On a recent trip to the Middle East accompanied by a prominent supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D.) inked an investment deal with a Gulf sheikh accused of waging “hack-and-leak” operations against business associates and journalists who exposed his ties to Iran.
Whitmer signed a memorandum of understanding between her state and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, the ruler of Ras al-Khaimah (RAK), one of the seven United Arab Emirates. The agreement stipulates that the emirate will work with the University of Michigan and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to “advance global innovation, entrepreneurship, economic growth, and job creation.”
In a press release, in which Whitmer included pictures of herself seated with the robed sheikh, she said the agreement would facilitate “student exchanges, internships, and joint programs between Michigan and Ras al-Khaimah-based academic institutions” to drive bilateral investments between Michigan and the small Gulf nation.
Saud, a University of Michigan graduate who hosted the governor during her visit, is a controversial figure in the United States. The dictator, who was until recently represented by Dechert’s Andrew Levander, threatened to sue the Washington Free Beacon for reporting on litigation that accused him of using a network of lawyers, lobbyists, private eyes, and hackers to wage smear campaigns against former business associates and journalists.
In 2013, Jay Solomon, then a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, reported that Saud and his allies sold a Georgian hotel as part of a money laundering scheme designed to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions. One of Solomon’s sources was Iranian-American businessman Farhad Azima, then an ally of Saud. After the report was published, Georgian officials blocked the sale of the hotel, a steep financial setback for Saud. It also put Saud on the radar of American authorities for potential sanctions violations. […]
— Read More: freebeacon.com
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
