Beltway Insider: Biden/Putin War, Prince Andrew, COVID Omicron/Vaccine Totals, Unvax Tax, Djokovic, Sirhan Sirhan

President Biden speculated, through White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin creating the pretext of war with the Ukraine by initiating attacks against his own troops or military installations.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending January 16, 2022 decreased by 0.7% to 42.2% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 0.4% to 51.5% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.


Beltway Insider: Biden/Jan 6, Eastern Europe, Arbury, COVID Omicron/Vaccine Totals, Sidney Poitier


Putin Resorts to Disinformation Campaign to Initiate War

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his pre-1991 reunification plan of the former Soviet Union, by initiating war with Ukraine through intentional sabotage of its own military troops or installations, under the pretense of Ukraine military action so to begin its military attack on the once Russian-governed nation.

"Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday described Moscow's demands that NATO will neither expand nor deploy forces to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as essential for the progress of diplomatic efforts to defuse soaring tensions over Ukraine. "We have run out of patience," Lavrov said at a news conference. "The West has been driven by hubris and has exacerbated tensions in violation of its obligations and common sense,"" reported The Military Times.

As Putin has made his position clear on the possibility of invasion of the Ukraine, with the continual buildup of troops along the Ukraine border. He has also positioned troops in Kazakhstan, as requested by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to squash the violent protests, he is strategically positioning his military in and around points in Eastern Europe.

Putin Demands Conformity from NATO Alliance

While Russia has made its position very clear, the possibility of Putin dictating NATO decisions on which nations to invite into the alliance and where to conduct exercises is completely a decision by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and not an individual nation.

NATO, until 2014, had remained committed to engaging in talks with Russia to build an alliance as the nation transitioned from the former Soviet Union, however with the violation of territorial sovereignty of the Ukraine in 2014, those talks were suspended have have remained shelved. NATO does not recognize Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and refuses to negotiate.

The current crisis initiated by Putin is a two-fold effort to force NATO to cease military operations in proximity to the Ukraine, and to never provide invitation or assistance to any former Soviet held nation. to stop any assistance from NATO.

In October 2021, Russia in response to a NATO decision to withdraw the credentials of eight undeclared Russian Diplomats, Russia suspended the diplomatic mission to NATO and forced the closure of the Moscow NATO offices. The escalation of tension has continued to focus on Ukraine and the illegal annexation.

"The President's view and our view is that this is up to President Putin and Russia to determine what the path for it is. We are ready regardless of what they decide. If they decide they're going to invade Ukraine, there are going to be economic consequences that go far beyond 2014. If they decide they want to engage in diplomatic conversations and talks, we are very open to that," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

Cybersecurity and Disinformation Campaign

Russia announced the arrested on an individual responsible for the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in June of 2021, that disrupted the flow of oil destabilizing the entire eastern seaboard infrastructure and creating chaos at the gas pumps.

In June of 2021, The White House and The Kremlin engaged in diplomacy to address the growing cybersecurity crimes around the world and set up an experts' group. The arrest of those responsible for the Colonial Pipeline attack is the result of that task force and is not related to the Ukraine situation.

"We've also been very clear: If Russia further invades Ukraine, we will impose severe costs on Russia in coordination with our allies and partners. As the President has said, cyber criminals are resilient and we will continue to take action to disrupt and deter them while engaging in diplomacy, as we have with Russia, allies, and partners around the world," a Senior White House Official said.


World News: Moscow-Ukraine Tensions Rise


January 6 Committee Subpoenas Social Media Titans, House Minority Leader

Mark Zuckerberg the owner of Metaverse, formerly known as Facebook, the largest social media platform in the world, has been subpoenaed by the January 6 Select House committee to respond to questions regarding the platforms use in fueling the insurrectionists plans.

Social media platforms Reddit, Twitter and Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, also received subpoenas.

"The committee seeks to ask these companies questions "relating to the spread of misinformation, efforts to overturn the 2020 election, domestic violent extremism, and foreign influence in the 2020 election," according to a committee press release.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Subpoenaed

The January 6 Committee, led by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss), has also released information on the possibility of subpoenaing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy after he refused this week to voluntarily provide information on his correspondence with former White House chief of Staff Mark Meadows and the former President Donald Trump.

"In his letter Wednesday, Thompson cited McCarthy's conversation with Trump on Jan. 11, during which McCarthy "may also have discussed with President Trump the potential he would face a censure resolution, impeachment, or removal under the 25th Amendment," Thompson wrote. "It also appears that you may have identified other possible options, including President Trump's immediate resignation from office," reported The Washington Post.

McCarthy has refused to cooperate as has fellow republicans, Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and and Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio.

The purpose of the January 6 Committee is to investigate all aspects of the January 6 terrorist attack on The Capitol including all actions passive or aggressive, including through the use of written words, verbal communication, gestures, or body motions, such as a nod, or through silence or inaction, which may have led to assistance, confirmation or mistaken as agreement in the course of action.

The committee's, "vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), said Thursday the panel would now consider issuing a subpoena to McCarthy and other lawmakers — an option that raises complex legal and practical issues already under discussion. Cheney accused McCarthy of trying to cover up what happened Jan. 6. "I wish that he were a brave and honorable man," Cheney told CNN. "He's clearly trying to cover up what happened. He has an obligation to come forward and we'll get to the truth,"' reported The Washington Post.

Vaccine Totals

Bloomberg.com has built a vaccine tracker which can be seen here. "In the U.S., 527 million doses have been given so far. An average 1.26 million doses per day were administered over the last week," Bloomberg.com reported.

Coronavirus Totals

After a brief season of declining infection rates, the Omicron variant has shocked the world sending major urban and metropolitan areas into a tailspin with sharp spikes in confirmed infection rates. The importance of maintaining personal protective practices is imperative to controlling the spread.

Unless 85% of the global population is vaccinated and regularly receiving booster shots the global population will never fully control the pandemic it will always control the population.

For the one-week period ending January 16, 2022 coronavirus cases globally increased by 20,949,873 new confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases worldwide to 326,252,440 people with a total worldwide death toll of 5,483,394 deaths, and a 7-day death rate increase of 51,657 (Data from The New York Times).

COVID US Totals

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the seven-day period ending January 16, 2022, the total confirmed cases rose to 65,476,992 people with new confirmed cases increasing by 5,628,084 with a 7-day average of 805,069 cases per day. The coronavirus has claimed 849,566 total deaths, adding 13,731 more deaths over the 7-day period. (Data from The New York Times).

Pentagon's Diary Gets Personal

Protecting for gain of function knowledge only aides those who initiated the constitutional violations. It does nothing to combat the homegrown terrorism or the narcissist above the law belief.

Canada Unveils Tax for Unvaccinated

"Premier of Canadian province of Quebec, François Legault, vowed to enact the new financial penalty, saying those Québécois who refuse to get their first vaccine dose in the coming weeks will have to start paying for their impact on the health care system," Eturbonews.com reported.

Quebec is aggressively attempting to stop the spread of the Coronavirus and the latest Omicron variant by banning the unvaccinated from entering into vice-related establishments such as cannabis shops and liquor stores and followed the ban on the unvaccinated from entering theaters, venues, restaurants, bars and casinos, and is moving to enforce taxation on citizens who refuse vaccination.

Quebec's transmission rate has increased to nearly 12,000 confirmed cases per day mainly due to the fast moving Omicron variant.


Ghislaine Maxwell, Longtime Companion of Jeffrey Epstein, Found Guilty


Prince Andrew's Legal Challenges Cost Him Royal Titles

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is confronting a double whammy this week as his staunchest supporter, Queen Elizabeth II, has stripped him of his royal patronages and titles as he challenges his legal battles, which a New York judge ruled could move forward.

U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan "wrote that the only factor he had to consider in deciding the prince's motion to dismiss was whether the agreement could be interpreted in multiple ways. Kaplan wrote that it is "not open to the Court now to decide, as a matter of fact, just what the parties to the release in the 2009 settlement agreement signed by Ms. Giuffre and Mr. Epstein actually meant," reported The Washington Post.

The judge furthered explained jurisdictional law forbids him from challenging the judicial decision handed down in Florida and he must adhere to the laws of Florida, where the settlement originated.

"The "controlling interpretation . . . must await further proceedings," he wrote, adding that the "intentions of Ms. Giuffre and Epstein are anything but clear here, at least at this stage,"' reported The Washington Post.

With the New York legal system adopting a pick and choose method of sexual assault prosecution, it is clear the bigger the title the more likely the case will continue forward. Apparently, evidence, which is clearly lacking in the case of Prince Andrew, outside of guilt by association, poor choice, and bad decisions, plays no part in the decision-making process.

Novak Djokovic Booted from Australia

Serbian Tennis champion Novak Djokovic, 34, who had hoped to win his 21st Grand Slam Singles title, has been refused entry into Australia due to his unvaccinated status which deems him a public health risk.

A permanent resident of Monte Carlo, Monaco, Djokovic has been traveling internationally in the past 14 days and presented false statements on his immigration forms, denying the travel, which also played into the decision by the Australian Minister of Immigration Alex Hawke, to reject his visa.

Djokovic who tested positive for the Coronavirus in December remains unvaccinated.


Justice Watch: And They Got Away With It (Part 4)


Sirhan Sirhan Denied Parole

Sirhan Sirhan, 77, the convicted murderer of Robert F. Kennedy, in 1968, has been denied parole by California Governor Gavin Newsom, after spending 53 years in prison. Newsom exercised his right to review the findings of the California Parole Board, a body of two individuals, who approved the released of the assassin who gunned down the senator after he clinched the win in the California primary and secured the democratic presidential nomination.

Once the "board" approved the parole the decision was sent to the California Parole Board legal team who also approved the released. The final approval belonged to the governor as voters amended the law in 1988 which stopped the parole board from releasing murders without final approval from the governor.

Newsom, "in an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times that Sirhan, after decades in prison, "still lacks the insight that would prevent him from making the kind of dangerous and destructive decisions he made in the past. The most glaring proof of Sirhan's deficient insight is his shifting narrative about his assassination of Kennedy, and his current refusal to accept responsibility for it,"' reported The Washington Post.

 

For more information on President Joe Biden www.whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

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