Category: Opinion

Nissan declared on Tuesday that it will transfer all of its activities in Russia to a government organization.

The Japanese manufacturer revealed that NAMI, a Russian government organization committed to the growth of the automobile sector, is expected to buy the firm’s operations in the country as hostilities between Ukraine and Russia rise ahead of the winter months. Nissan has the opportunity to repurchase its activities during the next six years, but will lose $100 billion, or $686 million, if the firm is sold for €1.

“On behalf of Nissan, I thank our Russian colleagues for their contribution to the business over many years,” Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida remarked in a statement. “While we cannot continue operating in the market, we have found the best possible solution to support our people.”

Nissan does not anticipate any market action over the course of the fiscal year, so it does not expect the sale to have an impact on its full-year profits outlook.

 

According to a Yale School of Management research, over 1,000 Western corporations have declared that they are reducing their business in Russia beyond what is needed by international sanctions. Among the American corporations that have abandoned the country are Nike, Goldman Sachs, Apple, IBM, and McDonald’s.

The revelation comes as it seems like hostilities between Russia and Ukraine have risen. Earlier this week, 83 missiles were fired into Ukrainian cities, some of which hit the nation’s capital, Kyiv, where at least eight people were killed and where President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office building was hit. A recent bombing of the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to mainland Russia, believed to be the cause of the coordinated attack. A part of the bridge fell into the Sea of Azov as a result of the attack, which was directed at fuel cells along the route.

Eight years ago, in a very contentious action that featured nuclear threats and a stepped-up military presence, Russia seized the Crimean peninsula. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, accused Ukraine of harming the civilian population in response to the collapse of the bridge.

“There is no doubt,” he said. “This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure.”

A soon to be ex-top Pfizer executive admitted to European lawmakers on Monday that it’s COVID vaccine was never tested to see if it stopped transmission. This raises new concerns about the global campaign to force people to receive the shots.

 

The startling remark was made by Janine Small, head of Pfizer’s worldwide developed markets, during testimony before the European Union Parliament. Rob Roos, a member of the European Union parliament, questioned her about whether the manufacturer had tested their mRNA vaccine to limit transmission before releasing it.

 

“If not, please say it clearly,” Roos said. “If yes, are you willing to share the data with this committee? And I really want a straight answer, yes or no, and I’m looking forward to it.”

 

🚨 BREAKING:

In COVID hearing, #Pfizer director admits: #vaccine was never tested on preventing transmission.

"Get vaccinated for others" was always a lie.

The only purpose of the #COVID passport: forcing people to get vaccinated.

The world needs to know. Share this video! ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/su1WqgB4dO

— Rob Roos 🇳🇱 (@Rob_Roos) October 11, 2022

 

Pfizer didn’t have enough time to determine if their vaccine would stop the spread of COVID, according to Small, who was called to speak after Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla withdrew.

 

 

“We had to really move at the speed of science to really understand what is taking place in the market, and from that point of view we had to do everything at risk,” Small said. “I think Dr. Bourla, even though he’s not here, would turn around and say to you himself, ‘If not us then who?’”

 

“I find this to be shocking, even criminal,” Roos said.

The Dutch representative, Roos, then tweeted a clip of Small’s response and said it demonstrated the deception behind the worldwide push for mandatory vaccinations to protect others.

“Millions of people worldwide felt forced to get vaccinated because of the myth that ‘you do it for others’,” he said in the video, which has been viewed more than eight million times. “Now this turned out to be a cheap lie. This should be exposed.”

Former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard abandoned the Democratic Party this week, denouncing the organization as an “elitist cabal.”

Gabbard, who retired from the House of Representatives in 2021, attacked the institution in a nearly 30-minute video posted to her YouTube account. She did not announce plans to join the Republican Party or adopt any other political affiliation, however.

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism,” Gabbard said in an excerpt posted to Twitter.

She went on to call on other moderate Democrats to follow in her footsteps.

I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, are… pic.twitter.com/oAuTnxZldf

— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) October 11, 2022

“I believe in a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people. Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government that is of, by and for the powerful elite,” she added. “I’m calling on my fellow common sense, independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party.”

Gabbard’s announcement served as the first episode of her new podcast, the Tusli Gabbard Show.

Gabbard has grown increasingly estranged from the Democratic establishment since her failed presidential primary bid in 2020. She has also become a vocal critic of President Biden, accusing him of “pouring fuel on the flames” of the country’s division.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich praised Tulsi for abandoning the Democrats in a Fox News statement on Tuesday. He claimed she is one of many Americans who used to vote blue but now find the Democrats unrecognizable.

The Biden administration and the state of California, which are usually staunch allies on a variety of environmental issues, will square off today in a Supreme Court case that will determine whether California has the right to impose stringent animal-welfare standards on pork produced outside the state.

California’s Proposition 12, a ballot measure approved by voters in 2018, imposed strict production standards on hog farmers and prohibited the sale of pork produced outside of those standards within the state. The Justice Department contends that the state ballot measure is unconstitutional because it violates the Dormant Commerce Clause, which prohibits one state from discriminating against the commerce of another state or imposing undue burdens on interstate commerce.

The Department of Justice’s position on Prop 12 aligns it with the two groups that filed the lawsuit, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the American Farm Bureau Federation. According to these organizations, California residents consume 15% of the nation’s pork products, with nearly 99.9% of those products coming from outside the state.

Forcing pork producers to adhere to California standards would give California the authority to impose unfair new costs on the industry and “transform the pork industry nationwide.”

They also claim that the California rule will add $350 million in new costs to producers and raise consumer prices at a time of high inflation.

The Department of Justice concurs that California “has regulated out-of-state activity in the service of an interest that is not a legitimate basis for regulation under our federal system of sovereign States.”

Biden’s Justice Department is also at odds with other Democrats, including New Jersey Senator Corey Booker, who filed a pro-California amicus brief with the court, and the Humane Society of the United States.

 

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned on Monday that the United States is on the verge of a recession in the next six to nine months, citing volatile markets and chaotic financial conditions.

According to Dimon, US consumers will be in better shape this time around than during the 2008 global financial crisis, but the current factors contributing to a recession remain a source of concern.

“But you can’t talk about the economy without talking about stuff in the future – and this is serious stuff,” Dimon said, noting inflation and Russia’s war with Ukraine.

“These are very, very serious things which I think are likely to push the U.S. and the world – I mean, Europe is already in recession, and they’re likely to put the U.S. in some kind of recession six to nine months from now,” he continued.

Dimon’s remarks came after the September jobs report, which showed that businesses continued to hire at a rapid pace, unemployment fell to a half-century low, and average pay rose.

Nonetheless, the jobs report raised concerns that the Federal Reserve is making little progress in combating inflation. With the Fed more likely to continue raising borrowing costs quickly, the risk of a recession rises.

The Fed’s rate hikes are intended to cool the economy and keep inflation under control. As a result, borrowing costs have risen across the economy, most notably for mortgages, credit cards, and business loans.

Dimon said that in hindsight the Fed, “waited too long and did too little.”

“But they’re clearly catching up. They’re clearly motivated to catch up,” he added. “And, you know, from here, let’s all wish him success and keep our fingers crossed that they managed to slow down the economy enough so that whatever it is, is mild – and it is possible.”

A mother of two recorded herself having sex with her three-year-old son in a string of disgusting Snapchat videos, and while nursing her younger child, she recorded the family dog licking her privates.

In connection with 15 different videos that investigators obtained from Snapchat last month after issuing a subpoena, Natalie Wagner, 26, is accused of a number of felonies. On a $1.2 million bond, Wagner is being held in the St. Lucie County jail.

Wagner lived in a house in Port St. Lucie with her husband and their two young sons. The minors were taken away by child welfare officials during Wagner’s bust. Wagner and her spouse, who is not charged, have been denied access to the kids by a judge.

After Snapchat flagged Wagner’s account and reported it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Wagner investigation got underway. According to police, Snapchat discovered that a prohibited video had been added to Wagner’s account and that it had been “distributed to other Snapchat users.”

The 30-second clip appeared to show a “pre-pubescent male child with an erect penis having vaginal intercourse with an adult female,” according to investigators who charge that Wagner and her own 4-year-old son are the individuals in the video.

When police questioned Wagner for the first time at her residence on August 11, they noted that her oldest son “was wearing a Spiderman t-shirt similar to the one” worn by the victim visible in the Snapchat video. A large Spiderman doll can be seen perched atop the boy’s bed in the child’s bedroom, which is also furnished with a Spiderman comforter and pillow. The boy’s name and a depiction of the Marvel superhero are painted on the wall above the bed.

Following his win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Tom Brady shared his version of a “perfect night.”

The NFL star shared an Instagram story photo of himself and his son fishing, but wife Gisele Bündchen was noticeably absent. The former Victoria’s Secret model was also conspicuously absent from the game.

“Great win and a perfect night,” Brady said of the photo.

The quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Bündchen have two children, Vivian and Benjamin. He also has a son named Jack with his ex-wife Bridget Moynahan.

Brady’s post with his son comes as Bündchen continues to leave her wedding ring at home. On Sunday, the supermodel was spotted visiting an office building in Miami.

Sources contended that the marriage problems between Bündchen and Brady are “nothing new.”

“[The problems] are 10 years old,” said one source. “This has been going on forever. This is nothing new to either of them.”

Multiple sources say Brady’s decision to un-retire from the NFL caused “a lot of tension” within the couple’s relationship.

“Obviously, I have my concerns – this is a very violent sport, and I have my children, and I would like him to be more present,” said Bündchen.

“I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”

 

 

 

 

 

A Florida man and his daughter were charged with assaulting a third member of their family after a domestic dispute over Chinese takeout food turned violent.

According to investigators, a fight started Friday night at a home in Wildwood, a city in Central Florida close to The Villages retirement community. Bruce Schell, 51, lives there with his wife, daughter Atlantis, and son, who police identified as the victim of the battery.

As detailed in an arrest report, the Schell family had “ordered Chinese food but the takeout containers were not labeled,” which upset Schell since he did not know “which container of food was his.”

Schell’s son, police reported, said that he argued with his father and sister over the Chinese food “due to the fact that the victim had eaten [his father’s] food unknowingly.” According to the victim, the argument became physical when his sister began punching him in the face. Schell then allegedly joined the brawl and choked his son.

Police said Schell’s wife was in her bedroom when she heard “crashing and yelling in the kitchen area.” When the woman entered the kitchen, she saw Atlantis pummeling the victim, who was being choked by Schell. The woman added that the battering ended only after she dialed 911 for assistance.

Police noted “visible red marks on the front side of his neck” and “fresh bruising/redness on his left eye” and said that neither defendant “appeared to have any marks or bruises from this incident.”

Schell and Atlantis were both arrested for misdemeanor battery. Schell was also charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation. Each defendant was released on bond from the Sumter County jail early Sunday morning.

Because of what many saw as a tone-deaf parody of a meme from the Tina Fey film “Mean Girls,” President Joe Biden received a lot of backlash.

 

The film’s titular “mean girls,” portrayed by Rachel McAdams and Lacey Chabert, drive up next to the unaware new girl, played by Lindsay Lohan, in a scenario that serves as the basis for the joke.

You wanna do something fun? You wanna go buy the Mean Girls limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook? 🛍 💳✨ Get in loser, we're going shopping: https://t.co/jU9NK1EkIP pic.twitter.com/fBIgaqkuTE

— Mean Girls (@MeanGirls) September 30, 2022

 

President Biden uploaded a picture of himself in his 1967 Corvette convertible on Monday, October 3, which also happened to be “Mean Girls Day,” along with the remark, “Get in, guys. We are constructing a better America.

 

Get in, folks. We're building a better America: https://t.co/V9Mzpw8kB0 pic.twitter.com/cMKiF0Lqwz

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 4, 2022

 

Here are some of the best bashes on Biden from his critics on Twitter.

 

“Anytime a politician uses the word ‘folks’ I pat my back pocket to make sure I still have my wallet,” @RotNScoundrel tweeted in response.

 

“Is that electric?” John Jackson asked, referencing the Biden administration’s repeated pushes to get more Americans into electric vehicles.

“We can’t afford groceries, gas & goods and you post a picture of yourself in an expensive, gas powered vehicle claiming you are doing a good job. You are completely out of touch with Americans. You are a hypocritical ass,” @RetiredNikitaM made it clear that she was not a fan.

 

Even a few who claimed to lean Left voiced their complaints — like @Bidentracking (“Tracking Biden from the left”), who tweeted: “Hasn’t increased the minimum wage, hasn’t legalized marijuana, hasn’t introduced a public option, held the largest oil and gas sale in US history. What better America?”

 

Former Hillary Clinton aide Peter Daou also took a swing at Biden, adding, “Kids are still in cages. Hundreds of thousands are homeless. Millions lack health care. Tens of millions live paycheck to paycheck. Entire cities don’t have clean water. The climate emergency threatens our existence. But hey …”

 

“14 miles per gallon. The elite make their own rules,” Breitbart’s Joel Pollak remarked.

Five IRS workers, both current and past, have been accused of planning to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID relief.

 

The federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs, which provided financial assistance to small business owners and people affected by the COVID pandemic, were hacked, according to the Department of Justice, which charged each of the five people with separate counts of wire fraud. The amount of the illegal loans varied from $11,000 to over $170,000.

 

“These individuals – acting out of pure greed – abused their positions by taking government funds meant for citizens and businesses who desperately needed it,” U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Kevin G. Ritz, said in a statement. “I thank our law enforcement partners for rooting out this fraud. Our office will not hesitate to pursue and charge individuals who steal from our nation’s taxpayers.”

 

The first suspect worked for the IRS in the Human Capital Office as a Program Evaluation and Risk Analyst. The defendant submitted four false EIDL applications, requesting more than $500,000 in funding, according to the criminal accusation; he ultimately obtained $171,400 in funding. The accused reportedly bought a Mercedes-Benz with the aid money and invested the remaining sum in a private investment account. Two counts of wire fraud and two further counts of money laundering are brought against him.

 

The second suspect was employed by the IRS as a contact in the department of the Wage and Investment Service Centers. She allegedly applied for various PPP and EIDL loans totaling at least $32,500, and she reportedly obtained monies totaling $11,500. She used the money to pay for manicures, massages, and designer clothes. The Tennessee Department of Labor also provided her with about $16,050 in bogus unemployment insurance benefits. There are three counts of wire fraud against her.

 

The third suspect was an Information Technology Management and Program Assistant. The DOJ claims that she submitted EIDL applications for a fashion company, asking for more than $300,000 in loans and receiving only $28,900. She reportedly used the borrowed money to pay on a trip to Las Vegas and clothing from Gucci. On Tuesday, she admitted guilt to one count of wire fraud.

 

The fourth suspect was employed by the Wage and Investment Service Centers Department as a Contact Representative. He allegedly requested more over $113,000 in four PPP and EIDL loans, but only received $66,666. He allegedly used the cash to buy a Gucci bag and other accessories. In August, he entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.

 

The fifth suspect was employed by the Human Capital Office as a Lead Management and Program Assistant. She allegedly requested more than $133,000 in loans through four PPP and EIDL loan applications; she got more than $123,000. She reportedly used the money to purchase jewelry and travel to Las Vegas. In July, she also entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.

 

The maximum sentence for each offense of wire fraud is 20 years in jail. Additionally, the first suspect may spend up to 10 years in jail if found guilty of each money laundering offense.

 

The five IRS officers are only the most recent among a long list of individuals convicted in 2022 alone of millions of dollars’ worth of COVID-related fraud. So far this year, there have been a couple of New Jersey residents, a set of twin brothers from Maryland, hundreds of foreigners from Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, and India, a life-sentenced killer, and an illegal alien.