Biden's brother Jim touted connections in groveling letter for meeting with Qatari prince

 Joe Biden's brother touted his family connections in a letter to the Qatari royal family asking for work, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Jim Biden, the President's younger brother, wrote a groveling letter to a Qatari prince in charge of the Arab nation's $170 billion investment fund in August 2017, asking for a meeting.

In the letter, obtained by DailyMail.com from Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop, Jim told a Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) director: 'My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels.'

The letter is the latest in a series of revelations about Joe's younger sibling Jim Biden, 73, using the family name to boost his business connections in the Middle East.

In the letter, obtained by DailyMail.com from Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop, Jim told a Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) director: 'My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels'

The news follows DailyMail.com's revelation, published last week, that Jim boasted about being hired to negotiate a $140 million settlement with Saudi Arabia 'because of his position and relationship' to then-Vice President Joe.

Jim is also embroiled in the ongoing federal criminal investigation into his nephew Hunter. Prosecutors are said to be considering charges for Hunter over alleged tax crimes, illegal foreign lobbying and money laundering.

Jim addressed his August 1, 2017, letter to Khaled Sultan Al Rabban, then the director of the QIA CEO's office, for the attention of his boss, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, the QIA CEO and a member of the Qatari royal family.

Sheikh Abdullah served as CEO of the oil-rich nation's $170 billion fund from 2014 to 2018, and is now Qatar's ambassador to Germany.

Hunter had been interested in doing business with Qatar since 2014, back when he was beginning to form his ambitious business plans.

In May 2014, Hunter took a trip to Qatar with a US Secret Service detail in tow – as his father was still in office as Vice President.

Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show Hunter flew to Doha for three days on May 11, though the Secret Service has so far refused to give congressional investigators probing the trips further information.

Jim appears to have picked up the baton in his August 2017 approach to the QIA.

In the letter, he was careful to point out the Bidens were not lobbyists, but dangled the family's 'deep and wide' relationships that 'lasted through many years and many administrations' to the senior prince.

'I would be honored to assist in effectuating the vision of His Excellency but would be remiss in not pointing out the fractured nature of our current administration,' Jim wrote, referring to the then-newly elected president Donald Trump.

'My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels that I believe would be worthy of the interest of His Excellency.'

Jim addressed his August 1, 2017 letter to Khaled Sultan Al Rabban, the then director of the QIA CEO's office

Hunter Biden had been interested in doing business with Qatar since 2014 and in May of that year he took a trip to Qatar with a US Secret Service detail in tow

The letter is the latest in a series of revelations about Joe's younger sibling Jim Biden, 73, using his family name and relationship to his brother Joe to boost his business connections in the Middle East

The letter was first publicly shared by right-wing news site Breitbart in October last year, but has since taken on a new significance following the revelations of Jim's extensive touting of his family connections to his Middle East business associates.

Despite declaring his family's 'deep and wide' political connections, Jim said in the letter that the Bidens are 'not lobbyists' – though Hunter previously worked as a registered lobbyist before he was forced to give up the career over perceived conflicts of interest when his father became VP.

'We are not, however, lobbyists and do not operate in that arena. Our relationships are deep and wide and have lasted through many years and many administrations,' Jim wrote. 'We are not particularly close to this administration [meaning President Trump] and have a different vision.

'This administration is beleaguered by major issues that are not soon to be resolved. In the meantime, we continue to forge ahead in forward thinking endeavors that create real value both here in the United States and abroad.

'Our primary interest is and always has been to advance the interests of the United States through productive collaborations with partners home and abroad.

'If this is in keeping with the vision of His Excellency, on behalf of the Biden family, I welcome your interest here. I recommend [Jim's associate] Dr. Rustom arrange a conference call to discuss the way moving forward and perhaps a face to face meeting in New York or Qatar with you and His Excellency.'

Jim was not the only member of a First Family to pursue Qatar for commercial investments.

While Donald Trump was running for President, his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s family firm was desperately seeking a debt bailout on a Manhattan property it bought for $1.8 billion just before the financial crash in 2007.

Kushner’s father Charles pitched the Qatari Investment Authority on an investment, but failed to reach a deal.

In 2017 Jim wrote to then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office to arrange a meeting between the governor and Biden's Chinese business partners, who were later accused of bribery and corruption

Weeks later, Kushner was reportedly central in supporting a blockade of the Arab country by their regional enemies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in his role as senior adviser to Trump.

Other documents on Hunter's abandoned laptop show Jim was also unafraid to use the Biden family name to set up meetings with US politicians on behalf of his Chinese business partners – placing him at the center of the President's family's foreign business dealings.

In 2017 Jim wrote to then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office to arrange a meeting between the governor and Biden's Chinese business partners, who were later accused of bribery and corruption.

Jim asked for a 'brief meeting or 'drop by' by the Governor in April 2017 'to discuss potential projects and investments in New York.'

The proposed meeting attendees included Hunter; Ye Jianming, the chairman of CEFC, the giant Chinese government-linked company they partnered with, who was later arrested for corruption in China; a mystery member of the Luxembourg royal family; and James Gilliar, a shadowy British consultant whose company boasts deep ties with top US Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice officials.

The two letters provide new evidence of Jim's deep involvement in Hunter's controversial business dealings and an apparent willingness by both men to use their family name for financial gain.

Jim's second letter, obtained by DailyMail.com in the cache of documents found on Hunter's abandoned computer, also raises troubling questions about the Biden brother's apparent attempts to peddle influence.

Jim wrote to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's director of scheduling that 'on April 5th & 6th of 2017, CEFC will be in New York, NY for a series of meetings regarding Real Estate and Infrastructure investments in the US. Pending availability, we request a brief meeting or 'drop by' by the Governor at a convenient location & time either the 5th or 6th. We intend to discuss potential projects and investments in New York.'

He followed with a background on CEFC, highlighting the Chinese energy behemoth's '35 billion USD' 2014 revenues and noting that it is majority-owned by its chairman, Ye Jianming.

It is unclear whether the meeting with Cuomo took place.

In another letter obtained by DailyMail.com, Jim asked for a 'brief meeting or 'drop by' by the Governor in April 2017 'to discuss potential projects and investments in New York' 

Jim asked for a meeting between Governor Cuomo and Ye Jianming, the chairman of CEFC, the giant Chinese government-linked company they partnered with, who was later arrested for corruption in China

Hunter and Jim's business partner James Gilliar also suggested a meeting with Cuomo in an April 27, 2017 email. 'Meet Gov of NYS ? , if so times ? Meet anyone else ?, are we meeting in NYC or elsewhere ?,' he wrote

Hunter and Jim had partnered with Jianming's company in a joint venture which was scrutinized by a 2020 Senate committee report that warned of undue Chinese influence on the next President's son.

Jim's plan in contacting Cuomo's office appears to have been an attempt to get his Chinese business partners involved in large and lucrative infrastructure projects in the state.

The president's brother reportedly sent a memo to his business partners a month after the proposed meeting with Cuomo, on May 15, noting that the then-governor 'is moving forward with major infrastructure projects such as the long-stalled Tappan Zee Bridge replacement and the much-needed redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport.'

'His administration has invested nearly $4billion through the Regional Council and Upstate Revitalization initiatives to jumpstart the economy and support local priorities for development,' Jim's May memo said, first reported by the New York Post.

Hunter and Jim's business partner James Gilliar also suggested a meeting with Cuomo in an April 27, 2017 email.

'Meet Gov of NYS ? , if so times ? Meet anyone else ?, are we meeting in NYC or elsewhere ?,' he wrote.

Seven months after the proposed meeting between CEFC and Cuomo, the US Justice Department prosecuted a top CEFC executive for bribery, and Chairman Ye was later arrested in China.

DailyMail.com obtained its copy of Hunter's laptop hard drive from former Steve Bannon podcast co-host Jack Maxey. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11763421/Joe-Bidens-brother-Jim-touted-connections-groveling-letter-Qatari-prince.html

Save contract work — reject Julie Su

 If you count yourself among the 58 million workers who work part time, then you should worry about Julie Su, President Joe Biden's nominee to take over the Department of Labor .

Before taking her current staff position at the department, Su served as secretary of California's Labor and Workforce Development Agency. In that position, she demonstrated extreme incompetence, presiding over the issue of more than $40 billion in fraudulent pandemic-era unemployment claims to criminals, cartels, and prison inmates. She kept disbursing the fraudulent checks even after being warned by the state auditor.

Even that incident is of little importance compared to her much greater offense. Su helped craft, defend, and advocate AB 5, a law that has been killing independent contracting in California and driving thousands of residents out of the state every year.

AB 5 was an attempt by California Democrats to tighten their regulatory death grip on businesses that hire contractors. It is a special interest law with which Democrats hoped to revive the fortunes of the state's dying labor unions. Independent contractors forced back into the traditional employee roles that most of them left on purpose could then be forced to join unions as a condition of having work as truckers in closed shops. So goes Democratic reasoning.

AB 5 has been a disaster. Contractors overwhelmingly prefer to work for themselves, surveys show. Nearly every class of self-employed worker in the state scrambled for a special exemption so they could continue working as freelancers.

Some contractors won exemptions due to their clout. Others, such as ride-sharing platforms Uber and Lyft, had the resources to put carveouts for participating drivers on the ballot so they could continue operating in the Golden State. Still others, such as freelance journalists (including those writing for left-wing outlets that promoted AB 5), had to languish without work for months before they could convince California Democrats to exempt them. They would be hard-pressed to explain why all freelancers shouldn't have the same protections.

Some, such as independent truckers, have not been so lucky . Dee Sova, a delivery driver formerly operating in California, wrote a heartbreaking op-ed for Fox News Online in which she lamented having to move to Missouri to keep her business on the road. This is all thanks to the law that Su, Biden's nominee, helped enforce, supposedly in the name of providing them benefits, which almost none of them ever got. It was a fraud and a sham to kowtow to the Democrats' favorite minority interest, Big Labor.

Sova's is just one of many such stories. Another California trucker, a 20-year veteran of the industry, explained to the trade publication  Freight Waves being forced back into wage slavery by AB 5. "On a good day, I can make $1,200," he wrote in July. "But if I go to work for a company and they only pay me $25 an hour and also control the number of hours I can work, I can’t afford to feed my family." The trucker said he would have to sell his house and leave the state to make ends meet — as so many Californians do nowadays.

In case you think this only affects Californians, keep in mind that Biden has been supporting a national law, the PRO Act , which would wreak the same havoc on independent contractors nationally. The choice of Su to replace departing Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is a deliberate one that signals Biden's intention to wage war against independent business owners.

The rapid spread of internet jobs is not an accident. Independent contracting has become the future of employment in America in no small part because Democrats carelessly layered excessive rules and unnecessary expenses on the traditional employer-employee relationship that have nothing to do with workers' safety or fair compensation. Between that and the ability to perform most jobs from off site, this is the natural evolution of earning a living. Independent contracting helped millions survive the pandemic, and it continues to help nontraditional workers — stay-at-home parents, for example — earn extra income while still being present for their families.

Biden is now trying to take the team that has been destroying California's business environment and empower it at the national level. He might as well put Sam Brinton in charge of the Transportation Security Administration's luggage inspection division .

Senators have a responsibility, as part of their constitutional advise-and-consent role, to protect the nation's independent contractors from progressive Democrats' toxic anti-business depredations. They have a responsibility to reject Su's nomination and force Biden to appoint someone who, even if liberal, is competent and concerned with promoting the common good, not just special interests.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/save-contract-work-reject-julie-sus-nomination-for-labor-secretary

NYPD warns Soho visitors to watch their valuables

 

It’s a sign of the crimes.

The NYPD has placed a large, flashing sign in the heart of Soho warning drivers to “Beware of vehicle break-ins” and not to leave valuables in their cars.

The electronic warning stands at the corner of Prince Street and West Broadway, in an area once considered one of the chicest in the Big Apple — but which has lately been a playground for thieves. In the latest heist, bandits last month lifted $52,000 worth of shoes, bags and clothing from the Givenchy store on Greene Street.

“It’s sad – I have noticed so much has changed here in recent years. It’s sad to see the birth of all of the graffiti and crime,” said Simon Mulligan, 50, a concert pianist from New Jersey visiting a friend in Soho this week.

NYPD officers keep watch in Soho where thefts are prompting a warning to drivers.

Helayne Seidman

The sign, he continued, sends the message: “This is a dodgy neighborhood, stay out.”

Eva Besselmann, a 43-year-old landscape designer from Brazil and frequent visitor to New York City, said she was “shocked.”

“I didn’t know it was happening here, I thought everything was fine,” Besselmann said. “Seeing this here, I thought ‘Wow, that doesn’t really belong here.’ I’m surprised, I would say, because it shouldn’t be like that, no? There are so many tourists and I think it’s like a really expensive neighborhood.”

Musician Simon Mulligan said the NYPD warning sign about theft signaled that Soho was “a dodgy neighborhood.”

Helayne Seidman

Tourist Eva Besselmann from Brazil says she was shocked to see a sign warning of theft in Soho.

Helayne Seidman

But Zoran Cmkovic, 54, an artist who sells his paintings at the corner of Prince Street and West Broadway, said crime had become commonplace and that his artwork has been swiped when he’s briefly stepped away.  His van was also broken into in Soho about three months ago.

“I would see groups of young guys running with stuff from stores. It’s kind of obvious that [theft] is happening here,” Cmkovic said. “You can see some dodgy characters around here. You see quite a lot of characters that are screaming, yelling and punching in the air.”

There have been 17 vehicle larcenies in Soho through Feb. 26 up from 16 during the same period in 2022, according to the NYPD which said most happened near where the sign was placed.

https://nypost.com/2023/03/04/nypd-warns-soho-residents-visitors-to-watch-valuables/

Cytokinetics: Positive data in Phase 2 heart failure study

 Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq: CYTK) today announced that positive results from Cohort 4 of REDWOOD-HCM (Randomized Evaluation of Dosing With CK-274 in Obstructive Outflow Disease in HCM), a Phase 2 clinical trial of aficamten in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM), were presented at the American College of Cardiology 72nd Annual Scientific Session (ACC.23). Additionally, 48-week data from FOREST-HCM (Follow-up, Open-Label, Research Evaluation of Sustained Treatment with Aficamten in HCM) were also presented at the meeting.

Investor Event and Conference Call

Cytokinetics will host an investor event and conference call on March 6, 2023 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. The event will be held at the Omni Riverfront Hotel in New Orleans, LA in the Bacchus B room. The conference call will be simultaneously webcast online and will be accessible from the homepage and in the Investors & Media section of Cytokinetics’ website at www.cytokinetics.com. The live audio of the conference call can also be accessed by telephone by registering in advance at the following link: Cytokinetics ACC.23 Conference Call. Upon registration, participants will receive a dial-in number and a unique passcode to access the call. An archived replay of the webcast will be available via Cytokinetics’ website for twelve months.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cytokinetics-presents-positive-results-cohort-150000598.html

All Portland Walmart Stores To "Permanently Close" Amid Theft Wave

 In order to address the issue of shoplifting and retail theft, the final two Walmart stores in the city of Portland will shutter their doors in late March. 

FOX 12 Oregon reported that the Walmart locations at 1123 North Hayden Meadows Drive and 4200 Southeast 82nd Avenue at the Eastport Plaza would close on Mar. 24. 

"The decision to close these stores was made after a careful review of their overall performance. We consider many factors, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions. After we decide to move forward, our focus is on our associates and their transition, which is the case here," a spokesperson with Walmart told the local media outlet.

The announced closures come amid a wave of violent crime across the Portland metro area, which includes retail thefts, armed robberies, and homicides. The city has also seen a surge of violent protests from ANTIFA and BLM groups. 

Oregon Live reported that in 2022, Portland set a new record for homicides with 101 cases, surpassing the previous year's record of 92. Meanwhile, a National Retail Federation report revealed that retailers experienced an average surge of 26.5% in organized retail crime (ORC) incidents in 2021 compared to the previous year.

Data from the Portland Police Bureau indicated that between January 2022 and January 2023, the city witnessed more than 6,000 burglary incidents. Additionally, the data revealed over 27,000 larceny offenses.

The epic failure of progressive city leadership pushing a failed 'woke agenda' has resulted in lawlessness in some parts of the metro area. Companies are losing money as thefts soar, and a breaking point has been reached. An exodus of businesses will only hurt low-income residents who need the pricing power at discount stores.

Recall a similar exodus with other retailers is happening in other progressive cities across the US, such as San Francisco.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/all-portland-walmart-stores-permanently-close-amid-theft-wave