Cliff’s Note:
Our free public newsletter, giving you a taste of what you’re missing in our mid-week, insider-only guide for BAM Paid Subscribers (even more jam-packed!). Today: the plague-lab story and the Green Party mess.
The rest of the week—an insider look at what Cliff’s hearing from DC, David Shuster’s column on whether the U.S. is ready for a biological threat, and every show in full—for paid subscribers.
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A great reason during this crucial election, as Cliff shares what’s behind the curtain—to support Blue Amp Media!
—Cliff
Cincinnati, Monday
by Cliff Schecter
A Biological Chernobyl? It Wasn’t Just Predictable. It Was Predicted.
A lab worker has died in Siberia. Nearly 200 potential contacts are under “observation.” This, my friends, is sadly the real deal (as if we needed more crap right now).
Reports emerged of a broken test tube containing plague bacteria. That is enough to scramble the jets, so to speak—and demand answers. Darya Shipilova worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute; Russian authorities claim she died from pneumonia of unknown origin and deny finding evidence of a lab accident (uh, huh). Nothing is 100% confirmed (and, tragically, we’re dealing with one of the world’s worst purveyors of disinformation for “facts”). A death, quarantine measures and conflicting accounts need real scrutiny, not a passing headline before everyone returns to Trump’s Bedtime for Bonzo routine.
Annie Jacobsen—who is THE expert on this—has been sounding the alarm about precisely this danger. Her book, Biological War: A Scenario, explores a hypothetical—but realistic—catastrophe based on a deadly, weaponized pathogen leaked from a Russian lab. That doesn’t establish exactly what happened in Irkutsk. But it does explain why the reports are so unsettling: the possibility of a disastrous biological release was already being examined publicly, before this worker’s death. We cannot claim nobody imagined the danger. Someone wrote an entire book about it.
It’s like Condi Rice claiming nobody could have foreseen 9/11. Ya know, unless you count Algerian hijackers who had planned to crash a plane into the Eiffel Tower:
On December 24, 1994, four heavily armed members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), an Algerian Islamist terrorist organization, hijacked Air France Flight 8969 at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers.
French authorities later discovered that the hijackers’ ultimate goal was to fly the Airbus A300 to Paris and detonate the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Montparnasse.
Or that August 6th Presidential Daily Briefing titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside America,” that was pretty tough to get. Or the Jihadists we found at U.S. flight schools who only wanted to learn to maneuver flights in the air, not take off or land. Or White House national security hand Richard A. Clarke’s “hair on fire” warnings from intel he was seeing. Or how about we just discuss the fact that Tom Clancy had the insight to write a book predicting this scenario. Kinda like Annie Jacobsen.
The questions now are straightforward and must be answered: What killed Shipilova? How widespread was the exposure? Shipilova was sick for around six days, and came into contact with others in the Irkutsk; this bacteria is supposedly ready made to be spread as pneumonic and live on surfaces for periods of time. Does evidence support the official explanation?
The latest Russian account says testing found no pathogens associated with her work (this is where you do the cough from Animal House…ahem bullshit), and no additional plague infections have been found. These details, and independent verification, matter. Axios reports the White House is monitoring the suspected case and related quarantines (great, Orangula is on the case). A possible biological emergency requires transparent evidence, relentless reporting, and officials who get public trust requires more than telling frightened people to “remain calm.”
David Shuster will have a more in-depth column on this tomorrow covering a pretty important question: Is the U.S. prepared for this kind of a threat?
This data is presented as part of a partnership with Polymarket.
UK Green Party Goes Forward With Insane Antisemitism
What you should know is the UK’s Green Party went full antisemite, not only saying Zionism is racism. (Again, we’re in Orwellian-language territory here. Zionism is simply wanting to have a homeland for your people. Like the French living in France or Egyptians living Egypt). This was pushed by radical Islamists—and we need to be truthful about these things. They could not have made the antisemitism or hypocrisy of this any more obvious. So obvious, that the head of Amnesty UK—not known to be reflexive defenders of Israel—just said, “I’m out”:
But let’s give you more context:
Not only did they equate Zionism with racism, but much worse. An amendment was offered to: a) protect the right of Jews to go to any synagogue; and b) Jewish members wouldn’t be sanctioned for expressing views that are non-sanctionable if expressed by non-Jews. It was voted down. So Jews express pro-Zionist thoughts, they’re out. Others, they may be ok. Also, the Green Party will have its own little FSB following around British Jews. Because even if not Zionist, attending a Synagogue with a rabbi with Zionist views is enough to get them kicked out.
More than 50% of Muslim Brits in recent polling (52%) think it should be illegal to be gay. But the extremists who supported the ban ensured criticisms of “cultural” beliefs are “Islamophobic.” So what we have here is: A Jew who thinks Israel should be allowed to exist is racist. A Muslim (or Christian, or Buddhist, or Hindu…) sharing virulently anti-gay views not only is not considered racist, but you’re racist for even bringing it up! As I said earlier, Orwellian. Authoritarian.
Every Jew and ally must quit this s*thole party en masse. This is another step in a very 1930’s direction out there.
Headlines To Keep You Updated:
29,000 Jobs. One Man Did This.
One Month. One Election. $42.
New York Declares State Of Emergency Over Measles Outbreak - [Thanks RFK Jr.!]
Trump Gives Usual Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Answer When Asked About His Mail-In Voting Hypocrisy
Saudi-Backed Yemeni Forces Expel Houthis from Several Areas Around Key Strait
JD Vance Defends Bizarre Trump Propaganda ‘PSAs’ [Sad, just so pathetically sad, like JD]
This Week’s Entertainment!
We’re doing our usual assortment of shows this week, though I apologize some changing schedules have had us on the fly lately. As of this moment, we’re looking at:
The Epstein Update w/ Kait Justice & Cliff Schecter. We provide Kait’s newest investigations and dots she’s connected. I add insight I (too often) have gained by having grown up in these circles. Most recently: Cornell University. Which we’ll be discussing tomorrow at 12pm ET.
Amped Up w/ Cliff Schecter (& David Shuster), Weds 2pm ET. Our flagship show each and every week where I get to sit next to Emmy-winning former MSNBC/CNN anchor, David Shuster, and talk to amazing guests. Speaking of that: we have an AMAZING surprise guest this week! Don’t forget to tune in!
World War Next w/ Olga Lautman, Jacob Kaarsbro & Cliff Schecter, Thurs, 1pm ET. You take a brilliant former spy with networks intact, a top follower/translator of Russian propaganda, and a former State Department democracy-promotion consultant and expert in media/communications? There’ll be a lot to talk about on the lab leak this week. There are scary scenarios where it gets to Ukraine, for example.
Tequila Talk w/ Joe Walsh & Cliff Schecter, Thurs, 5pm ET. An original show that remains one of our most popular. Former GOP Rep. Joe Walsh, Never-Trumper, joins me, independent-minded Dem, for fun Thurs Happy Hour convos as we sip tequila and try to keep things a bit lighter. You can’t have more fun live streaming.
The Blue Letter, Wed am: My private memo for Paid Subscribers comes out with what I’ve heard from contacts in DC and around the country. Where races are. Where money’s being spent. Who’s in trouble. How Trump’s screwing his candidates. (It’s inevitable). This is just for those who invest in BAM/support our ability to do this.
Cliff is planning to start doing a weekly Live with Paid Subscribers. 3 chosen at random will get to come on live and ask questions. I have done a poll and now know what folks are thinking. I’ll toss out a few times.
UPCOMING
I will try to plan my Live Stream with paid subscribers this week! It will be later in the week. Hope you can join me!
Adorable Cats Can Get Thirsty At The Same Time
Ya gotta love these guys actually sharing…
THE ASK
Is there someone in your life who needs to read this subscribers-only newsletter? Gift it to them! The Democracy 101 sale ends Monday—half off the first year, thirty dollars. You already paid full freight, so this one is not for you. It is for the person in your life who is furious about all of this and thinks they are the only one. Give them the year. One name, one gift.
We must amplify the truth louder than their lies. — Cliff
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