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Category: Politics
January 9, 2024
Health
Politics

SecDef Lloyd Austin Was In Hospital for Prostate Cancer, and Subsequent UTI.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was treated for prostate cancer last month, according to a statement from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Austin experienced complications from the procedure, which led to his hospitalization on New Year’s Day and subsequent failure to notify the White House and defense officials of his status.

Although the statement is the first official explanation of why Austin was in the hospital, it still does not explain the Defense Secretary’s failure to notify the proper authorities of his status.

“Changes in his laboratory evaluation in early December 2023 identified prostate cancer which required treatment,” the statement said. “On December 22, 2023, after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer.”

On New Year’s Day, however, Austin was admitted to Walter Reed with complications from the December 22 procedure, including nausea and severe pain in his abdomen, hip, and leg, where he was found to have contracted a urinary tract infection (UTI) and impaired small intestine function due to fluid buildup.

“This resulted in the back up of his intestinal contents which was treated by placing a tube through his nose to drain his stomach. The abdominal fluid collections were drained by non-surgical drain placement,” according to the statement. “He has progressed steadily throughout his stay. His infection has cleared. He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process. During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia.”

The White House is currently reviewing Cabinet member protocol following the incident, while GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale will submit impeachment articles against Austin for “violat[ing] his oath of office time and time again, and has jeopardiz[ing] the lives of the American people.”

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was treated for prostate cancer last month, according to a statement from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Austin experienced complications from the procedure, which led to his hospitalization on New Year's Day and subsequent failure to notify the White House and defense officials of his status. show more
January 9, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Media
News
Politics

LISTEN: Hot Mic Catches Journos Joking About Trump Being Assassinated – ‘Like JFK! Take a Convertible!’

Microphones caught journalists waiting for Donald Trump to arrive at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington D.C. joking about the former president being assassinated on Tuesday.

Trump is attending the D.C. Court of Appeals to hear the opening oral arguments in his appeal against Jack Smith’s efforts to prosecute him over January 6th, and journalists gathered outside the courthouse in substantial numbers ahead of his arrival.

Two of them could be heard in live feeds joking about having a “good shot” at the America First leader when he arrived, particularly if he showed up driving a convertible like the one the late President John F. Kennedy was riding in when he was shot in the head in 1963:

First Journalist: You know what the worst part is? Even if he has his window open and he’s hanging out of it, he will be on the other side of the street.

Second Journalist: I mean, if he’s driving, we’ve got a good shot!

First Journalist: Yeah, if he’s driving with the front window open?

Second Journalist: Yeah, or if it’s a convertible?

First Journalist: Yeah. I wasn’t thinking about that.

Second Journalist: Yeah. Like if he just pulls up–

First Journalist: Like JFK?

Second Journalist: (laughs)

First Journalist: Maybe someone, just like they told JFK. You know what you should do? You should take a convertible! It’s so nice out!

Trump’s hearing is being overseen by a panel of two Joe Biden-appointed judges and one George H. W. Bush-appointed judge.

His lawyers argue the Smith prosecution amounts to double jeopardy, as Trump was already tried and acquitted over January 6th by the U.S. Senate, and that Smith is also violating the principle of presidential immunity for official acts.

LISTEN:

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Microphones caught journalists waiting for Donald Trump to arrive at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington D.C. joking about the former president being assassinated on Tuesday. show more
January 9, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Election 2024
Politics

Trump in DC Court at 0930AM EST. Listen Along Here.

Donald Trump is in Washington, D.C. today, at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse, where his lawyers will appeal he should be entitled to presidential immunity from prosecution by Jack Smith over January 6th.

Trump’s lawyers are also expected to argue the prosecution violates the principle of double jeopardy — meaning a man should not be tried twice for the same offense — as he was already cleared of wrongdoing over January 6th in the Senate trial which followed the Democrats’ failed impeachment of him in 2021.

The appeal will be heard by one George H. W. Bush appointee, Karen LeCraft Henderson, and two Joe Biden appointees, Florence Y. Pan and Michelle Childs.

You can listen here from around 0930 EST:

Smith had sought to skip the D.C. Court of Appeals and take the case directly to the Supreme Court, but Trump successfully argued against it. This means even if the current panel rules against Trump, he can appeal to be heard by the entire D.C. Court of Appeals en banc, and then finally the Supreme Court.

Even if Trump loses all of these appeals in D.C., a Democrat-dominated city, the delay helps the former President. His trial will likely have to be delayed under after the November elections if the D.C. appeals are not completed until relatively late in 2024.

While cameras and generally disallowed in federal courthouses, members of the public can listen to audio from the appeal hearing live from 9:30 a.m. EST.

 

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Donald Trump is in Washington, D.C. today, at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse, where his lawyers will appeal he should be entitled to presidential immunity from prosecution by Jack Smith over January 6th. show more
January 9, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Corruption
Crime
Politics

Fulton County DA Fani Willis ‘Had Affair With Married Special Prosecutor, Funded Vacations with Public Money.’

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, pursuing Donald Trump for supposed election interference in Georgia, and married special prosecutor Nathan Wade have been accused of engaging in an “improper” and “clandestine” relationship by lawyers for Michael Roman, one of the former president’s co-defendants.

Willis and Wade are accused of personally enriching themselves, with Wade having been paid almost $654,000 in legal fees authorized by the DA since his appointment in January 2022. Wade is said to have used this money to bring Willis on vacations in Florida and Napa Valley and to take her on Caribbean cruises.

Roman’s lawyers are calling for the charges against him to be thrown out, with the DA and special prosecutor potentially facing investigation for the federal crimes of honest service fraud and racketeering.

“The district attorney chose to appoint her romantic partner, who at all times relevant to this prosecution has been a married man,” Roman attorney Ashleigh Merchant wrote in a filing.

Merchant is calling for the case to be dropped “on the grounds that the district attorney and the special prosecutor have been engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case, which has resulted in the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers.”

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, pursuing Donald Trump for supposed election interference in Georgia, and married special prosecutor Nathan Wade have been accused of engaging in an "improper" and "clandestine" relationship by lawyers for Michael Roman, one of the former president's co-defendants. show more

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
The full motion to dismiss can be read here
for exclusive members-only insights
The full motion to dismiss can be read here show more
for exclusive members-only insights
January 8, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Media
Politics

Bloomberg: Elections Are a Threat to Democracy.

With over 40 elections set for the United States, United Kingdom, and a host of other nations in 2024, U.S. corporate media giant Bloomberg is questioning whether inviting regular citizens to vote for representative governments really serves “democracy”.

In an article by Tobin Harshaw, a Bloomberg opinion editor who previously edited the opinion section at for The New York Times, readers are warned that ‘2024 Is the Year of Elections and That’s a Threat to Democracy’.

Harshaw notes: “41% of the world’s population is having major elections this year. Yay democracy! Right? Not really.” He argues that because people may exercise their democratic right to vote for “extremist populist parties – mostly right-wing,” that elections are not good for democracy.

Weighing the “chances everything turns out alright – somebody other than Trump wins the U.S. presidency; the UK regains its senses [and reverses Brexit]; China is dissuaded from invading its ‘rogue province’; the Middle East finds peace; and dictatorships fall left and right,” the Bloomberg editor cites writers John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge as estimating that the “liberal world” has a ten percent chance of prevailing.

“EEK! ” writes Harshaw, who is almost 60 years old, adding: “Big Yikes!”

This year could see Donald Trump become President-elect again, national conservative and populist parties greatly increase their presence in the European Parliament of the European Union, and discontent over mass migration grow the Flemish nationalist presence in the Belgian legislature to the point that the country breaks up.

2024 will also see elections held in Russia – but not Ukraine, as Volodymyr Zelensky has suspended them – and Taiwan, where victory for the Democratic Progressive Party could increase the chances of a Chinese invasion.

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With over 40 elections set for the United States, United Kingdom, and a host of other nations in 2024, U.S. corporate media giant Bloomberg is questioning whether inviting regular citizens to vote for representative governments really serves "democracy". show more

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
By the end of the year, pretty much everything that doesn’t guarantee functioning majorities for globalist politicians will be labelled “a threat to democracy,” as I explained this morning: A large majority of Americans now call Biden’s border situation not just a “crisis” but actually an “invasion,” per new @Rasmussen_Poll numbers
for exclusive members-only insights
By the end of the year, pretty much everything that doesn’t guarantee functioning majorities for globalist politicians will be labelled “a threat to democracy,” as I explained this morning: A large majority of Americans now call Biden’s border situation not just a “crisis” but actually an “invasion,” per new @Rasmussen_Poll numbers show more
for exclusive members-only insights
January 8, 2024
Ed Kozak
Breaking
Politics

DeSantis Ally Ousted as Florida GOP Chief Amidst Rape Allegations.

The Florida Republican Party has voted to remove Christian Ziegler as chairman following allegations of rape against the DeSantis ally. Ziegler was previously suspended from his role in December 2023, following accusations of sexual battery from a woman with whom he and his wife — Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler — once allegedly had a sexual relationship.

Ziegler has been replaced with former Vice Chair Evan Power.

Ziegler, a former Sarasota County Commissioner, was elected to lead Florida’s Republican Party in 2023. Christian and Bridget Ziegler both exert serious influence over Florida Republican politics and maintain close ties with the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. Ziegler heaped praise on DeSantis after Republicans candidates in Florida enjoyed wide-spread success during the 2022 mid-term elections, saying, “The credit goes to our chief executive, because he’s kind of our chief brand officer.”

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The Florida Republican Party has voted to remove Christian Ziegler as chairman following allegations of rape against the DeSantis ally. Ziegler was previously suspended from his role in December 2023, following accusations of sexual battery from a woman with whom he and his wife — Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler — once allegedly had a sexual relationship. show more
January 8, 2024
William Upton
Corruption
Politics

Pelosi Saw 65% Return on Stock Portfolio In 2023, Outperforming S&P By 92%.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi well-outperformed the market in terms of her personal investments in 2023. The 83-year- old Democrat from San Francisco realized a 65 percent return on her stock portfolio – the S&P 500 meanwhile only saw a 24 percent overall return in 2023. Pelosi’s market success last year is even more remarkable as in 2022 her portfolio actually took a hit of nearly 20 percent.

Pelosi’s financial disclosures indicate that the questionable use of ‘stock options’ was the primary driver of her portfolio’s turn-around. When using stock options, an investor has the right to buy-or-sell a stock at an agreed upon price at a set date. The two types of options used by investors are ‘puts’ and ‘calls’. A ‘put’ is when an investor essentially makes a bet a given stock’s price will fall. A ‘call’ is when they bet the price will rise.

Options Trading Or Insider Trading?

Stock options are most frequently used by major investment firms and professional traders who can dedicate a great deal of time and resources to find arbitrage opportunities where a ‘put’ or ‘call’ could drastically increase the return for them and their investors. However, the use of options also comes with a great deal of risk, as placing the wrong bet could be financially devastating to the investor or firm.

The increased use of stock options by Members of Congress is especially concerning as most are reasonably assumed to be fairly casual investors without a full time staff dedicated to discovering potential arbitrage opportunities. In 2022 options trading generated about $30 million in returns for Members of Congress, but those returns over quintupled in 2023 to $160 million.

Congressional watchdog groups say the increase in options trading is concerning. Jeff Hauser, founder and director of the Revolving Door Project, told the New York Post in a recent interview: “It’s a sign of quasi-insider trading that’s corrupt and should be banned – it’s either an addiction to risk or a sign of corruption.”

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi well-outperformed the market in terms of her personal investments in 2023. The 83-year- old Democrat from San Francisco realized a 65 percent return on her stock portfolio – the S&P 500 meanwhile only saw a 24 percent overall return in 2023. Pelosi's market success last year is even more remarkable as in 2022 her portfolio actually took a hit of nearly 20 percent. show more
January 8, 2024
Jack Montgomery
News
Politics

Trump Demands Sec Def Lloyd Austin ‘Fired’ After Going ‘Missing for One Week.’

Former President Donald Trump has called for U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin to be “fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty.” Austin was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the first day of 2024, following severe pain from an unexplained elective procedure. For days, Biden and the White House were not informed that Austin had been hospitalized, with even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks unaware of her superior’s status when she began assuming some of his duties on Jan 2nd.

“[Austin] has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was, or might be,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“He has performed poorly, and should have been dismissed long ago, along with ‘General’ Mark Milley, for many reasons, but in particular the catastrophic surrender in Afghanistan, perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our Country,” he added.

While the public remains in the dark about the nature of Secretary Austin’s condition, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder now claims he has resumed his professional duties from hospital. Austin is also said to have communicated with President Joe Biden and other senior officials, including Deputy Secretary Hicks and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr.

No specific discharge date has been provided for Secretary Austin, with Ryder citing privacy reasons for withholding additional information about the exact nature and progress of his condition.

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Former President Donald Trump has called for U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin to be "fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty." Austin was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the first day of 2024, following severe pain from an unexplained elective procedure. For days, Biden and the White House were not informed that Austin had been hospitalized, with even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks unaware of her superior's status when she began assuming some of his duties on Jan 2nd. show more
January 6, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Corruption
Crime
Politics

Top Nikki Haley, E Jean Carroll, & Fusion GPS Backer Was Epstein Island Visitor.

Democrat billionaire Reid Hoffman, who has been funding Nikki Haley’s run for the GOP nomination, has been outed as a visitor to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, Little St. James – better known as ‘Pedo Island’.

The Democrat mega-donor and LinkedIn founder was reported to be considering funding Ron DeSantis, purely to try and thwart Donald Trump’s nomination, nine months ago. He ultimately decided to back Haley, gifting a quarter-million dollars to the pro-Haley SFA Fund Inc.

The super PAC had been asked if it would accept the money, given Hoffman’s status as an active Biden supporter, prior to the donation, and it confirmed it would.

Hoffman has now been outed for visiting Epstein’s island in 2014 – long after Epstein’s conviction for procuring a girl below age 18 for prostitution – and even arranged to stay at the Manhattan townhouse where the financier abused many of his victims.

Hoffman admitted to The Wall Street Journal that “by lending my association, I helped [Epstein’s] reputation, and thus delayed justice for his survivors”. He claimed his last interaction with the convicted sex offender was in 2015.

Haley is coming under pressure to return Hoffman’s money on social media from users including Congressman Lance Gooden.

Hoffman is also known for having secretly bankrolled E. Jean Carroll’s civil case alleging that Trump raped her in 1995 or 1996.

Carroll initially claimed she had been receiving no outside funding, but was not sanctioned by Bill Clinton-appointed judge Lewis Kaplan when the truth came out. Kaplan also ruled jurors could not be told about Hoffman’s involvement in the case.

Hoffman also “contributed more than $600,000 to the legal defense fund of Bean LLC — otherwise known as Fusion GPS, the company responsible for the creation of the Steele Dossier,” which spread various false accusations of links between Trump and Russia.

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Democrat billionaire Reid Hoffman, who has been funding Nikki Haley's run for the GOP nomination, has been outed as a visitor to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's private island, Little St. James – better known as 'Pedo Island'. show more

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Isn’t it funny? Not only did Trump openly boot Epstein from his Mar-A-Lago club when people began whispering about his behavior, but Epstein associates like Hoffman have made it their cause to try and stop Donald Trump at any cost
for exclusive members-only insights
Isn’t it funny? Not only did Trump openly boot Epstein from his Mar-A-Lago club when people began whispering about his behavior, but Epstein associates like Hoffman have made it their cause to try and stop Donald Trump at any cost show more
for exclusive members-only insights
January 5, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Politics
UK

UK Election May Take Place Just 9 Days After America’s.

Britain’s general election is tipped to take place around November 14th, just nine days after the U.S. elections on November 5th.

UK elections do not fall on fixed dates. The Prime Minister — currently “Conservative” leader Rishi Sunak — is able to ask the Monarch to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections at any time within a period of five years.

Sunak has said his “working assumption is we’ll have a general election in the second half of this year.” The country’s top election commentator and pollster, Sir John Curtice, says “there is beginning to be a consensus it might be November 14th.”

“All the parties have decided to hold their party conferences rather early next Autumn. The Prime Minister will end the Conservative conference on October 2nd, that might be the starting gun,” he told the BBC.

As things stand, the Conservatives, or Tories, are expected to take a drubbing, with polls showing their support hovering around 25 percent. Boris Johnson, who led the Tories into the last election at the end of 2019, delivered their biggest parliamentary majority since the 1980s on a platform of completing Brexit, reducing immigration, and lowering taxes.

They have since squandered this support, however, leaving Brexit unfinished, wildly increasing legal immigration, allowing illegal immigration to surge, and pushing the tax burden to its heaviest since the Second World War.

The latest the British elections can be held is January 2025, but it is unlikely Sunak will delay the moment of decision this long, as it would require politicians to campaign through Christmas.

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Britain's general election is tipped to take place around November 14th, just nine days after the U.S. elections on November 5th. show more

Editor’s Notes

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

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
It’s a pretty big deal having all these elections so close together
for exclusive members-only insights
It’s a pretty big deal having all these elections so close together show more
for exclusive members-only insights