WORLD NEWS
Biden administration secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine in March!
The Biden administration last month secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time to enable Ukrainian forces to strike farther into Russian-seized areas in Ukraine, according to a report.
Politico reported Wednesday that the U.S. approved the transfer of “a number” of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which Ukraine had been asking for for years due to its longer range of nearly 200 miles. The Biden administration had been unwilling to approve them before, out of concern for its own domestic supplies and that Ukrainian forces could strike into Russia and provoke a response.
However, now that Congress has approved a $61 billion aid package to Ukraine, the Biden administration plans to send more in a new $1 billion aid package, according to the outlet.
According to the report, Ukrainian forces have already used the missiles twice, once against a Russian military base in Crimea — which Russia annexed in 2014 –and more recently against Russian forces near the Sea of Azov.
The new aid package will also include Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 155mm artillery rounds, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Javelin anti-tank systems, and Claymore anti-personnel munitions.
The report said Russia’s increasingly brutal tactics and more production convinced President Joe Biden to authorize the transfer. Those tactics included striking Ukraine’s energy grid, and using North Korea- provided missiles.
An official told Politico the administration believed that providing Ukraine ATACMS would give Ukraine some new momentum in the war, and to threaten Crimea, which Russia uses to resupply its forces and host its Black Sea Fleet.
The official suggested the weapons alone would not “change the character of the battlefield” but said Ukraine now has something in their toolkit that “creates impact” and “gives them an advantage.”
Even with the new aid, the Biden administration is skeptical it is enough for Ukraine to win the war, according to another report from Politico.
“The immediate goal is to stop Ukrainian losses and help Ukraine regain momentum and turn the tide on the battlefield. After that, the goal is to help Ukraine begin to regain its territory,” an official told the outlet. “Will they have what they need to win? Ultimately, yes. But it’s not a guarantee that they will. Military operations are much more complicated than that.”
Australia’s spy agency boss says the country faces a 50% chance of terrorism!
The threat that someone is either planning or will conduct a terrorist attack within the next 12 months in Australia is 50 percent, according to the boss of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). ASIO Director-General of Security Mike Burgess revealed the startling figure during a speech at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on April 24.
Despite this, Australia’s terrorism threat remains possible, rather than probable, after being downgraded in 2023.
“There is a 50 percent chance that in the next 12 months or even right now there is someone planning an act of terrorism or will conduct an act of terrorism,” Mr. Burgess said.
“The most likely attack will come from an individual or a small group of individuals that go to violence with little or no warning.”
The ASIO boss explained this threat could come from a “range of ideologies” and it could happen quickly.
China’s Tik-Tok is plotting its “escape” from the latest U.S. sell-or-ban legislation!
China’s TikTok is reportedly exploring its options to see if it can escape the sell-or-ban legislation that the U.S. Senate passed on Tuesday night, sending the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
TikTok will be doing what it can to fight the legislation that would force its China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the social media platform or else be banned in the United States, according to a report by Axios.
The bill was signed into law yesterday by Joe Biden as part of the Ukraine-Israel funding package.
Ironically, the Chinese company — whose parent company is beholden to a communist regime — plans to file a lawsuit on First Amendment grounds after the bill is signed by the U.S. president, according to Axios Pro Tech Policy reporter Ashley Gold. Breitbart News recently reported that TikTok reportedly plans to dump its General Counsel, the executive who would have spearheaded this fight.
If that initiative fails, TikTok reportedly plans to wait out the U.S. election to see who the Chinese company will be dealing with in the coming year.
Notably, the soon-to-be-signed sell-or-ban legislation gives ByteDance nearly a year to sell TikTok before the app is banned in the United States.
As a last resort, ByteDance could create a “TikTok U.S.” as an independent company with its own stock, separate from the Chinese TikTok, according to Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack.
The Chinese Communist Party currently enjoys access to TikTok user data — given that ByteDance is beholden to the communist regime — and will likely do whatever it can to refrain from giving up that power.
TikTok insiders recently claimed that the company works very closely with its Chinese parent ByteDance despite claims of independence. According to one insider, they were given a fake U.S. executive to report to, while regularly sending sensitive user data to communist China.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Arizona House passes bill scrapping the 1864 near total abortion ban!
Arizona state House lawmakers voted on Wednesday to repeal an 1864 law that bans
nearly all abortions after a few Republicans joined Democrats in passing the bill.
The vote was the third try in three weeks to repeal the abortion restriction, after the Arizona Supreme Court issued a decision earlier this month upholding the Civil-War era law over the state’s newer 15- week abortion limit, NBC News reported.
“Amid mounting pressure” three GOP state representatives — Matt Gress, Tim Gunn, and Justin Wilmeth, joined 29 Democrats to repeal the law, which makes performing an abortion or helping a woman obtain one a felony punishable by two to five years in prison, according to the report.
The passage in the House comes after members of the state Senate voted last week to introduce a bill that would repeal the 1864 law. In that vote, two Republicans joined every Democrat.
“The state Senate could vote on the repeal as early as next Wednesday, after the bill comes on the floor for a ‘third reading,’ as is required under chamber rules,” according to the report.
Republicans who were against repealing the law reportedly “pleaded with their colleagues” to reject the effort.
“We should not have rushed this bill through the legislative process,” Republican state House Speaker Ben Toma said. “Instead, today we are rushing to judgment.”
“It breaks my heart that you’re here to witness this,” said House Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham before voting against the bill. “I’m proud of my Republican caucus that has fought this off as long as it has,” he added.
“To see how this has been turned against one party and used as a weaponization of the issue is disgusting,” he said. Grantham reportedly stripped Gress and Democrat Assistant Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos of their committee assignments following the vote.
The 1864 law is expected to go into effect on June 8, although Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes has promised not to enforce the law and to find a way to delay the date. Mayes and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) have also been working with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to allow Arizonans to get abortions in California.
Some prominent Arizona Republicans have also notably distanced themselves from the Arizona Supreme Court’s rulings, including Senate candidate Kari Lake and former Gov. Doug Ducey. Former President Donald Trump told reporters he thinks the 1864 law goes too far.
The state Supreme Court decision comes as pro-abortion activists are moving forward with a proposed amendment that would create a constitutional right to abortion in Arizona.
Arizona is one of at least a dozen states where pro-abortion activists are working to codify the right to kill the unborn.
Arizona grand jury indicts 18 Republican Trump fake electors!
A grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday indicted 18 Republicans with conspiracy, fraud, and forgery for submitting a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in Arizona during the 2020 presidential election.
The court documents identify a “prior U.S. president,” presumably referring to Trump, as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes blacked out the names of seven individuals indicted in the records released. Her office stated in a press release that the names would be disclosed once those individuals were served with the charges. However, news reports now indicate that Rudy Guiliani and Mark Meadows are among those charged.
Electors are people selected to officially cast a state’s electoral votes within the U.S. Electoral College system utilized during presidential elections.
The eleven people identified as fake electors from Arizona, namely Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, Jake Hoffman, Anthony Kern, Jim Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Loraine Pellegrino, Greg Safsten, Kelli Ward, and Michael Ward, each face nine felony counts. These charges encompass conspiracy, fraudulent schemes, artifices, and forgery.
“A state grand jury made up of everyday regular Arizonans, has now handed down felony indictments for all 11 Republican electors as well as several others connected to this team,” Mr. Mayes said on Wednesday. ”These are serious indictments, but this is the first hurdle the state must pass in our constitutional criminal justice system.”
On Dec. 14, 2020, the 11 individuals nominated as Arizona’s Republican electors convened in Phoenix, where they signed a certificate during a ceremony, asserting themselves as “duly elected and qualified” electors and alleging that President Trump had won the state.
The Arizona Republican Party posted a one-minute video of the signing ceremony on social media. Subsequently, the document was transmitted to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.
Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward said at the time that her state’s Republican electors, who cast their votes for President Donald Trump on Dec. 14, 2020, believe they “represent the legally cast votes in our state.”
The Arizona electors held their ceremony soon after U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa dismissed their lawsuit that sought to decertify the results that awarded then-candidate Biden’s victory in the state. The judge dismissed their lawsuit for lack of legal standing, untimely filing, and failure to substantiate their claims with factual evidence.
Their lawsuit was one of eight that sought to challenge the integrity of the vote count in the Arizona election.
The attorney general’s office launched its investigation several months after Ms. Mayes, a Democrat, took office, replacing Republican Mark Brnovich.
Yesterday’s indictment in Arizona marks the fourth state to bring charges against individuals involved in the scheme of “fake electors.”
Texas AG responds after Texas Supreme Court blocks guaranteed income program!
The Texas Supreme Court issued an emergency stay telling Democrat-controlled Harris County not to launch a guaranteed income program, blocking the county from issuing payments until further action is carried out by the court.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this month filed a lawsuit seeking an immediate ruling to block Uplift Harris, the guaranteed income program, to send out the payments to residents, arguing that it violates the constitutions of both the United States and Texas. The state supreme court granted his request on Tuesday, coming a day before the payments were supposed to be sent out.
“Without regard to the merits, the court grants an administrative stay as follows: Real parties in interest and their agents are prohibited from making payments under the Uplift Harris program pending further order of this Court,” the Texas Supreme Court said in its ruling, which is temporary. “Without regard to the merits, the order prohibits the County from making payments pending further order.”
The order blocking the payments is expected to last for at least one week. The court asked Harris County to respond to the Republican attorney general’s request by April 29.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, announced the program in 2023 that would randomly select 1,900 residents in the county to receive $500 cash payments for 18 months. The money came from the $20.5 million slush fund that Harris County received via the American Rescue Plan that was passed in Congress in 2021 and was designed to be used for COVID-19 relief programs.
There were also reports that some non-U.S. citizens such as green-card holders or people who came to the United States on asylum claims would also be eligible for the cash payments. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for the program, Harris County officials have said.
Responding to the Texas Supreme Court’s decision, Mr. Paxton described the cash payments as “unlawful” and in violation of “our Constitution.”
“I’m pleased the Supreme Court of Texas has blocked Harris County from disbursing these unlawful payments,” Mr. Paxton said in a statement Tuesday. “I look forward to continuing to defend our Constitution and preventing this egregious misuse of taxpayer money.”
In defending the program, officials in Harris County, which encompasses Houston, have said Uplift Harris designed to help households in the county’s poorest ZIP codes who are 200 percent below the federal poverty line ($15,060 for an individual, up to $31,200 for a family of four).
But right before the state supreme court’s order, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, a Democrat, wrote on social media that the county has “sent out the first $500 payments to recipients of our Uplift Harris guaranteed income program,” adding that the county “will keep fighting to ensure we can continue making this life changing investment in the people of Harris County.”
Attorneys for the state have argued in court filings that taxpayer money must be used in the public interest to provide a general benefit. They argued that the Harris County program is a form of wealth redistribution that violates the Texas Constitution.
“The payments have ‘no strings attached,’ and the recipients can use the money however they wish,” the attorney general’s office wrote in the filing. “Finally, Harris County has neither received nor will receive any return benefit from monthly cash handouts to 1,928 individuals.”
Under the program, they argued, “the selection of individuals to receive payments under the Harris Handout is plainly arbitrary. While the initial eligibility criteria might be considered valid classifications, Defendants cross the line from rational to arbitrary by selecting participants by random lottery.”
U.S Supreme Court to hear Trump immunity appeal that could further delay cases!
The Supreme Court, in its upcoming immunity case filed by former President Donald Trump, may rule to send the case back to the district court in Washington, allowing him to further delay proceedings as desired, according to experts.
Today is the date the justices set for oral arguments over President Trump’s claims of immunity from prosecution under the indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington. It’s unclear how the justices will rule, but a decision, expected in June, will alter the course of the former president’s case and potentially complicate his others as well.
Representing President Trump will be attorney D. John Sauer, who also argued for him in the D.C. Circuit. Former Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben is expected to argue for Mr. Smith’s team.
The question of how much immunity presidents enjoy is a hotly debated topic and integral to how the government divides power among its three separate branches. Beyond some of the more immediate questions surrounding presidential immunity, the justices may contemplate the more far-reaching implications of their ruling on immunity. For example: How will their decision impact other ongoing cases? Will it align with how the framers of the Constitution envisioned presidential immunity?
President Trump pointed to the landmark 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison, which said in part that a president’s official acts “can never be examinable by the courts,” to argue that courts couldn’t review his official conduct. He told the Supreme Court it should rule that presidents enjoy immunity for their official acts and that criminal prosecution could only come after impeachment and conviction by Congress.
The justices decided to tackle a narrower question: “Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?”
The impeachment point may nonetheless come up during oral argument, as well as questions about the legal basis for Mr. Smith’s authority.
Both sides referenced the Vesting Clause in Article II, which vests the executive power in the president. President Trump argued this clause protected him from review by the courts, while Mr. Smith contended that the vesting clause should be considered in the context of other constitutional provisions.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Report claims Russian hackers disrupted Texas town’s water supply!
A report published by cybersecurity firm Mandiant last week claimed that a gang of hackers linked to the Russian government has attacked water utility companies around the world, including a treatment plant in the northern Texas town of Muleshoe.
The hackers were allegedly able to cause a tank overflow that wasted some water, but did not jeopardize the health of residents.
Mandiant traced the exploits of a group designated as an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) 44 by security professionals. The group calls itself “Sandworm” and “FROZENBARENTS” in its online proclamations and styles itself as a band of “hacktivists” who support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It works under a variety of other aliases or front groups as well.
Mandiant said APT44 is, in reality, “sponsored by Russian military intelligence” and has been active far beyond the Ukraine theater. The group is not a loose collection of political activists, it claimed, but rather a “dynamic and operationally mature threat actor that is actively engaged in the full spectrum of espionage, attack, and influence operations,” including efforts to meddle in foreign elections.
“While most state-backed threat groups tend to specialize in a specific mission such as collecting intelligence, sabotaging networks, or conducting information operations, APT44 stands apart in how it has honed each of these capabilities and sought to integrate them into a unified playbook over time,” Mandiant said.
The report held APT44 responsible for “nearly all of the disruptive and destructive operations against Ukraine over the past decade,” with a recent shift in focus to intelligence-gathering operations that can assist forward-deployed Russian military units.
“Sandworm” does far more than directly assist the Russian military, however. Among other malign activities, it appears to be using skills developed in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure to conduct probing attacks of vital public utilities in countries the Kremlin views as threats or rivals. At the same time, the Russian military is developing defenses against precisely the kind of sabotage that APT44 pioneered.
According to Mandiant, a group calling itself “CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn” attacked the water treatment plant in Muleshoe on January 18 and took credit for the assault soon afterward on the Telegram messaging platform. The claim of credit was accompanied by screen captures of what appeared to be compromised water management software.
Mandiant analysts were fairly confident that CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn is a front or puppet group of APT44, although the U.S. intelligence community has not officially made that determination yet.
The attack was relatively harmless, causing a water tank to overflow without compromising water quality in the area, but the fact that it succeeded at all represents a disturbing escalation of cyberwar capabilities. Hackers from various countries have conducted probing operations against infrastructure for years, but they usually do not draw attention to themselves. The Texas caper could also be seen as a warning shot – a signal from Moscow that direct assaults on water, power, and other vital infrastructure are no longer beyond the pale.
The hack was not exactly subtle. Three other small towns in Texas reported intrusion attempts on the same night. One of them, Hale Center, reported 37,000 attempts to penetrate its firewall over a four- day period.
The other towns, Lockney and Abernathy, said they were able to thwart the hackers before they could gain access to the city water systems. Abernathy city staff said the hackers were able to slip into their system through a virtual network connection, but they were detected and cut off with in 30 seconds, interrupting their attempt to change some of the system passwords.
“It didn’t cause any problems except being a nuisance,” said Lockney city manager Buster Poling.
The same front group that reportedly hit the Muleshoe water treatment plant claims to have pulled off a similar attack in France, and security researchers believe it also sabotaged water plants in Poland.
“This is a nightmare scenario for many defense experts. Bad actors and nation states no longer need to rely on bullets and missiles. They can tamper with or shut down critical infrastructure by exploiting vulnerabilities in converged IT and OT systems,” judged chief security officer Bob Huber of Tenable, another cybersecurity firm.
The U.S. Supreme Court may rule for Starbucks in a labor organizing dispute!
The Supreme Court seemed sympathetic on April 23 to a request by Starbucks to rein in the National Labor Relations Board’s authority to decide if fired union activists in Tennessee should get their jobs back.
Labor activists argue that such a pro-management ruling could discourage union organizing.
The court has tended to rule for employers in recent years. In June 2023, in Glacier Northwest Inc. v. Teamsters, the court found 8–1 that employers may sue collective bargaining units for damages caused by strikes.
For years, the coffee giant has been battling organized labor, which is trying to unionize baristas across the United States.
The company stated that it terminated the employment of the so-called Memphis Seven because they ran afoul of company policy by letting a television news crew into a store after business hours.
The Starbucks Workers United union complained to the board and filed unfair labor practice charges, claiming that Starbucks interfered with the workers’ right to form a union and discriminated against union members. The board secured a preliminary injunction from a federal district court in 2022 that forced the company to temporarily rehire the fired employees. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit found that the district court “did not abuse its discretion” in issuing the injunction and allowed it to stand.
Oral arguments took place before the justices in Starbucks Corp. v. McKinney.
Headquartered in Seattle, the petitioner, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, reported nearly $36 billion in revenue last year. The respondent is M. Kathleen McKinney, regional director for Region 15 of the board.
Department of Justice attorney Austin Raynor presented the Biden administration’s defense of Ms. McKinney and the board.
HEALTH
Not so wonderful company: POM juice maker named second largest sprayer of toxic weedkiller
Pomegranate juice has been all the rage this past half-decade. Dubbed a “superfood” by some, pomegranates are chock-full of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C.
POM, the most popular pomegranate juice maker, was recently highlighted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) as anything but wonderful. The self-proclaimed “Wonderful Company” has been exposed for using paraquat, a toxic weedkiller.
It is time to scratch POM pomegranate juice from your shopping list
The Wonderful Company advertises its POM pomegranate juice as healthy and even iconic. The little-known truth is the juice maker uses more paraquat than all but one other company in California. The state’s top offender is crop grower J.G. Boswell Company. Paraquat, a toxic chemical used to kill weeds, has been tied to a heightened risk for Parkinson’s disease.
The EWG report linked above states the makers of POM sprayed nearly 60,000 pounds of paraquat across the Golden State’s fields in a single year. The Wonderful Company uses paraquat to grow pomegranates, almonds, and pistachios. Do the math, and you’ll find California’s two most prevalent paraquat sprayers, 27% of the state’s aggregate use of the chemical across its fields.
Paraquat is a growing problem for consumers, laborers, and others
After consumption, paraquat increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukemia. It also threatens the health of farm laborers and residents who live near California farms. A seemingly harmless wayward breeze can potentially redirect sprayed paraquat to farmworkers and nearby homeowners, renters, pedestrians, and others.
The more you eat, the more you lower your risk of certain cancers.
Beans have more servings of fiber than any other vegetable. One single serving will give you 20 percent of your daily recommended fiber.
Researchers in Japan did a seven-year study. They studied more than 43,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 that had high cancer rates and ate little fiber. The more fiber they got from beans, the lower the risk of colon cancer, especially in men, became. It was the bean fiber that impacted the colon cancer statistics more than any other source of fiber.
Other research indicates that the fiber in beans like garbanzo’s actually keep your body from absorbing carcinogens. When you take in less carcinogens, the less damage is done to your cells, tissues, and other organs. Less damage equates to lower cancer risk in the long run. It’s too bad that the same cannot be said for ingesting flesh foods.
Beans contain phytochemicals, which naturally fight cancer and free radicals, which ruin your cells and tissues through oxidation. The phytochemicals neutralize the free radicals before they do damage.
Greek researchers tested extracts from 11 different legumes (beans are legumes) and found that all of them neutralized free radicals. Not only that, but most of them also protected DNA from oxidative damage, which more or less explains the key to beans’ anti-cancer potential.
What about beans helping women thwart breast cancer? In a study of 90,000 young nurses, the ones who ate beans or lentils at least twice a week were less likely to develop breast cancer.
The experts assumed that the flavonols, again phytochemicals, block the free radicals, prevent oxidative damage to the cells, and encourage cancerous cells to die. All you have to do is to work at least two servings of beans and lentils into your weekly diet.
We all know there’s quite a fad about cutting carbs. If you are concerned, at all, about colon cancer, fagetaboutit.
The carbs in beans are a unique kind that the body cannot digest. As such, they wind up fermenting in your colon, thanks to the bacteria living in your gut. The fermentation produces a compound called butyrate that basically squashes inflammation and the abnormal cell growth that can lead to cancer. In addition, the indigestible carbs help give beans a low glycemic index, meaning a low risk of colon cancer. This is the super benefit of eating low glycemic index foods.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Department of Bad Ideas: Flamethrowing robot dog can torch anything in its path!
In a bizarre twist that seems straight out of a dystopian sci-fi movie, U.S. residents can now legally purchase a flame-throwing robot dog named Thermonator for just under $10,000.
AutoEvolution reports that Ohio-based Throwflame, the oldest flamethrower manufacturer in the United States, has introduced Thermonator, a robot dog equipped with a flamethrower capable of shooting flames up to 30 feet. The company, known for its unique products, is now offering the Thermonator for sale in all states except Maryland and California, where flamethrowers are restricted.
The Thermonator is essentially a combination of Throwflame’s ARC flamethrower and a modified version of the Unitree Go2 robot dog. While purchasing these components separately would cost around $3,000, Throwflame has bundled them together with a price tag of $9,420, offering free shipping as a bonus.
The robot dog boasts an array of features, including first-person view (FPV) navigation through an onboard camera, LiDAR mapping, instant ARC ignition, and laser sighting. It also comes with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing owners to operate the Thermonator remotely using a smartphone app. Additionally, the robot has obstacle avoidance capabilities and a one-hour battery life.
According to Throwflame, the Thermonator is designed for various applications, such as agricultural management, ecological conservation, wildfire control and prevention, snow and ice removal, and entertainment and special effects. However, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of such a device, especially considering that flamethrowers are legally unregulated in most of the US.
The introduction of the Thermonator has sparked a debate about the ethical implications of making such a potentially dangerous device available to the public. While some argue that it has legitimate uses in certain industries, others worry about the consequences of putting a flame-throwing robot dog in the wrong hands.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
- “Those that talk about “individual liberties”
- “Those that advocate for states’ rights
- “Those that want “to make the world a better place”
- “The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule”
- “Those that are interested in “defeating the Communists”
- “Those that believe “that the interests of one’s own nation are separate from the interests of other nations or the common interest of all nations”
- “Anyone that holds a “political ideology that considers the state to be unnecessary, harmful, or undesirable”
- “Anyone that possesses an “intolerance toward other religions”
- “Those that “take action to fight against the exploitation of the environment and/or animals”
- “Anti-Gay”
- “Anti-Immigrant”
- “Anti-Muslim”
- “The Patriot Movement”
- “Opposition to equal rights for gays and lesbians”
- Members of the Family Research Council
- Members of the American Family Association
- Those that believe that Mexico, Canada and the United States “are secretly planning to merge into a European Union-like entity that will be known as the ‘North American Union”
- Members of the American Border Patrol/American Patrol
- Members of the Federation for American Immigration Reform
- Members of the Tennessee Freedom Coalition
- Members of the Christian Action Network
- Anyone that is “opposed to the New World Order”
- Anyone that is engaged in “conspiracy theorizing”
- Anyone that is opposed to Agenda 21
- Anyone that is concerned about FEMA camps
- Anyone that “fears impending gun control or weapons confiscations”
- The militia movement
- The sovereign citizen movement
- Those that “don’t think they should have to pay taxes”
- Anyone that “complains about bias”
- Anyone that “believes in government conspiracies to the point of paranoia”
- Anyone that “is frustrated with mainstream ideologies”
- Anyone that “visits extremist websites/blogs”
- Anyone that “establishes website/blog to display extremist views”
- Anyone that “attends rallies for extremist causes”
- Anyone that “exhibits extreme religious intolerance”
- Anyone that “is personally connected with a grievance”
- Anyone that “suddenly acquires weapons”
- Anyone that “organizes protests inspired by extremist ideology”
- “Militia or unorganized militia”
- “General right-wing extremist”
- Citizens that have “bumper stickers” that are patriotic or anti-U.N.
- Those that refer to an “Army of God”
- Those that are “fiercely nationalistic (as opposed to universal and international in orientation)”
- Those that are “anti-global”
- Those that are “suspicious of centralized federal authority”
- Those that are “reverent of individual liberty”
- Those that “believe in conspiracy theories”
- Those that have “a belief that one’s personal and/or national ‘way of life’ is under attack”
- Those that possess “a belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in paramilitary preparations and training or survivalism”
- Those that would “impose strict religious tenets or laws on society (fundamentalists)”
- Those that would “insert religion into the political sphere”
- Anyone that would “seek to politicize religion”
- Those that have “supported political movements for autonomy”
- Anyone that is “anti-abortion”
- Anyone that is “anti-Catholic”
- Anyone that is “anti-nuclear”
- “Rightwing extremists”
- “Returning veterans”
- Those concerned about “illegal immigration”
- Those that “believe in the right to bear arms”
- Anyone that is engaged in “ammunition stockpiling”
- Anyone that exhibits “fear of Communist regimes”
- “Anti-abortion activists”
- Those that are against illegal immigration
- Those that talk about “the New World Order” in a “derogatory” manner
- Those that have a negative view of the United Nations
- Those that are opposed “to the collection of federal income taxes”
- Those that supported former presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr
- Those that display the Gadsden Flag (“Don’t Tread On Me”)
- Those that believe in “end times” prophecies
- Evangelical Christians
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Tesla stock surges despite dismal quarter as Elon Musk promises affordable EVs by 2025!
Tesla shares jumped almost 12 percent in pre-market trading on Wednesday after CEO Elon Musk announced that the company aims to start production of affordable electric vehicle models by early 2025, or possibly even late this year. The bounce comes despite dismal earnings, including net income that dropped 55 percent in the first quarter.
CNBC reports that despite a dismal first quarter that saw Tesla’s revenue drop by nine percent year- over-year to $21.30 billion, missing analysts’ expectations, the electric vehicle maker’s stock experienced a significant boost following the earnings call. The decline in revenue, the steepest since 2012, was attributed to ongoing price cuts and increased competition in the global EV market.
During the earnings call, Musk revealed that Tesla plans to accelerate the launch of new vehicles, including more affordable models that can be produced on the same manufacturing lines as the company’s current lineup. This news comes as a surprise, as Tesla had previously expected to begin production of new models in the second half of 2025.
The company’s automotive revenue declined 13 percent year-over-year to $17.38 billion in the first quarter, while net income dropped 55 percent to $1.13 billion. Tesla’s gross profits also plummeted 18 percent, partly due to the price cuts implemented earlier this year to stimulate demand.
Despite the challenges, Musk remained optimistic about the future, stating that the company is in talks with “one major automaker” to license its driver assistance system, marketed as the Full Self-Driving (FSD) option in the U.S. He also emphasized Tesla’s investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure and expressed confidence that the second quarter would see significant improvements.
Tesla’s energy division saw a seven percent increase in revenue to $1.64 billion, while services and other revenue rose 25 percent to $2.29 billion compared to the same period last year. However, the company reported a negative free cash flow of $2.53 billion, attributed to a $2.7 billion buildup in inventory and $1 billion in capital expenditures on AI infrastructure.
Biden White House considering national climate emergency declaration to give itself special powers!
The Biden White House is once again entertaining the possibility of conferring itself unprecedented powers to hobble American energy producers and win over leftists, all in the name of changing weather patterns. Forbes Media chairman Steve Forbes characterized the proposed declaration as a “cowardly way to try to win this election.”
The National Emergencies Act enables the president to activate special powers during a crisis. Since the law went into effect in 1976, it has been invoked scores of times.
When former President Donald Trump was in office, the Brennan Center for Justice, a leftist public policy institute, raised the alarm about the “vast array of obscure presidential powers” the NEA affords presidents in the face of a supposed emergency.
The Brennan Center noted that the emergency powers “cover almost every imaginable subject area, including the military, land use, public health, trade, federal pay schedules, agriculture, transportation, communications, and criminal law.”
One statute unlocked following an NEA declaration would enable the president to “suspend a law that prohibits the testing of chemical and biological weapons on unwitting human subjects.” Another would allow the president to commandeer radio stations.
Elizabeth Goitein, senior director and expert on presidential emergency powers at the Brennan Center, noted in the Atlantic that “the president is free to use any of them; the National Emergencies Act doesn’t require that the powers invoked relate to the nature of the emergency. Even if the crisis at hand is, say, a nationwide crop blight, the president may activate the law that allows the secretary of transportation to requisition any privately owned vessel at sea.”
The New York Times noted in 2019 that when it comes to an NEA declaration, it likely doesn’t matter if “there is no true emergency” and that as a “matter of legal procedure, facts may be irrelevant.”
While leftists, future Biden boosters, and Fox News hosts complained when Trump declared a national emergency to curb illegal immigration and secure the border, some appear less resistant now to an emergency declaration that affords fellow travelers more power.
In 2022, Biden faced significant pressure from Democratic lawmakers and other radicals to declare a national climate emergency as a means to unilaterally kill federal oil drilling and ramp up so-called clean energy projects.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in July 2022, “The climate emergency is not going to happen tomorrow, but we still have it on the table.”
The option is evidently still on the table.
Citing people “familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reported last week that White House officials have renewed discussions about declaring a national climate emergency.
Biden’s top advisers would be able to cut back exports of American crude oil just as Iran’s oil exports hit a 6-year high and altogether throttle the supply of oil and gas; limit the movement of trains and ships; kill offshore drilling; limit Americans’ greenhouse gas emissions; and more.
The Times previously indicated that the regime could also compel domestic industries to produce more renewable energy and transportation technologies and free up taxpayer funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fritter away on supposedly green causes.
Advisers apparently figure the unilateral measure would resonate with “climate-minded voters.”
Steve Forbes told Fox Business’ “The Evening Edit” Thursday that “you’re going to pay for it with an even more troubled economy.”
The declaration would “give him the power to stop drilling offshore, stop export of crude, … delay pipelines and the like — just throttle the whole fossil fuel industry even more than they’re doing,” said Forbes. “What that only does is wreck the economy. It means higher energy prices.”
“Just look at Europe. Germany has two to three times the electricity costs times the electricity costs of the U.S. because of the kind of stuff the Biden administration is doing now. They’ve learned a hard lesson,” continued Forbes. “This administration’s throwing it all away, all sensible policies away, as a cheap way, a cowardly way to try to win this election.”
Forbes appeared somewhat optimistic, suggesting that most young people “will see through it” and understand the declaration would do them harm as well.
CANCEL CULTURE
Wray: FBI coordinating with colleges to prevent violence amid the Israel-Palestine protests!
FBI Director Chris Wray announced on Tuesday that the bureau is coordinating with colleges throughout the country to detect potential anti-Semitic threats and acts of violence amid waves of protests in opposition to Israel.
Mr. Wray revealed the bureau’s coordination efforts with U.S. colleges during an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, saying the bureau is “keenly focused on working with state and local law enforcement, campus law enforcement, and others to try to make sure that we stay ahead” of any threats of violence.
He said the FBI is not monitoring specific protest events per se but that the bureau is looking for specific threats of violence that may arise on college campuses amid heightened protest activity.
Speaking at a virtual event last week hosted by the Secure Community Network (SCN), a Jewish community security organization, Mr. Wray said, “We at the Bureau remain particularly concerned that lone actors could target large gatherings, high profile events, or symbolic or religious locations for violence.”
PET NEWS
Lost dog with head, legs duct taped found in dumpster behind building, rescued!
It sounded like raccoons rummaging in the dumpster bin behind the building in the dark of night.
The employee at the Omaha accounting firm Sweet & Associates had felt too uneasy to go investigating the commotion on that particular night, so it wasn’t until the next day, Monday, April 15, that partner Kevin Wiederin was informed about the racket, and he uncovered a shocker.
At around 10 a.m., the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) was called about a helpless puppy in the dumpster after Mr. Wiederin discovered him. How he looked was even more alarming.
Duct tape had been wrapped all around the dog’s head, covering his ears and eyes, NHS stated in a heartrending post on Facebook later that afternoon. Tape had also bound his front legs, his hind legs, and even around his tail, while pieces of food were caked to his fur.
“It’s unimaginable to think that somebody could do that to another living thing, let alone a helpless little puppy,” Mr. Wiederin told local broadcaster WOWT, noting that a garbage truck arrived and claimed the trash just 20 minutes after the rescue.
After the dog was rushed to the NHS headquarters, he was sedated, and staff got to work removing the duct tape and shaving off his fur so that the pieces of debris could be removed.
“He has some mild skin irritation, but is otherwise healthy and seemed to be in good spirits despite his condition,” NHS wrote in their post. “After the tape had been removed, he perked up and was wagging his tail as our team carefully assessed him.”
While the animal was there, unbeknownst to anyone, the animal’s owner arrived in the same building searching for her lost dog.
Erin Dillon-Pasillas had reported that her puppy, Leo, was missing the previous Thursday, believing that he had somehow gotten loose while she was sending her child off to school, WOWT reported.
After spending the weekend scouring the area in a desperate search for her lost Leo, she went to NHS to see if he had turned up. As he was chipped, she got a text and found out they were both there.
“I was actually at the humane society looking at the lost dogs, and I got a text from PetLink, because he’s chipped, that he was there while I was there,” Ms. Dillon-Pasillas told the station. “This dog is like the most low-key, happy dog. I can’t even fathom it.”
As there are no cameras behind the building where Leo was found in the dumpster, the culprit’s identity remains unknown.
Local authorities are offering $10,000 for tips leading to an arrest, and those responsible could face misdemeanor charges to the tune of $500 in fines and six months in jail.
“They deserve to be in jail. These are family pets that people are connected to and there’s no reason to hurt an animal like this,” Ms. Dillon-Pasillas told WOWT.
Leo the dog is reportedly doing well.
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