From his perch on a government commission, Jacob Helberg fearmongered about TikTok in Congress. He also works for a giant defense contractor.
TECH OFFICIAL PUSHING TIKTOK BAN COULD REAP WINDFALL FROM U.S.–CHINA COLD WAR
Previously:
Lawmaker Who Led TikTok Ban Bill Joins Private Surveillance Firm
The revolving door between the Defense Department and the weapons industry spins — a new report offers ways to slow it down.
When 80 percent of US generals go to work for arms makers
H/T: Jason Hunt
Related:
March of the Four-Stars: The Role of Retired Generals and Admirals in the Arms Industry
HUGER, SC — A team of Marines was seen trudging through the woods, stopping every 30 feet to wave a key fob around in a 90° arc, say campers at Francis Marion National Forest. The Marines, who traveled in a tactical column, were allegedly on a mission to locate, close with, and recover the F-35 fighter jet that went missing Sunday evening.
Military Personnel Seen Wandering Forest Pressing Button On F-35 Key Fob
Related:
A missing F-35 fighter jet highlights the tragicomedy of military spending
That jet the Marines lost? Taxpayers will pay $1.7 trillion for the F-35 program
Littoral combat ships were supposed to launch the Navy into the future. Instead they broke down across the globe and many of their weapons never worked. Now the Navy is getting rid of them. One is less than five years old.
The Inside Story of How the Navy Spent Billions on the “Little Crappy Ship”
Despite his frequent votes against defense bills, Senator Bernie Sanders has collected more presidential campaign contributions from defense industry sources than any other candidate, including Donald Trump. That’s according to data on 2020 funding at the OpenSecrets.org website, which is sponsored by the Center for Responsive Politics.
[12-2019] Defense Industry Gives More To Bernie Than Any 2020 Candidate (originally published at American Conservative)
Links to “Amy Klobuchar”, not “Bernie Sanders”?! According to OpenSecrets, Joe Biden received the most from the MIC. Donald Trump came in second, with Bernie Sanders in third place. OpenSecrets doesn’t distinguish between employers and employees!?*
H/T: Stephen Gardner’s interview with Winslow T. Wheeler
Related:
*Top 20 Recipients (Joe Biden and Donald Trump):
METHODOLOGY: The numbers on this page are based on contributions from PACs and individuals giving $200 or more.
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In the absence of official scrutiny of Washington’s spending spree on Ukraine, The Grayzone conducted an independent audit of US funding for the country. We discovered a series of wasteful, highly unusual expenditures the Biden administration has yet to explain.
All aboard the gravy train: an independent audit of US funding for Ukraine
Video via Jason Hunt (Threats to international peace and security – Security Council, 9364th meeting)
How bad has the military-industrial complex gotten? The arms industry donates tens of millions of dollars every election cycle, and the average taxpayer spends $1,087 per year on weapons contractors compared to just $270 for K-12 education.
The Military-Industrial Complex Has Never Been Worse
Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2026 would result in thousands of casualties among Chinese, United States, Taiwanese and Japanese forces, and it would be unlikely to result in a victory for Beijing, according to a prominent independent Washington think tank, which conducted war game simulations of a possible conflict that is preoccupying military and political leaders in Asia and Washington.
War game suggests Chinese invasion of Taiwan would fail at a huge cost to US, Chinese and Taiwanese militaries
Notice how they blatantly ignore civilian casualties!?
“The government fought us for two years to keep these records a secret,” said one Washington Post journalist. “We sued, and won.”
Defying Pentagon Secrecy, Reporting Exposes Retired US Generals on Saudi Payroll
WaPo article:
Retired US generals, admirals take top jobs with Saudi crown prince, other foreign governments (archived)
U.S. has now allocated over $80 billion to Kiev.
Sure, financial markets and national currencies are imploding worldwide, but the military industrial regime needs to keep churning, and that means pumping more money into the Slava Slush Fund.
Slava Slush Fund: despite economic crisis, Congress readies $12 billion more for Ukraine
Related:
There’s no debating it: Biden will get billions in new Ukraine aid
“Oversight of Ukraine aid is sorely needed,” Julia Gledhill, a defense analyst for the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), tells Responsible Statecraft. “The State and Defense departments are handling billions of dollars in Ukraine funding, but neither have permanent inspectors general in place to investigate and prevent abuse of funds.”
Senate advances spending bill for Ukraine with $12 Billion
After the Senate invoked cloture for the legislative vehicle to carry out the CR, it will now be up for a full vote by the Senate. The House will next vote on it, likely on Friday.
Report: US Preparing $1.1 Billion Arms Package for Ukraine
The weapons package will likely include HIMARS rocket systems, HIMARS ammunition, counter-drone systems, radar systems, training, and technical support.
The arms package is expected to be provided to Kyiv using the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) as opposed to sending the arms directly from US military stockpiles. The USAI allows the Biden administration to purchase military equipment for Ukraine from the US arms industry.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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