Wray Warns China Getting Positioned to Attack American Infrastructure’

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The chief of the FBI is warning that China already has “burrowed” into critical infrastructure in the United States and now is just waiting for “the right moment to deal a devastating blow.”

The FBI’s Christopher Wray said in a Reuters report that an ongoing hacking campaign, known already as Volt Typhoon, has gained access to American telecommunications, energy, water and other companies, including pipeline operators.

Wray charged China is assembling the “ability to physically wreak havoc on our critical infrastructure at a time of its choosing. … Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic.”

The report explained, “Wray said it was difficult to determine the intent of this cyber pre-positioning which was aligned with China’s broader intent to deter the U.S. from defending Taiwan.”

That is a fast-developing conflict that has the potential to draw the United States into a fight on the other side of the globe. China claims it owns Taiwan, while Taiwan says its own people will decide their future. (Read more from “Wray Warns China Getting Positioned to Attack American Infrastructure’” HERE)

New York Supreme Court Justice Dismisses Trump Juror Amid Concerns Over Public Identity

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New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan made an unexpected decision on Thursday, dismissing a previously approved juror from Donald Trump’s criminal trial after she expressed worries about her identity being revealed to the public, as court reporters disclosed.

Court reporters had initially published descriptions of the jurors after Judge Merchan seated seven of them following the selection process, during which potential jurors are subjected to 42 questions and scrutiny of their social media accounts. The New York Times reported on the incident, highlighting the challenges in selecting a jury for the trial of the polarizing former president:

The dismissed juror conveyed her concerns about potential public exposure to Judge Merchan, who has maintained the anonymity of prospective jurors but acknowledged that they had divulged information such as their employers during court proceedings.

Following her dismissal, Judge Merchan directed reporters to refrain from divulging the workplaces of prospective jurors, asserting his legal authority to restrict the news media from disclosing such identifying information.

Donald Trump’s unprecedented criminal trial commenced on Monday with the commencement of jury selection, marking the third day of the process on Thursday, with expectations of concluding early next week. The trial necessitates a total of 18 jurors.

Axios provided descriptions of the seven jurors chosen on Tuesday:

1. The foreman, a sales professional residing in Harlem but hailing from Ireland.

2. An oncology nurse and native New Yorker.

3. A corporate lawyer originally from Oregon.

4. A self-employed IT consultant with roots in Puerto Rico, residing on the Lower East Side.

5. A lifelong New Yorker employed as a teacher, who was unaware of Trump’s involvement in three other cases.

6. A software engineer employed by Disney.

7. A lawyer residing on the Upper East Side.

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Court Docs Show Trans Teen Arrested for Allegedly Planning Mass Shooting Fawned over Covenant Shooter

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A transgender-identifying teenager who was taken into custody and charged for alleged plans to commit a mass shooting at a Maryland high school kept a “manifesto” in which she praised the Nashville mass shooter, fantasized about pedophilia, and voiced concerns about being misgendered after her crime, according to court documents obtained by The Daily Wire.

The thwarted shooter, an 18-year-old woman from Rockville who identifies as a man, was arrested on Wednesday by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), the county said in a news release, adding that the FBI notified the MCPD about a 129-page “manifesto” in which the teenager wrote about committing a school shooting, contemplated targeting an elementary school, and more.

The court documents obtained by The Daily Wire show disturbing examples from the “manifesto,” which the teenager claimed was fictional, but an MCPD officer said had mirrored actual events and was “based on reality with a plan of threats of mass violence.”

“I really want to be famous. Even infamous,” she wrote on one page. A second entry confesses to pedophilic thoughts, but says she chose not to act on them — “I sometimes think I’m a pedophile. I get turned on by little kids,” she wrote. In a third, the teenager mused about potential news stories about a shooting at a Rockville school. (Read more from “Court Docs Show Trans Teen Arrested for Allegedly Planning Mass Shooting Fawned over Covenant Shooter” HERE)

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Donald Trump to Capitol Hill Globalists Pushing Foreign Aid: ‘I Am the Only One Who Speaks for Me’

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Former President Donald Trump on Thursday reminded globalists on Capitol Hill pushing foreign aid that no one speaks for him but himself.

Trump took to Truth Social in the afternoon to make clear he is his own spokesman a day after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the 45th president would have his back on his Biden-endorsed foreign aid package. The package bundles four separate bills together under a single rule, including a bill that would appropriate $60.84 billion for Ukraine.

“I am the only one who speaks for ‘ME’ and, while it is a total mess caused by Crooked Joe Biden and the Incompetent Democrats, if I were President, this War would have never started!” Trump wrote. Trump also criticized European nations in the post, wondering why they are not “giving more money to help Ukraine?”

During an appearance on CNN’s The Lead with Tapper on Wednesday, the host asked Johnson, “Have you talked to Trump about this plan, this legislative plan in terms of how you’re introducing these foreign aid bills, and ultimately, will he have your back?”

“Oh, I think he will,” Johnson, who faces a revolt in his own conference from many hardline conservatives[.] (Read more from “Donald Trump to Capitol Hill Globalists Pushing Foreign Aid: ‘I Am the Only One Who Speaks for Me’” HERE)

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Inside Mike Johnson’s Policy Shift: Lobbyist Influence and Controversial Staffing Raise Questions on Ukraine Aid

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House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stance on Ukraine aid has come under scrutiny with revelations about his top policy adviser, Dan Ziegler, and the interests of his former lobbying clients. Ziegler, who transitioned from lobbying to serving as Johnson’s policy director, previously worked with the firm Williams & Jensen, where his client roster included companies with significant stakes in issues related to the Ukraine conflict, Breitbart News has revealed.

Among Ziegler’s former clients are major corporations that have publicly addressed the implications of the war in Ukraine on their business operations. This connection raises questions about the influence of corporate interests on Johnson’s policy decisions, particularly regarding foreign aid packages related to Ukraine.

One notable client of Ziegler’s former firm is the News Media Alliance, which advocated for legislative proposals that some critics argue could harm conservative media outlets. This association underscores concerns about the potential influence of special interest groups on Johnson’s agenda.

The composition of Johnson’s inner circle has raised additional concerns, with reports indicating troubling backgrounds among several of his staffers.

The timing of Johnson’s pivot on Ukraine aid further highlights the significance of his staffing decisions. Despite previous opposition to substantial funding for Ukraine, Johnson’s support for a multi-billion-dollar aid package aligns with the recommendations of his top advisers, including Ziegler and National Security Adviser Josh Hodges.

Johnson’s shift in position reflects a departure from his previous commitments to conservative principles, particularly regarding fiscal responsibility and national security. Johnson is prioritizing foreign interests over domestic concerns, pointing to his advocacy for aid packages that they argue neglect crucial issues such as border security.

Johnson’s approach to Ukraine aid has sparked backlash from within his own party, with prominent Republicans condemning his alignment with President Joe Biden’s agenda. Calls for Johnson’s resignation underscore broader divisions within the GOP, as conservatives express frustration with what they perceive as a departure from core conservative values.

‘Lied With Impunity’: National Guard Whistleblowers Accuse Army Leaders of Covering up Jan. 6 Deployment Delay

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Four D.C. National Guard officials involved in responding to the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, alleged on Wednesday that top Army leaders lied to Congress about why they did not order the guard to deploy for hours after the need became clear.

Several high-ranking Pentagon leaders at the time, including former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley have claimed the National Guard was sent to the Capitol as soon as they were needed, according to Politico. But National Guard “whistleblowers” accused the officials of seeking to cover up the Army’s reputation and shift the blame elsewhere in testimony before a panel of the House Administration Committee at a hearing Wednesday.

“I have no idea why we never received that order,” retired D.C. National Guard Command Sergeant Major Michael Brooks, told lawmakers. “All I know is that they were more concerned with what it would look like with soldiers with the Capitol in the background than protecting the Capitol of the United States.”

He attributed the roughly three-hour span between when the D.C. police chief pleaded for National Guard assistance and when troops received the order to deploy to “misunderstandings of the capabilities of the D.C. National Guard and the seriousness of the situation.”

McCarthy and senior leaders of the Army staff delayed dispatching the National Guard, Brooks added. (Read more from “‘Lied With Impunity’: National Guard Whistleblowers Accuse Army Leaders of Covering up Jan. 6 Deployment Delay” HERE)

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White House Staffers Refer to Trump as ‘Hitler Pig’: Report

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Former President Donald Trump’s penchant for derisive nicknames has apparently rubbed off on current White House staffers, who refer to the presumptive Republican nominee as “Hitler Pig.”

The “Hitler Pig” sobriquet is used frequently to describe Trump and generally by younger, tech-savvy, aides to President Biden, according to Politico.

White House staffers and campaign aides first started using the term after Trump dined with rapper Kanye West and notorious Holocaust skeptic and white nationalist Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago estate two days before Thanksgiving in 2022, according to the outlet.

The moniker is usually deployed when the 77-year-old former president makes outrageous comments, such as when he appears to praise the murderous Nazi dictator.

“Hey, did you see what Hitler Pig said?” Biden aides will say in those situations. (Read more from “White House Staffers Refer to Trump as ‘Hitler Pig’: Report” HERE)

Anti-Trump Groups Are Quietly Planning for a Deepfake Election Crisis

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Dozens of prominent U.S. and state government officials, advocacy groups, and executives from big tech companies gathered in New York last month to participate in an important simulated election exercise.

The war game exercise imagined a fictional crisis in which AI-generated photos and videos are released on social media immediately before the 2024 election. The images appear to show election officials in Florida dumping ballots, in an apparent attempt to manipulate the election’s outcome.

The simulation also included phone calls to elderly voters in Arizona that featured AI-generated voices. The calls asked elderly voters to stay away from polling centers due to threats from radical militia groups.

Participants role-played how the Biden administration should respond to the simulated deepfake event. They gathered in a mock “White House Situation Room,” with each player taking on the role of a prominent figure in government, civil society, or corporate America, including the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, big tech companies, and even the CIA.

Participants engaged in lengthy debates about how government should address the problem, including whether Joe Biden should personally get involved, one of the “big debates in the room,” according to a report by NBC News. Participants were apparently concerned that if Biden made any statements, it would be used as proof that he was attempting to rig the election in his favor. (Read more from “Anti-Trump Groups Are Quietly Planning for a Deepfake Election Crisis” HERE)

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Google Fires 28 Employees Involved in Sit-in Protest Over $1.2B Israel Contract

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Google has fired 28 employees over their participation in a 10-hour sit-in at the search giant’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, to protest the company’s business ties with the Israel government, The Post has learned.

The pro-Palestinian staffers — who had donned traditional Arab headscarves as they stormed and occupied the office of a top executive in California on Tuesday — were terminated late Wednesday after an internal investigation, Google vice president of global security Chris Rackow said in a companywide memo.

“They took over office spaces, defaced our property, and physically impeded the work of other Googlers,” Rackow wrote in the memo obtained by The Post. “Their behavior was unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made co-workers feel threatened.”

In New York, protesters had occupied the 10th floor of Google’s offices in the Chelsea section of Manhattan as part of a protest that also extended to the company’s offices in Seattle for what it called “No Tech for Genocide Day of Action.”

“Behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it,” Rackow wrote. “It clearly violates multiple policies that all employees must adhere to – including our code of conduct and policy on harassment, discrimination, retaliation, standards of conduct, and workplace concerns.” (Read more from “Google Fires 28 Employees Involved in Sit-in Protest Over $1.2B Israel Contract” HERE)

Chinese Embassy Reportedly Lobbied Directly Against TikTok Bill On Capitol Hill

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The Chinese Embassy has held closed-door meetings with congressional staff to lobby against a bill that would force a sale or ban of TikTok, according to Politico.

Chinese Embassy officials reportedly reached out to set up the meetings shortly after the House voted decisively in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, but did not specifically mention TikTok when they initially made contact, according to Politico, which granted several congressional staffers anonymity to speak freely. In one phone call placed to Capitol Hill staffers, an embassy official reportedly stated that the Chinese ambassador wanted to discuss the legislation.

The legislation, which would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or otherwise see the popular social media app banned in the U.S. ,is stalling in the Senate after passing the House by a decisive margin in March.

TikTok has repeatedly denied that it is linked with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but a former senior ByteDance employee has alleged that CCP members inside the company have “superuser” credentials and a “backdoor channel” to access American users’ data, while the app often promotes content for users that is aligned with the CCP’s agenda, according to a recent study by Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University.

“For once, Chinese diplomats have done America a favor,” Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow for the American Foreign Policy Council who specializes in Indo-Pacific studies, told Politico. “By lobbying congressional staff to protect TikTok’s relationship with ByteDance, [People’s Republic of China] officials are revealing how valuable TikTok is to the Chinese Communist Party. Losing control of the app would neuter Beijing’s most potent weapon against Americans.” (Read more from “Chinese Embassy Reportedly Lobbied Directly Against TikTok Bill On Capitol Hill” HERE)