White House Supports Seizure of Russian Assets – Report
The White House supports the idea of confiscating Russian assets that have been frozen since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg has reported, citing a US National Security Council (NSC) memo.
The NSC – which is the US president’s principal forum for considering national security, military and foreign policy matters – forwarded the document to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in November, the agency said in an article on Wednesday.
According to the memo, the Biden administration backs “in principle” a bill that “would provide the authority needed for the executive branch to seize Russian sovereign assets for the benefit of Ukraine.”
Some $300 billion in Russian funds remain frozen in the West, more than $200 billion of which is held by the EU and the rest by the US.
The “shift” in the White House’s stance on the matter comes as Republican lawmakers continue to resist attempts by the Biden administration to push through another $60 billion in military support for Kiev, Bloomberg said. The EU’s €50 billion ($55 billion) aid package for Ukraine also remains stalled due to a veto by Hungary.
A senior administration official told the agency that Washington sees the confiscation of Russian assets as a tool with which to make Moscow pay for damage done to Ukraine. The World Bank estimated last year that the reconstruction of the country would cost at least $411 billion.
The White House wants to align the seizure of Russian funds with its G7 allies, especially those in the EU, where support for the measure has been “tepid,” Bloomberg said. Germany, France and the European Central Bank are worried that it could undermine the Eurozone’s stability and provoke Russia to retaliate and also confiscate foreign funds that it blocked in a tit-for-tat response, it added.
The issue is expected to be discussed at the G7 leaders’ meeting in February, close to the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, a source told the agency.
During his visit to Estonia on Thursday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky again said Russian assets abroad “need to be located, frozen and, after all, confiscated” before being channeled to Ukraine.
Commenting on the Bloomberg report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the seizure of Russian assets by Washington would be a step towards “undermining the international financial authority and the confidence of the international investors” in the US.
By working to legalize the move at home, the Biden administration is trying to “pressure” the EU, which holds most of Moscow’s frozen funds, to commit similar “illegal actions” and face “the inevitable losses, fines and legal consequences” that will follow, Peskov claimed.
General Michael Flynn joins Alex Jones to give his expert analysis on the Pentagon’s fumbling leadership.
Canadian Church Fires Linked to Indigenous Mass Graves Scandal – Report
A spate of fires at Christian churches in Canada could be linked to the discovery of suspected mass graves of indigenous children on the grounds of residential schools previously operated by the Catholic Church, CBC has reported.
At least 33 churches were destroyed or badly damaged by fire between May 2021 and December 2023, the Canadian broadcaster said in a report on Wednesday, with just two of those having been ruled by investigators as accidental. The network added that 24 of the fires were cases of suspected arson, while several more remain under active investigation.
Citing researchers and community leaders, CBC stated that factors including Canada’s colonial history and the discovery of potential unmarked burial sites on Residential School grounds are thought to have been the motivation for many of the suspected arson cases. This includes the possible discovery of the remains of more than 200 indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in the province of British Columbia in May 2021.
Thousands of other suspected unmarked graves have been identified since 2021 in Canada, though no remains have been physically exhumed – including at the Kamloops site.
Canada’s residential school system, in operation from the 1830s and 1990s, was made up of government-sponsored religious establishments intended to forcefully assimilate children from the North American country’s indigenous population into Euro-Canadian culture. It is estimated that about 150,000 Indian, Inuit and Metis children between 4 and 16 attended the schools – many of whom were subjected to abuse.
While many people who went through the system became devoted followers of Christianity, the Residential School system has formed deep divides in Canadian society over the church’s role in their formation, and the attempted erasure of indigenous culture.
“[Churches] are on fire because no one’s really addressing the truth,” Paulina Johnson, a researcher at the University of Alberta, told CBC of the cases of suspected arson. “This isn’t to say that the arsons and the fires are justified, but it speaks to a bigger symbolic reality.”
Johnson, who comes from an indigenous background, added: “It gives them a voice. Because for the longest time, Canada hasn’t really acknowledged us.”
A May 2021 survey of the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School using ground-penetrating radar had revealed the possible remains of 215 children buried in unmarked graves – with some thought to have been just three-years-old. In the weeks following the announcement, 11 churches in western Canada were destroyed by fire in cases determined to be arson by investigators.
In 2015, a commission established to identify the impacts of Canada’s residential schools concluded that the system amounted to “genocide.” Pope Francis, on a visit to Canada in 2022, apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the system, and also acknowledged it as genocide.
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Shock Video: California Jewelry Store Worker Shoots Masked Marauders During Armed Robbery
An armed employee sent gun-wielding thugs fleeing for their lives during an attempted robbery at a jewelry shop in California this week, according to reports.
The shocking incident unfolded at around 10 a.m. on Monday in Oakland.
Masked and hooded suspects with firearms drawn stormed Cash for Gold MSM Jewelry in the Fruitvale neighborhood after pulling up on the wrong side of the road.
A quick-acting worker realized what was happening and drew his own 9mm handgun in preparation for a confrontation.
Surveillance footage of the ensuing firefight has been circulating on social media.
“If you come back again, try to do the same thing, we’re just going to defend ourselves.” Worker speaks out after exchanging gunfire w/would-be robbers at jewelry store in the Fruitvale District. @oaklandpoliceca investigating pic.twitter.com/IMYSIcbgkp
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) January 10, 2024
“I saw two guys creeping up really quick so I was like, it’s a robbery,” the worker explained in an interview with KTVU.
“They told me don’t move, or we’ll shoot. So I started shooting at them because they had the guns pointed at me,” the man said. “They were shooting back. It was going back and forth for like 20 seconds.”
The suspects were reportedly wielding weapons with high-capacity magazines that are illegal in the state of California and managed to fire off roughly 20 rounds, none of which struck the employee.
He says he believes one of his shots hit one of the suspects.
The getaway vehicle can be seen running into one of the suspects as they flee the scene.
The employee has not been cited or charged in the shooting, and he says officers commended his actions.
“They said, ‘You did the right thing.’ They said, ‘You followed – you did everything right.’ They said, ‘We’re just going to take your guns until the investigation’s done,’ but I have more,” he explained.
“If you come back again, try to do the same thing, we’re just going to defend ourselves. At this point, you have to.”
It is unclear if any suspects have been identified or apprehended at the time of this writing.
InfoWars has been documenting the surge of crime across the United States, including carjackings, ‘street takeovers,’ smash-and-grab loot mobs, home invasions, and physical attacks on innocent victims.
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Speaker Johnson Pledges To Stand ‘Shoulder To Shoulder’ For ‘Defense Of Taiwan’
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) met with Taiwan’s US envoy at the US Capitol on Tuesday, after which he vowed to continue supporting the Taiwanese people against Chinese aggression.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Taiwanese people,” Johnson told reporters, adding “We certainly want to help in the defense of Taiwan, which is very important. We want to deter the Chinese Communist Party and any military provocations. The U.S. stands with our friends.“
Johnson met with Envoy Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States – a meeting which undoubtedly pissed off CCP authorities in Beijing, particularly after Yui said that he looks forward to “further strengthen[ing] our rock-solid friendship,” to which Johjnson replied: “We have an important relationship, and we want to strengthen that.”
As The Epoch Times notes, the CCP has been harassing Taiwan leading up to the democratic island’s upcoming presidential vote on Saturday – launching several balloons and a rocket containing a satellite over the island’s airspace. Taiwan’s foreign minister described the incidents as part of a larger pattern of aggression designed to sway voters ahead of the election.
Recall in August of 2022 when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the CCP launched several missiles around Taiwan and cut off all military communications with the United States.
The Chinese Communist Party claims that Taiwan is a rogue province that must be united with the mainland by any means necessary. The regime has never actually controlled any part of the island, however.
For its part, Taiwan is self-governed by a democratic government and oversees one of the world’s most successful market economies. Out of respect for China’s position, the United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The United States and Taiwan do share robust informal ties, however, including economically and militarily.
It is unclear at this time what the response will be from Beijing concerning Mr. Johnson’s meeting with Mr. Yui.
“It sure does raise interesting questions about what their intentions are; what their goals are,” said White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby, who added that the Biden administration remains committed to supporting free and fair elections in Taiwan.
“We want to see a free and fair and transparent election, and we’re willing to stand by and work with whoever the people of Taiwan elect to their government.”
BREAKING: UN Planning New Pandemic To Establish Planetary Dictatorship
US Beef Output Slides As Blizzard Disrupts Midwest Meat Plants
A powerful winter storm swept across the country’s midsection on Monday, dumping more than a foot of snow in some areas and shutting down highways in several Midwest states. Adverse weather conditions also closed major meatpacking plants.
Bloomberg reports two major beef packers idled operations in Kansas this week as blizzard conditions left workers unable to traverse roadways.
Cargill Inc.’s Dodge City, Kansas plant suffered a power outage, and 50 workers were stranded on a nearby highway due to road closures.
“We realize that some employees got stuck on the road outside the plant. We are working with local authorities and have hired tow truck drivers to assist them and other motorists,” Cargill said in a statement.
Tyson Foods meatpacking plant in Holcomb, Kansas, canceled shifts on Tuesday, the company said in a statement. On Monday, employees were given hot meals and shelter because roadways were too dangerous for travel.
Fierce winter weather likely impacted the number of cattle slaughtered in the US on Tuesday, coming in at 94,000, compared with figures one year ago of 128,000, according to US Department of Agriculture data. This is also the lowest slaughter number of the new year.
“When meat plants close, protein prices can start surging if supplies run thin. Meanwhile, farmers may face lower prices for their livestock with demand for the animals disrupted,” Bloomberg noted.
This week’s disruption at some major beef plants in Heartland appears to be short-lived. However, a massive shortage of the nation’s cattle herd has driven retail beef prices to record highs.
The beef industry is facing persistent challenges. It may be time for automated plants.
BREAKING: UN Planning New Pandemic To Establish Planetary Dictatorship