A video of the Brittney Griner prisoner exchange between Russian and U.S. officials was mysteriously edited, prompting speculation that the State Department edited out a handshake between the athlete and the Russian terrorist she was traded for.

Internet sleuths are suggesting the weird cut in the footage comes right as Griner was posturing herself to shake the hand of arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the ‘Merchant of Death’.

Bout was convicted on terrorism charges over a decade ago for attempting to sell missiles worth tens of millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), specifically for the purpose of shooting down U.S. Military helicopters.

The optics of Griner shaking Bout’s hand wouldn’t play too well for the Biden administration, which is already being heavily criticised for making such a horrible deal, and leaving behind other U.S. prisoners including Marine veteran Paul Whelan.

Even Democrats are slating the administration’s actions:

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked the White House Press Secretary “Why did Russia get such a better deal?” to which she replied, it was that deal or nothing.

“In bringing home a professional athlete, we gave up a prolific arms dealer who was convicted of trying to kill Americans who’s called the ‘Merchant of Death,’” Doocy bluntly noted.

Another reporter asked how on earth this doesn’t send a message to Russia and other authoritarian regimes that all they have to do is kidnap Americans in order to broker a deal to get their criminal scum back.

Of course, she had no answer.

But hey, lets not miss an opportunity to alphabet and race virtue signal:

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New Zealand’s High Court on Wednesday took custody of an infant whose parents demanded he only receive blood from donors who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 for an urgently needed heart surgery to repair a congenital defect.

“He remains in urgent need of an operation, and every day that the operation is delayed his heart is under strain,” reads the order, citing one of his doctors.

The parents, Cole Reeves and Samantha Savage, rejected doctors’ assertion that using blood donated from outside normal channels was “impractical” for the child’s circumstance, and that surgery without donated blood was “not an available option.”

“That Is Where Tyranny Starts”: New Zealand May Take Baby From Parents Demanding ‘Unvaccinated’ Blood For Heart Surgery

Apparently an unvaccinated volunteer with the same blood type is not ‘an available option.’

Judge Ian Gault ruled that it was in “Baby W’s best interests” for the court to take temporary custody of him so the surgery could be performed. The infant was placed under the guardianship of the court from Wednesday until he recovers from surgery, but not beyond January 31st, the Washington Post reports.

The surgery, which is set for Friday morning, is estimated to take 48 hours to complete. Two doctors were appointed as Baby W’s legal representatives for the purpose of consenting to surgery, and Reeves and Savage were appointed as his representatives for “all other purposes.” Doctors said they would “take the parents’ views into consideration” whenever possible — as long as doing so wouldn’t compromise “Baby W’s interests.”

The decision followed a tense period of several weeks fraught with baseless claims, according to the order. -WaPo

Reeves and Savage how now tried to stop doctors preparing the infant for the operation on Friday – which the High Court responded to by ordering the parents not to obstruct staff at Starship Hospital.

Te Whatu Ora has asked for the police to step in and also asked the court if officers are entitled to use reasonable force to remove the baby from the parents. 

In his decision yesterday, Justice Gault also said doctors from Te Whatu Ora had been made agents of the court to carry out the surgery, including the adminstration of any blood products.

In a minute issued this evening, Justice Gault said he had been informed by the lawyer acting for Te Whatu Ora that the baby’s parents had prevented doctors from taking blood tests, performing a chest X-ray and performing an anaesthetic assessment.

The lawyer understood the parents had threatened to lay criminal charges against medical staff if they went ahead, Justice Gault said. –RNZ

“You touch our child and we will press criminal charges against you,” the parents told hospital staff, according to the filing.

The parents’ lawyer, Sue Grey, petitioned the judge, asking for the opinions of two US doctors to be considered, adding that it would be “extreme overreach” if police were called in to remove the baby from his parents in order to perform the surgery.

Justice Gault denied the request, saying Grey was effectively seeking to re-open the case he had already ruled on.

“Baby W urgently requires surgery and, as I concluded in my judgment, an order enabling the surgery to proceed using NZBS [New Zealand Blood Service] blood products without further delay is in Baby W’s best interests,” wrote Gault.

This post was originally published at Zero Hedge

Over 100 anti-vaccination protests showed up in New Zealand to support the parents of a critically ill 4-month-old baby in New Zealand who demanded that the hospital provide supplementary blood from unvaxxinated donors before the child goes under the knife for pulmonary valve stenosis, a heart valve disorder.

The boy’s mother says she wants “safe blood” to be used, which her lawyer described as a fear of blood containing traces of vaccines using mRNA technology.

The request has been denied by New Zealand health service, which says vaccines pose no risk to donor supplies, according to RNZ. On Tuesday, the Auckland High Court will decide whether to grant a request to remove the child from the family to perform the surgery.

Paul White, a lawyer for Te Whatu Ora, aka Health New Zealand, described the baby as “getting sicker with every heartbeat.”

Te Whatu Ora is making an application under the Care of Children Act regarding the baby who needs open heart surgery.

It is asking that the baby be placed under the guardianship of the court.

Te Whatu Ora then wants the court to appoint the doctors as agents of the court for medical care, and the parents agents of the court for all other care. -RNZ

According to White, a child with this condition would have been treated by now.

Sue Grey, a lawyer for the family, said the doctors are dismissing the parents as conspiracy theorists and ignoring their concerns.

A full hearing on the matter will be held on Tuesday.

One supporter of the family, Sarah McNaulty, said she was standing up for freedom of choice.

“There’s so many people lined up to give their blood freely,” she said, adding “That is where tyranny starts. When the state provides us with not being able to give blood freely to a patient that needs it.”

According to officials, the Blood Service does not segregate blood from vaccinated and unvaccinated donors, and that there is no risk from the Covid-19 vaccine.

This post was originally published at Zero Hedge