Saturday, February 29, 2020
Harvey Weinstein to get special treatment as officials fear an ‘Epstein incident’
Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein will get special treatment in custody — because officials fear another “Epstein incident,” sources told The Post.
Still reeling from the uproar after pedophile Jeffrey Epstein managed to hang himself in his Manhattan lockup last year, jail officials are taking extraordinary steps to monitor their newest high-profile inmate.
Weinstein will always have his own cell, will constantly have a dedicated team of correction officers with him — and could even be shipped to a facility outside the city, sources said.
“The last thing you want is another Jeffrey Epstein incident,” a jail source told The Post.
“Harvey is going to be isolated as much as possible and will always have a detail with him throughout the prison. He’s never going to be like other prisoners, able to walk down the hallway or sit in the canteen alone.”
The special measures have already started within Bellevue Hospital, where Weinstein was taken for chest pains after his conviction Monday, Joe Russo, president of the Assistant Deputy Wardens / Deputy Wardens Association, told The City.
A jail captain escorts him on every move, and the team watching him includes several members of the department’s elite emergency response unit to ensure he doesn’t try to harm himself, Russo said.
The entire jail hospital unit is shut down to eliminate any chance Weinstein could bump into other inmates, Russo told the site.
“There seems to be a Jeffrey Epstein influence here,” Russo said.
Russo suggested city officials are keen to keep the high-profile prisoner out of the city, with options being debated including a jail in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester or even as far away as Albany.
If he does stay at Rikers, he could even get an entire housing unit just for him, Russo told The City.
“He’s very high-profile and you can’t put him with somebody else,” Russo told the site.
Sources told The Post that while options outside the city are being considered, it is far from straightforward, with state officials getting the final say.
The Correction Department declined to comment on The City’s Weinstein report.
“He’s in our custody right now,” Avery Cohen, a City Hall spokesperson, told the site.
Weinstein was convicted in Manhattan court Monday of rape and criminal sex act — which leaves him facing up to 29 years behind bars. Wherever he ends up, Weinstein should be ready — having hired a “prison consultant’’ to help prepare him for his time behind bars.
Epstein, 66, was being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Manhattan, awaiting sex-trafficking charges, when he was found dead the morning of Aug. 10.
Corrections officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas have been charged with falsifying documents claiming they’d checked on Epstein and other inmates every half-hour the night he died. Both guards pleaded not guilty.
SOURCE
https://nypost.com/2020/02/26/harvey-weinstein-may-stay-out-of-city-jails-to-avoid-another-epstein-incident/
Did you hear the one about Hillary Clinton strangling Jeffrey Epstein?
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Sometimes, national audiences don’t understand Mardi Gras.
The Epstein didn’t kill himself float. Cc: @HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/1t7EUEoZUf
— Paul Blair (@gopaulblair) February 22, 2020
Sure enough, Krewe D’Etat's work this year also featured barbs directed at President Trump, at Sen. Bernie Sanders, and at numerous local politicians too. In this, the organization is not alone. At least three other New Orleans krewes, the Krewe du Vieux, Chaos, and Tucks, used their floats for humor. In Mobile, Alabama, where modern North American Mardi Gras was born, a group called the Comic Cowboys does the same thing.
Lots of the humor, or at least attempted humor, is political. Some of it's cultural, and of course, some of it is sexually suggestive. Almost all of it is “politically incorrect.” Sometimes, it pushes boundaries a bit, but nobody takes it seriously. Unless it devolves into something bigoted or openly profane, nobody should take offense. If you don’t like it, don’t look.
And if you keep complaining, the Krewe D’Etat may send Hillary to strangle you next.
SOURCE
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/did-you-hear-the-one-about-hillary-clinton-strangling-jeffrey-Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein accuser claims he killed himself to avoid paying victims
A Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking victim who claims she was forced to marry one of his associates says the multimillionaire perv committed suicide to escape paying the women he preyed on, according to a new court filling.
The woman, identified as Katlyn Doe, claims a number of actions taken by Epstein prior to his August 2019 suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan show he likely killed himself specifically to avoid shelling out to his victims.
“Among the very significant facts are that Epstein initially attempted suicide in the Metropolitan Correction Center just one day after being served with a civil complaint seeking punitive damages,” say papers filed in Manhattan federal court.
“And, thereafter, Epstein executed a last Will and Testament directing how his vast assets would be devised. Just two days later, Epstein committed suicide,” the papers add.
Epstein also studied the law and likely knew he could potentially escape paying those he harmed if he committed suicide, Doe’s lawyer argued in the filing.
“It would stand to reason that he no doubt knew about the law in New York generally prohibiting punitive damages against an Estate, and in this situation where he was calculatedly attempting to shield his wealth from victims, he decided the best way to do so was to take his own life,” the filing states.
Doe argued in the filing that it would be “perverse public policy” to allow Epstein’s estate to escape paying the money she’s seeking because of his suicide.
Doe’s lawyers made the argument in response to a motion to dismiss her claim by Epstein’s lawyers.
His lawyers argued punitive damages could not be recouped by Doe from Epstein’s estate because New York law disallows it.
But because Epstein likely committed suicide specifically to escape paying his victims, the law should not apply to his estate, Doe’s lawyers argued.
Separately, the $577 million estate has formed a victims compensation fund to deal with the torrent of accusers seeking recompense.
An attorney for Epstein’s estate did not immediately return a request for comment.
In her original complaint, Doe claimed she was 17 when she first met Epstein in 2007 and spent the next seven years traveling to his homes in Manhattan, Florida and the US Virgin Islands for the sole purpose of having sex with him.
In 2013, Epstein coerced her into marrying one of his female recruiters, “Associate 3,” so that the recruiter could obtain legal status to “remain in the country to work for him,” the suit said.
SOURCE
https://nypost.com/2020/02/27/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-claims-he-killed-himself-to-avoid-paying-victims/
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Coronavirus Outbreak a Hoax?
Why not? The published numbers could easily be completely fabricated or related to other illnesses.
Jon Rappoport has been talking about social engineering around health issues for decades, and the coronavirus situation is no different: How to stage a fake epidemic (and brainwash billions of people).
Let’s assume, for a moment, that it’s real. How severe is it? I definitely don’t know, but guesses range from mild symptoms to China deploying dozens of mobile incinerators to vaporize thousands of corpses per day.
The supply chain disruption, however, is happening, at least to some extent. Again, how severe is it? The guesses range from slightly lower availability of iPhones to TEOTWAWKI.
With virtually no solid information about the origin, severity or even a diagnosis of Covid-19, I laugh at the hair on fire crazy talk about vaccine development for… What exactly?
Thanks, but no.
In summary:
We can’t be sure who has Covid-19 and who doesn’t because the PCR testing process for Covid-19 is worse than a joke. Not enough test kits, faulty test kits, inaccurate results. In fact, better go with CT imaging. What are the CT scans actually showing?
*shrug shoulders*
Must Read: Are Coronavirus Tests Accurate?
Many factors are likely to confound the real number of those who have contracted or died from SARS-CoV-2. The inclusion of clinically diagnosed cases of COVID-19 may further muddle the issue. Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia told Science Media Centre that previously suspected cases of the illness are now considered confirmed cases even though some may be caused by illnesses other than COVID-19. Translation: Clinical diagnosis may lead to overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis in some cases.
If any novel disease actually exists, there’s no reliable way, at the moment, to test for it. Covid-19 can spread without symptoms, we’re told. Most people experience mild symptoms… with the potential to suddenly drop dead.
In other words, crank it!
My advice:
1) Be ready to self isolate for a month, minimum. Not so much because of this coronavirus episode, but in general.
2) Before you let anyone come at you with a needle, reflect carefully on the fact that what passes for diagnosis of Covid-19 looks like it was devised by Bozo the Clown.
SOURCE
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/76378/coronavirus-outbreak-a.html
David Icke - Reality the 'World' Is a Holographic Simulation Created by a Non-Human Force
COAST TO COAST AM – David Icke joined the program. Icke has said that ‘physical’ reality is an illusion and what we think is the ‘world’ is a holographic simulation or ‘Matrix’ created by a non-human force to entrap human perception in ongoing servitude.
Even mainstream scientists are concluding that reality may indeed be a simulation, and Icke explained that all of our perceived experience is occurring in our minds as “decoded information that occurs in the brain.”
He contends that a wholesale hijacking of how humans perceive reality has been accelerating for many years, and is continuing with the push to merge human minds with computers and AI.
Friday, February 14, 2020
Smoking Gun? Chinese Scientist Finds "Killer Coronavirus Probably Originated From A Laboratory In Wuhan"
The uncertainty and the debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic are growing with each passing day.
One week after the White House asked scientists to finally investigate whether the Covid-19 virus was bio-engineered (i.e., created in a lab), none other than CNBC jumped on the bandwagon and echoing a similar question by Senator Tom Cotton - and of course, Zero Hedge - said "maybe the coronavirus was man made."
All this is taking place as the mainstream media, whose purpose is similar to that of Beijing in minimizing public concerns and panic even if it means fabricating reality, presses on with the popular theory that the virus emerged from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan (we recently showed why this appears very unlikely) while branding anyone who suggests that the coronavirus might have originated as a bioweapon developed in a secretive Wuhan lab as deranged conspiracy theorist (a propaganda approach first popularized in the 1960s by the CIA to discredit controversial views).
Indeed, just today, the FT reported that Trevor Bedford, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, "rubbished stories circulating on social media that Covid-19 was created at Wuhan Institute of Virology or elsewhere in China." Bedford is of course entitled to his opinion, which was only reinforced by the lack of any dissenting views from the scientific community, especially in "ground zero", China.
That has now changed, however, with what may be a "smoking gun" report, first noted by Harvard to the big house, from a scientist at the prestigious South China University of Technology in Guangzhou China. A pre-print published by Botao Xiao and Lei Xiao, titled "The possible origins of 2019-nCoV coronavirus" whose abstract is the following...
The 2019-nCoV has caused an epidemic of 28,060 laboratory-confirmed infections in human including 564 deaths in China by February 6, 2020. Two descriptions of the virus published on Nature this week indicated that the genome sequences from patients were almost identical to the Bat CoV ZC45 coronavirus. It was critical to study where the pathogen came from and how it passed onto human. An article published on The Lancet reported that 27 of 41 infected patients were found to have contact with the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan. We noted two laboratories conducting research on bat coronavirus in Wuhan, one of which was only 280 meters from the seafood market. We briefly examined the histories of the laboratories and proposed that the coronavirus probably originated from a laboratory. Our proposal provided an alternative origin of the coronavirus in addition to natural recombination and intermediate host.
... and an especially ominous conclusion:
In summary, somebody was entangled with the evolution of 2019-nCoV coronavirus. In addition to origins of natural recombination and intermediate host, the killer coronavirus probably originated from a laboratory in Wuhan.
Who is Botao and should anyone listen to him? Well, yes: this is what we find about the research group of the Harvard post-doc:
The Xiao group study mainly in the fields of cellular and molecular biomechanics, single molecule biophysics and engineering. Current research areas are: protein-ligand interactions, DNA and RNA assembly, high-throughput nanometer measurements and manipulation, mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis. The experimental techniques include: magnetic tweezers, optical tweezers, biomembrane force probe, fluorescent microscopy, genetic engineering, and chromatography. An project example is using high-throughput single molecule techniques to study the modulation of protein drugs on interactions of integrins and their ligands such as TGF-beta. We also study von Willebrand Factor and glycoproteins on platelets. We collaborate with a number of well-known universities and institutions, and a few enterprises. Our research will be of relevance for the prevention and treatment of cancer, immune and cardiovascular diseases.
But what is far more interesting, and important, is that the paper was supported by China's National Natural Science Foundation, which means that the paper would likely never see the light of day if someone in Beijing did not stand to gain politically by endorsing the contrarian theory that a Wuhan biolab was indeed the source of the infection.
Which begs the question: is China's political elite set to change the narrative it has been spinning since day one about the origins of the coronavirus, and in order to appease an increasingly angry population, points the finger to one or more scientists at the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and/or Wuhan Institute of Virology. Perhaps even the same scientists we highlighted two weeks ago, and which led to our twitter ban?
And until we eagerly await the answer, here is the gist of Botao's paper, which we repost here just in case it does disappear after all (ResearchGate link here):
The possible origins of 2019-nCoV coronavirus
Botao Xiao1,2* and Lei Xiao3
1 Joint International Research Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Medicine, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
2 School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
3 Tian You Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430064, China
Corresponding author: xiaob@scut.edu.cn
Tel / Fax: 86-20-3938-0631
The 2019-nCoV coronavirus has caused an epidemic of 28,060 laboratory-confirmed infections in human including 564 deaths in China by February 6, 2020. Two descriptions of the virus published on Nature this week indicated that the genome sequences from patients were 96% or 89% identical to the Bat CoV ZC45 coronavirus originally found in Rhinolophus affinis 1,2. It was critical to study where the pathogen came from and how it passed onto human.
An article published on The Lancet reported that 41 people in Wuhan were found to have the acute respiratory syndrome and 27 of them had contact with Huanan Seafood Market 3. The 2019-nCoV was found in 33 out of 585 samples collected in the market after the outbreak. The market was suspected to be the origin of the epidemic, and was shut down according to the rule of quarantine the source during an epidemic.
The bats carrying CoV ZC45 were originally found in Yunnan or Zhejiang province, both of which were more than 900 kilometers away from the seafood market. Bats were normally found to live in caves and trees. But the seafood market is in a densely-populated district of Wuhan, a metropolitan of ~15 million people. The probability was very low for the bats to fly to the market. According to municipal reports and the testimonies of 31 residents and 28 visitors, the bat was never a food source in the city, and no bat was traded in the market. There was possible natural recombination or intermediate host of the coronavirus, yet little proof has been reported.
Was there any other possible pathway? We screened the area around the seafood market and identified two laboratories conducting research on bat coronavirus. Within ~280 meters from the market, there was the Wuhan Center for Disease Control & Prevention (WHCDC) (Figure 1, from Baidu and Google maps).
WHCDC hosted animals in laboratories for research purpose, one of which was specialized in pathogens collection and identification 4- 6. In one of their studies, 155 bats including Rhinolophus affinis were captured in Hubei province, and other 450 bats were captured in Zhejiang province 4. The expert in collection was noted in the Author Contributions (JHT). Moreover, he was broadcasted for collecting viruses on nation-wide newspapers and websites in 2017 and 2019 7,8. He described that he was once attacked by bats and the blood of a bat shot on his skin. He knew the extreme danger of the infection so he quarantined himself for 14 days 7. In another accident, he quarantined himself again because bats peed on him. He was once thrilled for capturing a bat carrying a live tick8.
Surgery was performed on the caged animals and the tissue samples were collected for DNA and RNA extraction and sequencing 4, 5. The tissue samples and contaminated trashes were source of pathogens. They were only ~280 meters from the seafood market. The WHCDC was also adjacent to the Union Hospital (Figure 1, bottom) where the first group of doctors were infected during this epidemic. It is plausible that the virus leaked around and some of them contaminated the initial patients in this epidemic, though solid proofs are needed in future study.
The second laboratory was ~12 kilometers from the seafood market and belonged to Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1, 9, 10. This laboratory reported that the Chinese horseshoe bats were natural reservoirs for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) which caused the 2002-3 pandemic 9. The principle investigator participated in a project which generated a chimeric virus using the SARS-CoV reverse genetics system, and reported the potential for human emergence 10. A direct speculation was that SARS-CoV or its derivative might leak from the laboratory.
In summary, somebody was entangled with the evolution of 2019-nCoV coronavirus. In addition to origins of natural recombination and intermediate host, the killer coronavirus probably originated from a laboratory in Wuhan. Safety level may need to be reinforced in high risk biohazardous laboratories. Regulations may be taken to relocate these laboratories far away from city center and other densely populated places.
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11772133, 11372116).
Declaration of interests
All authors declare no competing interests.
References
1. Zhou P, Yang X-L, Wang X-G, et al. A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7.
2. Wu F, Zhao S, Yu B, et al. A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China. Nature 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2008-3.
3. Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The Lancet 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140- 6736(20)30183-5.
4. Guo WP, Lin XD, Wang W, et al. Phylogeny and origins of hantaviruses harbored by bats, insectivores, and rodents. PLoS pathogens 2013; 9(2): e1003159.
5. Lu M, Tian JH, Yu B, Guo WP, Holmes EC, Zhang YZ. Extensive diversity of rickettsiales bacteria in ticks from Wuhan, China. Ticks and tick-borne diseases 2017; 8(4): 574-80.
6. Shi M, Lin XD, Chen X, et al. The evolutionary history of vertebrate RNA viruses. Nature 2018; 556(7700): 197-202.
7. Tao P. Expert in Wuhan collected ten thousands animals: capture bats in mountain at night. Changjiang Times 2017.
8. Li QX, Zhanyao. Playing with elephant dung, fishing for sea bottom mud: the work that will change China's future. thepaper 2019.
9. Ge XY, Li JL, Yang XL, et al. Isolation and characterization of a bat SARS-like coronavirus that uses the ACE2 receptor. Nature 2013; 503(7477): 535-8.
10. Menachery VD, Yount BL, Jr., Debbink K, et al. A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses shows potential for human emergence. Nature medicine 2015; 21(12): 1508-13.
The original pre-print is below (link):
SOURCE
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/76260/smoking-gun-chinese-scientist-finds-killer-coronavirus-probably-originated-from-a-laboratory-in.html
Thursday, February 13, 2020
‘Worst idea ever!’ Plans for Greta mural on North Dakota bakery scrapped after community outcry & boycott threats on social media
A planned mural featuring teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg in North Dakota has been tossed to the wind after news of the project stoked outrage among locals, who flooded social media with protests and threats to boycott.
The 7-foot mural was slated to be posted on an exterior wall of the Brick Oven Bakery in the city of Bismarck, however when local media outlet KFYR-TV brought the story to its Facebook page on Tuesday night, residents were immediately up in arms, with the post racking up over 1,000 comments in a matter of hours.
“Can't we put someone of importance from North Dakota on the building?” asked one outraged local. “Our state’s history is flooded with important people, Native Americans, Pioneers, Explorers, Presidents, Inventors. Seriously! This is the worst idea ever!”
The deluge of negative comments soon had an effect, prompting photographer and climate activist Shane Balkowitsch – who captured the image that was to be used for the mural and proposed the project in the first place – to call off the plan altogether.
“I feel for the bakery. I can't have some business being threatened for my work,” Balkowitsch told the Bismarck Tribune, referring to netizens vowing to boycott the business.
Balkowitsch says the photo in question is his “most important work to date.” Since posting it to social media, the image has garnered millions of combined likes and shares, allowing the photographer to advertise both his work and “his own views on climate change and environmental preservation,”according to Analog Forever Magazine. The picture was even given a nod from the young climate crusader herself.
After revoking the application for the mural, however, Balkowitsch downplayed any political message the image – or Greta herself – might carry, insisting “It’s a picture of a 17-year-old girl; that’s all it is to me.”
“Her message and stuff, that’s her message. As an artist, it’s my duty to capture the history surrounding her,” added the photographer, who followed the young activist for months before snapping the image.
Critics of the proposed mural saw things quite differently, with one commenter arguing that “Thunberg is a symbol of divisiveness on a polarized subject,” adding “Most people have already decided their personal standings on climate change so I fail to see how painting a mural of her would be much more than provoking conflict.”
Some were far less polite in panning the idea, suggesting other options for the location of the mural: “Maybe we can place it at the bottom of the water treatment ponds. Both are full of s**t.”
Opposition was not universal, however, with a handful of Facebook users backing up Thunberg and challenging critics to create their own public artwork.
“And just like that. All the boomers appear,” one supporter said. “At least this young lady has passion. At least she gives a damn about our earth. Don't like it, grow some talent and make your own murals!!”
Following the public outcry, the owners of Brick Oven Bakery, Steven and Sandy Jacobson, said that they had asked their landlord to not allow the mural to be built, realizing “the emotional impact that this photo may cause.”
While the ill-fated project never came to be in Bismarck, it was not the only one of its kind in the US. Last November, a massive four-story Greta mural was unveiled in San Francisco, which was also a tad off-putting for some residents, one even going as far as to deem it “dystopian.”
SOURCE
https://www.rt.com/usa/480716-greta-mural-scrapped-outcry/
“Can't we put someone of importance from North Dakota on the building?” asked one outraged local. “Our state’s history is flooded with important people, Native Americans, Pioneers, Explorers, Presidents, Inventors. Seriously! This is the worst idea ever!”
The deluge of negative comments soon had an effect, prompting photographer and climate activist Shane Balkowitsch – who captured the image that was to be used for the mural and proposed the project in the first place – to call off the plan altogether.
“I feel for the bakery. I can't have some business being threatened for my work,” Balkowitsch told the Bismarck Tribune, referring to netizens vowing to boycott the business.
Balkowitsch says the photo in question is his “most important work to date.” Since posting it to social media, the image has garnered millions of combined likes and shares, allowing the photographer to advertise both his work and “his own views on climate change and environmental preservation,”according to Analog Forever Magazine. The picture was even given a nod from the young climate crusader herself.
I want to thank all the people who I’ve met I North America for their incredible hospitality. And thank you all for your amazing support! (This wet plate photo was taken by Shane Balkowitsch on Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota.) pic.twitter.com/ZFAEqM5RPZ
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) November 13, 2019
“Her message and stuff, that’s her message. As an artist, it’s my duty to capture the history surrounding her,” added the photographer, who followed the young activist for months before snapping the image.
Critics of the proposed mural saw things quite differently, with one commenter arguing that “Thunberg is a symbol of divisiveness on a polarized subject,” adding “Most people have already decided their personal standings on climate change so I fail to see how painting a mural of her would be much more than provoking conflict.”
Some were far less polite in panning the idea, suggesting other options for the location of the mural: “Maybe we can place it at the bottom of the water treatment ponds. Both are full of s**t.”
Opposition was not universal, however, with a handful of Facebook users backing up Thunberg and challenging critics to create their own public artwork.
“And just like that. All the boomers appear,” one supporter said. “At least this young lady has passion. At least she gives a damn about our earth. Don't like it, grow some talent and make your own murals!!”
Following the public outcry, the owners of Brick Oven Bakery, Steven and Sandy Jacobson, said that they had asked their landlord to not allow the mural to be built, realizing “the emotional impact that this photo may cause.”
While the ill-fated project never came to be in Bismarck, it was not the only one of its kind in the US. Last November, a massive four-story Greta mural was unveiled in San Francisco, which was also a tad off-putting for some residents, one even going as far as to deem it “dystopian.”
SOURCE
https://www.rt.com/usa/480716-greta-mural-scrapped-outcry/
Judicial Watch Obtains Records Detailing NIH Purchases of Aborted Fetal Parts for ‘Humanized Mice’ Testing
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced it received 676 pages of records from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showing that the agency paid thousands of dollars to a California-based firm to purchase organs from aborted human fetuses to create “humanized mice” for HIV research.
The records show that NIH paid at least $18,100 between December 2016 and August 2018 to Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR) for livers and thymuses from second trimester aborted fetuses. They include at least 26 such purchases from ABR by Dr. Kim Hasenkrug, senior investigator at the NIH lab in Hamilton, Montana.
Purchase orders associated with the transactions state: “These tissues, liver and thymus, are required [by] Ron Messer for ongoing studies of HIV in the Hasenkrug Lab. Our mice will be ready for reconstitution soon.”
Beginning with a December 21, 2016, payment to ABR and running through April 2018, the records show that a fetal liver and thymus set costs $680, and payment was due upon receipt. On May 23, 2018, the cost increased to $750.
The records also include “Tissue Acquisition Invoices” and sales receipts issued by ABR. Payment was made by credit card.
Judicial Watch received the records through a March 2019 lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services for all contracts and related documentation between the FDA and Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR) for the provision of human fetal tissue to be used in humanized mice research (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department Health and Human Services (No. 1:19-cv-00876)).
ABR has been the subject of criminal referrals from House and Senate committees investigating whether Planned Parenthood or any other entity was illegally profiting from the handling of fetal tissue from aborted babies.
Federal law regulates the purchase and acceptance of human fetal tissue for research purposes. It is unlawful to knowingly transfer fetal tissue for profit. According to the records, agency officials concluded in March 2018 that: “Federal regulations for the protection of human subjects do not apply to above named activity.”
The records include a November 2009 “Request for Review of Research Activity Involving Human Subjects” with the protocol title “Study of HIV infection and vaccine protection in mice reconstituted with a human immune system” that describes the development of a “cohort” of humanized mice using human fetal tissue:
Recent reports have demonstrated that immunodeficient mice reconstituted with 17-19 week old human fetal tissue develop a human immune system and are susceptible to HIV infection and disease. The goal of this project proposal is to create such humanized mice to study the role of immune cell subsets and virus-neutralizing antibodies in vaccine protection. The experiments will entail the development of a cohort of mice all reconstituted with the same human cells so as to be histocompatible. This will require transplantation of the mice with 1 mm3 pieces of fetal thymus as well as reconstitution with stem cells isolated from cord blood and liver. Once the humanized mice have been established some will be vaccinated to prime distinct subsets of immune cells. Immune cell subsets from vaccinated mice will be adoptively transferred into naive mice, which will then be infected with HIV to test the antiviral activity of the immune cells. The goal of these experiments is to establish correlates of immunity against HIV.
In Hasenkrug’s November 2009 “Request for Review of Research Activity Involving Human Subjects” he is asked: “Where are the subjects of this research activity located?” Hasenkrug answers:
“The material for this research is obtained from natural or induced abortions from females in California.” Another question is: “Has the research activity that you are proposing in this form been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) elsewhere?” Hasenkrug answers: “No IRB review of the research activity … has taken place.”
The records include a November 2009 email from the deputy director of the Office of Human Subject Research (OHSR) in Bethesda, MD, to Hasenkrug at the NIH lab, approving his research project and instructing him: “Provide documentation that you will not seek the identity of the subjects who have provided the samples you will receive as well as documentation from ABR that under no circumstances will the identity or link to the identifiers of the subjects be released to you.” The signature block concluding the email includes the phrase: “The NIH is committed to maintaining the highest stands for the protection of human subjects.”
The Advanced Bioscience Resources’ “Tissue Acquisition Invoices” show:
On December 21, 2016, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by credit card on January 10, 2017. The “justification” states: “These tissues, liver and thymus, are required [by] Ron Messer for ongoing studies of HIV in Hasenkrug Lab. Our mice will be ready for reconstitution soon.”
On January 25, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in February 2017.
On February 8, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on February 15, 2017.
On March 9, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on March 24, 2017.
On March 30, 2017, ABR provided a second trimester thymus and liver to Hasenkrug’s lab at no charge due to a “delivery delay.” The parts were needed by March 17, 2017 and NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was to have been charged $680 but the parts weren’t delivered until April 19, 2017.
On April 20, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in May 2017.
On May 17, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on May 19, 2017.
On June 28, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were received on May 30, 2017.
On July 5, 2017, a redacted NIH employee placed an order for a second trimester liver and thymus on behalf of Ron Messer. NIH redacted the price from the email, citing confidential commercial information. However, the $680 price is included in the purchase order. The tissues were delivered on August 21, 2017.
On August 10, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in September 2017.
On August 24, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in September 2017.
On September 21, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in October 2017.
On October 5, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on October 24, 2017.
On October 26, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in November 2017.
On December 13, 2017, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by credit card on December 22, 2017.
On January 3, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on January 11, 2018.
On January 25, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on January 30, 2018.
On February 7, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on February 16, 2018.
On March 1, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on March 16, 2018.
April 4, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $680 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on April 18, 2018.
On May 23, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $750 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card in June 2018.
On May 31, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $750 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa card on June 26, 2018.
On June 27, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $750 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by credit card and delivered on July 10, 2018.
On August 15, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $750 for a second trimester thymus and liver, which were paid for by Visa and delivered on August 23, 2018.
On August 10, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs ordered a second trimester liver and thymus and paid $750 by credit card. They were to be delivered on September 10, 2018.
On September 6, 2018, NIH’s Rocky Mountain Labs was billed $750 for a second trimester liver and thymus, which was paid for by Visa on September 14, 2018.
“These records detailing the federal government’s purchases of organs of aborted fetuses are the most disturbing I’ve ever seen in all my time at Judicial Watch,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Every responsible official in government – from President Trump to HHS Secretary Azar should investigate and stop the trafficking of organs of aborted unborn human beings for taxpayer-funded Frankenstein-type experimentation.”
###
SOURCE
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Obama ‘planted moles’ in White House to torpedo next president
Purge the Obamites. Every leftover should be thrown out on their ….
Obama ‘planted moles’ in White House to torpedo next president ‘All roads in the effort to get rid of Trump lead right back to the top’
By WND Staff, Published February 11, 2020:
It’s abundantly clear now that the Obama administration tried to torpedo Donald Trump, first as a candidate and then as president-elect, using a Democratic Party-funded “dossier” of Russian propaganda to obtain warrants to spy on Trump’s campaign.
But talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh says the Obama administration went even further, by planting “moles” throughout the federal bureaucracy to undermine Trump.
He noted Tuesday that Barack Obama grew the National Security Council staff from about 100 employees to well over 200.
Trump didn’t immediately fire the extraneous workers when he took office.
TRENDING: Obama officials who approved spy warrants now in charge of ‘FISA reform’
Among Obama’s hires were the Vindman brothers, one of whom testified against Trump in the House impeachment investigation. Another was Eric Ciaramella, the reported whistleblower whose hearsay claim triggered the Democrats’ impeachment campaign.
And there was Sean Misko, who was heard plotting with Ciaramella to bring down Trump just weeks after the inauguration. Misko then went to work for the lead impeachment manager, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
“And then you remember how Obama multiplied the number of federal agencies who had access to classified data? I think what this actually was… I think as Obama was leaving office, he expanded the National Security Council staff and then enlarged the number of agencies that had access to whatever classified data they did. He planted moles,” Limbaugh said.
“This is where they planted the moles. This is where they planted the moles all over the NSC. The Vindman twins, Fiona Hill, the whistleblower, Abigail Grace (who left the NSC shortly after the Trump phone call). She went to work for Schiff. So did Sean Misko. Every one of these people is an Obama holdover. I remember asking, ‘Why in the hell are they still there? Why didn’t Trump clean house and reduce this number back down to 75 to a hundred people who are working for him?’ I don’t know the answer.
“But my guess would be that he had people advising him not to do it,” he said.
“But I think that’s where all of this came from. I think it’s where the Trump-Russia collusion and all of this came from, the FBI and that element of it, too. But the inside Trump administration moles, the turncoats, whatever you want to call ’em. They are Obama appointees that had jobs expanded as Obama was leaving office for the express purpose of protecting Obama’s achievements and sabotaging whoever was to come next — in this case, Trump,” he said.
He said the “garbage coming out of these NSC people and the leaks” was possibly the most damaging to Trump.
“Obama holdovers in the National Security Council. I mean, all roads in the effort to get rid of Trump lead right back to the top of the Obama administration. I don’t think there’s any question about it.”
SOURCE
https://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2020/02/obama-planted-moles-in-white-house-to-torpedo-next-president-3508287.html
Apollo Moon Landing: Buzz Aldrin Confesses "We Didn't Go There"
Zoey asks: “Why has nobody been to the moon in such a long time?”. Apparently disarmed by the adorable child’s curiosty, Buzz Aldrin finally reveals the truth; “We didn’t go there”
_____________________________________________________________
The Library of Congress is hosting the free festival on Saturday at the Washington Convention Center.
U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, historian David McCullough and novelist David Baldacci are also scheduled to appear.
This year’s festival celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Library of Congress acquiring Thomas Jefferson’s personal library in 1815. Those books formed the basis for building the world’s largest library.
The festival was founded by former first lady Laura Bush and was held for years on the National Mall.
SOURCE
https://beforeitsnews.com/conspiracy-theories/2020/02/apollo-moon-landing-buzz-aldrin-confesses-we-didnt-got-there-2516312.html
Monday, February 10, 2020
REPOST: The Reason Trump Called Him - Little Adam Schitt - Panic in DC
SerialBrain2
Isn’t this the best Thanksgiving ever?!
Not only has the Maestro, joined by FLOTUS, “officially pardoned this year’s National Thanksgiving Turkey, Peas—and his alternate, Carrots”, tweet but he also tweeted the accompanying KILLING JOKE to help us start the conversation at the dinner table: tweet.
Little Adam Schitt. Hahahaha! Priceless. I’ll never get enough of this!
What do you do when the Maestro sends you a jewel like this? After laughing about it and sharing its Presidential Unpresidentiality (yeah, you first heard it here, it will be in history books one day) with friends, family, colleagues and clueless trollable Trump professional haters, you sit down and try to find the deeper meaning and how it relates to Q.
Q786 There is a purpose for every tweet and crumb dropped.
Q850 News unlocks MAP.
This tweet came the day after Trump promised federal support to California and toured the damage from its most devastating wildfire with democrat Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom link. This elegant move from the Maestro caused Gov. Brown to bury his past feud with him and state that Trump has ‘got our back’. Well, goodbye Little Adam. All this is happening in your State and you are not involved…
As we can see in this image, there are multiple references to Adam Schitt on the Q board. Each of these references is a huge story in itself. We have the West Hollywood Standard hotel pedophilia related death cover up and how controlled Adam tried to pay the favor, we have the BDT 2017 New York City attempted bombing and the related $7.8 mm, we have the 19 people heavily guarded meeting to help RR prevent the release of the FISA C-info, we have his 42m13 recorded phone call with Valerie Jarrett and finally, we have Allison Mack’s testimony providing additional proofs about what happened in the Standard hotel and how it is related to its General Manager helicopter crash. As you can see, Adam has been very busy… Which one of these juicy stories is the Maestro pointing at in his tweet? To answer this question, we must first understand why the Maestro changed F to T. For those who are just joining us, as usual, we assign to each letter the number corresponding to its position in the English alphabet: A=1, B=2, C=3… Z=26. Since F=6 and T=20, we notice the Maestro walked 14 steps to transform F to T. The number 14 can be written 13+1, which is exactly the time stamp of the tweet: 1:01 PM or 13:01. Coincidence? No. The Maestro is letting us know the relevant numbers of the tweet are 1 and 3. Now let’s look at the Adam Schiff occurrences on the Q board: in which drops are 1 and 3 appearing? Yes, the 01-31 Standard Hotel cover up drops. This is what the Maestro is pointing at. This is what we were looking for.
These 11 Jan 31 2018 drops are pure beauty. Not only Adam Schiff’s two F’s were captured in this conversation with an anon for further transformation: Img2
But then, they started morphing to T: Img3
And finally became T: Img4
As you can see, in this last drop, the anon capitalized the transformed last name. The conversation Q had with this anon allowed Schiff’s two ending Fs to be changed to one T. Where was the other T? It was kept for the Maestro. The Maestro dropped it 292 days later in this epic Adam Schitt tweet and applied his final presidential seal to Schiff’s transformation… Img5
SOURCE
https://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2018/11/the-reason-trump-called-him-little-adam-schitt-panic-in-dc-3648641.html
REPOST: Q Crumbs! What Happened at the Standard Hotel in Room 325? (Video)
Interesting Q Crumbs about the Standard Hotel Room 325. A commenter made some interesting points about the film Hostel and some of the scenarios going on with this room. Or the weird HBO show Room 104 was it by the people that did Stranger Things.
I am shocked that rarely but for one time has anyone mentioned the horror movie Hostel 1 and Hostel 2 in comparison to Podesta’s Wet Rooms/Pool Parties. The horror film Hostel 1 and 2 was not fiction, it was an open scoffing brag of what is going on globally. Hostel horror movie was nothing more than reenacted documentaries that would in a sick way legalize snuff films .
So when it’s done as a reenactment , technically what was originally an illegal snuff film they can legally sell it and make millions off of it legally. I take the stance that the film wasn’t made for good intentions to get the word out in hopes people wake up, i lean towards the idea that they were attempting to make more customers by wetting unknowing viewers appetite forming an acquired taste via exposure to it. Temporary Life
I host the Church of Mabus radio show and it is going on 8 years. I’ve been in the paranormal community for 20 years. I provide content from a network of sources and guests and allies.
Ranging from Politics to the Paranormal and the Spiritual. You can check out my other articles here at my BIOGRAPHY at BIN and you can check out my free radio show at this link HERE. Thanks for showing your support and stopping by.
SOURCE
https://beforeitsnews.com/prophecy/2019/01/q-crumbs-what-happened-at-the-standard-hotel-in-room-325-video-2502584.html
REPOST: Q Anon Fingers the Standard Hotel and Adam Schiff
The mysterious Qanon has been doing “intel drops” for months. In one of the more recent posts, California Democrat Adam Schiff is linked to alleged criminal activity at the Standard Hotel and a recent Newport Beach, CA helicopter crash. Do available facts support these allegations? What Big Eyes You Have returns to take us down the Standard Hotel rabbit hole. Become a Sponsor of Crowdsource the Truth http://paypal.me/crowdsourcethetruth
Uh-oh, Adam just Schiffed in his pants. Q drops help piece together the Helicopter crash, Standard Hotel, Trafficking, and Adam Schiff (self.CBTS_Stream)
First hint
Jan 31 2018 21:22:52
Q
!UW.yye1fxo
ID: 187fba
229644
Helicopter.
CRASH.
Newport Beach.
Hotel GM.
What happened @ those hotels?
Q
u/DeplorableNYPatriot points to Kimberly Lynn Watzman who was GM at The Standard Hotel.Here AS is Schiff for brains who is now Schiff in his pants. He is attempting to block the release of the memo and, failing that discredit it. As for what happened @ hotel? An anon knows the answer.
Hint 3
Jan 31 2018 21:43:30 Anonymous ID: cad939 230019
229941 some incident with Adam SHIT happened at a hotel and was covered up. He is repaying the favor by trying to cover this up. Anons, we are looking for a death cover-up of AS doing
Jan 31 2018 21:46:51
Q
!UW.yye1fxo
ID: 6f3736
230091
>>230019
How ‘they’ control those they need.
One recent example.
Relevant today.
Learn.
Q
Ruh-roh!
Hint 4
Jan 31 2018 21:55:26 Anonymous ID: 4c1b8d 230252
229941 Pedo ring human trafficking at hotel, Adam shiftys district, he knew, he’s trying to cut a deal cause he knows he’s grass.
Jan 31 2018 22:00:51
Q
!UW.yye1fxo
ID: 6f3736
230358
>>230252
The intel just dropped is bigger than you can imagine.
Q
And BOOM, there it is!And now for a bonus round!
u/SRX17a provides this link http://www.wehotimes.com/allegations-death-sex-worker-plaque-influential-west-hollywood-political-insider/ and points out that [G]emmel [M]oore was the victim and the article contains a picture of [A]dam [S]chiff with two other men: Ed Buck, at whose house Gemmel Moore was found and California Dem. Party Chair Eric C. Baum.
Ed Buck was a top Democratic party donor, donating at all levels of government. He also lead the impeachment of Az Governer Mecham. Ed Buck was accussed of bringing young black men back to his house and having them take large doses of drugs, the more they took the more he paid them. This is what caused Moore’s death.
Eric C. Baum is gay. Normally that doesn’t matter, but in the context of above, that should raise some eyebrows.
So what do you think Buck, Baum, and Schiff are talking about in that picture?
WOW!!! QAnon posts are saying people killed in today’s heli crash were involved in a pedo ring and that Congressman Adam Schiff is involved! (pizzagate)
So I’ll try to put this together:
All the posts can be easily seen here
There was a helicopter crash today in Newport Beach. This article has this to say about two of the dead:
The victims were: Joseph Anthony Tena, 60, of Newport Beach; Kimberly Lynne Watzman, 45, of Santa Monica; and Brian R. Reichelt, 56, of Hollywood, Florida.
Watzman and Reichelt were both employed with The Standard chain of boutique hotels, which has locations in West Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, a company spokesperson confirmed.
QAnon says this was relevant in this drop: Helicopter. CRASH. Newport Beach. Hotel GM. What happened @ those hotels?
Q
An anon figured out who died, then Q posted What happened @ hotel? [AS] What is [AS] attempting right now? Favor repaid.
Q
Then an anon replied “some incident with Adam SHIT happened at a hotel and was covered up. He is repaying the favor by trying to cover this up. Anons, we are looking for a death cover-up of AS doing”
To which Q replied How ‘they’ control those they need. One recent example. Relevant today. Learn.
Q
Then another anon replied to this, “Pedo ring human trafficking at hotel, Adam shiftys district, he knew, he’s trying to cut a deal cause he knows he’s grass.”
To which Q finally replied The intel just dropped is bigger than you can imagine. Q
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.
Looks like sitting top congressman involved in a pedo ring. Wow. Just wow.
Fiat justitia
http://www.standardhotels.com/la/properties/hollywood
All the posts can be easily seen here
There was a helicopter crash today in Newport Beach. This article has this to say about two of the dead:
The victims were: Joseph Anthony Tena, 60, of Newport Beach; Kimberly Lynne Watzman, 45, of Santa Monica; and Brian R. Reichelt, 56, of Hollywood, Florida.
Watzman and Reichelt were both employed with The Standard chain of boutique hotels, which has locations in West Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, a company spokesperson confirmed.
QAnon says this was relevant in this drop: Helicopter. CRASH. Newport Beach. Hotel GM. What happened @ those hotels?
Q
An anon figured out who died, then Q posted What happened @ hotel? [AS] What is [AS] attempting right now? Favor repaid.
Q
Then an anon replied “some incident with Adam SHIT happened at a hotel and was covered up. He is repaying the favor by trying to cover this up. Anons, we are looking for a death cover-up of AS doing”
To which Q replied How ‘they’ control those they need. One recent example. Relevant today. Learn.
Q
Then another anon replied to this, “Pedo ring human trafficking at hotel, Adam shiftys district, he knew, he’s trying to cut a deal cause he knows he’s grass.”
To which Q finally replied The intel just dropped is bigger than you can imagine. Q
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.
Looks like sitting top congressman involved in a pedo ring. Wow. Just wow.
Fiat justitia
http://www.standardhotels.com/la/properties/hollywood
L.A.’s Standard Hotel owner charged with chemical dumping.
Pool workers poured large amounts of chlorine and acid down a rooftop drain, prosecutors say, causing a gas cloud in a nearby Metro station. Officials initially suspected terrorism.
January 31, 2009|Scott Glover
For a few terrifying moments in the early morning hours of the recent Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, authorities in Los Angeles were concerned that terrorists had launched an attack in a downtown subway station.
Several people had been overcome by a cloud of noxious gas, causing at least two of them to begin vomiting and a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy to experience a burning sensation in his eyes and lungs.
But hazardous-materials teams were unable to find the source of the gas in the Metro station at 7th and Figueroa streets, so fears of terrorism began to fade. Ultimately, investigators determined that the toxic cloud was chlorine gas emanating from a storm catch basin two blocks away.
The culprit, prosecutors allege, was not some scary extremist group, but the owner of The Standard, a trendy downtown hotel with a reputation for celebrity sightings and a rooftop swimming pool.
Several people had been overcome by a cloud of noxious gas, causing at least two of them to begin vomiting and a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy to experience a burning sensation in his eyes and lungs.
But hazardous-materials teams were unable to find the source of the gas in the Metro station at 7th and Figueroa streets, so fears of terrorism began to fade. Ultimately, investigators determined that the toxic cloud was chlorine gas emanating from a storm catch basin two blocks away.
The culprit, prosecutors allege, was not some scary extremist group, but the owner of The Standard, a trendy downtown hotel with a reputation for celebrity sightings and a rooftop swimming pool.
Hotel maintenance workers initially admitted pouring a small amount of chlorine down a rooftop drain. But investigators did not believe that would have accounted for the noxious cloud. An FBI agent, who specializes in environmental crimes and who is known for her pit bull-like tenacity, conducted follow-up interviews in which employees eventually acknowledged emptying the majority of two 50-gallon drums of muriatic acid and chlorine into the drain, the complaint alleges.
As a result, the company that owns the hotel was charged by the U.S. attorney’s office late Thursday with knowingly disposing of hazardous waste. If convicted, the company could be fined up to $500,000.
“The law does not discriminate between hazardous wastes generated by chic hotels or foul junkyards,” said Asst. U.S. Atty. Joe Johns, who is prosecuting the case. “What they did is not only illegal, it’s extremely dangerous.”
A New York public relations firm hired to represent the company that owns the hotel — Andre Balazs Properties — issued a statement of apology.
“We are sorry for this employee mistake involving diluted swimming pool chemicals,” the statement read. “We will continue to assist the government.”
The incident began about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 when someone called the Los Angeles Police Department and complained about a chemical smell coming from the Metro stop. Officials became more concerned when they heard the reports of people becoming ill. In 1995, terrorists had released sarin nerve gas inside the Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and sickening thousands of others.
James Peaco, coordinator of the FBI’s weapons of mass destruction squad in Los Angeles, received a message on his BlackBerry shortly after the gas cloud was reported downtown. Initially, Peaco didn’t think much of it. His team is summoned about a once a week to deal with suspicious packages and all manner of other potential threats. Rarely do they turn out to be the real deal.
But when Peaco saw the words “chlorine” and “subway” in the same sentence, he felt his stomach tighten.
“Chlorine is not naturally occurring,” he recalled thinking to himself at the time, “and the subway is a venue we anticipated as a target. So I thought this was actually a terrorist attack.”
Peaco said he was so concerned that he called his bosses in L.A. and FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., with a warning to be alert for potential simultaneous attacks across the country.
In addition to Peaco’s squad, hazmat teams from the LAPD, the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department converged on the scene. When they traced the chlorine to the drain outside The Standard, fumes were still rising to the street above, so police shut down the intersection of 6th and Flower streets, snarling traffic for hours.
As a result, the company that owns the hotel was charged by the U.S. attorney’s office late Thursday with knowingly disposing of hazardous waste. If convicted, the company could be fined up to $500,000.
“The law does not discriminate between hazardous wastes generated by chic hotels or foul junkyards,” said Asst. U.S. Atty. Joe Johns, who is prosecuting the case. “What they did is not only illegal, it’s extremely dangerous.”
A New York public relations firm hired to represent the company that owns the hotel — Andre Balazs Properties — issued a statement of apology.
“We are sorry for this employee mistake involving diluted swimming pool chemicals,” the statement read. “We will continue to assist the government.”
The incident began about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 when someone called the Los Angeles Police Department and complained about a chemical smell coming from the Metro stop. Officials became more concerned when they heard the reports of people becoming ill. In 1995, terrorists had released sarin nerve gas inside the Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and sickening thousands of others.
James Peaco, coordinator of the FBI’s weapons of mass destruction squad in Los Angeles, received a message on his BlackBerry shortly after the gas cloud was reported downtown. Initially, Peaco didn’t think much of it. His team is summoned about a once a week to deal with suspicious packages and all manner of other potential threats. Rarely do they turn out to be the real deal.
But when Peaco saw the words “chlorine” and “subway” in the same sentence, he felt his stomach tighten.
“Chlorine is not naturally occurring,” he recalled thinking to himself at the time, “and the subway is a venue we anticipated as a target. So I thought this was actually a terrorist attack.”
Peaco said he was so concerned that he called his bosses in L.A. and FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., with a warning to be alert for potential simultaneous attacks across the country.
In addition to Peaco’s squad, hazmat teams from the LAPD, the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department converged on the scene. When they traced the chlorine to the drain outside The Standard, fumes were still rising to the street above, so police shut down the intersection of 6th and Flower streets, snarling traffic for hours.
Meanwhile, an LAPD officer made his way to the roof of the hotel and interviewed employees who acknowledged pouring a small amount of old pool chlorine into the drain, according to the complaint. The officer noticed an empty 50-gallon tank labeled “muriatic acid” under some stairs near the pool, but employees denied dumping any of that into the drain. There was another unmarked 50-gallon tank — this one nearly empty — nearby.
In follow-up interviews, Annette O’Donnelly, the FBI agent with the reputation for being tenacious, discovered that the two tanks contained chemicals that were left over from when the pool operated on a different cleaning system.
She interviewed two supervisors and a graveyard-shift maintenance employee who ultimately acknowledged pumping the contents of the two tanks into a drain, according to court documents. Running water from a hose was used in an attempt to dilute the discharge.
The terrorism scare notwithstanding, it is illegal to dump chlorine and acid into the sewer system because such contents can corrode pipes, overcome maintenance workers with fumes and harm the environment.
Mark Rowley, the hotel’s chief engineer, allegedly told O’Donnelly he knew the “best way” to get rid of the chemicals would have been to hire a disposal company to truck them away, according to court records.
But he decided “we could deal with it this way,” the court documents state.
–scott.glover@latimes.com
Times staff writer Jason Felch contributed to this report
In follow-up interviews, Annette O’Donnelly, the FBI agent with the reputation for being tenacious, discovered that the two tanks contained chemicals that were left over from when the pool operated on a different cleaning system.
She interviewed two supervisors and a graveyard-shift maintenance employee who ultimately acknowledged pumping the contents of the two tanks into a drain, according to court documents. Running water from a hose was used in an attempt to dilute the discharge.
The terrorism scare notwithstanding, it is illegal to dump chlorine and acid into the sewer system because such contents can corrode pipes, overcome maintenance workers with fumes and harm the environment.
Mark Rowley, the hotel’s chief engineer, allegedly told O’Donnelly he knew the “best way” to get rid of the chemicals would have been to hire a disposal company to truck them away, according to court records.
But he decided “we could deal with it this way,” the court documents state.
–scott.glover@latimes.com
Times staff writer Jason Felch contributed to this report
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)