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US News:
Exclusive: General, West Point Professor Ran Shadow Investigation to Hunt Down and Silence Military Whistleblower for Mean Tweets
(Editors Note: Excerpts from a very long but very interesting article)
Despite the lack of evidence, they repeatedly accused the whistleblower of being a “counterintelligence” and “insider threat” in a seeming effort to trigger action by Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) — an independent federal law enforcement agency with expansive powers designed to investigate serious felonies.
Rather, it appeared to be an attempt by rogue military officials seeking to use the levers of government to punish political dissent.
Gervais and Dawson ran their shadow investigation for nearly a year, enlisting help from a mob of online associates consisting of progressive current and former members of the military who disagreed with the whistleblower politically.
My research interests focus on nationalism, white supremacy and extremism, religion and what binds people together, guns and the role of American civil religion as well as the digital disruption of technology on aspects of society.
I’m also the Director for the EXCEL scholars program, designed to provide mentorship and support for under represented minorities pursing academic excellence in post graduate scholarships.
Their efforts led to the doxxing — or public “outing” — of the suspected whistleblower’s identity and an Army two-star general’s former aide filing an inspector general complaint against him, a weaponization of the IG system in retaliation for critical social media posts.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Terminal CWO provided information for troops who opposed the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for the military and also revealed that the Department of Defense (DOD) inspector general had warned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin he was potentially violating federal law by not properly considering requests for accommodation. That story also became national news and caught the attention of Congress.
Terminal CWO would also frequently post content and memes critical of Army leaders, which drew the ire of those leaders — particularly those with progressive followings.
One of those leaders was then-Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe, the commanding general of Fort Benning in Georgia. During the pandemic, Donahoe advocated aggressively for troops to get vaccinated.
At one point, Donahoe got into an online fight with a former Marine who pointed out that far more troops were dying of suicide than COVID-19. Donahoe tagged the Marine’s graduate school’s social media account and wrote, “Hey @Hillsdale, come get your boy.”
Then-Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson slammed Donahoe on his show on July 27, 2021. Carlson said in his opening monologue:
Several months later, Dawson enlisted the help of Gervais, a three-star general whom Terminal CWO had criticized in the past. Like Donahoe, Gervais would frequently interact with current and former progressive members of the military on social media.
Documents attached to the 15-6 report showed that Gervais and Dawson communicated extensively in trying to track down Terminal CWO’s identity via official email and direct messaging.
They also discussed obtaining his military service record as well as getting information from social media companies.
There is additional evidence of other Army officials running their own efforts to investigate Terminal CWO and other soldiers who were suspected of being “facilitators” to the Terminal CWO accounts.
Official documents from the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) contained an analysis of Terminal CWO and discussed another soldier it called a “Potential CAC TCWO Facilitator.”
The documents contain a recommendation to launch an investigation into a soldier to see if he was involved in facilitating the Terminal CWO accounts.
Total taxpayer spending for Illinois’ budget jumps 95% since 2018
COGFA’s report on fiscal year 2024 released Monday reviews the annual budget that began July 1. The report details the budget process and how much each state agency and program is set to receive in annual appropriations.
While a lot of reporting focuses on the state spending of $50.4 billion in Illinois General Revenue Funds, overall taxpayer spending is much higher at more than $193.5 billion when taking into account federal and special funds. That’s up from the $99 billion in total spending for fiscal year 2018, or a 95.3% increase.
Truth in Accouting’s Sheila Weinberg said there was a 7% increase from 2018 to 2019.
“Then COVID happened and then the floodgates just opened. The federal government threw money at everything. The states threw money at everything,” Weinberg told WMAY. “So between 2019 and 2020, the annual appropriations increased by a whopping 35%.”
Giant ‘X’ sign removed from former Twitter headquarters building
The move – shown in images – comes after the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection received 24 complaints about the unpermitted structure over the weekend, including concerns regarding its structural safety and flashing light.
“This morning, building inspectors observed the structure being dismantled,” Patrick Hannan, the city’s Department of Building Inspection communications director, said in a statement to FOX Business on Monday. “A building permit is required to remove the structure but, due to safety concerns, the permit can be secured after the structure is taken down.”
“The property owner will be assessed fees for the unpermitted installation of the illuminated structure,” he continued. “The fees will be for building permits for the installation and removal of the structure, and to cover the cost of the Department of Building Inspection and the Planning Department’s investigation.”
More than a quarter of homeowners in U.S. are ‘house poor’
(The Center Square) – Nationwide 27.4% of homeowners are considered “house poor,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
However, in some U.S. cities, far more Americans are living beyond their means, according to research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In Hialeah, Florida, 59.3% of homeowners are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs. While Hialeah has the highest percentage of homeowners spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, it was not alone.
Among the top five highest are Los Angeles (48.7%), New York City (45.3%), Miami (44.6%) and Hollywood, Florida (44.3%). Of the top 10 cities, four are in California and four are in Florida. The other two were New York City and Honolulu, according to the report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
LA Evictions Coming With Looming COVID-19 Back Rent Due
Los Angeles officials said on Monday that a rise in homelessness in the city is expected in August, with the looming August 1st deadline for tenants to pay all back rent owed from March 2020 through September 2021.
The back rent issue has been one of the most contentious in the city for years. Since 2020, landlords have fought hard against the city eviction moratorium, saying that it put an undue burden on them and that they have been financially struggling to pay mortgages and other expenses due to no money coming in from renters who can’t be removed.
Housing groups, aided by statistics showing that homelessness in LA would significantly jump up as a result, including state statistics showing that 101,000 households had rent relief funding during the pandemic in LA alone, prevailed in fighting off attempts in ending the moratorium during the last few years, including in court.
Local Pastor makes National impact through school board targeted by Gavin Newsom
Recently Temecula CA has caught the attention of the National news cycle because of the stand Pastor Tim Thompson spearheaded against Gavin Newsom.
Oklahoma National Guard Joins 12 Other States in Texas Border Security Mission
Responding to a request for assistance from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Governor Stitt ordered 50 members of the Oklahoma Nation Guard to travel to South Texas in support of the Operation Lone Star border security mission, KOSO NPR reported.
Governor Stitt joined with 12 other Republican governors who responded to Abbott’s request by deploying National Guard Units and/or state law enforcement officers.
“Every state is a border state, and Republican governors – together – are stepping up to protect Americans where Biden has failed,” the collective governors said in a written statement.
In his deployment announcement, Governor Stitt wrote: “By deploying our brave National Guard Troops, we’re sending a strong message that we remain dedicated to defending our borders and upholding law and order in our nation.”
Evidence Of Biden Burisma Corruption Is Overwhelming
Akey associate of Hunter Biden reluctantly admitted details about how the Biden family business was run — and those details are shocking.
Devon Archer, a longtime business partner and close friend of Hunter Biden’s, told congressional investigators Monday that at a meeting in Dubai on Dec. 4, 2015, top executives of Ukrainian energy concern Burisma asked Hunter Biden and himself for help from D.C.
At the time of the meeting, Hunter Biden’s dad, Joe Biden, was serving as Barack Obama’s vice president as well as his point person on Ukraine.
Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, and Vadym Pozharski, a Burisma executive, wanted to get Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin fired as he was investigating the company for corruption, Archer told members of Congress.
Since that false “fact” “check,” investigators in the House and Senate have shown that the Biden family business involves oligarchs and other powerful figures from Russia, Romania, China, and even France and other countries.
Joe Biden reportedly met and spoke with his son’s employers from across the globe. The corporate press and other Democrats will fight disclosure about the Biden family business every step of the way, but Archer’s transcribed interview shows how important it is to reveal the truth of that business to the American people.
Three Years Later, Gov. Newsom Clings to Emergency COVID Powers – For the ‘Next Emergency’
“Did Gov. Newsom Really End CA’s COVID-19 State of Emergency?” the Globe asked March 1st when the governor announced he was lifting his emergency COVID order. “Three years later, it doesn’t appear the governor is really giving up his emergency powers.”
Here’s why: Newsom may have lifted the specific COVID-19 state of emergency order, but he replaced it with “The SMARTER Plan” which should make everyone extremely anxious.
The SMARTER Plan should give you chills, as Newsom’s Covid19.ca.gov website explains:
“The SMARTER Plan is not just for COVID-19. We can use these strategies and systems for future emergencies.”
SMARTER stands for:
California relying on fossil fuels for critical power amid record heat wave: ‘We need natural gas’
The state’s grid is dependent on fossil fuel plants during the nighttime and morning hours when solar energy infrastructure isn’t producing up to its capacity.
That includes the period of highest electricity demand at around 7 p.m. when, on Sunday, natural gas generated 45% of the state’s power compared to the 27% generated by renewables.
“California’s climate goals comes with a high cost that the public needs to understand,” Kevin Slagle, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, told Fox News Digital. “The state will need three times the electricity production we have today, 30 times the number of EVs on the road and energy infrastructure will need to be built at a historical pace.”
Still, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has argued fossil fuels are to blame for climate change and has repeatedly advocated policies to wean the state off traditional power sources.
Tax-Funded Ohio Group Sponsors Program to Teach Children How to Be Drag Queens
The Fairview, Ohio, Colors+ Youth Center is offering monthly programs to teach children how to become drag queens, according to the group’s website.
The youth center is working in collaboration with Drag Queen Story Hour Cleveland to offer a Saturday event featuring a “drag performer reading an age-appropriate book with positive themes for LGBTQ+ youth highlighting inclusivity, creativity, and love.”
The center employs drag performers including Sassy Sascha, Rhett Corvette, Veranda L’Ni, and Zoey Zegai to read to children, the site adds.
Along with the story hour, the center also hosts “monthly drag tutorials by a local drag performer who teaches the fundamentals of drag (makeup, costume design, and performance).”
World News:
China’s military speeds preparations to blockade Taiwan
Russian military activities east of Taiwan have also become noticeable. Two frigate ships appeared in May and continued activities for more than a month.
“Russia is stepping up military activities around Taiwan in tune with China against the backdrop of changes in their relationship after the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” said Tsun-yen Wang, an associate research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, which belongs to the Taiwanese defense ministry.
Given the series of China’s military activities east of Taiwan, experts consider Beijing to be finalizing preparations for a “blockade of Taiwan” in the near future.
Ukraine war latest: Poland sends more troops to Belarus border after helicopters violate airspace
Explosion reported at ‘military base’ in Sevastopol
We’re hearing that an explosion was reported in Crimea’s largest city, Sevastopol, at around 6pm local time this evening.
Pictures of the explosion have appeared on local Telegram channels, with users describing the explosion as “massive”.
Sky News has managed to geolocate the explosion to the Balaklava district in the east of the city, to an area that appears to be a military base.
It’s not clear whether the explosion is linked to the one caused by Russia’s downing of a drone above Sevastopol earlier on, as we reported at 5.03pm.
Poland to boost border troops after Belarus ‘entered airspace’
Poland has accused Belarus of violating its airspace with two helicopters earlier today.
In response, the Polish ministry of defence says it will increase the number of troops on its eastern border.
More than 1,000 Polish troops were sent to the 250-mile Belarusian border last week, after Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin started training Belarusian troops.
Poland said it had informed NATO of the incident.
The move comes just a few hours after the US said it had not seen any signs of a specific threat from the Wagner group – which is now almost entirely based in Belarus – to Poland or any other NATO country.
India: Fresh violence erupts in Gurugram as mob of at least 200 vandalises, sets shops on fire
Fresh violence erupted in the Indian state of Haryana’s city of Gurugram, on Tuesday (August 1), after a mob of nearly 200 people rampaged across Badshahpur.
This comes a day after at least five people, including two police personnel, were killed in clashes between two groups following a religious procession in the Nuh district of the same northern state.
At least four shops were set on fire in Sector 66 and no one was reported to be injured. A fire brigade team reached the spot and controlled the blaze, reported news agency PTI. The Badshahpur market was also shut down, said the police.
However, Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav, on Tuesday described the situation as “normal,” and told ANI, “There was some spill-over impact in Sohna of whatever happened in Nuh yesterday, however, the situation was brought under control by evening.”
Sweden to tighten borders amid Quran protests
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Tuesday announced that Sweden will introduce a new law, expected to be approved Thursday, that will give police expanded powers to conduct identity checks as well as vehicle and body searches at Sweden’s borders.
Electronic border surveillance is also to be expanded.
The measure, said Kristersson, is intended to prevent, “people with very weak connections to Sweden” from entering the country, “to commit crimes or to act in conflict with Swedish security interests.”
Sweden and neighboring Denmark have come into global focus in the wake of numerous anti-Islam “protests” in which a small number of individuals have desecrated the Muslim holy Quran, inciting widespread rage across the Muslim world.
Ukraine updates: Moscow says drone hit finance center tower
Russia says an out-of-control drone hit a business center for a second time. The building houses offices belonging to at least three ministries.
Ministry for Economic Development staff were said to be working remotely while experts weigh up the damage.
Ukraine says the Russian capital is “getting used to a full-fledged war,” although Kyiv has not said it was behind the drone attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry also says it foiled a Ukrainian drone attack targeting patrol boats in the Black Sea.
Poland and Ukraine call in envoys after war support comments
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Ukrainian ambassador to discuss the “comments of representatives of Ukrainian authorities,” it said on social media.
It comes after Ukraine’s foreign ministry called in Poland’s ambassador to Kyiv earlier in the day.
The dispute appears to be over remarks made by Marcin Przydacz, the foreign policy adviser to Poland’s president, that Kyiv should show more appreciation for Warsaw’s support in its war with Russia (See earlier entry).
Kyiv and Warsaw have been firm allies throughout Russia’s war in Ukraine, but the exchanges reflected contentious issues.
Ukrainian military strikes on Moscow would be “legitimate act of self-defense” — legal expert
As Russia accuses Ukraine of orchestrating drone attacks on Moscow, international law expert David Scheffer told DW that Kyiv has the right to defend itself by striking military targets inside Russia.
“Ukraine is a country under attack,” Scheffer said. “Under those circumstances — cross-border aggression — Ukraine does have the right of self-defense, and that right of self-defense includes military strikes on Russian territory in order to seek to deter, prevent, repel the acts of aggression.
Scheffer formerly served as the United States’ first ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues and is now a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.
“It is a legitimate act of self-defense for Ukraine to actually strike very deep into Russia, including into Moscow, as long as those strikes hit military targets. If any of those drone strikes hit civilian targets in Moscow, then that would be illegal,” Scheffer said.
Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the recent drone attacks in Moscow.
On Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address: “War is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”
New direct flight between Tel Aviv, Moroccan port city
Israeli flight carrier Arkia will soon launch flights between Tel Aviv and the Moroccan city of Essaouira.
The Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) and the Israeli airline will sign a partnership agreement on Friday for the launch of a direct line linking these two coastal cities.
Bank Bends the Knee to Farage: Cancels Closure of Account in Desperate Bid to End Growing Scandal
Mr Farage said that while he appreciated the overture from Coutts, he has no intention of giving up the campaign he has begun against the banking industry, having launched a website to organise those who have also been unjustly debanked to campaign for change in Britain.
“Most of these people aren’t in my position, they haven’t got the platform, they haven’t got the opportunity to fight back,” the Brexit leader said on GB News.
“So if I can speak up for all of those people, we can deal with this nonsense. If we can get ultimately to the position where having a bank account becomes a right in our country, because you can’t function otherwise in the 21st century without it, that would be a real victory.
The scale of the issue was demonstrated by a report in the Mail on Sunday, which revealed that British banks are closeing over a thousand accounts per working day.
According to a Freedom of Information request made by the paper to the Financial Conduct Authority found that last year nearly 350,000 accounts were shut down, compared to just under 50,000 in 2016.
Iran tones frustration about IAF strikes in Syria; US bolsters Mideast presence TV7Israel News 01.08
1) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the notion that peace with the Arab world is contingent on reaching an agreement with the Palestinians.
2) The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns repeated Israeli attacks against its forces in Syria – while, in tandem, levels a threat toward the United States of America.
3) Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen confirms that Israel is “closest ever to a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.”
Niger bans uranium and gold exports to France
Niger’s military authorities, which seized power from President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup last week, banned uranium and gold exports to France on Sunday with “immediate effect,” according to multiple reports on Monday.
General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the newly formed transitional council, announced the decision, according to the Al Mayadeen news portal.
Thousands of junta supporters applauded the move on Sunday during anti-French protests in the capital, Niamey, and burned French flags, local outlet Wazobia reported.
“We have uranium, diamonds, gold, and oil, and we live like slaves? We don’t need the French to keep us safe,” the portal quoted one of the protesters as saying.
Germany: 2nd migrant arrested for gang rape in Berlin’s Görlitzer Park after police hid details of the case for a month
The case has drawn widespread attention due to police keeping the incident out of the news despite the perpetrators being on the loose since June 21.
Welt newspaper finally revealed that a woman was raped nearly a month after the incident, with critics saying the police hid the case because the perpetrators were believed to be foreigners, a fact that now can be confirmed; one of the suspects, arrested Thursday, is from Somalia, and now a second arrest has been made of a 22-year-old man from Guinea-Bissau.
Berliner Zeitung has reported on the second arrest, noting that the African suspect was near the scene of the rape and is now in custody.
According to a police source who leaked the details of the case, a 27-year-old woman was gang-raped on June 21 in the early morning.
The perpetrators held down the victim’s boyfriend while the men raped her. After the incident, the Berlin police did not release any details or descriptions of the Black male attackers.
Görlitzer Park has long been the subject of contention in Berlin, as the popular park is filled with African drug dealers who operate from one end of the park to the other. The park has been the scene of violence, needles on playgrounds, and numerous sexual assaults.
Even the petting zoo at the park has not been safe. In 2017, a Syrian migrant raped a pony there in front of children.
Migrant smugglers advertise on TikTok for journey into Poland
Migrant smuggler gangs are looking for clients via social media to transport them across the Polish-Belarusian border, with a surge in their activities recently observed on TikTok.
Videos are being shared of people equipped with metal-cutting tools attempting to breach the barrier at the Polish-Belarusian border.
These recordings are now serving as a form of advertising for potential illegal migrants.
They aim to encourage more people from all over the world to travel through Belarus and Poland to Germany.
Since the beginning of the wave of illegal migration supported by Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime, such “services” are particularly promoted on Arabic-speaking profiles.
Among the shared content is footage from campsites in the forests on the Polish-Belarusian border, clips of attempts to destroy barriers using metal-cutting tools, and moments captured when migrants are received by couriers on the Polish side.
Politics:
Vance wants visa applicants to pay deposit
Vance believes the legislation could cut into the nearly 700,000 people who overstay their visas annually, according to estimates he provided from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Timely Departure Act would create a visa bond system requiring non-immigrant visa recipients to deposit money into a holding account with Homeland Security before entering the country.
The money would be returned if visa holders leave when the visa expires. If they stay, Homeland Security would keep the money and use it only to fund the detention and removal of people in the country illegally.
The bill would require a deposit of between $5,000 and $15,000, and people who do not make an asylum claim before their visa expires could not claim asylum after it expires.
By-election to be held after COVID rule-breaker MP Margaret Ferrier loses seat
She lost her parliamentary seat in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in Scotland following a successful recall petition.
In 2021 she was charged by police and ordered to undertake 270 hours of unpaid work after admitting culpably and recklessly exposing the public “to the risk of infection, illness and death” as a result of her behaviour.
She was subsequently suspended from the Commons for 30 days, which triggered the recall petition.
‘MTG’ DESTROYS “Dishonest Debbie” for WOKE Military Priorities
Natalie Winters: Hunter Biden Didn’t Just Violate Foreign Agent Registration Act – He’s A TRAITOR.
Biden family has done something ‘we’ve never seen before’: Whitaker
Former U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker reacts to revelations from Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer and his closed-door testimony.
This is ‘rising to the level of treason’: GOP rep.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., argues ‘it is time’ to get ‘tough’ on a Biden impeachment inquiry
Ingraham: Joe Biden lied
Fox News host Laura Ingraham unpacks the influence-peddling allegations against the Biden family on ‘The Ingraham Angle.
South Africa: Potential Election Kingmaker Leads Stadium in White Genocide Chant
Julius Malema, the left-wing radical leader of the third-largest South African political party, led a massive stadium crowd on Saturday in a vicious “liberation” chant of “Kill the Boer! Kill the farmer!” — in other words, an explicitly racist call for massive violence against the white population of South Africa.
The spectacle was all the more disturbing because the EFF is growing in political strength and could well play the kingmaker during next year’s elections.
Malema’s party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was celebrating the tenth anniversary of its founding — and flexing its populist muscles as it prepares to displace the African National Congress (ANC) as the official opposition party in the Western Cape where the Democratic Alliance (DA) currently holds power.
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