tells ABC7 the city of Rio Dell is a “total mess,” with houses off their foundation and no power or water. | 20 Dec 2022 | A magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook parts of Northern California early Tuesday, jolting people awake, the U.S. Geological Survey said, causing widespread damage and leaving thousands without power. The earthquake occurred at about 2:34 a.m. near Ferndale, a small community in Humboldt County. It was followed by at least 80 aftershocks. At least 12 individuals have been injured, with none critically, officials said. Two individuals, ages 72 and 83, have died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during and/or just following the earthquake, according to Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal.