#Los Angeles Whistleblower Lawyer

[andreyrecharles]

Facing unfair treatment at work due to your race, gender, age, or disability? You're not alone. Ricardo Lopez Law, a leading employment discrimination attorney in Los Angeles, empowers workers to fight back. We provide expert legal guidance, aggressive advocacy, and compassionate support to help you get the justice you deserve. Don't be silenced – contact us today for a confidential consultation.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Aaron Sibarium

Published: May 31, 2024

The ‘iDIVERSE’ program bars white and Asian researchers from applying.

The University of California, Los Angeles, medical school was hit last week with whistleblower allegations that its admissions office has for years discriminated on the basis of race, in violation of California law, by holding black and Latino applicants to lower standards than their white and Asian counterparts.

The allegations triggered an email message from the dean of the medical school, Steven Dubinett, who denied the claims and said that students and faculty "are held to the highest standards of academic excellence." He subsequently told an obscure Los Angeles Times opinion columnist that the allegations, published in the Washington Free Beacon, are "fact-free."

Hiring and admissions decisions, he wrote in his message last week, are "based on merit," not race, "in a process consistent with state and federal law."

But Dubinett himself directs a center within the medical school, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, that houses a race-based fellowship experts say is illegal.

Participants in the "iDIVERSE" program "must be" black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, LGBT, or a woman, according to screenshots of a now-deleted webpage obtained by the Free Beacon. Fellows research ways to increase diversity in clinical trials as part of a study funded by Pfizer, the American Heart Association, and Gates Ventures, the personal LLC of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

The website indicates that the deadline to apply to the program, which has existed for two years, was March 1.

"This is obviously illegal," said Adam Mortara, the lead trial lawyer for Students for Fair Admissions in its lawsuit against Harvard, which led to the Supreme Court decision last year that outlawed affirmative action. "Every time we sue a company or institution for doing this, they settle by ending the program."

Dubinett and UCLA medical school did not respond to requests for comment.

The program is an awkward albatross for a school that spent Memorial Day weekend doing damage control after a Free Beacon report showed that record numbers of UCLA medical students are failing basic tests of clinical knowledge—in part, admissions officers said, because standards have been lowered by affirmative action.

On Saturday, a fourth-year student posted data on X, formerly Twitter, that he claimed had been released internally to refute that report. Though the new data showed that students did better on a recent round of tests, known as shelf exams, than some other cohorts, UCLA has not addressed the rise in failure rates over time or the fact that nearly a quarter of students in the class of 2025 failed three or more shelf exams.

Nor has it explained how the percentage of Asian matriculants shrunk by almost 50 percent since 2018, with most of the drop occurring after a new dean of admissions, Jennifer Lucero was hired in 2020. That decline coincided with a sharp increase in the number of students who come from "medically under-served" areas or identify as "disadvantaged"—indicators that admissions officials say are being used as proxies for race.

Matriculants from under-served areas nearly doubled as a percentage of the incoming class after Lucero took the helm in 2020, rising steadily from 34 to 56 percent of first-year students over four years, per data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

The number of first-year students indicating disadvantage likewise rose by nearly 60 percent, from 42 percent in 2020 to 67 percent in 2023. No other elite medical school has come close to these numbers, according to a review of AAMC data for the top 20 schools on U.S News & World Report’s rankings for medical research.

While the trends don’t provide proof of discrimination, they are consistent with the accounts of racial gerrymandering from UCLA admissions officers. Lucero has allegedly told officials that the class should reflect the "diversity" of California, where racial preferences have been illegal since 1996, and has attacked those who raise concerns about minority candidates with low test scores. She even made the entire admissions committee sit through a two-hour presentation on Native American history after a Native American applicant was rejected, three sources said.

Together with the iDIVERSE fellowship, which launched in 2022 and involves partnerships with other institutions, the accounts paint a picture of a medical school suffused with racial preferences and determined to skirt civil rights law by any means necessary. They come as the medical school is reviewing its entire first-year curriculum in the wake of a separate Free Beacon report on a required course, "Structural Racism and Health Equity," in which students learn that weight loss is a "hopeless endeavor."

That course also hosted a guest speaker, Lisa Gray-Garcia, who has referred to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks as "justice" and led students in chants of "free, free Palestine." Days later, two residents in the medical school’s psychiatry program delivered a talk that glorified self-immolation as a form of "resistance" in the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Both incidents were cited in a congressional probe of UCLA’s response to anti-Semitism—another ongoing controversy. At a hearing on Capitol Hill this month, UCLA chancellor Gene Block said the medical school was investigating Gray-Garcia’s talk but offered no further details on the review.

The whistleblower allegations are not the first admissions scandal to hit UCLA. In 2021, a former soccer coach was sentenced to eight months in prison after he helped two applicants pose as athletic recruits so they would be accepted to the university.

[ragerandyoon]

Understanding Your Legal Options After a Wrongful Termination

Facing wrongful termination can be a daunting experience. It’s not just the loss of income that stings, but also the feeling of injustice. Understanding your legal options is crucial if you are in such a situation. In Los Angeles, wrongful termination attorneys at Rager & Yoon - Employment Lawyers are here to help you navigate through these challenging times.

What Constitutes Wrongful Termination?

Wrongful termination occurs when an employee is fired, violating federal, state, or local laws. This can include discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion, disability, retaliation for whistleblowing, or breach of contract. If you believe your termination was unlawful, consulting with a wrongful termination attorney in Los Angeles can clarify your case.

The Role of a Wrongful Termination Attorney

A wrongful termination attorney in Los Angeles plays a critical role in assessing and pursuing your claim. They will:

Evaluate Your Case: Experienced wrongful termination lawyers in Los Angeles will review your employment history, the circumstances of your termination, and any supporting documents to determine if your dismissal was unlawful.

Gather Evidence: These attorneys will collect necessary evidence such as employment records, witness statements, and any correspondence with your employer that supports your claim.

Negotiate Settlements: Often, wrongful termination cases are settled out of court. A skilled Los Angeles wrongful termination attorney will negotiate on your behalf to secure a fair settlement.

Litigate in Court: If a settlement cannot be reached, your attorney will represent you, presenting your case effectively to achieve the best possible outcome.

Why Choose Rager & Yoon - Employment Lawyers?

Rager & Yoon - Employment Lawyers are renowned for their dedication and expertise in handling wrongful termination cases. Here’s what sets them apart:

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Document Everything: Keep records of any incidents leading up to your termination, including emails, messages, and other relevant documentation.

Request a Written Explanation: Ask your employer for a written statement explaining the reasons for your termination. This can be helpful evidence if their reasons conflict with the actual cause.

Consult a Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Attorney: Seek legal advice promptly. An attorney from Rager & Yoon can help you understand the strength of your case and guide you through the legal process.

Conclusion

Wrongful termination can be a distressing experience, but you don’t have to face it alone. With the support of experienced wrongful termination attorneys in Los Angeles, like those at Rager & Yoon - Employment Lawyers, you can take informed steps to seek justice. Whether through negotiation or litigation, having a knowledgeable attorney by your side increases your chances of a favorable outcome. If you’re in Los Angeles and believe you’ve been wrongfully terminated, please contact Rager & Yoon to explore your legal options and protect your rights.

[occupyhades]

God’s Whistleblower

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 (ESV)

Each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 (BSB)

Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. 1 Timothy 5:2 (NLT)

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:19 (NIV)

Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. 1 Timothy 5:2 (NLT)

For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step. There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide. For God need not examine a man further or have him approach for judgment. Job 34:21-23 (BSB)

The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked; he will bring disaster on them. Proverbs 21:12 (NLT)

If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. Titus 3:10 (NLT)

[kingsiegel1]

King & Siegel LLP

King & Siegel LLP has built our stellar reputation by being committed to representing the best interests of our clients in a wide range of employment law matters. Our talented attorneys take on sexual harassment, disability discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, and whistleblower cases on behalf of clients throughout Sacramento. Our passionate legal professionals understand that navigating the legal system can be overwhelming. That is why we are here to offer reliable counsel and comprehensive legal services for workers throughout the greater Sacramento area. Get in touch with us today to set up your free case consultation.

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[back-and-totheleft]

Oliver Stone gets controversial (again)

Many people think of Oliver Stone as an opinionated, hot-headed, left-leaning director of controversial Hollywood films. They may be correct, but he’s also a multiple Oscar winner — for directing “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July,” and for writing “Midnight Express.” And he’s a great conversationalist. He sat down to have one last week in Los Angeles to promote the release of his newest film, “Snowden,” which he directed and co-wrote, and which tells the story of former CIA and NSA operative-turned government operations whistleblower Edward Snowden (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Q: When you start out to make a film like this, have you already decided in your head whether Snowden was right or wrong in what he did?

A: I want to let the audience decide. I have two halves. People know me for some of my outspoken beliefs which I’ve stated because I strongly feel I have the right of a citizen; I’m not solely a filmmaker, so I do speak out. Sometimes I’m criticized for it, and sometimes I’m confused (by it). People sometimes attribute political filmmaking to my films, but that’s not true. I consider myself a dramatist and a professional, and that’s what I do. I tell the story. In this case I had met with Snowden in January of 2014 for the first time. I was wary, and he was wary. We didn’t know how to do this thing. I didn’t know the details. I’d read all the press reports, but many of them were inaccurate. I went back two more times to meet with him in Moscow, and then in late May we started to move ahead and, with his Russian lawyer, we bought the book from (the British newspaper) The Guardian. My script co-writer Kieran Fitzgerald and I decided to go with a Snowden realism story. Snowden gave us a tremendous amount of detail, and I ended up going back to Moscow nine times. This is a very complicated screenplay because we wanted to get the details right on the NSA, but without the cooperation of the NSA. I didn’t want to do a “Zero Dark Thirty,” where you get the cooperation of an agency like the CIA, but of course they guide you and tell you what to do. It was very tricky. We wanted to walk this thing as straight as we could, and as best we could, also give the NSA’s side of the story.

Q: Do you think you’re on any government watch lists because of making this film?

A: (Laughs) I don’t know; I’ve never inquired. We made the movie without a hindrance. But we didn’t get the cooperation of any major movie studio. We don’t know why, but I always suspect that it’s self censorship, which happens when you reach the McCarthy-like levels this country has reached, where we’re oppressing the truth as much as possible. So Open Road Films was very brave to distribute this.

Q: Was it frustrating for you that the major studios wouldn’t touch it?

A: It was very frustrating, but there’s another issue here. The movie is perceived as being critical of America. This guy was an American, and that’s what’s frustrating, that you cannot dissent from this (Hollywood) system. What I’m saying is that we only do pro-American movies now. This has happened more and more since (President Ronald) Reagan. In the 1970s, in the wake of the Vietnam War, there was a certain disillusionment with what we were doing, that people were actually making movies that were critical of our society. Many of the movies were praised — you know what they are — but in the 80s and into the 90s, I was one of the few that was actually doings things that were saying, ‘Hey! Look at this! Look in the mirror!’ Spike lee and others were doing that, and more recently “Syriana” was a very interesting movie. But almost everything tends to glorify America, and the karma is bad on this. You can’t look in the mirror and see what we actually did in foreign countries. It tells you a lot about where our culture is headed. We’re going to head into the garbage can with this kind of thinking, and I see it everywhere. I tried to do (a film on) the My Lai massacre, I tried to do the Martin Luther King (Jr.) story, but they didn’t happen. So, you know, you make your way in this system.

Q: How did you happen to make “Snowden?”

A: I didn’t want to do “Snowden.” I knew it would have problems. I sensed it. Also, it’s a current affair and the story could break either way. Anything could come out of the woodwork; you don’t know what’s going to happen. So you stay away from hot potatoes if you can.

Q: So why did you do it?

A: Because it was important.

Q: But so many people are saying that this kind of information is being put out on Facebook and Twitter by the masses, not just by Snowden. What are your thoughts on that?

A: Oh, that’s the argument of “I have nothing to hide” crap. But when you get older you realize that you do have a lot to hide. You have basic soul to hide.

— Ed Symkus, "Oliver Stone gets controversial (again) with ‘Snowden’," Sea Coast Online, Sept 6 2016

[yes-svetlana-world]

FBI Investigation Of Gloria Allred Lisa Bloom Tom Girardi and Federal Employees now officially open!

Dear Madam Deputy Attorney General (Lisa O. Monaco)

I understand that your call to action is to purge white collar crime for which I applaud you.  And what better place to start than the business of the Law itself!

I would like to bring your attention to the FBI’s Investigation of Gloria Allred, her daughter Lisa Bloom and co-conspirator, Tom Girardi.

The investigation was recently started by the Investigative Squad at the Mission Services Branch in Los Angeles.

As the FBI never comments on an ongoing investigation, I have attached a screengrab of the initial email exchange between myself and the most senior officer at the FBI in LA.  If you wish to have the unredacted details I would happily hand them over with the appropriate non-Disclosures.

Under different circumstances divulging communications with an FBI Agent would be an incredibly inappropriate thing to do, however the situation as it demands immediate action, and a lack of media gives even greater importance to this message.

📷

The investigation is based on criminal and civil complaints filed by me and other individuals including Steve Wynn the Vegas hotelier and the actor Rose McGowan. There are many other victims too. Many thousands of lives that have been harmed irreparably by these people whose wholesale perjury, bribery and corruption, obstruction of justice and trafficking of victims, has caused massive destruction to society as whole and it is time for it to stop.I have filed multiple criminal complaints in Switzerland against the individuals concerned that include the gang of racketeers I have dubbed as Crime Inc.  Already Courts in Switzerland have ordered Crime Inc. to pay my court costs. Their criminality extends over 40 years of insurance fraud and straight forward thuggish shakedowns.With my teams of lawyers over five years, all the evidence that is needed to incarcerate these individuals has been collected and will make it easy for the investigative bodies all over the World to bring these people to Justice. And as lawyers and judges are involved in this crime syndicate it is obviously the Government’s responsibility to seek justice for the victims.My exact complaints are attached herein. Obviously, there is much more documentation that both my lawyers and I are providing to the FBI, and we continue to collaborate in good faith that these individuals are brought to justice.My road has been long. I have spoken to many senior lawyers in Los Angeles.  There is a federal Whistleblower too! Everyone is in agreement that it is time for this perversion of justice to stop.Yours Sincerely Alkiviades “Alki” DavidMalibu, Calif

http://www.tvmix.com/fbi-investigation-of-gloria-allred-lisa-bloom-tom-girardi-federal-employees-is-officially-open/123

[96thdayofrage]

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he is launching a criminal investigation to find out who leaked security video of an incident in which a deputy knelt on the head of a handcuffed inmate for more than three minutes.

The Times published video last month of the March 2021 incident and detailed efforts by department officials to keep it under wraps.

Department officials had worried at the time about the negative publicity that could come from a deputy kneeling on a handcuffed man’s head, “given its nature and its similarities to widely publicized George Floyd use of force,” according to an internal report by a commander critical of the cover-up.

The commander's July 2021 report indicated that sheriff's officials decided not to pursue criminal charges against the inmate, who had punched the deputy in the face, to avoid drawing attention to the incident. Sheriff’s officials waited until January — almost a year after the incident — to take the case against the inmate to prosecutors.

In an interview with Fox 11 News, Villanueva said the disclosure of the video to The Times amounted to a theft of investigative material. He did not respond to questions from The Times.

"That is still an active case — it's not supposed to see light of day until it's concluded," he told the station. "And the fact that The Times had not only the investigation, they had the videotape — that was stolen from the department, and by department members."

First Amendment experts were troubled by the move to target people for releasing police misconduct records, saying the threat of prosecution sends a chilling message to whistleblowers.

"If the sheriff really did try to prosecute somebody for theft, under these circumstances, to me [it] would be: 'Dude, you're in L.A. County. Don't you have more serious crimes to worry about than somebody leaking a video? And aren't you really doing this because it's embarrassing you?'" said Karl Olson, a lawyer who specializes in 1st Amendment and public records cases.

Olson said the individual who leaked the video would have a strong claim under laws designed to protect whistleblowers.

"The laws exist to encourage people to come forth and report illegal or fraudulent activity on the part of government," Olson said.

David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, said the records would have likely become public anyway as evidence in the prosecution of the inmate, as well as in the potential case against the deputy.

"So why the withholding, and why the saber-rattling on pursuing criminal charges against the person who disclosed them, if they were going to be public anyway?" Snyder said.

He added: "That has a real chilling effect on potential sources within the department, who for public interest reasons, may want to see records relating to misconduct disclosed, and it constricts the flow of information that the public is entitled to see and that is necessary in order to hold public agencies to account."

The incident happened on the morning of March 10, 2021, two days after jury selection had begun 1,500 miles away in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who would be convicted of murdering Floyd by kneeling on his neck.

At the San Fernando Courthouse, deputies were conducting routine searches of inmates before their court appearances when deputies told two inmates to be quiet.

As the pair continued talking and laughing, Deputy Douglas Johnson ordered one of them, Enzo Escalante, to stop and face the wall. Escalante, 24, was awaiting trial on multiple charges, including murder.

Security video obtained by The Times shows Johnson walking closely behind Escalante through a hallway before ushering him toward a wall.

Escalante turned around and punched Johnson in the face multiple times. Johnson and other deputies then took Escalante to the ground, positioning him face down.

After he was handcuffed, Johnson kept his knee on Escalante’s head for three minutes.

The sheriff denied an allegation made by Eli Vera, a former top-ranking department official who is seeking to unseat him, that he had been involved in the cover-up and had viewed the video at an aide’s desk within days of the incident.

Internal records show that top executives above the level of division chief were aware of the incident early on. That could include only Villanueva, Undersheriff Tim Murakami or one of the three assistant sheriffs. Villanueva has refused to answer questions about who was made aware of the incident and what direction they gave.

After the Times report, Villanueva said he became aware of the incident in November and launched a criminal investigation into the deputy. He also announced that he had shaken up his “senior command,” but refused to provide specifics about whose jobs had changed and why.

He has announced a new administrative investigation into the cover-up and named an acting assistant sheriff, Holly Francisco, to oversee countywide operations, including the Court Services Division, where the incident occurred. Francisco is taking over for Robin Limon, who held the position at the time of the kneeling incident.

[reading-writing-revolution]

Heather Cox Richardson

October 4, 2021 (Monday)

“hello literally everyone,” the official account of Twitter tweeted this afternoon, after Facebook and its affiliated platforms Instagram and WhatsApp went dark at about 11:40 this morning. The Facebook outage lasted for more than six hours and appears to have been caused by an internal error. But the void caused by the absence of the internet giant illustrated its power at a time when the use of that power has come under scrutiny.

In mid-September, the Wall Street Journal began to publish a series of investigative stories based on documents provided by a whistle-blower.

The “Facebook Files” explore how the company has “whitelisted” high-profile users, exempting them from the rules that put limits on ordinary users. Another article reveals that researchers showed Facebook executives evidence that Instagram damages teenage girls by pushing an ideal body image and that they flagged the increasing use of the site by drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals; their discoveries went unaddressed.

Concerned about declining engagement with their material, Facebook allegedly privileged polarizing material that engaged people by preying on their emotions. It appeared to have encouraged the extremism that led to the January 6 insurrection, lowering restrictions against disinformation quickly after the 2020 election.

Last night, on CBS’s 60 Minutes, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen revealed herself to be the source of the documents. She is concerned, she says, that Facebook consistently looks to maximize profits even if it means ignoring disinformation. Her lawyers have filed at least eight complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees companies and financial markets. Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said it was “ludicrous” to blame Facebook for the events of January 6. Chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg have not commented.

Lawmakers have repeatedly asked Facebook to produce documents for their scrutiny and to testify about the social media platform’s public safeguards. Tomorrow, Haugen will testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security about the effects of social media on teenagers. Her lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, told Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima of the Washington Post that Haugen’s information is important because “Big Tech is at an inflection point…. It touches every aspect of our lives—whether it’s individuals personally or democratic institutions globally. With such far-reaching consequences, transparency is critical to oversight, and lawful whistleblowing is a critical component of oversight and holding companies accountable.”

Amidst the outrage over the Facebook revelations, technology reporter Kevin Roose at the New York Times suggested that the company’s aggressive attempts to court engagement reveal weakness, rather than strength, as younger users have fled to TikTok and other sites and Facebook has become the domain of older Americans. He notes that Facebook’s researchers foresee a drop of 45% in daily use in the next two years, suggesting that the company is desperate either to retain users or to create new ones.

While the technology Facebook represents is new, the concerns it raises echo public discussion of late nineteenth century industrialization, which was also the product of new technologies. At stake then was whether the concentration of economic power in a few hands would destroy our democracy by giving some rich men far more power than the other men in the country. How could the nation both preserve the right of individuals to build industries and preserve the concept of the common good in the face of technology that permitted unprecedented accumulations of wealth?

While money is certainly at stake in the issue of Facebook’s power today, the more pressing issue for our country is whether social media giants will destroy our democracy through their ability to spread disinformation that sows division and turns us against one another.

When we began to grapple with the excesses of industrialism, lots of people thought the whole system needed to be taken apart—by violence if necessary—while others hoped to save the benefits the technology brought without letting it destroy the country. Americans eventually solved the problems that industrialization raised for democracy by reining in the Wild West mentality of the early industrialists, protecting the basic rights of workers, and regulating business practices.

The leaked Facebook documents suggest there are places where the disinformation at Facebook could be reined in as the overreaches of industrialization were. When Zuckerberg tried to promote coronavirus vaccines on the site, anti-vaxxers undermined his efforts. But one document showed that “out of nearly 150,000 posters in Facebook Groups disabled for Covid misinformation, 5% were producing half of all posts, and around 1,400 users were responsible for inviting half the groups’ new members.” Researchers concluded: “We found, like many problems at FB, this is a head-heavy problem with a relatively few number of actors creating a large percentage of the content and growth.”

“I don’t hate Facebook,” Haugen wrote in a final message to her colleagues at the company. “I love Facebook. I want to save it.”

While most Americans were busy watching Facebook crash—the falling stock took between $5 billion and $7 billion of Zuckerberg’s net worth—drama in Washington, D.C., was an even bigger deal.

Los Angeles Times reporter Sarah D. Wire noted that the rioters who broke into the Capitol on January 6 ran more than 100 feet past 15 reinforced windows, “making a beeline” to four windows that had been left unreinforced in a renovation of the building between 2017 and 2019. They found the four windows, located in a recessed part of the building, Wire wrote, “by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge by rioters.”

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will likely look into this oddity.

The committee has begun to take testimony from cooperative witnesses. Observers expect fireworks on Thursday when former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, longtime Trump aide Dan Scavino, Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and Trump appointee Kash Patel must hand over documents. Trump has vowed to fight the release of any information to the committee. Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says the committee will make criminal referrals for anyone ignoring a subpoena.

Finally, today, the debt ceiling fight got even hotter. While Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 3, the issue of the debt ceiling, which stops the government from borrowing money Congress has already spent, remains unresolved. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the government will be unable to pay its obligations after October 18, and warns that a default, which has never before happened, would be catastrophic.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) insists the Democrats must raise the debt ceiling themselves, although the Republicans raised it three times under former president Trump and added $7.8 trillion to the debt, which now stands at $28 trillion. But when Democrats tried to pass a measure to raise the ceiling, Republicans filibustered it. As Greg Sargent points out in the Washington Post, McConnell is trying to force the Democrats to raise the debt ceiling through reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered. Since they get only one chance to pass such a bill this year, this would force them to dump their infrastructure bill.

McConnell is holding the nation hostage to keep the Democrats from passing a very popular bill, and today, Biden called him on it. McConnell complained that congressional Democrats were “sleepwalking toward significant and avoidable danger,” prompting Biden to demand that Republicans “stop playing Russian roulette with the U.S. economy.... Not only are Republicans refusing to do their job, but threatening to use their power to prevent us from doing our job—saving the economy from a catastrophic event—I think, quite frankly, is hypocritical, dangerous and disgraceful. Their obstruction and irresponsibility knows absolutely no bounds.”

When asked if he could guarantee we would not default on our debts, Biden said, “No, I can’t…. That’s up to Mitch McConnell.” If McConnell doesn’t blink and the Republicans continue to filibuster Democrats’ attempts to save the economy, there will be enormous pressure on the Democrats to break the filibuster.

Meanwhile, every day this drags on, Congress does not pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 4, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

“hello literally everyone,” the official account of Twitter tweeted this afternoon, after Facebook and its affiliated platforms Instagram and WhatsApp went dark at about 11:40 this morning. The Facebook outage lasted for more than six hours and appears to have been caused by an internal error. But the void caused by the absence of the internet giant illustrated its power at a time when the use of that power has come under scrutiny.

In mid-September, the Wall Street Journal began to publish a series of investigative stories based on documents provided by a whistle-blower.

The “Facebook Files” explore how the company has “whitelisted” high-profile users, exempting them from the rules that put limits on ordinary users. Another article reveals that researchers showed Facebook executives evidence that Instagram damages teenage girls by pushing an ideal body image and that they flagged the increasing use of the site by drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals; their discoveries went unaddressed.

Concerned about declining engagement with their material, Facebook allegedly privileged polarizing material that engaged people by preying on their emotions. It appeared to have encouraged the extremism that led to the January 6 insurrection, lowering restrictions against disinformation quickly after the 2020 election.

Last night, on CBS’s 60 Minutes, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen revealed herself to be the source of the documents. She is concerned, she says, that Facebook consistently looks to maximize profits even if it means ignoring disinformation. Her lawyers have filed at least eight complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees companies and financial markets. Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said it was “ludicrous” to blame Facebook for the events of January 6. Chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg have not commented.

Lawmakers have repeatedly asked Facebook to produce documents for their scrutiny and to testify about the social media platform’s public safeguards. Tomorrow, Haugen will testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security about the effects of social media on teenagers. Her lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, told Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima of the Washington Post that Haugen’s information is important because “Big Tech is at an inflection point…. It touches every aspect of our lives—whether it’s individuals personally or democratic institutions globally. With such far-reaching consequences, transparency is critical to oversight, and lawful whistleblowing is a critical component of oversight and holding companies accountable.”

Amidst the outrage over the Facebook revelations, technology reporter Kevin Roose at the New York Times suggested that the company’s aggressive attempts to court engagement reveal weakness, rather than strength, as younger users have fled to TikTok and other sites and Facebook has become the domain of older Americans. He notes that Facebook’s researchers foresee a drop of 45% in daily use in the next two years, suggesting that the company is desperate either to retain users or to create new ones.

While the technology Facebook represents is new, the concerns it raises echo public discussion of late nineteenth century industrialization, which was also the product of new technologies. At stake then was whether the concentration of economic power in a few hands would destroy our democracy by giving some rich men far more power than the other men in the country. How could the nation both preserve the right of individuals to build industries and preserve the concept of the common good in the face of technology that permitted unprecedented accumulations of wealth?

While money is certainly at stake in the issue of Facebook’s power today, the more pressing issue for our country is whether social media giants will destroy our democracy through their ability to spread disinformation that sows division and turns us against one another.

When we began to grapple with the excesses of industrialism, lots of people thought the whole system needed to be taken apart—by violence if necessary—while others hoped to save the benefits the technology brought without letting it destroy the country. Americans eventually solved the problems that industrialization raised for democracy by reining in the Wild West mentality of the early industrialists, protecting the basic rights of workers, and regulating business practices.

The leaked Facebook documents suggest there are places where the disinformation at Facebook could be reined in as the overreaches of industrialization were. When Zuckerberg tried to promote coronavirus vaccines on the site, anti-vaxxers undermined his efforts. But one document showed that “out of nearly 150,000 posters in Facebook Groups disabled for Covid misinformation, 5% were producing half of all posts, and around 1,400 users were responsible for inviting half the groups’ new members.” Researchers concluded: “We found, like many problems at FB, this is a head-heavy problem with a relatively few number of actors creating a large percentage of the content and growth.”

“I don’t hate Facebook,” Haugen wrote in a final message to her colleagues at the company. “I love Facebook. I want to save it.”

While most Americans were busy watching Facebook crash—the falling stock took between $5 billion and $7 billion of Zuckerberg’s net worth—drama in Washington, D.C., was an even bigger deal.

Los Angeles Times reporter Sarah D. Wire noted that the rioters who broke into the Capitol on January 6 ran more than 100 feet past 15 reinforced windows, “making a beeline” to four windows that had been left unreinforced in a renovation of the building between 2017 and 2019. They found the four windows, located in a recessed part of the building, Wire wrote, “by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge by rioters.”

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will likely look into this oddity.

The committee has begun to take testimony from cooperative witnesses. Observers expect fireworks on Thursday when former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, longtime Trump aide Dan Scavino, Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and Trump appointee Kash Patel must hand over documents. Trump has vowed to fight the release of any information to the committee. Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says the committee will make criminal referrals for anyone ignoring a subpoena.

Finally, today, the debt ceiling fight got even hotter. While Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 3, the issue of the debt ceiling, which stops the government from borrowing money Congress has already spent, remains unresolved. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the government will be unable to pay its obligations after October 18, and warns that a default, which has never before happened, would be catastrophic.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) insists the Democrats must raise the debt ceiling themselves, although the Republicans raised it three times under former president Trump and added $7.8 trillion to the debt, which now stands at $28 trillion. But when Democrats tried to pass a measure to raise the ceiling, Republicans filibustered it. As Greg Sargent points out in the Washington Post, McConnell is trying to force the Democrats to raise the debt ceiling through reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered. Since they get only one chance to pass such a bill this year, this would force them to dump their infrastructure bill.

McConnell is holding the nation hostage to keep the Democrats from passing a very popular bill, and today, Biden called him on it. McConnell complained that congressional Democrats were “sleepwalking toward significant and avoidable danger,” prompting Biden to demand that Republicans “stop playing Russian roulette with the U.S. economy.... Not only are Republicans refusing to do their job, but threatening to use their power to prevent us from doing our job—saving the economy from a catastrophic event—I think, quite frankly, is hypocritical, dangerous and disgraceful. Their obstruction and irresponsibility knows absolutely no bounds.”

When asked if he could guarantee we would not default on our debts, Biden said, “No, I can’t…. That’s up to Mitch McConnell.” If McConnell doesn’t blink and the Republicans continue to filibuster Democrats’ attempts to save the economy, there will be enormous pressure on the Democrats to break the filibuster.

Meanwhile, every day this drags on, Congress does not pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

—

Notes:

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2021/10/protecting%20kids%20online:%20testimony%20from%20a%20facebook%20whistleblower

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/03/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-revealed/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039

https://apnews.com/article/facebook-whatsapp-instagram-outage-8b9d3862ed957029e545182a595fdce1

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/03/technology/whistle-blower-facebook-frances-haugen.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-says-she-wants-to-fix-the-company-not-harm-it-11633304122

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/04/facebook-instagram-down-outage/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/technology/facebook-files.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vaccinated-11631880296

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-10-04/jan-6-rioters-exploited-little-known-capitol-weak-spots-a-handful-of-unreinforced-windows

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/01/bennie-thompson-jan-6-panel-subpoena-514940

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/04/jan-6-panel-trump-collision-514979

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/10/04/biden-schumer-debt-ceiling/

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[cummingsandfranck]

Representing Whistleblower Retaliation Law in Los Angeles

A whistleblower is anyone who exposes activities that could be unethical, illegal, or inappropriate and then reports that activity to authorities. No employee should suffer retaliation for opposing unlawful conduct in the workplace. Cummings & Frank P.C, ONLY Represent Employees!

We are the best firm in Los Angeles that is committed exclusively to employee rights. Our lawyers specialize in cases of retaliation, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination, and class action lawsuits. Cummings & Frank P.C firm is known for its personal service and each case is presented with complete evidence. We move with each case as if it's proceeding to court, and because of that status opposing lawyers know that we're going to make every effort to protect your rights when they understand that you've retained us. Our experts are here to assist you recover damages from your employer! We offer free consultations and a wide range of options at our office in Los Angeles. Call Now at (310) 295-2195 & (310) 295-2180. We Turn Employer Wrongs into Employee Rights! Representing Wrongfully Fired & Retaliation Cases in Los Angeles. We manage claims under a variety of Whistleblower Retaliation Law in Los Angeles.

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Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Attorneys Determine Your Case

No one wants to lose their job, least of all when there is no clear reason behind its termination. Many times, workers who lose their jobs find themselves with an unjustified case on their hands. It is in those situations that it will be important to seek out Los Angeles wrongful termination attorneys to guide you through your case. They will be able to determine if indeed your dismissal was unjustified or if it was in some way illegal. And if it is, they can help you get rewarded for it.

What is Unjustified Dismissal?

Unjustified dismissal, also known as unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal, takes place when an employee's employment contract is terminated by the employer under circumstances that break or violate the terms of the contract or some labor law statute. The laws that govern the scope of wrongful termination vary depending on the terms of the employment contract in question, as do the laws of the jurisdiction in which the contract was signed. A good team of Los Angeles wrongful termination attorneys can help you assess your case based on the circumstances and decide on the path to follow.

Possible Reasons for Wrongful Termination Unjustified dismissal can occur for all kinds of reasons, many of which are quite harmful to the worker in question. These are some of the most common cases:

Retaliation – An employer cannot fire an employee because the employee complained of discrimination or for participating in a discrimination investigation. Here in the United States, this type of retaliation is under civil rights law. Refusal to commit an illegal act – An employer is not allowed to fire an employee because the employee refused to commit an illegal act. Reporting a violation of the law to the authorities – Also known as the whistleblower law, an employee who falls under whistleblower protections cannot legally be fired for reporting an employer's lawful violation or similar activity. Discrimination – The employer cannot fire an employee because of their race, national origin, religion, sex, age, or sexual orientation. The Employer is not following the company's proper termination processes – There will be instances where the employee handbook, company rules, or agreements with unions and unions will outline the procedures to be followed for termination . fire an employee. If an employer terminates an employee without following this process properly, the employee may have a wrongful termination case on their hands. Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Lawyers If you are the victim of wrongful termination, for whatever reason, you do not want to go through this alone. That is why our Long Beach Accident Lawyer is ready to help you. If you need Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyers, do not hesitate to contact us by calling (562) 362-3838 or by writing to us using the form on our website. We are here to help you.

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ONU: escândalos de abuso sexual, assédio, corrupção e muitas pilantragens - Os "pacificadores" da ONU têm um lado bem podre

Peace Women: Bolkovac: 'UN tries to cover up peacekeeper sex abuse scandal'

https://www.peacewomen.org/resource/bolkovac-un-tries-cover-peacekeeper-sex-abuse-scandal

Kathryn Bolkovac: What happened in Bosnia to the victims of human trafficking in the 1990s and 2000s is quite similar to the Central African Republic scandal: Specifically the abuse of vulnerable populations by organizations who are created and bound to protect, and the continued scandals surrounding the UN botched, covert and now overt, attempts to remove, terminate and discredit those who blow the whistle on their deeds. The terms cover-up and whistleblower are common within the walls of the United Nations and peacekeeping missions. 

Kathryn Bolkovac

[...]

There were many cases, but they were never prosecuted: Young girls from Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and other Eastern European countries being brought in to service the UN and military bases as sex-slaves. The cases involved the officers from many foreign countries, including the USA, Pakistan, Germany, Romania, Ukraine, government contractors, and local organized criminals. The human rights investigators were never allowed to fully investigate, the suspects were immediately removed from the mission or transferred to other missions. The young women were simply sent back to their home countries.

[...]

Her book inspired the movie "The Whistleblower" (2010), starring Rachel Weisz as Kathryn Bolkovac

[...]

Was there any charge or trial against the replaced UN officers?

No. None. Charges were never brought because the investigations were never allowed to be completed. That was the reason I was terminated and fired from my job, because I was trying to investigate these cases. After that, I took DynCorp to court in the United Kingdom, and I won my case for wrongful termination.

[...]

The former US policewoman Kathryn Bolkovac was hired in 1999 by DynCorp Aerospace for a UN post aimed at cracking down on sexual abuse and forced prostitution in post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. She found evidence that some UN officers were taking part in the trafficking of young women from Eastern Europe as sex slaves. After having tried to investigate those cases, she was fired. Later, Kathryn Bolkovac was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Human Rights Watch: UN Peacekeeping has a Sexual Abuse Problem

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/11/un-peacekeeping-has-sexual-abuse-problem

Peacekeepers da ONU

A Haitian woman was selling charcoal on the empty edges of her small town when a white, uniformed United Nations peacekeeper offered her a lift in his marked vehicle. He raped her shortly after she got in. “I could not fight back,” said  Marie Badeau  (a pseudonym) when I interviewed her in 2016, more than four years after the rape. “I felt outside of my body like I did not have all my senses.”

After we talked, she introduced me to her daughter conceived from the rape. The four-year-old had notably paler skin and hair than Badeau. “I just tell people it’s none of their business … when they look at her funny,” she said.

ABC: Sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers is shocking and shameful. Why does it persist?

https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12286664

These behaviours are diverse, ranging from sex trafficking, rape and murder to prostitution, the production of pornography and transactional sex, with differing degrees of coercion, consent and criminality.

Perpetrators have targeted adults and children, with the primary victims women and children under the age of 18.

Los Angeles Times: Explicit Photos Fan U.N. Sex Scandal

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-12-fg-unsex12-story.html

officials and peacekeepers intensified Friday with the broadcast of explicit pictures of a French U.N. worker and Congolese girls and his claim that there was a network of pedophiles at the U.N. mission in Congo.

[...]

The staffer, Didier Bourguet, 41, is facing charges of sexual abuse and rape in France. His lawyer, Claude de Boosere- Lepidi, said in court last week that there was a network of U.N. personnel who had sex with underage girls and that Bourguet had engaged in similar activity in a previous U.N. posting in the Central African Republic.

Al Jazeera: New allegations of UN sexual abuse in Haiti

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2012/1/24/new-allegations-of-un-sexual-abuse-in-haiti

BBC: UN sexual abuse claims 'must be investigated'

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-61826551.amp

Estátua na sede da ONU

The BBC documentary,  The Whistleblowers: Inside the UN , details allegations of corruption, management turning a blind eye to wrongdoing and sexual abuse.

Staff members who tried to report allegations told the BBC they had been penalised after speaking out - and some were sacked.

In the film, Ms Sen - who was appointed spokeswoman on harassment, assault and discrimination in 2018 - said there were women at the UN who had been "approached, accosted and raped". The more men were allowed to get away with it, she said, "the more they will keep doing it".

She has told BBC Newsnight that she is not surprised by the "deeply upsetting" testimonies.

[...]

The BBC was handed a secret recording which suggests the OIOS is not always effective. It features Ben Swanson, director of the investigations division, addressing a staff meeting. He says a senior UN female member of staff had come to him in tears, describing how an assistant secretary general had put his hand down her trousers.

[...]

Peter Gallo - the whistleblower who shared the audio recording - told the documentary: "I spent four years as an investigator in the UN headquarters in New York. And as a result of that experience, I believe the organisation is riddled with corruption from bottom to top."

[...]

Martina Bostrom, a former senior advisor for UNAIDS, told the BBC she was also a victim of sexual harassment at work.

"Sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment in the UN happens in headquarters, it happens Monday to Friday. It happens during regular work hours, it happens everywhere," she said.

[...]

Ms Sen said Martina's case was symptomatic of a wider problem at the UN.

She told the documentary that an "astonishing" third of UN staff said they had experienced sexual harassment while working, but that the vast majority of cases had not been reported.

Griffin Law: The scale of sex abuse at the hands of UN workers could be huge. The shocking fact is paedophiles target aid organisations

https://www.griffin.law/scale-sex-abuse-hands-un-workers-huge-shocking-fact-paedophiles-target-aid-organisations/

ABC: Peace at What Price?: U.N. Sex Crimes in Congo

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Blotter/UnitedNations/story?id=489306&page=1

Act! for Canada: Report Finds UN Employs 3,300 Pedophiles

https://www.actforcanada.ca/l/report-finds-un-employs-3-300-pedophiles-responsible-for-60-000-rapes-in-last-10-years/

The Guardian: UN aid worker suspended for leaking report on child abuse by French troops

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/29/un-aid-worker-suspended-leaking-report-child-abuse-french-troops-car

The UN’s instinctive response to sexual violence in its ranks – ignore, deny, cover up, dissemble – must be subjected to a truly independent commission of inquiry with total access, top to bottom, and full subpoena power.”

Open Democracy: The UN isn’t doing enough to tackle its sexual abuse epidemic. Former staff agree

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/un-isn-t-doing-enough-to-tackle-its-sexual-abuse-epidemic-former-staff-agree/

The difference between those in the #metoo movement and the victims of UN staff, however, is that the latter don’t have the same platform, voice or access to justice. UN staff and peacekeepers are sexually abusing women and children and consistently getting away with it.

[...]

Alfredo Forti, a special advisor to Secretary General Antonio Guterres until 2017 and a member of his special task force on sexual abuse told me, “I totally agree that certain administrative bodies of the UN, like the CDU or OIOS, do sometimes, through their bureaucratic processing of cases, constitute an obstacle to justice.” So, essentially, UN civilian staff are getting away with sexual abuse without punishment, or at least jail-time because the UN are institutionally failing to hold them to account.

[...]

“A culture of fear”

If one is to explain or understand the reason behind this lack of action, the “culture of fear” within the UN goes a long way to explain the cover up, according to Gallo. By this, he means that people keep their mouths shut since “the UN blames the whistle-blowers” in an effort to save face. An example of this is Anders Kompass who was hounded and discredited for ‘whistleblowing’ by advising the French government about child sex abuse by 14 French peacekeepers in the Central African Republic in 2014. Kompass’s case was subsequently ruled unlawful by the United Nations Dispute Tribunal. His secretary at the time, Miranda Brown, “passed this information to the press because she was disgusted and horrified.” Gallo goes on to explain that “Miranda has never worked since” and “is the living example of what happens if you report misconduct.”

“If you talk you’re fired” adds Celhia de Lavarene, who used to work for the UN in human trafficking, adding that there is a ‘culture of silence” as well as a “culture of fear” in the UN and “the people with power don’t pay”. Now a journalist for L’OBS and Mediapart in France covering the UN, Celhia explains that this can happen outside the UN as well; “I wrote two books about the UN in which I denounced all this and my name was blacklisted.”

[...]

The victims of UN sexual abuse don’t have the same voice or possibility for justice. But how about #themtoo?

The Heritage Foundation: The U.N. Sex Scandal

https://www.heritage.org/civil-society/commentary/the-un-sex-scandal

The Times: Charity sex scandal: UN staff ‘responsible for 60,000 rapes in a decade’

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/un-staff-responsible-for-60-000-rapes-in-a-decade-c627rx239

Foreign Policy: Greed and Graft at U.N. Climate Program

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/08/14/greed-and-graft-at-un-climate-program-united-nations-undp-corruption/

Whistleblowers and experts allege corruption at a United Nations Development Program project for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Russia, according to a Foreign Policy investigation.

The Economist: Corruption at the heart of the United Nations

https://www.economist.com/unknown/2005/08/09/corruption-at-the-heart-of-the-united-nations

Financial Times: UN agency hit with corruption allegations at climate projects

https://www.ft.com/content/054a529c-e793-489b-8986-b65d01672766

United Nations Development Programme internal audit describes signs of fraud and collusion

[...]

The report highlighted problems including signs of “fraudulent activities” at two country offices and “suspicions of collusion among the various project managers” at another, without naming the countries.

[...]

The words ‘climate’ and ‘corruption’, people see these as two different worlds, but there is a lot of overlap

Brice Böhmer, Transparency International

[...]

The UN-backed, South Korea-based, Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest climate finance institution, has faced a recent wave of internal misconduct complaints, including  allegations of sexism and harassment  in the workplace, the FT reported in August.

Climate Change News: GCF considers renewed partnership with UNDP, amid corruption investigations

https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/10/04/gcf-considers-renewed-partnership-undp-amid-corruption-investigations/

Compliance Week: The UN, Corruption, and Internal Investigations

https://www.complianceweek.com/the-un-corruption-and-internal-investigations/11557.article

Another corrupt scandal hit the United Nations recently. The claim was made that a former General Assembly president, John Ashe, and perhaps others had engaged in receiving bribes and other corruption from a Chinese businessman, Ng Lap Seng, and others.

The allegations were that Ng made a $1.5 million “donation” for the development of a United Nations center in the Chinese-held island of Macau. It may be that the money was never used for development, but rather went into the pockets of Ashe and other United Nations officials. Ashe was arrested by U.S. authorities for both tax fraud and receiving bribes from Ng.

Heritage Foundation: Investigate the United Nations Oil-for-Food Fraud

https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/report/investigate-the-united-nations-oil-food-fraud

Folha: Iraque sob tutela: ONU liga 66 países à corrupção de Saddam

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/mundo/ft2810200506.htm

Ditador Saddam Hussein

Commentary: How Corrupt Is the United Nations?

https://www.commentary.org/articles/claudia-rosett/how-corrupt-is-the-united-nations/

And what did Saddam do with those profits? What Annan describes as “instances of mismanagement” did not simply entail theft, corruption, and waste. They enriched and supported a tyrant and a mass murderer. Saddam used his UN-blessed loot not only to build palaces and buy luxury cars but also to provide patronage to loyal Baathists, reward Palestinian suicide bombers, and restock his arsenal, conventional or otherwise. When CIA chief weapons inspector Charles Duelfer went to Iraq in 2004 looking for weapons, the money trail took him straight to the UN relief operation, which, as he would report, had become a shill for an arms and illicit-money network that reached through Syria to Belarus and Russia. The network was buying “milk” from a Chinese weapons manufacturer, contracting for “vehicles” and “detergent” with Sudan, and negotiating for missiles with North Korea.

[...]

Others are private foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which since 1995 has given more than $380 million to the UN, more than $50 million of that through Turner's foundation. And Turner's foundation has also collaborated on some projects with the Open Society Institute of the financier George Soros, whose global network of foundations and institutes has its own roster of projects jointly funded with the UN.

The Gray Zone: How big corporations and Bill Gates took over the UN food Summit https://thegrayzone.com/2021/09/23/corporations-bill-gates-un-food-summit/

George Soros, o homem que quebrou o banco da Inglaterra

Bill Gates, bilionário que se envolveu com Jeffrey Epstein

Large corporations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation took over the United Nations Food Systems Summit, abandoning small farmers on behalf of Big Ag companies, endangering food sovereignty.

[...]

In June 2019, the office of UN General Secretary António Guterres, without previous discussion in the General Assembly or any other intergovernmental process, signed a  strategic partnership with the World Economic Forum .

The secretary-general is supposed to be the world’s leading advocate for multilateralism, the idea at the core of the UN. Instead, he has effectively endorsed multi-stakeholderism, the core idea of the Great Reset.

[...]

The summit seeks to erase the last 15 years of progress in recognizing human rights in food systems, and instead promotes false solutions like “zero-net emissions”, “soil carbon pricing”, and “a new deal for nature”, that in practice put more control over land, biodiversity, and water in the hands of elite and secretive bodies run by corporations.

---

Caso envolvendo Bill Gates e Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein foi um traficante sexual e abusador de menores

The New York Times: Bill Gates Met With Jeffrey Epstein Many Times, Despite His Past

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.amp.html

---

The Guardian: A job at UN HQ? Goodbye principles and philanthropy, hello power and privilege!

https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jun/04/working-for-the-united-nations-power-privilege-principles-philanthropy

[tommyguide]

How a Los Angeles Whistleblower Attorney Can Help?

How a Los Angeles Whistleblower Attorney Can Help?

Confronting a business to report that organization’s lawful violation can take a great deal of boldness. All things considered, individuals who choose to call out companies can be putting their pay, careers, and notorieties on the line in their quest for equity. A Los Angeles whistleblower lawyer assists such people with safeguarding their freedoms and art the most grounded conceivable…

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Why Should You Hire A Whistleblower Attorney In Los Angeles?

Not every workplace is friendly. There will be times when tempers will flare and unpleasant words are exchanged. However, it is never acceptable for an employer to make verbal or physical threats against an employee. The term “Whistleblower” refers to a worker that reports unethical or unlawful conduct by their employer. To know more contact the Los Angeles whistleblower lawyer at The Kaufman Law Firm, and schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

[opedguy]

Barr Praises Trump Impeachment Attorney

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Aug. 25, 2021.--Dredging up old emails of 71-year-old former Atty. Gen. William Barr, Barr praised Trump’s first impeachment lawyer Pat Cipollone on his performance.  Trump was impeached for a phone call with 43-year-old Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky where he asked Zelensky to look into former Vice President Joe Biden’s influence on Ukraine natural gas supplier Burisma Holdings, asking for information on Joe’s 50-year-old son Hunter, who received a whopping $83,000 a month for serving on the board.  Trump was impeached by House Democrats when an anonymous whistleblower contended Trump tried to withhold military funding in exchange for information about the Bidens.  Trump was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of justice, both ended in acquittal Feb. 5, 2020.  “You are a STAR,” Barr tweeted Cipollone Jan. 30, 2020.

             When it comes to President Joe Biden’s handling of the evacuation of Afghanistan, that’s not considered an impeachable offense, even though the White House may be forced to leave U.S. citizens in Afghanistan after the end withdrawal date of Aug. 31.  Biden announced his plans April 17, telegraphing to the Taliban the country is yours after Aug. 31.  When U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country Aug. 16, it signaled to the Taliban it’s OK to seize Kabul.  Biden told the ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Aug. 18 that there was nothing he could’ve done differently. Stepahnopoulos has no problem giving Biden a pass on endangering thousands of U.S. citizens, not to mention thousands more Afghans who worked with Ghani’s U.S. puppet government.  Biden told the press that the Afghan government was not close to collapsing, having months to go to stay in power.      

       Yet for four months, Biden did nothing when it came to evacuating U.S. citizens from Kabul over a four-month period.  Only after Ghani fled Kabul with oodles of cash Aug. 16 did Biden take the evacuation seriously.  After nearly 20 years in Afghanistan, Biden wanted the U.S. out by the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11.  Got to hand it to the Taliban, hanging in there for 20 years, then picking their moment to seize control of the country.  Biden knew that he had a big job evacuating tens-of-thousands U.S. citizens and Afghans looking to escape Taliban rule.  How ironic that the media wants to talk about Barr praising Trump’s lead impeachment attorney but they don’t want to talk about Biden’s Afghan policy as an impeachable offense.  Endangering the lives of thousands of U.S. citizens certainly shows “dereliction of duty” as commander-in-chief, far more egregious than anything that Trump did.     

        No matter how many U.S. citizens are stranded or lost in Afghanistan, it’s doubtful that any Democrat would consider Biden’s handling of the evacuation an impeachable offense.  Democrats had a field day with Trump, accusing him of abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and, in the second impeachment trial, “incitement of insurrection” for the Jan. 6 Capitol melee.  Democrats lost their last impeachment case against Trump largely because there was no case for “incitement of insurrection.”  Had they impeached Trump for “incitement of riot’ they might have made headway.  But in both impeachment trials, Democrats blamed Barr for being Trump’s personal attorney, not the people’s attorney.  Barr was as outraged as anyone that Democrats weaponized their caucus to impeach Trump twice without real merit, despite pleading with senators to convict Trump.     

        Instead of taking four months to evacuate U.S. and Afghan citizens, Biden waited until Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, something widely predicted.  Biden’s remarks that he was blindsided by the rapid Taliban takeover doesn’t jibe with months of press reports showing that the Taliban was taking over the country. Yet Biden waited until Ghani fled the country before he took the Taliban takeover seriously.  Now he deals with an artificial Aug. 31 deadline forcing the U.S. military to be out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31.  If Americans citizens are stranded in Kabul, Biden will have no one to blame but himself for one of the most catastrophic mistakes in U.S. history.  Yet to Democrats and their friends in the press Biden’s done nothing wrong, the victim of decisions made by former President Donald Trump Feb. 29, 2020 when he cut a deal with the Taliban to leave Afghanistan by May 1.  Biden extended the deadline to Aug. 31.   

          Showing how Democrats and the press shred the Constitution for pure politics, impeaching Trump was their God-given right but not for Joe who’s actually endangered thousands of U.S. citizens.  Democrats blamed Trump for the Jan. 6 riot because they took no responsibility for encouraging the months of riots, looting, arson and anarchy all justified by George Floyd’s May 25, 2020 death.  Whatever happened on Jan. 6, Democrats knew it wasn’t due to Trump Jan. 6 speech on the Ellipse. FBI officials confirmed that right wing rabble-rousers took months to plan the Capitol attack.  Yet Democrats and the press had no qualms about blaming everything on Trump.  So if Barr ever praised Cipollone, it was due to defending the president against years of specious attacks dating back to his 2016 campaign for president.  Shame on Barr for praising Cipollone f or defending Trump.

 About the Author 

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.