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Dec. 5, 2021 - Epoch Times
21:53
Former Marxist Group Leader (and convicted murderer) Pardoned by Cuomo on Last Day | Facts Matter
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Good evening.
Just yesterday, over in Afghanistan, there were two separate suicide bombings which led to the deaths of 13 American troops as well as 95 Afghan civilians.
Meanwhile, over in New York, on his last day in office, Andrew Cuomo issued six pardons, and one of them was for a convicted murderer Who is also a former leader inside of a Marxist organization called the Weather Underground.
And lastly, earlier today at the Supreme Court, they ruled that the CDC's moratorium on evictions was unconstitutional, meaning that landlords across America can begin evicting tenants who are not paying their rent.
And according to new data, that includes tens of millions of people.
Let's go through it all together.
Let's go through it all together.
And now let's begin today's discussion over in Afghanistan.
However, just before we do, as a quick aside, over on Epic TV, we have launched a very cool documentary series called The Dark Origins of Communism.
It explores where this ideology came from, its theoretical underpinnings, what its ultimate goals are, as well as how it has infiltrated and subverted almost every aspect of society, not only here in America, but across the entire globe.
I hope you check it out because not only is it extremely in-depth, but it also helps to explain a lot of the phenomena that we're seeing in today's world.
I'll throw a link to Epic TV right there at the top of the description box.
And now let's really move on over to Afghanistan.
As I'm sure you've already heard, there were two devastating bombings over in Kabul just yesterday.
Those bombings, one of which took place at the gate of the Kabul airport and the other one which took place at a nearby hotel, they tragically took the lives of 13 American service members, 95 Afghan civilians, and the bombings also wounded well over 100 people.
This was, by the way, the single deadliest incident for American forces over in Afghanistan in over a decade.
Now, in terms of the specifics of the casualties, according to an initial report which was released by the Pentagon, it showed that 11 Marines, one Navy medic, as well as one other service member whose branch wasn't disclosed, were among those who tragically died.
Furthermore, at least 18 service members were wounded.
Now, in terms of who is responsible for these bombings, well, shortly afterwards, an affiliate group of ISIS, specifically a group called ISIS-K, which operates inside of Afghanistan, they took responsibility for this attack.
They did so by releasing a statement.
And in that statement, they published a photo of the man who they claimed conducted one of the suicide bombings, and then they wrote this.
The suicide bomber, managing to penetrate all the security fortifications, he managed to reach a large gathering of translators and collaborators with the American army, and then he detonated his explosive belt.
Now, our military leaders are at this moment investigating these two bombings.
However, they're saying that as of right now, there is no indication that the Taliban was either involved in the attack or that they let it happen.
Furthermore, our military leaders are saying that they are continuing to work alongside the Taliban.
With even Kenneth McKenzie, who is the Commander General of the U.S. Central Command, he said that U.S. military officials are continuing to coordinate with the Taliban, including by conveying to them what they expect them to do in order to, and this is a quote, protect us, which includes pushing the Taliban to have more ground patrol units outside of the airport, which appears to be what they are actually doing.
They're having about 500 of their troops patrol outside of the airport.
Although we'll have to see how it ultimately turns out.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't trust the Taliban any more than I do ISIS. All right, there was one aspect to this story I did not mention in the in-studio filming of that episode, and frankly, I almost could not believe this report when I first read it.
It came out of Politico.
And it detailed sort of the extent that the U.S. military has outsourced the security of the airport perimeter to the Taliban.
This report said the U.S. officials over in Kabul, they gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, American green card holders, as well as our Afghan allies, with the thinking being that they need to be let through and without a list of names, the Taliban wouldn't know who to let through.
But really, just think about that for a moment.
The Taliban has a super long history, I mean, I don't need to tell you this, of brutally hunting down and killing the local Afghans who helped American troops as well as the coalition forces.
And yet, they were given a list of names of the Afghans who specifically were helping Americans.
This actually led one defense official in this article who spoke under the condition of anonymity to say this, quote, Now on Thursday, Joe Biden was asked about this report during a press conference, and he said that he wasn't sure that these lists existed.
But he did confirm that sometimes the U.S. hands over names to the Taliban.
In fact, this is what he said on Thursday.
And although Joe Biden didn't officially confirm that this is happening, earlier this week the Pentagon spokesperson, a man by the name of John Kirby, He did say that the Biden administration has been coordinating the evacuation effort and the airport security with the Taliban, and that officials have been in, quote, daily communication with the Taliban commanders about who to let in.
And by the way, that news came just a few hours after the bombs went off by ISIS, leading a Democrat from New Jersey, a Senate Democrat from New Jersey named Bob Menendez, who was also on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to say this, quote, As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear.
We can't trust the Taliban with Americans' security.
Regardless, about seven hours after the attack yesterday, Joe Biden came out and he issued a statement saying in part that America will retaliate against the terrorists who conducted these bombings.
Here's what he said as a part of that statement.
To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget.
We will hunt you down and make you pay.
I'll defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.
Furthermore, Joe Biden has directed U.S. military officials to draw plans in order to strike ISIS facilities as well as ISIS fighters.
Specifically, here's what he said on that front.
"If we can find who's associated with this, we will go after them.
We've been clear all along that we're going to retain the right to operate against ISIS in Afghanistan, and we are working very hard right now to determine attribution, to determine who's associated with this cowardly attack, and we're prepared to take action against them 24/7.
We are looking for them." Now, moving forward, General McKenzie said that the US is bracing for more repeat attacks by ISIS, including possible rocket or car bombs targeting the airport.
Here's what he said at a press briefing.
The threat from ISIS is extremely real.
We've been talking about this for several days.
We saw it actually manifest itself here in the last few hours with an actual attack.
Right now, our focus is actually going forward, ensuring another attack of this nature does not occur, because as you know, the pattern is typically multiple attacks.
Now, as of today, evacuation flights from Afghanistan have once again resumed.
And for reference, by the way, according to the official figures, between August 14th and today, which is August 29th, the U.S. has facilitated the evacuation of about 100,000 people, which includes about 5,000 Americans.
And it appears that after the explosions, more people are attempting to leave the country.
In fact, today, which is Friday, you see more people arriving at the airport, despite warnings that there could be more attacks on the horizon.
In fact, there was one man who came with his wife and three small children trying to escape to the West, and when he was interviewed, he said this, After the explosion, I decided I would try, because I'm afraid now there will be more attacks, and I think now I have to leave.
Another man who came to the airport in order to flee the country, he said this, Believe me, I think that an explosion will happen any second or minute.
God is my witness.
But we have lots of challenges in our lives.
That is why we take the risk to come here and we overcome fear.
Now, if you would like to read more about what's happening over in Kabul, I'll throw the links to several articles into the description box below this video for you to check out.
And now, let's move on over to New York and discuss how Andrew Cuomo pardoned a convicted murderer Sorry.
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And now let's move on over to New York.
One thing that I did not mention in yesterday's episode when we discussed Andrew Cuomo's final day in office is the fact that he issued several last-minute pardons.
And specifically, there is one that is worth highlighting.
Because again, on his very last day in office, Andrew Cuomo granted clemency to a terrorist who was formerly with the Weather Underground.
Now, in case you're not familiar with it, the Weather Underground was a Marxist domestic terrorist organization which was founded back in 1969 as a faction of the SDS, which is the Students for a Democratic Society, another socialist Marxist group.
And the Weather Underground was essentially their arm to commit domestic terrorism.
According to a report which was issued by the FBI, it said this, And that is exactly what they did.
According to that same report from the FBI, during the 1970s, the Weather Underground claimed responsibility for 25 bombings, including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, the California Attorney General's Office, Which brings us back to Andrew Cuomo's pardon.
The man that he granted clemency to was named David Gilbert.
And not only was he a former member of the Weather Underground, but he was also convicted of second-degree murder, as well as first-degree robbery.
That robbery, by the way, was carried out back in 1981 by members of the Black Liberation Army, as well as in conjunction with the Weather Underground Organization, and it resulted in the murder of two police officers, as well as one security guard.
A report which was commissioned by the New York Criminal Justice Division back in 1985, it found that this particular robbery was not designated as a terrorist act, but was, rather, a criminal act carried out by terrorists for the economic gain of their organizations.
Now, upon granting this man, as well as five other people, clemency, here is what Andrew Cuomo wrote on Twitter.
I am granting clemency to six people.
These individuals have shown remorse, rehabilitation, and commitment to their communities.
I thank all the volunteer attorneys representing clemency applicants for their dedication and service to justice.
And specifically, in regards to Mr.
Gilbert, Andrew Cuomo noted that he had already served 40 years of his sentence for a crime where he served as the driver and not the actual murderer.
Furthermore, Andrew Cuomo said that while he was incarcerated, Mr.
Gilbert has made significant contributions to AIDS education and prevention programs, and he has also worked as a student tutor, law library clerk, paralegal assistant, a teacher's aide, and an aide for various additional facility programs.
Now, Mr.
Gilbert's son, Chase Aboden, he is a district attorney over in San Francisco, actually, he has been lobbying for his father's clemency for a very long time now.
And when this pardon passed three days ago, here's what the son wrote on Twitter.
My heart is bursting.
On the eve of my first child's birth, my dad, who has been in prison nearly my entire life, was granted clemency.
He never intended harm, yet his crime devastated many families.
My heart breaks for the families that can never get their loved ones back.
For your reference, by the way, Mr.
Bowden's mother, Ms.
Kathy Bowden, she was also involved in this robbery.
However, she was granted parole back in 2003, and she is now an adjunct professor over at Columbia University.
And of course, it actually appears that this is a common trend, because as you might know, several other members of the Weather Underground, specifically the leaders of the Weather Underground, later went on to become professors at universities.
For instance, Bill Ayers, who is a co-founder of the Weather Underground, he was a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
While his wife, Bernadine Dorn, who is also a member of the Weather Underground, she went on to teach over at Northwestern University.
Regardless, it's worth noting that not everyone was on board with Andrew Cuomo's pardon.
For instance, Michael Lawler, who is a member of the New York State Assembly, he's a Republican, he criticized this pardon, calling it a betrayal to the victims in terms of the crimes.
Here's what he said.
This is a disgusting betrayal to the people of Rockland County, the families of Peter Page, Edward O'Grady, and Waverly Brown, and law enforcement officers everywhere.
New York Governor Cuomo is a coward and an awful human being.
And this type of criticism is not only coming from the Republican Party.
For instance, Elijah Melnick, who is a New York state senator, he's a Democrat, he likewise condemned Cuomo's decision, calling it a slap in the face of everyone in Rockland who lived through the horror of seeing Rockland County victimized by the domestic terrorists of the Weather Underground.
He further added that the timing of this pardon just added salt to the wounds.
Here's what he said.
With the 40th anniversary of the Brinks robbery coming up in just two months, Cuomo's decision rubs salt in the wounds of the friends and family members who still grieve the loss of Sergeant Edward O'Grady, Officer Waverly Chipperly Brown, and Brinks guard Peter Page.
Regardless, if you would like to read more about the history of the weather underground, I'll throw several links to some great articles on the topic into the description box below this video.
And all I ask in return is that you take a quick moment to smash that like button for the YouTube algorithm, because again, videos that are like this talking honestly and transparently about what is happening in this world are routinely censored by big tech giants like YouTube.
However, when you smash that like button, it forces the YouTube algorithm to share this video out to potentially thousands of more people, Letting the truth be known far and wide.
And now let's move on over to the Supreme Court.
Just yesterday, the Supreme Court officially blocked the eviction moratorium which was enacted by the CDC saying that it was unconstitutional.
This decision now opens the door for landlords across the country to begin evicting tenants who are behind on their rent payments amidst the pandemic.
Now, to give you a bit of background on this, the original eviction moratorium was set to expire at the beginning of August.
However, data from the Census Bureau showed that about 3.5 million people in America, they would have faced eviction over the next two months.
And so, on August 3rd, the CDC issued a federal moratorium once again on evictions, meaning that evictions would not be allowed for another 60 days.
If that particular moratorium was kept in place, it would have expired on October 3rd.
However, most people, at least in the government, knew that this order wasn't actually legal to begin with.
That's because back in June of this year, the Supreme Court heard a case which was brought forth by landlords who were seeking to end this original ban on evictions.
Now, those landlords actually wound up losing that court case in a 5-4 decision.
However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted against the landlords, he wrote an opinion piece.
And in that opinion, he said that while he believes the CDC exceeded their authority by implementing the moratorium, he voted against ending it only because the policy was already set to expire in a month.
Here's specifically what he wrote in that opinion piece.
"...because the CDC plans to end the moratorium in only a few weeks on July 31st, and because those few weeks will allow for additional and more orderly distribution of the congressionally appropriated rental assistance funds, I vote at this time to deny the application." And so that was a very interesting decision by Brett Kavanaugh.
He essentially agreed that the eviction moratorium was illegal, but he voted against the landlords because, for one, it was about to expire anyway, and secondly, it gave a few extra weeks to the renters in order to sort out their living arrangements.
However, as we saw, the CDC decided to essentially ignore this fact, and they extended the moratorium in August.
But, as of yesterday, this moratorium is now no more.
Now in an unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court wrote that the CDC had overstepped their authority.
Here's what they wrote as a part of that opinion.
It would be one thing if Congress had specifically authorized the action that the CDC has taken, but that has not happened.
Instead, the CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination.
It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts.
The Supreme Court then added that if the Biden administration wants to put a halt on evictions, they can do it via fiat.
They must go through Congress.
Here's what they wrote on that front.
If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it.
Now again, this decision by the Supreme Court was a 6-3 decision, with the three liberal-leaning justices, which for your reference are Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, voting in favor of the CDC. And in fact, here's part of what they wrote in their dissenting opinion.
at this moment, when over 90% of counties are experiencing high transmission rates.
And the reason that I wanted to highlight that quote was because it was very interesting.
And it gets to the very heart of the issue that people have with the Supreme Court, which is that the justices sometimes appear to be legislating from the bench.
Because as you see from the reasoning, from the reasoning of the three justices who voted in favor of the CDC, they are saying that even though the CDC might not have followed the letter of the law, there is still a public interest to respect the CDC's judgment at this moment.
That's because the CDC justified their nationwide eviction moratorium by saying that it was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.
The idea being that people who are evicted would likely move in with their relatives, friends, or into crowded homeless shelters and potentially undermine the social distancing restrictions.
However, the landlords, on the other hand, were arguing that they were caught between a rock and a hard place because they couldn't evict tenants who were not paying their rent while at the same time their mortgage bills were still due every single month.
Regardless, in this case, the CDC lost and the eviction moratorium is no more.
And so what can we expect to see in the near future?
Well, according to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, it showed that about 6.5 million households are behind on their rental payments as of today.
Furthermore, a study conducted by the Aspen Financial Security Program, it found that among the nearly 110 million Americans who rent, between 16 and 23 million of them are at risk of eviction by September the 30th.
And so we'll have to see what ultimately happens, whether there is a wave of evictions in this country, and if so, what it will do to the fabric of America.
If you'd like to read more about the CDC moratorium or about this new Supreme Court decision, I'll throw all that into the description box below this video for you to check out.
And lastly, as I've already mentioned in several previous episodes, on the very same day that Joe Biden was sworn into office, coincidentally, YouTube demonetized our program.
We can now no longer run any ads before, during, or after episodes, And the Super Chat feature has just been mysteriously disabled.
They are essentially snuffing out our ability to monetize our content.
Now luckily, we do occasionally get sponsors, usually companies run by patriots who are willing to sponsor content like ours, but when YouTube decided to cut us off, it...
Really, really cut off our funding.
But we here at the Epoch Times, we did not take it laying down, and we instead launched something very cool.
It's called Epic TV. It's our brand new no-censorship video platform where you can find all of the awesome Epoch Times video programs, like The Larry Elder Show, Crossroads with Joshua Phillip, Schools Out with Sam Sorbo, Counterpunch with Trevor Loudon, China in Focus, all of our awesome documentaries like the one I mentioned earlier, The Dark Origins of Communism, as well as our program, Facts Matter, And on there, I publish exclusive content that, frankly, due to the censorship here on YouTube, I just do not feel comfortable publishing on this platform.
If you want to check out Epic TV, I'll throw a link to it right there at the top of the description box.
I hope you check it out, because right now, what I believe that this republic needs more than anything else are informed citizens who are fully dialed in to the facts and the truth of the matter.
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