All posts by Malcontent News Staff

BIPOC, Five Facts, National

Lloyd Austin confirmed by Senate becomes first Black Secretary of Defense

Five Fast Facts

  • Lloyd Austin cruised through confirmation approved 93-2 in a floor vote of the Senate, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Mike Lee ( R-UT) were the only members to vote no
  • Austin’s approval has some controversy attached to it – a Secretary of Defense is supposed to be a civilian for at least 7 years before holding the position – Austin retired from the Army in 2016 – a waiver was given by both the House and Senate
  • Austin is not the first Secretary of Defense to receive a waiver and the tactic was used by the Trump Administration to approve James Mattis
  • Austin was a four star general in the Army, was the first Black general to command an Army division in combat, and the commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq
  • Austin is another person in the BIPOC community breaking barriers within the Biden Administration

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Friday confirmed Lloyd Austin as the nation’s first Black defense secretary, the second nominee of President Joe Biden to be confirmed by the chamber.

Austin is a retired four-star Army general who will be the first Black secretary of defense. He was the first Black general to command an Army division in combat and also the first to oversee an entire theater of operations as the commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Read more at USA Today

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: January 21, 2021

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Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from January 21 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Seattle inauguration protests highlight questionable tactics by protesters and police
  • Keystone XL Pipeline is canceled by the Biden Administration on day one
  • COVID Five Fast Facts
  • Officer Eric Whitehead and his strange trip to the ER
  • Abusive Head Trauma – the legacy of Shaken Baby Syndrome, the questionable science behind it, and the targeting of the poor, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA community for abuse allegations
  • Insurrection update
Editorial, National

Insurrection update for January 18, 2021

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From Malcontentment Happy Hour, January 18, 2021

A summary of events from January 15 to January 18, 2021

The Seattle Police Department has been rocked by multiple findings of misconduct, use of force violations, and ongoing investigations in the first two weeks of January:

  • Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is suspended by Twitter on Sunday
  • Rep Lauren Boebert is facing calls for her resignation, accusations of aiding insurrections, accusations her mother participated in the insurrection, including Rep Steve Cohen stating she saw Boebert providing a tour
  • More than 125 people arrested and 270 open cases
  • Arrested – Jenny Cudd
  • Arrested – Derrik Evans
  • Arrested – Tim Gionet aka Baked Alaska
  • Arrested – Jack Jesse Griffith aka Juan Bibiano
  • Arrested – Emily Hernandez
  • Arrested – Jenna Ryan
  • Arrested – Ryan Sanford
  • Arrested – Timothy L Hale-Cusanelli
  • Arrested – Daniel A. Baker
  • Arrested – Lisa Eisenhart
  • Arrested – Eric Muchel
  • Impeachment trial could start as early as 1/20/21
  • President Donald Trump has not identified a legal team and has positioned no defense
  • Rudy Giuliani and the Trump team go back and forth over the weekend on his role
  • Kamala Harris resigns from Senate
  • Alex Padilla (D-CA) will be appointed to Harris’ seat, becoming the first Latino senator from California
  • John Ossoff to be sworn in as Senator
  • HHS Secretary Alex Azar resigns and in scathing letter blames Trump for “tarnishing his legacy”
  • American Thinker issues a full retraction about Dominion Voting Systems stating their story had “no basis in fact”
  • Michael J. Lindell could be facing a lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems
  • Two Rocky Mount, Virginia police officers arrested over insurrection participation
Five Facts, LGBTQIA

Dr. Rachel Levine nominated by Biden for HHS role

Five Fast Facts

  • President-elect Joe Biden announced his nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as assistant secretary of health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Dr. Levine is the Secretary of Health for the state of Pennsylvania
  • Dr. Levine is a graduate of Harvard College and the Tulane Univesity School of Medicine
  • The Republican-controlled Senate of the state of Pennsylvania confirmed her as Secretary of Health 3 times
  • Dr. Levine has faced harassment and threats due to her role in dealing with C Disease and for being openly transgender

President-elect Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he has nominated Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed by the Senate, Levine would be the first openly transgender federal official in a Senate-confirmed role, according to the Biden-Harris transition team. 

Levine, who is the secretary of health for Pennsylvania, is currently leading the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read more at CBS News

BIPOC, Local

Seattle Police Department off to a bad 2021 start

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From Malcontentment Happy Hour, January 18, 2021

Seattle Police Department hit by multiple OPA investigation findings, suspensions, and new investigations at the start of 2021

The Seattle Police Department has been rocked by multiple findings of misconduct, use of force violations, and ongoing investigations in the first two weeks of January:

  • Mike Solan, Seattle Police Officer Guild (SPOG) president is facing calls for his resignation due to tweets he shared
  • Two police officers suspended with pay and under investigation for any potential role they may have had in the Washington D.C. insurrection
  • The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found that a police officer improperly used a blast ball on 6/7/20, permanently disabling a woman
  • The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found that a police officer improperly used a CS gas canister (teargas), throwing it into a group of peaceful protesters inside Cal Anderson Park, the event was shown live on the news and caught on police body camera
  • The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found that a police officer improperly used a blast ball, throwing it where he could not see where it would land, striking a resting man with it
  • The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found that a controversial tweet by the Seattle Police Department calling two broken candles explosives was “inaccurate”
  • An unnamed officer hired in July 2017 was fired for referring to an African American suspect as Kunta Kinte to his coworkers who complained about their conduct
  • Officer Eric Whitehead is under OPA investigation for an incident in a Seattle area emergency room
  • Officer Mika Harmon is under OPA investigation for her conduct caught on body camera on 8/21/20, per Seattle Times
BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, Local, National, Weather

Malcontentment Happy Hour: January 18, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from January 18, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Dr. Martin Luther King Day 2021 – his words continue to be taken out of context more than 50 years after his death
  • Seattle Police Department is off to a very bad start in January
  • Five Fast Facts about COVID -19 – our COVID update
  • Insurrection update
  • Will it snow next week?
Breaking News, National

From Russia with love, Parler finds a new host via Latin America

Parler, the alternative social media platform that was shut down after every vendor supporting them abandoned the service, is back up and running. Yesterday, the website was live again, displaying a welcome message.

“Now seems like the right time to remind you all — both lovers and haters — why we started this platform. We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media. Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both.“

“We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!”

In an exclusive phone call with Fox News, Parler CEO John Matze told the network, “I’m confident that by the end of the month, we’ll be back up.”

An Internet security expert told us, “Parler is using DDoS-Guard. Essentially, this is the Russian equivalent to CloudFlare that provides DDoS protection to a number of sites. The IP address is registered to DDoS-Guard with a Belize address, an administrative contact in Ecuador, and a Russian email address.“

Last week, Parler secured domain hosting with Sammammish based, Epik Software. With Parler addressing the needs for domain registration and hosting, they are likely now building servers, installing software, and transferring their software and database onto the new infrastructure. Said our contact in Internet security, “How long until they’re up depending on how long it takes them to get all that done.”

Five Facts, National

Robert Sanford, who struck D.C. police with fire extinguisher, denied bail

Five Fast Facts

  • Robert Sanford, a Chester, Pennsylvania retired firefighter was arrested on a list of charges for his involvement in the Washington D.C. insurrection
  • Sanford is accused of striking at least three Capitol police officers, including one with no helmet, with a fire extinguisher during the attempted coup
  • This is a different incident than the individual that struck Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who later died of his injuries, Sandford is not a suspect in that incident
  • Sanford was turned in to authorities by a friend after discussing his actions at the Capitol and telling them he was wanted for the assault on the officers
  • U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry S. Perkins denied bail based on the danger Sanford represents to the public, him being bussed for free to Washington D.C., and the discovery of white supremacist clothing in his home during a search

A retired Pennsylvania firefighter accused of hurling a fire extinguisher at U.S. Capitol Police officers during the attack in Washington last week is a danger to the public with suspected ties to white supremacists, a prosecutor said in court Thursday.

Robert Sanford, who retired from the Chester Fire Department in March, was arraigned in federal court in Allentown on charges that include assault of a police officer, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, civil disorder and unlawfully entering the Capitol. He is being held in Lehigh County Jail.

Read more at The Morning Call

Editor Note: Chicago Firefighter David Quintavalle was misidentified in social media as the man wanted for the fire extinguisher attack, and also misattributed to be responsible for the death of Brian D. Sicknick. We state in the strongest terms that Firefighter Quintavalle was not involved in any way in the insurrection. Malcontent News never reported at any time that Quintavalle was a supsect or a person of interest.

BIPOC, National

Who is John Sullivan

Video 1 Comment

From Malcontentment Happy Hour, January 14, 2021

‘BLM activist’ John Sullivan has become a central figure of right-wing conspiracy that he is the mastermind of the insurrection

On Thursday, John Sullivan, aka Jayden Sullivan, aka Activist John aka Activist X, was arrested for his involvement in the insurrection in the Capitol.. John Sullivan is the brother of James Sullivan, a Proud Boy. A dive into John’s background paints a complex picture of someone who is not a criminal mastermind with the plan to organize thousands to overthrow the government. John appears to be a nihilistic narcissist who hungers for attention.

We looked at the research done by Rebellion Baby and Max Blumenthal. Is he a supporter of Black Lives Matter, a Proud Boy double-agent, a grifter, a cop, a purveyor of protest porn, or just a pawn in a tug-of-war for accountability?

UPDATE: John Sullivan was released from custody with no bail requirement on Friday. In another strange twist in the journey of John Sullivan, Rudy Giuliani tweeted out about a text conversation he has with James Sullivan about using John as blame for the insurrection and blaming Antifa. Although the phone number is blacked out, it has been authenticated by third parties.

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: January 14, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from January 14, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Black Coffee Northwest of Shoreline, Washington, releases security video of the September 30 – October 1 firebombing – forced to close for at least two days due to racism, vandalism, and ongoing threats against employees
  • Behind the Pole – a special interview with Nate Gowdy, Seattle area photographer who was in Washington D.C. for the January 6, 2021, insurrection
  • Who is John Sullivan – a household name among conspiracy theory circles for the Washington D.C. insurrection, we analyze the story and history behind the polarizing figure
  • Five Fast Facts about COVID -19 – our COVID update
  • Insurrection update – Donald Trump is impeached for the second time, more arrests, and Parler videos scraped form the security breach show what was going on inside the Capitol during the attempted coup

WARNING – tonight’s show contains graphic content that some people may find disturbing