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Progressive Groups Push Biden to Tap Accused Iranian Lobbyist for Top National-Security Role

Written on . Posted in PT World Order.

As an Iranian national, Trita Parsi probably cannot get security clearance, say experts

A coalition of progressive foreign-policy groups is pressing President-elect Joe Biden to hire an Iranian national accused of lobbying for the Islamist regime for a senior administration role that a non-U.S. citizen would likely be ineligible to hold.

As Biden forms his future cabinet, groups on the Democratic Party’s far-left flank are organizing to pressure him into hiring a roster of individuals who would typically be left out of the White House.

The roster includes foreign-policy hands who have pushed for increasing American diplomacy with Iran and reducing cooperation between the United States and Israel.

The list of more than 100 staff recommendations was first reported by Politico, which declined to publish it in full. The Washington Free Beacon obtained a full copy of the list. Read More

‘Who Could Do Such a Thing?’: Family and Friends Mourn Death of Esther Horgen, Israeli Mother Found Murdered in Forest Near Home

Written on . Posted in PT Middle East.

Family, friends and neighbors were in mourning on Monday after Esther Horgen, a 52-year-old mother of six, was found dead in a forest near her home in the northern West Bank community of Tal Menashe.

Horgen never returned after going for a run on Sunday afternoon and her body was discovered overnight with signs of violence on it. Police are investigating a possible terror motive behind her death.

Horgen’s husband, Binyamin, recalled his wife as “so full of life and light and love for everyone, and all this was cut short in an instant.”

“There are no words,” he added. “Who could do such a thing?” Read More

Billions Going to Foreign Aid in Spending Bill: ‘Gender Programs’ in Pakistan, Sri Lanka …

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

For some countries, Christmas came early as the 5993 page bill passed last night.

  • $169,739,000 to Vietnam, including $19 million to remediate dioxins (page 1476).
  • Unspecified funds to “continue support for not-for-profit institutions of higher education in Kabul, Afghanistan that are accessible to both women and men in a coeducational environment” (page 1477).
  • $198,323,000 to Bangladesh, including $23.5 million to support Burmese refugees and $23.3 million for “democracy programs” (page 1485).
  • $130,265,000 to Nepal for “development and democracy programs” (page 1485).
  • Pakistan: $15 million for “democracy programs” and $10 million for “gender programs” (page 1486).
  • Sri Lanka: Up to $15 million “for the refurbishing of a high endurance cutter,” which is a type of patrol boat (page 1489).
  • $505,925,000 to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to “address key factors that contribute to the migration of unaccompanied, undocumented minors to the United States” (pages 1490-1491).
  • $461,375,000 to Colombia for programs related to counternarcotics and human rights (pages 1494-1496).
  • $74.8 million to the “Caribbean Basin Security Initiative” (page 1498).
  • $33 million “for democracy programs for Venezuela” (page 1498).
  • Unspecified amount to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Curacao, and Trinidad and Tobago “for assistance for communities in countries supporting or otherwise impacted by refugees from Venezuela” (page 1499).
  • $132,025,000 “for assistance for Georgia” (page 1499).
  • $453 million “for assistance for Ukraine” (page 1500).

Read More (if you can stomach it)

German virologist downplays fears about new mutation of COVID-19

Written on . Posted in PT World Order.

A leading German virologist on Monday downplayed fears about the new mutation of the coronavirus spreading through the UK – and questioned Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s claim that the strain is 70 percent more infectious, according to reports.

“I wonder whether a scientist gave an estimate, perhaps asked what he would say if he had to give a figure, and then it takes on a life of its own,” Christian Drosten said, the Daily Mail reported.

“Then it enters politics and politicians use this figure and the media takes it up. Suddenly there’s a figure out there — 70 percent — and nobody even knows what it means,” he told Deutschlandfunk radio, the UK outlet reported. Read More

Left-wing Senators Plan to Push Radical Climate Agenda on Biden

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

Climate-alarmist senators are eager to drag a potential Joe Biden administration into a new “green” era and they’re prepared to use some drastic measures to do so. And if a President Biden doesn’t move aggressively enough on climate for their liking, some of those senators are prepared to put some extreme pressure on the possible incoming president.

Some of those Democrats are going so far as to threaten to obstruct Biden’s nominees if his policies aren’t climate-friendly enough.

Leading this charge is Rhode Island’s Sheldon Whitehouse (shown), who has been a leader of the climate alarmists in Congress. Whitehouse, considered a centrist Democrat on some issues, is known as a deal maker in the Senate, so his involvement might suggest that there is broad support among Democrats and, perhaps, a few Republicans.

Joe Biden's climate change plans face uncertain future in the Senate

“I think there are quite a considerable number of senators who keenly believe that we missed huge opportunities in the Obama administration, that the Trump administration was a wasteland in which we went backwards and that the urgency of this moment is incredibly compelling and we just won’t tolerate a casual, insipid approach to dealing with this vital issue,” Whitehouse told Axios recently. Read More

 

Obama’s Latest Autobiography Rewrites Israeli History to Make You Hate the Jewish State

Written on . Posted in PT World Order.

Whatever the merits or lack thereof of Barack Obama’s presidency, he certainly leads all other presidents in the number of autobiographies he has written, with three compared to a number of his peers who are tied at one. However, his latest one, A Promised Land, is more than just an update on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the Most Undeservedly Celebrated Man on the Planet; it’s a full-on apologia for his policies as president, and a program for his impending third term, aka the Biden administration.

Former US President Barack Obama’s new book A Promised Land is seen in a bookstore in New York City, NY USA on November 17, 2020. Barack Obama was using his time after leaving the White House to write a memoir detailing his time as the 44th president of the United States. After nearly four years of waiting, Mr Obama has released his 701-page memoir entitled A Promised Land, the first instalment of his presidential memoirs. Photo by Charles Guerin/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)

The weighty 768-page tome not only tells you more about His Wonderfulness than you ever thought you wanted to know; it also provides a potted Leftist history of Israel that abundantly illustrates how Leftists see our most reliable ally in the Middle East, and why they hate it with such focused laser-beam intensity.

Obama portrays Britain and then Israel as occupying powers in Palestine, without ever explaining who actually owned the land they were and are supposedly occupying. He makes no mention of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine. Read More

PM Netanyahu warns of ‘very rapid spread’ of mutant virus strain

Written on . Posted in PT Middle East.

Netanyahu convenes “coronavirus cabinet” to discuss stopping air travel after UK discovers mutated virus strain. Meanwhile, Israelis aged 60 and over line up at medical clinics across the country to receive Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.

Israelis aged 60 and over arrived at medical clinics across the country to receive their coronavirus vaccine as the so-called “coronavirus cabinet” convened to discuss the reimposition of a number of restrictions on movement, Monday.

In bombshell, Yuli Edelstein resigns to avoid calling vote on new speaker | The Times of Israel

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has ordered the establishment of 12 vaccination centers to serve members of all of Israel’s healthcare providers in the cities of Kiryat Gat, Karmiel, Eilt, Beit Shemesh, Dimona, Arad, Safed, Kiryat Shmona, Shefaram, Sderot, and Umm al-Fahm.

Yields at Risk of Shooting Up as Fed Defers Bond-Buying Changes

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

The Federal Reserve’s window to tinker with its bond-buying program may be narrowing, meaning there’s a risk that Treasury yields will climb faster than many predict.

At its final policy meeting of 2020, the U.S. central bank just decided not to tilt more purchases toward longer maturities — something that could’ve kept a lid on longer-term interest rates. And while the Fed didn’t rule out eventually making such a change, a healthier U.S. economy — possibly due to more fiscal stimulus if Democrats take control of the Senate after runoff elections on Jan. 5 — could make it harder for the central bank to justify, according to some investors.

The mere possibility that the Fed might act more overtly to anchor long-end borrowing costs at some point has helped cap yields at that part of the curve. It’s a big factor behind why the 10-year rate stayed below 1% this week even amid progress on stimulus talks and after the Fed’s decision to defer action. If that policy option were to disappear entirely, that could well provide scope for rates to move up. Read More

Dow futures drop 500 points, pressured by worries over a new viral Covid strain in the U.K.

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

Stock futures traded deep in the red early Monday as enthusiasm over a coronavirus stimulus deal was overwhelmed by worries over a viral new Covid strain in the U.K.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average pointed to an opening drop of more than 500 points. Dow futures lost 1.8%. S&P 500 futures shed 2% and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 1.3%

Travel-related stocks came under pressure on news of an infectious new coronavirus strain in the U.K., which triggered more severe lockdowns and travel restrictions across Europe.

Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruise lines shares each dropped more than 9% in premarket trading. Delta Air Lines lost 8% in early trading. Shares of companies that would be hit by stricter lockdown measures fell, including Wynn Resorts and Gap.

The losses came even as lawmakers have reached an agreement on a $900 billion relief package, which would provide direct payments and jobless aid to struggling Americans. Read More