If you’ve read “The Strange Story of Peter Thiel,” then you’ll know all about how this deep state-connected “PayPal Mafia” don rose to financial prominence on the back of his remarkable ability to found companies that either undergird the digital financial infrastructure (PayPal) or act as cutouts for the intelligence agencies (Palantir).
The US mercenary boss Erik Prince reiterated his threats against Venezuela, claiming that “winter is coming.”
Previously:
For over two decades, the military industry has consistently spent more than $100 million per year lobbying policymakers to influence policies and spending decisions that support its financial interests. In addition to these lobbying expenditures, the industry contributes tens of millions of dollars to political candidates and committees each election cycle. The sheer scale of this spending buys significant political influence, and the data suggests that this approach is paying off.
Suddenly a White House “priority”—getting aid to starving civilians—has vanished from the news cycle.
Venezuela’s opposition and US media outlets claim there was fraud in the July 28 election based on an exit poll done by US government-linked firm Edison Research, which works with CIA-linked US state propaganda organs and was active in Ukraine, Georgia, and Iraq.
US gov’t-linked firm is source of exit poll claiming Venezuelan opposition won election
Related:
The US government funds election observers and exit polls for regime change
All of my recent posts about the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election are linked below:
As predicted: violence by the far-right Venezuelan opposition breaks out across Caracas
While J.D. Vance has his own controversies, his close connection to billionaire Peter Thiel, who is poised to have unprecedented influence in a new Trump administration, should deeply unsettle every American who cares about freedom, privacy and reining in the surveillance state.
H/T: The Most Revolutionary Act
Related:
Since publication of John Mearsheimer’s and Stephen Walt’s ‘The Israel Lobby’ in 2007, superior public relations has served as the main explanation for the outsized influence that the nation of Israel holds over American politicians. In that telling, AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee) and other supporters of Israel built a sophisticated and far-reaching public relations machine that promotes US politicians who support Israel and punishes those who don’t.
The ‘Israel Lobby’ Works for the US Military Industrial Complex – by Rob Urie – 27 June 2024
H/T: xenagoguevicene
Disclosure: it’s a reprint of an article by Eli Clifton from The Responsible Statecraft and The Intercept. If you have a problem with that, this is for you.
Donors to Bob Menendez Legal Defense Linked to ex-Terror Group (archived)
Much of the cash in the fund — he has raised over $400,000 — comes from sources one might anticipate. New Jersey and New York donors with various business and political interests in his home state, including the real estate firm led by Jared Kushner’s family, have given the fund money. There are, however, many lesser-known donors. One is Ahmad Moeinimanesh, an electronic engineer from Northern California. Another is Hossein Afshari, also from California.
Related:
Iranian exiles, DC lobbyists and the campaign to delist the MEK
The Iranian American Community of Northern California. It paid $400,000 over the past year to a Washington lobby group, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, to work on Capitol Hill to work for the removal of the MEK from the list of foreign terrorist organisations. The company assigned several former members of Congress to the account. The IACNC has also organised events in support of unbanning the MEK with appearances by Ros-Lehtinen and other prominent members of Congress as well as former White House officials.
Its director, Ahmad Moeinimanesh, has made personal financial donations to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chair of the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee even though her congressional district is on the other side of the country in Florida, as well as to her reelection committee. She has accepted more than $20,000 in political contributions from activists who support the MEK’s delisting.
The IACNC’s registered address is at a photocopying shop in Albany, California, owned by Behnam Mirabdal who has made financial donations to Ros-Lehtinen and Dana Rohrabacher, a subcommittee chairman who is among the most vigorous proponents of unbanning the MEK.
Maria Ressa is calling for the revocation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Revoking Section 230 would increase social media censorship and remove competition for Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, and YouTube (Google). Why? Due to threats of being sued, social media companies could ‘hold’ your posts until approved by artificial intelligence or a human. They’d also be inclined to remove more content. As for competition, smaller companies can’t afford the legal teams and/or fees that large companies can. The lawsuits could bankrupt a smaller company. Considering that Rappler is also funded by Big Tech, I’m not surprised that she’s on their side. This isn’t about hate speech, or ‘disinformation’, it’s about controlling the narrative!
In this clip, she complains about being criticized for appearing with Clinton and for being accused of being a CIA agent and a Communist. Of course, she’s not going to mention why she’s been accused of being a CIA agent (because she’s been funded by the CIA-cutout National Endowment for Democracy and other front organizations)!
Related:
AI Briefing: Hillary Clinton and Google’s Eric Schmidt both suggest Section 230 reform
Some speakers — including Clinton, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa — also called on Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Ressa, a journalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, also noted it’s hard for people to know what it’s like to be a victim of online harassment or misinformation until they’ve been attacked.
Maria A. Ressa, LL.D. ’24, Harvard Commencement Address 2024
Communications Decency Act – Section 230
WikiSpooks: Rappler (Sponsored by Facebook, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Google, Internews, National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Foundations, Omidyar Network)
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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