Election security

 

Troubling Foreign Ties Behind Voting Machines Used in US

Behind a significant portion of voting machines used in the United States lies a complex web of questionable foreign ties, a hidden ownership structure, and transparency concerns with the software itself, as well as a connection between three key voting systems companies: Smartmatic, Sequoia Voting Systems, and Dominion Voting Systems. 

Information from lawsuits, public records, and witness interviews helps to untangle this web.

The Epoch Times spoke with an intelligence source knowledgeable on Venezuela and its criminal activities, a former CIA official who is an expert in Latin American politics and counterterrorism, and a former director of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council who was fired for exposing election fraud in the country. Two of the sources requested anonymity so they could speak freely on the matter.

At the center of all of this is Dominion’s voting technology, which is currently used in 28 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, according to the firm’s official website. More than 40 percent of American voters cast their ballots through the Dominion system in general elections, including 65 of Michigan’s 83 counties, all 159 counties in Georgia, and 2.2 million voters in Maricopa, Arizona’s largest county, among others.

Poll results

 

Poll: 47% of Americans Believe It Is ‘Likely’ Democrats Stole Votes or Destroyed Trump Ballots

A significant portion of Americans believe it is “likely” that Democrats stole votes or destroyed ballots intended for President Donald Trump to “ensure that [former Vice President Joe] Biden would win,” a Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found.

Rasmussen Reports conducted the survey December 3-6, 2020, among 1,000 likely voters and asked respondents, “How likely is it that Democrats stole votes or destroyed pro-Trump ballots in several states to ensure that Biden would win?”

They were virtually split, with 49 percent saying it is either “not very” or “not at all” likely. However, 47 percent expressed the belief that it was “very” or “somewhat” likely. The two groups are within the +/- 3 percent margin of error, indicating a statistical tie. Four percent remain unsure.

Three-quarters of Republicans believe it is likely that Democrats either stole votes or destroyed Trump ballots to assist Biden, compared to 25 percent of Democrats who feel the same way.

Voters were also asked about mail-in voting, with 57 percent saying it worked “for the most part.” However, over one-third, or 39 percent, said mass mail-in voting led to “unprecedented voter fraud in this election.”

Law & order

 

Texas Asks Supreme Court to Rule Election in Four Battleground States Unconstitutional

The state of Texas on Tuesday filed an election lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court against Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin, alleging that the states unconstitutionally changed election laws, treated voters unequally, and triggered significant voting irregularities by relaxing ballot-integrity measures.

“Plaintiff State respectfully submits that the foregoing types of electoral irregularities exceed the hanging-chad saga of the 2000 election in their degree of departure from both state and federal law,” the Supreme Court motion (pdf) states. “Moreover, these flaws cumulatively preclude knowing who legitimately won the 2020 election and threaten to cloud all future elections.”

The lawsuit seeks a determination by the court that the four battleground states conducted the 2020 election in violation of the Constitution. Texas is asking the Supreme Court to prohibit the counting of the Electoral College votes cast by the four states. For the states which have already appointed electors, the lawsuit asks the court to direct the state legislatures to appoint new electors in line with the Constitution.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the challenge on the day of the so-called safe-harbor deadline. The cumulative electoral votes in the four states are enough to determine the outcome of the 2020 election.

Health security

 

First Thing: the White House turned down 100m extra Pfizer vaccine doses

The White House refused an offer to buy 100m additional doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, a decision which could cause delays in distribution. The Trump administration ordered an initial 100m doses, enough for 50 million Americans, from the US multinational but passing up the opportunity to buy a second batch could mean the US has to wait until Pfizer has supplied other countries before it can get further doses.

Melania Trump also faced a backlash yesterday over her decision to announce a new White House tennis pavilion in the midst of a pandemic that has killed more than 280,000 Americans. “Oh good, those people in their ICU beds will feel so much better knowing that [Trump] has finished her tennis pavilion,” one critic tweeted.

• Senate Republicans were criticised over their decision to introduce a doctor who opposes government involvement in medicine as a key witness at a US Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee hearing on Tuesday. The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, described Jane Orient as a “conspiracy theorist” and said she should not be given a platform “at such a crucial time”.

Spy work

 LIFE OF SPY 

Secrets of the CIA: from fake town where spooks learn to survive torture to secret museum & mind control experiments

The Central Intelligence Agency is known for its complete mystery - but every so often, it invites wannabe spooks to get involved with a surprise puzzle online.

The latest one challenged Twitter users to "put your analytical skills to the test" by working out the time of day in a ski resort street scene.

In reality, however, it takes a whole lot more to stand a chance of working for the agency - and you have to be prepared for some shocking sights.

From chilling mind control experiments using drugs, hypnosis and electronic devices that inspired a harrowing storyline in Stranger Things, to the gruelling training process spies go through, we look at some of its top secrets...

Biosecurity

 Four areas on verge of going into tier three Covid lockdown next week

Four areas are on the verge of going into tier three when the restrictions are reviewed next week, new figures show. The ZOE Covid Symptom Study app shows how many cases there are per 100,000 people and the prevalence rate for each area in England. It also shows where these cases are rising, and which places are in tier two. This data helps experts at science company ZOE and King’s College London predict which parts of the country can expect new restrictions to be brought in soon. The dashboard’s most recent reports, which are presented to the Government every day, show most of England’s prevalence rate falling or staying the same.

There are only four regions in tier two with rising coronavirus cases. Suffolk, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor, Maidenhead and West Berkshire, Wiltshire and Swindon are all included in the regions. Meanwhile Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull also have rising coronavirus cases despite already being in tier three, dappening hopes of them moving down a tier.

Drones

 

Advanced Israeli drone tech that’s taken militaries by storm now eyes civilian use

An advanced immersive-technology Israeli drone company, which has recently won multiple tenders with the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. Department of Defense, is eyeing new paths to enter the civilian security market, an executive has told JNS.

Xtend has built the Skylord Hunter mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developing it for the operational requirements of the Israeli Ministry of Defense and America’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO). It has also created two other types of advanced quadcopters.

Both militaries have placed multiple orders for the Skylord Hunter, particularly earmarking it for its ability to intercept hostile drones. On the border with Gaza, the IDF has used it to intercept some 2500 arson kites and balloons.

Xtend employs a virtual-reality (VR) headset and a single-handed controller—reminiscent of a game console—that operators use to point into the space around them and direct the drones to their expected locations.

Lie detection

 

Spotting Liars Is Hard, but Our New Method Is Effective and Ethical

Most people lie occasionally. The lies are often trivial and essentially inconsequential – such as pretending to like a tasteless gift. But in other contexts, deception is more serious and can have harmful effects on criminal justice. From a societal perspective, such lying is better detected than ignored and tolerated.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to detect lies accurately. Lie detectors, such as polygraphs, which work by measuring the level of anxiety in a subject while they answer questions, are considered “theoretically weak” and of dubious reliability. This is because, as any traveler who has been questioned by customs officials knows, it’s possible to be anxious without being guilty.

We have developed a new approach to spot liars based on interviewing technique and psychological manipulation, with results just published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.

Our technique is part of a new generation of cognitive-based lie-detection methods that are being increasingly researched and developed. These approaches postulate that the mental and strategic processes adopted by truth-tellers during interviews differ significantly from those of liars. By using specific techniques, these differences can be amplified and detected.

Conspiracy theory

 

No, Joe Biden’s Walking Boot Isn’t Concealing a GPS Ankle Bracelet

In late November 2020, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden suffered a hairline fracture in his right foot, which occurred after he tripped playing with his German shepherd, Major. The injury required him to wear an orthopedic boot to protect the bone while it heals.

Perhaps inevitably, the appearance of the boot on Biden’s foot spawned conspiracy theories. Various social media accounts stated they believed the boot hid a GPS ankle monitor, because Biden, they said, was under arrest.

But this is just an iteration of other baseless claims sourced from the Qanon conspiracy theory, which posits that high-profile legislators and various celebrities are part of a child trafficking cabal. Other famous people and politicians alleged to have worn ankle monitors have been former President Barack Obama, actor Tom Hanks, and talk show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey.

Politics

 

Trump: ‘Big Things Happening Over the Next Couple of Days’

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that people can expect to “see a lot of big things” over the coming days.

On alleged election fraud, “I think the case has been made,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “And now we find out what we can do about it. But you’ll see a lot of big things happening over the next couple of days.”

He did not elaborate.

The president was answering a question about what his strategy will be after electors vote in the Electoral College, which is scheduled for Dec. 14.

“The election was totally rigged. It’s a disgrace to our country,” Trump also asserted. “It’s like a third-world country—these ballots pouring in from everywhere, using machinery that nobody knows ownership, nobody knows anything about. They have ‘glitches,’ as they call them. Glitches. The glitches weren’t glitches. They got caught sending out thousands of votes—all against me, by the way.”

Starting in late November, Trump’s legal team attended events and hearings with lawmakers from several key states, arguing that the legislatures have the power under the U.S. Constitution to select their own electors. They also presented witnesses who claimed there was intimidation, ballot stuffing, numerous ballots that should have been disqualified but weren’t, and statistical irregularities.

Genocide

 

U.S. Supreme Court hears World War Two-era Jewish property claims

The lingering legacy of World War Two reached the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday as the justices weighed two cases involving claims by Jews in Germany and Hungary and their descendants whose property was taken amid persecution that culminated in the Holocaust.

The justices heard arguments in the two cases that hinge upon a federal law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act that limits the jurisdiction of American courts over lawsuits against foreign governments.

In one case, the justices considered Germany's bid to avoid facing in a U.S. court a lawsuit that accused its former Nazi government of pressuring Jewish art dealers to sell a collection of medieval artwork in the 1930s. The other concerns Hungary's attempt to avoid litigation originally brought by 14 U.S. citizens who survived that nation's World War Two-era campaign of genocide against its Jewish population.

The justices appeared more sympathetic to the arguments made by Germany than Hungary, while also recognizing foreign policy concerns about allowing such claims in U.S. courts.

The Germany case focuses upon a 17th century collection of art known as the Welfenschatz that includes gem-studded busts of Christian saints, golden crucifixes and other precious objects. The plaintiffs - heirs of the art dealers - have said they are the collection's rightful owners.

Opinion

‘This Must Be Your First’

Acting as if Trump is trying to stage a coup is the best way to ensure he won’t.

What starts as farce may end as tragedy, a lesson that pundits should already have learned from their sneering dismissal of Trump when he first announced his presidential candidacy. Yes, the Trump campaign’s lawsuits are pinnacles of incompetence, too incoherent and embarrassing to go anywhere legally. The legislators who have been openly pressured by Trump don’t seem willing to abide the crassness of his attempt. States are certifying their election results one by one, and the General Services Administration―the agency that oversees presidential transitions—has started the process of handing the government over to President-elect Joe Biden. If things proceed in their ordinary course, the Electoral College will soon vote, and then Biden will take office.

But ignoring a near catastrophe that was averted by the buffoonish, half-hearted efforts of its would-be perpetrator invites a real catastrophe brought on by someone more competent and ambitious. President Trump had already established a playbook for contesting elections in 2016 by casting doubt on the election process before he won, and insisting that he only lost the popular vote due to fraud.

Now he’s establishing a playbook for stealing elections by mobilizing executive, judicial, and legislative power to support the attempt. And worse, much worse, the playbook is being implicitly endorsed by the silence of some leading Republicans, and vocally endorsed by others, even as minority rule becomes increasingly entrenched in the American electoral system.

It’s not enough to count on our institutions to resist such onslaughts. Our institutions do not operate via magic. They do not gain their power from names, buildings, desks, or even rules. Institutions rely on people collectively agreeing to act in a certain way.

Arms trade

 

Global arms sales top $360bn as US and China dominate

Dominated by America and China, the global arms industry recorded a nearly nine per cent jump in sales in 2019 from the previous year, according to a study released Monday.  

Based on the most recent publicly available data about sales of arms and military services, the 28-page report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), Mapping the International Presence of the World’s Largest Arms Companies, provides a partial picture of the growing magnitude and internationalisation of the military industry.

According to the report, the world’s 25 largest arms manufacturers reported $361bn (£269bn) in sales in 2019, an increase of 8.5 per cent from the previous year.  

American companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman, continue to dominate the arms manufacturing and services industry, with 12 of the world’s top 25 firms headquartered in the United States.  

But five Chinese companies made it onto the list, and researchers say they lack enough data to include four other large firms based in China.  

Criminal investigation

 

GOP Rep. Ken Buck calls for Hunter Biden special counsel in letter to Barr

Republican Rep. Ken Buck on Monday urged Attorney General William Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden's business dealings and a laptop purportedly belonging to him in order to ensure an investigation “free from political interference.”

In a letter sent to Barr, obtained by Fox News, Buck, R-Colo., urged him to “appoint a Special Counsel to investigate Mr. Hunter Biden’s conduct and the contents of his laptop that is currently in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s possession.”

“This investigation is critical to defending the integrity of our republic and ensuring a potential Biden Administration will not be the subject of undue foreign interference,” Buck wrote. “Americans have the right to know whether Mr. Biden’s reported ties to foreign governments will make him the subject of blackmail attempts or other nefarious efforts to undermine U.S. national security or otherwise improperly influence American foreign policy.”

Weather security

 

CHINA IS ROLLING OUT AN ENORMOUS “WEATHER MODIFICATION” SYSTEM

This week, the Chinese government announced that it plans to drastically increase its use of technology that artificially changes the weather.

Cloud seeding technology, or systems that can blasts silver molecules into the sky to prompt condensation and cloud formation, has been around for decades, and China makes frequent use of it. But now, CNN reports that China wants to increase the total size of its weather modification test area to 5.5 million square miles by 2025 — a huge increase, and an area larger than that of the entire country of India, which could affect the environment on an epic scale and even potentially spur conflict with nearby countries.

Fog Of War

Most notably, China and India share a hotly-disputed border that they’ve violently clashed over as recently as this year, CNN has previously reported. India’s agriculture relies on a monsoon season that’s already grown unpredictable due to climate change, prompting experts in the country to worry that China may use its ability to control rain and snowfall as a weapon.

Election security

 

Where’s the Kraken? Where’s the Storm?

When Attorney Sidney Powell a few weeks ago said, “Release the Kraken,” it wasn’t clear if she was referring to the mythical creature with multiple arms and heads or a secret military counterintelligence unit that may have real time evidence of electoral fraud. Either way it hinted at big things ahead.

Before the Kraken it was “The Storm.” We have been in the “calm before the storm” for most of President Trump’s first term. We are told “pain is coming” and that “it will be Biblical.” The only pain is waiting in anticipation for the pony under the Christmas tree that never seems to arrive.

Perhaps “nothing can stop what is coming,” as the mysterious military intelligence insider assures us, but to most observers the only thing coming is the end of the American experiment, a fraudulent and stolen election cheered on by a corrupt and complicit media and ignored by a feckless Republican establishment.

The Electoral College meets on Dec. 14, about a week from now. The election was a month ago, yet President Trump seems no closer to pulling this out than he was the day after the election. There have been numerous credible allegations of electoral fraud, from late night ballot dumps to statistical impossibilities in votes and turnout, as well as hundreds of sworn affidavits, but it is looking more and more like a fool’s errand.

Health security

 

New report says ‘Havana Syndrome’ was caused by directed microwave radiation

A NEW REPORT BY the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has found that the so-called ‘Havana Syndrome’, which afflicted American and Canadian diplomats in Cuba and China in 2016 and 2017, was likely caused by directed microwave radiation. The study, which was commissioned by the US Department of State, is the latest in a long list of scientific assessments of the mysterious syndrome. The case remains a source of debate in the scientific, diplomatic and intelligence communities.

In 2017 Washington recalled the majority of its personnel from the US embassy in Havana, and at least two more diplomats from the US consulate in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The evacuees reported experiencing “unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena” and hearing “unusual sounds or piercing noises”. Subsequent tests showed that they suffered from sudden and unexplained loss of hearing, and possibly from various forms of brain injuries. In April of 2019 the Canadian embassy evacuated all family members of its personnel stationed in the Cuban capital over similar health concerns.

The latest study by the National Academies of Sciences resulted from the coordination of leading toxicologists, epidemiologists, electrical engineers and neurologists. The resulting 66-page report describes in detail the symptoms experienced by nearly 40 US government employees, who were examined for the purposes of the study. Its authors said they examined numerous potential causes, including psychological factors, infectious diseases, directed radio frequency energy, and even exposure to insecticides. Ultimately, the authors concluded that “many of the distinctive and acute signs, symptoms and observations reported by [US government] employees are consistent with the effects of directed, pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy”, according to their report.

Law & order

 

There Is a Major Supreme Court Deadline for the Presidential Election This Week

Over the weekend, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito moved up the timeline for Pennsylvania officials to respond to a lawsuit that argues the state's mass mail-in voting system, which was implemented for the first time during the 2020 election, is unconstitutional. If the system were to be found unconstitutional, the votes cast within it would be thrown out, essentially voiding the Pennsylvania election. The lawsuit was filed by Republican Congressman Mike Kelly and officials must respond by Tuesday, December 8, at 9 a.m.

"The difference of just a day is significant, given that the previous deadline of Wednesday fell one day after what is known as the 'safe harbor date,' the federal cutoff date for states to resolve any remaining election disputes and lock in their slate of electors for the Dec. 14 Electoral College vote," The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Innovations & technologies

 

Around The World In Two Hours? Chinese Scientists Test Revolutionary" Hypersonic Engine

Chinese scientists have built what they claim is a "revolutionary" hypersonic engine that could one day propel an airframe as fast as Mach 16, or about 12,300 mph, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing a new paper published in the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics. 

The flight test of the hypersonic engine was conducted in a wind tunnel in Beijing suggested unprecedented thrust, fuel efficiency, and operational stability. Scientists believe the engine could operate at Mach 16, propelling an airframe across the world in just two hours. 

The Chinese paper, titled "The criteria for airbreathing hypersonic propulsion and its experimental verification," says the sodramjet (short for "standing oblique detonation ramjet engine") is an "airbreathing propulsion" system "for future aerospace flight." It has no moving parts and uses the plane's speed to ram air into the engine, then blended with hydrogen fuel and detonated, discharging out of the back of the engine as thrust. 

"The Sodramjet engine model is developed with several flow control techniques and tested successfully with the hypersonic flight-duplicated shock tunnel. The experimental data show that the Sodramjet engine model works steadily, and an oblique detonation can be made stationary in the engine combustor and is controllable. This research demonstrates the Sodramjet engine is a promising concept and can be operated stably with high thermal efficiency at hypersonic flow conditions," the scientist wrote. 

Climate security

Should scientists artificially cool the planet to stave off climate catastrophe?

Some climate scientists are coming to believe it's humanity's only hope for slowing or stopping disastrous changes in the climate. As runaway carbon dioxide emissions contribute to melting ice caps, widespread flooding, prolonged heat waves and droughts, apocalyptic wildfires, and devastating hurricanes, researchers are exploring planetary-scale interventions in Earth's natural systems as a way of counteracting climate change. Geoengineering has been debated since the 1960s, when U.S. scientists suggested floating billions of white, golf ball–like objects in the oceans to reflect sunlight. Interfering in natural processes was widely considered naïve and dangerous until recently, but as the window to curb global warming shrinks, proposals to reflect sunlight, shade Earth's surface, accelerate carbon absorption in the oceans, and remove CO2 from the air are being taken more seriously. In October, SilverLining, a nonprofit, gave $3 million toward climate-engineering research. "I liken geoengineering to chemotherapy," said Michael Gerrard, a professor of environmental and climate law at Columbia University. "If all else is failing, you try it."