November 2024 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

Fwd: California Man Sentenced for Acting as an Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China Government and Bribery
by Gunnar Larson 23 Nov '24

23 Nov '24

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: FBI <fbi(a)subscriptions.fbi.gov> Date: Fri, Nov 22, 2024, 2:05 PM Subject: California Man Sentenced for Acting as an Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China Government and Bribery To: <g(a)xny.io> * National Press Releases * California Man Sentenced for Acting as an Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China Government and Bribery John Chen was sentenced to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and bribing an IRS agent in connection with a plot to target U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong—a spiritual practice banned in the PRC. Nov. 19, 2024 Full Press Release <https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/california-man-sentenced-for-acting…> ------------------------------ <https://www.facebook.com/FBI> <https://twitter.com/FBI> <https://www.youtube.com/user/FBI> <https://www.fbi.gov/e-mail-updates?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=…> * You have received this message because you are subscribed to one or more of the following categories: National Press Releases * Manage Subscription <https://delivery.fbi.gov/account-reminder> | Unsubscribe <https://delivery.fbi.gov/subscriber/c57956fe9830b3f02d21fe7a2581942df706f0b…> If you have questions about this service, email us at delivery(a)subscriptions.fbi.gov. Help <https://www.fbi.gov/e-mail-updates?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=…> | Privacy Policy <http://www.fbi.gov/privacy_policy?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=e…> | Visit FBI.gov <https://www.fbi.gov/?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=email&utm_sour…>

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Fwd: NYMag
by Gunnar Larson 23 Nov '24

23 Nov '24

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Joshua Plant <Joshua(a)plantpr.com> Date: Fri, Apr 1, 2022, 2:43 PM Subject: NYMag To: Gunnar Larson <g(a)xny.io> Great bullshit quote: “There’s a misconception that having rigorous regulation turns off innovative companies,” Harris tells me during an hour-long interview at her office looking out onto the Statue of Liberty last month. “That hasn’t been our experience here.” -- *Joshua Plan**t* 646.853.0609 *PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL. * This e-mail is intended only for the use of the addressees. Any copying, forwarding, printing or other use of this e-mail by persons other than the addressees is not authorized. This e-mail may contain information or accompanying documents which contains information belonging to the sender which is legally privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure. The information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately by return e-mail (including the original message in your reply) and then delete and discard all copies of the e-mail. *All information furnished regarding the above property is from sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or representation is made as to the accuracy thereof and same is submitted subject to error, omissions, changes, prior sale, lease or financing or withdrawal without notice.* Pursuant to the CAN-SPAM Act this communication may be considered an advertisement or solicitation. If you would prefer not to receive future marketing and promotional mailings, please submit your request via email to Joshua(a)PlantPR.com Thank you.

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BREAKING: Trump Taps Hedge Fund Billionaire Bessent To Head Treasury
by Gunnar Larson 23 Nov '24

23 Nov '24

BREAKING: Trump Taps Hedge Fund Billionaire Bessent To Head Treasury <https://www.law360.com/banking/articles/2264954?nl_pk=feb6bbba-7878-4d39-be…> By Hailey Konnath President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced that he's selected Scott Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager and the founder of Key Square Group, to serve as secretary of the Treasury in his upcoming administration. Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/banking/articles/2264954?nl_pk=feb6bbba-7878-4d39-be…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/banking/articles/2264954?nl_pk=feb6bbba-7878-4d39-be…>

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Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. Experts say don’t expect big revelations | AP News
by Gunnar Larson 23 Nov '24

23 Nov '24

https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-documents-release-trump-50ea62… DALLAS (AP) — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate. President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term, but ultimately bended to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld. At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations. Advertisement “Anybody waiting for a smoking gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Friday’s 61st anniversary is expected to be marked with a moment of silence at 12:30 p.m. in Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy’s motorcade was passing through when he was fatally shot. And throughout this week there have been events marking the anniversary.

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Fwd: Please do not click away
by Gunnar Larson 22 Nov '24

22 Nov '24

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Kamala HQ <contact(a)e.kamalaharris.com> Date: Fri, Nov 22, 2024, 11:32 AM Subject: Please do not click away To: <g(a)xny.io> ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [image: Harris Fight Fund] <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/2412?refcode=kh_em_fr_20241122_b1_khq_tier1…> ☀️ To all Kamala Harris's supporters, please do not click away. Donald Trump is on a mission to bring our country back to a time when we had fewer rights and freedoms than we do today. He is going on a hiring spree appointing loyalists who will do his bidding like RFK Jr. If everyone reading this message donated even $10, we would not only have a huge number of donations, but we would have the resources to begin holding Trump accountable. But not everyone gives, so we're relying on people who understand how important keeping Donald Trump in check is to chip in today. Thousands of people have stepped up since Election Day to power our Fight Fund program to help us win the final races for candidates who will hold Trump accountable these next four years. But we can’t let up now. Our average online donation is around $50. Many people give less. Some give more. All that matters is that you are choosing to do something today. *So please, will you rush a donation to support the Harris Fight Fund program today? <https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024?refcode=k…>* *If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:* $50 >> <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/1009?c0=em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024.OpR…> $75 >> <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/1009?c0=em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024.OpR…> $100 >> <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/1009?c0=em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024.OpR…> $250 >> <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/1009?c0=em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024.OpR…> $500 >> <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/1009?c0=em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024.OpR…> Other >> <https://act.kamalaharris.com/go/973?c0=em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024.7ItC…> 🙏 We are asking, humbly: Please make your donation today. It'd mean a lot. Kamala HQ ------------------------------ DONATE <https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em-hvf-november-fight-fund-2024?refcode=k…> TAKE ACTION <https://go.kamalaharris.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak&utm_campaign=kh_…> SHOP <https://store.kamalaharris.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ak&utm_campaign=…> ------------------------------ This email was sent to *g(a)xny.io <#m_3229036198397260507_>*. Thank you so much for being a supporter. But we don't want to bother you. If you’d like to unsubscribe from all Harris for President emails, you can *click here <https://harris.actionkit.com/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe?t=10&akid=285%2E23…>* . Contributions or gifts to Harris Victory Fund are not tax deductible. We sincerely thank you for your help and support. Paid for by Harris Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee authorized by Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee and the State Democratic Parties in these states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY. The first $41,300/$15,000 from a person/multicandidate committee (“PAC”) will be allocated to the DNC. The next $3,300/$5,000 from a person/PAC will be allocated to Harris for President’s Recount Account. The next $510,000/$255,000 from a person/PAC will be split equally among the Democratic state parties from these states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY. Any additional funds will be allocated to the DNC, subject to applicable contribution limits. A contributor may designate their contribution for a particular participant by contacting *info(a)kamalaharris.com <#m_3229036198397260507_>*. The allocation formula above may change if following it would result in an excessive contribution.

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BREAKING: Trump Sentence Halted To Decide President-Elect's Immunity
by Gunnar Larson 22 Nov '24

22 Nov '24

BREAKING: Trump Sentence Halted To Decide President-Elect's Immunity <https://www.law360.com/legalethics/articles/2264638?nl_pk=153d4a8a-6fb9-4a5…> By Frank G. Runyeon The New York state judge who oversaw Donald Trump's hush money trial officially canceled his Nov. 26 sentencing date on Friday to weigh the impact of his new status as president-elect, pushing briefing into December. Order attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/legalethics/articles/2264638?nl_pk=153d4a8a-6fb9-4a5…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/legalethics/articles/2264638?nl_pk=153d4a8a-6fb9-4a5…>

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BREAKING: High Court Quietly Tosses Meta Disclosure Suit
by Gunnar Larson 22 Nov '24

22 Nov '24

BREAKING: High Court Quietly Tosses Meta Disclosure Suit <https://www.law360.com/capitalmarkets/articles/2264599?nl_pk=abe82add-2a33-…> By Jessica Corso The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday set aside a Meta Platforms Inc. case that sought to narrow the types of risk disclosures corporations need to make to investors, saying that the court shouldn't have taken up the case in the first place. Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/capitalmarkets/articles/2264599?nl_pk=abe82add-2a33-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/capitalmarkets/articles/2264599?nl_pk=abe82add-2a33-…>

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The Untouchables: PBS Asks Why U.S. Justice Department Isn't Prosecuting Wall Street
by Gunnar Larson 22 Nov '24

22 Nov '24

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2013/01/the-untouchables-pbs-asks-why-u-s-ju… By Pam Martens: January 23, 2013 Martin Smith, Frontline Producer The Untouchables, which aired last evening on the PBS program “Frontline,” builds on the outstanding 2012 series co-produced by Martin Smith and his wife, Marcela Gaviria, Money, Power, and Wall Street. (I highly recommend watching all four episodes of the earlier documentary, then rewatching The Untouchables if you want an epiphany into why Wall Street can’t be tamed.) Smith is producer, writer and correspondent in the latest effort. Unfortunately, last night’s program sought an answer to an abbreviated question: why has no Wall Street executive been criminally prosecuted for fraud tied to the sale of mortgages. The unabbreviated question and the one that infuriates Americans is: why has no executive of a major Wall Street firm been criminally prosecuted for anything. If the U.S. Justice Department was serious about doing its job, it has a cornucopia of crimes to pick from: Wall Street CEOs and CFOs attesting to fraudulent financial filings with the SEC, money laundering, lying in prospectuses, illegal foreclosures, rigging the Libor interest rate benchmark and then selling interest rate swaps based on a rigged index to school districts, cities and counties across America, manipulating the futures market with a rigged Libor interest rate, and so forth. By asking the attenuated question, viewers may reach a myopic conclusion: that the head of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Justice Department, Lanny Breuer, is not prosecuting because he is too afraid of losing cases. A much stronger case can be made that Breuer is too afraid of facing his law partners when his stint is up at DOJ and he returns to his high paying job at the law firm of Covington & Burling — which represents Wall Street’s denizens of casino capital. Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General, Lanny Breuer, the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, and Dan Suleiman, deputy chief of staff and counselor to Lanny Breuer, all hail from the corporate law firm, Covington & Burling. Their former partner at the firm, John Dugan, a former bank lobbyist, headed the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which regulates all national banks, from August 4, 2005 through August 14, 2010 – the years leading up to and including the financial crisis. When Dugan stepped down from the OCC in 2010, he returned to Covington & Burling’s Washington, D.C. office and now chairs the firm’s Financial Institutions Group, providing legal counsel to many of the same banks he supervised for five years. It is reasonable to assume that Holder, Breuer and Suleiman may return to their high-pay partner positions at Covington & Burling when they leave the Justice Department. As we previously reported: Covington & Burling is the law firm that, according to an earlier U.S. Department of Justice, fronted for the illegal misdeeds of Big Tobacco for four decades. Covington & Burling’s relationship with Big Tobacco went far beyond the typical attorney-client relationship. The firm set up front groups to hide payments and to hide the coordination of Big Tobacco in promulgating fake science on the issue of second hand smoke. In an August 17, 2006 decision against tobacco companies (while Dugan was sitting as a top bank regulator in the Bush administration), Judge Gladys Kessler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that “Cigarette smoking causes disease, suffering, and death. Despite internal recognition of this fact, Defendants have publicly denied, distorted, and minimized the hazards of smoking for decades.” The Court issued a blistering analysis of the role of Covington & Burling: “Finally, a word must be said about the role of lawyers in this fifty-year history of deceiving smokers, potential smokers, and the American public about the hazards of smoking and second hand smoke, and the addictiveness of nicotine. At every stage, lawyers played an absolutely central role in the creation and perpetuation of the Enterprise and the implementation of its fraudulent schemes. They devised and coordinated both national and international strategy; they directed scientists as to what research they should and should not undertake; they vetted scientific research papers and reports as well as public relations materials to ensure that the interests of the Enterprise would be protected; they identified ‘friendly’ scientific witnesses, subsidized them with grants from the Center for Tobacco Research and the Center for Indoor Air Research, paid them enormous fees, and often hid the relationship between those witnesses and the industry; and they devised and carried out document destruction policies and took shelter behind baseless assertions of the attorney client privilege.” The Court made clear exactly which law firms it was singling out in a footnote, stating: “Despite the apparent conflict of interest, a few law firms, particularly Covington & Burling and Shook, Hardy & Bacon, represented the shared interests of all the Defendants and coordinated a significant part of the Enterprise’s activities.” Smith will hopefully pursue in a future documentary how partners from a law firm with this history ended up as a top bank regulator in the Bush administration and top slots at the Justice Department in the Obama administration. At one point in the program, Smith asks Lanny Breuer why he has failed to indict any senior Wall Street executives. Breuer responds: “I think there was a level of greed, a level of excessive risk taking in this situation that I find abominable and very upsetting…but that is not what makes a criminal case.” There are a number of skeptics in the program who are not buying what Breuer is peddling as excuses. Jeff Connaughton, former chief of staff to former Senator Ted Kaufman, says: “You’re telling me that not one banker, not one executive on Wall Street, not one player in this entire financial crisis committed provable fraud…I mean, I just don’t believe that.” Equally dubious of Breuer’s position is former New York State Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, who bluntly says that the prosecutors at the Justice Department “have not done what needed to be done.” The program leaves the public with the impression that the “untouchables” are not just the fat cats on Wall Street but also the top ranks at the U.S. Justice Department whom the President has seen fit to leave in their seats, despite their lack of prosecution of Wall Street criminals. Smith has produced for Frontline for 28 years on topics as varied as revolution in Central America, the fall of communism in Russia, to the rise of Al Qaeda and the war in Iraq. The Untouchables was co-produced by Linda Hirsch and Ben Gold.

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House Dems Tell Gorsuch To Recuse Over NEPA Case Conflict
by Gunnar Larson 22 Nov '24

22 Nov '24

House Dems Tell Gorsuch To Recuse Over NEPA Case Conflict <https://www.law360.com/cannabis/articles/2262944?nl_pk=c844ee6a-f80e-4e60-b…> By Katie Buehler A group of House Democrats has called for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to recuse himself from a dispute over federal environmental review requirements, arguing the court's decision could directly benefit a Colorado billionaire and former client who campaigned for the justice's first judicial appointment. Letter attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/cannabis/articles/2262944?nl_pk=c844ee6a-f80e-4e60-b…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/cannabis/articles/2262944?nl_pk=c844ee6a-f80e-4e60-b…>

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Gaetz Ends AG Bid, Citing 'Distraction' To Trump Transition
by Gunnar Larson 22 Nov '24

22 Nov '24

Gaetz Ends AG Bid, Citing 'Distraction' To Trump Transition <https://www.law360.com/cannabis/articles/2264169?nl_pk=c844ee6a-f80e-4e60-b…> By Phillip Bantz Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use. Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/cannabis/articles/2264169?nl_pk=c844ee6a-f80e-4e60-b…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/cannabis/articles/2264169?nl_pk=c844ee6a-f80e-4e60-b…>

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