WORLD NEWS
Directed Energy Weapons in Public Domain
Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are now in the public domain (and potentially used against the public).
The weapon system was spotted in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on February 28, 2024 under the guise of the Calgary Police Service. Special ops forces were congregating at a church parking lot, and a tactical vehicle was parked across the street.
Context: In August 2022 a tactical armor vehicle was equipped with a sonic weapon system, and now February 2024 the vehicle has been updated or another one has been identified with a directed energy weapon system.
The directed energy weapon system in the photo is military grade, and used on military vehicles as well. The weapon system likely has microwave, millimeter wave, and laser capabilities.
The microwave weapon “can produce more than a 100 megawatts of power, which is nearly 150,000 times more powerful than an average household microwave.”
The microwave and millimeter wave weapons can target broad areas like a group or crowd of people. The laser weapon is used for a specific target, and has a lethal component.
The globalist establishment including the military industrial complexes only focus on the thermal effects of these weapons, while ignoring the biological effects from high radiation exposure.
The directed energy utilizes microwaves and millimeter waves up to 300 GHz. (Current usage in publicaround 2.4 GHz microwave and 3.8 GHz microwave wave masked as millimeter wave.) In addition as mentioned, Directed Energy Weapons utilize lasers that are more powerful than microwaves and millimeter waves. Lasers can literally destroy or kill their target.
With the so-called smart cities and 15 minute confinement zones, 5G beamforming at very high frequency will be deployed, similar to the directed energy weapons.
It is important to note that 5G is all about the so-called smart technology including AI machines, drones, and robots, and self-driving autonomous vehicles, sensor and surveillance
grid (and the data upload), widespread digitalization… the health of people is collateral damage, which is superseded by control and profit.
Pentagon Chief: If Ukraine Is Defeated, NATO Will Be At War With Russia
This is the single most important, dangerous and highly revealing statement from a top defense official in the West in a long time… It also demonstrates the precarious urgency of the moment and the huge stakes going into the November US election. The world truly stands on the precipice of a nuclear nightmare with the following fresh assertion of Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who said before Congress on Thursday:
“If Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” Austin stated.
What’s more is that this came the very day that Russian President Vladimir Putin warned things could easily spiral toward nuclear war in the scenario that NATO sends troops to Ukraine.
Last week, Bloomberg News issued a report predicting the total collapse of the Ukrainian front lines by summer. So the consensus narrative and belated mainstream media admission is that Ukraine’s military is a mere months away from clear defeat, and the top US defense chief just said NATO will go to war with Russia “if Ukraine falls”.
The conflict has reached a dire and perilously unpredictable moment indeed, and clearly the already slim chances of jump-starting serious peace negotiations to end the war are slipping away fast.
Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine
German Chancellor Scholz stands accused of handing Russia a propaganda coup in order to smooth over his own political difficulties as he claims the presence of British and French soldiers aiding Ukrainian forces. Scholz has been accused of abusing intelligence and being a bad ally by angry NATO politicians after his remarks about the level of involvement he claims there is of the British and French in the deployment of the Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles they have given to Ukraine, and which have been deployed with devastating effect.
Ukraine continues to demand Germany hand over its stock of Taurus bunker-buster cruise missiles to help it fight Russia. Indeed, the powerful and long-range weapon which Berlin has proven resistant to supply has been the subject of debate in Germany dragging on now for several months. Chancellor Olaf Scholz insists providing the weapon, which has the endurance to strike deep into Russian areas would represent an irresponsible escalation of the war and make Germany a party to the conflict in a way its previous donations of weapon systems and ammunition had not.
It is a little-discussed fact that many NATO states have soldiers in Ukraine, but these troops are generally present only to protect the embassies of those nations in Kyiv, and to safeguard diplomatic staff. In some cases they have additional roles: the United States has been open about the fact it has a limited presence of soldiers who track what happens to the enormous amounts of high-tech weapons systems the West gives to Ukraine, for the sake of accountability. Indeed, that presence was re- confirmed only this week by John Kirby.
In the case of the United Kingdom, an apparently off-guard remark by a senior military officer in 2022 revealed there may be more going on behind the scenes, the Lieutenant General saying there had been “discreet operations in a hugely sensitive environment and with a high level of political and military risk”. The British government later strongly denied having any active troops in Ukraine, however, warning against “taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation”.
Nonetheless, Scholz saying British and French troops are active inside Ukraine in this more active way — helping Ukrainians to program and target individual missiles — is a considerable step beyond this minor embassy protection role. Figures from the United Kingdom and within Germany itself have lashed out at Scholz for, it is alleged, throwing his allies under the bus to try and diffuse domestic political tension over his own issues.
Vessel Hit by Houthis Becomes First Ship to Sink During Red Sea Crisis
A ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, officials said Saturday, the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of their campaign over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The sinking of the Rubymar comes as shipping through the crucial waterway for cargo and energy shipments moving from Asia and the Middle East to Europe has been affected by the Houthi attacks.
And for those who can’t get enough manure sprayed on them … WATCH THIS!
https://twitter.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1762966607788191773
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Free press under fire: Steve Baker’s battle … and ours
Steve Baker is an investigative reporter who has been working on investigating the holes in the narrative of what happened on January 6. He’s mild-mannered and a sweetheart of a guy. And after The Power Hour ended last Friday morning, he turned himself in to the FBI. They told him he should come in shorts and flip-flops because it would be easier for them to put on the orange jumpsuit and ankle irons. Suffice it to say, he wore a suit and tie.
Steve was in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as a reporter. Why aren’t other reporters being arrested? Or is it just that he’s reporting the truth, using the actual tapes and videos, to show America what really happened? Why is the FBI after him?
When you do investigative work, it isn’t usually just one guy doing all the work. It is a team. When the investigative news is compiled, some independent person on Blaze Media’s staff has to go through Steve’s work line by line, and then it goes through attorneys to make sure the legal language is accurate. We are very buttoned up.
Baker is the guy who has gotten a lot of the tape out about January 6, the guy who has been putting the pieces together before anybody else was putting them together. This man is a journalist — and an excellent one. And that’s why they’re after him. The FBI arrested this journalist and put him in handcuffs without even telling him what he’s charged with in advance. He could serve prison time — because he is a journalist doing his job. When the United States government can come after individuals, that’s when you know our republic is crumbling. I’ve always said that if they can go after Donald Trump, they will go after people like you and me.
House Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Friday the release of 5,000 hours of CCTV footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, protests. This release coincides with Blaze Media investigative journalist Steve Baker’s FBI-compelled surrender in Dallas over his Jan. 6 reporting.
According to the Republican congressmen, this release is but a trickle compared to the coming flood, as far more footage will be released in the coming weeks and months. Additionally, at the direction of Johnson, faces will not be blurred in the footage in the interest of “getting this work completed as responsibly and efficiently as possible.”
Already, the footage Loudermilk made available to Steve Baker has served to greatly undermine the Jan. 6 narrative advanced by Democratic lawmakers and their allies in the media. Weeks after uncovering various damning irregularities in the story told by and about U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, Baker confirmed in January — on the basis of Jan. 6 footage — that the so-called passerby who discovered the pipe bomb at the DNC happened to be a United States Capitol Police plainclothes officer.
Federal district Judge Christopher Cooper ordered former CBS veteran investigative reporter Catherine Herridge in civil contempt of court last week for upholding journalistic ethics and not revealing her confidential sources and slapped her with an $800 per day fine until she divulges the information the court wants. As the judge stated:
The Court does not reach this result lightly. It recognizes the paramount importance of a free press in our society and the critical role that confidential sources play in the work of investigative journalists like Herridge. Yet the Court also has its own role to play in upholding the law and safeguarding judicial authority.
Fortunately, Cooper stayed the ruling for 30 days, giving Herridge ample time to appeal before she starts incurring daily fines.
The case stems from Herridge’s tenure at Fox News. In 2017, she reported on a federal investigation into Chinese-American scientist Yanping Chen, whom the FBI once investigated over “suspicions of Chinese military ties and whether she had lied on U.S. immigration forms,” the New York Times noted. The FBI never charged Chen.
In 2018, Chen sued the federal government, alleging that government employees had leaked her information to Herridge in violation of the Privacy Act.
Last year, Cooper ordered Herridge to reveal the sources of her information about Chen, but she refused, citing her First Amendment rights. Last year, Cooper ordered Herridge to reveal the sources of her information about Chen, but she refused, citing her First Amendment rights.Fox News, meanwhile, condemned Cooper’s ruling for the “deeply chilling effect” that it will have on journalism and the First Amendment. Advocacy groups concerned about the First Amendment and free press also condemned Cooper’s decision, and the legacy media wrote stories about it. But there was a glaring lack of media outrage over Cooper’s decision.
In fact, by last Friday morning, CNN was the only cable or broadcast news network that had covered the story on TV — for a mere 13 seconds.
There is also a glaring lack of social media posts from virtue-signaling media pundits and news reporters decrying Cooper’s decision and the threat it poses for journalism.
Perhaps the lack of outrage from Herridge’s colleagues stems from the fact that Herridge, an award-winning reporter, often reported on topics the legacy media ignores, most recently covering allegations of Biden family corruption and the Hunter Biden saga before CBS News decided to terminate her employment.
Appeals Court Overturns Jan. 6 Defendant’s Sentence, Potentially Impacting Dozens of Cases
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that Larry Brock, who was convicted for a range of crimes related to Jan. 6, improperly had additional charges of “interference with the administration of justice.” The judge who wrote the court’s opinion wrote that the charge doesn’t apply to a sentencing enhancement, however, and struck it down.
“Brock challenges both the district court’s interpretation of Section 1512(c)(2)’s elements and the sufficiency of the evidence to support that conviction,” wrote the judge, Patricia Millett.
The judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, concluded that any interference with Congress’ certification of the 2020 electoral votes isn’t tantamount to a sentencing enhancement.
The judges, in siding with Mr. Brock, wrote that Congress’ function on Jan. 6 was not judicial but was only a part of the 2020 presidential election process.
Law enforcement officials who were there at the Capitol on that day, they added, were “to protect the lawmakers and their process, not to investigate individuals’ rights or to enforce Congress’s certification decision.”
Now, Mr. Brock’s sentence under the statute will be vacated and will be remanded to the district court for resentencing, according to Friday’s order.
But it’s not clear whether Mr. Brock’s sentence will be reduced or whether it will apply to a number of other people who were charged with interference in the administration of justice related to the Capitol breach. However, the ruling could impact plea negotiations for future Jan. 6 defendants who are charged with the felony.
Dozens of Jan. 6 defendants have been convicted and sentenced for interference in the administration of justice, according to data provided by the Department of Justice. It may mean that their time in prison and other penalties need to be reduced.
Judge Gives Trump Lifeline in NY Fraud Case: Law Professor
Former President Donald Trump and his two sons can borrow money and can continue to conduct business in New York as they appeal a judge’s civil fraud verdict, although the judgment against the former president, which is over $450 million, will remain in effect.
State Appellate Court Judge Anil Singh handed down a partial stay in the fraud verdict, blocking a several-year ban on business operations and applications for loans in New York. While the Trump lawyers have not commented on whether or not they will try to get a loan, it could allow the former president to borrow money and post the full bond amount.
The judge handed down an “interim stay” on the order that blocked the defendants from “applying for loans from any financial institution charged and registered” in the state of New York, according to the ruling.
President Trump’s lawyers warned he may need to sell some properties to cover the penalty and would have no way of getting them back if he is successful in his appeal. State lawyers said those disclosures suggested the former president was having trouble coming up with enough cash to foot the bill. The penalty is increasing by nearly $112,000 each day because of interest and eclipsed $455 million over the weekend.
Trump Says Texas Gov. Abbott ‘Absolutely’ on His List of Potential Vice President Picks
Former President Donald Trump has revealed another potential running mate in the upcoming election cycle, telling reporters during a visit to the Southern border on Feb. 29 that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is “absolutely” on the list.
President Trump made the comments in a joint interview with Mr. Abbott and host Sean Hannity at Eagle Pass where he called the Texas governor a “spectacular man” and touted his work to secure the border amid the ongoing illegal immigration crisis.
The leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race also said he was “honored” when Mr. Abbott endorsed him for president late last year.
“And he’s done a great job,” President Trump said. “Yeah, certainly he would be somebody that I would very much consider,” he added when asked if Mr. Abbott was on his shortlist of potential running mates.
“Absolutely, he is,” President Trump stressed.
Mr. Abbott has previously dismissed the possibility of running for a national office, noting his dedication to the Lone Star state.
Trump Wins Trio of Republican Caucuses in Missouri, Michigan, and Idaho
Former President Donald Trump won the Missouri and Idaho Caucuses over the weekend and Michigan’s 51 delegate votes have finally been cast for Trump as of today. Thus far in all of the primaries and caucuses, Nimrata has been literally blown out of each contest. Yet, she still continues to challenge Trump and appears will likely do so all the way to Super Tuesday.
Deep-Blue Washington Delivers Haley Her First GOP Primary Win
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley secured her first GOP primary win over former President Donald Trump on March 3, winning 62.8 percent of the vote in Washington D.C.’s primary.
President Trump won 33.2 percent. Because Ms. Haley won more than 60 percent, she now gets all of the district’s 19 delegates. The district is deep blue, with 92 percent voting for President Joe Biden in 2020.
The primary came one day after President Trump swept up all three Republican caucuses in Michigan, Missouri, and Idaho. Until March 3, the former president had won every single primary contest since Iowa in January, all of them by large margins.
Ms. Haley is the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary in U.S. history.
“It’s not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement.
President Trump’s campaign said the results “reaffirmed the object of President Trump’s campaign—he will drain the swamp and put America first.”
“While Nikki Haley has been soundly rejected throughout the rest of America, she was just crowned Queen of the Swamp by lobbyists and DC insiders that want to protect the status quo,” said campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement.
Prior to the D.C. primary, President Trump had 244 delegates, and Ms. Haley had 24. The former South Carolina governor’s first primary victory brings her delegate count up to 43.
The North Dakota Republican Primary is today, followed by Super Tuesday, when 15 states and American Samoa will vote.
US Supreme Court Ruling on Trump Ballot Case Could Come on March 4
The U.S. Supreme Court, in an unusual Sunday update to its schedule, could issue a ruling as early as today regarding a case that seeks to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on primary and general election ballots for the 2024 presidential election. The March 3 announcement said the opinion would be posted online at 10 a.m. Washington time. “The court will not take the bench,” it only said on its website.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Homelessness Rises Among US Veterans for 1st Time in 12 Years as Immigration Crisis Escalates
As national, state, and local governments continue to spend billions of dollars to house, feed, clothe, and provide medical care for millions of illegal migrants, homelessness among U.S. veterans experienced a dramatic rise for the first time in 12 years.
A recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development details a 7.4 percent increase in veteran homelessness between 2022 and 2023 and estimates that over 35,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Over the course of a year, the report indicates, almost twice as many veterans may experience homelessness. In total, HUD estimates that nearly 13 percent of the homeless adult population are veterans.
Kate Monroe, a USMC veteran and CEO of VetComm.us, calls this situation “the ultimate betrayal” by the U.S. government. She is also a California Republican Congressional candidate.
“What they are trying to do is get as many people into the U.S. as they can,” she told The Epoch Times. “And what we’re saying to our homeless veterans is that we as a country don’t care. It’s no wonder why recruiting is down by 20 percent.”
A November 2023 report by the Homeland Security Republican Committee states the money spent on illegal migrants could cost Americans up to $451 billion by the end of this year. According to NYC.gov, the official website for New York City, the Big Apple alone doled out $1.45 billion in 2023 to provide food, shelter, and services to tens of thousands of migrants. Several published reports indicate Chicago paid $138 million during the last year to house, feed, and care for illegal immigrants.
The Federation for American Immigrant Reform reports that the state of California, which had the highest number of migrants in 2023—over 160,000—spent some $22.8 billion for their care in 2023. California has also become the first state to offer health insurance for all illegal immigrants.
Here’s Who The IRS Is Targeting This Tax Season
Bolstered by a $60 billion cash infusion, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ramped up its enforcement activities in order to boost tax revenues, with the tax agency focusing its compliance efforts on several categories of taxpayers.
In September, the IRS announced a “sea change” in every aspect of its operations—including a “sweeping, historic” tax enforcement crackdown to increase tax collections—thanks to the billions of dollars it received under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The big changes are driven in part by cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, which is meant to help IRS compliance teams better detect “tax cheats” and identify tax compliance loopholes to maximize the amount of money the agency collects from taxpayers.
The IRS has said it would prioritize its enforcement actions on taxpayers with total positive income above $1 million and who have over $250,000 in recognized tax debt.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, as well as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, have both said that audit rates wouldn’t rise above historic norms for Americans earning less than $400,000. While a watchdog has cast doubt on this pledge and Mr. Werfel has hinted that this might inadvertently happen, he insists this is the goal.
Congressional Leaders Unveil Bill to Avert Government Shutdown
U.S. congressional leaders on March 3 unveiled a 1,050-page bill that would fund parts of the government for parts of the fiscal year as lawmakers faced a threat of a partial government shutdown March 8th.
Both House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) appeared to claim victory for their respective parties, releasing statements to say they were able to come to an agreement to fund the government.
The speaker said GOP lawmakers were able to push back on “left-wing proposals” and impose sharp cuts to the Biden administration’s agenda, including preventing the “Department of Justice from targeting parents exercising their right to free speech before school boards” and “deep cuts” to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The bill includes a 10 percent cut in funding to the EPA, 7 percent to the ATF, and 6 percent to the FBI.
HEALTH
Pineapple–Aids in Digestion, Arthritis Pain, and Healing Sports Injuries
In addition to being juicy, sweet, and delicious, pineapple has been used by natural healers since ancient times to ease stomach problems. Pineapple’s therapeutic value is mainly due to bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme. Bromelain is found in various supplements and herbal preparations and continues to be studied for its potential use in other medical applications.
As a proteolytic enzyme, it helps break down the protein molecules in food for better absorption and digestion. This characteristic also has other beneficial actions in the body.
Pineapples contain fiber and potassium—both of which help maintain heart health by reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Potassium is vital in regulating blood pressure, and fiber helps lower cholesterol levels.
Pineapple antioxidants are flavonoids and phenolic compounds that reduce inflammation and damage from free radicals. One laboratory study on rats showed that these antioxidants may have heart-protective effects by reducing cardiac oxidative stress and inflammation.
The copper levels in pineapples may help maintain neural pathways in the brain, thus improving cognitive function. Pineapples may help mental health by reducing anxiety and improving mood due to their tryptophan and magnesium. Both are known to increase the body’s production of serotonin, the substance that elevates mood. Those suffering from depression and anxiety might include pineapple in their daily diets.
Power Mall Product of Recommendation: Optivida Digestive Enzymes (contains Bromelain)
CDC Data: Norovirus Cases on the Rise in the US, Namely the Northeast
Norovirus has been on the rise across the northeastern United States over the past month or so, according to recent data provided by the CDC.
More than 13 percent of tests for the virus, which is associated with vomiting and diarrhea, came back positive as of mid-February, the most recent CDC data revealed. That’s the highest level in any region of the country. Nationwide, 12 percent of tests for norovirus have come back positive during the same period, the data show. In mid-January, about 10 percent of tests came back positive.
The CDC noted that norovirus is often highest in the late fall, winter, and early spring. It is associated with restaurants, schools, hospitals, camps, cruise ships, and other venues, with health officials saying it is the largest source of foodborne illness in the United States. The virus is often called “food poisoning” or the “stomach flu.”
Much Stronger Than Fentanyl, Nitazene Presents a Looming Crisis
A new killer has emerged in the illegal drug market, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Synthetic opioids called nitazenes—up to 20 times more potent than fentanyl—have infiltrated street drugs from heroin to benzodiazepines, catching unsuspecting users in a web of addiction and overdose (OD) death.
These opioids have evaded authorities and fueled a silent epidemic, presenting novel dangers law enforcement is only beginning to grasp.
So far, 20 distinct types of nitazenes have been detected in illegal street drugs, turning up with increasing frequency. As Schedule I drugs in the United States, a class that includes drugs with no accepted medical use and high abuse and addiction potential, all nitazenes are illegal.
Nitazenes are being used to spike and strengthen illegal drugs while also making them cheaper to produce, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). But this chemical tampering has already led to deadly overdoses.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
All You Can Eat for Crooks: Golden Corral Data Breach Impacts 180,000 Employees and Family
A data breach at Golden Corral restaurants has exposed the personal information of over
180,000 employees and their beneficiaries, the company disclosed this week.
BleepingComputer reports that the popular buffet restaurant chain Golden Corral recently disclosed a data breach impacting more than 180,000 people. According to a company press release issued on February 29, 2024, Golden Corral “experienced a data security incident that caused a temporary disruption” between August 11-15, 2023. The breach resulted in the theft of sensitive information belonging to current and former Golden Corral employees and their beneficiaries.
A filing with the Maine Attorney General’s office revealed that the records of 183,272 individuals were compromised in the cyberattack. Stolen information included names, Social Security numbers, financial account details, driver’s license numbers, medical data, usernames, passwords, and health insurance information.
Golden Corral stated that federal law enforcement was notified about the incident. The company also said it is “working to implement additional safeguards” against future attacks.
Breach notification letters were sent out to impacted individuals beginning on February 16. Golden Corral explained that it took time to determine the scope of stolen information before it could identify and contact those affected.
While Golden Corral reported no evidence of information misuse so far, it advised recipients of the notification letters to watch for suspicious activity on their financial accounts and statements. Any unusual transactions should be reported to the appropriate institutions.
‘Terrible Bind:’ Google Desperate to Fix Its Insanely Woke Gemini AI
Google has been left in a “terrible bind” after the company’s AI chatbot Gemini sparked controversy over its image generation feature that attempted to erase white people from history. Facing immense backlash and mockery from every corner of the internet, the Masters of the Universe are desperately working to fix the system, which one AI expert has mockingly labeled a “stochastic parrot.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Google’s market value plunged by $90 billion amid controversies surrounding its new generative AI service Gemini. The ultra-woke AI became instantly famous for erasing white people from history, facing widespread mockery for not only its wildly inaccurate images, but also defending pedophilia and Joseph Stalin.
Many media outlets quickly noted that Gemini seemed to be deliberately biased against white people, citing the ahistorical images as proof. Elon Musk, who recently acquired Twitter, also noted the issue and singled out Google leaders like Gemini product lead Jack Krawczyk who has a history of tweeting out his anger against “white privilege” and even crying after voting for Joe Biden. In one post from 2018, Krawczyk stated: “This is America where racism is the #1 value our populace seeks to uphold above all…”
Now, Bloomberg reports that according to sources familiar with the matter, Google is desperately implementing technical fixes in Gemini to reduce racial and gender bias in its outputs but failed to fully anticipate how the image generator could misfire in certain contexts. The company acted quickly to pause the feature on February 23, pending changes to the system.
Google uses an approach called prompt engineering to steer its AI systems away from “problematic” responses. This involves modifying the wording of prompts fed into the model without informing users, such as adding different racial and gender qualifiers.
Others argue AI image generation is inherently limited in depicting history accurately. Since the systems are trained on biased web data, companies try to manipulate outputs to counteract stereotypes, but imperfect training data means fundamental issues remain regardless of safeguards put in place. This obviously backfired in the case of Gemini AI, which portrays viking warriors as black and hispanic to avoid the “stereotype” of Norse vikings.
Social Media Companies Defend their First Amendment Right to Censor Americans
As the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of laws in Florida and Texas that would regulate social media companies’ practice of blocking content, tech companies have been standing up for what they claim is their First Amendment right to control speech on their platforms.
The case has split free-speech advocates into two camps, both of which argue that they are the true defenders of free speech.
NetChoice, an industry group that represents social media companies and the plaintiff in the case, touts the right of private companies to censor as they see fit, while Texas and Florida officials argue that users of social media platforms must not be excluded from service because of their political, religious, or scientific views.
After watching the court’s hearing of oral arguments on Feb. 26, many legal analysts have concluded that tech companies will likely win the day. The cases are Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, regarding the Florida and Texas laws, respectively.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Today, we’re tackling a question I get a lot from readers and listeners: “Is the government spying on me?”
Obviously, if you’re on the no-fly list or get a letter from the FBI saying you’re under investigation, yes, there’s probably a folder somewhere with your name on it. But other than that, I can’t tell you if the U.S. government is tracking you specifically.
But I can tell you the government has access to a bunch of data about its citizens — you and me included.
If you’re doing, well, anything online, the government can know about it (unless you’ve locked down your activity — more on that below). Here are a few things we know they know.
After 9/11, Congress enabled warrantless monitoring of foreign communications. That’s one thing, but then we learned the National Security Agency (NSA) was using a loophole to conduct mass surveillance of Americans’ communications.
So, uh, how do they get it? Some of the info is copied directly from fiber optic cables (crazy, right?), and some is requested from companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook. Oh, and with a “secret” program called XKeyscore, NSA analysts have access to internet activity in real time.
Facebook, X, Instagram and all the rest are goldmines of personal data. The government also monitors social media activity, so you can bet your posts and profile info are on their radar if they’re both set to public. If you’re set to display info to friends only, though, the government can simply ask the companies for access. Remember, friend: What you post on social media is out there forever.
Data brokers buy metadata (aka little bits of info) from your internet service provider, Big Tech companies, app makers and even manufacturers of smart appliances. Then, they package this data and sell it to advertisers. Who’s also buying this commercially available information? The U.S. government.
By the way, we’re not just talking about the type of car you drive, your favorite apps and your buying history on Amazon. The information they’re purchasing about you is incredibly detailed and paints a shockingly accurate picture of who you are.
So how do you keep your data out of the government’s hands? The same way you keep it away from hackers — lock it up. Here’s how:
- Go to the source: Data brokers must remove your info if you ask or go through their online processes to do it. Warning: It’s a major pain to do this all by yourself. I used Incogni,* and now, 151 different data brokers and people-search sites have forgotten all about Kim Komando.
- VPN-visible browsing: A virtual private network encrypts your online activity so no one can see what you’re doing. This includes your internet service provider. My pick is ExpressVPN.*
- Encrypt it real good: End-to-end encryption ensures only you and your recipient can see your messages. Enabling it scrambles your texts, emails — whatever — into unreadable nonsense as they pass through your provider’s servers.
- Privacy, please: Your phone, browsers and apps can toggle off most tracking. Start with my 30-second privacy check for Google and Facebook.
It’s my mission to help protect you from anyone getting your data — hackers, advertisers and even the government. Use the sharing buttons below to send this email to someone who may not know how much they’re putting out there. Let’s protect ourselves together.
Alaskan Fishermen Find Suspected Spy Balloon
A US official confirmed to CBS News on Friday night that fishermen off the coast of Alaska have found what appears to be a “pretty big balloon.” Speaking with government sources, other corporate media outlets said the debris could be a Chinese spy balloon.
The crew of the commercial fishing vessel managed to lift the debris out of the water and is hauling it back to a port in Alaska sometime this weekend.
Sources tell CNN that FBI agents will meet the vessel when it arrives at port. Agents will then load the debris into a plane, where it will be analyzed at the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. This is the same lab that has analyzed other Chinese surveillance balloons.
“The fishermen shared photographs of the object with law enforcement upon encountering it,” the sources said. CNN pointed out:
All three sources emphasized that it wasn’t clear exactly what the object was and that it may not be a balloon at all — but that the FBI determined that it was similar enough in appearance to a foreign-government-owned surveillance balloon that it warranted further investigation.
The FBI acknowledged the debris in a statement last night:
“We are aware of debris found off the coast of Alaska by a commercial fishing vessel. We will work with our partners to assist with the logistics of the debris recovery.”
This comes one week after a mysterious high-altitude balloon was intercepted by NORAD fighter jets over Utah – and one year after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
12 feet of snow, 190 mph wind gust as ‘life-threatening’ blizzard pounds California
Hundreds of miles of California highways were shut down yesterday as a powerful blizzard pounded parts of the Golden State and Mountain West dumping heavy snow and bringing howling winds with gusts that hit 190 mph − well above the 157 mph threshold for a Category 5 hurricane. National Weather Service meteorologist William Churchill warned of “life-threatening concern” for residents near Lake Tahoe, calling the storm, now in its third day, an “extreme blizzard.” Areas of Nevada, Utah and Colorado were also affected.
“Moderate to heavy snow has persisted overnight across the northern Sierra Nevada,” the National Weather Service in Sacramento said in a social media post Sunday. “Wind gusts … are continuing to result in blizzard conditions.”
More than 100 miles of I-80 remained closed Sunday from the Nevada border to Colfax, California, and there was “no estimated time of reopening the freeway,” the California Highway Patrol warned. Hundreds of travelers were trapped in their vehicles for hours, and more than 300 vehicles were stranded. By Sunday night, more than 7,800 homes and businesses in California still had not regained power after the storm knocked it out, according to poweroutage.us.
Geoengineering Watch Global Alert News, March 2, 2024, #447
“Eclipse: Cloud Study Has Worrying Implications For Attempts At Climate Engineering”, this is the title of a new science report from IFLscience.com. The IFL report further states, “Attempts to engineer the planet’s climate could have the opposite effect to the one intended.” What does this long overdue report officially confirm? That blocking the sun curtails the planet’s own cloud producing functions, AKA, the planet’s own attempts to cool itself. Translation, the entire foundational premise for geoengineering “solar radiation management” operations is completely flawed.
Colorado Bill to Ban Oil and Gas Development Could Drive Up US Energy Prices
Colorado ranks among the top 10 energy-producing states in the nation. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), it’s the fifth-largest crude oil-producing state and the eighth-largest natural gas-producing state, accounting for 4 percent of the United States’ total output for both. But Democrats in Colorado want to put a stop to that by 2030.
Colorado Sens. Sonya Jaquez Lewis and Kevin Priola, along with Colorado Reps. Andrew Boesenecker and Julia Marvin—all Democrats—introduced Senate Bill 24-159, “Mod to Energy & Carbon Management Processes,” in the Senate. It’s now under consideration by the Agriculture and Natural Resources committee.
If passed, Colorado will stop issuing all new oil and gas permits before Jan. 1, 2030, and will start to reduce the number of permits issued in 2028 and 2029. Moreover, the bill will require that all permits issued after July 1 start operating before December 31, 2032.
Considering it takes five to 10 years for an oil and gas field to come online, the measure could effectively halt most new oil and gas developments starting this year.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Is It Too Early to Start Planting? How to Know When to Plant Your Cool Weather Crops
It’s never too early to think about what to plant in your vegetable garden. The seed catalogs came in early January and by March, the seeds you ordered, have arrived. What can be planted in early spring? And when exactly can you start digging?
March and April are the months to plant cool-weather vegetables. It’s important to note: when to plant is not a hard and fast date on the calendar, but rather a suggestion that takes into account what Mother Nature is currently doing in your area. You need to keep an eye out for frosts and signs that your soil is ready.
The last frost date is traditionally the date when the threat of a hard frost has passed. However, nature is unpredictable and frosts, light, hard, and killing, have happened after that date. You can find your last frost date and your hardiness zone by visiting the USDA website.
Once the snow is gone and the ground is no longer frozen, you can plant as soon as the soil can be worked. This phrase can confuse new gardeners. It means the soil can not be too wet. Working wet soil destroys the soil structure and causes compaction. Compacted soil is bad for plants because the roots cannot access nutrients and oxygen. Luckily there is a very simple test to see if the soil is ready to be worked. Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it. If water drips out, it’s too wet. If nothing drips out, open your hand and poke at it. If it breaks apart easily, it’s ready to be worked. If it stays a clump, then it may need a few more weeks to dry out. Clay soils take longer to dry out. Sandy soils dry out faster.
2ND AMENDMENT
Florida House Passes Bill to Lower Legal Gun Purchase Age to 18
The Florida House passed legislation on Friday to lower the legal firearm purchase age from 21 to 18 years.
The NRA-ILA reported that the bill, HB 1223, passed the House by a vote of 76-35.
It was legal to buy a long gun in Florida at age 18 until shortly after the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting. The legislature raised the minimum purchase age to 21 following that attack. The NRA filed suit against Florida’s increased legal purchase age, arguing that it violated the rights of 18-20 year-olds.
HB 1223 is designed to return the legal purchase age to 18.
FOX 13 noted that State Rep. Robin Bartleman (D) criticized the passage of HB 1223, saying, “Shame on us. We told the citizens of Florida that we were going to protect them.”
COVID RELATED NEWS
CDC Drops 5-Day Isolation Guidance for COVID-19 As Pandemic Threat Wanes
People who test positive for COVID-19 don’t need to isolate for five days anymore, according to updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which said that COVID-19 has become similar to—and in some cases less severe than—the common flu.
The new guidance, updated on March 1, says that the threat from COVID-19 has fallen to become more similar to that of other respiratory viruses, and so rather than providing additional virus-specific guidelines, the CDC is opting for a “unified, practical approach.”
This unified approach recommends that people with symptoms of COVID-19 (and other respiratory viruses) should stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after their fever has resolved and their overall symptoms are getting better.
“This recommendation addresses the period of greatest infectiousness and highest viral load for most people, which is typically in the first few days of illness and when symptoms, including fever, are worst,” the CDC said in the new guidelines.
The changes do away with the CDC’s previous recommendations for people with COVID-19 symptoms to isolate from others for at least five days.
“This is similar to longstanding recommendations for other respiratory illnesses, including influenza,” the agency said.
COVID Vaccine Shedding Is ‘Real,’ FDA and Pfizer Documents Are Proof: Clinicians
The topic of COVID-19 vaccine shedding has long been controversial, but now, some doctors say even the authorities know about it.
“Shedding is unfortunately real,” said Dr. Pierre Kory at the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in early February. “The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) knows that.”
Dr. Kory is a co-founder of the FLCCC, a non-profit advocacy group founded by physicians for the treatment of COVID-19, long COVID, and post-vaccine syndromes. He is also the co-founder of the Leading Edge Clinic and has treated over a thousand long-COVID and post-vaccine patients.
Fact-checkers have largely denied shedding on the basis of definition. The commonly cited definition comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, which defines shedding as the release of viruses, bacteria, and their components from live vaccines.
While mRNA and adenovirus vaccines are not live vaccines, they function similarly to gene therapy products.
All gene therapy products pose a risk of shedding, according to the FDA.
The FDA, however, denied that the 2015 document applies to COVID mRNA vaccines.
“COVID-19 vaccines are not regulated as gene therapy products by the FDA; therefore, the guidance document cited is not applicable to the COVID-19 vaccines,” an FDA spokeswoman told The Epoch Times.
COVID-19 and Its Vaccines Linked to Sudden Hearing Loss, Considered an ‘Emergency’: Doctor
Dr. Clarice Saba, an otorhinolaryngologist in Brazil, developed sudden hearing loss in her right ear a week after receiving her first dose of the COVID-19 adenovirus vaccine.
“I did all the exams and could not find any other reason other than because of the shots,” she told The Epoch Times.
Several studies have linked sudden hearing loss to the vaccine, with the most comprehensive study coming from France. Four hundred cases of post-vaccine sudden sensorineural hearing loss were evaluated, with 345 medical reports assessed by two audiology experts for potential causality.
The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines induce the body to make COVID-19 spike proteins. Research in animal cochlear cells has shown that the spike protein damages the cochlea. Spike proteins also share structural similarities with over 28 human proteins. Therefore, some studies on hearing loss speculate that proteins in the ears, including within the cochlea, may be structurally similar to spike proteins, leading to autoimmune damage when the body mounts its immune response.
The spike proteins in the COVID-19 vaccines are also prone to causing microclotting, where the blood becomes more viscous and “sludge-like,” according to internal medicine physician Dr. Jordan Vaughn. Viscous blood moves more slowly, reducing oxygen exchange in the blood and leading to stress on the nerves and cells in the ears.
CANCEL CULTURE
Maine Residents Furious over $13M Tax Bill for ‘Taj Mahal’ Where Migrants Get Two Years of Free Rent
Residents of Maine are expressing their outrage over the state’s plans to spend $13 million on constructing apartment complexes for illegal border crossers where some could be afforded up to two years of free rent.
The apartment complex plan — derisively labeled the “Taj Mahal” for illegals — took a lot of heat from residents of Brunswick during a February 20 city council meeting. The locals were upset over the fact that the same apartments that cost citizens between $1,800 and $2,300 a month were going to be handed out to illegals for free.
Many of the brand-new buildings were completed in 2023, and the first began taking residents in December.
The project was initially funded by a six-million-dollar program, which the state housing authority, MaineHousing, initiated.
Migrants have already filled some of the housing units:
The plan even came to the attention of Donald Trump Jr., who blasted it while campaigning for his father.
“Up in this part of the world and up in Maine, they are giving illegal immigrants free housing — multimillion-dollar free housing — while they’re kicking out veterans in the street,” he said in a news clip shared by the conservative Maine Wire. “I mean, what’s going on?”
However, MaineHousing points out that migrants will be required to pay 30 percent of their income in much-reduced rent fees if they get a job.
GOOD NEWS
Police: Missing Michigan Woman Rescued After 7 Years
A Michigan woman who had been missing for seven years was rescued after she managed
to call for help from a hotel in the Detroit suburbs.
The woman was last seen in 2017 before Michigan State Police reunited her with her family, the law enforcement agency said in a thread on X.
MSP arrived at the Evergreen Motel in Inkster, a city about 14 miles southwest of downtown Detroit, on February 26 after the victim’s stepmother contacted police saying she had called her from the motel room where she was “being held against her will.”
Upon responding to the motel, state police and troopers from Metro South Post “heard screaming and crying” from one of the rooms.
“Troopers made forcible entry into the room and recovered her,” MSP said.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was transported to Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn to be evaluated and interviewed by detectives. She was then “reunited with family and was given other resources to help her recover,” police said.
Police also recovered drugs, a cell phone, and a gun from the motel room.
“Great work by TAG detectives following this tip and rescuing this woman and getting her back with her family,” MSP Public Information Officer Mike Shaw stated.
The agency added that a suspect has been identified but not yet been taken into custody, and that an investigation is being conducted to determine if human trafficking was involved.
“We’ll kind of look at what’s next, right… interview her if a crime did take place such as human trafficking or is it a domestic violence situation or is it different,” Shaw told WXYZ. “I don’t want to use the word kidnapping like somebody grabbed her and took her to that place. It may have started out as a relationship that turns into being held against your will and being trafficked.”
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