Monthly Archives: September 2020
Ruth Bader Ginsberg Has Died
Armstrong Ecomonics Blog/Rule of Law
Re-Posted Sep 18, 2020 by Martin Armstrong
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to sit on the Supreme Court, died Friday of cancer after more than a quarter-century on the court at the age of 87. I must say, that our Nation has lost indeed an honest jurist of historic importance. I agreed with much of her decisions and her heart was in the right place. I do owe my life to her for she stood against the abuse of the New York bankers who own the New York Federal Court in Manhattan. She argued to accept my case in the Supreme Court and the government could not justify how they could keep someone in civil contempt, denied lawyers, trial, or any Due Process rights whatsoever indefinitely when the statute that governs civil contempt, 28 USA 1826, restricts such imprisonment to 18 months maximum. The records show they were rolling the contempt every 18 months to pretend it was legal when Congress limited it to one time. When the Supreme Court ordered the government to respond, they suddenly released me and went back to the Supreme Court and said I was released so the case was “moot” and need not be heard.
I disagree with CONSERVATIVE judges who are rubber stamps for the government and ignore the rights of individuals because the government must always be correct. This is why fair trials are a thing of the past. The conviction rates in America have exceeded the most notorious court of Adolf Hitler who had a 90% conviction rate reaching 98-99% conviction rates with 1-2% dead – i.e. Jeffrey Epstein. They tried to kill me. I was in a coma for nearly a week. But to their dismay, I survived. Sometimes you just must stand for what you believe even in the face of death.
I believe in Strict Construction. If it is not in the Constitution, judges have no right to create law. Immunity for police and prosecutors is not in the Constitution and in fact it was listed among the grievances in the Declaration of Independence as practiced by the English King. All the abuse of police and prosecutors is because the court created immunity out of thin air. That is just one example.
I will always have respect for Justice Ginsberg. I believe the way law is interpreted also needs serious revision. I highly recommend the movie on her which revealed her character – On the Basis of Sex. I respect that she stood for what she believed against all odds. It is far better to die with dignity, then to die cowering in a corner clinging to your last breath.
President Trump First Reaction to News of Justice Ginsburg Passing…
September 18, 2020
The death of supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was announced while President Trump was holding a campaign rally.
At the conclusion of the rally President Trump approached the media and found out for the first time that Justice Ginsburg had passed. This was his immediate reaction:
RIP Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
September 18, 2020
The Supreme Court has announced the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the age of 87 from complications due to metastatic cancer of the pancreas. The 2020 election is officially in hyper-drive…
SCOTUS – Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, D.C., due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. She was 87 years old.
Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Clinton in 1993. She was the second woman appointed to the Court and served more than 27 years. She is survived by her two children: Jane Carol Ginsburg (George Spera) and James Steven Ginsburg (Patrice Michaels), four grandchildren: Paul Spera (Francesca Toich), Clara Spera (Rory Boyd), Miranda Ginsburg, Abigail Ginsburg, two step-grandchildren: Harjinder Bedi, Satinder Bedi, and one great-grandchild: Lucrezia Spera. Her husband, Martin David Ginsburg, died in 2010.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. said of Justice Ginsburg: “Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Justice Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961.
From 1961–1963, she was a research associate and then associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure. She was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law from 1963–1972, and Columbia Law School from 1972–1980, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California from 1977–1978. In 1971, she was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974–1980. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. During her more than 40 years as a Judge and a Justice, she was served by 159 law clerks.
While on the Court, the Justice authored My Own Words (2016), a compilation of her speeches and writings.
A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery. (link)
President Trump Holds Great American Comeback Rally and Peaceful Protest – Bemidji, Minnesota – 7:00pm Livestream…
September 18, 2020
Tonight President Donald J. Trump heads to Minnesota for a campaign event at Bemidji Aviation Services in Bemidji, MN. The anticipated start time is 7:00pm ET – Livestream Links Below.
Trump Campaign Livestream – RSBN Livestream Link – Fox News Livestream
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President Trump Impromptu Remarks Departing White House – Refutes Chris Wray…
September 18, 2020
Chopper pressers are the best pressers. As he departs the White House for a trip to Minnesota, President Trump delivers impromptu remarks and takes questions from the media. Two of the questions surrounded President Trump remarks on FBI Director Christopher Wray; and possible replacement. Video and partial transcript below:
UPDATE: Full Transcript Added
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Transcript from first Wray question/response:
“I disagreed with him on those, I think, very important points. Obviously, China is at the top of the list. And I think Russia and North Korea and many other countries can be talked about but China would be at the top of the list and I don’t know why that was not mentioned. And obviously Antifa. These are thugs, these are bad people. These are people who hurt a lot of people, a lot of good people…
The fact is that Antifa is a bad group. And they are criminals and they are anarchists and they are agitators and they are looters and rioters and everything else. They are bad and when a man doesn’t say that, that bothers me. I wonder why he is not saying that….”
“I think Bill Barr has been incredible. He is strong, Bill Barr is strong and he’s tough and he is smart and I think he agrees with me on this stuff…”
Given a second chance to say if he plans to remove FBI Director Wray from his FBI post, the president responded:
“We’re looking at a lot of different things. And I did not like his answers yesterday and I’m not sure he liked them either. I’m sure he probably would agree with me. Antifa is bad, really bad. And if you look at it, who is the real problem? The big problem is China. And we can have others also and I’m not excluding anybody. But the big problem is China and why he doesn’t want to say that, that certainly bothers me.”
FULL TRANSCRIPT – THE PRESIDENT: So we have a very big crowd. It’s already formed. I mean, it started forming yesterday, I guess. We’re going to Minnesota. Some of you are coming, I guess, I hope.
Do you have any questions? We’ll do it really quickly because we’re a little bit late.
Q Mr. President, on TikTok, will you sign off on a — on a deal that leaves ByteDance as the majority owner?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re going to take a look. They’re going to be showing me everything in a little while, on TikTok. And we have some great companies who want to buy it, and we’re looking at those companies. We’re looking at, most importantly, the security, with respect to China. And we’re going to make a fairly fast decision. I don’t think we have to delay it too much, but we have some great companies and some very great interests. It’s a — you know, it’s a pretty incredible asset.
Q Do you want to replace Christopher Wray?
Q On the FBI, do you have confidence in Director Wray?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you’re asking me a question. I disagreed with him on those, I think, very important points. Obviously, China is at the top of the list. And I think Russia and North Korea and many other countries can be talked about. But China would be at the top of that list, so I don’t know why that’s not mentioned. And obviously, Antifa — these are thugs. These are bad people. These are people that hurt a lot of people — a lot of good people.
And Antifa — and that man is agreeing with me. Unfortunately — are you a reporter? I wish you were a reporter. He’s not. He’s a good person, but he’s back there shaking — shaking his head “yes.”
The fact is that Antifa is a bad group, and they’re criminals and they’re anarchists and they’re agitators, and they’re looters and rioters and everything else. They’re bad.
And when a man doesn’t say that, that bothers me. I wonder why he’s not saying that.
Q Do you agree with Bill Barr?
THE PRESIDENT: I think Bill Barr has been incredible. Right? He’s strong. Bill Barr is strong, he’s tough, and he’s smart. And I think he agrees with me on this stuff. It’s — he sees what’s happening with certain locations.
Now, we can clean it out if the Democrat governors, who are just weak or something is wrong — they’re weak on crime. They don’t even want to mention the words “law and order.” If they called us — like, in Portland, we would have that situation taken care of in a half an hour. All they have to do is call. We will be there in a half an hour.
Seattle only got straightened out because they knew we were going — we were going in there the following morning. We were all set to go, and they — they immediately raised their hands. They gave up. But if they would call us, we would straighten out their problems. That includes Chicago, it includes New York.
Now, I have to tell you, Chicago has a great police department; they endorsed me. New York has a great police department — New York’s Finest; they endorsed me. They don’t need any help. All they have to do is let them do their job, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Governor. If they let them do their job, you will have very little crime in New York, very little crime in Chicago.
But these liberal politicians — Democrats — they won’t let the police do their job.
Q A lot of businesses in Minnesota do business with Canada. The closing of the border has been extended until October 21st. When do you want the border to be reopened?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re going to see that. We’re looking at the border with Canada. Canada would like it open, and, you know, we want to get back to normal business. We have the USMCA all done — the new trade deal replacing NAFTA, which was probably the worst trade deal ever made by anybody. It was grossly incompetent. We have a great trade deal right now, and so we’re going to be opening the borders pretty soon.
Q Toward the end of the year, you hope?
THE PRESIDENT: Say it?
Q Toward the end of the year?
THE PRESIDENT: Could be. Yeah, we’re working with Canada. We want to pick a good date, having to do with the pandemic. And I happen to think we’re rounding the turn. We’re doing very well. And the vaccines are coming. But even before the vaccines are coming — if you look at Florida, if you look at Texas, if you look at Arizona — some places that flared up a little bit — we are doing really well. They’re all doing very well.
Q Mr. President, just to clarify: Cristopher Wray — would you like to replace him, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: No, we’re looking at a lot of different things. And I don’t — I did not like his answers yesterday, and I’m not sure he liked them either. I’m sure that he probably would agree with me.
Antifa is bad — really bad. And if you look at it — who’s the big problem? The big problem is China. And we can have others also, and I’m not excluding anybody, but the big problem is China. And why he doesn’t want to say that, that certainly bothers me.
Yeah.
Q You’ve been saying, sir, and you just said now that we’re turning the corner. How do you say that, given that 200,000 people have died?
THE PRESIDENT: “Have died.” And projected — if you look at the initial projections, it was up to 240, 250 thousand if everybody did their job. If they didn’t do their job, it would be two and a half, three million people, three and a half million people. But you saw the same chart.
So here’s the bottom line: We should’ve lost nobody. China should’ve never allowed it to come out. Should’ve never, ever allowed it to come out. But the projections would be — if we did a really good job, with the shutdown, which we did, it would be 240 — up to 240, 250 thousand people. You’ve seen those numbers, and so have I. If we didn’t do our job, it would three and a half, two and a half, maybe three million people — million people.
We have done a phenomenal job with respect to COVID-19. We have done a job that was incredible. Look at the other side of it. Look at Biden, Sleepy Joe Biden. He had a thing called swine flu. It was a disaster. Much easier to handle. Much less severe. But it was a disaster. And his own man that was in charge of it said it was a nightmare, it was a disaster, they did a poor job, they didn’t know what they were doing. Joe Biden doesn’t have a clue. All he does is criticize.
We’ve done an incredible job, whether it’s the vaccines which are coming, the therapeutics, which are already here — therapeutics. They’re already here, and they started — remdesivir and others. The plasma is working out incredibly well.
Look at what happens. Look how much better people do if they do have to go and they do end up in serious condition. Look at how much better they’re doing now because of what we’ve done therapeutically. It’s been amazing. The numbers are amazing.
We’ve done a great job. But then you have to take a look at swine flu — H1N1, okay? — which Biden calls “N1H1” because he doesn’t know the name. The “H” comes before the “N.” It’s very easy to remember. Take a look at the job he did, where his own people and the man that was in charge said it was a total disaster. A total disaster — and worse than that. And they got very, very poor marks.
We have done an incredible job. Throughout the world, I get called by prime ministers and presidents saying, “Sir, the job you’ve done is amazing.”
Q Which ones?
THE PRESIDENT: On testing — on testing — I’ll give you a whole list.
Q Which ones?
THE PRESIDENT: On testing, we have the greatest testing anywhere in the world. We’re, I think, 60 million tests more than India — 1.5 billion people. Nobody has done the job that we’ve done.
All right, thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
Trump Administration Awards Largest Ever FEMA Grant to Rebuild Puerto Rico Power Grid…
September 18, 2020
Puerto Rico serves as a strategic economic region to recapture the Pharmaceutical industry. Historically Puerto Rico was a hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing; however, due to poor and undependable infrastructure, an outcome of terrible management in government, combined with competitive incentives provided by alternative nations, most PR pharma operations moved to India and China.
With the Trump administration confronting Big Pharma on multiple fronts, including the need for a secure supply chain, a cost-effective approach is massive investment to repair and replace the island infrastructure. Today the White House announces the largest FEMA grant in history as an underpinning to this strategic objective.
WHITE HOUSE – Statement from the Press Secretary on the Largest FEMA Infrastructure Grants Being Awarded to Puerto Rico.
The Trump Administration announced that the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) plans to award two of its largest grants ever for infrastructure projects in Puerto Rico.
Under the leadership of President Trump, FEMA will award almost $13 billion to help rebuild Puerto Rico’s electrical grid system and spur recovery of the territory’s education system—the largest obligations of funding ever awarded. This funding amount includes a Federal share of $11.6 billion for the projects.
Together, these grants exceed the total Public Assistance funding in any single federally-declared disaster other than Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Federal funding of $9.6 billion will allow the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority to repair and replace thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, electrical substations, power generation systems, office buildings, and make other grid improvements. The $2 billion grant for the Puerto Rico Department of Education will focus on restoring school buildings and educational facilities across the island.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 included funding for FEMA to support Hurricane Maria response and recovery, as well as language helping FEMA to ensure that Puerto Rico rebuilds its critical lifelines, services, and facilities in accordance with current industry standards.
All critical infrastructure projects are funded under FEMA’s Public Assistance Alternative Procedures, pursuant to Section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. This innovative funding method allows Puerto Rican officials to work with FEMA to determine how to best meet their unique recovery needs. As part of the 428 procedures, the funding being announced today was reviewed and validated by an independent expert review panel and agreed to by both FEMA and Puerto Rico.
With the grant awards announced today, the Federal Government will have obligated approximately $26 billion for Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria. Today’s grant announcements represent some of the largest awards in FEMA’s history for any single disaster recovery event and demonstrate the Federal Government’s continuing commitment to help rebuild the territory and support the citizens of Puerto Rico and their recovery goals. (link)
FBI Director Chris Wray On The Bubble?…
September 18, 2020
Let’s be honest. If the Senate Intelligence Committee (SSCI) was not so comprehensively corrupt, it’s likely FBI Director Christopher Wray would have been replaced a long time ago. Wray is an abject failure in his position. [Recent Example Here]
Yesterday, President Trump calls out FBI Director Chris Wray for his ridiculous attachment to the vast Russian conspiracy theory:
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From the FBI recently ‘taking a knee‘ to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter domestic terrorists; to the ridiculous -and manipulative- 2018 claims by the FBI director in the Cesar Sayoc case (“energetic material that may become combustible when subjected to heat or friction”); to Director Wray’s 2018 claim that no political bias exists within the FBI yet he was going to immediately require bias training; to the FBI participating in the pre-dawn raid of Roger Stone; to the 40 FBI agents assigned to Robert Mueller; everything Director Wray has claimed is a complete farce and makes a mockery of the FBI as an institution.
It is not a question of “if” Chris Wray will be replaced, the issue is really about ‘when’ that will happen. Just like President Trump had to wait to fire failed AG Jeff Sessions until the day after the mid-term election, it appears the firing of FBI Director Chris Wray will have to wait until after the 2020 election.
Half of the country, if not more, no longer have any confidence in the FBI as a functional institution. From missed alerts about Islamic extremism due to political correctness, to missed warnings and alerts surrounding mentally unstable school shooters (Parkland HS), the FBI has long-been recognized as a dysfunctional institution; however, now the severity of that dysfunction has more sunlight.
Keep in mind former FBI Director James Comey organized secret recordings, secret investigations, manipulative investigative meetings and secret transcripts of his contacts with U.S. President Trump; only to secretly release them to the media with intent to manipulate the political narrative… while at the same time the FBI is blaming Russia for election interference. Think about that dichotomy for a few minutes.
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…. Simultaneously Black Lives Matter and Antifa domestic terror groups are rioting, burning, attacking law enforcement and taking armed hostile encampments inside urban areas, and the FBI is focused on the mysteriously invisible “white supremacists”:
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Giddy Up – President Trump Holds A News Conference – 2:00pm ET Livestream
September 18, 2020
Following a private oval office meeting with his Excellency Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of the State of Kuwait, President Trump holds a press conference. Anticipated Start Time 2:00pm ET:
UPDATE: Video Added
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White House Livestream – Fox News Livestream – Alternate Livestream
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Secretary Wilbur Ross Discusses Tech and Structural Confrontation with Beijing -WeChat and TikTok…
September 18, 2020
When Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appears… PAY ATTENTION. In this interview Secretary Ross outlines an announcement today [LINK HERE] about the U.S. will block Chinese owned WeChat, and additional security measures against TikTok.
COMMERCE – […] While the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not identical, they are similar. Each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories. Each is an active participant in China’s civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP. This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security. (more)
Additionally, Secretary Ross discusses sector-specific relief for the airline industry and U.S. farmers. On the farmer side we should all remember any confrontation with Beijing could lead to China pulling back from purchase agreements. China cannot feed itself and is dependent on imported food products, so the scale of any pull-back is not known.
DETAILS – In response to President Trump’s Executive Orders signed August 6, 2020, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) today announced prohibitions on transactions relating to mobile applications (apps) WeChat and TikTok to safeguard the national security of the United States.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S. Today’s announced prohibitions, when combined, protect users in the U.S. by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality.
“Today’s actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party,” said U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. “At the President’s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations.”
While the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not identical, they are similar. Each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories. Each is an active participant in China’s civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP. This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security.
As of September 20, 2020, the following transactions are prohibited:
- Any provision of service to distribute or maintain the WeChat or TikTok mobile applications, constituent code, or application updates through an online mobile application store in the U.S.;
- Any provision of services through the WeChat mobile application for the purpose of transferring funds or processing payments within the U.S.
As of September 20, 2020, for WeChat and as of November 12, 2020, for TikTok, the following transactions are prohibited:
- Any provision of internet hosting services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the U.S.;
- Any provision of content delivery network services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the U.S.;
- Any provision directly contracted or arranged internet transit or peering services enabling the function or optimization of the mobile application within the U.S.;
- Any utilization of the mobile application’s constituent code, functions, or services in the functioning of software or services developed and/or accessible within the U.S.
Any other prohibitive transaction relating to WeChat or TikTok may be identified at a future date. Should the U.S. Government determine that WeChat’s or TikTok’s illicit behavior is being replicated by another app somehow outside the scope of these executive orders, the President has the authority to consider whether additional orders may be appropriate to address such activities. The President has provided until November 12 for the national security concerns posed by TikTok to be resolved. If they are, the prohibitions in this order may be lifted.
The notices for these actions will be posted on the Federal Register at approximately 8:45AM EDT on Friday, September 18, 2020.
Background:
On August 6, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Orders (E.O.) 13942, Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok, and E.O. 13943, Addressing the Threat Posed by WeChat. In the E.O.s, the President determined that the apps capture vast swaths of information from U.S. users, leaving the data vulnerable to CCP access for nefarious purposes.
Commerce, at the Direction of the President, was required to identify transactions within 45 days to protect national security and the private data of millions of people across the country. Today’s announced prohibitions fulfill the President’s direction and mitigate national security risks. (link)
Centinel2012 