As No One Watched, Trump Pardoned 5 Megabanks for Corruption Charges

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While Americans celebrated the holidays, President Trump followed in the footsteps of his predecessors by acting in the interest of Wall Street and using the distraction to do something that was not in the best interest of the American people. He pardoned five megabanks for rampant fraud and corruption, which is especially notable because of the amount of money he owes them.

Trump has been using Deutsche Bank since the 1990s, and Financial Times has reported that he now owes the bank at least $130 million in outstanding loans secured in properties in Miami, Chicago, and Washington. However, the report claimed that the actual number is likely much larger at $300 million.

Reports claimed that Deutsche was the only bank willing to lend Trump money after his companies faced multiple bankruptcies. The relationship has continued over the years, and an analysis from the Wall Street Journal claimed that Trump has received at least $2.5 billion in loans from Deutsche Bank over the last 20 years.

There have been concerns about Trump’s ties to the bank becoming a conflict of interest, dating back to the 2016 election, and the evidence to support those concerns is now becoming clear.

During the week of Christmas, the Federal Register announced that the Trump Administration had issued waivers to Citigroup, JPMorgan, Barclays, UBS and Deutsche Bank—all megabanks facing charges of fraud and corruption.

The banks were involved in the LIBOR Scandal, in which they colluded to deliberately depress the rate at which they paid out on investments. By suppressing the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) at the beginning of an economic crisis in 2007, the megabanks were able to boost their earnings and to give their customers a false sense of security.

Deutsche Bank pled guilty to wire fraud in a U.S. court in 2015, and it went on to pay $3.5 billion for its role in the LIBOR scandal—more than any other bank involved—before it reached a $7.2 billion settlement with the Justice Department in early 2017.

Then in June 2017, Deutsche Bank trader David Liew, who is based in Singapore, pleaded guilty to conspiring to spoof gold, silver, platinum and palladium futures in federal court in Chicago, confirming that the biggest banks in the world have conspired to rig precious metals markets.

While Trump granted 5-year exemptions to Citigroup, JPMorgan, and Barclays, and 3-year exemptions to UBS and Deutsche Bank, it should be noted that his administration is not the only one to have done this. As International Business Times noted, “In late 2016, the Obama administration extended temporary one-year waivers to five banks,” which just happened to be the same ones Trump has now extended the exemptions on—revealing the real rulers in DC.

Not surprisingly, the latest decision to pardon the banks comes in stark contrast to one of Trump’s most applauded campaign promises—that he would finally stand up against Wall Street and demand that the most powerful banks be held accountable to the public.

“I’m not going to let Wall Street get away with murder. Wall Street has caused tremendous problems for us. We’re going to tax Wall Street,” Trump said during a campaign rally in January 2016. (For more from the author of “As No One Watched, Trump Pardoned 5 Megabanks for Corruption Charges” please click HERE)

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Fighting Fake News: Back Door Trick to Enact Censorship

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Fighting fake news is the new pretext given by the ruling cabal in many nations to enact censorship via the back door. Amid the rallying cries of “We must fight fake news!” both France (under would-be dictator Macron) and now Brazil are attempting to pass legislation to ban political content on the Web that the government deems to be fake news. There is a theme to this, as it follows on from many acts of censorship in 2016 and 2017. Whether it’s Twitter shadowbanning, Facebook rolling out fake news checkers or deleting entire accounts, YouTube embarking upon soft censorship through forced sign-ins or hard censorship by deleting entire channels, Google’s search engine hiding websites (by de-ranking them) or – worst of all – Google demonetizing content and sites not to its liking, censorship is clearly getting worse and threatening to overtake a free and open Internet.

All in the Name of Fighting Fake News

The big corporations of the Internet have shown their true colors on the issue of censorship vs. free speech. Amazon has been caught banning certain books from being sold on its platform . . . In reaction to the whole “Russian meddling in the US election saga”, which is itself fake news and a tempest in a teapot, Facebook decided to get tough and enlist the help of international fact checkers to do your thinking for you and decide for you what is real news and what is fake news. Funnily enough, it was recently reported that the rollout didn’t go so well, so for the time being Facebook has canned the idea because it was making things worse! Facebook has also been caught banning posts on certain topics (e.g. with NaturalNews.com and their posts on gun control) or even deleting entire accounts of users it didn’t like (as recently happened with David Icke, whose 700,000+ follower account just got reinstated after being down for 6 days due to an “error” – yeah right).

Twitter is no stranger to censorship either, with its employees boasting of shadow banning (aka stealth banning, ghost banning or comment ghosting), meaning blocking a user or their content from an online community without the user realizing they have been banned. At one point Google publicly floated the idea of deranking and delisting certain sites (they mentioned Russian sites RT and Sputnik), but they later did a U-Turn and claimed they would not be doing that. Obviously, it is easily within their power to tamper with algorithms to include or exclude anything they want, and virtually no one would ever know the search results were being skewed due to Google’s own ideological bias. Google was caught doing this in favor of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 US presidential elections. Indeed, after the firing of ex-Google employee James Damore (who has now initiated a class action lawsuit due to his dismissal), we have to wonder whether bias isn’t already coded into Google’s algorithms just as a result of their orthodoxy and culture (left-wing and promoting diversity at all costs). Recently, Breitbart reported that Google’s fact-checking almost exclusively targets conservative or right-wing media.

It’s not just Google itself. Google-owned YouTube has been embarking on campaigns of both soft censorship and hard censorship. In many ways, soft censorship is more insidious, because then the company can claim plausible deniability and refuse to admit they are even engaged in censorship. In this case, soft censorship refers to when YouTube technically allows people to watch a video, but makes it difficult by putting barriers in the way, e.g. by claiming the content is “age-restricted” (forcing you to open an account, give your details to YouTube and prove that you are of mature age) or using other ways to force you to sign in before being allowed to watch the video. The adpocalypse of 2017 as it was called was perhaps closer to hard censorship, and involved a sweeping demonetization of videos due to “inappropriate content” for advertisers. Finally, YT has actually deleted entire channels on occasion, such as the deletion of Activist Post’s account last year in 2017.

It’s Not Just Fighting Fake News; Censorship Also Thriving under Pretext of Fighting Terrorism, Fighting Hate Speech and Being Political Correct

Fighting fake news gives would-be tyrants a great excuse to censor; however, free speech is also being eroded by the equally vague and nebulous concepts of terrorism and hate speech. The term fake news rose to prominence right around the time that Donal Trump was elected in November 2016, yet there is hardly a clear and widely-agreed upon definition for the phrase. It often gets used by people who seek to criticize information they don’t like, dismiss allegations against them, or even to defend themselves when faced with an unflattering report about themselves. As Glenn Greenwald writes:

Yet, as many have long been warning, few people, if any, ever bothered to define what the term [fake news] actually means. As a result, it’s incredibly vague, shifting, and devoid of consistent meaning. Do any news articles that contain false, significant assertions qualify? Is there some intent requirement, and if so, what is it and how is determined (does recklessness qualify)? Can large mainstream outlets such as the Washington Post, Le Monde, and Globo be guilty of publishing “fake news” and thus subject to this censorship, or is it — as one expects — reserved only for small, independent blogs and outlets that lack a powerful corporate presence?

Ill-defined terms that become popularized in political discourse are, by definition, terms of propaganda rather than reliable, meaningful indicators of problems. And invariably, they wreak all kinds of predictable havoc and inevitably give rise to abuses of power. More than anything else, such terms — which, by design, mean whatever the powerful groups wielding them want them to mean — so often produce arbitrary censorship in the name of combatting them. Just consider two similarly ill-defined but popular propagandistic terms — “terrorism” and “hate speech” — which have been appropriated by governments all over the world to justify the most extreme, repressive powers.

The fake war on terror has given the West – especially the US and UK – lots of mileage to suppress its own citizens. Egypt and Saudi Arabia also jumped in on the act with censorship laws based on terrorism. As for hate speech, it has been used to silence all sorts of opinions . . .

Political correctness is nothing but censorship at the end of the day. It is intolerance disguised as tolerance. As George Carlin said: it is fascism pretending to be manners. There is no right “not to be offended.” It is becoming more and more ludicrous as each year passes, with groups making lists of approved and non-approved terms and insisting that people using the non-approved, “politically incorrect” terms are therefore committing microaggressions against the people who hear them. How much more are we going to take before our range of “permissible” thoughts has been utterly diminished?

When you put all these nebulous but lethal terms together – national security, war on terror, terrorism, hate speech and fake news – it pretty much allows the government to do anything it wants to you, anytime, anywhere, including searching you, robbing you, jailing you and killing you!

Watch out any time politicians invent a new talking point term which is vague and indefinable. That vagueness can be used against you. Fighting fake news is a joke. People are people. As long as humans have had free will and the ability to speak or write, there has always been the possibility of people lying, omitting, distorting or making false claims. It’s part of being alive to develop your discernment and work out what is true or false. Never allow government to pretend it can do this, for the result will always be that the ruling class filters out what its doesn’t want you to know out of self-interest and a desire for more power and control. (For more from the author of “Fighting Fake News: Back Door Trick to Enact Censorship” please click HERE)

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Professor Creates Checklist for Detecting White Supremacy

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An English professor at Linfield College has developed a checklist that is intended to help individuals determine whether they are white supremacists.

In a Friday op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, professor Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt explains that after many years of contemplation, she “created a list of qualities and attributes of those that overtly or covertly support or contribute to a culture of mundane and everyday white supremacy within our institutions.”

The academic then goes on to outline 15 of her core “troubles” that she “identified to help others in academe recognize your (un)conscious contributions to white supremacy.”

The first item on the lengthy list of transgressions is working “in a position of power in a predominantly white institution” and doing nothing “to change the white supremacist power structures within your departments, committees and institutional decision-making process.”

Likewise, another sign of aiding white supremacy is thinking that marginalized colleagues who complain about oppressive work conditions are “difficult,” and saying “I am so sorry. This is unbelievable” to colleagues and students who claim “that they experienced microaggressions,” Dutt-Ballerstadt claims. (Read more from “Professor Creates Checklist for Detecting White Supremacy” HERE)

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New IVF Technique Uses Images of Embryos to Pick Best

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A new IVF method that takes thousands of pictures of embryos to select the best eggs has increased the likelihood of a baby being born by 25 per cent.

The developing embryos are photographed while in incubators every 10 to 20 minutes and then sent to a computer to rank the eggs using algorithms.

Research including 24,000 documented treatments led by leading fertility expert Professor Simon Fishel compared IVF babies born with and without the new technique.

Parents Paul and Paula Chapman were the first to use the new approach which successfully led to the birth of their daughter Jaycie, three.

The couple, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, had been unable to conceive for two years and went to the Nottingham-based Care Fertility group to seek help. (Read more from “New IVF Technique Uses Images of Embryos to Pick Best” HERE)

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Are Skirts Next in Men’s Fashion?

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In an era during which rules seem meant to be broken — and more and more people are calling for gender equality — it should surprise no one that the fashion world is the head cheerleader for change. Case in point: the Fall 2018 Menswear designers presenting a variety of skirts on their runways.

A wrap skirt paired with a matching jacket showed up at the Astrid Andersen show in London, as well as a flasher-worthy trench dress at Alex Mullins, and a a flirty full skirt bounced along at Bobby Abley.

(Read more from “Are Skirts Next in Men’s Fashion?” HERE)

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Plane Dangles off Cliff After Skidding off Runway

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A passenger jet carrying 168 people came within meters of plunging into the sea after it skidded off an icy runway as it landed at a Turkish airport.

Panic spread through the Boeing 737-800 as it stopped at the edge of the Black Sea – with its nose dangling precariously off a cliff edge.

Luckily, flight PC8622’s wheels became stuck in icy mud as it left the runway at Trabzon Airport, which may have preventing it from entering the sea.

Pegasus Airlines confirmed in a statement there were no injuries among the 162 passengers onboard as well as two pilots and four cabin crew after they were evacuated.

Shocking footage from inside the Pegasus plane taken just moments after the crash shows passengers evacuating as women and children are heard crying out in fear. (Read more from “Plane Dangles off Cliff After Skidding off Runway” HERE)

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Judgement Day for Christian Street Preachers

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A group of five Washington state Christian street preachers who received prior approval of their public evangelism efforts but were nevertheless charged criminally under the guise of violating a noise ordinance won dismissals with the assistance of a nonprofit First Amendment legal defense group.

Police in Washougal, Washington, cited the five for disturbing the peace outside a high school in November. The group obtained approval for their activities from a code enforcement officer prior to the incident.

The street preachers stood on a public sidewalk at the edge of the high-school parking lot, holding signs and speaking to students as they left school after classes had ended. A school resource officer of the Washougal Police Department confronted the street preachers, stating they were breaking the city noise ordinance and telling them the school did not welcome their “protesting.”

One of the criminally charged preachers, who is not named, reportedly spent many years under the iron grip of the former Soviet Union. He held a sign with a Bible verse, handed out gospel tracts to students, and told them, “Jesus loves you.” The aggressive reaction from the school and the police reminded him of similar harassment and complaints to the KGB in response to his preaching in Russia, his attorney said.

The group was successfully represented by Kevin Snider of the Pacific Justice Institute. All charges were dropped after Snider explained to the prosecuting attorney in detail the unconstitutionality of the city’s ordinance. (Read more from “Judgement Day for Christian Street Preachers” HERE)

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Serious Shocker in ‘Lost’ Cronkite Broadcast

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A newly discovered CBS News clip broadcast by Walter Cronkite while still in Saigon following the Tet Offensive reveals the influential newsman had a much different perspective on the battle than he expressed in the history-making commentary he delivered after returning to New York days later.

Anyone who had reached the age of awareness when Cronkite delivered his famous live editorial Feb. 27, 1968, knew the significance of what “the most trusted man in America” was saying: The U.S. had lost the Vietnam war. President Lyndon Johnson’s famous reaction told the story: “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America,” he is reported to have said.

“Tonight, back in more familiar surroundings in New York, we’d like to sum up our findings in Vietnam, an analysis that must be speculative, personal, subjective,” he said in opening his brief closing report. “Who won and who lost in the great Tet Offensive against the cities? I’m not sure. The Viet Cong did not win by a knockout but neither did we.” . . .

But buried in the dusty archives of CBS News was another Cronkite report from Saigon broadcast days earlier – nearly two weeks earlier to be exact. The “lost” Feb. 13 clip, shows Cronkite had a much different and unambiguous view of the recent Tet battlefront immediately after it was over.

“First and simplest, the Viet Cong suffered a military defeat,” he reported. “Its missions proved suicidal. If they had intended to stay in the cities as a negotiating point, they failed at that. The Vietnamese army reacted better than even its most ardent supporters had anticipated. There were no defections from its rank, as the Viet Cong apparently had expected. And the people did not rise to support the Viet Cong, as they were also believed to have expected.” (Read more from “Serious Shocker in ‘Lost’ Cronkite Broadcast” HERE)

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‘Chelsea Manning’ Running for Senate

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Chelsea Manning on Sunday confirmed via Twitter that he is a candidate for U.S. Senate.

Three days after making his intention known to federal election officials, Manning tweeted “yup, we’re running for senate” with an attached campaign video indicating his intention to run in the 2018 Maryland Democratic primary. She sent a subsequent tweet seeking donations to his campaign.

The 71-second video weaves together images of white supremacists holding tiki torches in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as protesters clashing with police elsewhere.

“We live in trying times . times of fear . of suppression . of hate,” Manning said.

The montage shifts to the U.S. Capitol and President Donald Trump sitting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats. (Read more from “‘Chelsea Manning’ Running for Senate” HERE)

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Two Senators Do Not Recall ‘Sh**Hole’ Comments

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By Al Weaver. Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and David Perdue, R-Ga., defended President Trump Friday after reports that he referred to Haiti and various African nations as “shithole countries” during a meeting at the White House.

In a statement, the pair of GOP immigration hawks said they “do not recall” the president making those remarks and hit Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., for not “negotiating in good faith” by making what they call an “accusation.”

“President Trump brought everyone to the table this week and listened to both sides. But regrettably, it seems that not everyone is committed to negotiating in good faith,” Cotton and Perdue said. (Read more from “Two Senators Do Not Recall ‘Sh**Hole’ Comments” HERE)

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Rep. Lamar Smith: Democrats Using ‘Sh**Hole’ Comments as ‘Distraction’ and ‘Excuse’ to Avoid Talks

By Breitbart. Democrats may use President Donald Trump’s alleged “s***hole” comments as an excuse to abandon negotiations over amnesty, immigration reform, and border security, said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX).

Smith’s remarks came during a Thursday interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with Breitbart News’s Senior Editors-at-Large Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak.

Pollak asked Smith if the controversy over the president’s aforementioned remarks would damage the political atmosphere for negotiations. Smith described Democrats’ focus on Trump’s “s***hole” comments as both a”distraction” and an “excuse” to avoid good faith negotiations. Partial transcript:

POLLAK: Do you think that the president’s remarks, or the controversy about the president’s remarks will make that more difficult?

SMITH: No. If the Democrats don’t want to negotiate, they’ll always come up with some excuse, and maybe this is an indication that they were never serious to begin with, but they’ll always come up with some reason not to negotiation, or make an excuse not to make concessions. This is just another distraction, another excuse for the Democrats to do that. I think when things settle down over the next several days we’ll find out whether the Democrats were really serious and want to have an immigration bill, want to try to something for some of the so-called DACA folks. We’ll know that in the next few days. It’ll be an indication of whether they’re negotiating in good faith whether they come back to the table.

(Read more from “Rep. Lamar Smith: Democrats Using ‘s***Hole’ Comments as ‘Distraction’ and ‘Excuse’ to Avoid Talks” HERE)

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