The meltdown in DC risks turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy: Routine inter-state relations becoming a full-blown crisis.
Washington inflates the China balloon threat
Related:
Tag: sensationalism
Manufacturing Consent: Pentagon Says Chinese Balloons Have Traveled Over the US Before
Pentagon Says Chinese Balloons Have Traveled Over the US Before
The official said that Chinese balloons “transited the continental United States briefly at least three times during the prior administration and once that we know of at the beginning of this administration, but never for this duration of time.”
Fox News reported that at least one Chinese balloon flew over Florida and Texas during the Trump administration, but President Trump and former top officials in his administration strongly denied the claim.
Later, an unnamed senior Biden administration official claimed to Fox that the balloons that transited over the US during the Trump administration were only “discovered” after he left office. “They went undetected,” the administration official said.
Spycraft or Not, Shootdown of Chinese Weather Balloon Using 5th-Gen Jet Looks ‘Silly’
By Ilya Tsukanov – Sputnik – 05.02.2023
A US jet destroyed a Chinese weather balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, with US officials saying the balloon had engaged in espionage as it flew over US airspace over the past several days. Beijing insists the dirigible was just a meteorological research balloon that drifted off course.
Spycraft or Not, Shootdown of Chinese Weather Balloon Using 5th-Gen Jet Looks ‘Silly’
China is laughing at the Biden Admin! FYI, they’re launching more spy ballons! 😉
Updated: US downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
When a weather balloon went rogue almost 25 years ago, fighter jets fired 1,000 rounds at it and couldn’t bring it down
Almost 25 years ago, a large runaway weather balloon proved to be quite challenge a for a pair of fighter jets trying to shoot it down, staying in the air even after more than 1,000 rounds were fired at it.
When a weather balloon went rogue almost 25 years ago, fighter jets fired 1,000 rounds at it and couldn’t bring it down
Wondering how Canada missed it?! Nothing was publicly said until it entered the US?!
The Side of Russian News No American Hears Of
At a time when the United States, the EU, and aligned NATO countries are attempting to eradicate Russia, something extraordinary is happening. Several amazing things are taking place. One, a program for citizens of the U.S. to study at every level at Russian universities, is particularly ironic.
The Side of Russian News No American Hears Of
H/T: THE NEW DARK AGE
Craig Murray: Propaganda and Belief
It is nearly 20 years since I blew the whistle on British Government complicity in torture and the extraordinary rendition programme, under which thousands of people were deliberately tortured as a systematic act of government policy.
Propaganda and Belief
H/T: THE NEW DARK AGE
Bolton’s Big Error on China and North Korea
For some reason, The Washington Post lets John Bolton hold forth about China and North Korea:
Bolton’s Big Error on China and North Korea
60 Minutes ‘Chinese spy’ Liqiang Wang refused asylum in Australia
He stunned Australians across the country when he made bold claims of espionage on prime time television, but now Liqiang “William” Wang is facing deportation back to China.
60 Minutes ‘Chinese spy’ Liqiang Wang refused asylum in Australia
Related:
Did Australia’s China paranoia make ‘spy’ Wang Liqiang’s claims too easy to believe?
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests
There’s been ample insinuation that these agencies were politically motivated. But all of this was happening at a time when President Donald Trump was in power and his people were running DHS and the FBI. Rather than agencies intent on swaying the 2020 election for Biden, their actions seem like run-of-the-mill paranoia and attempts at control.
This brings us back to the money the FBI gave Twitter for “time spent processing requests.” In the last installment of the Twitter Files, Matt Taibbi reported on some of those requests, many of which were related to potential election misinformation. Twitter looked into the flagged tweets and accounts, sometimes complying with the FBI and sometimes not.
…
Twitter’s “Guidelines for law enforcement” does state under a section titled “Cost reimbursement” that “Twitter may seek reimbursement for costs associated with information produced pursuant to legal process and as permitted by law (e.g., under 18 U.S.C. §2706).” But the fact that this garnered millions from the FBI was not, as far as I can tell, known until now.
Related:
No, The FBI Is NOT ‘Paying Twitter To Censor’
But this is a misreading/misunderstanding of how things work. This had nothing to do with any “influence campaign.” The law already says that if the FBI is legally requesting information for an investigation under a number of different legal authorities, the companies receiving those requests can be reimbursed for fulfilling them.
…
I do think it remains a scandal the way that 2703(d) orders work, and the inability of users to push back on them. But that is the law. And it has literally nothing whatsoever to do with “censorship” requests. It is entirely about investigations by the FBI into Twitter users based on evidence of a crime. If you want, you can read the DOJ’s own guidelines regarding what they can request under 2703(d).
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, law enforcement must obtain a court order under 18 U.S.C. §2703(d) (2703(d) order) to compel a provider to disclose more detailed records about a customer’s or subscriber’s use of services, such as the following
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.