Thursday, April 25, 2024

We Spoke With Someone Who Knows ‘Bernie Bro’ Max Azzarello, Who Self-Immolated Outside the Trump Court House Today.

Maxwell Crosby Azzarello, the man believed to have lit himself on fire outside the Trump hush money trial in Manhattan earlier today, is a left-wing activist who The National Pulse is told worked on the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. According to an individual who has known Azzarello for many years, he suffered from mental illness and was involuntarily committed at least once in the last year.

“This is truly awful. He was actually a nice guy,” the friend told The Pulse. Despite his leftist politics, Azzarello maintained friendships with conservatives as well. The individual we spoke with works in Republican Party politics.

“THE PONZI PAPERS.”

Azzarello posted an explanation for his self-immolation on his Substack page, entitled “The Ponzi Papers.” His post begins, “My name is Max Azzarello, and I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan.”

“We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup,” he wrote before addressing his act of self-immolation: “To my friends and family, witnesses and first responders, I deeply apologize for inflicting this pain upon you. But I assure you it is a drop in the bucket compared to what our government intends to inflict.”

Azzarello accuses billionaire investor Peter Thiel of purposefully inciting a bank run last year, causing the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The purpose of the bank run was part of a larger scheme by individuals involved with cryptocurrency to fake a banking crisis so they could move money out of the banks without the public or media noticing. According to Azzarello, who describes himself as an independent researcher, “the banks were used to move out stolen Ponzi money. This signals that they’re no longer dumping cash in to keep the cryptocurrency Ponzi afloat, and that it will soon go insolvent, as all Ponzis must.”

He goes on to claim that when the Ponzi scheme collapses, “it will take down half the stock market” and is the cause of global inflation. Azzarello additionally alleges the U.S. government unleashed the COVID-19 pandemic to cover up the stock market distortions caused by the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.

CLINTON AND BUSH CONSPIRACIES.

The rest of his Substack post is a mix of Clinton and Bush family conspiracies that he claims tie them to Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Numerous individuals outside the Manhattan courthouse reported Azzarello was carrying a sign that read: “Trump is with Biden, and they’re about to fascist coup us.” On the back of his sign was a link to his Substack page.

On April 14, 2023, he filed a lawsuit against the Clintons, Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, the Winklevoss twins, Joshua Kushner, Anthony Scarramucci, and dozens of others over the alleged cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, which he claims is bringing down the global economy.

ARRESTED IN FLORIDA.

In August of last year, he was arrested in St. John’s County, Florida, for “criminal mischief” and “disturbing the peace.” According to Azzarello’s friend, he has at least two sisters – one who works in television production in New York City and another who produces public art. The friend told The National Pulse that over the last year or two, Azzarello “lost his mind.”

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Maxwell Crosby Azzarello, the man believed to have lit himself on fire outside the Trump hush money trial in Manhattan earlier today, is a left-wing activist who The National Pulse is told worked on the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. According to an individual who has known Azzarello for many years, he suffered from mental illness and was involuntarily committed at least once in the last year. show more
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OpenDemocracy

OpenDemocracy Slashes Newsroom Jobs as Soros Funding Dries Up.

OpenDemocracy, a non-profit news publisher previously funded by George Soros, is facing job cuts and financial uncertainty as the elderly plutocrat’s Open Society Foundations group scales back funding under the stewardship of his son, Alex Soros.

OpenDemocracy revealed it would have been insolvent by June had it not cut its budget by around 40 percent. Cutbacks included around a third of its journalists in the United Kingdom, including Head of News Ramzy Alwakeel.

The outlet’s unionized staff are in uproar and have passed votes of no confidence in both chief executive Satbir Singh and board chairwoman Suzanna Taverne.

During its Soros-funded heyday, OpenDemocracy adopted a strong stance against Donald Trump and “whiteness.” It advocated for Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Mariana Islands, including Guam, to be granted statehood to “end the whiteness of Congress” in 2021.

In 2022, it argued that press interest in the Ukraine war was a racist “dog whistle” driven by the fact the combatants are European.

In 2020, former OpenDemocracy editor Eleanor Penny posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she hoped Trump “dies from anything” when he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Alex Soros, who describes himself as “more political” than his 93-year-old father, has focused Open Society’s financial resources on the United States. Soros Fund Management has poured millions into buying up radio stations and invested in a podcasting network aptly named Crooked Media.

Alex Soros had already visited Joe Biden’s White House at least 20 times as of June 2023.

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OpenDemocracy, a non-profit news publisher previously funded by George Soros, is facing job cuts and financial uncertainty as the elderly plutocrat's Open Society Foundations group scales back funding under the stewardship of his son, Alex Soros. show more
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Trump Hush Money Trial

Prospective Juror in Trump Trial Peddles ‘Fine People’ Hoax.

A prospective alternate juror in the Manhattan-based hush money trial of former President Donald Trump was dismissed ‘for cause’ after she repeated the “fine people” hoax and other anti-Trump sentiments as the jury selection process continued on Friday. The former President’s defense attorney, Susan Necheles, objected to the seating of the juror, informing Judge Juan Merchan, “She said Trump enables homophobic and racist comments.” Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger objected to the challenge, arguing the juror also said she doesn’t hold Trump responsible for the actions of his supporters.

EXCUSED FOR CAUSE.

Judge Merchan asked the juror to elaborate on her views. “His followers feel emboldened by his rhetoric. There was speeches like the ‘both sides’ thing. Does that make sense?” the prospective alternate juror responded. Following additional questioning, Judge Merchan ruled, “I think the safer course is to grant excusal for cause.”

Her reference to the “‘both sides’ thing” almost certainly meant the Democrat and corporate media‘s “very fine people on both sides” hoax from 2017. In the aftermath of the Charlottesville protests on August 12, 2017, former President Trump repeatedly condemned the “egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence” that occurred during the demonstration.

WHAT TRUMP ACTUALLY SAID.

After being continually pressed by the media to condemn only the pro-Robert E. Lee statue demonstrators in the days following the violent protests, Trump responded: “You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides… You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.”

The National Pulse previously reported that anti-Trump actor and comedian Micahel Rapaport admitted, “I was wrong,” claiming the media had misled him regarding the “very fine people” hoax.

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A prospective alternate juror in the Manhattan-based hush money trial of former President Donald Trump was dismissed 'for cause' after she repeated the "fine people" hoax and other anti-Trump sentiments as the jury selection process continued on Friday. The former President's defense attorney, Susan Necheles, objected to the seating of the juror, informing Judge Juan Merchan, "She said Trump enables homophobic and racist comments." Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger objected to the challenge, arguing the juror also said she doesn't hold Trump responsible for the actions of his supporters. show more
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Wikipedia Founder Says Website Is Corrupted By NPR’s Katherine Maher, Who May Have Worked With Intel Agencies.

Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia, says the massive open-source online encyclopedia is likely ideologically corrupted due to the efforts of its former chief executive, Katherine Maher. Maher led the Wikimedia Foundation, which oversees the online resource, before she was hired as the CEO of NPR.

“For the ex-CEO of Wikipedia to say that it was somehow a mistake for Wikipedia to be ‘free and open,’ that it led to bad consequences—my jaw is on the floor,” Sanger told the Manhattan Institute’s Christopher F. Rufo. He added: “I can’t say I’m terribly surprised that she thinks it, but I am surprised that she would say it.”

Maher, during her tenure as the head of the Wikimedia Foundation, told the Atlantic Council that she “took a very active approach to disinformation” and “through conversations with government” targeted what she deemed misinformation. Sanger, responding to Maher‘s claim, acknowledged that she likely worked with U.S. intelligence agencies to suppress political dissenters.

‘PROBABLY THE CIA.’

“We know that there is a lot of backchannel communication and I think it has to be the case that the Wikimedia Foundation now, probably governments, probably the CIA, have accounts that they control, in which they actually exert their influence,” Sanger said, continuing: “And it’s fantastic, in a bad way, that she actually comes out against the system for being ‘free and open.'”

He added, regarding the state of Wikipedia: “When she says that she’s worked with government to shut down what they consider ‘misinformation,’ that, in itself, means that it’s no longer free and open.”

Sanger lamented Wikipedia’s ideological capture, telling Rufo: “[It] has not just been taken over by the Left, but that it has been co-opted by and working with the government, is just—that’s not a thing I would’ve imagined happening 20 years ago.”

Concerns regarding Maher’s ideological bias and the Left’s capture of important media institutions were first raised by former NPR editor Uri Berliner. The veteran journalist resigned from the taxpayer-funded media outlet yesterday after being suspended by Maher.

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Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia, says the massive open-source online encyclopedia is likely ideologically corrupted due to the efforts of its former chief executive, Katherine Maher. Maher led the Wikimedia Foundation, which oversees the online resource, before she was hired as the CEO of NPR. show more
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Soros, Pelosi, Raskin Attend Swanky Fundraiser for Group That Tattles on Alex Jones.

Several influential figures in Democratic politics were on Capitol Hill Wednesday night for a fundraiser benefitting the People for the American Way (PFAW). Spotted at the event, hosted by the Top of the Hill Banquet & Conference Center, were former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ed Markey (D-MA), as well as Alex Soros — son of billionaire globalist George Soros — and Rabbi David Saperstein.

RIGHT WING WATCH.

The group, which boasts an annual nonprofit budget of nearly $6 million, backs several initiatives that promote politically progressive causes. However, their best-known project is the website and publication Right Wing Watch. Right Wing Watch was credited with leading the campaign to de-platform Alex Jones in 2018. Following a Right Wing Watch pressure campaign, Apple Inc., YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify blocked Jones‘s content.

Right Wing Watch operates similarly to Media Matters for America (MMFA), selectively editing clips of conservative and religious leaders, politicians, and commentators and subsequently promoting the videos to the corporate media. The tactic was actually popularized by PFAW. The group would record VHS television segments and mail them to news networks and television stations.

HOLLYWOOD LIBERALS.

PFAW founder Norman Lear was a Hollywood television producer and writer best known for creating several popular 1970s sitcoms. Lear, a self-described liberal who died in 2023, backed numerous civil-libertarian political efforts. PFAW’s board members include actor Alec Baldwin, comedian and writer Seth MacFarlane, United Farm Worker co-founder Dolores Huerta, actress Jane Lynch, and former AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan.

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Several influential figures in Democratic politics were on Capitol Hill Wednesday night for a fundraiser benefitting the People for the American Way (PFAW). Spotted at the event, hosted by the Top of the Hill Banquet & Conference Center, were former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ed Markey (D-MA), as well as Alex Soros — son of billionaire globalist George Soros — and Rabbi David Saperstein. show more
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Loomer NYC Illegal Theft

WATCH: Laura Loomer Assaulted By Illegals Who Attempted to Steal Her Phone in New York.

Investigative reporter Laura Loomer has released footage of illegal aliens assaulting her and colleague Angela Van Der Pluym at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. Used as a migrant processing center and temporary shelter, the Pakistani-government-owned hotel has been the site of dozens of arrests.

Loomer reported she and Van Der Pluym were attacked by an illegal who tried to steal their phones. The reporters had “caught them on camera possibly engaging in a drug deal.”

“I called [the New York City Police Department] after the illegals attacked us, and the illegal tried resisting arrest once the officers arrived,” she recounted, sharing footage of officers hurling the migrant in question to the ground and kicking another migrant who tried to intervene.

“While he was being arrested, the other illegals swarmed us while shouting at us because they didn’t want us recording,” she added.

Loomer said it was “unclear if the suspect was ever actually booked.” Despite her and her colleague being “assaulted, robbed, and intimidated,” she suggested responding officers were reluctant to act decisively, and “were clearly agitated and became completely unreasonable as illegals with a gang mentality began to swarm the scene.”

“America is no longer America. There is zero law and order in American cities thanks to [Joe Biden’s] policies,” Loomer added.

CRIMINAL BASE.

The Roosevelt Hotel has become a base for migrant criminals. In February, a trio of migrants living at the hotel embarked on a string of robberies. The gang stole “clothing, shoes and fragrances” worth thousands of dollars. They were found to have drugs and drug paraphernalia and a car with bogus license plates when they were arrested.

Democrat Mayor Eric Adams warned last year that migrants would “destroy” New York City. Previously, he praised Joe Biden for halting border wall construction and declared his city a “sanctuary.”

In a visit to Harlem earlier this week, Donald Trump lamented that New York has “gone so bad in the last three years, four years.”

“We’re going to straighten New York out,” he vowed.

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Investigative reporter Laura Loomer has released footage of illegal aliens assaulting her and colleague Angela Van Der Pluym at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. Used as a migrant processing center and temporary shelter, the Pakistani-government-owned hotel has been the site of dozens of arrests. show more
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Jurors Removed

All 12 Trump Jurors Have Been Picked. Here’s Who They Are…

All twelve jurors have been selected to serve on the jury in former President Donald Trump’s non-disclosure agreement trial in New York City.

Back up: Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a non-disclosure agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump calls the trial “political persecution.”

The details: Juan Merchan, the controversial judge with a clear bias against Trump, declared, “We have our jury” after the 12th juror was selected Thursday. Here’s what we know about the jurors:

  • Juror 1 is a NYC resident with no children who enjoys the outdoors. They get their news from The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Fox News, and MSNBC.
  • Juror 2 says he follows Trump’s former lawyer turned-hater Michael Cohen on X and other right-wing accounts but will “try to keep an open mind.”
  • Juror 3 is an attorney who grew up in Oregon and gets his news from The New York Times and Google.
  • Juror 4 is originally from California and has been a security engineer for 25 years. He’s married with three kids, and his wife is a teacher. He enjoys metal and wood working.
  • Juror 5 is a single young woman. She’s a New York native who has taught English for eight years. She gets her news from Google and TikTok. She says she appreciated Trump’s candor.
  • Juror 6 is a young woman who lives in Manhattan and works as a software engineer.
  • Juror 7 is originally from North Carolina and works as a civil litigator. He’s married with two kids and gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and The Washington Post.
  • Juror 8 information is not available yet.
  • Juror 9 is a single woman from New York who lives in Manhattan and works as a speech therapist. She has e-mail subscriptions to CNN and The New York Times. She says she has opinions of Trump but believes she can put them aside.
  • Juror 10 is a single man originally from Ohio who lives in Manhattan and works for a large commerce company. He says he doesn’t watch the news but listens to podcasts about behavioral psychology.
  • Juror 11 information is not available yet.
  • Juror 12 information is not available yet.
Dismissals: Yesterday, two jurors were dropped.
  • One juror [originally Juror #2] told the court she did not believe she could be impartial, as friends and family contacted her based on news reports, suspecting she was one of the jurors.
  • Another juror [originally Juror #4], was kicked off the trial after Trump’s lawyers discovered he had previously been arrested for tearing down right-leaning political advertisements.

Today the court will select backup jurors.

Do you think Trump can get a fair jury pool in Manhattan?

This article is adapted from the free ‘Wake Up Right’ newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
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All twelve jurors have been selected to serve on the jury in former President Donald Trump's non-disclosure agreement trial in New York City. show more
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Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
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Ilhan Omar daughter Isra Hirsi

Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Arrested.

Barnard College suspended Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, for her involvement in a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University. The daughter of the controversial Somali Congresswoman was arrested at the protest.

Hirsi announced her suspension on social media on Thursday. This coincided with Columbia University President Nemat Shafik’s congressional appearance discussing antisemitism on campuses. Dr. Shafik assured lawmakers of her commitment to enforce rules relating to unauthorized protests and antisemitism during her testimony. Barnard is the sister school of Columbia.

Representative Omar, a committee member during the hearing, pushed Dr. Shafik on her treatment of Palestinian and Muslim students without mentioning her daughter’s involvement in the protest.

Hirsi, who identified herself as an organizer with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, has been advocating for the university to sever ties with companies supporting Israel.

In a social media post, Hirsi wrote, “I just received notice that I am 1 of 3 students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide.”

Hirsi’s mother is also vocal critic of U.S. support for Israel. Joe Biden faces increasing pressure and resistance from political progressives and Muslim and Arab Americans for his government’s continued support of the Jewish state.

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Barnard College suspended Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, for her involvement in a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University. The daughter of the controversial Somali Congresswoman was arrested at the protest. show more
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Biden Abbas

Biden-Backed Palestinian Authority Announces Payouts for Attacks Against Israelis.

The newly formed Palestinian Authority (PA) government in the West Bank territory announced it would distribute bonus payments to security forces responsible for attacks on Israeli citizens and military targets. Just days earlier, President Joe Biden‘s State Department declared its support for the newly formed West Bank government, stating they looked forward to working with the PA “to deliver on credible reforms.”

“Service Director in Jenin Adnan Abu Aisheh said that the message of the service, under the instructions of its leader, Majed Faraj, is to emphasize what President Mahmoud Abbas has said again and again — that if we are left with one penny, it will be paid to the families of the martyrs and the prisoners,” Palestine News Agency WAFA reported. On April 4, the Palestinian General Intelligence Service issued grant payouts to 36 families whose relatives were killed or arrested in the course of committing crimes against Israelis.

The PA’s announcement comes as a blow to the Biden government‘s initiative to elevate the West Bank government as the legitimate authority over a separate Palestinian state as part of a potential peace process. State Department officials have insisted the PA be reformed and given governing control over the Gaza Strip after Israel’s military operations against the Hamas terrorist group there conclude. Former President Donald Trump suspended American taxpayer funding of the Palestinian Authority. The Biden government subsequently reinstated the aid.

West Bank Palestinian officials have repeatedly refused to condemn the barbaric October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Some of the newly ‘reformed’ PA members have even gone so far as to endorse continued acts of terrorism against the Jewish state.

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The newly formed Palestinian Authority (PA) government in the West Bank territory announced it would distribute bonus payments to security forces responsible for attacks on Israeli citizens and military targets. Just days earlier, President Joe Biden's State Department declared its support for the newly formed West Bank government, stating they looked forward to working with the PA "to deliver on credible reforms." show more
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Trump Hush Money Trial

Biden Cheers On His Government’s Lawfare Campaign Against Trump.

Joe Biden cheered his government’s lawfare campaign against former President Donald Trump while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Thursday. The 81-year-old Democrat incumbent made the remarks while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh.

“Under my predecessor, who’s a little busy right now, Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs,” Bided said, referring to Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee currently confined to a Manhattan courtroom. The reference to Trump’s ongoing hush money trial brought by Biden-ally and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg may come as a surprise to the President’s campaign advisors. Thursday morning, POLITICO reported that the Biden campaign and national Democrats planned to say as little as possible about the ongoing lawfare campaign aimed to interfere with Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

During a press call on Monday, the Biden campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, hinted they and their surrogates would remain relatively quiet on Trump’s trial. “Look, Donald Trump and his team are going to have to speak to his legal issues,” Tyler said. He added: “No matter where Donald Trump is, whether it’s in Mar-a-Lago or a courtroom or anywhere else — he will be focused on himself, his toxic agenda, his campaign of revenge and retribution.”

Judge Juan Merchan, whose daughter has deep ties to national Democrats, ordered that Trump be present at court every day his trial is in session. If the former President skips a date to campaign — or even attend his son Barron’s high school graduation — Merchan informed Trump he would be arrested.

The National Pulse reported earlier this week that CNN legal analyst and globalist hatchet man Norman Eisen said the quiet part out loud, albeit unintentionally, insisting that the corporate media shouldn’t refer to Bragg’s prosecution as a “hush money” trial but rather an “‘election interference’” trial.

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Joe Biden cheered his government's lawfare campaign against former President Donald Trump while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Thursday. The 81-year-old Democrat incumbent made the remarks while speaking at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh. show more
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