War on Christianity > 5% of Reformed Church Splits off; Afghanistan worst place for Christians; Pastor murdered in Pakistan

..

Congregations leave Reformed Church in America to form 

new denomination amid LGBT debate

By Michael Gryboski,

Christian Post Reporter 

Thursday, January 13, 2022

The Reformed Church in America General Synod discusses a plan to restructure the denomination in response

to an ongoing debate over homosexuality and scripture interpretation in October of 2021. | Maria Orr

After months of preparation, a theologically conservative denomination has broken away from the Reformed Church in America, with 43 congregations joining the new body on New Year’s Day.

Known as the Alliance of Reformed Churches, the new denomination was created as the RCA continues to deal with a debate over its official stance on LGBT issues.

Dan Ackerman, director of Organizational Leadership at ARC, wrote in a blog post last June that there were “three primary convictions” that led to the formation of the new denomination.

“The Bible as understood within Reformed theology — its understanding of God, sin and the world — provides a thoughtful faith that can engage people facing today’s uncertainties,” wrote Ackerman at the time.

“The mission of Jesus in the world, entrusted to the local church, can be better served by a more agile form of ministry and governance than what we’ve inherited from the 1500’s.”

“The nature of the organization is to hold a high value on congregational mission and vision so that the organization provides added value to its congregations while, in turn, receiving its funding from those same congregations as partners,” Ackerman continued. 

Jeff Walton of the theologically conservative think tank Institute on Religion & Democracy noted in a blog post published Wednesday that the number of churches leaving the RCA for the ARC represents about 5% of the denomination.

“Now the realignment that began in the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is reaching the Dutch Reformed – but without the lawsuits and acrimony that characterized some of those prior splits,” wrote Walton.

“Delegates to the RCA General Synod in October approved recommendations that allow transferring churches to retain assets and church buildings.”

In recent years, there has been much debate in the RCA over whether the denomination should become accepting of homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

In July, an earlier task force known as Vision 2020 recommended a “restructuring” of the RCA, believing that the debate over sexual ethics was part of a broader trend of division.

“There have been numerous points, especially in the last 70 years, where the RCA has been at an impasse. Points of disagreement and tension have included differences of views on things like ecumenical partnerships, social justice/political involvement, merging with another denomination, communism, internal restructuring,” stated the Vision 2020 report.

“This means we currently face something we have previously weathered, but it also means that we are likely to be here again if we do not find a way to handle conflict differently.”

At its general synod last October, the denomination voted to create a task force that would consider proposals to resolve the debate within the approximately 186,000-member RCA. 

Churches that celebrate LGBTQs and same-sex marriage are churches where the Holy Spirit is not enlightening the leadership with the word of God. 5% of mainline churches with a real relationship with Jesus Christ is about right.

============================================================================================

'Seismic Shift': Afghanistan Is the New Number 1

Most Dangerous Place for Christians

Michael Foust | ChristianHeadlines.com

| Thursday, January 20, 2022

Afghanistan, Afghanistan may become 'epicenter of Jihadist terrorism' after withdrawal

Afghanistan has supplanted North Korea as the world's most dangerous country for Christians, according to an annual watchdog report that says conditions have gone from bad to worse following the Taliban's 2021 takeover.

The Open Doors 2022 World Watch List places Afghanistan as No. 1 among the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian, followed by North Korea, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen. Among other notables: Iran is No. 9, Iraq No. 14 and China No. 17.

Most of the countries on the list are located in South Asia and North Africa.

It is the first time Afghanistan has been number one. David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors, told Christian Headlines that it's the most "seismic shift" in the report's history. The situation in North Korea, he said, has not improved. Rather, conditions in Afghanistan have gotten worse.

"With [the Taliban] controlling the entire region," Curry said, "Christians have left the country – and those that have stayed are either in hiding or on the run."

The report lists the number of Christians in the country as in the "thousands."

"It is impossible to live openly as a Christian in Afghanistan," the report says, warning that believers face likely death if they are found.

The Taliban's promises of a more free society, Curry said, haven't proven to be true.

"The Taliban is trying to roll this out as Taliban 2.0," Curry told Christian Headlines. "But even as of today, there's nearly 4 million children that are out of school – 60 percent of them are girls. That promise was broken.

"... From the first day they seized control, they got a list of prominent Christians [and] they began going door to door trying to find them. So, we know what they're doing on the ground. And then none of it has to do with anything that would be recognized as a democratic system or a fair system."

The world, Curry said, must take "decisive action" to "prevent a religious genocide against Christians." That includes, he said, accepting refugees.

"These are people who, if sent back, will likely be killed," Curry said. "... That's the first and most pressing human rights issue."

The World Watch List, Curry added, is filled with countries whose governments collapsed and are ruled by extremists. Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Eritrea, he said, are examples.

"This is a tipping point into other chaotic issues that people of all faiths are going to be forced to deal with [such as] terrorism and the drug trade," Curry said. "The drug trade in Afghanistan is going to go through the roof with their opium trade because it will be the only economically sustainable crop for many people. So you're going to go through a number of issues because [the U.S.] decided to handle this transition in such an insecure way."

Pakistani pastor shot dead in ambush attack after Sunday service;

mourners chant 'Long live Jesus Christ'

By Anugrah Kumar, 

Christian Post Contributor| 

Monday, January 31, 2022

BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

In what police called a “terrorist act,” two unidentified men followed a pastor returning home in his car after a Sunday worship service and shot him to death in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, which in 2013 was the scene of one of the deadliest attacks on Christians in the country.

The pastor, identified as 75-year-old William Siraj of Shaheed-e-All Saints Church from the Church of Pakistan denomination comprising Methodist and Anglican churches, was shot twice in the abdomen as he and his colleague, identified as Pastor Patrick Naeem, were driving home from church on Sunday.

The shooting occurred near Ring Road in the city’s Gulbahar area, leaving Pastor Siraj dead and Pastor Naeem injured, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported, adding that Naeem had been discharged from the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

Pastor Siraj’s body had been handed over to his family.

News channels showed emergency services removing the pastor from the car as people chanted “Long live Jesus Christ” while carrying his body on a bed through the streets to a house, according to Reuters.

“We demand justice and protection of Christians from the Government of Pakistan,” tweeted Bishop Azad Marshall from the Church of Pakistan.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also responded to the news of the attack. “… We pray for the light of Christ’s justice, hope and peace for our sisters and brothers in the Church of Pakistan,” he wrote on Twitter.

Capital City Police Officer Abbas Ahsan called it a “terror attack” and said, “We are determined to protect minorities.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Chief Minister Mahmood Khan offered his condolences to the Christian community and the family of the deceased.

On Saturday, Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed warned of possible terrorist strikes across the country over the next two months as security agencies had learned about sleeper cells of militant outfits in that region, The Times of India reported.

No one had claimed responsibility for the shooting as of Monday.

The country’s northwestern areas bordering Afghanistan have seen a rise in militant attacks on security forces in recent days, many of them claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is close to the Afghan Taliban, Reuters said.

In 2013, at least 81 Christians were killed after two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a church belonging to the Church of Pakistan denomination in Peshawar as hundreds of worshipers were leaving Sunday mass.

About 400 worshipers were exchanging greetings after the service at the 130-year-old All Saints Church when the two bombers, each carrying about 13 pounds of explosives, launched the attack. The walls were pockmarked with ball bearings that had been packed into the bombs to cause maximum carnage in the busy church.

There are about 70,000 Christians in Peshawar. The community accounts for about 2% of the 180 million people in Pakistan.

Muslim minorities, including Shias and Ahmaddiyas, also often face attacks by Sunni terror groups in Pakistan.

Ozzone 6-3 When you pray, do you listen to the Lord, or do you just fill the time with requests?

 

Mother Theresa was interviewed by Larry King one time and Larry asked her what she said when she prayed to God. She said, "I don't say anything; I just listen!"

So he asked her what God said to her when she prays. She answered, "He doesn't say anything either, He just listens! And if you can't understand that, I can't explain it to you!"

Do you seek to gain such an intimate relationship with the Lord?

European Politics > US replies to Moscow; Le Pen's Niece may abandon Aunt; Hungary turns down NATO troops;

..

U.S. sends Moscow diplomatic path for averting war in Ukraine

By Rich Klein

In a State Department news conference Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States

is committed to uphold and defend Ukraine's sovereignty. File Photo by Toms Kalnins/EPA-EFE

Jan. 26 (UPI) -- The United States delivered a paper to Moscow on Wednesday, laying out a diplomatic path to avert war amid Russia's buildup of military troops on Ukraine's border, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

In a State Department news conference, Blinken said the United States is committed to uphold and defend Ukraine's sovereignty.

"We prefer diplomacy, and we're prepared to move forward where there is the possibility of communication cooperation if Russia de-escalates its aggression toward Ukraine, stops the inflammatory rhetoric and approaches discussions about the future security in Europe in a spirit of reciprocity."

Of course, if the USA and NATO abided by those rules, there would be no need for discussion.

Blinken said the document, delivered to Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, included input from Ukraine and European allies and partners.

"All told, It sets out a serious diplomatic path forward should Russia choose it," he said.

Russia has demanded security guarantees as NATO expands in Eastern Europe.

The proposal also addresses other areas of potential for progress, "including arms control related to missiles in Europe...our interest in a follow-on agreement to a new START treaty that covers all nuclear weapons."

Blinken said NATO was going to develop and deliver its own paper to Moscow, but that "there's no daylight between the U.S. and its allies and partners on these matters."

He said the State Department was not going to release the paper publicly "because we think diplomacy has best chance to succeed if we provide space for confidential talks. We hope and expect Russia has same view and will take proposal seriously."

In recent weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed more than 100,000 troops and military equipment at multiple borders with Ukraine.

The Pentagon announced Monday it has put up to 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert to deploy to Eastern Europe.

Earlier Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament it would not sit by as the West moved weapons to Ukraine.

"It would suffice to mention the increasingly provocative exercises held near our borders, the drawing of the Kiev regime into the NATO orbit, its supply with lethal weapons, and the push for its direct provocations against the Russian Federation," according to a transcript of his remarks reported by the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron is involved in talks with Germany, Russia and Ukraine about the crisis.

Wouldn't it be incredible if Macron, who is president of the EU right now, could pull Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Kiev, and Moscow together for a peaceful settlement while completely circumventing Washington and NATO? I have been saying for years that NATO is obsolete, and has been running around the world looking for a reason to be. As such, it has become, in my humble opinion, the greatest threat to peace in the world.

Niece of presidential candidate to back rival

Marion Marechal, a former MP and niece of Marine Le Pen,

hinted at backing Eric Zemmour for president

Marion Marechal (FILE PHOTO) © Photo by Daniel Pier/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Speaking to Le Parisien on Thursday evening, Marion Marechal, a former MP for the far-right National Rally (‘Rassemblement national’) party, said she would not be backing her aunt, Marine Le Pen, as she runs for president in April. 

Marechal, a darling of the far right who became the country’s youngest MP at the age of 22 back in 2012, suggested that polemicist-cum-politician Éric Zemmour may receive her backing. 

Supporting Zemmour, she said, “it would not just be a question of passing by and saying hello. It would mean returning to politics.” Marechal has not been an MP since 2018.  

She left politics, apparently, to open a private school. Was there an issue with Auntie Marine back then?

“It is a true life choice to make, a decision that weighs heavily,” she added, noting that she would make a decision on pledging her support within a month. 

Speaking on Friday, Marechal said she would be returning to politics. “I was very happy to stop five years ago, but now I want to return to politics,” she told Le Figaro.  

Le Pen, candidate of the National Rally party, said she was disappointed and confused by her niece’s move. 

“I have a special story with Marion because I raised her with my sister during the first years of her life, so obviously it’s brutal, it’s violent, it’s difficult for me,” she said on Friday morning. 

“She [Maréchal] had indicated that she would support whoever is best placed. Unquestionably, I am much better placed today than Eric Zemmour since I am given in the second round,” she stated, referencing poll data. 

Le Pen, who faced off with President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of voting in 2017, is facing stiff competition from other right-wing candidates, including Zemmour.

But if the right-wing is divided, as it appears to be, then there should be nothing stopping Macron from returning as President. It also means another 'also-ran' for Marine Le Pen. How many more can she stand? I'm surprised Marion isn't waiting in the wings to take over.

Hungary does not need NATO reinforcements

amid Ukraine standoff – minister

Budapest continues to oppose Ukraine’s NATO aspirations,

as it deems Kiev’s actions “unacceptable” for the alliance

Hungary doesn’t need any NATO troops deployed to its territory amid the ongoing Ukraine standoff, Defense Minister Tibor Benko told local broadcaster InfoRadio in an interview on Thursday.

The official confirmed reports that the US and NATO have been negotiating with all the member states bordering Russia, Ukraine, or both, on additional deployments of troops from the bloc. Budapest, however, believes its own military is capable of providing all the security it needs, without any help from NATO troops. 

“Hungary has already created such a national force, developed such national capabilities that in the current situation it is not necessary to rely on other foreign forces and troops,” Benko stated.

In current situation, we do not consider it appropriate – nor do we ask for – the NATO reinforcements to be deployed here. We can handle this.

US President Joe Biden on Friday told reporters that America will increase its military presence in Eastern Europe, deploying a small number of additional troops in the region “in the near term.”

The move comes amid heightened tensions over Ukraine, which is supposedly the target of an allegedly looming Russian invasion, according to Western media and top officials. Moscow has consistently denied such claims, insisting it has zero intent of attacking the neighboring country.

Hungary’s defense minister also reiterated his country’s opposition to Ukraine’s aspirations of joining NATO. While Budapest originally supported the move, its stance changed as Kiev demonstrated behavior “unacceptable” for a potential member of the alliance, Benko explained.

“Ukraine acted against the Hungarians living in Transcarpathia, and behaved unacceptably for the alliance. After that, the government maintains the position that Ukraine is not ready to join, as it does not meet the standards of NATO,” Benko stated.

Kiev and Budapest have long been at odds over the treatment of the ethnic Hungarian minority living in the western Ukrainian region of Zakarpatye. The region remained under Hungarian rule until the early 20th century, changing hands several times and ending up as part of the Soviet Union after World War II. Relations between Ukraine and Hungary rapidly deteriorated after post-Maidan Kiev authorities adopted a controversial education law, which heavily restricted the rights of ethnic minorities to be taught in schools in their native language.

In late 2018, the row escalated when Ukrainian media aired footage purporting to show a Hungarian consul handing out the country’s passports to ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine. The scandal – aggravated by the fact that holding dual citizenship is technically illegal under Ukrainian law – resulted in expulsions of diplomats and a heated war of words between the two nations.

Covid-19 > Ivermectin Rx now online; Son of Omicron emerging; Fear engineering by secret gov't unit in UK; Fauci on wrong course?

..

And now in Canada...

COVID-19: Ontario doctor banned from prescribing ivermectin

now director of company offering drug

By Ashleigh Stewart,  Global News

Posted January 27, 2022 6:27 pm

An Ontario doctor prohibited from prescribing ivermectin to treat COVID-19 has launched a telehealth service offering the unapproved treatment to Ontarians to treat the virus, Global News can reveal.

Dr Patrick Phillips, a family doctor who is the subject of several investigations by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), is the director of a new telehealth service based in Ontario that is offering ivermectin, an antiparasitic treatment not approved by Health Canada to treat COVID-19.

A similar website has been operating in the USA for some time now. See this link for more:

Covid-19 > Early Treatment has 99.99% survival rate

The service, called Canadian Covid TeleHealth Inc (CCTH), was launched by members of the Canadian Covid Care Alliance (CCCA), a website promoting information at odds with public health advice, which also features new initiatives from at least two other Ontario health professionals with COVID-related licence restrictions.

But Phillips’ involvement, as well as the existence of the service, is not breaking any provincial laws.

No, but it is sure ticking off Big Pharma, I'll bet.

It comes as the regulatory body and province spar about how to deal with physicians operating in a medical grey area. Both the CPSO and Ministry of Health say investigating a company, such as the CCTH, is not their responsibility.

The CPSO says it has been asking the ministry for legislative changes to help it deal with complaints about doctors since 2019.

Meanwhile, the doctors at the centre of the investigations are launching new ventures in order to share unverified health information and administer unproven COVID-19 treatments, which escape the reach of the province.

Telehealth service launched this week

Global News recently detailed the emergence of the CCCA, a self-described group of “Canadian doctors, scientists and health care practitioners committed to providing independent science-based evidence to empower Canadians.”

The website does not identify the doctors affiliated with the service.

But the CCCA’s listed address on their Corporations Canada page matches that of Toronto physician Ira Bernstein. Bernstein has spoken in videos about being the founder of the CCCA, treating patients with ivermectin and his intention to launch a telehealth service.

That telehealth service has now launched.

There is much more on this story at Global News.

Australia says it found ‘Son of Omicron’ amid Covid surge

New ‘stealth’ sub-variant of the Omicron strain has been found in a 

‘very low number’ of cases across the country

Highly contagious and stealthy sub-variant of Omicron Covid-19 strain has been detected in Australia

© Getty Images / Aaron Foster

Australian health authorities have announced that the “stealth” Covid-19 viral strain, dubbed the “Son of Omicron” in the media, has been detected in a number of states and territories. This BA.2 sub-variant – thought to be more infectious than the original Omicron – has already been seen in more than 40 countries.

In a statement announcing the “early detection” of the sub-variant on Friday, a Federal Health Department spokeswoman had confirmed that a “very low number” of cases had been found among respiratory samples submitted for testing. She added that it will “continue to be closely monitored.”

The variant’s emergence comes amid a spike in Covid-related deaths in the country, with nearly 200 people dying between Friday and Saturday. Of the over 3,600 deaths in Australia since the pandemic began, more than 1,000 have come during the past month – with 500 recorded over the last week alone.

On Saturday, health officials in Victoria announced the detection of “literally a handful” of cases as the state recorded 12,250 new infections. The total number of active cases in the state was 79,836, down from 101,605 reported on Friday. Covid response commander Jeroen Weimar told reporters that the “Son of Omicron” was “not a new variant,” but warned that it was “still early days in understanding exactly how that’s moving around.”

Three cases of the sub-variant were detected in New South Wales and one each in Queensland and the Northern Territory, state authorities told the news.com.au portal. An unnamed spokesperson for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) said the region had also seen a “small number of [BA.2] cases,” but Omicron BA.1 was still the prevalent strain circulating in the community.

“They call it the ‘son of Omicron’, but it’s more of a cousin – it’s a variant related to Omicron. It is spreading … We don’t know if it’s going to be a problem yet,” University of Melbourne clinical epidemiologist Nancy Baxter had told the Nine Network on Thursday. She warned that the sub-variant “may extend our waves,” making them “longer to get out of.”

The BA.2 strain has not yet been designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, but the UK’s Health Security Agency has deemed it a variant under investigation. Meanwhile, Danish health authorities have calculated the off-shoot to be 1.5 time more contagious than the original Omicron strain. According to Reuters, it has already become the dominant strain in Denmark.

==========================================================================================

Secret govt unit used ‘unethical’ fear tactics to push

Covid rules compliance – media

The UK government’s behavioral insights team will reportedly be investigated

over claims of using ‘fear, shame and scapegoating’ to influence public

NHS signage promoting 'Stay Home, Save Lives' on a bus shelter in Chinatown, central London.

January 8, 2021. © AFP / Tolga Akmen

A parliamentary committee is reportedly set to investigate “scare ads” created by the UK government’s shadowy ‘behavioural insights’ team to “nudge” the public into obeying Covid-19 restrictions. The move comes amid concerns about the “grossly unethical” use of the unit to “inflate fear levels.”

The House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee is expected to probe the so-called “nudge unit” as part of an ongoing investigation into government activities during the pandemic, The Telegraph reported.

Tory MP William Wragg, who chairs the committee, told the paper that the “central issue is how ‘nudge’ sits within parliamentary democracy and ministerial accountability.” 

According to The Telegraph, the committee received a letter from a group of 40 psychologists this week, which warned that it was “highly questionable whether a civilised society should knowingly increase the emotional discomfort of its citizens as a means of gaining their compliance.”

Government scientists deploying fear, shame and scapegoating

to change minds is an ethically dubious practice.

The signatories reportedly criticized the use of dramatic adverts featuring slogans such as “If you go out you can spread it, people will die.” One such ad had a close-up photo of an intensive-care patient wearing an oxygen mask, with the caption: “Look her in the eyes and tell her you never bend the rules.”

The use of “images of the acutely unwell in intensive care units” and the “macabre mono focus on the number of Covid-19 deaths without mention of mortality from other causes” were also said to have been condemned by the group, which warned of unintended consequences.

“Shaming and scapegoating have emboldened some people to harass those unable or unwilling to wear a face covering,” they reportedly wrote, adding that the “inflated fear levels” and “strategically-increased anxieties” had “[discouraged] many from seeking help for other illnesses.”

The letter also apparently cited a government memo from March 2020, which warned that a “substantial number of people still do not feel sufficiently personally threatened” by the virus and called for “hard-hitting, emotional messaging” to target the “complacent.”

But an unnamed government spokesperson told the Daily Mail that Downing Street had followed the advice of scientists and taken the “right measures at the right time” to tackle Covid-19. They added the government had used “every means possible” to inform the public about the severity of Covid-19.

Established by David Cameron’s coalition government in 2010, the ‘nudge unit’ is apparently designed to apply scientific principles to subtly influence public behavior without the need for legislation. Although its handiwork has been visible in government ads, The Telegraph noted that its operations are shrouded in secrecy.

In the 'leading us down the garden path' category

GOP Doctors Caucus ‘infuriated’ with Fauci, White House

“We are not going to vaccinate our way” out of the Covid-19 pandemic,

Rep. Greg Murphy says

©  Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Murphy, a practicing surgeon, says the GOP Doctors Caucus is “infuriated” with the White House and its chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, for promoting Covid-19 vaccinations too heavily while ignoring potential therapeutic treatments. 

“I’m a vice chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus. We are infuriated – infuriated – that this has all been about vaccination. Fauci has been, ‘Vaccination, vaccination, vaccination,’ rather than therapeutics,” Murphy told Breitbart News on Friday, adding that he believes there is no way for the US to “vaccinate our way” out of the pandemic.

“There should be something that we should be able to write and prescribe that’s not $800 a pill for people who test positive to try to get them better, not only keep them out of the hospital, but get them better, get them back to work, and let society function, I think this is a major problem,” Murphy said. He suggested drugs like ivermectin – most famously taken by podcaster Joe Rogan when he tested positive for Covid – should be studied to find alternate treatments to Covid to avoid continuous vaccines and subsequent booster shots.  

Public trust in health officials has deteriorated during the pandemic, Murphy went on to say, and he puts the majority of the blame on Fauci’s “arrogance.”

“Fauci, I’m going to blame [him] as the biggest reason, his arrogance, [that] the trust of the American people in health care, and in doctors, in particular, has plummeted,” the North Carolina Republican said. 

The GOP Doctors Caucus is made up of 18 congressional members who are also medical providers, and focuses on policy related to healthcare.

While Fauci has remained popular among Democrats, his approval ratings have plummeted among Independents and Republicans as the infectious diseases expert has become a target of critics of vaccine mandates and pandemic-era lockdown orders. 

The GOP Doctors Caucus even previously requested an apology from Fauci for referring to Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) as a “moron” in a hot mic moment following a back and forth about the doctor’s financial disclosures. 

Fauci argued at the time that all of the information the senator was requesting was publicly available. The White House medical adviser has maintained that vaccines are the best way to combat Covid-19 and to prevent mutations.

Covid-19 > Early Treatment has 99.99% survival rate

Bits and Bites from Around the World > Beetles cause town to go dark; American bugs invade Sochi; Pregnant, single Journo welcomed by Taliban, but not NZ;

..
Town goes dark amid massive bug infestation

Unusual rains and heat saw beetles reproducing in larger numbers

and invading a small town in Argentina

FILE PHOTO: A town during a blackout. © AFP / Yuri Cortez

The Argentinean town of Santa Isabel has been forced to shut off its lights for several days in an effort to persuade the millions of bugs that have invaded its streets to leave and look for another place to stay.

The town of some 2,500 in Argentina’s central province of La Pampa has been plagued by swarms of beetles for over a week. “They’re everywhere – in the houses, in the shops,” Deputy Mayor Cristian Echegaray complained to the media.

Local law enforcement agents have blamed the beetles for damaging the police station, residential buildings, and vehicles, as well as plugging the drains at a gas station, among other inconveniences.

Residents have documented the infestation in videos uploaded to social media, showing thousands of bugs in the roofs of their houses and huddling in dark holes.

Some have been filling huge boxes with the insects, driving them out of town in their cars, and dumping them, so as to be able to go on with their daily routine without the insects’ hindrance.

The authorities attribute the infestation both to unusually heavy rains for the time of the year and the heatwave that recently hit Argentina, which saw temperatures rise to almost 40C (104F).

Those conditions were perfect for the reproduction of the bugs, the larvae of which develop below ground.

Millions of adult beetles then flocked to Santa Isabel, attracted by its streetlights. The insects don’t bite or sting, but they’re protected by a sturdy shell and have a tendency to hit things as they fly, so locals were recommended to cover their faces while outside to avoid injury.

Santa Isabel eventually decided to turn off its streetlights and the lights in public building to make the bugs “go away and find another town,” Echegaray told the AP news agency on Saturday.

The town has been dark for the past three days, with the move proving effective. The number of beetles has decreased dramatically during the blackout, he said.

When you think of American bugs in Russia, it's usually listening devices that come to mind.

Call the ‘Men in Black’! Huge cockroaches invade

Russian resort of Sochi

Note: dated story - 30 Jul, 2019

They sowed fear in moviegoers after being seen bolstering an alien invasion in ‘Men in Black’ and now American cockroaches have been spotted in the Russian resort of Sochi. Scientists warn they won’t be going away.

Actor Will Smith on the Men in Black II movie poster. © AFP / Yoshikazu Tsuno;

American cockroach. © AFP / Sam Yeh

With their body length reaching up to 5cm and a full length of 9cm with whiskers, the American incarnation of the bugs are considered the largest common cockroaches on Earth. They have wings and are very skilled at flying, something their Russian counterparts never do.

Is this an example of American exceptionalism?

The insects are dangerous pests; they spread diseases, cause allergic reactions in humans and damage not only food supplies but also the buildings that they infest.

These are the new neighbors that residents of Sochi, the famous resort on the Black Sea will have to get used to from now on. Numerous red-brownish bugs have been spotted in homes and green areas of the 2014 Olympic capital, scientists from Sochi National Park said.

American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) © Sochi National Park (9cm = about 3.5in)

As for how an invasion by an alien species occurred, they explained that “the American cockroaches are often held in terrariums as an exotic large insect and also used as a food for terrarium animals: lizards and certain species of snakes.” The scientists believe that roaches simply escaped from their terrariums to start populating Sochi.

The species, which got its name after being transferred to America on trade and slave ships in the 17th century, originates from tropical Africa. So, the conditions in Sochi are perfect for it. The Russian resort has a humid, subtropical climate, with the thermometers reaching plus 30 Celsius in summer and annual average temperature of plus 18.4 Celsius. American tourists, who visit the resort often, refer to it as “Russian Miami.”

Despite its being new in Sochi, the adaptive American cockroach has spread across the globe in areas with tropical climates. It’s often encountered in Southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with the nickname of a “little hard-to-kill pest” given to the insect in China.

The Asians have even learned to derive benefit from the pests. The roaches are an important ingredient in Chinese medicine, with one pharmaceutical company operating a farm that breeds around six billion of them every year. Restaurants in China, Vietnam and other countries also serve their customers a range of dishes that offer American cockroach as a protein.

In the 1997 sci-fi comedy hit ‘Men in Black,’ the American cockroaches were allies with an extraterrestrial bug, who landed on Earth to capture the powerful device called the Galaxy. But it was his soft spot for the local insects that eventually allowed Agents K and J to defeat the alien and foil his plans.

The residents of Sochi are unlikely to be using the roaches to diversify their diet, but they are, of course, no strangers to exotic insects. Sochi National Park had recently shared pictures of rare sawyers, which were made on its territory. Those bugs are also considered pests due to feeding on trees or wooden structures, but some of them look absolutely beautiful.

Established in 1983, the Sochi National Park is the second oldest in Russia. It covers a vast area of 1,937 sq km, starting from the Black Sea shore and going all the way up to the Caucasus Mountains. The reserve hosts a variety of rare plants and animals, with the Persian Leopard reintroduced there in 2009.

Pregnant foreign reporter asks Taliban for refuge after

being rejected by home country

One has to be in a truly “messed up” situation to seek an offer of safe haven

from the Taliban, a New Zealand journalist pointed out

The Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s Maymana. © AFP / Elise Blanchard

A New Zealand reporter, who ended up pregnant and unmarried while working in Qatar for broadcaster Al Jazeera, has revealed that she had to turn to the Taliban for help after her own country said she couldn’t return due to Covid-19 curbs.

Charlotte Bellis had previously become famous when she attended the Taliban’s first press conference after the radical group took power in Afghanistan last August and asked its leaders: “What will you do to protect the rights of women and girls?”

Now, she’s making headlines again after finding herself in an unexpected conundrum, which the reporter detailed in a bombshell opinion piece for the New Zealand Herald on Friday.

In September, when Bellis returned from Afghanistan to Qatar’s capital Doha, where Al Jazeera is based, she found out that she was pregnant from her partner Jim Huylebroek, a photographer who contributes to the New York Times and who had also been in Kabul.

It was a huge surprise as doctors had always been saying that she was incapable of having kids, but it also meant that the reporter couldn’t stay in Qatar anymore, as being pregnant and unmarried was illegal under that Muslim country’s laws.

Bellis resigned from Al Jazeera, hoping to give birth sometime in May in New Zealand, which shut itself from the outside world during the pandemic but planned to reopen its borders for residents in February.

The duo went to Belgium –Huylebroek’s home country– to wait until regular flights to New Zealand became available. The reporter knew her nationality meant she couldn’t stay in the EU for too long, so she’d also been trying to win a spot in a Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facility in New Zealand, but with no luck. 

And when the reopening of the borders was delayed by the authorities in Wellington due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, Bellis was left with just one destination she could travel to – Kabul. Both she and Huylebroek and still had visas that allowed them to live in Afghanistan.  

The reporter said she organized a meeting with senior Taliban contacts, asking them if there’ll be “a problem” if she comes to the Afghan capital with her partner, considering the fact that she’s pregnant and that they weren’t a married couple.

“No, we’re happy for you, you can come and you won’t have a problem,” a Taliban official responded, according to Bellis. “Just tell people you’re married and if it escalates, call us. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

“When the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried woman – safe haven, you know your situation is messed up,” she wrote.

The reporter is currently in Kabul, but she doesn’t want to actually give birth in Afghanistan due to the turbulent situation and poor state of healthcare in the country.

With the UN expecting an extra 50,000 Afghan women to die in childbirth by 2025, “getting pregnant can be a death sentence” there, she pointed out.

But those arguments didn't seem too convincing to the authorities in New Zealand, who rejected Bellis’ emergency MIQ spot application on Monday. Among other things, the pregnant woman was told that she “did not provide any evidence” of having a scheduled “time-critical” medical treatment in New Zealand and that she couldn’t access the same treatment in her “current location.”

Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed, I think.

The reporter confessed that she was “in shock” after getting such a response. She started contacting lawyers and some other important people in New Zealand to make it clear that she was going to fight back against the ruling – by appealing and taking it to the media.

But, on Wednesday, the status of her application on the MIQ website switched from “deactivated” to “in progress.” The next day, her partner received an email, saying that he could now also apply for an emergency MIQ spot.

According to Bellis, the turnaround occurred after New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins was informed of their case. And she wasn’t happy to be “getting preferential treatment” from the government, which only wants to avoid “an incoming political headache.”

“They rejected us, like they have so many thousands of other desperate New Zealanders, and seemingly because of who we are, and the resources we have,” she argued.

The reporter said she decided to share her troubles because “the decision of who should get an emergency MIQ spot is not made on a level playing field, lacks ethical reasoning and pits our most vulnerable against each other.”

She called for the system to be changed, adding that it was time for the authorities in New Zealand, not the Taliban, to answer what would they do to protect the rights of women.

Hipkins later confirmed to The NZ Herald that he was told about the reporter's situation by “a senior National Party MP” and ordered to check “whether the proper process was followed” regarding her emergency MIQ application.

I'm not sure how clever this story is - outing the Taliban for telling her to lie about being married, outing possible special consideration by New Zealand. If both of these entities react negatively to the publicity, where will Charlotte go then? 

Corruption is Everywhere > An Obama advisor; Clinton's 2016 Campaign; 47 Steel Execs jailed in China

..

Obama adviser pleads guilty to stealing $200,000+

A former White House official was accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars

to secure a loan on a multi-million-dollar apartment

White House © Getty Images / E4C

Seth Andrew, a former adviser to 44th President Barack Obama, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges after stealing $218,000 from a charter school he founded.

The US Department of Justice announced on Friday that Andrew had pleaded guilty to transferring the money from the school to his own private bank accounts, which were being used to acquire a mortgage for a multi-million-dollar New York apartment.

Andrew could face up to 20 years in prison for the crime and is set to be sentenced on April 14. The former White House education adviser has agreed “to pay restitution to the Charter School Network from which he stole,” according to the DOJ.

“Seth Andrew, a former White House adviser, admitted today to devising a scheme to steal from the very same schools he helped create,” said US Attorney Damian Williams in a statement. “Andrew now faces time in federal prison for abusing his position and robbing those he promised to help.”

Andrew – who served as an education adviser to the Obama White House between 2014 and 2016 – was arrested in April 2021 and charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements.

At the time, FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. accused Andrew of stealing the school’s money to get “the lowest interest rate” while applying for the Manhattan apartment loan.

“When you don’t have the necessary funds to put down, and you steal the money from your former employer to make up the difference, saving money in interest is likely to be the least of your concerns,” said Sweeney, who added, “We allege today that Andrew did just that, and since the employer he stole from was a charter school organization, the money he took belonged to an institution serving school-aged children.”

Disgraced lobbyist reportedly pleads guilty

in 2016 election meddling case

George Nader funneled millions of UAE money to “Our Sister” Hillary Clinton

FILE PHOTO. George Nader speaking at a Middle East Insight event in Washington, DC

on March 18, 1999. ©Ron Sachs / CNP / AdMedia via Global Look Press

An adviser to the government of the United Arab Emirates has admitted guilt in illegal donations of millions of dollars to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, The Intercept has learned.

Several months ago, George Nader agreed to plead guilty on one count of defrauding the US government through concealing the foreign origins of political contributions, the outlet reported, citing a sentencing memo penned by prosecutors. The document was unsealed in December 2021, but was not previously reported, the outlet said.

According to the allegations, Nader and his co-conspirator, Ahmad Khawaja, a California businessman, obfuscated the source of nearly $5 million. Transfers from Nader’s UAE-based firm to Khawaja’s US-based payment-processing company were presented to be regular payments.

Of that amount, more than $3.5 million came from the UAE government and were donated to Democratic PACs supporting Clinton’s candidacy, the allegations said. It remains unclear what happened to the rest of the money. However, the memo states that the two defendants sought inroads to “key figures” in the Donald Trump campaign, and that Khawaja donated $1 million to the Republican candidate’s inaugural committee.

Eight people have been indicted in the case, with five of them, including Nader, pleading guilty, The Intercept said. Khawaja fled the US after being indicted and is reportedly being held in custody in Lithuania. Both primary defendants are American citizens of Lebanese origin.

The accusations were previously detailed by the New York Times. Clinton was referred to as “Our Sister” or “the Big Lady” in communications between Nader and his UAE client, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. The businessman was a trusted emissary of the UAE royalty and provided regular updates on his progress in establishing connections with the Democratic candidate’s staff. The UAE government refrained from commenting on the allegations to either publication.

Nader was previously investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller for his effort targeting the Trump campaign and presidency. Mueller’s team questioned him about a meeting he helped organize between Erik Prince, an American private security entrepreneur and founder of the infamous company Blackwater, and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

The January 2017 Seychelles encounter was hyped by US media as evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, but Mueller’s final report described it as pretty much inconsequential and of little interest to the people in Trump’s orbit.

Nader was arrested by US federal agents in June 2019, after he got off a flight from the UAE, for possession of child pornography and images of bestiality, which were reportedly discovered by the Mueller team. It was the latest of several charges of the same nature he faced in the US.

The businessman was later indicted, with more counts of possession of child pornography and the sex trafficking of a 14-year-old boy from the Czech Republic, which happened in 2000. He pleaded guilty to both felonies and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nader spent a year in a Czech prison for having sex with the same minor, who he flew to the US.

Prosecutors in the campaign finance violation case are asking for a five-year sentence for the businessman, who is now 62 years old, to be served after his current prison term.

It seems like Mueller found a lot more dirt on Clinton than he ever did on Trump!

Are there charges pending against the Democratic PAC for receiving money from UAE?

========================================================================================

Nearly 50 steel execs jailed over emissions

Beijing has punished nearly 50 executives of steel-producing companies

for faking pollution data

FILE PHOTO. A steel worker walks past steel rods at a plant in Tangshan, Hebei province, China.

©  Kevin Frayer

Authorities in China have punished supervisors from four companies located in the top steelmaking city of Tangshan, the local government announced on Thursday, citing court documents.

Some 47 senior officials working for the companies have been given prison sentences ranging from six to 18 months after they were found guilty of tampering with monitoring devices controlling emissions.

The interference allowed the companies to release large quantities of pollutants back in March 2021, according to the Tangshan municipal government’s statement. Two of the companies caught circumventing the emissions restrictions, Tangshan Songting and Hebei Xinda, were also fined four million yuan to seven million yuan ($628,000 to $1.1 million).

The sentences and heavy fines come amid Beijing’s campaign to make its economy more eco-friendly and achieve carbon goals outlined by the central government. Steel producers appear to be among the prime offenders, repeatedly caught flouting the emissions caps.

Last year, four Tangshan steel making companies were caught failing to comply with production cuts introduced to limit heavy pollution. One of the offending companies, Tangshan Jinma Steel Group, was also involved in the latest scandal.

The Media is the Message > Pod-caster too narrow-minded for Peterson; Everything is Russia's fault; Zelensky slams media, disses Biden; CNN creates hysteria

..

YouTuber in Joe Rogan feud deletes interviews with Jordan Peterson

The podcaster made headlines recently for a one-sided feud with Joe Rogan on Covid-19

Jordan Peterson speaking in Amsterdam ©  NurPhoto/Getty Images

YouTuber and podcaster Ethan Klein has announced that he’s removed two previous interviews he conducted “years ago” with psychologist Jordan Peterson, describing the author as offering a “dangerous gateway” to extremist views.

So, now it's not only verboten to have extremist views, but it's also bad to have views that might lead on toward extremism. That's a little like thought police.

In a tweet on Friday, Klein admitted Peterson had been an “interesting” guest with whom he’d “enjoyed” talking, but said he’d since become more familiar with his political views, which he said propagated transphobia and Covid-19 misinformation.

“I can see he’s a dangerous gateway to alt-right, transphobia, and Covid [misinformation],” The ‘H3 Podcast’ host tweeted about Peterson, informing his followers the interviews had been taken down. 

Klein’s decision was questioned by some on social media, however, including Peterson himself, who warned the podcaster that those “who engage in cancel culture generally live to regret it.”

“You will be held to higher and higher and soon impossible to maintain ethical standards by the very mob you currently wish to please,” Peterson wrote. “Then you will make a mistake, and they will devour you. With glee. Please take this warning seriously. I liked you.”

Klein responded to Peterson, saying he found him “interesting” and “amicable” as a person, but couldn’t condone his views on Covid vaccine policies, for which he said he didn’t want to be a “pipeline.” 

Klein recently criticized Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator and fellow podcaster Joe Rogan, who has hosted Peterson on his show a number of times. He accused Rogan of spreading vaccine misinformation and dubbed him a "expletive deleted" with no authority to speak about health matters, which provoked a swift response on Twitter. 

Klein’s stand against Peterson has earned him similar criticism online, with some accusing the YouTuber of piggybacking on controversial political topics so as to have social media “meltdowns” that then gain him publicity.

========================================================================================

Secret of ‘microwave weapons’ targeting US diplomats revealed

The rise and fall of ‘Havana Syndrome’ is a story of lazy assumptions and sloppy reporting

By Paul Robinson, a professor at the University of Ottawa. He writes about Russian and Soviet history, military history and military ethics, and is author of the Irrussianality blog. He tweets at @Irrussianality.

FILE PHOTO. US embassy in Havana. © AFP / YAMIL LAGE

US diplomats and security officials suffering from a spate of unexplained health problems were victims of Russian microwave weapons, we were told time and time again. But now the CIA admits Moscow wasn’t actually behind “Havana Syndrome.” The story fits a disturbingly familiar pattern of misinformation.

With each passing week, the list of discredited allegations against Russia grows and grows. Time and time again, Western governments and the media have sprung into action to inform us of some new evil plot, only to backpedal later when it became clear that there was nothing to it.

Take, for instance, the multi-year saga that was Russiagate, built on the idea that Donald Trump was a Russian agent. There are still some believers, but for the most part people lost interest once it became clear that it was a load of baloney and that the “Steele Dossier” that sparked it off wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.

Then there were the claims that Russia was arming the Taliban, that it had inserted malware into the Vermont electrical grid, that it had bankrolled Brexit via British businessman Arron Banks, and so on. All are now discredited.

Yet the allegations keep on coming. A case in point is the story of Havana Syndrome, which was in the news again this week. For those of you who have missed it, Havana Syndrome is the name given to mysterious symptoms experienced by hundreds of American diplomats and CIA agents around the world, including “headaches, fatigue, hearing and vision loss, severe and debilitating cognitive impairment, tinnitus, brain fog, vertigo, and loss of motor control.” 

Such a wide set of symptoms casts immediate doubt on whether there is a single cause. Nevertheless, speculation soon ran rife that they were all examples of a single “syndrome,” and that American diplomats were being targeted by some sort of unknown microwave emitter designed to fry peoples’ brains.

After examining four possible causes of Havana Syndrome – infection, chemicals, psychological factors, and microwave energy – a US government report concluded that “directed pulse RF [radio frequency] energy… appears to be the most plausible mechanism.” Havana Syndrome was “real, and it is serious,” remarked CIA Director William Burns, adding that there was a “very strong possibility” that it was the result of intentional actions. 

Who might be doing such a thing? In public, US government officials avoided naming names, admitting that they lacked the evidence to do so. In private, however, the finger was pointed firmly at the Russian Federation, a charge rapidly amplified by the international media.

Thus the New York Times reported that officials “familiar with the report” mentioned above said that the country behind the “attacks” was Russia. CIA veteran Lewis Regenstein claimed that Russian/Soviet attacks of this sort had been going on since the 1950s, penning an article for the Washington Times headlined “68 years of Russian microwave radiation attacks on Americans with impunity.” “Russians use ‘secret microwave weapon’ to target American spies across the globe,” claimed The Sun. And so on. The media had made its mind up – Russia was to blame.

Why the Russian secret services might be doing this has never been explained, with some experts speculating that Havana Syndrome was the result of deliberate attacks, and others believing that the harm to humans was an unintended side effect of some scanning machine designed to extract intelligence from diplomats’ electronic devices. Either way, the Russians were responsible, even though not the slightest jot of evidence in support of this thesis has ever been publicly produced.

It didn’t take long, though, for skeptics to come up with other theories. One was that the syndrome was caused by the loud noise made by crickets. Support for this theory later came in a report commissioned by the US State Department that concluded crickets were the most likely culprits in 21 recorded cases. 

Late last year, another theory emerged. Havana Syndrome was “a mass psychogenic illness,” a group of US scientists decided. It was, they said, an example of the “nocebo effect,” the opposite of the placebo effect. In this, expectations of something negative happening to one’s health causes something negative to happen. After the initial incident in Cuba, US diplomats were told to look out for “anomalous health” issues, and as a result they started feeling them. In effect, it was all in their heads.

Whatever the truth, the story of Russian microwave weapons continued to gain traction. But it now seems that even the CIA is having doubts. According to reports this Thursday,

“In a new intelligence assessment, the CIA has ruled out that the mysterious symptoms known as Havana Syndrome are the result of a sustained global campaign by a hostile power aimed at hundreds of US diplomats and spies, six people briefed on the matter told NBC News.

In about two dozen cases, the agency cannot rule out foreign involvement, including many of the cases that originated at the US Embassy in Havana beginning in 2016. Another group of cases is considered unresolved. But in hundreds of other cases of possible symptoms, the agency has found plausible alternative explanations, the sources said. 

The idea that widespread brain injury symptoms have been caused by Russia or another foreign power targeting Americans around the world, either to harm them or to collect intelligence, has been deemed unfounded, the sources said.

Oh dear! How embarrassing. For sure, there are still a few cases in which the cause of illness remains unknown and so foreign involvement “cannot be ruled out.” But that is hardly evidence for ruling it in. This latest assessment knocks the “Russia done it” narrative for six.

In short, once again we found that we’ve been fed a tissue of lies. By now, we should hardly be surprised, but the whole affair speaks to the credulity of much of our political and media establishment, and to the need for a much more cautious and evidence-based approach to allegations of wrongdoing.

It’s common nowadays to complain of the public’s lack of trust in traditional political and media institutions. One of the reasons for this is that people have become skeptical of the old “gatekeepers” of the truth due to their tendency to shout wolf at every available opportunity. If people believe disinformation coming from newer sources, it’s because they’ve become disenchanted by the misinformation coming from the old ones. The latter are under threat, but they have only themselves to blame.

You would think at some point the government and media would become horribly embarrassed by their own stupidity, but they don't seem to be. They'll be ready to jump on the next bandwagon heading to Russia.

========================================================================================

Ukraine asks West to tone down ‘panic’

Volodymyr Zelensky has blasted the West for causing panic

FILE PHOTO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized the “slightly imbalanced” coverage of the situation surrounding his country exhibited by some Western politicians and media. He was speaking to foreign reporters during a major press conference on Friday. 

The former entertainer particularly emphasised his concerns about press coverage, and political statements, concerning an alleged Russian military build up near his country's frontier. 

“Today we are not seeing any greater escalation than it has been before. Yes, the number of servicemen has increased, but I spoke about that at the beginning of 2021 when they talked about the military exercises of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky stated.

“From media coverage, it looks like we are at war already, that troops are already on the road, that there's mobilization, people going somewhere. It's not the case. We don’t need this panic.”

Overhyping the tensions around Ukraine has already had a heavy impact on its economy, Zelensky insisted. Billions have been withdrawn from the country, in recent times, he added, without specifying whether he was referring to the domestic Grivna currency, or those of foreign nations. 

The president also touched upon phone talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden, which took place earlier in the day. Zelensky dismissed media reports that they didn't go well, insisting that there were no disagreements with the US president.

“We do not have any misunderstanding with the president of the United States. Simply, I deeply understand what is happening in my country, and he understands well what is going on in the US,” Zelensky explained.

Ouch! That was a good one!

At the same time, the Ukrainian leader admitted that he might have some secrets to keep from Biden.

I think that as the president of an independent country, I can have my own secrets, just like the president of the US.

White House calls CNN report on Russian invasion ‘completely false’

The White House denies a report that Biden told Zelensky to “prepare for impact”

and that Kiev could be “sacked”

The White House has pushed back on a CNN report about Thursday’s phone call between US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, calling it “completely false.” 

“President Biden said that there is a distinct possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February. He has previously said this publicly and we have been warning about this for months. Reports of anything more or different than that are completely false,” Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, tweeted on Thursday evening.

She was responding to a tweet by CNN’s senior national security correspondent, Alexander Marquardt, who was quoting his colleague in Kiev, Matthew Chance.

“A Russian invasion is now virtually certain once the ground freezes, Biden said to Zelensky, a senior Ukrainian official told [Chance]. Kyiv could be ‘sacked,’ Russian forces may attempt to occupy it, ‘prepare for impact’, Biden said, according to this official,” Marquardt tweeted.  

CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper had Chance cite “the Ukrainian official” live on air.

“The capital, Kiev, this city here, could be ‘sacked.’ That’s the word he [Biden] apparently used, according to this Ukrainian official. [It could be] sacked by Russian forces,” Chance told Tapper.

Chance went on to quote what he called a “quite impactful line” from the Biden-Zelensky call as narrated to him by the anonymous Ukrainian official. “President Biden [was] telling his Ukrainian counterpart that Ukraine should prepare for impact. Quite a stark warning there from the US leader.”

The segment, however, was subsequently removed from The Lead’s Twitter account.

The quote was quickly picked up by other outlets, such as The Independent, The Express, and the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, CNN anchor Jim Sciutto quoted Horne as saying that “anonymous sources are ‘leaking’ falsehoods” about the call.

Zelensky’s spokesman, Sergey Nykyforov, likewise dismissed reports citing the alleged “senior Ukrainian official” as “completely false.”

“Correct information can only be found in official releases from the Ukrainian and American sides,” he stated.

Officially, the Biden-Zelensky call on Thursday afternoon went well, with the two presidents discussing the ongoing US military and financial aid to Ukraine. Biden reiterated US support for Ukraine and told Zelensky the US and its allies were ready to “respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” according to the official White House readout.

Biden also told his Ukrainian colleague that the US embassy in Kiev “remains open and fully operational” even though some family members of diplomats and staff were evacuated this week.

The two presidents noted the success of Wednesday’s talks in Paris, where Russia and Ukraine agreed on the matter of maintaining the ceasefire in the disputed region of Donbass and scheduled another meeting in Berlin in two weeks.

Fear sells in 21st century news; hysteria sells even better. There's no room for truth in hysteria.

=========================================================================================