/qnotables21/ - ===Q Notables 2021===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13719713 (211548ZMAY21) Notable: Senator Tim Scott Refutes Buttigieg On Pipeline Policy

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Senator Tim Scott Refutes Buttigieg On Pipeline Policy

At yesterday's Senate Banking Committee hearing, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) refuted Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg's assertion that stopping the Keystone XL pipeline was environmentally beneficial.

May 20, 2021 5:01-Minutes

https://youtu.be/CuxjkL-SqrE

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13719822 (211608ZMAY21) Notable: Anon Notables

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>58059 Hello baker Here is all three

>>58054 Remember the game called Marco Polo ( In the water hide & seek type of game ) Remember Sgt Major Dan page 2014 video warning about [China's] plans for the modern silk road both Land & Sea

>>>/qresearch/13719756 Here is Sgt Major Dan Page 2014 video warning about [China]

>>>/qresearch/13719801 1,300-foot Marco Polo arrives in NJ, largest shipping container to ever dock on East Coast

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13719856 (211611ZMAY21) Notable: Don Lemon was sexually molested as a child.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>>/qresearch/13719604

Don Lemon was sexually molested as a child.

During an on-air interview with members of Bishop Eddie Long's congregation in September 2010, Lemon discussed being sexually molested when he was five or six by a neighbor teenage boy, and that it was not until he was thirty that he told his mother about it.[33][7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lemon

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13719939 (211622ZMAY21) Notable: Biden administration to use celebrities, athletes in campaign to combat Covid vaccine hesitancy

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

LOL because you can't fix stupid

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/22/white-house-to-use-celebrities-athletes-in-ad-campaign-to-combat-covid-vaccine-hesitancy.html

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

Biden administration to use celebrities, athletes in campaign to combat Covid vaccine hesitancy

PUBLISHED THU, APR 22 202110:02 AM EDTUPDATED THU, APR 22 202111:27 AM EDT

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13719944 (211623ZMAY21) Notable: Reminder, THE TIMELINE - Donald Trump, Q and The Great Awakening - VA Patriot

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Reminder 👀 :

THE TIMELINE - Donald Trump, Q and The Great Awakening - VA Patriot

https://www.bitchute.com/video/dSifDZrorFu8/

many blessings and much love

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13719981 (211631ZMAY21) Notable: Alphabet cuts off year slong push by founders of the artificial-intelligence company to secure more independence

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-unit-deepmind-triedand-failedto-win-ai-autonomy-from-parent-11621592951?mod=hp_lead_pos6

WSJ News Exclusive Tech

Google Unit DeepMind Tried—and Failed—to Win AI Autonomy From Parent

Alphabet cuts off yearslong push by founders of the artificial-intelligence company to secure more independence

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai has called the technology key to the company’s future, and parent Alphabet Inc. has invested billions of dollars in AI. The technology, which handles tasks once the exclusive domain of humans, making life more efficient at home and work, has raised complex questions about the growing influence of computer algorithms in a wide range of public and private life.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720209 (211705ZMAY21) Notable: Biden Awards the Medal of Honor to Army Colonel Ralph Puckett

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Biden Awards the Medal of Honor to Army Colonel Ralph Puckett

https://youtu.be/QHiQ0YaIgWE

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720325 (211729ZMAY21) Notable: Obama-Appointed Judge Sides with Biden, Rules Private Christian College Must Allow Biological Men to Shower with Women

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Obama-Appointed Judge Sides with Biden, Rules Private Christian College Must Allow Biological Men to Shower with Women

One of Joe Biden’s first orders of business was to make sure demented, perverted men could be allowed to share shower spaces with women.

Biden signed an executive order in January titled, “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.”

“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.” Biden’s order said.

One Christian college in Missouri filed a lawsuit against Joe Biden claiming the overreach was victimizing women, girls and people of faith.

The College of the Ozarks sued Joe Biden and the Department of Housing and Urban and Development last month, arguing the US government cannot force a private religious school to put men and women into the same dorms.

An Obama appointed federal judge this week ruled against the Christian college and said they must allow biological males to share dorms and showers with women.

Judge Roseann Ketchmark of the District Court of Western Missouri ruled against the Christian college on Wednesday.

The Christian college may face SIX-FIGURE fines if it violates the order!

The Washington Times reported:

Judge Roseann Ketchmark, an Obama appointee, heard oral arguments from both sides for more than two hours Wednesday. After the hearing, she announced she would deny the college’s request to issue an injunction against the rule, which requires that segregated facilities such as dorms and restrooms be based on a person’s gender identity.

“After careful consideration of the law … the court denies the plaintiff’s motion for temporary restraining order and injunction,” she said from the bench. “The court does find that the dispute is not justiciable.”

The judge plans to issue a written order as soon as possible, she said.

Valorie Coleman, a spokesperson from the college, said the school will appeal.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/05/obama-appointed-judge-sides-biden-rules-private-christian-college-must-allow-biological-men-shower-women/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720359 (211737ZMAY21) Notable: Georgia Judge Decides To Unseal 2020 Absentee Ballots In Fulton County For Review

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Georgia Judge Decides To Unseal 2020 Absentee Ballots In Fulton County For Review

A judge in Georgia on Friday ruled to unseal absentee ballots submitted in the 2020 presidential election.

Petitioners in an ongoing case will be able to go to where the ballots are stored in Fulton County, Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero said at the conclusion of a hearing.

Amero plans to issue an order soon that will set forth protocols governing the scanning and inspection, which will be done by county workers while petitioners and their experts observe.

A group of voters filed a petition last year asking for a forensic inspection of mail-in ballots that were sent in for the 2020 election. The petition alleged an abnormal vote increase for Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden and an abnormal reduction in President Donald Trump’s tabulation, among other alleged abnormalities.

Amero allowed the petitioners in March access to scanned images of the ballots, but attorneys for the petitioners argued in court that the resolution, 200 dots per inch (DPI), was too low to perform proper analysis.

The petitioners asked for images at 600 DPI or higher, and access to the ballots themselves.

David Sawyer, a forensics expert, testified for the petitioners. He said he identified a discrepancy in the number of batches that were received by petitioners and the number that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office listed as having been examined in a risk-limiting audit.

He told the judge that direct access to ballots would be best “because that’s the original evidence, and that’s the best evidence.”

Lawyers for Fulton County and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, argued that letting the petitioners examine the ballots outside of the presence of county workers would violate federal law. They also said a “citizen audit” wasn’t provided for in state law. If the judge allowed such an audit, he should pick the auditing team or allow the parties to reach an agreement on which firms should do the audit, they added.

Amero assured them he was largely of the same mind.

“I have no inclination at all to release these ballots to anyone other than the clerk or the county,” he said.

But he pushed back on the notion that petitioners did not have the ability to get better scans of the ballots or visually inspect them.

“That seems to be something that they have the authority and the right to do,” he said.

“I have never seen in this case a motion to dismiss from anyone for any reason and in the absence of considering things in that way then this does take the form of a civil case where there is some discovery” under state law, he said.

The parties are scheduled to meet at the Fulton County ballot storage location on May 28.

A spokesman for Raffensperger declined to comment. The county did not return an inquiry. Raffensperger, who asked the judge last month not to grant petitioners access to the physical ballots, will have a representative present next week.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/georgia-judge-decides-unseal-2020-absentee-ballots-fulton-county-review

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720388 (211741ZMAY21) Notable: Global Covid-19 death toll a ‘significant undercount’, WHO says, with 6-to-8 million people likely dead from virus

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Global Covid-19 death toll a ‘significant undercount’, WHO says, with 6-to-8 million people likely dead from virus

The number of people who have died due to Covid-19 is likely to have been hugely underestimated and the true toll may be much higher, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

The total death toll is likely to be higher than that officially reported, Dr Samira Asma, the UN agency’s Assistant Director-General for data and analytics, told a virtual briefing on Friday as she discussed its newly published annual World Health Statistics report.

This number would truly be two to three times higher. So I think safely about 6 to 8 million deaths could be an estimate on a cautionary note.

Official WHO data has currently recorded more than 164 million cases of Covid-19 and 3.4 million deaths.

However, in its report on Friday the agency said data from Europe and the Americas region suggested the total number of deaths from the pandemic in 2020 alone was over 3 million.

This figure adds an extra 1.2 million fatalities to last year’s reported death toll, the WHO said.

“Available evidence from the countries with rapid mortality surveillance systems suggests that in many locations the reported number of Covid-19 deaths is a significant undercount of the full toll of the pandemic,” the report read.

WHO data analyst William Msemburi told reporters that the report had looked at the excess mortality of 2020 – the difference between the total number of deaths in the pandemic and those in a typical year.

He said the 6-to-8 million figure included Covid-19 deaths of people who were not tested for the virus, as well as incidental fatalities due to reduced hospital capacity and other issues.

The report also stressed the need for more data collection and modelling and pointed out that the health responses of governments led to “a number of deaths being averted.”

https://www.rt.com/news/524433-who-global-covid-death-toll-underestimated/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720424 (211747ZMAY21) Notable: Chinese Communist Party Spox Taunts FBI To Deploy 300,000 Agents To Monitor Spies

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chinese Communist Party Spox Taunts FBI To Deploy 300,000 Agents To Monitor Spies.

A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson taunted the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, suggesting the agency deploy 300,000 agents to monitor Chinese students in American universities over fears of espionage.

The comments came in response to a proposal from Republican Representative Andy Barr to create a new Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiative tasked with tackling Chinese Communist Party espionage and theft at American universities. The bill would create 56 new FBI agent slots to address this well-documented national security threat,

In response, Chinese Communist Party spokeswoman Hua Chunying asserted during a May 12th press conference that the U.S. would need to deploy 300,000 agents – equivalent to the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S. – to accomplish the proposal’s objectives of rooting out espionage.

“The House member should set 300,000 positions, or at least 150,000 to surveil them, which can at the same time solve the US’ unemployment problem,” Hua said in a press briefing. Chinese state-run media outlets hyped Hua’s remarks, suggesting she “mocked” the U.S. intelligence agency and its efforts to crack down on Chinese Communist Party espionage.

https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/ccp-spox-taunts-fbi/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720441 (211750ZMAY21) Notable: Civil Rights Group Suing Donald Trump for ‘China Virus’ Label

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Civil Rights Group Suing Donald Trump for ‘China Virus’ Label

Former President Donald Trump’s use of the term “China virus” last year as a descriptive for the coronavirus has sparked a lawsuit by a civil rights group.

The federal complaint by the Chinese Americans Civil Rights Coalition (CACRC) alleges Trump’s turn of phrase along with similar terminology did harm to the Chinese American community, according to a report carried by TMZ.

Trump first made the public link between China and the virus origins in March last year, as Breitbart News reported.

“The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus,” Trump said in a Tweet. “We will be stronger than ever before!”

The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020

According to The Hill, the suit states Trump’s “extreme and outrageous conduct was carried out throughout the pandemic with reckless disregard of whether such conduct would cause Chinese Americans to suffer emotional distress,” echoing claims made by Beijing at the time.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to Trump’s message by complaining it had “smeared China” by noting the global pandemic currently underway began there.

“We call on the U.S. to stop finger-pointing at China. The utmost priority is for the international community to cooperate on fighting the virus,” spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters during a regular government briefing. “The U.S. should focus on its top priority, and play a constructive role in international cooperation on health security.”

Actor George Takei also took offense, contending the phrase is “sending a signal to the haters in his constituency.”

The Star Trek actor, in an appearance on the left-wing network MSNBC, said Trump’s decision to refer to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” sends “a cold chill throughout the Asian-American community” and added Trump is “sending a signal to the haters in his constituency, and there are plenty of them there.”

Jason Miller, senior adviser for Trump, dismissed such claims. He told The Hill “this is an insane and idiotic lawsuit that is specious at best, and it will be dismissed if it ever sees a courtroom.”

“It’s a complete joke, and if I was the lawyer that brought it I’d be worried about getting sanctioned.”

Trump has always defended his use of the term, saying “it comes from China, that’s why. I want to be accurate” however the lawsuit challenges this logic, claiming the origins of the virus have not been firmly established.

The plaintiffs allege former President Trump knew this as he made his claims. The suit further claims Trump should have realized words have impact.

“The truth matters, words have consequences… especially from those in powerful and influential positions,” the complaint states. “[Trump] intentionally repeated those defamatory words to serve his own personal and political interest with astonishing level of actual malice and negligence, hence severely injuring the Chinese/Asian Americans communities in the process.”

According to The Hill, CACRC is asking for $1 for every Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) in the United States, which would total $22.9 million.

The plaintiffs said they would use the money to establish a museum in the U.S. to showcase the history and accomplishments of the AAPI community.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/05/21/civil-rights-group-suing-donald-trump-for-china-virus-label/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720488 (211759ZMAY21) Notable: Wikileaks just dumped all of their files online (old from 2020)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Oh, you wonderful, beautiful Anons! Enjoy the meal…

Wikileaks just dumped all of their files online.

Everything from Hillary Clinton's emails, McCain's being guilty, Vegas shooting done by an FBI sniper, Steve Jobs HIV letter, PedoPodesta, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Bilderberg, CIA agents arrested for rape, WHO pandemic.

Happy Digging! Here you go, please read and pass it on.

https://file.wikileaks.org/file/

Clinton’s emails: https://file.wikileaks.org/file/clinton-emails/

Index file: https://file.wikileaks.org/file/?fbclid=IwAR2U_Evqah_Qy2wxNY12FMqFC5dAFUcZL5Kl4FIfQuMFMp8ssbM46oHXWMI

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720497 (211801ZMAY21) Notable: Press Briefing By Jen Psaki

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Press Briefing By Jen Psaki

https://youtu.be/QKN4VM8iclU

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720527 (211809ZMAY21) Notable: Pennsylvania Voters Strip Dem Governor Tom Wolf Of Dictatorial Powers

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pennsylvania Voters Strip Dem Governor Tom Wolf Of Dictatorial Powers

Pennsylvania citizens moved decisively to regain their freedoms from the tyranny of Governor Tom Wolf when they voted to limit the dictatorial powers that he has wielded for the last 13 months.

The Democrat has imposed some of the most punishing restrictions in the nation during the COVID crisis; they have wrecked lives and are killing jobs. However, on Tuesday his victims struck back using the ballot box.

The results are now in on two ballot questions that would strip power from Governor Wolf. It would do this by handing decisions on emergencies back to the people through their elected representatives in the state legislature.

Currently, the law allows Wolf to declare a state of emergency for up to 90 days and to extend it indefinitely. He has already done this, with the only limit being a two-thirds supermajority vote by lawmakers to end it. This wasn’t going to happen anytime soon given the lockstep unity of Democrats.

Voters approved two ballot questions that would curtail Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency powers in a win for Republican lawmakers critical of his handling of the pandemic.https://t.co/GSwi7XM5Bl

— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) May 19, 2021

The big win for Pennsylvanians will amend the state constitution to allow lawmakers to end a declaration of emergency by a simple majority. It will also limit the duration to 21 days instead of 90 with the legislature, not the governor having the power to extend it.

Wolf toyed with voters by not lifting restrictions in the state until Memorial Day. This was an extra kick in the gut to battered hospitality industry businesses that would have benefited from being able to open at the beginning of the long weekend.

The cruel and stupid gesture likely provided extra motivation for voters seeking to pry his boot off of their necks. Prior to the election, Wolf urged voters to allow him to keep his powers; “The current system works. Let’s not change it.”

Wolf also sought to influence the vote via his Twitter account.

Today is Election Day. Make sure you understand the ballot measures before heading to the polls or dropping off your mail ballot.

The results of this election will affect emergency response for all Pennsylvanians. pic.twitter.com/g9TxwRxzf5

— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) May 18, 2021

According to CBS Philadelphia, Wolf had both detractors and defenders. Nichole Missino, the owner of Giovanni’s Barber Shop was quoted, “Gov. Wolf has basically been King Wolf of Pennsylvania for the last year. He hasn’t been working with the legislation at all, so I feel like we need to take some of that back,” she said.

Democrat State Senator Sharif Street had Wolf’s back, “The suggestion is that the governor currently has dictatorial powers. Nothing is further from the truth. This governor has acted decisively and saved lives,” he said.

Some of the worst damage during the failed response to the pandemic came when Rachel Levine was still the acting state secretary of health. That is, before being plucked by the Biden regime for a spot as a prominent transgender at the national level.

Wolf has yet to issue an official statement but when he does, he’ll surely be howling in outrage.

https://trendingpolitics.com/pennsylvania-voters-strip-dem-governor-tom-wolf-of-dictatorial-powers/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720532 (211810ZMAY21) Notable: Frontier knowingly sold Internet speeds it can’t deliver, FTC lawsuit says

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Frontier knowingly sold Internet speeds it can’t deliver, FTC lawsuit says

Frontier capped actual DSL speeds to levels below its advertised rates, FTC says.

The Federal Trade Commission and officials from six states yesterday sued Frontier Communications, alleging that the telecom provider misrepresented Internet speeds and charged many customers for higher speeds than it actually provided or was capable of providing.

The complaint was filed in US District Court for the Central District of California by the FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. California-based customers are represented in the suit by the district attorneys of Los Angeles County and Riverside County.

The lawsuit concerns the advertised speeds of DSL, which Frontier offers over copper lines in places where it has not upgraded to fiber-to-the-home. Frontier's failure to invest sufficiently in fiber was a major cause of its bankruptcy last year. Frontier provides residential DSL Internet service to about 1.3 million consumers across 25 states.

The inherent limitations of copper-line DSL mean that speeds are slower for customers who live farther away from the nearest fiber node. A consultant's study found that nearly 30 percent of Frontier's DSL customers were likely to receive speeds slower than what they paid for, the lawsuit said:

In early 2019, a management consulting firm analyzed, at Frontier's direction and with Frontier's participation, Frontier's proprietary network data and internal records for nearly 1.5 million then-current DSL subscribers. This analysis found that approximately 440,000 of Frontier's DSL subscribers, or nearly 30 percent of the population analyzed, were "potentially" "oversold" on speed tiers that exceeded the actual speeds Frontier provided to them.

The FTC lawsuit alleged that Frontier often imposed speed caps that were lower than the speeds customers paid for, saying that the ISP "provisioned consumers for slower speeds than the tiers of DSL Internet service to which they are subscribed." Provisioning low speeds is often done because of real network limits. But provisioning sets an upper limit on speed, so customers can't get more than what they're provisioned, even in cases where the network is technically capable of providing the higher speeds an ISP claims to be selling them.

Thousands of customers complained

Frontier's slow speeds led to many customer complaints. "Since at least January 2015, thousands of consumers complained to Frontier and government agencies that the company failed to provide DSL Internet service at the speeds they were promised," the FTC's announcement of the lawsuit said. "Many consumers have complained that the slower speeds actually provided by Frontier failed to support the typical online activities they should have been able to perform at the speed tiers Frontier had sold to them."

Frontier violated the FTC Act's prohibitions on unfair and deceptive business practices by misrepresenting DSL Internet speeds and by using unfair billing practices in which it charged "consumers for a higher and more costly level of Internet service than Frontier actually provided or was capable of providing to these consumers," the lawsuit said. The complaint also alleges violations of state consumer protection laws in Arizona, California, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The FTC asked for a permanent injunction preventing future violations of the FTC act and for monetary relief. Officials from the six states asked for injunctions, civil penalties, and refunds for consumers. The FTC vote authorizing the lawsuit was 4-0; the FTC currently includes two Democrats and two Republicans serving as commissioners.

Frontier issued a statement calling the lawsuit "baseless," saying that its "DSL Internet speeds have been clearly and accurately articulated, defined and described in the company's marketing materials and disclosures."

"The plaintiffs' complaint includes baseless allegations, overstates any possible monetary harm to Frontier's customers and disregards important facts," Frontier said. "Frontier offers Internet service in some of the country's most rural areas that often have challenging terrain, are more sparsely populated and are the most difficult to serve. Frontier's rural DSL Internet service was enthusiastically welcomed when it was launched and has retained many satisfied customers over the years."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/05/frontier-knowingly-sold-internet-speeds-it-cant-deliver-ftc-lawsuit-says/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720560 (211817ZMAY21) Notable: Pennsylvania Voters Strip Dem Governor Tom Wolf Of Dictatorial Powers

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>>58085

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/12/02/usps-driver-says-trailer-thousands-ballots-disappeared/

Ask Jesse Morgan where his trailer full of ballots from New York disappeared to when he parked the truck in Lancaster, Pa.

The Pa election was stolen from Trump.

Many voters, me included, reported polling places with very long waits. 2 1/2 hours for me. I left. Didn't vote. Many others were doing the same.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720570 (211818ZMAY21) Notable: Iran’s Rouhani Says US Has Agreed to Lift Major Sanctions

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Iran’s Rouhani Says US Has Agreed to Lift Major Sanctions

An unnamed Iranian source refuted Rouhani's claims to Iran's PressTV

On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the US agreed to lift most major sanctions on Iran during the latest round of nuclear talks in Vienna. He said only “minor issues” need to be worked out in the fifth round of negotiations which will begin next week.

“The talks in Vienna are about minor issues. They have accepted to lift sanctions on Iran’s oil and shipping sectors as well as sanctions on the central bank and others,” Rouhani said during a televised cabinet meeting.

Rouhani’s comments offered the most optimistic assessment of the Vienna talks to come out of Iran. But also on Thursday, an unnamed Iranian official told Iran’s PressTV that the US has not agreed to lift all major sanctions but instead said it would temporarily suspend them. “Washington intends to temporarily suspend some of the sanctions over a long period of time and in various steps,” the official said.

It’s possible that the US agreed to lift major sanctions in a long-drawn-out process that is not acceptable for more hardline elements in Iran, which would explain the comments from the anonymous official. Rouhani’s government has previously raised issues with PressTV’s sources for the Vienna talks, who generally portray the negotiations in a negative light.

Up until this point, the Biden administration has been refusing to lift all non-nuclear-related sanctions, dragging out the Vienna talks as the two sides negotiate what sanctions the US will lift and what will be acceptable relief for Iran.

The Trump administration imposed an enormous number of sanctions on Iran. Some were implemented over Tehran’s nuclear program, while others were put in place over claims of terrorism and alleged human rights abuses. The sanctions on Iran’s central bank and state shipping company, which Rouhani mentioned, are considered “terror” sanctions.

The fact that Iran is negotiating at all is a concession in itself since the US is the party that violated the JCPOA. Iran’s presidential elections are upcoming in June, and Rouhani is expected to be replaced with a more hardline candidate who might not be patient and willing to negotiate with the US.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/05/20/irans-rouhani-says-us-has-agreed-to-lift-major-sanctions/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720583 (211821ZMAY21) Notable: Netanyahu: Any Gaza rocket fire will be met with ‘whole new level of force’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Netanyahu: Any Gaza rocket fire will be met with ‘whole new level of force’

PM says rules have changed, Israel to take much tougher stance against Hamas; Gantz sees urgent need for diplomacy, peace built on ‘rubble’ of Hamas leaders’ homes

(Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday that the current round of fighting with Hamas, which appeared to end with an early morning ceasefire, would see a much tougher Israeli stance toward the terror group, and that any future rocket fire from Gaza would be met with “a whole new level of force.” He said Israel had achieved its military objectives in Gaza with “extraordinary” success.

Speaking together with Netanyahu and other security chiefs, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the truce created an opportunity for peace and it was now time for diplomacy to build a new reality “on the rubble of the homes of the Hamas leaders.” Added Gantz: “If we don’t act diplomatically, quickly and wisely,” this operation will go down as “simply another round of conflict to be followed by the next one.”

In a special statement from the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the prime minister said that the “rules of the game were changed” and there would now be no tolerance of any rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

“We changed the equation not only as regards to the operation but also as regards the future. If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a ‘drizzle’ of rockets, it is mistaken,” the prime minister said, referring to the sporadic fire often seen from Gaza between rounds of more major conflict in recent years.

“We will respond with a whole new level of force to every instance of aggression against the Gaza-envelope communities or anywhere else in Israel,” he said.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-any-gaza-rocket-fire-will-be-met-with-whole-new-level-of-force/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720612 (211827ZMAY21) Notable: Federal government spent nearly $2 million on experiments sewing fetal scalps to rats

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Federal government spent nearly $2 million on experiments sewing fetal scalps to rats

Research saw aborted fetal skin grow human hair after being attached to rodents.

The federal government funneled nearly $2 million in taxpayer dollars to controversial research that sewed aborted fetal scalps onto the skin of mice and rats in order to conduct experiments in human skin infection.

That research, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, has generated considerable controversy due to its procurement of fully intact skin from aborted fetuses, as well as the graphic results of those experiments in which the fetal skin, having been attached to the rodents, subsequently grew human hair.

Records show that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded that research to the tune of over $400,000. A full accounting of the project's funding stream, however, shows taxpayer contributions totaling almost five times that amount.

A spokeswoman for the NIAID told Just the News this week that grants from both that agency and the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center add up to over $1.9 million.

"Total funding for the NIAID grant is $430,270," the spokeswoman said. "The FIC grant was awarded to the University of Pittsburgh … in FY15, and the last year of the project is FY19. Total funding for the FIC grant is 1,498,642."

The agency said that the NIH "is committed to ensuring that research involving human fetal tissue is conducted responsibly and meets the highest ethical standards."

"NIH-funded research involving human fetal tissue must be conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations," the statement continued, noting that "research involving the transplantation of human fetal tissue" requires "informed consent" from the abortive mother before the tissues can be obtained.

The NIAID did not answer when asked whether or not it had funded any other experiments utilizing fetal remains.

The usage of aborted fetal remains in science experiments has been a highly controversial topic in the U.S. for several years. Biomedical firms and drug companies regularly acquire aborted tissue for use in experiments and research and development.

The issue was thrust to the forefront of the U.S. political debate several years ago when pro-life activist and journalist David Daleiden released several undercover videos purporting to show officials with Planned Parenthood — the nation's largest abortion provider — admitting to conducting commercial activity with aborted fetal remains, which would constitute a federal crime.

The abortion provider announced shortly after those videos were released that it would end the in-house program that provided fetal remains to biomedical researchers in exchange for nominal reimbursements.

The government-funded fetal rat experiments were meant to "provide a platform for studying human skin infections," according to the researchers.

The skin-engrafted rats were meant to offer a template by which human skin could be infected without the ethical and safety concerns that would come with injecting skin diseases into living human beings.

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/federal-government-spent-nearly-2-million-total-experiments-sewing

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720615 (211827ZMAY21) Notable: New rules at L.A. venues — including Dodger Stadium, the Staples Center, and Banc of California Stadium — are similar. All three are offering fully vaccinated sections, in which social distancing won’t need to be practiced by fans

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

California Announces Specifics About June 15 Reopening: No Capacity Limits, No Distancing, No Vaccine Passports, But Vaccine Verification Will Be Required For Big Indoor Events

California Health and Human Services Director Dr. Mark Ghaly briefed reporters on Friday on specifics of the state’s long-planned June 15 reopening.

“Capacity limitations are no longer going to be part” of the state’s plan, he said. “We will not have capacity restrictions.”

On physical distancing, Ghaly said simply, “None.”

On masking, he said, “We will follow the CDC guidance on masking.”

The HHS director then expounded. “There will be some guidance…specific to the various settings. We know that it will be shifting over the next few months.

In general, Ghaly announced that there will be no more capacity limits on businesses. But, for large events, as alluded to by Governor Gavin Newsom last week,there will be “Vaccine verification or negative test verification” required.

“For outdoor activities,” what Ghaly called “mega outdoor events” with attendence over 10,000, he announced, “we are recommending that those operators have a system to verify vaccination or verify.” Operators of those events can also “give that person an option to come into the event and wear a mask.”

Indoor events such as concerts and sporting events he said, “We are requiring, not recommending, the vaccine verification/negative test. There is an option to have it be by self-attestation.” Ghaly then said there will be a forthcoming California Department of Public Health posting on that.

The HHS director was asked repeatedly about vaccine verification for mega events. He said California will be working with event operators/private sector businesses on exactly what that will look like, but said, again, the state will not be using a vaccine passport system.

“We are not at this time considering or requiring a vaccine passport for vendors,” he said.

The coming rules are similar to what has already been put in place at some large venues. At Staples Center, those attending concerts or Lakers games must provide a health verification. “Guests are required to present a photo ID, and either proof of full vaccination (two weeks since your final dose) or a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the event date,” reads safety information on the venue’s web site. Out of state visitors, it says, “are required to show proof of full vaccination.”

more

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/california-announces-specifics-june-15-174025842.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720626 (211830ZMAY21) Notable: Georgia Judge Decides To Unseal 2020 Absentee Ballots In Fulton County For Review

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

UPDATE: Georgia Judge Orders 145,000 Absentee Ballots from Fulton County to Be Scanned to Determine Legitimacy — Case Revolves Around Explosive Dec. Report from Gateway Pundit

Today a judge in Georgia ruled that the audit in Fulton County, Georgia, must go on. This leads back to The Gateway Pundit reporting in early December where we identified ballots being counted two and three times.

The Gateway Pundit first reported back on December 4th.

Georgia is headed for another audit of its presidential election results after a judge agreed to unseal more than 145,000 Fulton County absentee ballots Friday.

The details and timing of the audit must still be determined. But the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the county want to scan and examine the ballots to determine whether they are legitimate.

At a hearing Friday, Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero made clear the ballots must remain in the custody of Fulton election officials. That could prevent the kind of allegations of mishandling ballots and improper procedures that have dogged an audit of ballots in Arizona in recent weeks.

The latest Georgia audit cannot change the election results, which were certified months ago and have already been confirmed by multiple recounts. But the plaintiffs say an examination of ballots would get to the bottom of what they see as suspicious activity at State Farm Arena on election night and pave the way for more accurate elections in the future.

Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler welcomed the audit in a statement issued Friday.

We nailed it in Georgia. We identified in the video below that the same ballots were pushed through voting machines two and three times.

President Trump retweeted this story (but this was taken down by Twitter.) No wonder there were so many duplicates in the sample obtained from the auditors in Georgia.

This was not an isolated incident in Georgia — Several internet sleuths found Georgia election officials scanned the same batch of ballots five different times in a row in Fulton County, Georgia at State Farm Arena on November 3, 2020.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/05/update-georgia-judge-orders-145000-absentee-ballots-fulton-county-scanned-determine-legitimacy-case-revolves-around-disturbing-tgp-findings/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/13720630 (211830ZMAY21) Notable: Deputy constable Johnson, during a standoff with Alvin police department, confessed to the sexual abuse of children and implicated other adults before committing suicide

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Deputy constable Johnson, during a standoff with Alvin police department, confessed to the sexual abuse of children and implicated other adults before committing suicide

https://bluebonnetnews.com/2021/05/19/standoff-in-liberty-county-ends-in-suicide/

Follow-up thread

>>88

>>88

Follow-up thread