Teh Weekly News, Ep. 11 – DAPL vs. Jack Frost, Trump’s Shenanigans, Busy Week for Anonymous

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjvE1TeQmsA&app=desktop

U.S. News:

In news on the DAPL; directly after we reported last week that President Obama has taken no action in regards to the events transpiring in North Dakota, it was announced that the Army Corps of Engineers would not grant Energy Transfer Partners their permits without an Environmental Impact Statement, which in effect, blocks the pipeline for the time being. A court filing from August states that third parties can cancel their business contracts with Energy Transfer if there is no progress on the pipeline by January 1^st, and many believe the energy company is now feeling a tremendous amount of pressure to make some sort of headway. After the Army Corps’ announcement, Energy Transfer and Sunoco Logistics Partners issued a statement that they, quote, “are fully committed to ensuring that this vital project is brought to completion, and fully expect to complete construction of the pipeline without any additional rerouting in, and around, Lake Oahe. Nothing this Administration has done today changes that in any way,” unquote. Due to this statement, many believe there is more violence to be expected from the state of North Dakota and state law enforcement officials, however there is also a chance the statement was made in an effort to comfort investors, who are surely keeping up with events.

As reported by Vandita, U.S. Veterans arrived at Standing Rock as another blizzard set in, forcing many to seek shelter at the Casino, along with land protectors and activists. The turnout ended up being double what was expected, with around 4,000 Veterans participating. Veterans raised $1.1M for the action to protect Native land protectors, environmental activists, and the various other protesters who joined the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. The Washington Times reported that there was disappointment after the snowstorm hit, as well as, quote, “charges of financial mismanagement,” unquote, however other reports state that M&T, the bank holding the money that was donated to the Veterans, refused to immediately release it to them. Access was finally granted, but only to limited funds.

In a stunningly insulting move from North Dakota officials, Cass County Sheriff, Paul D. Laney, has attempted to create propaganda to explain the presence of the U.S. Vets at Standing Rock, claiming there was a conspiracy to exploit those who’ve gone to protect Native land protectors. It is clear the presence of the U.S. Veterans put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Establishment to finally take some form of action, and Laney’s attempts at trying to persuade the public that the Vet’s presence at Standing Rock is due purely to a conspiracy, not only insults the intelligence of citizens and Veterans alike, but it is an assault on our Veterans’ dignity. Laney has, in essence, tried using their disabilities to discredit them, by insinuating they are incapable of free-thought or self-control. This action by officials is being described by critics as, quote, “despicable.”

Three men were caught on cellphone video, harassing Native land protectors at the Ramada Inn in Bismarck on December 5^th. The footage was captured by Native-American, Shiye Bidziil, who was first encountered by one man inside the Ramada, and then two more men outside who blocked Bidziil’s vehicle with theirs. Bismarck police have since arrested 33-year-old, Jesse Dean McLain, who is now facing two counts of “terrorizing.” The identities of the other two men have not yet been confirmed by authorities, and the investigation is ongoing. Another attack by locals on land protectors occurred Thursday as well, when a large truck and masked men on snowmobiles chased Natives who were driving near the reservation.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who owns the newspaper “The New York Observer,” recently published an opinion piece in which the FBI was called to launch a crackdown on anti-Trump protests across the country. Kushner purchased a major stake in the newspaper in 2006, and currently operates directly as its publisher. The opinion piece, which was written by Austin Bay, implores James Comey to quote, “conduct a detailed investigation into the violence and political thuggery that continue to mar the presidential election’s aftermath,” he later continued that there should be a, quote, “thorough probe of the protests – to include possible ties to organizations demanding vote recounts,” unquote.

Bay uses various wording to incite emotion in the reader, such as “thuggery,” and “vicious.” This was a tactic that was used often by George W. Bush, who would incorporate terms such as “evil doers” into his speeches. Aside from being meant to inspire anger, Bay’s opinion piece attempts to raise fears of communism, which once again brings to mind the recent surge of McCarthyism.

For those who are unfamiliar with McCarthyism, it is the act of accusing others of communism, or otherwise treasonous behaviors, often with political purposes, and as a form of sabotage – as in to sabotage one’s career or life. Although this behavior existed since the beginning of the Red Scare, it was coined “McCarthyism” after Republican U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, who rose to fame when he declared in a speech that he had a list of 205 Communists working for the State Department. The accusation was preposterous, and the number of so-called Communists on his list always changed. Even still, McCarthy essentially went on a Communist-witch-hunt throughout the 1950s, and eventually became an embarrassment to the Republican Party when he started accusing the wrong people. He was ultimately censured by the United States Senate.

We previously reported that there is a revolt in the Electoral College, being conducted by Democratic electors, to persuade Republican electors not to vote for Trump, but instead a different Republican candidate. Their goal is to eventually bring an end to the Electoral College, and so far, a Republican member has joined them. Christopher Suprun has explained in an op-ed why he will not cast his vote for Trump, stating among other things, quote, “Trump lacks the foreign policy experience and demeanor needed to be commander in chief,” unquote.

In Oregon, the city of Portland has voted to pass a measure that will levy a tax on public companies whose CEOs are paid 100 times more than workers. These companies will face a corporate income tax increase of 10%, while companies whose CEO has a ratio of 250-1 or more, will face a 25% increase. Officials have estimated they can raise $2.5M a year from January 2018, and they plan to use the revenue to pay for programs for homeless people. Portland Mayor, Charlie Hales, stated, quote, “Income inequality is real, it is a national problem and the federal government isn’t doing anything about it,” unquote.

In a report from Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept, it was revealed that MSNBC personalities spread a fake news story created by a Hillary Clinton fan, claiming that the Podesta Files released by WikiLeaks were doctored or fabricated. This claim was started by MSNBC’s quote-unquote, “intelligence analyst,” who cited as evidence a fake transcript that was not published by WikiLeaks, nor affiliated with them in any way. The fake transcript was originally found in a Twitter post from an individual who goes by the profile name, quote, “The Omnivore.” His actual name is Marco Chacon, and he is a self-professed creator of “viral fake news.” Greenwald states of Chacon, quote, “he specialized in blatantly fake anti-Clinton frauds with the goal of tricking her opponents into citing them, so that they would be discredited,” unquote.

To elaborate on Greenwald’s report, it has been found that a large portion of the fake-news that is being circulated has originated from Left-wing, pro-Hillary Clinton trolls, ranging from college students, to middle-aged men who’ve turned the production of propaganda and disinformation into a career. In related news, a gunman entered the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington D.C. and fired at least one shot, while other reports state as many as three shots were fired. The Comet Ping Pong has been the center of a conspiracy known as Pizzagate, in which it is claimed a pedophile ring involving high-profile figures, is being conducted out of the basement of the pizzeria. The gunman, 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch, stated that he entered the Comet Ping Pong to investigate the basement for himself, however after finding that the restaurant had no basement, he turned himself over to police. For more, we go to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now:

A call has been made by Amnesty to take action, and urge President Obama to pardon whistleblower and human rights hero, Edward Snowden. To show your support, please visit www.amnestyusa.org. A call is also being made by the ACLU urging Obama to grant Chelsea Manning clemency. ACLU legislative representative, Ian Thompson, states that Manning is the longest serving whistleblower in U.S. history. He continues, quote, “Granting her clemency petition will give Ms. Manning a first chance to live a real, meaningful life as the person she was born to be,” unquote. Please visit www.aclu.org to learn how you can help.

In Huntsville Alabama, many are expressing outrage after the execution of Ronald Smith, which according to Smith’s attorney, was botched. The ACLU has just released a report detailing the execution, and has called for an investigation. It took 34-minutes in total for Smith to die, during which time he struggled and coughed. The state of Alabama used midazolam to sedate him, despite the fact it is a failed drug that has botched executions in various other states. Officials moved forward with the administration of lethal drugs, which cause excruciating pain, even though they knew the midazolam failed to sedate Smith. Disregarding cries of outrage, Alabama Department of Corrections Spokesperson, Bob Horton, stated, quote, “Everything went as planned,” unquote.

An off-duty, Muslim NYPD officer and her son were targeted in a hate-crime in Brooklyn. After dropping off her son on Ridge Blvd. to find a place to park, Aml Elsokary returned to the scene to find her son being shoved by a white male suspect in his 30’s. Elsokary, who had been named a hero in New York in 2014 for saving an elderly man and an infant girl in a building fire, did not identify herself as an officer to the suspect, and she was unarmed. The suspect fled the scene, and an investigation is ongoing. It is being reported that this incident marks in increase in hate-crimes since Trump’s election.

Footage has just been released of a 2015 incident that took place in Eastpointe Michigan, in which African-American, Frankie Taylor, was strapped to a chair after arrest, and beaten by an officer as the officer chanted, quote, “Stop resisting.” Taylor had been picked up while intoxicated, however that does not excuse the officer’s actions, which under any circumstance, is assault. This video demonstrates how police officers manipulate protocol to break the law, as is evident from the officer’s chanting of “stop resisting” while repeatedly striking an individual who is incapable of defending himself, as though it’s purely a matter of course. According to Taylor’s attorney, James Rasor, police did not transport Taylor to a medical facility, but instead transferred him to Macomb County Jail the next day. It took days to admit him to Detroit Receiving Hospital for surgery, and by then it was too late to save one of his eyes. Taylor is now partially blind.

World News:

In world news this week, a recent revelation that Donald Trump registered eight companies in Saudi Arabia during the presidential campaign, has slipped through the majority of mainstream media networks. The Washington Post mentioned it only in passing, while covering the broader aspect of potential conflicts-of-interest that would accompany a Trump administration. Critics are calling Trump a hypocrite for working with Saudi Arabia, when at the same time Trump was slamming the Clinton Foundation for receiving donations from the oil-rich country. This news comes as particularly unsettling to many Americans, in light of the revelations that came earlier this year with the infamous “28-Pages,” in which Saudi Arabia was implicated as having a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This fact was reportedly covered-up at the highest levels of U.S. government, deliberately, and investigations were throttled while co-conspirators were let off the hook.

In Britain, politicians have exempted themselves from the Investigatory Powers Act, which was just recently passed into law, and, quote, “brings some of the most extreme and invasive surveillance powers ever given to spies in a democratic state,” unquote. This information comes from The Independent. Those using the law can apply it to a wide range of data confiscation – including someone’s full internet browsing history – with a warrant most often issued by a secretary of state. While civilian warrants can be approved by a senior minister, warrants involving members of parliament must be approved by the prime minister himself. This offers politicians a form of protection.

Recent WikiLeaks documents highlight the connection between the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s family, and the oil smuggling operations of the Islamic State. Emails from the Turkish energy minister and Erdogan’s son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, confirm accusations that the Turkish government, and specifically Erdogan’s family, have an active role in oil smuggling from areas that are controlled by ISIS. Russia has also accused Erdogan and his family of being involved in oil smuggling operations, and provided satellite images that show the routes taken from ISIS grounds to Turkey. Under the pressure of prior accusations of oil smuggling, the Turkish president had previously vowed to resign if the allegations turned out to be true. There is no word yet on any possible actions that will be taken in light of the new evidence.

Anonymous News:

In Anonymous news, we’ve seen requests for Anonymous to focus on companies who engage in animal cruelty, and we wanted to assure our viewers that there are in fact various operations currently being conducted, such as AzureDeadSec’s recent attacks on Cattle-Exchange, a website that connects buyers and sellers, and the attacks on spaceworld.co, which are a part of #OpKillingBay, and were in retaliation to Japan’s torture of marine life.

In other Anonymous operations this week, the Venezuelan government is under attack due to the fact citizens are going hungry amid the economic crisis, which was further aggravated by indulgent government spending. It is predicted that 2017 will be even worse for the struggling nation. And finally, the Powerful Greek Army has taken out various Greek government websites, including primeminister.gov, and the Greek Ministry of Tourism.

This article (Teh Weekly News, Ep. 11 – DAPL vs. Jack Frost, Trump’s Shenanigans, Busy Week for Anonymous) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.

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