CLG News

Florida diner that told Biden supporters to eat elsewhere becomes so popular it runs out of food --Donations and customers have been flocking to the diner since the sign was posted | 3 Sept 2021 | A Florida diner that posted a sign telling Biden supporters to take their business "elsewhere" was forced to temporarily close after not having enough food to meet a surge in demand. The DeBary Diner, located in DeBary, Florida, and owned by Angie Ugarte, was closed on September 2 after running out of food following a surge in demand after a sign was posted on the front door slamming Biden's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and telling his supporters to take their business somewhere else, according to the West Volusia Beacon... Several military veterans descended upon the diner to express their support for the sign Ugarte had posted.

U.S. to help build border facilities on Afghan-Tajik border - embassy [while leaving the American southern border wide open] | 1 Sept 2021 | he United States will help build new facilities for border guards in Tajikistan along the Central Asian country's frontier with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan to better respond to security threats, the U.S embassy in Dushanbe said on Wednesday. The new facility, which will be built in Tajikistan's southwestern tip, will replace an outdated detachment and allow border guards to "deploy forces more quickly to border areas in response to threats," the embassy said.

Australia to use geolocation and facial recognition to police quarantine | 3 Sept 2021 | Geolocation and facial recognition of citizens are both used as a way South Australia (SA) wants to make sure everyone is compliant with its policies. The app's name is Home Quarantine SA, and according to reports, all SA residents have been ordered to download it. "The app ensures citizens comply with quarantine orders by contacting people at random and asking them to provide proof of their location within 15 minutes. Citizens then share their location with the government or provide 'live face check-ins' to confirm they are at their 'registered quarantine address'," media reports described the way the app is presented in app stores. Elsewhere in Australia's "Covid hinterland" – these rules still apply in the said state – people can be sent to Covid camps ("quarantine hotels") or their own home by either health or law enforcement officials, for two weeks at a time.

NHC: Larry likely to become a 'large and powerful' hurricane | 2 Sept 2021 | On Thursday evening, the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Larry is likely to become a "large and powerful" storm. As of 5 p.m. ET, Hurricane Larry was 765 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The system was moving west at 18 mph. A gradual turn west-northwest with a decrease in forward speed is expected over the next few days.

Exclusive: The Zelensky-Biden Meeting and the TAPI Pipeline By CLG Founder, Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D. | 2 Sept 2021 | The meeting between Joe Biden and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was mostly a diversionary ploy to deflect attention from the catastrophe in Afghanistan. The media was not accorded a chance to ask questions, because coming partly from a foreign press, such questions could have been most embarrassing. The American media generally defers to the Democratic president, but the foreign press cannot be counted on for such deferential treatment.

Sweden Bans Travelers From Israel, One of the Most Vaccinated Nations | 2 Sept 2021 | Sweden became the second European Union country to ban Israeli residents from entry due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Israel, despite the country being one of the most vaccinated countries in the world. Portugal on Wednesday became the first EU country to ban travel from Israel due to a rise in cases. Both countries are following the EU's recommendation to remove Israel from its list of green countries. Sweden also banned the entry of citizens from the United States, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

NY Health Commissioner Repeals Mask Mandate for Unvaxxed After Federal Lawsuit Filed | 2 Sept 2021 | The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) on Aug. 27 repealed an emergency mask mandate after a lawsuit was filed Aug. 5 in federal court challenging the regulation. The lawsuit was brought by William Ouweleen, vintner for the oldest dedicated sacramental winery in America. Ouweleen challenged the constitutionality of the NYSDOH regulation 10 NYCRR 66-3, which required unvaccinated people to wear masks while vaccinated people could go mask-free... In the complaint, Ouweleen alleged the regulation violated his constitutional rights and was not justified by science, citing confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that vaccination does not prevent transmission of SARS CoV-2. In addition to challenging the mandates on equal protection grounds, the suit challenged mask mandates in general.

26 Republican senators ask Biden for info on vetting of Afghanistan evacuees, Americans left behind --Senators slam 'arbitrary and poorly-planned' Afghanistan withdrawal that 'caused this crisis' | 2 Sept 2021 | Republican senators issued a letter Thursday demanding Joe Biden provide the exact number of Americans, green-card holders and special immigrant visa applicants who remain in Afghanistan as well as what type of vetting evacuees are undergoing before being granted entry to the United States. The group of 26 Republicans, led by Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have given the president until the end of business Tuesday to give the public a full accounting of who was "left behind" after the last of the U.S. troops evacuated Kabul on Monday." ..."By what criteria did your administration select these individuals for the airlift while leaving American citizens, green-card holders, and SIV applicants and their families behind?" they [also] asked in the letter.

Biden Administration Erased Afghan Weapons Reports From Federal Websites | 31 Aug 2021 | The War in Afghanistan has always been a black box, but the Biden administration just made matters worse. According to an admission obtained from the State Department, Biden officials recently directed federal agencies to scrub their websites of official reports detailing the $82.9 billion in military equipment and training provided to the Afghan security forces since 2001. The scrubbed audits and reports included detailed accounting of what the U.S. had provided to Afghan forces, down to the number of night vision devices, hand grenades, Black Hawk helicopters, and armored vehicles.  Reports further quantified 208 aircraft and helicopters; 75,000 war vehicles -- including 22 Humvees, 50,000 tactical vehicles and nearly 1,000 mine resistant vehicles; and 600,000 weapons -- including 350,000 M4 and M16 rifles, 60,000 machine guns, and 25,000 grenade launchers.

Virginia Tech Disenrolls 134 Unvaccinated Students | 1 Sept 2021 | Virginia Tech has disenrolled more than 100 students for not meeting the COVID-19 vaccine requirement before the start of the fall semester, the university said Tuesday. Some 134 students are no longer enrolled because they did not submit proof that they are vaccinated against the coronavirus or get approved for medical or religious exemptions by the start of classes on Aug. 23, Mark Owczarski, the associate vice president for university relations, told Fox 8.

Videos show monster tornadoes tear through New Jersey | 1 Sept 2021 | Multiple tornados swirled through New Jersey, ripping apart and flattening homes as the remnants of Hurricane Ida pummeled the tri-state area with furious downpours on Wednesday. As images of flattened and dissected homes in South Jersey circulated on social media, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Big Apple and lower Westchester County up to the city of New Rochelle. "Take shelter now in a basement or interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building," the warning read. "If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter."

George Soros gives another $500,000 to pro-Newsom effort, bringing total support to $1M | 1 Sept 2021 | Left-wing billionaire megadonor George Soros gave another half-million dollars to a group supporting embattled California Gov. Gavin Newsom, financial disclosure records show. Soros gave the organization "Stop the Republican Recall of Governor Newsom" $500,000 in a donation on Monday. Soros had previously given $500,000 to the Democratic group. While Newsom has enjoyed a considerable fundraising advantage over his challengers, the race is shaping up to be closer than many had initially anticipated. Soros's latest cash infusion into the race comes as conservative radio host Larry Elder is considered the leading challenger to replace Newsom in this month's recall election.

Ten civilians killed by U.S. drone strike in Kabul, family says | 30 Aug 2021 | Even as the final U.S. military flights soared out from Kabul's airport on Monday, friends and relatives in a nearby neighborhood buckled in anguish over the deaths of 10 extended family members in a U.S. drone strike the day before. The strike was meant to thwart a purported planned attack by the Islamic State. Questions remain about whether the U.S. accomplished its intended mission, but this much is known: ten civilians in this northwestern Kabul neighborhood -- eight of them children 18 and under -- were killed in the attack, family members told The Washington Post on Monday, adding to the 48,000 civilian casualties already suffered during the past 20 years of war.

Texas six-weeks abortion ban takes effect, with high court mum | 1 Sept 2021 | A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect Wednesday, with the Supreme Court silent on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. If allowed to remain in force, the law would be the most far-reaching restriction on abortion rights in the United States since the high court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion across the country in 1973. The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity...

The Taliban show off dozens of US-made armoured vehicles and weaponry during victory parades which even feature helicopter air displays --Events on Wednesday marked a celebration of the U.S. withdrawal from and Taliban recapture of Afghanistan --At a Kandahar parade, a Black Hawk helicopter trailing the Taliban flag was seen flying above crowds --A long line of green Humvees and other armoured vehicles were driven in single file by armed Taliban fighters | 1 Sept 2021 | The Taliban showed off dozens of US-made armoured vehicles and weaponry during victory parades today. One event, in the southern city of Kandahar, even featured a fly-past from a Black Hawk helicopter flying the flag of the Taliban. The parades of the hardware, captured from Afghan forces during the group's takeover of Afghanistan, were held just hours after U.S. Joe Biden defended his decision to end two decades of American presence in the country.

Excerpts of call between Joe Biden and Ashraf Ghani July 23 | 31 Aug 2021 | Joe Biden and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani spoke by phone July 23. Here are excerpts from that call, based on a transcript and recording reviewed by Reuters.

Before Afghan collapse, Biden pressed Ghani to 'change perception' | 31 Aug 2021 | In the last call between U.S. President [sic] Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics, but neither Biden nor Ashraf Ghani appeared aware of or prepared for the immediate danger of the entire country falling to insurgents, a transcript reviewed by Reuters shows. The men spoke for roughly 14 minutes on July 23. On August 15, Ghani fled the presidential palace, and the Taliban entered Kabul. Since then, tens of thousands of desperate Afghans have fled and 13 U.S. troops and scores of Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport during the frenetic U.S. military evacuation... In the call, Biden offered aid if Ghani could publicly project he had a plan to control the spiraling situation in Afghanistan. "We will continue to provide close air support, if we know what the plan is," Biden said.

'Biden lied to the world': Disgusted Republicans tear into Biden over leaked call with ex-Afghan president which revealed him 'trying to make everyone think the Taliban wasn't winning' whether it was 'true or not' --Biden focused much of his last call with Ghani on his 'perception problem' in the fight against the Taliban --Biden pressed Ghani to bring together the government's most prominent figures for a press conference. 'That will change perception' --Biden said the US would provide aid if Ghani could project to the world that he 'had a plan' for fighting the Taliban | 1 Sept 2021 | Republicans are tearing into Joe Biden's July 23 phone call with Ashraf Ghani, where he implored the Afghan leader to 'change the perception' and try and show the world they were beating the Taliban 'whether it is true or not.' 'I'm disgusted that President Biden lied to the world to try to make everyone think the Taliban wasn't taking over, when he knew they were rapidly gaining power. His lies cost us 13 American lives and Biden abandoned our allies when they needed us most,' Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told DailyMail.com... In a phone call transcript obtained by Reuters, Biden said the US would provide aid if Ghani could project to the world that he 'had a plan' for fighting the Taliban, while the Afghan army was being overrun.

Hurricane Ida damage has left Grand Isle 'uninhabitable,' Louisiana parish leader says --Grand Isle's police chief called Ida the most severe hurricane he had ever experienced | 31 Aug 2021 | The fury of Hurricane Ida has left the barrier island community of Grand Isle "uninhabitable," a Louisiana parish leader said Tuesday. A search-and-rescue caravan traveling to the Jefferson Parish community was able to arrive by road but 10 to 12 levee breaks on the Gulf of Mexico side of the island left 100% of homes and other structures damaged, with nearly 40% of them totally destroyed or nearly destroyed, parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told reporters at a news conference. In addition, the island – located about 111 miles south of New Orleans -- was covered with about three feet of sand, Sheng said.

German companies cannot ask about employees' Covid vaccination status - labor minister | 1 Sept 2021 | Germany's labor minister has said companies will not have the right to ask staff to reveal their Covid vaccination status, though "pragmatic solutions" may be required for sectors deemed a higher risk for transmitting the virus. Speaking to broadcaster ARD on Wednesday, German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil shared that there will be no general right for employers to access information that discloses staff members' Covid vaccination status."We must act according to the rule of law. Acting under the rule of law means that an employer is not entitled to information about health data…[and] is also not allowed to look at the medical records of an employee, because this is very personal data," the minister said.

Three lots of Moderna Covid vaccine doses to be recalled by Japanese distributor over stainless steel contamination | 1 Sept 2021 | Biotech firm Moderna has said its Japanese distribution partner will recall three lots of its Covid-19 vaccines after a fourth batch of the company's shots were found to be contaminated with particles of stainless steel. On Wednesday, the Japanese health ministry confirmed that the contaminants found in Moderna shots were particles of stainless steel and were unlikely to pose any health risks. [?] Moderna said that Takeda would be recalling three lots of the vaccine that were suspended from use due to contamination. Last week Japan halted the distribution of some 1.63 million doses of the jab, with the media reporting that the contaminant was apparently metallic.

Australian police granted power to covertly hack citizens' phones and alter data as Victoria premier again extends statewide lockdown --Many on social media expressed concern that the extensive powers were further evidence of Australia sliding into authoritarianism. | 1 Sept 2021 | Victoria's premier has announced that a statewide lockdown will remain in place until most residents are vaccinated, just days after Australia adopted new legislation giving sweeping surveillance and spy powers to police. Draconian measures covering the entire southeast Australian state will only start to be eased once 70% of the population receives at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, Premier Dan Andrews decreed on Wednesday... The new conditions for easing lockdown were revealed a week after Australia passed a controversial bill giving police the ability to secretly seize and alter internet accounts. Known as the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) bill, the legislation allows the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to take over, and modify or delete, the accounts of cybercriminal suspects.

Al Leiter, John Smoltz won't appear at MLB Network studios after refusing vaccine | 31 Aug 2021 | Hall of Famer John Smoltz and former Met and Yankee Al Leiter will no longer appear in-studio for MLB Network after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, The Post has learned. MLBN has made it mandatory for all employees to be vaccinated, with the mandate going into effect Sept. 1. MLBN executives, Smoltz and Leiter made a compromise to keep them on-the-air, but not in the Secaucus studios. They will both appear remotely for the shows.

Biden kills Keystone but promotes pipeline for Taliban | 18 Feb 2021 | After canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, eliminating thousands of American jobs, Joe Biden's administration began negotiating a deal between the Taliban and one of the world's worst dictatorships for a trans-national pipeline. An agreement with the government of Turkmenistan would bring gas across Afghanistan and Pakistan to India, writes Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Pentagon official, in a column for the Washington Examiner.

Could this explain the Afghanistan 'debacle?' --Hint: Burisma Holdings | 31 Aug 2021 | (Video)

Two senior FDA vaccine regulators are stepping down | 31 Aug 2021 | Two senior Food and Drug Administration officials responsible for reviewing Covid-19 vaccine applications are leaving the federal agency this fall, an agency spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Marion Gruber, director of the FDA's Office of Vaccines Research & Review, and deputy director Phil Krause will exit the agency in October and November, respectively, according to a letter shared with CNBC by FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Caccomo... Their announced plans to depart come as the Biden administration prepares to begin offering Covid vaccine booster shots to the general public the week of Sept. 20. Some health experts saw the move as premature and political, especially because the FDA hasn't finished reviewing data on boosters yet. Endpoints News, a biotech industry publication, reported that the officials are leaving because they're frustrated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its advisory committee are involved in decisions they think should be up to the FDA. The final straw was when the White House got ahead of the agency on booster shots, according to Endpoints News, citing a former senior FDA leader.

Backlash after Minister of Women and Gender Equality calls Taliban 'our brothers' | 27 Aug 2021 | The Canadian Minister of Women and Gender Equality has drawn significant criticism after calling the Taliban "our brothers." Maryam Monsef used the expression as she asked the Islamist terror organization to "ensure the safe and secure passage" of Canadians and allies attempting to flee Afghanistan. "I want to take this opportunity to speak with our brothers, the Taliban," Monsef said in a press briefing. "We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country."

U.S. House candidate: 'We should be allowed to shoot' anyone who doesn't take COVID seriously enough | 9 Aug 2021 | We should be allowed to shoot anyone who makes practical arguments regarding COVID-19, according to one 2022 California congressional candidate. The candidate is Steve Cox, an independent running to represent California's 39th Congressional District. On Monday, Cox responded to conservative commentator Matt Walsh on Twitter, writing: "Whenever anyone says 'we all die from something' (or a variation thereof) to justify not taking precautions to help protect others in this pandemic, we should be allowed to shoot them."

Ninety retired generals and admirals call for Austin and Milley to resign immediately over the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal --Ninety retired military generals and admirals are demanding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley resign | 31 Aug 2021 | Dozens of retired generals and admirals are demanding that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley resign over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. 'The retired Flag Officers signing this letter are calling for the resignation and retirement of the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) based on negligence in performing their duties primarily involving events surrounding the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,' 90 retired top-ranking military officials wrote in an open letter released Monday. They all proposed what they, as former U.S. military decision makers, felt should have happened in the withdrawal, including not rushing the withdrawal and not abandoning the Bagram Air Base.

Gold Star dads blast Biden for checking watch during ceremony for fallen | 31 Aug 2021 | The fathers of two US Marines killed in last week's suicide terror attack at the Kabul airport slammed Joe Biden Monday, accusing the commander-in-chief of repeatedly looking at his watch during the dignified transfer ceremony over the weekend. Darin Hoover, the father of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Biden checked the time every single time a flag-draped coffin was removed from the hold of the Air Force C-17 Globemaster plane during Sunday's ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in the president's home state of Delaware. "They would release the salute and he looked down at his watch on every last one," Hoover said. "All 13, he looked down at his watch." Mark Schmitz -- whose 20-year-old son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, died in the attack -- corroborated Hoover's story. "I actually leaned into my son's mother's ear and I said, 'I swear to God, if he checks his watch one more time...'," Schmitz recalled, "and that was only probably four times in. I couldn't look at him anymore after that, just considering, especially, the time and why we were there. I found it to be the most disrespectful thing I've ever seen."