Did US President Joe Biden arrogantly snub Chinese President Xi Jinping by pretending to understand Mandarin as he spoke during the China-US Summit?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Ignored Xi Jinping At US-China Summit!
Pro-CCP activists, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a CGTN video, together with a message which claims that US President Joe Biden arrogantly ignore Chinese President Xi Jinping as he spoke during the China-US Summit in Woodside, California!
Did you observed that the US delegation wear earphone except Biden and Blinken to listen to the translation. Do they really understand mandarin? Or they are only being arrogant and do not bother to listen to Xi speaking?
This is typical of all angmor sai (Caucasian shit) behaviour and attitude !?
Joe Biden Did Not Ignore Xi Jinping At US-China Summit!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created or promoted by pro-CCP supporters and/or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Chinese Delegation Did Not Wear Headphones
First, let me just point out that the Chinese delegation, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, did not wear any headphones or earphones during the opening remarks of the China-US summit meeting that was held in Woodside, California on Wednesday, 15 November 2023.
Perhaps the entire Chinese delegation understood English, and did not require translation. Xi Jinping is said to understand English, even though there is no footage of him actually speaking in English.
Former president Donald Trump actually mocked Xi’s command of the English language, recalling that he managed to say the word, “repeat”:
He looked at me, and he goes, “Repeat”. I didn’t know he spoke English actually. <people laughs>
He said, “Repeat”. I said, what did you just say? Repeat?
So he spoke a little more English than I though, cause he never said “Hello”, but he said “Repeat”.
But unlike the thin-skinned CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), Americans don’t seem to care that the Chinese delegation did not wear headphones. They probably have more important things to argue about (like whether Travis Kelce will cheat on Taylor Swift) than petty nonsense like this.
The CGTN video itself only showed President Xi Jinping giving his opening remarks at the 2023 China-US summit at Woodside, with English subtitles.
Most of the US delegation appears to be wearing black wired headphones, to listen to the English translation of his remarks. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were the only ones who did not appear to wear any headphones.
While pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are claiming that the two men were arrogantly pretending to listen to Xi Jinping speaking in Mandarin, the truth is – they were both wearing wireless earphones.
What was not shown in the CGTN video was the portion just before Xi Jinping spoke. It showed both Joe Biden and Antony Blinken each putting on a single wired earphone.
The White House video (link) showed the opening remarks of both President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping opening remarks. After Biden finished speaking, he welcomed President Xi Jinping, and handed “the floor” to him:
I look forward to beginning this discussion, and I welcome you, and the floor is yours, Mr. President, and again, welcome back.
Joe Biden can then be seen plugging a small wired earphone into his right ear. As the view switches to show the Chinese delegation, it also shows Antony Blinken putting a similar wired earphone into his right ear.
At the end of the White House video, Antony Blinken was seen removing his earphone, while Joe Biden still had his earphone on.
To be clear – both President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were listening to the translation of President Xi Jinping’s opening remarks. They certainly did not insult President Xi Jinping or the Chinese delegation by pretending to understand Mandarin.
This is just ultimately just another example of CCP propaganda, created / spread by pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).Here are other examples:
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Was Joe Biden just caught receiving almost a quarter million dollars worth of laundered Chinese money?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Caught Receiving Laundered Chinese Money!
People are sharing videos, articles, etc. that claim or suggest that US President Joe Biden just got caught receiving almost a quarter million dollars worth of laundered Chinese money!
Still No Evidence Joe Biden Received Chinese Money!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created / propagated by Republicans (and useful idiots) of the MAGA persuasion, as well as pro-Russia supporters (vatniks), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Joe Biden Has Not Been Referred For Impeachment
The Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, James Comer – a Republican from Kentucky, has publicly claimed TWICE that he has evidence of Joe Biden receiving Chinese money.
Yet, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has not yet referred President Joe Biden for impeachment proceedings, or call for a Special Council to prosecute him. What are they waiting for?
Fact #2 : There Was No Evidence Of Corruption
On both occasions, Comer only provided a scan copy of a personal cheque issued to Joe Biden by his brother, James Biden and James’ wife, Sara Biden, as “evidence” of corruption.
October 20, 2023 Press Release
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today announced the committee obtained bank records revealing a $200,000 direct payment from James and Sara Biden to Joe Biden in the form of a personal check.
November 1, 2023 Press Release
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today released a video and bank records memorandum revealing how Joe Biden received $40,000 in laundered China money from the account of his brother, James Biden, and his sister-in-law, Sara Biden, in the form of a personal check.
Neither personal cheques from his brother or his brother’s wife are actual evidence that President Joe Biden received “laundered Chinese money”. They are only evidence that Joe Biden received money from his brother, and his brother’s wife.
If that is the bar for evidence of corruption and/or receiving “laundered Chinese money”, then many of us who received money from our relatives are guilty of corruption and/or receiving laundered foreign money. That sounds stupid? Yes, that’s exactly how stupid the so-called “evidence” against Joe Biden really looks.
Fact #3 : Cheques Were For Personal Loan Repayment
The two cheques clearly stated that they were to pay Joe Biden for a (personal) loan. You know – the kind family members often give out to their brothers or sisters who are in financial trouble. The words “Loan repayment” was even stated clearly in the front of the two cheques.
I should point out that Comer was not able to prove that these were not loan repayment cheques. He only said he would view the $200,000 cheque as “troubling” even if it was for a loan repayment, because it came on the same day James Biden received $200,000 from a struggling health company he did business with.
Wow! Imagine that – it was “troubling” for Comer to see someone receive repayment for a personal loan he made out to his own brother, just because it appears that his brother received the money from a company he did business with.
Fact #4 : Joe Biden Loaned His Brother Money
James Comer also claimed that he did not “believe” that Joe Biden actually loaned his brother money.
When Democratic members of his committee and a lawyer for James Biden said that the committee has documents to prove that Joe Biden did indeed loan $200,000 to James Biden, Comer declared that the Democrats were “lying”, and said that “at the end of the day, there’s no document that shows there was a loan”.
CNN fact checker Daniel Dale revealed on 31 October 2023, that they were able to obtain the same banking records that Comer’s committee received, and they showed that President Joe Biden loaned his brother $200,000 less than two months prior to the James Biden “loan repayment” cheque for the same amount.
The banking records that both CNN and Comer’s committee had access to showed that Joe Biden sent a $200,000 wire transfer to James Biden on January 12, 2018. James Biden then issued the $200,000 loan repayment cheque on March 1, 2018.
The top Democrat on Comer’s committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, even wrote to rebuke Comer, pointing out that there is “clear evidence that this transaction was a short-term, interest-free loan between brothers“.
[T]he bank records provided to the Committee clearly show that President Biden had $200,000 wired to his brother on January 12, 2018.
Despite this clear evidence that James Biden received a loan from his brother on January 12, 2018, and paid him back 48 days later with a check for the same amount marked ‘loan repayment,’ you continue to misrepresent the facts.”
In short – Comer’s committee appears to have documents showing that there was a loan from Joe Biden to James Biden, so the loan repayment was legitimate, and not actual evidence of corruption or money laundering.
Fact #5 : Joe Biden Was A Private Citizen At That Time
This may seem like a small point, but it is an important one to make. These personal loans and loan repayments between Joe Biden and his brother all occurred in 2017-2018.
At that time, Joe Biden was not President. Heck, he was not even a Presidential candidate – he did not announce his 2020 Presidential bid until April 25, 2019.
In other words – there is simply no question of Joe Biden abusing the power of his office (he had none at that time) to enrich himself with foreign money.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is Malaysia facing US sanctions after the US House of Representative passed a bill to sanction Hamas supporters?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Malaysia Faces US Sanctions Over Hamas Support!
People are sharing this warning on WhatsApp, which claims that Malaysia is facing US sanctions after the US House of Representative passed a bill to sanction Hamas supporters!
Malaysia already in RM1.5 trillion in debt and now will be sanctioned by US. Ringgit surely touch RM5 to US dollar and expect country to be affected economically resulting in more hardship for all Malaysians
The US House of Representatives approved a bill to sanction foreign supporters of supporters of the Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad 4terrorist movements on Wednesday night.
Ready to brace another impact on our economy! 😭
To support the claim, the viral WhatsApp warning includes a link to an MSN article, which has the title – US House approves bill to sanction Hamas supporters
No Evidence Malaysia Faces US Sanctions Over Hamas Support!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created / propagated on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US House Bill Was Introduced In January 2023
First, I should point out that the US house bill in question – H.R. 340 :Hamas and Other Palestinian Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act (PDF), was actually introduced on January 12, 2023 (history).
Also known as the “Hamas International Financing Prevention Act“, H.R. 340 was introduced almost 9 months before the terrible October 7 attack.
In short – this bill had nothing to do with the October 7 attack of Israel by Hamas, but its passage was accelerated by the attack.
Fact #2 : Bill Only Passed US House Of Representatives
Next, I should point out that the bill is not yet law – it only passed in the US House of Representatives, with a 363-46 vote.
The bill now heads to the US Senate for its consideration. It is uncertain whether this bill would actually pass in the US Senate in its current form.
Even if it passes the US Senate, it must be signed into law by President Joe Biden, who has the power to veto it. GovTrack rates it as having only 37% chance in being enacted.
Until it is signed into law – no country or entity faces US sanctions through this bill.
Fact #3 : MSN Article Did Not State Malaysia Faces US Sanctions
The MSN article – which is actually an article by The Jerusalem Post, was shared in the viral warning as “evidence” that Malaysia faces US sanctions over it support of Hamas.
However, anyone who spends just a few minutes to read the article would quickly realise that Malaysia was never mentioned at all. In fact, the article did not mention that any country is at risk of being sanctioned by the US for supporting Hamas.
Fact #4 : Sanctions Are Only Imposed On Foreign Persons
The bill – in its current form – only requires the US President to impose sanctions on any “foreign person” that:
a) “assists in sponsoring”, or providing “significant financial, material, or technology support” or “goods and other services” to enable acts of terrorism; or
b) engages, directly or indirectly, in a significant transaction with a senior member of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion’s Den, or their affiliates / successors.
However, HR340 leaves it to the President to determine which “foreign person” actually qualifies to be sanctioned. On top of that, the President can issue a waiver on a case-by-case basis.
Fact #5 : Only Limited Measures Are Imposed On Foreign States
The bill – in its current form – does not impose any sanctions on foreign states. It only imposes limited “measures” on foreign states that:
a) provides “significant material or financial support” for acts of terrorism; or
b) engages, directly or indirectly, in a significant transaction that contributes to the terrorist activities of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion’s Den, or their affiliates / successors.
Again, HR340 leaves it to the President to determine which “foreign state” actually qualifies to be targeted, and the President can issue a waiver on a case-by-case basis.
Even if a foreign state is identified by the US President as materially supporting terroristic activities by Hamas, HR340 only requires:
the President to suspend US assistance to that foreign state for at least 1 year,
the Treasury Secretary to oppose and vote against any loan, financial assistance, or technical assistance by any international financial institution to that foreign state for a period of 1 year
the President to prohibit the export of American weapons to that foreign state
Again – the bill does not technically impose sanctions on foreign states, only limited measures or penalties.
Fact #6 : HR340 Is Unlikely To Impact Malaysia At All
Even if it passes the US Senate in its current form, and is signed into law by President Joe Biden, HR340 – the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act is unlikely to have any impact on Malaysia.
For one thing – the bill only targets foreign states that provide “significant material or financial support for acts of international terrorism”.
And even if Malaysia is somehow identified as such a country, the limited measures imposed by HR340 will have minimal impact, if at all.
According to the US Department of State, the US government only invests $1 million annually to train Malaysian military service members as part of its International Military Education and Training. The US also provided $220 million in security assistance for the FY2018-2022 – about $44 million per year.
Assuming everything remained the same, Malaysia would only stand to lose a total of $45 million per year in US assistance. That’s a drop in the bucket – 0.05% of Malaysia’s 2023 budget of about $84 billion.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Infowars has been proven wrong about its claims that the Biden Administration will introduce a face mask mandate in September 2023!
Claim : Biden Admin Will Order Face Mask Mandate!
People have been sharing an Infowars article which claimed that the Biden Administration will order a new face mask mandate for TSA and airport employees, followed by “full Covid lockdowns“. Here is an excerpt:
Biden Regime to Reinstate COVID-19 Restrictions Beginning with Mask Mandate as “COVID Cases Rise”, Say TSA and Border Patrol Whistleblowers
The Biden regime is preparing to reinstate full COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with masking mandates for TSA and airport employees reportedly as early as mid-September, Infowars first to report.
A high-level TSA official reached out to Infowars, detailing a Tuesday meeting where TSA managers were informed of new memorandums and policies that would reimplement mask-wearing.
These policies will reinstate the mask mandate for TSA and airport employees starting in mid-September.
The official added that by mid-October, mask-wearing will be mandated for pilots, flight staff, passengers, and all airport patrons.
Following this disclosure from the TSA official, Infowars reached out to a trusted Border Patrol source, also in a managerial position.
This source corroborated the directives, confirming that similar measures were being planned for Border Patrol personnel.
“They were told it was not a matter of “if” but “when” official Covid numbers will go back up and they expect by mid-October a return to forced-masking policies that the Biden administration previously only reluctantly ended after massive pressure,” Infowars reported.
Infowars Proven Wrong About Biden Face Mask Mandate!
Infowars first claimed on August 18, 2023, that TSA and Border whistleblowers leaked information about a rollout of “full Covid restrictions”, which would include a face mask mandate in September, followed by full Covid lockdowns in December.
Well, it is now October 3, 2023, and there is nary a sight of any face mask mandate for TSA or airport employees in the United States. Infowars has been proven WRONG yet again.
Frankly, that’s hardly surprising. Alex Jones and/or Infowars never actually showed any evidence that the Biden Administration is planning to introduce a face mask mandate for air travel, much less full COVID-19 restrictions which would include lockdowns.
If you watch the video above, you can see that Alex Jones has a ton of paper on his table. Unfortunately, none of them were the leaked memorandum or policy documents from his TSA and Border Patrol whistleblowers.
Rather, they appear to be nothing more than printed copies of news articles! Alex Jones never showed any evidence of the “planned COVID-19 protocols” that were supposed to roll out in the middle of September 2023.
And it’s already October 2023, without a single TSA agent or Border Patrol officer required to wear a face mask in the United States.
I should point out that lockdowns are, frankly, no longer necessary because a combination of vaccines and prior infections have given people significant protection against COVID-19 infections.
Even though cases are spiking due to new variants (which are more adept at evading protection), hospitals and healthcare workers are no longer overloaded with COVID-19 patients. In fact, there has been multiple waves of new COVID-19 variants, but they have not necessitated new lockdowns.
That’s why the WHO itself declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 as a whole is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Instead, COVID-19 is now considered “an established and ongoing health issue“.
Finally, I should also point out that any order for a face mask mandate on public transportation, including airlines, would be issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, not the TSA or Border Control.
It was the US CDC that issued the first and only face mask mandate for public transportation in the United States (PDF download) on January 29, 2021. The TSA and Border Control had nothing to do with that, but only issued their own directives to comply with the CDC order.
However, the CDC face mask mandate was made “unenforceable” by court order on April 18, 2022, and expired when the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
If the CDC ever issues another face mask mandate, it seems inevitable that it would be challenged in court, and made “unenforceable” by another court order. So what really is this panic over a “future” face mask mandate?
I should also point out that, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers all over the world have had no issues wearing face masks to protect themselves and their patients. Seriously, stop being such a wuss.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the Biden Administration preparing to reinstate FULL COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with face mask mandates in mid-September 2023?! Find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-08-30 : Added video fact check, and other updates Originally posted @ 2023-08-25
Claim : Biden Admin Is Reinstating Full COVID Lockdowns!
People are sharing an article by The Gateway Pundit, which claims that the Biden Administration is preparing to reinstate FULL COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with face mask mandates in mid-September 2023!
The article is pretty long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Biden Regime to Reinstate COVID-19 Restrictions Beginning with Mask Mandate as “COVID Cases Rise”, Say TSA and Border Patrol Whistleblowers
The Biden regime is preparing to reinstate full COVID-19 lockdowns, beginning with masking mandates for TSA and airport employees reportedly as early as mid-September, Infowars first to report.
A high-level TSA official reached out to Infowars, detailing a Tuesday meeting where TSA managers were informed of new memorandums and policies that would reimplement mask-wearing.
These policies will reinstate the mask mandate for TSA and airport employees starting in mid-September.
The official added that by mid-October, mask-wearing will be mandated for pilots, flight staff, passengers, and all airport patrons.
Following this disclosure from the TSA official, Infowars reached out to a trusted Border Patrol source, also in a managerial position.
This source corroborated the directives, confirming that similar measures were being planned for Border Patrol personnel.
“They were told it was not a matter of “if” but “when” official Covid numbers will go back up and they expect by mid-October a return to forced-masking policies that the Biden administration previously only reluctantly ended after massive pressure,” Infowars reported.
The news outlet added, “Both whistleblowers were told this rollout will be in tandem with the new Covid “variant” hysteria that the MSM has been reporting on this week.”
The media is now pushing for another lockdown. Another fear porn from the so-called health experts and media just in time for the next election. The same old playbook.
No Evidence Biden Administration Is Reinstating COVID Lockdowns!
The Gateway Pundit was basically just summarising what Infowars claimed, and here is what you need to know:
Fact #1 : Infowars Is Notorious Fake News Website
First, let me just point out that Infowars is notorious for posting conspiracy theories and fake news.
2020 study by four universities – Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers, found that Infowars was amongst the top 5 most shared websites for COVID-19 fake news.
Infowars is listed as #4 on the Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites list.
Infowars video editor Josh Owens admitted to intentionally creating misleading videos – “It’s not about truth, it’s not about accuracy — it’s about what’s going to make people click on this video…In essence, we lied.“
Both Alex Jones and Infowars have been subjected to multiple lawsuits, losing them one after another. In December 2022, he and the Infowars parent company was ordered to pay about $1.5 billion for spreading lies about the 2002 Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Based on its reputation, everything posted by InfoWars should be considered as FAKE NEWS until proven otherwise.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from InfoWars. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
Fact #2 : Alex Jones + Infowars Provided No Evidence
If you watch the Infowars video where Alex Jones detailed the “exclusive news” that the Biden Administration is planning to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions, you may be forgiven for thinking that all those papers on his table are leaked memorandum and policy documents that TSA and Border Patrol whistleblowers provided.
Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. While there is A TON of papers on his massive table, they appear to be nothing more than printed copies of news articles. Alex Jones never showed any evidence of the “planned COVID-19 protocols” that will roll out in the middle of September 2023.
It’s easy to make outlandish claims, it’s quite another thing to back them with actual evidence. Needless to say, Infowars offered ZERO evidence to back up its claims.
Fact #3 : Lockdowns Were Necessary Because There Was No Vaccine
In his video, Alex Jones said that his whistleblowers were told to expect “a return to the full COVID protocol of 2020/2021” by December 2023.
The problem with that claim is that many governments implemented lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, because there was no treatment and vaccines were not yet invented or available in sufficient quantities.
Lockdowns were used as a way to limit transmission, and prevent hospitals and healthcare workers from being overloaded with COVID-19 patients.
Now that many people have some protection from a prior infection, or from COVID-19 vaccines, there has been no new need for governments to implement new lockdowns. In fact, there has been multiple waves of new COVID-19 variants, but they have not necessitated new lockdowns.
So the claim that the Biden Administration is going to implement COVID-19 lockdowns in December 2023 over the new Eris EG.5 variant is not supported by the prevailing evidence.
Fact #4 : WHO Declared COVID-19 Is No Longer PHEIC
It is interesting that the whistleblowers mentioned that the World Health Organization (WHO) may declare (an emergency?) over the new EG.5 Eris variant.
For one thing, the WHO itself declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 as a whole is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Instead, COVID-19 is now considered “an established and ongoing health issue“.
Fact #5 : Eris Variant Is Not More Dangerous
The WHO has been monitoring the new EG.5 “Eris” variant, designating it as a “variant of interest”. However, that does not mean Eris is a more dangerous variant.
According to the WHO, the EG. 5 variant has increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, but…
presents a low public health risk at a global level, and
has no reported changes in disease severity to date
While it is possible that EG.5 / Eris will become the dominant COVID-19 variant moving into the winter months of 2023, it has the same symptoms and severity as past variants.
Fact #6 : New Vaccines Are Coming In September 2023
Even if the Eris / EG.5 becomes dominant, it is unlikely for the United States to require lockdowns in December 2023, because new COVID-19 vaccines coming in September will offer better protection against it.
From late September 2023 onwards, Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are introducing new COVID-19 vaccines that will target XBB variants. As EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage, the new vaccines are expected to offer better protection against this new variant.
EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage and is more closely related to the XBB variants than it is to previous vaccine strains.
For this reason, the expectation is that the reformulated vaccines that will be available this fall will offer better protection to EG.5 than previous vaccines.
– Justin Lessler, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
In short, there really isn’t a need for new lockdowns, because the improved COVID-19 vaccines are already coming in the fall of 2023.
Fact #7 : Biden Administration Does Not Want New Lockdowns
I should now point out that it is against the Biden Administration’s interest to implement new lockdowns, which would cripple the economy. In fact, the Biden Administration mentioned this when it released its National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan (PDF download) in March 2022.
The path forward in the fight against COVID-19 is clear: schools, workers, and workplaces have resources and guidance to prevent shutdowns.
Finally, I should also point out that any order for a face mask mandate on public transportation, including airlines, would be issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, not the TSA or Border Control.
It was the US CDC that issued the first and only face mask mandate for public transportation in the United States (PDF download) on January 29, 2021. The TSA and Border Control had nothing to do with that, but only issued their own directives to comply with the CDC order.
However, the CDC face mask mandate was made “unenforceable” by court order on April 18, 2022, and expired when the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
If the CDC ever issues another face mask mandate, it seems inevitable that it would be challenged in court, and made “unenforceable” by another court order. So what really is this panic over a “future” face mask mandate?
I should also point out that, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers all over the world have had no issues wearing face masks to protect themselves and their patients. Seriously, stop being such a wuss.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the Biden Administration preparing to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions beginning in mid-September 2023?! Find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-08-24 : Added a fact check video, updated parts of the article Originally posted @ 2023-08-19
Claim : Biden Admin Bringing Back Full COVID Restrictions!
People are sharing an InfoWars article which claims that the Biden Administration is preparing to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions, beginning in mid-September 2023!
The article is pretty long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Preparing to Bring Back FULL Covid Restrictions, Rollout to Begin Mid-September
Whistleblowers from the TSA and Border Patrol have raised the alarm to Infowars that the Biden administration is setting the stage for full Covid lockdowns that will begin with incremental restrictions like masking TSA employees in mid-September.
The first source, a high-level TSA official confirmed and known to Infowars, reached out to Infowars and cited a Tuesday meeting in which TSA managers were told new memorandums & policies were being completed that would reimplement masking, starting with TSA & airport employees as early as mid-September.
The TSA official also said next week they will receive new guidelines on how the policy will escalate: by mid-October, mask-wearing will be required by pilots, flight staff, passengers, and airport patrons.
After hearing from the TSA manager, Infowars reached out to our trusted Border Patrol source who is also a manager. This source confirmed the same directives were being given to Border Patrol.
They were told it was not a matter of “if” but “when” official Covid numbers will go back up and they expect by mid-October a return to forced-masking policies that the Biden administration previously only reluctantly ended after massive pressure.
Both whistleblowers were told this rollout will be in tandem with the new Covid “variant” hysteria that the MSM has been reporting on this week.
Infowars’ analysis is clear: this new rollout’s timing is perfect for the embattled Biden administration to put the country back in a state of civil emergency and even martial law to further divide and confuse the public and move forward with the greatest election meddling in history.
Many times, Alex Jones has warned that the system will bring back biomedical tyranny. And the launch of this new crisis in September will allow a build-up of control that would allow the use of mail-in ballots for the next presidential election.
Remember, mail-in ballots were decisive for Biden’s victory last election.
We now know the Covid lockdowns were an international psychological warfare operation run by the Ministry of Defense and Pentagon.
Countries worldwide implemented fear campaigns for political purposes and to push experimental shots.
But this time around, the masses have awakened to the globalist playbook of conquest, and may not be as receptive to MSM hysteria.
Simply put, the Deep State is getting desperate and is behaving like a cornered animal.
No Evidence Biden Administration Is Bringing Back COVID Restrictions!
Let’s take a look at what Infowars just claimed, and find out what the facts really are!
Fact #1 : InfoWars Is Notorious Fake News Website
First, let me just point out that InfoWars is notorious for posting conspiracy theories and fake news.
2020 study by four universities – Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers, found that InfoWars was amongst the top 5 most shared websites for COVID-19 fake news.
InfoWars is listed as #4 on the Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites list.
InfoWars video editor Josh Owens admitted to intentionally creating misleading videos – “It’s not about truth, it’s not about accuracy — it’s about what’s going to make people click on this video…In essence, we lied.“
Both Alex Jones and InfoWars have been subjected to multiple lawsuits, losing them one after another. In December 2022, he and the InfoWars parent company was ordered to pay about $1.5 billion for spreading lies about the 2002 Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Based on its reputation, everything posted by InfoWars should be considered as FAKE NEWS until proven otherwise.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from InfoWars. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
Fact #2 : Alex Jones + InfoWars Provided No Evidence
If you watch the InfoWars video where Alex Jones detailed the “exclusive news” that the Biden Administration is planning to bring back FULL COVID-19 restrictions, you may be forgiven for thinking that all those papers on his table were leaked memorandum and policy documents that TSA and Border Patrol whistleblowers provided.
Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. While there is A TON of papers on his massive table, they appear to be nothing more than printed copies of news articles. Alex Jones never showed any evidence of the “planned COVID-19 protocols” that will roll out in the middle of September 2023.
It’s easy to make outlandish claims, it’s quite another thing to back them with actual evidence. Needless to say, InfoWars offered ZERO evidence to back up its claims.
Fact #3 : Lockdowns Were Necessary Because There Was No Vaccine
In his video, Alex Jones said that his whistleblowers were told to expect “a return to the full COVID protocol of 2020/2021” by December 2023.
The problem with that claim is that many governments implemented lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, because there was no treatment and vaccines were not yet invented or available in sufficient quantities.
Lockdowns were used as a way to limit transmission, and prevent hospitals and healthcare workers from being overloaded with COVID-19 patients.
Now that many people have some protection from a prior infection, or from COVID-19 vaccines, there has been no new need for governments to implement new lockdowns. In fact, there has been multiple waves of new COVID-19 variants, but they have not necessitated new lockdowns.
So the claim that the Biden Administration is going to implement COVID-19 lockdowns in December 2023 over the new Eris EG.5 variant is not supported by the prevailing evidence.
Fact #4 : WHO Declared COVID-19 Is No Longer PHEIC
It is interesting that the whistleblowers mentioned that the World Health Organization (WHO) may declare (an emergency?) over the new EG.5 Eris variant.
For one thing, the WHO itself declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 as a whole is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Instead, COVID-19 is now considered “an established and ongoing health issue“.
Fact #5 : Eris Variant Is Not More Dangerous
The WHO has been monitoring the new EG.5 “Eris” variant, designating it as a “variant of interest”. However, that does not mean Eris is a more dangerous variant.
According to the WHO, the EG. 5 variant has increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, but…
presents a low public health risk at a global level, and
has no reported changes in disease severity to date
While it is possible that EG.5 / Eris will become the dominant COVID-19 variant moving into the winter months of 2023, it has the same symptoms and severity as past variants.
Fact #6 : New Vaccines Are Coming In September 2023
Even if the Eris / EG.5 becomes dominant, it is unlikely for the United States to require lockdowns in December 2023, because new COVID-19 vaccines coming in September will offer better protection against it.
From late September 2023 onwards, Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are introducing new COVID-19 vaccines that will target XBB variants. As EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage, the new vaccines are expected to offer better protection against this new variant.
EG.5 is part of the XBB lineage and is more closely related to the XBB variants than it is to previous vaccine strains.
For this reason, the expectation is that the reformulated vaccines that will be available this fall will offer better protection to EG.5 than previous vaccines.
– Justin Lessler, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
In short, there really isn’t a need for new lockdowns, because the improved COVID-19 vaccines are already coming in the fall of 2023.
Fact #7 : Biden Administration Does Not Want New Lockdowns
I should now point out that it is against the Biden Administration’s interest to implement new lockdowns, which would cripple the economy. In fact, the Biden Administration mentioned this when it released its National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan (PDF download) in March 2022.
The path forward in the fight against COVID-19 is clear: schools, workers, and workplaces have resources and guidance to prevent shutdowns.
Finally, I should also point out that any order for a face mask mandate on public transportation, including airlines, would be issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, not the TSA or Border Control.
It was the US CDC that issued the first and only face mask mandate for public transportation in the United States (PDF download) on January 29, 2021. The TSA and Border Control had nothing to do with that, but only issued their own directives to comply with the CDC order.
However, the CDC face mask mandate was made “unenforceable” by court order on April 18, 2022, and expired when the Biden Administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
If the CDC ever issues another face mask mandate, it seems inevitable that it would be challenged in court, and made “unenforceable” by another court order. So what really is this panic over a “future” face mask mandate?
I should also point out that, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers all over the world have had no issues wearing face masks to protect themselves and their patients. Seriously, stop being such a wuss.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did US President Joe Biden fall asleep during a meeting with victims of the 2023 Maui wildfires?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Fell Asleep While Meeting Maui Fire Victims!
People are sharing a low resolution video, claiming that it shows US President Joe Biden falling asleep during a meeting with victims of the 2023 Maui wildfires!
Sean Hannity : Biden appears to fall asleep during a ceremony in Hawaii honoring the hundreds of Americans killed by the fires
Marc Wallace : Joe Biden just fell asleep in the middle of his meeting with victims of the Maui fires
TONY™️ : WOW!!! Joe Biden appears to be sleeping while listening to survivors speak about their homes burning to the ground 🤯
Two vacations and you still can’t stay awake? You can’t make this up 🚨👇🏼
Concerned Citizen : Joe Biden falling asleep in Maui whilst meeting local survivors of one of the worst Human Tragedies in American History.
Impeach this child sniffing corrupted criminal NOW.
Truth : Joe Biden Did Not Fall Asleep While Meeting Maui Fire Victims!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about Joe Biden, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Joe Biden Was At Lahaina Community Engagement Event
First, let me start by giving you some context on what’s going on.
In early August 2023, a number of wildfires broke out on the island of Maui, in the US state of Hawaii. That culminated in a massive wildfire that devastated the town of Lahaina on August 8, 2023.
The entire town of Lahaina was destroyed, with the damage estimated at $6 billion. Even worse – at least 114 people were confirmed killed in and around Lahaina, as of August 22.
On August 21, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived at Kahului Airport to visit the disaster sites. One of the stops was the Lahaina Civic Center, where President Biden met residents and gave a speech.
Fact #2 : Joe Biden Was Not Asleep
The viral video shows President Joe Biden sitting down, and nodding off, during that community engagement event at the Lahaina Civic Center.
The truth is – Joe Biden wasn’t nodding off. He was bowing his head, possibly in prayer. The viral video was edited to show him “nodding off”, and posted in low-resolution, so you can’t see that he actually had his eyes open.
In the higher resolution video posted by C-SPAN, you can see Joe Biden looking at the speaker, and cough, before bowing his head, and then nodding in agreement with the speaker. You can also see that his eyes were open even though his head remained bowed.
Joe Biden then looked up when the speaker spoke about the homes of his son, his daughter, and his parents, burning down. He then clapped with everyone else when the speaker said that “Lahaina is a town not for sale”.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was Joe Biden confused and stuttering in a viral MSNBC interview with Nicolle Wallace?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Was Confused + Stuttering In Viral Interview!
People are sharing a video of US President Joe Biden looking and sounding confused during an MSNBC interview. It has gone viral in MAGA groups, and is being promoted by pro-Russian and pro-CCP groups, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) .
OMG! President Of The United States? 🤦🏻♂️🫣🤣🤣
What’s wrong with him? What’s he rumbling about? 🤔😥🤦🏻♂️
Truth : Joe Biden Was Not Confused / Stuttering In Viral Interview!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about Joe Biden, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Joe Biden Interview Aired On June 30, 2023
First, let me just point out that Nicolle Wallace from MSNBC interviewed Joe Biden in the viral interview on June 30, 2023. You can watch the full MSNBC interview here.
During that interview, Nicolle Wallace asked President Biden about the US Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, as well as his administration’s foreign policy and other plans.
Fact #2 : Viral Video Was Fabricated
While the MSNBC interview did occur, the viral Joe Biden interview that has been circulating in MAGA, pro-CCP and pro-Russian groups is a complete fabrication.
President Joe Biden never spoke like that in the MSNBC interview. The original MSNBC interview proves that beyond doubt.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Likely A Deep Fake Video
The viral video appears to have modified using AI deep fake technology to change how and what Joe Biden said in the viral video. It does not appear to be done by editing and splicing parts of the interview.
For one thing, some of the words he said in the viral video do not appear in the original video. The background in the viral video also appear consistent even when Joe Biden was stuttering in the viral video.
All that suggest that AI deep fake technology was used to change what Joe Biden said in the viral interview video, and how he said it.
If President Joe Biden really looked and sounded confused, or stuttered repeatedly during the MSNBC interview, it would have been international news, not just limited to the United States.
All of the mainstream media would have covered it. Even if they didn’t, you can count on right-wing news outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, or One America News Network, to cover his confusion and stuttering 24/7.
Yet, not a single mainstream media outlet reported on this major embarrassment for President Joe Biden? That’s because it never happened.
Fact #5 : This Is Just Fake News About Joe Biden
This is just ultimately just another example of political fake news to smear Joe Biden, and here are other examples:
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Joe Biden insult Britain by refusing to attend the Coronation of King Charles III?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Insulted Britain With Coronation Snub!
Donald Trump keeps criticising President Joe Biden for refusing to attend the Coronation of King Charles III!
Donald Trump : Joe Biden should have been at the Coronation of King Charles III. Is that really so much to ask? The people of the U.K. are greatly insulted. No wonder we are losing support all over the World. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!
Donald Trump : Certainly, he should be here as our representative of our country. I was very surprised, I think it’s very disrespectful for him not to be here. I don’t think he can do it physically.
Truth : Joe Biden Did Not Insult Britain With Coronation Absence!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Donald Trump, and spread by MAGA conservatives, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US Presidents Have Never Gone To Coronations
First, let me just point out that no sitting US president has ever attended a British coronation since the country gained its independence in 1776.
Before the reign of Queen Victoria, the US-UK relationship was adversarial because of the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Even when relations improved, President Martin Van Buren did not attend when Queen Victoria ascended the throne.
Fact #2 : It Was Not Practical To Attend In The Past
In President Van Buren’s case, it was not practical for him to attend Queen Victoria’s coronation because it was simply too troublesome to travel such a long distance for the ceremony.
Even when it came to the coronation of King George VI in 1937, it was not practical for President Franklin D. Roosevelt to attend.
It only became somewhat practical to travel for such ceremonies when transatlantic air travel started in 1939.
Fact #3 : US Presidents Always Send Representatives
Despite cultivating a relationship during World War 2, President Dwight Eisenhower also chose to keep to tradition, and did not attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Instead, he sent three representatives instead – California governor Earl Warren, former Secretary of State George Marshall, and the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Omar Bradley.
For the coronation of King Charles III, President Biden chose to send his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and one of his granddaughters, Finnegan Biden, to represent him and the United States.
Fact #4 : Joe Biden Congratulated King Charles In Advance
On April 4, 2023, President Joe Biden congratulated King Charles on his upcoming Coronation, and informed him that he would be sending his wife, First Lady Jill Biden to attend on behalf of the United States.
He also conveyed his desire to meet with King Charles in the United Kingdom at a future date.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with King Charles III, underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples. The President congratulated the King on his upcoming Coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States. The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date.
Fact #5 : King Charles Invited Biden For A State Visit
On April 5, 2023, King Charles invited President Joe Biden to the United Kingdom for a state visit, which Biden accepted.
That invitation came during a conversation between King Charles and President Biden the day earlier. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said:
The president was appreciative of the offer by the King and looks forward to that state visit.
She also said that a specific date or timeline for the state visit has not been determined, but that it would be “in the near future”.
Donald Trump is likely to be annoyed and upset that King Charles did not even invite him to the Coronation. That could explain his need to keep criticising Biden for not attending, even though he was formally invited.
Trump is often outspoken about his “closeness” to Queen Elizabeth II, and other world leaders and celebrities in general. To be snubbed for such a major event must have been a real dent to his considerable ego.
Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Joe Biden
This is just another example of political fake news to smear Joe Biden, and here are other examples:
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the ICC (International Criminal Court) just issue an arrest warrant for President Joe Biden for attacking the Nord Stream pipelines?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : ICC Just Issued Arrest Warrant For President Joe Biden!
People are sharing a YouTube video which shows the ICC (International Criminal Court) issuing an arrest warrant for President Joe Biden for his role in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines!
BREAKING NEWS!! Arrest Warrant Issued For President Biden For Nord Stream
How To Be A Hypocrite From AlienJacket Show How The Actions Of The West Divides The World Instead Of Bring It Together.
Truth : ICC Did Not Issue Arrest Warrant For President Joe Biden!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by pro-Russia activists, and promoted / shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Video Was From July 2022
While this video is being presented as new – “Breaking News!!“, it is actually more than 9 months old.
I traced the video to the opening statement of ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC, which was recorded on July 14, 2022.
Fact #2 : ICC Called For Cooperation Into Ukraine War Crimes Probe
In the original video, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was speaking at the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague, where he called for “an overarching strategy” to bring the perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to justice.
The simple truth is that, as we speak, children, women and men, the young and the old, are living in terror.
Just in case you are wondering – the Ukraine Accountability Conference was held to coordinate efforts to create a coherent approach in ensuring accountability for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Features A Fake “Satire” Voice-Over
The video is real, but the original audio was replaced by a fake “satire” voice-over. Karim Khan spoke English in the original video, so there was no need for a translator.
The fake video creator actually mentioned this in the video’s title, but intentionally made the extra long to reduce visibility of that disclaimer. The fake news creator also mentioned the use of a fake voice-over in the description:
BREAKING NEWS!! Arrest Warrant Issued For President Biden For Nord Stream (Satire Interpreter Voice)
How To Be A Hypocrite From AlienJacket Show How The Actions Of The West Divides The World Instead Of Bring It Together. Satire Interpreter Voice To Show What An Alternate Reality Would Look Like Or Prefer. Again, Satire Satire Satire!
This goes to show just how many people don’t bother to even read the title. Of course, when it comes to pro-Russia and pro-CCP netizens, who cares? If it is anti-America, it must be true.
Fact #4 : It Was Posted By A New “Parody” YouTube Account
The viral video was posted by a new YouTube account created on March 15, 2023. So far, this YouTube channel – AlienJacket, posted seven anti-Western videos – six of which are fake “parody” videos.
The only non-parody video is of Zambian politician Fred M’membe criticising the United States at China’s recent “democracy forum” – the the Second International Forum on Democracy.
Fact #5 : Unknown Who Destroyed Nord Stream 2 Pipelines
It is currently unknown who destroyed the Nord Stream 2 pipelines. As far as plausible reasons go, many countries had plausible reasons to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines:
US : To prevent allies in Europe from being held hostage by their reliance on cheap Russian gas.
UK : To encourage allies in Europe to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Russia : To stop supplying Europe without breaking its gas supply contracts, and/or to divide Europe.
Ukraine : To unite Europe against Russia.
While motive is important, it is not evidence that a country has committed the crime. There has to be actual evidence that the US / UK / Russia / Ukraine did it.
Regardless of what armchair experts may claim, there is simply no conclusive evidence YET that any of those countries are responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
Fact #6 : This Is Pro-Russia Propaganda
This is really nothing more than yet another example of pro-Russia propaganda, like these examples:
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did US President Joe Biden bizarrely walk away from the Air Force Falcons, before the football team could present him with a helmet and signed ball?!
Claim : Joe Biden Bizarrely Walks Away From Air Force Falcons!
People are sharing a Twitter video and post that appears to show US President Joe Biden suddenly walking away from the Air Force Falcons, before the football team could present him with a helmet and signed ball.
Sinnaig : 🇷🇺😂🤨 This guy “runs” the world…
Biden hosted the US Air Force Academy football team “Falcons” at the White House.
He was supposed to be presented with a ball signed by the team, a helmet and a football jersey. He only took the sweater and suddenly turned around and left…😂
In the video, a female officer gestures to President Biden, who pauses before turning around to walk away from the team with a football jersey, while two officers appear to be waiting to hand him a football and a helmet.
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by pro-Russia activists, and promoted / shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : President Joe Biden Presented CIC Trophy To Air Force Falcons
First, let me just give you some context on what’s going on.
The video was recorded at around 2:40 PM on Friday, April 28, 2023 at the White House where President Joe Biden presented the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the Air Force Falcons.
Fact #2 : Air Force Falcons Presented Joe Biden With Ball + Helmet
Sinnaig falsely claimed that the President Joe Biden walked away before the Air Force Falcons presented him with a signed ball and a helmet, taking with him only a football jersey.
The truth is – the Air Force Falcons presented Joe Biden with all three items. This was specifically mentioned in the White House transcript of the event.
(The President is presented with an Air Force Falcons jersey, football, and helmet.)
Fact #3 : The Video Was Edited
The video is genuine, but edited to convey the impression that President Biden is a doddering old fool.
The fake news creator specifically cut out an earlier segment of the video so that it appears that Joe Biden walked away from the team before they presented him with the football and helmet.
In the original video (which I posted below), you can see Air Force Falcons coach Calhoun call on two Air Force captains to present the three items to President Biden.
Our two captains: Haaziq Daniels, quarterback, and — and running back Brad Roberts. And, sir, they have a couple of small items here for you.
Captain Haaziq Daniels first hands Biden the jersey, which he holds up for a photo, before he gives him the signed football. Biden then mocks an attempt to throw it, saying “Go down, out, and down” to laughter from the crowd.
After handing the football back to Captain Daniels, he says “Where I’m going tonight, I may need that helmet.“, and turns to take the helmet from Captain Brad Roberts.
Before walking off, he turns towards the team, and says something to them. It is inaudible, but according to the White House transcript, this was what he said:
Well, thank you very much. What a great, great honor. I appreciate it very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
After that, he turns around and walks out of the room, carrying only the jersey. It wouldn’t be possible for him to hold onto all three items after all.
The two Air Force captains then places the football and helmet on the table, before taking a photo with General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did two doormen shut the doors in US President Joe Biden’s face, when he tried to enter the Irish Parliament?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Irish Parliament Shut Its Doors In Joe Biden’s Face!
People are sharing a TikTok video, which apparently shows Joe Biden being denied entry to the Irish Parliament, literally getting its doors closed in his face!
The video, which was posted by TheLeeShow, has the title Ireland Welcoming The President! and uses the Funny laugh no no no sound effect.
Truth : Irish Parliament Did Not Deny Entry To Joe Biden!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by right wing activists, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral TikTok Video Was Edited
The viral TikTok video was edited from the original footage, in order to make Joe Biden look confused as the two doormen closed the doors in his face.
The TikTok video is only 10 seconds, while the original footage is several minutes long. Crucially, the TikTok video crops out critical parts of the frame, to convey a different narrative.
Fact #2 : Joe Biden Was With Irish Parliament Speakers
The original footage shows President Joe Biden arriving at Leinster House in Dublin, where the Irish Parliament seats. He is met by Seán Ó Fearghaíl, speaker of Irish parliament’s lower chamber, and Jerry Buttimer, speaker of Irish parliament’s upper chamber.
If the Irish Parliament did not want Joe Biden to come, they would not have waited for him to arrive, never mind escort him in!
Fact #3 : Joe Biden Was Not “Confused”
In the original footage, the three men walked up the stairs, stopping for photo opportunities along the way.
Joe Biden can be seen chatting and laughing with them. He appeared to be engaged with both men, and not “confused” as many are claiming.
Fact #4 : The Doors Were Temporarily Closed For A Photoshoot
At around 30 seconds of our comparison video above, you can see a lady on the left gesturing to the doormen to shut the door.
The viral TikTok video crucially edited out that lady, making it look like the doormen closed the doors in Joe Biden’s face to deny him entry.
Then the TikTok video ends the video, just as the same lady gestures to the three men to arrange themselves for another photoshoot.
After letting photographers take their shots, the doormen reopened the doors. President Joe Biden is then seen shaking the hands of both speakers of the Irish Parliament, before they head inside.
Fact #4 : This Is Just Fake News About Joe Biden
This is just another example of political fake news created to smear Joe Biden, and here are other examples you may have seen on social media:
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was US President Joe Biden caught on video failing to recognised UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak?!
Take a look at the viral videos, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Joe Biden Failed To Recognise UK PM Rishi Sunak
People are sharing videos on WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, which claim to show Joe Biden failing to recognise United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and even pushing him aside to greet King Charles’ representative instead.
@Spriter99880 : Arriving in Belfast, the Biden did not recognize the Prime Minister of Great Britain and pushed the “boy” away to salute the gray-haired military man.
Ian Miles Cheong : This owns. When greeted at the airport, Joe Biden shoves British PM Rishi Sunak aside to salute a random white guy.
Kim Dotcom : Joe Biden doesn’t recognize the little brown guy (Prime Minister of UK) and pushes him away to salute the old white guy. The look on the face of @RishiSunakis priceless 🤣
Did Joe Biden ignore and push Rishi Sunak aside to greet a security guard?! 😲🤨
@xziena53 : Rishi Sunak pushed out of the way by Biden #biden #sunak #pushedout #fyp
@henryjamesbarrowclough : Sleepy Joe Biden Mistakes Rishi Sunak As Local Indian Waiter On Trip To Ireland
@maxbavpk6wd : President Biden pushes Indian Sunak out of the way to greet security guard
Arriving in Belfast, Joe Biden did not recognize the Prime Minister of Great Britain and pushed the ” Indian boy ” away to salute the gray-haired military man.
Truth : Joe Biden Recognised UK PM Rishi Sunak, Did Not Push Him Aside!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by right wing activists, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Videos Were Edited
The viral videos were edited from the original footage, intentionally removing the segment which shows President Joe Biden greeting and shaking Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s hand.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates confirmed it on April 13, telling AFP:
The footage was dishonestly manipulated.
Fact #2 : Joe Biden Greeted + Spoke With Rishi Sunak
In the original video, US President Joe Biden is seen greeting and shaking UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and exchanging words for a few seconds before saluting Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim, David McCorkell, King Charles III’s representative in Northern Ireland.
After greeting other people, Biden laid his hand on Sunak’s back, before going on to greet even more people. Biden later resumed his conversation with Rishi Sunak and David McCorkell on the tarmac for a minute or two, before The Beast (the US armoured Presidential limousine) arrived.
It is quite impossible for Joe Biden not to recognise Rishi Sunak, because they met and spoke with each other on several occasions, the most recent being a month ago!
On March 13, Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Joe Biden at San Diego to mark the AUKUS deal. Sunak and Biden not only had a bilateral meeting, they also held a press conference together, in which he spoke of Sunak in familiar terms.
PRESIDENT BIDEN: I got a brief statement to talk about my friend here for a second.
First of all, I want to welcome him back to California. He’s a Stanford man, and he still has a home here in California. That’s why I’m being very nice to him, maybe he’ll invite me to his home here in California.
In fact, Joe Biden first met Rishi Sunak in November 2022, during the G20 summit. During their first bilateral meeting on 16 November 2022, President Biden congratulated Rishi Sunak for becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Fact #4 : This Is Just Fake News About Joe Biden
This is just another example of political fake news created to smear Joe Biden, and here are other examples you may have seen on social media:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US Secret Service arrest people just because they were protesting as the Joe Biden motorcade passed by?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Secret Service Arrested People For Protesting Joe Biden Motorcade!
People are sharing a video clip of US Secret Service agents wrestling a protestor to the ground, and arresting her for protesting while a motorcade with President Joe Biden passed by, with accompanying comments like:
The Secret Service arrested protesters who were demonstrating as the Biden motorcade passed by. Imagine if this happened in China..!
Western media will endlessly report on the brutality of the Chinese police… 😡
Truth : Secret Service Did NOT Arrest People For Protesting Joe Biden Motorcade!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) or pro-CCP netizens and groups, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Taken On June 8, 2022
This video is being shared by pro-CCP netizens in April 2023, it is actually more than two years old.
The video was recorded on June 8, 2022, as President Joe Biden was being driven in a motorcade to the LA Convention Center for the Summit of the Americas.
The video and photos of that incident were published by many news organisations, including CBS News, Fox News, NBC, Daily Mail, New York Post, etc. so this is easily verified by a simple online search.
Fact #2 : Protestor Was Arrested For Approaching Motorcade
The US secret agent did not wrestle the young woman to the ground for protesting President Joe Biden. She was tackled and arrested, because she broke the security cordon and approached the presidential motorcade.
By walking onto the restricted road into the path of the presidential motorcade, she not only risked getting hit by the passing vehicles, she posed a potential security risk to President Joe Biden and other people travelling in that motorcade.
Hence, the Secret Service agent had no choice but to tackle her, and remove her from the restricted roadway. Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi later confirmed this:
Shortly after 5pm, an adult female entered a restricted roadway along a motorcade route on Chick Hearn Ct in Los Angeles.
As the woman approached passing vehicles, a United States Secret Service agent swiftly removed her from the roadway and placed her into custody.
There was no impact to the motorcade movement or our protectees. Our investigation into this incident is ongoing.
Fact #3 : Summit of the Americas Protestors Were Not Arrested
In the United States of America, people have the right to protest. It is enshrined in the First Amendment of its Constitution, which states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The First Amendment not only guarantees freedom of religion and speech, it also guarantees the right to assemble and protest peacefully.
Like many major international events, the 2022 Summit of the Americas saw people from different camps coming out to protest.
One group protested President Joe Biden’s decision to exclude Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from the event, while the other group were there to counter-protest in agreement with the president.
Fact #4 : She Was Not Protesting President Joe Biden
Ironically, the protestor who was wrestled to the ground was not even protesting the Summit of the Americas. Neither was she protesting against President Joe Biden.
She was just a pro-choice activist who was incensed by a leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade decision on abortion rights. She was heard screaming, “An abortion ban will not stop abortions – only safe ones.”
The Biden Administration is pro-choice, and is in favour of abortion rights. So the claim that she was protesting President Joe Biden is nonsense.
Even if she was protesting Joe Biden, she would not have been arrested if she did not breach the security cordon surrounding the presidential motorcade.
It is extremely hypocritical for pro-CCP netizens to share this fake news, because China often arrests people who protest. Even something as innocuous as putting up a protest banner can get you arrested.
Take for example, the famous Bridge Man. On Thursday, 13 October 2022, a man was quickly arrested after he strung banners across a bridge in Beijing that accused President Xi Jinping of being a dictator.
Needless to say, people who actually participate in a protest are quickly arrested by Chinese police, as the photo below shows – that man was arrested for protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Shanghai on 27 November 2022.
Even online dissent is firmly and quickly quashed. Anything remotely sensitive is quickly censored, and the user’s account either suspended or deleted. People who make controversial comments are also often called up by the police, and may be arrested for making them.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Morgan Freeman just call Joe Biden a fool for talking about chocolate chip ice-cream after the Nashville school shooting?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Morgan Freeman Called Joe Biden A Fool Over Ice-Cream!
People are sharing a TikTok video with the title “Children are killed and this FOOL is talking about chocolate chip ice cream!!!!!”, which shows Morgan Freeman calling US President Joe Biden a fool.
Here is a transcript of the video, but feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
It’s your friend, Morgan, and I’ve had it up to here. You tell me what the hell is going on.
Children are killed in this school, and this fool comes in talking about chocolate chip ice-cream.
What the hell is going on? I’m Doctor Jill Biden’s husband. We all know that, fool.
Enough already. Get this guy out of there. Two years is enough.
Everything costs more, everything is going down the drain, we are being laughed at around the world, and this fool talking about his ice-cream. Get him out!
Truth : Morgan Freeman Did NOT Call Joe Biden A Fool Over Ice-Cream!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to go viral on TikTok, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : It Was A Deep Fake Video
The viral video is not real. It is a deep fake video created by a TikTok user called The Man of Many Voices who described himself as a “celebrity voice impressionist”.
In his now deleted account, The Man of Many Voices posted many similar deep fake videos of Morgan Freeman and other celebrities:
Clint Eastwood – Clint wants to know if you think it’s fair Trump got indicted.
Morgan Freeman – Debacle! Congress was embarrassing to watch!!
Morgan Freeman – Worst Halftime show ever!
It appears that only his recent Morgan Freeman video has gone viral, with other TikTok users reposting it in their accounts. It then spread to Twitter and YouTube, and other social media platforms.
Fact #2 : Joe Biden Did Speak About Ice-Cream
US President Joe Biden did speak about chocolate chip ice-cream, but not while addressing the Nashville school shooting.
On March 27, 2023, President Biden had a cheerful and buoyant meet and greet with women business leaders at the Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Summit at the White House, just before he gave a speech to them.
Hence, he started his speech with a joke about chocolate chip ice-cream:
Thank you. My name is Joe Biden. I’m Dr. Jill Biden’s husband. And I eat Jeni’s Ice Cream, chocolate chip. I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream.
By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs. You think I’m kidding, I’m not.
Fact #3 : Joe Biden Addressed The Shooting Later In His Speech
Many social media users mocked Joe Biden for making those ice-cream remarks because the Fox News video clip above was intentionally cut to remove context.
President Biden actually addressed the shooting (which occurred just hours earlier) two minutes into his speech.
As usual, Fox News did not help matters by placing the chyron, “Biden Addresses Deadly Nashville School Shooting” even though the President was not doing that (at that time).
In fact, Fox News cut away from Joe Biden’s speech, only to return to it when he started commenting on the Nashville school shooting two minutes into his speech.
Fact #4 : White House Addressed The Shooting Before His Speech
Before President Biden appeared at the women’s business summit, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had already addressed the Nashville school shooting as the first order of business at that morning’s White House press conference.
She expressed “the President’s appreciation for the first responders, and prayers for all the families affected by this shooting“.
Fact #5 : This Is Just Another Example Of Political Fake News
This is just another example of political fake news created to smear Joe Biden, and here are other examples you may have seen on social media:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the WHO (World Health Organization) planning to take control of the Internet, for the “benefit of humanity”?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : WHO Plans To Take Control Of Internet!
People are sharing an article by NewsPunch, which claims that the WHO (World Health Organization) is planning to take control of the Internet, for the “benefit of humanity”!
Here is an excerpt of the very long article, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
WHO Moves Forward With Plans To Take Total Control of the Internet ‘For the Benefit of Humanity’
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week held a meeting to advance the international pandemic treaty — a legally binding instrument that will grant the global health agency total control over the internet to censor anything it deems to be “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.
Specifically, WHO member states are instructed to “tackle false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through promotion of international cooperation” and manage “infodemics…through effective channels, including social media.” Infodemics is a term that the WHO uses to describe “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.”
Additionally, Article 16 (“Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches at the national level”) recommends that WHO member states collaborate with non-state actors and the private sector when carrying out their obligations under the treaty.
As the treaty has progressed, it has faced increased political pushback from elected officials in member states, with US Republican Senators recently introducing a bill that would require the treaty to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate.
But despite this pushback, the Biden administration committed to the international pandemic treaty on the first day of the recent WHO meeting.
And the WHO is continuing to discuss the treaty and plan for its future. The global health agency has another meeting to discuss the treaty scheduled for April 3 to April 6, plans to present the treaty to its decision-making body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), in May, and hopes to finalize the treaty by May 2024.
The WHO intends to adopt the treaty under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution through an international lawmaking process where a group of mostly unelected diplomats vote on the treaty.
If the treaty passes, WHO member states will be required to “raise financial resources for effective implementation” of the treaty and commit to allocating at least 5% of their annual health expenditure to “pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.” Additionally, the treaty tells member states to commit an undisclosed amount of their gross domestic product (GDP) to “international cooperation and assistance on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.” This equates to billions of dollars in annual expenditure for many WHO member states and hundreds of billions of dollars per annum for some.
This WHO push to crack down on speech via this international pandemic treaty is being made in tandem with another WHO effort that targets “misinformation” and “disinformation” — proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005).
Like the treaty, these proposed amendments will be legally binding under international law if finalized. The amendments include provisions for the WHO to “counter misinformation and disinformation” at “the global level” and to develop member states’ capacities to gain “leverage of communication channels to communicate the risk, countering misinformation and dis-information.”
In a report that was released alongside the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO suggested it would use its new misinformation and disinformation targeting powers to go after content that could “undermine public trust in health agencies and impede public confidence in, and compliance with, governmental or WHO guidance.” It also called for “a balance between ensuring more accurate scientific information on one hand and freedom of speech and the press on the other.”
Truth : WHO Is NOT Planning To Take Over Internet!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about the World Health Organization – WHO, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : NewsPunch Is A Fake News Website
Like Real Raw News, NewPunch is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
It was founded as Your News Wire in 2014, before being rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news spread on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from NewsPunch. Here are some of its fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
Fact #2 : WHO Member States Want To Better Prepare For Future Pandemics
This claim is based on WHO member state discussions in 2022, to amend existing International Health Regulations to strengthen the world’s preparedness against future global pandemics.
The International Health Regulations (IHR) were first adopted by member states in 1969, empowering the WHO to monitor global diseases. Those regulations have since been revised over the years, including in 2005 – after the SARS outbreak.
On 1 December 2021, world leaders agreed to kickstart the process to draft and negotiate an agreement or convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response“.
The proposed recommendations came from WHO member states, and not WHO itself. Among the more than 200 recommendations on how to better prepare for the next pandemic were:
sharing of data and genomic sequences on emerging viruses
a plan for equitable vaccine distribution
a ban on wildlife markets
incentives for reporting new viruses or variants
In other words – this agreement is being formulated by WHO member states, and not the WHO itself.
If you read the zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement, you will realise that the WHO is not planning to control the Internet. This is explicitly stated in Article 17, which refers to “Parties” that are the member states.
The Parties commit to increase science, public health and pandemic literacy in the population, as well as access to information on pandemics and their effects, and tackle false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through promotion of international cooperation.
As you can see, under the agreement, each individual country will commit to increase KNOWLEDGE about science and public health, as well as combat “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.
Not only does the article clearly state that it is up to each country (not the WHO) to implement its policies, it does not mention anything about controlling the Internet.
The only people who need to worry about Article 17 of this proposed WHO agreement are those who peddle “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.
Fact #4 : No One Can “Take Over” The Internet
The Internet is not some kind of organisation that the WHO can “take over”, even if it wants to. The Internet is a global system of networks, literally a “network of networks” connecting the networks in each country to each other.
Until today, there is no centralised control of the Internet – no one sets the rules or policies, or even technical implementations. It is up to each country to adopt its own policies, although to ensure interoperability, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the domain name system (DNS), while the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) helps to standardise and improve technical aspects of the Internet.
Due to its autonomous nature, no one can control the Internet, never mind take over control. Individual countries and organisations can control its own networks, limiting or filtering access as they wish, but they cannot do so for other networks.
Fact #4 : Many Countries Do NOT Want A Binding Treaty
The claim that this is a binding treaty is, currently, false.
While the European Union, Britain, Indonesia and Kenya have proposed that the changes be adopted in the form of a binding treaty, the United States, India and Brazil opposed that idea.
The EU proposed the treaty and is its biggest backer, with support from Britain, Indonesia, Kenya and others.
The United States will take part in the talks but has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil have also voiced reservations.
With so many member countries involved, securing agreement is likely to be tricky.
If you download and read the zero draft, you will realise that the WHO is still calling it a “convention, agreement, or other international instruments“, clearly showing that member countries have not decided whether they want it to be binding or otherwise.
In the third point noted on the very first page of the draft, it was even pointed out that this is just a draft that is being used for “commencing negotiations“, and that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed“.
The INB (Intergovernmental Negotiating Body) further agreed that the zero draft would be considered at its fourth meeting as a basis for commencing negotiations at that meeting, it being understood that the zero draft will be without prejudice to the position of any delegation and following the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.
So it is ludicrous for anyone who read the first page of the zero draft to claim that this is a binding treaty.
Fact #7 : WHO Agreement Must Be Ratified By Member Countries
The claim that the proposed WHO agreement will be voted on by “mostly unelected diplomats” is nonsense.
First of all, the agreement was drafted and amended by member countries themselves. The WHO is only facilitating this agreement. It is not the one creating the agreement.
Secondly, even after member countries agree on a final WHO agreement, it must be approved and adopted by each individual country. This is clearly stated in Article 33(1) with my emphasis in bold:
The WHO CA+ shall be subject to ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by States, and to formal confirmation or accession by regional economic integration organizations. It shall be open for accession from the day after the date on which the WHO CA+ is closed for signature. Instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation or accession shall be deposited with the Depositary.
Fact #8 : All Treaties Require US Senate Ratification
The move by Republican Senators to introduce a bill that would require the WHO treaty to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate is nothing more than political drama, because it is already the law of the land.
The US Constitution gives the Senate the sole power to approve, by a two-thirds vote or more, all international treaties (binding agreements) negotiated by the executive branch.
[The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;
In other words, the bill by Republican senators is irrelevant political theatre. If the WHO agreement is a binding treaty, the US Constitution already requires two-thirds of the US Senate to ratify it.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the Biden Administration negotiating to sign over US sovereignty to the World Health Organization (WHO)?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Biden Admin Is Going To Sign Over US Sovereignty To WHO!
People are sharing an article by The Epoch Times, which claims that the Biden Administration is negotiating a deal to give WHO authority over US pandemic policies!
Here is an excerpt of the very long article, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
The Biden administration is preparing to sign up the United States to a “legally binding” accord with the World Health Organization (WHO) that would give the Geneva-based United Nations health agency the authority to dictate America’s policies during a pandemic.
Despite widespread criticism of the WHO’s response to the COVID pandemic, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joined with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in September 2022 to announce “the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue.” Together, they developed a “platform to maximize the longstanding U.S.–WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including the American people.”
These discussions and others spawned the “zero draft” (pdf) of a pandemic treaty, published on Feb. 1, which now seeks ratification by all 194 WHO member states. A meeting of the WHO’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body is scheduled for Feb. 27 to work out the final terms, which members will then sign.
Written under the banner of “the world together equitably,” the zero draft grants the WHO the power to declare and manage a global pandemic emergency. Once a health emergency is declared, all signatories, including the United States, would submit to the authority of the WHO regarding treatments, government regulations such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates, global supply chains, and monitoring and surveillance of populations.
Centralized Pandemic Response
“They want to see a centralized, vaccine-and-medication-based response, and a very restrictive response in terms of controlling populations,” David Bell, a public health physician and former WHO staffer specializing in epidemic policy, told The Epoch Times. “They get to decide what is a health emergency, and they are putting in place a surveillance mechanism that will ensure that there are potential emergencies to declare.”
The WHO pandemic treaty is part of a two-track effort, coinciding with an initiative by the World Health Assembly to create new global pandemic regulations that would also supersede the laws of member states. The World Health Assembly is the rule-making body of the WHO, comprised of representatives from the member states.
“Both [initiatives] are fatally dangerous,” Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law, told The Epoch Times. “Either one or both would set up a worldwide medical police state under the control of the WHO, and in particular WHO Director-General Tedros.
“If either one or both of these go through, Tedros or his successor will be able to issue orders that will go all the way down the pipe to your primary care physicians.”
Physician Meryl Nass told The Epoch Times: “If these rules go through as currently drafted, I, as a doctor, will be told what I am allowed to give a patient and what I am prohibited from giving a patient, whenever the WHO declares a public health emergency. So they can tell you you’re getting remdesivir, but you can’t have hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin. What they’re also saying is they believe in equity, which means everybody in the world gets vaccinated, whether or not you need it, whether or not you’re already immune.”
Regarding medical treatments, the accord would require member nations to “monitor and regulate against substandard and falsified pandemic-related products.” Based on previous WHO and Biden administration policy, this would likely include forcing populations to take newly developed vaccines, while preventing doctors from prescribing nonvaccine treatments or medicines.
Circumventing Senate, Constitution?
A key question surrounding the accord is whether the Biden administration can bind the United States to treaties and agreements without Senate consent, which is required under the Constitution. The zero draft concedes that, per international law, treaties between countries must be ratified by national legislatures, thus respecting the right of their citizens to consent.
However, the draft also includes a clause that the accord will go into effect on a “provisional” basis as soon as it’s signed by delegates to the WHO and would, therefore, be legally binding on members without being ratified by legislatures.
“Whoever drafted this clause knew as much about U.S. constitutional law and international law as I did, and deliberately drafted it to circumvent the power of the Senate to give its advice and consent to treaties, to provisionally bring it into force immediately upon signature,” Boyle said. In addition, “the Biden administration will take the position that this is an international executive agreement that the president can conclude of his own accord without approval by Congress and is binding on the United States of America, including all state and local democratically elected officials, governors, attorney generals, and health officials.”
There are several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that may support the Biden administration’s position. They include State of Missouri v. Holland, in which the Supreme Court ruled that treaties supersede state laws, while other decisions, such as United States v. Belmont, ruled that executive agreements without Senate consent can be legally binding, with the force of treaties.
There are parallels between the WHO pandemic accord and a recent Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global tax agreement, which the Biden administration signed on to, although Republicans say has “no path forward” to legislative approval. In the OECD agreement, punitive terms are built in that allow foreign countries to punish American companies if the deal isn’t ratified by the United States.
As with the OECD tax agreement, administration officials are attempting to appeal to international organizations to impose policies that have been rejected by America’s voters. Under the U.S. Constitution, health care doesn’t fall under the authority of the federal government; it’s the domain of the states. The Biden administration found this to be an unwelcome impediment to its attempts to impose vaccine and mask mandates on Americans when courts ruled that federal agencies didn’t have the authority to do so.
“To circumvent that, they went to the WHO, for either the regulations or the treaty, to get around domestic opposition,” Boyle said.
According to the zero draft, signatories would agree to “strengthen the capacity and performance of national regulatory authorities and increase the harmonization of regulatory requirements at the international and regional level.” They will also implement a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach at the national level” that will include national governments, local governments, and private companies.
The zero draft stated that the new accord is necessary because of “the catastrophic failure of the international community in showing solidarity and equity in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.”
A report from the WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (pdf) characterized the WHO’s performance as a “toxic cocktail” of bad decisions. Co-Chair Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the BBC it was due to “a myriad of failures, gaps, and delays.” The solutions proposed by that report, however, didn’t suggest more local autonomy or diversified decision-making, but rather greater centralization, more power, and more money for the WHO.
Truth : Biden Admin Is NOT Going To Sign Over US Sovereignty To WHO!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about the Biden Administration, and the WHO, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : WHO Member States Want To Better Prepare For Future Pandemics
This claim is based on WHO member state discussions in 2022, to amend existing International Health Regulations to strengthen the world’s preparedness against future global pandemics.
The International Health Regulations (IHR) were first adopted by member states in 1969, empowering the WHO to monitor global diseases. Those regulations have since been revised over the years, including in 2005 – after the SARS outbreak.
On 1 December 2021, world leaders agreed to kickstart the process to draft and negotiate an agreement or convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response“.
Fact #2 : Recommendations Came From WHO Member States
The proposed recommendations came from WHO member states, and not WHO itself. Among the more than 200 recommendations on how to better prepare for the next pandemic were:
sharing of data and genomic sequences on emerging viruses
a plan for equitable vaccine distribution
a ban on wildlife markets
incentives for reporting new viruses or variants
Fact #3 : Biden Administration Does Not Want A Binding Agreement
The European Union proposed that the changes be adopted in the form of a new treaty, a measure backed by Britain, Indonesia and Kenya, among other countries.
Despite what people are claiming on social media, the United States has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil are similarly reluctant about adopting a treaty.
The EU proposed the treaty and is its biggest backer, with support from Britain, Indonesia, Kenya and others.
The United States will take part in the talks but has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil have also voiced reservations.
With so many member countries involved, securing agreement is likely to be tricky.
The zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement on preparing for future pandemics was released on 1 February 2023, and was the focus of the article by The Epoch Times.
If you download and read the zero draft, you will realise that the WHO is still calling it a “convention, agreement, or other international instruments“, clearly showing that member countries have not decided whether they want it to be binding or otherwise.
In the third point noted on the very first page of the draft, it was even pointed out that this is just a draft that is being used for “commencing negotiations“, and that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed“.
The INB (Intergovernmental Negotiating Body) further agreed that the zero draft would be considered at its fourth meeting as a basis for commencing negotiations at that meeting, it being understood that the zero draft will be without prejudice to the position of any delegation and following the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.
So it is ludicrous for anyone who read the first page of the zero draft to claim that the Biden Administration is planning to sign away US sovereignty to the WHO.
Fact #5 : Zero Draft Specifically Addressed Sovereignty
The zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement on preparing for future pandemics even addresses the issue of national sovereignty on Article 4 (3):
3. Sovereignty – States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to determine and manage their approach to public health, notably pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of health systems, pursuant to their own policies and legislation, provided that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to their peoples and other countries. Sovereignty also covers the rights of States over their biological resources.
Anyone who read the zero draft can clearly see that even the “draft” has clarified that no country is signing over its national sovereignty to the WHO.
Fact #6 : WHO DG Dismissed Sovereignty Claim In May 2022
On May 17, 2022, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus dismissed the claim that countries signing up for this new agreement would be giving up their sovereignty.
The accord process is led by Member States with their own Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (called INB), representing all regions of the world. The INB has now started a two-year process that includes global public hearings with all stakeholders. This represents the world’s opportunity to plan together, detect pathogens quicker, share data broadly and collectively respond more effectively to the next diseases X or known pathogens.
Unfortunately, there has been a small minority of groups making misleading statements and purposefully distorting facts.
I want to be crystal clear. WHO’s agenda is public, open and transparent. WHO stands strongly for individual rights. We passionately support everyone’s right to health and we will do everything we can to ensure that that right is realized.
The first ever World Health Assembly, which took place soon after the WHO Constitution entered into force in 1948, was a watershed event in global public health. And like the proposed pandemic preparedness accord, this did not mean WHO usurped nations’ sovereignty; in fact it strengthened countries’ ability to fight diseases together.
WHO is an expression of Member States’ own sovereignty and WHO is entirely what the sovereign 194 Member States want WHO to be.
Every year, these sovereign governments come together at the World Health Assembly to set the health agenda for the world. Individually we can’t beat pandemics; our best chance is together.
Fact #6 : WHO Treaty Cannot Bypass US Senate Ratification
The claim that the Biden Administration is using the WHO treaty to bypass US senate ratification is nonsense.
The US Constitution gives the Senate the sole power to approve, by a two-thirds vote or more, all international treaties (binding agreements) negotiated by the executive branch.
[The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;
In other words, the Biden Administration can negotiate any agreement it wants with other WHO member countries, but it must still seek ratification by the two-thirds of the US Senate.
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Find out why the US Air Force shot down the Chinese spy balloon using an expensive $400,000 AIM-9X Sidewinder missile!
Claim : US Shot Down Spy Balloon Using Expensive Missile!
Pro-CCP netizens are mocking the US government for shooting down a cheap Chinese weather balloon using an expensive $400,000 AIM-9X Sidewinder missile!
US so panic of a balloon
they sent FOUR (4) fighter jets (2 x F-22s, 2 x F-15s) to “survey the situation”, before firing that $400k AIM-9x Sidewinder A2A missile to shoot the balloon down.
America used a $400,000 missile fired from a $216,000,000 fighter jet to shoot down…
Why US Shot Down Chinese Spy Balloon With Missile!
This is yet another example of PROPAGANDA created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : There Were Two Chinese Balloons
On Friday, February 3, 2023, China admitted that the massive balloon hovering over the US state of Montana belonged to them, but claimed that it was a weather balloon and not a spy balloon.
Later that same Friday, a second balloon was spotted over Latin America. It took China another 3 days to admit that it was theirs, and another “weather balloon” that was “blown off course”.
Fact #2 : Chinese Balloon Was Not A Weather Balloon
Weather balloons are common – thousands are launched daily across the world to collect information on the temperature, wind and moisture in the upper atmosphere.
Weather balloons are not very large – expanding from 6 feet (1.8 metres) to 20 feet (6 metres) in diameter as they rise in altitude. Their payloads are also small, consisting of a small box with a few sensors.
The Chinese weather balloon that the US Air Force just shot down is not only much larger at around 90 feet (27.5 metres) wide, it also has a very large payload that includes large solar panels, and even propellers to control its movement.
The kinds of weather balloons that are launched twice a day from Weather Service offices are typically just a little box that has a temperature sensor, relative humidity sensor, pressure sensor and then a little tiny transmitter. Based on the photos that have been going around, there’s obviously a lot more equipment on this one. – Alexandra Anderson-Frey, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Washington
Real weather balloons also do not travel far – they generally go up to a high altitude and stay there. Spy balloons, on the other hand, need to travel long distances. This Chinese balloon has travelled all the way from China to Alaska to Canada, before reaching the continental United States.
The reported characteristics of this balloon don’t really match anything that we’re familiar with. This has been traveling at a much longer distance than what would be these standard weather balloons.
[Standard weather balloons] go up over one particular place and up to about 50,000 feet in the atmosphere, and then that’s it, they’re done. They don’t travel large distances, so I think that there’s pretty significant differences between typical weather balloons and this reported balloon. – Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist at Accuweather
Fact #3 : Chinese Balloon Was At Very High Altitude
The US Air Force sent two F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to take down the spy balloon, with two F-15 fighters to probably take videos and photos of the event.
While Chinese netizens may snigger at how the USAF has to use such an expensive fighter jet to shoot down a cheap Chinese balloon, they ignore the fact that the Chinese spy balloon was operating at a very high altitude of about 65,000 feet – that’s 20 km above ground level!
The F-22 Raptor was likely chosen for the task as it was most capable of flying to such a high altitude while loaded with missiles. Many jet fighters have “similar” maximum service ceilings, but their true service ceilings are often much lower, limited by the amount of armament and/or fuel they carry.
Fact #4 : Missile Was Necessary To Shoot Down Balloon
In the end, the F-22 Raptor with the callsign FRANK01 attained an altitude of 58,000 feet (17.7 km) before firing an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon. It was the first air-to-air combat kill for the F-22.
While Chinese netizens mocked the use of such an expensive missile, the AIM-9X Sidewinder is the smallest and cheapest air-to-air missile in the USAF arsenal.
It would be impossible for the F-22 Raptor pilot to use its 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan rotary cannon to shoot down the balloon, which is still 7,000 feet (2.1 km) above it!
In case you are wondering – the M61A2 Vulcan has an effective range of only 2,000 feet (600 metres). So a missile was necessary to bring down the Chinese spy balloon, and the AIM-9X was the right tool for the job.
Interestingly, the FRANK callsign may be a reference to World War I Medal of Honor recipient First Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr., who is known as the “Arizona Balloon Buster” for shooting down 14 German balloons, as well as four planes.
Fact #5 : China Breaks International Law With Spy Balloon Overflights
It is ludicrous for anyone to claim that China can keep sending “cheap” spy balloons to trigger the Americans, as every country has “complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory” under international law.
Such acts are therefore violations of international law, and infringements of the sovereignty of the countries that these spy balloons overfly.
That’s why Chinese government keeps claiming that these spy balloons are civilian craft. That is also why the US government has the right to shoot down the spy balloon without asking China for permission.
Fact #6 : Every Fallen Balloon Is An Intelligence Bonanza
In the United States, Republicans are complaining that President Joe Biden was weak in allowing the Chinese spy balloon to fly off the coast of South Carolina before shooting it down on Saturday afternoon, February 4, 2023.
What they don’t tell the people is that President Joe Biden asked the US Air Force to shoot down the spy balloon as soon as it was safe to do so.
On top of that, the US military wanted to retrieve the spy balloon to examine its payload, and the best way to keep the payload intact would be to bring down the balloon over shallow water, instead of land.
In accordance with the President’s direction, the military brought down the balloon within sovereign U.S. airspace and over U.S. territorial waters to protect civilians while maximizing our ability to recover the payload.
On Monday, February 6, 2023, the first parts of the Chinese spy balloon arrived at the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis.
Depending on what they recover, it may be possible to determine what these spy balloons are capable of, what it recorded, and who manufactured its components. The Americans may possibly gain insights into hitherto unknown Chinese technologies.
Instead of mocking the Americans for shooting down a “cheap” spy balloon, perhaps the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens should worry about what the Americans might find….
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Was President Joe Biden caught groping a girl in a viral video clip?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : President Joe Biden Got Caught Groping A Girl On Video!
A short video clip of President Joe Biden has gone viral, with people claiming that he has finally been caught on camera molesting a young girl!
DeAnna Lorraine 🇺🇸 : This man just groped a woman on camera.
#StopTheWEFnow : Uncle Biden strikes again!!! 💥
This sex-crazed old man just can’t keep his hands off pretty girls.
When do people say enough is enough? When do the news networks stop protecting him and report this for what it is?
If Trump did that… #StopTheWEFnow
Moron, wet brains are screaming and kicking their feet about @Santos4Congress lying while running for political office but doing nothing about this bullshit.
WHAT IS THIS? It’s from a live broadcast – so not somehow deb-faked, or photoshopped images. Who is this (under-age) girl that Biden is touching her chest and kissing her????
Truth : President Joe Biden Was Not Groping The Girl!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by right wing activists, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Taken On October 29, 2022
While many people appear to believe that this incident just happened, the video is almost three months old.
The video was recorded by the Associated Press on Saturday, October 29, 2022, during early voting for the 2022 US midterm elections at a polling center in Delaware.
Fact #2 : Joe Biden Was Placing A Sticker On His Granddaughter
The original video shows President Joe Biden and his 18 year-old granddaughter, Natalie Biden – Beau Biden’s daughter, who was voting for the first time.
After they both cast their votes, they received “I voted stickers”. After Natalie Biden placed hers on her grandfather’s jacket lapel, the President asked her, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, which side do you want on?”
Natalie Biden then indicated she wanted the sticker on the left side of her dress, and President Joe Biden placed it there before giving her a quick kiss on her cheek.
The original video shows President Joe Biden placing the sticker and giving Natalie a kiss in about 2-3 seconds.
Fact #3 : Joe Biden Kissed Natalie Biden On Her Cheek
While some people are claiming that Joe Biden kissed the girl on her lips, that’s not true.
For one thing, reporters mentioned back in October 2022 that President Biden kissed Natalie Biden on her cheek.
The president and Natalie Biden placed “I voted” stickers on one another after casting their votes and the elder Biden kissed his granddaughter on the cheek.
But even if you don’t believe them, take a CLOSER LOOK at the video clip. You can see Natalie Biden turn her head as President Biden leaned in to kiss her… on her left cheek.
Fact #4 : Video Was Edited
The viral photo was edited from a very short clip of the original video, to a much which shows President Joe Biden placing a sticker on his granddaughter’s dress, and giving her a quick kiss on her cheek
It appears to be edited with a segment that loops back and forth to make it look like Joe Biden was fondling the girl’s left breast.
If you look at the white bearded man in the background, you can see him move from left to right and back to the left again. In the original video, he only moves to the left once.
The viral video also used a short clip of the song Simon Says by Pharoahe Monch, which suggestively goes, “Girls, rub on your titties (yeahhhh). Fuck it I said, rub on your titties”
Fact #5 : Video Was Apparently Created By Machiavelli Memez
If you look carefully, the video has the watermark of Machiavelli Memez, who posts right wing material on Twitter. The same watermark also adorned the fake photo of President Joe Biden molesting a little girl.
Believe it or not, President Joe Biden was falsely accused of molesting a little girl at a kindergarten just last month, based on a photo with a Machiavelli Memez watermark.
So watch out for any photos or videos with a Machiavelli Memez watermark.
Ultimately – the viral video was edited to make it look like President Joe Biden was groping the girl’s left breast.
In reality – he only placed a sticker on his granddaughter’s dress, before giving her a quick peck on her cheek. His fingers were on the sticker the entire time, and did not linger for more than 2-3 seconds.
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Did President Joe Biden go on a tropical vacation in the Caribbean while the US was being pummelled by a polar vortex bomb cyclone?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : President Joe Biden Went On Vacation During Bomb Cyclone!
Donald Trump Jr. has gone viral with his claim that President Joe Biden went on a tropical vacation while the United States was being pummelled by a polar vortex bomb cyclone.
Where is the outrage about Joe Biden going on a nice tropical vacation while the country suffers through a “polar vortex bomb cyclone?” Remember what they did to Ted Cruz? A president can actually do something about this stuff that a senator can’t and yet total silence? WTF?
Republican Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas also tweeted his criticism of President Biden’s vacation during the winter storm.
MASSIVE winter storms paralyzed the country and Biden was taking a beach vacation in the Caribbean. Where was the media to demand he return to the White House to work? Did anyone even notice he was gone?
Conservative author, Nick Adams, also criticised President Biden for “abandoning his country during a historic blizzard”.
Where is the media outrage over Joe Biden abandoning his country during a historic blizzard to vacation on a beach in St. Croix?
Truth : President Joe Biden Went On Vacation After Bomb Cyclone!
Here are the reasons why they are all wrong to claim that President Joe Biden went on vacation during the 2022 bomb cyclone.
Fact #1 : Ted Cruz Went To Cancun During A Deadly Winter Storm
First, let us establish some context for Donald Trump Jr’s claim regarding Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
In February 2021, Ted Cruz faced tremendous outrage after photos showed the Republican Senator fleeing Texas during a deadly winter storm that left millions without power or heat, and over 200 people dead.
After social media exploded over those photos, Senator Cruz admitted that he and his family left Texas to fly to Cancun “at the request of his daughters”.
(Finally) realising how bad it looked, the good Senator flew back to Texas the next day, to “go home and keep working to get the grid reopened, to get power restored, to get the water back on.”
I didn’t want all the screaming and yelling about this trip to distract even one moment from the real issues that I think Texans care about, which is keeping all of our families safe. It was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it.
Guess which US Senator from Texas flew to Cancun while the state was freezing to death and having to boil water? pic.twitter.com/fNY00EmMMR
The December 2022 North American winter storm – started on Tuesday, December 21 and ended five day later on Sunday, December 26.
The winter storm became to form on December 21, and strengthened the next day before becoming a bomb cyclone on December 23 and 24.
A day before it became a bomb cyclone, President Joe Biden asked Americans to “please take this storm extremely seriously”.
The polar vortex bomb cyclone dissipated by Sunday, December 26, after causing transportation disruption, power outages and almost 90 deaths across the United States.
Fact #3 : President Biden Went On Vacation After Bomb Cyclone
It was two days after the bomb cyclone dissipated when President Joe Biden and his family flew to the US Virgin Islands for a vacation, and to ring in a new year.
The President and First Lady Jill Biden flew from Washington D.C. to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands on Tuesday, December 28, 2022. There, they were joined by their daughter Ashley and her husband, Howard Krein, as well as their grandchildren Natalie and Hunter.
While Senator Ted Cruz left Texas during a severe winter storm, President Biden only left for his vacation after the winter storm had dissipated.
Fact #4 : President Biden Continued To Work In St. Croix
The White House disputed Donald Trump Jr’s claim that President Biden was refusing to “do something about this stuff”.
Not only had the bomb cyclone ended two days prior, the White House pointed out that the president continued to work and monitor the situation, even while he is in St. Croix.
No matter where the President is, he is working. The President will continue to closely monitor updates and will remain in close touch with staff over the New Year.
Fact #5 : President Trump Took Far More Vacation Days
It should be pointed out that Donald Trump Jr’s father – the former President Donald Trump, once said that “I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off”.
Yet, his father – the former President Donald Trump, ended up taking 381 days of vacation time, most of which were spent at his own properties, directly / indirectly enriching himself during his vacation.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was President Joe Biden caught on camera molesting a little girl in a viral photo?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : President Joe Biden Got Caught Molesting A Little Girl!
A photo of President Joe Biden has gone viral, with people claiming that he has finally been caught on camera molesting a little girl!
The viral photo shows President Biden apparently fondling a little girl’s crotch.
Stew Peters : What the EFF am I looking at here? Is this a photo of Biden fondling a small child’s genitalia?
Adults need to keep their hands off kids @potus
Moron, wet brains are screaming and kicking their feet about @Santos4Congress lying while running for political office but doing nothing about this bullshit.
What is @JoeBiden @POTUS doing? This is definitely not a good look and rather scary looking. #PedoPeter?
Truth : President Joe Biden Was Not Caught Molesting A Little Girl!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by right wing activists, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Photo Was Taken On October 15, 2021
While people are sharing this photo as something that was just taken in December 2022, this is over a year old.
This photo was actually taken by Evan Bucci, a photographer working for The Associated Press, on Friday, October 15, 2021.
Fact #2 : Photo Was Taken At A Connecticut Daycare Centre
The photo was taken when President Joe Biden travelled to a daycare centre in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote childcare plans that are part of his “Build Back Better” plan.
He was greeting children at a playground, when he was interrupted by Trump supporters yelling “traitor” and “f*ck Joe Biden” from across the street.
Needless to say – it would be incredibly stupid of President Joe Biden to even try to molest children in public, with Trump supporters watching his every move, and press photographers capturing the moment.
Fact #3 : Photo Was Edited
The viral photo was edited from the original photo, which shows President Joe Biden pointing to an American flag on the girl’s shirt. That was why she stretched her shirt with her own hands.
If you look closely, the girl appears to be “floating” above the ground because she was cropped out and moved upwards so that her shirt would cover Biden’s hand.
The person who edited the photo also removed the boy in the light blue shirt behind, and used a clone stamp tool to make the fence look seamless (removing a metal pole in the process).
Ultimately – this photo was edited to make it look like President Joe Biden had his hand on the girl’s crotch, when in reality – he was just pointing at the American flag on her shirt.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Donald Trump just prevent World War III, with Russian President Putin’s help?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Trump Just Averted World War III, With Putin’s Help!
On 16 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that Donald Trump just prevented World War III
It is really long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
It was President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday who urged the U.S. military to change its defense posture to Defcon-3 “Roundhouse” after hearing that Russian missiles splashed down in Poland and killed at least two people, but he rescinded that order after receiving an impassioned telephone call from Vladimir Putin and examining photographs of the wreckage.
When news of the attack, or accident, broke, Trump at once reached out to Marine Corps General David H. Berger, who, in accordance with the Insurrection Act of 1807, took charge of the nation’s nuclear command codes when Trump ceded provisional authority of the country to the military prior to departing Washington in January 2021. As Real Raw News has previously reported, White Hats, not the Biden regime, have sole access to the codes controlling the country’s nuclear triad, and sources say this still holds true; otherwise, Biden would have already sparked nuclear Armageddon.
Mar-a-Lago sources told RRN that although Trump immediately suspected a False Flag, he asked Gen. Berger to raise the nation’s alert level, just in case.
Minutes after speaking to Gen. Berger, Trump received a call from none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who insisted that any ordnance that might have struck Poland were not of Russian origin and were not launched from Russian soil.
Real Raw News reported last February, March, April, and May that Trump and Putin have kept an open line of communication since the latter began his “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine. The reason Putin speaks to Trump and not Biden is that Putin still acknowledges Trump as the lawful President of the United States.
Putin sent Trump images of the damage, including a picture of what appeared to be a metal fragment of the missile. He admitted it was a Russian-built S-300 air defense missile, which was developed by the Soviet Union and later exported to foreign countries, including Ukraine, and pointed out that mangled remnants had been stamped with Ukrainian writing, which would not be present on any of Russia’s current stockpile.
Putin suggested two possibilities: Either a Ukrainian-owned S-300 accidentally hit Poland, or Ukraine fired on Poland to trigger a False Flag war.
A beleaguered President Trump, exhausted from months of campaigning for midterm candidates, handling daughter Tiffany’s wedding, and preparing his own presidential announcement speech, had his military advisors evaluate images and video of the missile strike. They affirmed Putin’s assertions—the missile indeed belonged to Ukraine.
Trump then phoned Gen. Berger and told him to stand down, deescalating the nation’s defense condition and preventing the globe from being enveloped in a cloud of radioactive ash.
“White Hats are working to ascertain if this was an accident or an attempt to ignite a nuclear war,” our source said. “This really could have gone sideways, had cool heads not prevailed.”
Truth : Trump Did NOT Avert World War III, With Putin’s Help!
The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of Trump Working With Putin To Avert War
Only Real Raw News has published this fantastical account of Donald Trump working with Russian president Vladimir Putin to avert World War 3. That’s because Michael Baxter / Tuffin made it up as usual.
In fact, everyone else reported that it was US President Joe Biden who calmed everyone down by stating that preliminary information suggested that the missile did not originate from Russia.
How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story” that never happened?
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
Fact #3 : DEFCON Level Is Controlled By Sitting US President
Michael Baxter / Tiffin is apparently unaware that the DEFCON level is primarily controlled by the sitting US President, and the current US Secretary of Defense.
That would be President Joe Biden, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Not former President Donald Trump.
Only in his fevered mind would the US military take orders from a former US President, especially an infamously erratic and ignorant one like Donald Trump.
Fact #4 : US Has Been At DEFCON 3 Since October 2022
Real Raw News falsely claimed that Donald Trump asked the US military to increase its defense posture to DEFCON 3, and then rescinded it, insinuating that the United States is now at DEFCON 4.
Michael Baxter / Tiffin is apparently unaware that the United States increased its defense posture from DEFCON 4 to DEFCON 3 in October 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. The US remains at DEFCON 3 today.
Fact #5 : Only US President Has Authority Over Use Of Nuclear Weapons
Real Raw News falsely claimed that Marine General David H. Berger has control of the nuclear launch codes.
Only the sitting US President has the authority to order the use of nuclear weapons. That command though must be authenticated by another high-ranking official, like the Vice President or Secretary of Defense.
Once authenticated, the order goes to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and to the US Strategic Command, and so on.
In no scenario ever, do nuclear weapons come under the authority of a lowly general from the US Marine Corps.
US Strategic Command is, after all, a separate unified command under the direct control of the US Department of Defense.
Fact #6 : Donald Trump Claimed The Missile Originated From Russia
Real Raw News falsely claimed that Donald Trump worked with Vladimir Putin to ascertain that the missile came from Ukraine, thus averting World War III.
The truth is – it was President Biden who said that “preliminary information” suggested that the missile that hit Poland did not originate from Russia.
I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate. But it is … it’s unlikely, in the minds of the trajectory, that it was fired from Russia. But we’ll see. We’ll see.
Then minutes later, Donald Trump announced that he would be running for President in 2024, and immediately claimed that the missile came from Russia.
Even just today a missile was sent in probably by Russia to Poland, 15 miles into Poland.
If anyone averted a war between Russia and NATO, and possibly World War III, it was President Biden, not Donald Trump.
Fact #7 : Missile Landed In Poland, Not Russia
It is also hilarious that Real Raw News readers actually swallowed Michael Tuffin’s bullshit claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Donald Trump photos of the missile fragments.
Hello? The S-300 missile landed in Poland, not Russia! So the photos could not have originated from Putin or the Russians. They would have to be taken by the Polish authorities!
Fact #8 : US + Poland Confirmed Ukraine Origin Of Missile
US and Polish officials rushed to investigate the origin of the missile, and soon evaluated that it could only come from a Ukrainian missile battery that was trying to intercept a Russian missile.
From the information that we and our allies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side. It is highly probable that it was fired by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense. – Polish President Andrzej Duda
We have seen nothing that contradicts President Duda’s preliminary assessment that this explosion was most likely the result of a Ukrainian air defense missile that unfortunately landed in Poland. – US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson
Donald Trump had ZERO INPUT into this. He not only did not defuse the situation, he inflamed it by insisting that the missile came from Russia.
The Russians, including President Vladimir Putin also had no involvement in the investigation.
Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Ukrainian Army claimed to have killed 70,000 Russian soldiers, together with over 2,600 tanks, as it prepares to liberate Kherson!
The retreat of the Russian army in multiple areas of Ukraine has even made it difficult for the Kremlin to decide on the exact borders of the regions it annexed!
On Saturday, October 29 2022, the Ukrainian Army (UA) announced that its forces destroyed 19 Russian tanks and 23 armoured vehicles, and killed another 550 Russian soldiers in a single day.
This brings the total of Russian dead to over 70,000, with over 2,650 tanks and over 5,400 armoured combat vehicles destroyed in just 8 months of the Ukraine War.
Ukraine’s lightning counteroffensives to the east and south have slowed in the autumn rain and mud that have stymied Napoleon in 1812, and Hitler in 1941.
But the Ukrainians continue to make progress against Russian forces, as they try to recover the city of Kreiminna in Luhansk, and Kherson in the south.
The only place where Russian forces appear to still be attacking is the city of Bakhmut. Even so, they failed to gain significant ground despite repeated attacks and heavy bombardment.
More Trouble For Russian Soldiers : US + Canada Approves More Aid!
Russia has mobilised 300,000 reservists, and deployed at least 41,000 of them to Ukraine so far, but they will likely end up as nothing more than cannon fodder.
That’s because the US and Canadian governments just announced additional aid for Ukraine.
On October 28, the Biden Administration announced it will be sending up to $275 million worth of military hardware to Ukraine, consisting of:
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
2,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
More than 1,300 anti-armor systems;
125 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
Small arms and more than 2,750,000 rounds of small arms ammunition; and
Four satellite communications antennas.
With this latest allocation, the United States will have committed to supply Ukraine with more than $18.5 billion worth of military assistance.
The additional allocation of HIMARS rockets will be most welcomed by the Ukrainians, as they have been instrumental in surgically targeting and destroying Russian command centres and supply dumps far from the frontlines.
While this MItsubishin L200 with a rocket launcher (cannibalised from a Russian BM-21 MLRS) looks impressive, it is nothing compared to HIMARS.
On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new and additional measures to help Ukraine fight against the Russian invasion.
Canada will offer government-backed Ukraine Sovereignty Bonds, which Canadians can purchase at major banks to support the Ukrainian government and people.
Canada will impose sanctions on 35 senior officials of energy entities, and six energy sector entities; as well as members of the Russian justice and security sectors.
$55 million to help Ukrainians prepare for the winter, including shelter, blankets, clothing and heating appliances.
$15 million for equipment and help to de-mine Ukrainian territory.
In total, Canada will have committed $2 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine, most of which have already been disbursed.
He also shared that the 39 armed combat support vehicles (ACSVs) that Canada promised Ukraine in June has arrived, and Ukrainian forces are being trained on them.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Apple just froze its original plan to use China’s YMTC NAND flash memory chips in their iPhones!
Apple Freezes Use Of China’s YMTC NAND Chips!
On Monday, October 17, 2022, Nikkei Asia (paywall) reported that Apple just froze its original plan to use NAND flash memory chips from Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC)!
Apple had originally planned to start using NAND flash memory chips manufactured by YMTC in iPhones manufactured for the Chinese market, eventually purchasing up to 40% of its chip requirements from the Chinese state-funded company.
Those plans had to be put on hold after the US government announced stricter technology export controls designed to block China’s access to advanced semiconductor technologies.
The United States added YMTC – China’s top memory chipmaker – and 30 other Chinese companies to its “Unverified List” of companies that its official are unable to inspect to ensure compliance with its export controls.
The United States also initiated a new 60-day deadline for entities under the “Unverified List” to allow for complete end-to-end inspections, or risk even tougher penalties if added to the infamous “Entity List“.
YMTC is also being investigated by the US Commerce Department over allegations it violated earlier United States export controls by selling chips to HUAWEI, which was blacklisted under the Trump Administration.
Apple Decision Stymies Earlier Preparations By YMTC
Apple’s decision to freeze its purchase of YMTC flash memory chips stymies earlier preparations by the Wuhan-based memory chipmaker to mitigate looming US export controls.
According to four employees who spoke to Financial Times, YMTC had been stockpiling foreign equipment for months after US lawmakers started urging the Biden Administration to punish it for helping the Chinese military and violating trade restrictions by supply HUAWEI with chips.
YMTC has also come under scrutiny over concerns that massive Chinese government subsidies allow it to sells its chips below market price, even at a loss, just to gain market share at the expense of other companies.
We’ve been doing everything possible beforehand to support existing production lines, such as stockpiling all kinds of equipment.
– Senior YMTC engineer
All that preparation was for naught, because Apple’s decision to freeze its massive purchase of YMTC flash memory chips is only the tip of the iceberg.
Other companies will similarly be forced to freeze or cancel their purchase of YMTC chips unless YMTC acquiesces to comply with audit requirements by US officials – a step the Chinese chipmaker is (politically) incapable of taking.
YMTC is, after all, China’s largest memory chipmaker, and a national champion in the country’s drive to build a domestic chip industry. It received 220 billion yuan (over $30.5 billion) in funding from both the Hubei province, and a national fund.
After the Biden Administration announced new chip export restrictions, the top three US chip toolmakers – KLA Corporation, Lam Research and Applied Materials immediately stopped sales and services to YMTC.
Despite its earlier stockpiling efforts, one YMTC employee revealed that the company only had enough wafers and parts for equipment repairs to last a year, but that’s assuming it won’t need technical support from foreign companies.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The US government just imposed sweeping chip and chipmaking export restrictions that target Chinese military capabilities!
US Targets Chinese Military With New Chip Export Ban!
On Friday, October 7, 2022, the US government announced new regulations on computer chips and chipmaking technologies designed to target Chinese military capabilities.
The stated goal of these new export restrictions is to “block the People’s Liberation Army and China’s domestic surveillance apparatus from gaining access to advanced computing capabilities that require the use of advanced semiconductors.”
According to US officials, these rules target not only the sale and export of chips, but also the tools and software that might help the Chinese military in any way, including aiding the development of weapons of mass destruction.
Unlike earlier rules that target specific Chinese companies (like HUAWEI), the new rules have far greater reach, covering everything from chips made by AMD and NVIDIA, to complex and expensive hardware and software used to design and manufacture semiconductor chips.
These rules, some of which go into effect immediately, build on existing restrictions that were earlier applied to top chip toolmaking companies in the US, like KLA Corporation, Lam Research Corporation, and Applied Material Incorporated.
It’s not just advanced chips used for AI computing and national security or military applications that are being targeted.
The new rules are more generic, and forbid US companies from selling technologies to indigenous Chinese companies that will enable the production of:
DRAM chips at 18 nm or below,
NAND flash chips at 128 layers or above, and
logic chips at 14 nm or below.
Even foreign companies operating China are somewhat affected. US companies will need to obtain a license to export more advanced equipment to them.
But in a concession to South Korea, the US government will spare SK Hynix and Samsung from these measures. US companies will be able to continue supplying their production facilities in China.
Many of the rules aim to block foreign companies from selling advanced chips or chipmaking technologies and tools to China. However, the US government will need to “lean” on those countries to introduce similar measures.
Most advanced chips are manufactured in South Korea and Taiwan. If they continue to export to China, they will allow China to bypass US restrictions.
On Saturday, the Chinese government criticised the new US chip export ban, calling it a violation of International economic and trade rules that will “isolate and backfire” on the US.
Out of the need to maintain its sci-tech hegemony, the U.S. abuses export control measures to maliciously block and suppress Chinese companies.
It will not only damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, but also affect American companies’ interest.
– Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Despite Mao’s assertions that US actions will not stop China’s progress, the new wide-ranging chip and chipmaking export ban will undoubtedly be detrimental to the Chinese semiconductor industry, and set back its attempts at indigenous production by many years.
On the other hand, this export ban will spur China to redouble its efforts to develop its own chipmaking capabilities, and possibly “strike back” by restricting exports of rare earths to US companies.
US Chip Export Rules Affecting Chinese Companies Summarised
Here is a summary of the new restrictions that take effect on Friday (October 7, 2022):
Tools that are capable of producing logic chips made using fin field-effect transistors (FinFET) are blocked from sale to China.
Tools capable of fabricating NAND flash storage chips with 128-layer technology or greater, and DRAM based on 18-nanometer half-pitch or less technology are blocked from sale to China.
Servicing and maintenance of restricted tools are also banned, which would prevent keeping advanced equipment in good enough shape to keep producing quality chips at high volume.
US citizens currently servicing or supporting tools on the restricted list must halt their activities by Wednesday, October 12.
Export of items that China can use to make its own chip manufacturing tools, such as a photolithography light source and other specialised components are also blocked from sale to China.
The US Commerce Department also enacted these additional measures on Friday:
31 Chinese entities were added to the Unverified List, which consists of companies that the US government believes could divert technology that they purchase to restricted entities.
The Commerce Department expanded the scope of controls for the 28 Chinese firms already on the US Entity List, including presumptively denying any licenses because of the risk they will divert technology to the Chinese military.
Then two weeks later, these restrictions will take effect on Friday, October 21, 2022:
Using a new foreign direct product rule, the U.S. will block any chips that used in advanced computing and artificial intelligence applications.
The foreign direct product rule can block chips made by non-US companies — including Chinese chip designers — if they use American technology or software.
TSMC may be forced by this new rule to halt production on advanced AI or supercomputer chips designed by Chinese firms that are fabricated in Taiwan, unless it gets an exemption.
A new foreign direct product rule will apply to components and chips destined for supercomputers in China.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Were Western leaders driven in limos, while African and Asian leaders had to take the bus for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Limo For Western Leaders, Bus For Africans @ Queen’s Funeral
Many people are claiming that Western leaders were driven in limos to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, but African and Asian leaders had to take the bus! Here are some examples :
Queen’s Funeral: President Biden Arrives Buckingham Palace in His Presidential Armoured Convoy While slave master’s house keepers African Presidents Were Blocked and Conveyed in a Bus 🙆🏽♂️🙆🏽♂️🙆🏽♂️🤣🤣🤣🤔. Africa wake up. @_AfricanUnion #Africa
Our leaders went to the UK and are being treated the way they treat us🤡
A video by a Malaysian TikToker who calls himself ArtieKohDr has gone viral making the same claims on WhatsApp:
Truth : Limo For A Few Leaders, Bus For Everyone Else @ Queen’s Funeral!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and circulated on social media, and WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Bus Only Used For Short Trip To Westminster Abbey
First, I should point out that buses were only used to transport invited world leaders and VIPs for a short trip.
Those who were invited to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral all arrived in their own vehicles at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where they disembarked.
The dignitaries then rode a fleet of buses for a short 3 km ride to Westminster Abbey – a trip that lasted less than 10 minutes.
This “park and ride” plan was meant to reduce security and logistical difficulties in transporting so many dignitaries to Westminster Abbey, amidst the huge crowds gathered there.
Fact #2 : Only President Biden Was Allowed To Use His Own Car
US security protocol required President Joe Biden to travel in an armoured Cadillac known as The Beast.
Hence, he was the only leader to receive special permission to travel to Westminster Abbey in The Beast, escorted by other vehicles.
However, that didn’t turn out well when his motorcade got stuck in a traffic jam, and his car came to a standstill near the Marble Arch – a significant security risk.
Fact #3 : All Other Invited Guests Took The Bus
With the singular exception of US President Joe Biden, the claim that Western leaders were driven in limos to the Queen’s funeral is nonsense.
Everyone else had to park at Royal Hospital Chelsea and take the bus to Westminster Abbey. They included both Western, African and Eastern leaders like :
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
King Abdullah II of Jordan
Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan
Kenyan President William Ruto
Malaysian Agong Al-Mustafa Billah Shah
Singaporean President Halimah Yacob
Japanese Emperor Naruhito
Polish President Andrzej Duda, and
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
While some “prima donnas” were (allegedly) annoyed by the need to take the bus, many were happy enough to be amongst the few to be invited at all, and had no issues taking the bus.
Fact #4 : Many Asian + African Leaders Were Seated In Front At Funeral
While President Joe Biden was given the exceptional privilege of driving directly to the Queen’s funeral in his own car, he was seated behind many Asian and African leaders.
However, this was not a snub or payback for allowing him to be driven to the funeral in The Beast.
The royal funeral seating protocol strictly prioritises royalty and Commonwealth leaders over all other leaders, even those from much larger / influential countries.
Hence, President Joe Biden was seated 14 rows to the back, behind many African and Asian leaders. A point that many who complained about Western bias against African and Asian leaders seem to have conveniently ignored.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Biden Administration is planning to hit China with more restrictions on chip supplies, as well as chipmaking technology!
Biden To Hit China With More Chip Restrictions!
Sources familiar with the matter just revealed to Channel News Asia that the Biden Administration plans to hit China with more more restrictions on chip supplies, as well as chipmaking technology.
In September 2022, the US Commerce Department intends to publish new regulations for the semiconductor industry, based on :
restrictions that earlier applied only to KLA Corporation, Lam Research Corporation, and Applied Material Incorporated.
The first three US companies received letters from the US Commerce Department, explicitly forbidding them from exporting chipmaking equipment to Chinese factories that produce sub-14 nanometer semiconductors without special export licences.
AMD and NVIDIA, on the other hand, received letters informing them that they were now banned from selling high-performance AI chips to China (as well as Russia) without special export licences.
On top of those restrictions, the US Commerce Department will likely impose additional chip restrictions on China.
The US Chamber of Commerce claims last week that the Commerce Department plans to add more Chinese supercomputing entities to a trade blacklist.
Why Biden Is Introducing More Chip Restrictions On China
The US Commerce Department issued those 5 companies the so-called “is informed” letters to quickly impose restrictions without going through the lengthy rule-writing process, but they would only apply to companies that receive them.
That leaves open the possibility for other companies to bypass those restrictions, or offer comparable chips or technologies to the Chinese as an alternative.
For example, NVIDIA is banned from selling their A100 artificial intelligence chips to Chinese companies. However, China can still purchase servers containing NVIDIA A100 chips from Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Super Micro Computer.
Hence, the new regulations serve to codify those restrictions and apply them across the board, preventing those chips and technologies from “leaking” to China.
As a general rule, we look to codify any restrictions that are in is-informed letters with a regulatory change.
– Senior US Commerce Department official
The Biden Administration has also reached out to US allies to lobby them into enacting similar restrictions, to prevent China from obtaining critical chips and technologies through other sources.
This move comes after the US Congress voted to pass the historic CHIPS and Science Act, which not only provides semiconductor companies with billions of dollars of funding, but also blocks them from building advanced chip fabs in China.
The Biden Administration appears to be more cognisant than the Trump Administration of the risks of permitting China continued access to advanced semiconductors and chipmaking technologies.
The Chinese government has become very belligerent and aggressive in the South China Sea, and cutting access to advanced chips will reduce its ability to build more advanced missiles like the Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21) and the YJ-12.
China is also a source of chips that Russia desperately needs to build its own advanced missiles, so these rules would also prevent that possibility.
By blocking China’s access to advanced chips, the hope is that it will preclude hostilities from breaking out in Asia, and force an earlier and better conclusion of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is Hunter Biden trapped in the bunkers under the Azovstal steel plant, together with several NATO generals?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Hunter Biden Is Trapped In Azovstal With NATO Generals!
People are sharing an article by a Singaporean blogger Chua Chin Leng, who calls himself redbean and claims that Hunter Biden is trapped in the Azovstal bunkers together with several NATO generals.
His article is long and rambling, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Mariupol is a top secret American facility in Ukraine, housing bioweapon labs and all the top brass of Nato, planning and command HQ for Nato troops to attack Russia. It once housed something like 6,000 secretive soldiers in it.
Trump actually knew about this and was trying to expose it to bring down Biden and his son, who is the key member and owner of this project and facility. Trump could not say it out himself but needed the investigators to expose it against Biden.
There are many top military, scientific and political personalities inside this top secret fortress underground, now turning into a mouse trap with all the mice in it and in the hands of Putin. This is the biggest and most valuable catch of the Russians and a trump card that Putin can use to skin the Americans slowly.
The Americans are so desperate to want the top brass in the mouse trap out and are bringing everyone of importance to talk to Putin. The UN Sec Gen Gutteres has gone to see Putin for their release. Austin, Blinken and even Pelosi, have been to Kiev to get Zelensky to put in more effort and tag this as top priority item.
Zelensky now has offered to exchange all Russian POWs for the top brass in the Steel Plant. Rumours are speculating that the big fish could be Biden’s son, Canada’s top army general, top bioweapons scientists, top Nato generals etc etc that are so important that they risked several helicopters to bring them out but all got shot down. Not to forget, the top brass of the neo Nazi anti Jew Azov regiment.
The revelation of the identities of the big fish inside the Mariupol mouse trap would be so embarrassing to the Americans and AngloSaxon and Nato countries that all the people inside are as good as persona non grata. They have disowned them and did not want to have anything to do with them as this would confirm their crimes and ill intent against Russia, an act of war. Sneaky Canada quickly announced that the general had retired on 5 Apr, no longer the top Canadian general in service.
As the American and AngloSaxon tribes are panicking, Putin is sitting comfortably in Moscow enjoying the show. Putin is in no hurry to release the mice in his mouse trap. The presence of American and AngloSaxon top brass in a deadly war machine on the border of Russia with an evil intent to attack Russia is unacceptable and unforgiveable. The evilness of the AngloSaxon tribe would be exposed to the whole world, of their savage instinct and intent to break up Russia and terminate the Russians.
Putin now would have more reasons to want to nuke the Americans and Europe. The rest of the world that have not been sucked into this evil AngloSaxon scheme should enjoy watching and stay neutral. What is inside the Mariupol mouse trap could set off WW3. Trump is waiting eagerly for this to be exposed to bring down Biden and his son. Compare to Biden and his son, Trump is like an angel.
Truth : Hunter Biden Is NOT Trapped In Azovstal With NATO Generals!
This is yet another example of pro-Russia FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Mariupol Is A City
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) is apparently unaware that Mariupol is a city, not an American facility.
If he was referring to Azovstal, that is a steel manufacturing complex built in Mariupol by the Soviet Union in the 1930s.
Fact #2 : Azovstal Bunkers Were Built By Soviet Union
The bunkers and tunnels under the Azovstal plant complex were built during the Cold War by the Soviet Union, to “safeguard the steel plant’s 40,000 workers in the event of a nuclear attack”.
These bunkers are not special. There are plenty of similar bunkers across Ukraine, and other ex-Soviet countries, and of course, Russia.
Fact #3 : Trump Did Not know About Azovstal
If there was truly a top secret American facility housing 6,000 NATO troops under Azovstal, Trump would have known about it while he was President.
But there is ZERO EVIDENCE he even heard of Azovstal or Mariupol, and absolutely NO EVIDENCE that there is such a facility housing NATO troops, or serving as its headquarters.
There is nothing for Trump to “expose” either. If there was any evidence, he would have exposed it all while he was US President, just to prevent Biden from winning the election.
Fact #4 : Mariupol Is Very Close To Russian Territory
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) laughably claimed that the top secret American facility housed 6,000 soldiers, and is the planning and command HQ for NATO troops planning to attack Russia.
It would be idiotic for NATO to establish their headquarters so close to Russian territory and occupied Crimea, well within range of artillery and airstrikes.
In fact, Mariupol was one of the first cities to be attacked in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and completely surrounded after less than 3 weeks.
Fact #5 : Ukraine Is Not Part Of NATO
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) is apparently unaware that Ukraine is not a NATO member. That is precisely why why NATO cannot send its troops to help defend Ukraine.
While NATO has helped Ukraine train its soldiers as a partner nation, it does not have bases or facilities in Ukraine.
Fact #6 : There Are No NATO Troops In Ukraine
NATO has confirmed on several occasions there there are no NATO soldiers or leaders in Ukraine. Even those who were sent to advise or train Ukrainian troops were evacuated when Russia invaded Ukraine.
LANDCOM Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Major Brian Andries, recently confirmed this again :
While NATO nations are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, no NATO soldiers or leaders are deployed to the country.
Fact #7 : There Are No NATO Personnel Trapped In Azovstal
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) laughably claimed that there are “many top military, scientific and political personalities” trapped inside this “top secret fortress“.
He even called it the “biggest and most valuable catch” for the Russians and “a trump card that Putin can use to skin the Americans slowly“.
That’s nothing more than a fantasy that has been circulating amongst the pro-Russia and pro-CCP blogs and groups, with ZERO EVIDENCE.
As of 6 May 2022, there are perhaps 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers and a few hundred civilians trapped in the tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal steelworks.
Fact #8 : There Was Plenty Of Time To Evacuate NATO Personnel
Even if there were NATO personnel in Azovstal (there were not), they would have had 2-3 weeks to escape Mariupol before the Russians surrounded the city.
It would be illogical for Western military, scientific and politicians to stay in Mariupol, never mind hunker down in the Azovstal bunkers. Whatever for?
There were also several occasions in which civilians were allowed to evacuate the city and the Azovstal steelworks. No NATO personnel were spotted amongst them.
Fact #9 : No Helicopters Were Shot Down During Rescue Attempts
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) falsely claimed (intentionally?) that NATO lost several helicopters trying to rescue Hunter Biden and top NATO generals who were trapped under Azovstal.
The truth is – NATO sent no helicopters to rescue anyone from the Azovstal steel plant. They certainly did not lose any helicopters during the non-existent rescue operation.
Fact #10 : Ukrainian Soldiers Refused To Surrender
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) falsely claimed (intentionally?) that NATO tried to rescue “the top brass of the neo Nazi anti Jew Azov regiment”.
The truth is the Ukrainian soldiers holed up in the Azovstal steel plant has repeatedly refused to surrender, or leave Mariupol even when it was possible to do so.
The commander and deputy commander of the Azov regiment publicly refused on many occasions to leave Mariupol, stating that as long as they are still there, “Mariupol remains under control of Ukraine”.
Fact #11 : Hunter Biden Is Not In Ukraine
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) laughably and falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Hunter Biden could be one of those trapped in the Azovstal bunkers.
Hunter Biden was publicly seen at the White House Easter Egg Roll on 18 April 2022 – more than 2 weeks before Chuan Chin Leng posted his article.
That would mean Chua Chin Leng is either incredibly ignorant, or he is intentionally trying to mislead you.
Let me be clear – Hunter Biden is not trapped in a bunker under the Azovstal steel plant. He is still in the United States.
There isn’t even a logical reason for Hunter Biden to go to Ukraine, much less Mariupol or the Azovstal steel plant.
Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, is seen during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on April 18, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Fact #12 : Canadian General Cadieu Is Not In Azovstal Either
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) also claimed, without evidence, that Canada’s top army general is also trapped in the Azovstal bunkers.
That is quite impossible because former Lieutenant-General Trevor Cadieu only left for Ukraine after he resigned from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
By the time he was able to leave for Ukraine, the city of Mariupol had already been surrounded by Russian forces for about 3 weeks.
Not only would it be impossible for Cadieu to get into Mariupol, it would be pointless. What use would a general be in the tunnels under Azovstal?
Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that NATO intended to attack Russia from Mariupol.
NATO did not plan to invade Russia. Not even Russia dare to claim that as a reason for invading Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine, ostensibly to “denazify the country”, not because NATO was preparing to invade Russia.
Fact #14 : You Can’t Invade Russia With 6,000 Soldiers
Laughably, Chua Chin Leng (aka redbean) claimed that NATO inserted 6,000 soldiers into their Mariupol base to invade Russia.
Think about how ridiculous that is. What could those 6,000 troops do against Russia, which has over a million active duty military personnel?
We should note that Russia deployed no less than 130,000 troops to invade Ukraine, and even they were forced to retreat from Kyiv!
Chua Chin Leng should spend his time drinking red bean soup, and leave geopolitics and the military to people who actually know something about either.
Unfortunately, many pro-Russian and pro-CCP groups are sharing his stupid article on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter and Facebook.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was an American chef – Jin Yut Lew – brutally beaten and left for dead, simply because he was a Chinese man?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Chef Jin Yut Lew Was Attacked For Being Chinese!
People are sharing a link to an article about Jin Yut Lew – a 61 year-old chef and father – who was brutally beaten and left for dead in Chicago, USA.
It’s accompanied by this message that laid the blame on US President Joe Biden for fomenting hatred against the Chinese.
Another heinous hate attack targeting a 61 year-old Chinese father near Chicago’s Chinatown.
Jin Yut Lew, a 61-year-old Chinese father, was carjacked, robbed, brutally beaten and “left for dead” near Chinatown in Chicago.
God D**n Joe Biden, his China-bashing, Chinese-Demonization.
We Chinese in America are unprotected. We are on our own. The homeland view us as foreigners and not Chinese enough.
We need to mobilize and organize our own armed militia in America.
Truth : Chef Jin Yut Lew Was NOT Attacked For Being Chinese!
I will share with you the facts of his case, and show you why this tragedy is being misused by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to spread discord.
Fact #1 : Mr. Lew Was Severely Beaten
Mr. Lew left his son’s house in the South Loop at around 11 PM on Wednesday, 6 April 2022. When he did not show up for a scheduled meeting, his friend informed his sons.
According to the Chicago Journal, Mr. Lew was found by a street cleaner at around 7 AM on 7 April 2022 near the intersection of W. 25th Place and S. Stewart Avenue in Chinatown.
He had no belongings or identification, and was unconscious. The police were called, and an ambulance took him to Stroger Hospital as an unidentified “John Doe”.
After not being able to reach him for 24 hours, his family filed a missing person’s report on early Friday morning, 8 April 2022.
Thanks to a tip on Facebook, they eventually found him hospitalised at Stroger Hospital the same day. He was in a critical condition after undergoing an emergency decompressive craniectomy, and remained in a coma.
Fact #2 : Mr. Lew Was Carjacked
Mr. Lew was carjacked and robbed, and during that incident, he was repeatedly struck on his head and face with a blunt object.
His missing 2008 Lexus SUV was later spotted by a camera in the Austin neighbourhood in west Chicago on the evening of 8 April 2022.
The next day, the family was informed by the insurance company that the Lexus SUV was recovered by the Chicago Police Department.
Fact #3 : No Evidence Of Hate Crime
While the severity of his attack was shocking, there is simply no evidence of a hate crime.
Mr. Lew wasn’t targeted simply because he was a Chinese man. He was targeted because he drove a car.
Mr. Lew was also found unconscious in Chinatown, which makes it even more unlikely that it is a hate crime.
Fact #4 : Carjacking Is On The Rise In Chicago
Carjacking has been a great concern in Chicago, as the family pointed out to the Chicago Journal :
In Chicago especially, the Chinese community has been living in fear of carjacking crimes but this is getting out of hand. Taking personal property is one thing, now they are being progressively more violent toward victims.
This needs to stop. City leaders need to do something about it and find and punish those responsible.
According to the Chicago Police Department, theft of motor vehicles in 2022 have gone up 43% over 2021, and up 63% over 2020.
Fact #5 : Biden Did Not Bash China
US President Joe Biden is most definitely not a China basher. The fake news writer either confused him with former President Donald Trump, or is intentionally and falsely laying the blame on Joe Biden.
It was former President Donald Trump who repeatedly called COVID-19 the “China virus”, and claimed that China was responsible for the pandemic. It was his administration that also sanctioned HUAWEI, TikTok and WeChat amongst other things.
Biden, on the other hand, has not bashed China or demonised the Chinese. After all, Chinese Americans are predominantly Democrats, with far more representation in the Democratic Party, than the Republican Party.
So I have to wonder – why would this writer falsely claim that he did?
Fact #6 : Chinese Americans Do Not Consider China Homeland
No Chinese American would ever call China their “homeland”. Or falsely bemoan that their “homeland” view them as “foreigners” and “not Chinese enough”.
This is something that only a member of the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) would write, because only they would consider China their “homeland“, and only they would look down on the American Chinese as “foreigners” and “not Chinese enough“.
In fact, this reminds me of an October 18, 2021 incident where two Chinese citizens stormed out of a Los Angeles restaurant without paying, after Chinese Americans stood up to sing the American national anthem.
Chinese people singing the American national anthem is so infuriating! We won’t pay this bill.
Mr. Lew immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s, and is most certainly a naturalised US citizen. He would no doubt consider the United States his country, not China.
Please beware of FAKE NEWS being created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
And please help me fight fake news, by sharing this fact check with your family and friends!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
People are sharing a post by Li Guangman on what China should worry about the Russia-Ukraine War.
Take a look at the viral post, and find out what the facts really are!
Li Guangman : What China Should Worry About Russia Invading Ukraine!
Chinese and pro-China netizens have been sharing this post by Chinese blogger Li Guangman on what lessons China should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It’s a very long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
Some worries brought about by the Russia-Ukraine war (says Li Guangman)
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the robbery behavior in the entire Western world broke many Chinese people’s perceptions, which made me feel a strong and deep worry.
First, in the past, the Chinese generally believed that all public platforms were neutral and would not be interrupted no matter what happened. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, some so-called public platforms immediately announced their participation in sanctions against Russia. First, a large number of foreign Internet service operators headed by the United States announced sanctions against Russia and launched a “disconnection action” against Russia. The second is the removal of major Russian banks from the U.S.-controlled SWIFT system, making it impossible for major Russian banks to conduct global transactions and settlements. Both the network root directory system and the U.S. dollar settlement system are so-called public platforms controlled by the United States. Once a war breaks out, all of them will become weapons of war, and even become a key factor in determining the victory of the war. The greater the reliance on these systems, the more victims will suffer, the deeper the degree.
Second, some previous propaganda told us that satellites in space are safe and will not be attacked, and space wars will not break out. However, immediately after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a mysterious hacker group (obviously the cyber army behavior of some government organizations) attacked the Russian space control center, and claimed to have shut down the Russian space center and successfully made all Russian satellites out of control. The Russian space control center said it was indeed attacked, but the security system automatically obscured the attack and repelled it. Does this suggest that warfare has extended into space? Are space battles going on all the time?
Third, the Chinese generally believe that banks in Western countries are safer than domestic banks, and Western countries attach great importance to the sacrosanctity of private property. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War, the entire Western countries immediately erupted with ferocity like hungry wolves, killing Russia. All the assets of the government and private individuals overseas were looted, not only the bank assets were frozen, but even the luxury yachts and private residences of the Russians overseas were taken away. According to preliminary statistics, the total amount of Russian overseas assets frozen by Western groups this time is about 8 trillion US dollars. Li Ka-shing, who had previously cashed out hundreds of billions of yuan from China and switched to the UK, has recently started selling grid assets worth more than 100 billion yuan in the UK. What does that mean? These capital tycoons who have no motherland and no conscience are finally starting to feel unsafe to invest overseas. What is China’s total overseas assets? Some people estimate that the total overseas assets of the Chinese government, enterprises and individuals are about 16 trillion US dollars, which is roughly equivalent to China’s annual GDP. To freeze US Treasury bonds purchased by China. Once a conflict breaks out between China and the United States or between China and Western countries, the United States and Western countries will definitely take action against China’s overseas assets, which is certain.
Fourth, in the consciousness of the Chinese, Switzerland is a neutral country, and it is absolutely safe to store money in Switzerland. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Switzerland immediately gave up its neutral position, announced its participation in sanctions against Russia, and froze all Russian funds in Swiss banks thus uncovering the hypocrisy that Switzerland is a pure financial land. How much assets do Chinese people deposit in Switzerland? These assets are probably no longer safe now.
Fifth, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, almost all high-tech companies in the United States and Western groups announced their participation in sanctions against Russia. They cut off the supply of chips and all high-tech products to Russia. Musk’s Starlink also participated in the sanctions against Russia. Sanctions and support for Ukraine, Apple is also involved in sanctions, the depth and breadth of the technology sanctions imposed on Russia by the entire West are beyond our imagination, sanctions are imposed on anything that can sting or kill Russia, and the methods are used to the extreme. What science without borders is just bullshit. In this regard, the United States has already used China’s Huawei. In the future, once a conflict between China and the United States breaks out, the United States and the West will definitely impose the most severe sanctions and embargoes on all high-tech products, materials and technologies in China. There is no doubt about this.
Sixth, many Chinese believe that Western public opinion is the freest, and Western news is the most authentic. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the entire Western public opinion has become a public opinion war machine launched against Russia, and the major Internet platforms in the United States and Europe. They have closed Russia’s external communication channels, they control the entire public opinion dissemination, guide public opinion in a direction that is beneficial to the United States and the West, and they continue to create fake news. Once a conflict between China and the United States breaks out, the United States will definitely launch a war of public opinion against China. On the one hand, it strictly seals the voice of China, preventing China from speaking in the world, and on the other hand, it amplifies the negative news that attacks and smears China.
Seventh, there are many other sanctions. For example, the sports, cultural, artistic, and music industries have imposed sanctions on Russia, and even Russian cats and Russian trees have been sanctioned. It looks funny, but it is not funny. A true manifestation of Western political and cultural hegemony, which allows us to see how deep and wide the influence and control of Western hegemony are. These areas that do not seem to belong to politics have suddenly become weapons of war. It has become a tool of war that kills people without blood. This is probably the first time we have such a deep feeling.
The above points should give us a sense of sudden awakening. Now we will truly realize that the Russian-Ukrainian war is actually a real all-out war waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia. In addition to providing arms and funds to Ukraine, the Western bloc is also waging an all-out war against Russia in all fields. These The means of participating in the war are either open or covert, but they are all aimed at the key points of Russia, and both are fatal. If the United States and the Western bloc were not afraid of Russia’s thousands of nuclear bombs, and not afraid of Putin’s strongman character as he said and did, they must have already rushed to bite them directly.
In my opinion, the contradictions between China and the United States and the group of Western countries are irreconcilable and inevitable. All the means and weapons used by the United States and Western groups on Russia today will be used on China, and they will only be more vicious and barbaric, with no exceptions.
There will definitely be conflicts between China and the United States. The United States and Western blocs will definitely cut off China’s Internet connection with the world. They will definitely launch attacks on China’s space satellites and satellite navigation systems. They will definitely drive China out of SWIFT and make China like Russia and Iran. Launching an unprecedented financial war against China will definitely impose stricter and more comprehensive sanctions and blockades on China’s high-tech and high-end manufacturing industries, it will definitely cut off China’s energy transportation channels, and it will definitely launch a war of public opinion against China. To launch a color revolution, it will definitely try to isolate China from the so-called “mainstream” of world politics in all fields. The war will be carried out with unimaginable cruelty and brutality, there will be no so-called morality, and there will be no so-called rules, in addition to life and death, there is no way out.
This comprehensive war launched by the United States and the Western bloc against Russia is a realistic version of the sand table exercise for us, and it is a bloody teaching. We must start to act now, start the layout, and be fully prepared to deal with a comprehensive war that is bound to happen in the future, which is related to the fate of the country and to life and death.
The situation is getting more and more serious, not the storm is coming, but the storm is coming, we must act now, act now, act now, because the hatred of the United States and the entire Western bloc against China is deeper than that of Russia, destroying and the will and impulse to loot China is stronger.
Therefore, the coming war will be more tragic and bloody, there will be no mercy, there will be no reinforcements, everything can only depend on ourselves, on our own strength, on our own preparations, on our own will.”
PS. I have no idea who Li Guangman is, but apparently, some Community Party folks think he’s important, and have been sharing his posts.
Li Guangman Is Wrong About Why China Should Worry About Russia Invading Ukraine
I have no idea if Li Guangman actually wrote that post, but one thing is for sure – it is full of misinformation.
I’m not going to focus on what lessons China should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but I will show you what can be easily and factually proven false in that viral post.
Fact #1 : Corporations Do Not Sanction Countries
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Internet service providers and social media platforms announced sanctions against Russia after they invaded Ukraine.
That never happened, because corporations don’t issue sanctions. Those corporations only decided to stop working with Russia, after Western countries announced sanctions against Russia.
Cogent Communications, which is the second-largest Internet connectivity provider in Russia, terminated their contracts there on 4 March 2022 to comply with EU Regulation 2022/350.
Fact #2 : Corporations Chose To Stop Doing Business In Russia
Many corporations decided to stop doing business in Russia, mainly because they are public-listed companies that are answerable to their shareholders, and their customers worldwide.
For many, the limited Russian business they conduct is not worth risking their worldwide business, especially when the rest of the world is stridently against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Automotive : Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and Nissan
Aviation : Boeing and Airbus
Finance : Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Western Union, Moody’s, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup
Big Tech : Airbnb, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Nintendo, Sony, Spotify, TikTok
Hotels : Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott
There is also the issue of sanctions – Western sanctions may also prohibit them from selling their products and services to Russia and/or Belarus.
Fact #3 : US Did Not Launch “Disconnection Action” Against Russia
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that the US launched disconnection action against Russia. That never happened.
The easiest way to do that would be to get ICANN to remove Russian domains from the Internet, which would prevent anyone from accessing any server in Russia.
However, the United States never made such a request. Only Ukraine asked ICANN to do this, but ICANN refused their request.
It is also a very silly claim to make, because it actually benefits the US and Western nations to maintain Internet connectivity to Russia, which allows them to reach out to Russian citizens with the truth.
Fact #4 : Russia Blocked Western Social Media
In fact, Li Guangman (intentionally?) left out the fact that the Russian government itself blocked or restricted access to Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The truth is – it does not benefit Russia to let their citizens access uncensored information about their invasion of Ukraine. That’s why they blocked access to Western social media platforms.
This is where Russia is attempting to mimic China in its control of what information citizens can access. China is the undisputed leader in Internet censorship.
Fact #5 : Russia Prepared To Cut Itself Off The Internet
Li Guangman also (intentionally?) left out the fact that Russia was more than prepared to cut itself from the Internet.
The Russians started working on the ability to cut themselves from the Internet in the early 2010s, testing that ability in 2019 and in subsequent years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed into law, a set of 2019 amendments called the Sovereign Internet Law (Закон о «суверенном интернете»), that lets the government cut Russia off the rest of the Internet.
Fact #6 : SWIFT Is Controlled By EU, Not US
SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) messaging network is not American, but Belgian, based in La Hulpe, Belgium.
As a cooperative society under Belgian law, SWIFT is owned by its members – financial institutions, not countries. In fact, its current chairman is Yawar Shah of Pakistan, while its CEO is Javier Pérez-Tasso of Spain.
Li Guangman (intentionally?) forgot to point out that the United States and Britain had been pushing for Russia to be banned from SWIFT, but EU nations refused earlier.
In the end, the European Union agreed to remove seven Russian banks from SWIFT, instead of the entire country.
The EU also excluded Sberbank (largest bank in Russia) and Gazprombank from the SWIFT removal, so they could still buy oil from Russia.
All proof that SWIFT is controlled by the EU, not the US.
Fact #7 : SWIFT Is Just A Messaging Service
SWIFT is a messaging system that securely transfers “messages containing the payment instructions between financial institutions involved in a transaction“.
It is not a payment system, and therefore, does not hold any funds. Neither does it perform cleaning or settlement services.
After a payment instruction has been initiated through SWIFT, the corresponding financial institutions must then “settle” the transaction through a payment system, like TARGET2 in Europe.
Fact #8 : SWIFT Removal Is Only An Inconvenience
While removal from SWIFT is a big deal, it is not the end of the world for those seven Russian banks, because it is merely a messaging system.
Banks can use alternative methods like faxes (yes, they still exist!) or alternative messaging systems like Russia’s own SPFS, China’s CIPS and India’s SFMS.
VEB is largely focused on domestic projects, and uses SPFS for overseas transactions
Sovcombank says that other sanctions already block it from making overseas payments, so the SWIFT removal has no impact
Promsvyazbank said that it had prepared for SWIFT removal, so it will not have a significant impact
VTB and Otkritie said that they would not be impacted
So Li Guangman’s claim that SWIFT removal is a weapon of war is… absurd and melodramatic.
Fact #9 : No One Ever Said Satellites Are Safe From Attacks
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Western nations had earlier claimed that “satellites are safe and will not be attacked“.
No country ever said that. In fact, the United States Space Force was formed, in part, to protect US satellite communications.
The US Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations, General David Thompson even shared in November 2021 that :
“Both China and Russia are regularly attacking US satellites with non-kinetic means, including lasers, radio frequency jammers, and cyber attacks… every single day“
Li Guangman seems incredibly naive and ignorant about daily attacks on satellites, because the alternative explanation would be that he knew but intentionally chose to mislead you.
Fact #10 : Anonymous Is Not A Government Organisation
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Anonymous is “some government organisations”.
Anonymous is a decentralised collective of anonymous hactivists… hence, its name.
It is not a government organisation.
It has previously attacked several Western governments, including the United States
Dozens of people associated with Anonymous cyberattacks have been arrested in the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, India and Turkey.
This is common knowledge, so it is peculiar that Li Guangman is so ignorant about Anonymous… or believes that people are stupid enough to believe him.
Fact #11 : Anonymous Did Not Hack Russian Space Agency
They never shut down the Russian space control centre, or took any Russian satellite out of control. All those are lies that Li Guangman apparently concocted.
Roscosmos Chief Executive, Dmitry Rogozin also denied the claim, saying that “The information of these scammers and petty swindlers is not true. All our space activity control centers are operating normally.‘
So you have to ask yourself – why would Li Guangman lie about this? These are all on public record. Does he believe that you are so gullible that you would believe everything he says?
Fact #12 : Sanctioned Assets Were Frozen, Not Seized
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that the assets of Russian government and private individuals were looted (stolen) by Western banks / governments.
As part of sanctions against the Russian government, Western countries also sanctioned certain Russian individuals, including the super-rich Russian oligarchs.
However, their assets were frozen, not seized. At least, not yet.
All individuals sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, for example, will have their assets frozen. Those assets would be locked up, and cannot be sold or accessed in any way.
The owner has to get a licence from the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to do anything – even to just pay property taxes, or fix a leaking roof.
That’s different from the government actually seizing the frozen assets – this requires the government to first prove that they are linked to a crime. Until that happens, the assets have not been “looted”.
According to Michael Parker, head of the anti-money laundering and sanctions practice at Ferrari & Associates :
These cases need to be built, there has to be a showing of some sort of underlying theory of forfeiture, there has to be a reason that they are forfeited. The mere fact that somebody the United States has said is a target owns this asset isn’t enough to form a basis of seizure under U.S. law.
Fact #13 : Only Assets Of Sanctioned Individuals Were Frozen
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that ALL assets belonging to the Russian government and private individuals were stolen by Western banks / government.
Not only were they not stolen, only assets belonging to sanctioned individuals and the Russian government were frozen. The assets of other Russian individuals were not affected.
Chinese netizens need not be overly concerned about their money stashed in Western banks.
Even if China decides to do something similarly evil like Russia, and invade another country, Western banks will only be forced to freeze the assets of those in power, like Chinese President Xi Jinping, for example.
Fact #14 : Less Than US$1 Trillion Frozen So Far
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Western countries froze US$8 trillion worth of assets.
On 5 March, UK Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted a chart that showed the value of Russian bank assets that were being sanctioned. That was actually criticised as being overly optimistic, but let’s assume it’s true.
That’s a total of £537.6 billion pounds, or US$703.7 billion. Even if you add US$15 billion of assets targeted by sanctioning seven Russian oligarchs, the total is still under US$719 billion.
So Li Guangman overstated the amount of sanctioned Russian assets by some 11X… if not more.
The City of London leads the way in the effects of sanctioning Russian banks. pic.twitter.com/WAgFV64ghy
Fact #15 : Switzerland Only Adopts Military Neutrality
Li Guangman appears to be confused by the concept of “Swiss neutrality”, which refers to military neutrality – Switzerland will not be involved in armed or political conflicts between other states.
Switzerland, however, pursues an active foreign policy, and is frequently involved in peace-building processes globally.
Fact #16 : Switzerland Has Adopted EU Sanctions Since 1998
Li Guangman appears to be living in the past, claiming that Switzerland abandoned its neutrality to sanction Russia.
While Switzerland declined to be part of EU, it has been adopting EU-only sanctions for the past 24 years!
1998 : EU sanctions against Yugoslavia
2000 : EU sanctions against Myanmar
2002 : EU sanctions against Zimbabwe
2006 : EU sanctions against Uzbekistan and Belarus
2022 : EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus
Fact #17 : Tech Companies Have To Comply With Sanctions
Li Guangman appears to be surprised that tech companies are complying with sanctions.
Of course, tech companies have to comply with sanctions. If they don’t, they would be legally liable and punished with fines and other legal actions.
In fact, Russia just announced sanctions against a wide range of American officials, including US President Joe Biden. They are expecting companies to comply with those sanctions as well.
We should also remember that China imposed sanctions of her own on US individuals and organisations, and expected companies to comply with their sanctions.
Did he expect companies to only comply with Russian and Chinese sanctions, but not those from Western countries?
Fact #18 : Russia Started The Conflict
Li Guangman claimed that Russia invading of Ukraine is “a real all-out war waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia“. What utter nonsense.
Western nations have repeatedly warned the world that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine since November 2021, even as Russia and pro-Russia forces derided them.
As early as December 2021, US President Joe Biden even threatened Russia with sweeping Western economic sanctions if it invaded Ukraine.
Russia repeatedly denied it was going to invade Ukraine, dismissing those warnings as “hysteria”. But they were lying, and ultimately invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
So let me be clear to Li Guangman and his supporters – the invasion of Ukraine was a war that Russia actively chose to initiate.
This was not a war “waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia“. This was a war that Russia waged against Ukraine.
Until today, the United States and NATO have repeatedly refused to directly defend Ukraine against attacks by Russia. So to call it an “all-out war” is also ludicrous.
This fake news appears to be part of the disinformation campaign conducted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
