Boris Johnson blows up Trump-Russia narrative, silencing CNN's Jake Tapper



CNN talking head Jake Tapper gave former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson an opportunity this week to help the American media establishment advance its latest Trump-Russia smear.

Johnson, whose time as prime minister and foreign secretary overlapped Trump's first four years in the White House, not only proved unwilling to cosign the narrative but highlighted President Donald Trump's historic efforts to keep Russia in check — something the Biden-Harris administration has alternatively had difficulty with.

Johnson went on CNN to promote his new memoir, "Unleashed." While nominally interested in discussing the former prime minister's book, Tapper appeared far more intent on exploring some of the more sensational allegations in Bob Woodward's forthcoming book, particularly the disputed claim — from yet another unnamed source — that Trump has spoken to Putin as many as seven times since leaving the White House.

'None of ... these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true.'

Democratic operatives and the liberal media are desperate to make something of this allegation. Former Obama U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, for instance, gladly leaped to the conclusion Tuesday that Trump had violated the Logan Act, thereby committing a crime.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has also given the rumor oxygen, claiming, "If it is true, it is indeed concerning."

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told The Hill, "None of ... these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true," adding that Woodward "suffers from a debilitating case of Trump derangement syndrome."

Woodward might have a chip on his shoulder on account of the president's $50 million lawsuit for releasing audio recordings of their interviews without consent.

"CNN is also reporting that in Woodward's book, according to a Trump aide, there have been multiple phone calls between former President Trump and Vladimir Putin. Maybe as many as seven since Trump left the White House in 2021," said Tapper. "What's your reaction to that?"

"I don't know if that's true, and I'm certainly not privy to the contents of those sorts of conversations," said Johnson.

"What I can tell our viewers is that when I had dealings with President Trump over Russia, like when the Russians poisoned people in the U.K., it was actually the Trump administration that really ... exceeded expectations. They expelled 60 Russian spies. It was the Trump administration that actually gave Ukrainians lethal weaponry — the Javelin missiles to use against Putin's troops."

After Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter were poisoned in 2018, Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats whom his administration identified as intelligence agents. He also had the Russian consulate in Seattle closed.

'Had he been president in 2022, there would have been no Russian invasion of Ukraine.'

As for the Javelins, Trump approved a plan to send the anti-tank missile systems to Ukraine in December 2017 — a step that former President Barack Obama had avoided, even when Russia annexed Crimea under his watch.

There was a pregnant silence after Johnson concluded his defense of Trump's record on Russia. Tapper then awkwardly changed the topic to the prime minister's book.

This is not the first time in recent days that the former prime minister has defended Trump.

In a recent interview with Britain's Times Radio, Johnson suggested Putin would not have invaded Ukraine on Trump's watch.

"I happen to believe that when Donald Trump says that had he been president in 2022, there would have been no Russian invasion of Ukraine, my view is that that is a credible assertion. I really do think that's credible," said Johnson.

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Did Speaker Mike Johnson betray Republicans by killing surveillance law amendment?



House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is under heavy scrutiny from the GOP after he voted to reauthorize FISA, which essentially allows the government to spy on Americans without a warrant.

House conservatives are outraged at Johnson’s decision to break the tie vote by siding with Democrats and the other 86 Republicans who voted in favor of the reauthorization of the surveillance law.

Pat Gray is equally outraged by Johnson’s betrayal, wondering if he can even be called a Republican after such a stunt.

“FISA section 702 passed easily. Its authorization of spying on Americans without a warrant continues through 2026, thanks specifically to Mike Johnson,” he sighs, noting that we need to “limit their time in office” and “make them legislate from their district.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), among many others, also expressed his displeasure with Johnson’s vote on a Fox News exclusive interview when he said, “I’m not so sure there’s a difference between Mike Johnson being in charge and the Democrats being in charge. ... So far, I don’t see a lot of difference.”

“Yeah, me neither,” says Pat.

Unfortunately, conservatives' vexation with Johnson is likely to continue with his upcoming Ukraine-Israel aid bill. To learn more about what’s on the horizon, watch the clip below.


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Rep. Chip Roy's FIERY message to federal bureaucracy amid shutdown debate



As a government shutdown draws closer, Republicans in the House have yet to come to an agreement among themselves — never mind with the Democrats.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is at his wits' end with this federal bureaucracy, which grabs from the pockets of the American taxpayers so it can continue its “war” against them.

“What’s happening is totally indefensible,” he tells Glenn Beck.

“The current thinking in this town is that we need to leverage Ukraine in order to force border security.”

That’s a problem because “that accepts the premise of Ukraine in the first place.”

Roy explains that some Republicans are trying to “force that conversation: transparency, where the money’s going to go, how it’s used, is it in our national security interest, and if so, is it enough of that to then warrant using it as a kind of leverage point to force border security?”

In order for the Republicans and Democrats to reach a resolution, Roy believes a few things are necessary.

“You’ve got to give me cuts, you’ve got to give me something in order to buy more time to pass the appropriations bills,” he tells Glenn, noting that the House has passed seven appropriations bills already.

“Until they get signed into law, changing policies and cutting spending, then it’s not doing the American people any good,” he adds.

Glenn agrees.

“I don’t think that there is any reason to not go back to the spending levels of 2019 before the emergencies. There’s no reason. None, none,” Glenn says.

Lack of border security and outrageous government spending on matters that do not benefit the American people at all — and are instead sending American taxpayers themselves farther into debt — are where Chip is drawing the line.

“Do not ask me to continue to fund the government that’s killing my people, that’s at war with the people I represent, because I can’t do that,” Chip says.


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Rep. Chip Roy's FIERY message to federal bureaucracy amid shutdown debate

Rep. Chip Roy's FIERY message to federal bureaucracy amid shutdown debate

Radical anti-'Cop City' activist arrested after allegedly slamming stolen vehicle into traffic and sending truck flying



A prominent critic of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center unwittingly provided yet another justification for its development and the presence of more well-trained police in the area. On Friday, Matthew V. Johnson Jr., the interim executive director of the leftist Beloved Community Ministries in Atlanta, was arrested and charged with reckless driving, speeding, felony theft by taking, and hit-and-run.

According to the police report obtained by the Daily Caller, surveillance footage at the Express Oil & Tire shop in Atlanta, Georgia, shows Johnson taking the keys of a stranger's 2013 Mercedes C-class vehicle on Sept. 29. The owner of the car had dropped it off hoping to get his brakes fixed.

Johnson, who appears to have had multiple run-ins with the law in the past, allegedly made his way outside and pressed the key fob to locate the vehicle. Upon finding the corresponding car, Johnson got in and sped away, according to police.

Just moments into the driver's rampage, police indicated Johnson slammed into two vehicles at 356 Moreland Ave. SE, indirectly impacting two additional vehicles. Traffic camera footage appears to show that Johnson flipped a truck, sending it careening into oncoming traffic and injuring the driver.

Johnson allegedly fled the incident on foot.

Arresting officers quickly caught up with the suspect and detained him. According to the arrest report, Johnson refused to disclose his name to officers, electing instead to sit smiling in silence.

WSB-TV reported that employees of the car shop later expressed gratitude that the radical leftist didn't end up killing anyone during his alleged rampage.

— (@)

The Daily Caller noted that apparent maniac driver has made no secret of his desire to see fewer police in his community.

In a recent open letter denouncing the police training center and excoriating black clergymen who refuse to side with the radical opposition, Johnson revealed his deep-seated antipathy for law enforcement, identitarian outlook, and radical views.

Johnson defended the leftist militant who was put down after reportedly shooting a Georgia State Patrol trooper in the gut; claimed to be caught in a struggle "at the intersection of climate change, police militarization, racialized police violence, and environmental racism"; and referred to the BLM riots as "George Floyd Rebellions." Furthermore, he underscored his refusal to "publicly condemn property destruction of equipment" by leftist militants and painted Antifa guerillas as protectors.

Johnson also intimated in the letter that "Cop City" is racist because graduates will help police Atlanta, which saw 170 murders last year and has a 3 rating on the Neighborhood Scout crime index (where 100 is safest).

"Police are the frontliners to reinforce these social injustices that rich and powerful private interests reify by expenditure in government and law enforcement," wrote the leftist minister. "The reason why people have such hostile feelings toward the police is an understanding that they are not being mobilized to keep people safe but more so to protect ill-gotten private property and enforce a legal system that devours the poor, setting them up for continued exploitation."

The race-focused leftist has not limited his criticism of the first responder training center to the one letter, having reportedly long defended the militant opposition to its construction..

Leftists outfits have long campaigned against the construction of the new $90 million police training center in Dekalb County's South River Forest, employing terroristic tactics to get their way.

Members of the opposition have conducted firebombings on police officers and law enforcement offices; attacks on firefighters and medics; sabotage on construction equipment; and intimidation efforts at the home of at least one state trooper.

In September, Georgia's Attorney General Chris Carr indicted 61 radicals under the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act last month.

TheBlaze reported that all of those indicted were members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, which Carr's office characterized as an "anarchist, anti-police, and anti-business extremist organization."

Carr said in press conference concerning the charges, "As the indictment asserts, members of Defend the Atlanta Forest subscribe to a philosophy of anarchy. They hold a core belief that society should abolish police, government, and private business, and as further alleged, they're willing to bring about such changes 'by any means necessary,'" reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Previously, three dozen radicals involved in the movement had been slapped with domestic terrorism charges; three were hit with felony intimidation charges for reportedly distributing flyers accusing a state trooper of being a "murderer" for killing a violent extremist; and three radicals involved with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund were charged in May with charities fraud and money laundering.

— (@)

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Pranksters pretending to be ex-Twitter employees successfully dupe some reporters, and even Elon Musk is impressed: 'One of the best trolls ever'



Two men managed to convince several members of the media that they were disaffected former Twitter software engineers who had just lost their jobs, and all they needed were a few props and a dead-pan expression to pull off the stunt.

On Friday, two men carrying cardboard boxes and looking despondent outside Twitter headquarters in San Francisco began spinning a tale of professional woe to some members of the media who were in the area in the event that new Twitter owner Elon Musk began axing rank-and-file staff.

The men stated that their names were Rahul Ligma and Daniel Johnson. Though the latter name might not raise any red flags, savvy social media users immediately understood the "ligma" reference and were onto the joke. "Ligma" is an internet meme about a fictitious disease which is said to have taken the life of Fortnite streamer, Ninja. It also has sexual undertones.

The man claiming to be Ligma held up a copy of Michelle Obama's book, "Becoming," and told reporters, "Michelle Obama wouldn’t have happened if Elon Musk owned Twitter." He also claimed that he had just been fired over Zoom and that he did not have any job prospects on the horizon.

His fellow prankster, "Daniel Johnson," whose last name likewise makes sexual reference, dropped several words and phrases often associated with leftists and Big Tech culture.

"I mean, if free speech, if Nazis saying that transwomen shouldn't use women's locker rooms," Johnson stated, "then awesome, I guess. Mission accomplished."

"Listen, I [have] got to touch base with my husband and wife," he added before leaving.

\u201cSome guys just absolutely trolled local media outside Twitter's headquarters pretending to be a fired software engineer:\n\n"I have to go touch base with my husband and wife."\u201d
— Greg Price (@Greg Price) 1666985218

Several reporters were all too eager to share the story. Deirdre Bosa of CNBC quickly tweeted, "It’s happening Entire team of data engineers let go. These are two of them," sharing a picture of Ligma and Johnson. She has since admitted that she has "not been able to confirm that they were actual employees or that the co has laid off anyone today."

Local reporter Suzanne Phan of ABC7 Bay Area reportedly fell for the hoax as well, though the tweet that she allegedly posted about the two men has since been deleted.

One high-profile figure who did not fall for the scheme is Musk. Musk tweeted about the two pranksters several times and expressed appreciation for their ingenuity.

"One of the best trolls ever," he wrote with two laughing emojis.

He even alerted followers that he understood the sexual references of the two pseudonyms, tweeting, "Ligma Johnson had it coming."

\u201cLigma Johnson had it coming \ud83c\udf46 \ud83d\udca6\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1666992783

"Comedy is now legal on Twitter," he added.

As of now, the only Twitter employees who have been fired are chief executive officer Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal, top legal and policy executive Vijaya Gadde, and general counsel Sean Edgett. However, Musk is widely expected to make other staffing changes. Some outlets had reported that Musk planned to fire up to 75% of the Twitter workforce, though Musk has allegedly denied those reports.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held in-person discussions with Zelenskyy where he committed to providing Ukraine with military supplies



The United Kingdom is going to send more than one hundred armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems to Ukraine as the Russian invasion drags on.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the arrangement on Saturday during an in-person visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Saturday, both Johnson and his Austrian counterpart, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, made in-person visits to Zelenskyy. The two leaders are the latest in a list of political figures who have made in-person visits to Ukraine in the midst of the ongoing Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian Embassy to the United Kingdom posted a picture of Johnson and Zelenskyy seated opposite one another at a table with the caption, “Surprise,” followed by a winking face emoji.

Surprise pic.twitter.com/AWa5RjYosD
— Embassy of Ukraine to the UK (@Embassy of Ukraine to the UK) 1649512581

CNN reported that The Press Service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine said on its official Twitter account that Zelenskyy and Johnson engaged in diplomatic discussions in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv.

On his Twitter account, Johnson said, “The Ukrainians have the courage of a lion. President [Zelenskyy] has given the roar of that lion. The UK stands unwaveringly with the people of Ukraine.”

The Ukrainians have the courage of a lion.\n\nPresident @ZelenskyyUa has given the roar of that lion.\n\nThe UK stands unwaveringly with the people of Ukraine.\n\nSlava Ukraini pic.twitter.com/u6vGYqmK4V
— Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1649533143

At the time of writing, this tweet is pinned to top of Johnson’s Twitter page.

In an official statement as Prime Minister, Johnson said, “Ukraine has defied the odds and pushed back Russian forces from the gates of Kyiv, achieving the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century.”

Johnson also praised his Ukrainian counterpart’s "resolute leadership" and the “invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people.” He said that the UK “stands unwaveringly with them in this ongoing fight” and that “[the British] are in it for the long run.”

Acknowledging Johnson’s steadfast support of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, “Boris was among those who didn’t doubt for a minute whether to support Ukraine. The leadership of Great Britain in providing our country help in defense, and also leadership in sanctions policy, will always be in history.”

He added, “Ukraine will always be grateful for this to Boris and Britain.”

During a press conference, Johnson said that the United Kingdom will continue to leverage sanctions against Russia and that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has dealt a “crushing blow” to his reputation and to the global standing of the Russian government.

During a subsequent press conference, Johnson said, “We will influence Russia’s ability to use its energy sources. The war determines the vision of Ukraine’s future, so our partners and I will supply Ukraine with equipment, technology, intelligence so that Ukraine never faces the horrors of invasion and blackmail.”

Queen Elizabeth II has contracted COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated



Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for COVID-19, the BBC reported.

Buckingham Palace told the BBC that the queen is experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms" but expects to continue "light duties" during the coming week.

The palace's statement said, "Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week. She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

The queen, who is 95 years old, was recently in contact with her eldest son, Prince Charles, who also tested positive for COVID-19. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles are fully vaccinated. This is Charles's second bout of COVID-19 after contracting it in 2020.

Despite her elevated age, the queen will continue with "light duties" as she recovers during the week.

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, took to Twitter to wish the queen a "swift recovery" and a "rapid return to vibrant good health."

I\u2019m sure I speak for everyone in wishing Her Majesty The Queen a swift recovery from Covid and a rapid return to vibrant good health.
— Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1645362068

The New York Times reported that it is unclear who passed the virus along to the queen.

The Times said, "The circumstances of the queen's infection remained clouded in questions. Charles was at Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, on Feb. 8 for an investiture ceremony," but did not conclude that the prince had passed the virus onto his mother as there has been an uptick in cases among those around the queen.

The queen contracting COVID-19 comes as the English government is preparing to stop requiring face masks to be worn in public places and COVID-19 passports will not be mandatory for large events, ABC News reported.

Johnson said, "We will trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalize anyone who chooses not to wear one."

These restrictions are reportedly being eased because government scientists believe that the omicron variant has peaked in the United Kingdom.

Government data indicates that more than 90% of British citizens over the age of 60 have received more than two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination. In most parts of the United Kingdom, infection rates are dropping.

In the spring of 2020, around the same time Prince Charles contracted COVID-19, Prime Minister Johnson was treated in an intensive care unit after falling ill to the virus.

Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Platinum Jubilee on Feb. 6. Having been on the throne for 70 years, Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

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