Taliban takes first provincial capital in Afghanistan as city of Zaranj falls into group’s hands
RT – Taliban insurgents have captured the city of Zaranj, the capital of Afghanistan’s southwestern Nimroz province. The city is the first provincial capital to fall amid the ongoing Taliban offensive against government troops.
The militants entered the city on Friday afternoon, according to media reports corroborated by footage circulating online. The development was confirmed to Reuters by Nimroz’s police spokesperson, with the official, who remained anonymous for security reasons, blaming the fall of the city on a lack of reinforcements from Afghanistan’s central government.
Taliban kills head of Afghanistan gov’t media department
Al Jazeera – Taliban fighters have assassinated the Afghanistan government’s top media and information officer in the capital, Kabul, the group’s spokesman and Afghan officials said.
The killing on Friday of Dawa Khan Minapal, the head of the government media and information centre, came days after the Taliban warned it would target senior administration officials in retaliation for increased air raids.
“Unfortunately, the savage terrorists have committed a cowardly act once again and martyred a patriotic Afghan,” interior ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said.
Minapal had also served as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman.
“He was well known to Afghan journalists, a member of the inner circle of President Ghani and our understanding is that he left home to go for Friday prayers and was killed,” said Al Jazeera’s James Bays, reporting from Kabul.
‘Long shot’: Mexico sues U.S. gunmakers for rampant violence
CS Monitor – The Mexican government sued U.S. gun manufacturers and distributors Wednesday in U.S. federal court, arguing that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico.
The unusual lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court in Boston. Among those being sued are some of the biggest names in guns, including: Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.; Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.; Beretta U.S.A. Corp.; Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, and Glock Inc. Another defendant is Interstate Arms, a Boston-area wholesaler that sells guns from all but one of the named manufacturers to dealers around the United States.
The manufacturers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hungary’s Orban braces for US ‘interference’ in 2022 election
Al Jazeera – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said he is “prepared” for outside “interference” including from the United States in an election next year that could see the nationalist premier’s removal.
“That will happen, we are not worried about it, we are prepared for it,” Orban said in an interview broadcast early Friday with US television host Tucker Carlson, who had asked him if he was “worried that there will be international interference” in the election.
Greece battles deadly wildfires near Athens and on Evia island
BBC – Greece carried out mass evacuations overnight in the northern suburbs of Athens and on the nearby island of Evia as wind whipped up huge wildfires.
Thousands left their homes near the Greek capital, which is cloaked in acrid smoke, and 600 fled Evia by boat.
On Friday, a man was killed by a falling electricity pylon near Athens, health officials said.
Firefighters from France, Switzerland, Sweden, Cyprus and Romania have been deployed to assist Greece.
Gale-force winds are forecast to fan the many blazes.
Residents of Marathon, north-east of Athens, were told to head to the coast on Friday as wildfires spread along several fronts.
US ranks last in healthcare among 11 wealthiest countries despite spending most
US spends 17% of GDP on healthcare but struggles with affordability and has the most administrative hurdles
The Guardian – The US is last on a ranking of healthcare systems among 11 of the wealthiest countries in the world, despite spending the highest percentage of its GDP on healthcare, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.
The country struggles with deep problems in affordability of healthcare, which affects access and equity, and it is the country that has the most administrative hurdles when dealing with healthcare. This is despite the US spending 17% of its gross domestic product on healthcare, “far above” the other 10 countries, according to the report.
The other countries analyzed in the report were Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The ranking is based on 71 measures across five areas: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity and healthcare outcomes.
The report notes that unlike the other countries in the study, the US does not provide universal healthcare coverage. Americans are more likely to have problems paying medical bills and have their insurance denied. A larger percentage of Americans say they spend a lot of time on paperwork for medical bills, and doctors report having more trouble prescribing medication for patients because of restrictive health insurance coverage.
Americans also deal with lackluster access to care, with more American adults going to the emergency room for non-emergency care. Doctors of the top-performing countries are usually readily available by phone or on nights and weekends. The US also has the largest disparity in care among income groups.
“We have almost two healthcare systems in America: one for people with means and insurance, and another one that falls short for people who are uninsured or don’t have adequate insurance coverage,” Eric Schneider, the lead author of the report and senior vice president for policy and research at the Commonwealth Fund, told the Washington Post.
Reports: White House Considers Withholding Federal Money to Pressure People to Take Vaccine
Breitbart – The White House is reportedly considering withholding federal dollars to private business as part of its latest push to get more Americans to take the coronavirus vaccine.
“If the Biden administration goes forward with the plans, it would amount to a dramatic escalation in the effort to vaccinate the roughly 90 million Americans who are eligible for shots but who have refused or have been unable to get them,” the Washington Post reported.
“The effort could apply to institutions as varied as long-term-care facilities, cruise ships and universities, potentially impacting millions of Americans, the Post continued, “according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.”
The White House issued a statement to Fox News neither confirming nor denying the Posts‘ report.
“As we always are, the administration is discussing a host of different measures we can continue to boost vaccinations across the country,” the White House said. “Any reported ideas under consideration are in early conversations and pre-decisional. There are no imminent policy decisions as to preview at this time.”
Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law Lawrence Gostin told Fox News the federal government would be right to leverage the power of the purse to push those who are exercising their freedom of choice to become vaccinated.
The Biden administration’s obsession with vaccinating Americans with a vaccine that is not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved comes as the establishment media has rung the alarm that not all Americans are complying with the president’s commands.
FiveThirtyEight ran the headline June 30, “Partisanship Isn’t The Only Reason Why So Many Americans Remain Unvaccinated.”
“Nearly half of unvaccinated Americans don’t plan on getting a COVID vaccine,” Fortune magazine published August 4.
The Wall Street Journal took aim at young people in July, “Young Americans Aren’t Getting Vaccinated, Jeopardizing Covid-19 Fight.”
CBS News took a page from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s book and called Americans freedom of choice, “inexplicable.”
“Fauci says it is ‘inexplicable’ some Americans aren’t getting vaccinated despite data,” the CBS headline ran.
DeSantis tells Biden: ‘I am standing in your way’ on new COVID restrictions
WND – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he will be standing in President Joe Biden’s way if the Democratic president comes after the rights of people in Florida and imposes new coronavirus restrictions.
“If you’re coming after the rights of parents in Florida, I’m standing in your way,” DeSantis said Wednesday, according to WESH-TV.
“If you’re trying to deny kids a proper in-person education, I’m gonna stand in your way and stand up for the kids in Florida.”
He added, “If you’re trying to restrict people and impose mandates and ruin their jobs and livelihood, if you are trying to lock people down, I am standing in your way. I am standing for the people of Florida.”
The Republican governor was responding to Biden’s comments Tuesday, calling for DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to implement measures to fight against COVID-19 or “get out of the way,” KXAS-TV reported.
“Just two states, Florida and Texas, account for one-third of all new COVID-19 cases in the entire country. Just two states,” Biden said.
“Look, we need leadership from everyone. If some governors aren’t willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, then they should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 123,400 new cases of COVID-19 in Florida in the last week.
“Joe Biden has taken to himself to single out Florida over COVID-19,” DeSantis said.
“His vision is, just like in New York City, restaurants should ban young kids because they cannot be vaccinated. Law-abiding citizens have to show proof of their medical records to go to the gym or attend an event? He wants that.”
He added, “But if you want to vote, he thinks it’s too much of a burden to show a picture ID.”
DeSantis said he also would let parents decide whether their kids ought to wear masks at school.
“We can either have a free society or we can have a biomedical security state,” he said.
“I can tell you Florida, we’re a free state. People are going to be free to choose, to make their own decisions about themselves, about their families, about their kids’ education and about putting food on the table.”
FDA Approved Heart Pumps Despite Manufacturing and Quality Problems; 3,000 Death Reports, 20,000 Injury Reports Filed
Activist Post – Earlier this summer, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a lot of heat for approving a $56,000/year Alzheimer’s Drug that may not even be effective. Unfortunately, the regulatory agency has a long history of siding with Big Pharma at the expense of Americans. Experts have even blamed the FDA for playing a significant role in the “Opioid Crisis”. Now the agency is being blamed for putting thousands of heart patients at risk.
8 Hours of 2015 Court Testimony Online: Dr. Richard Sackler on OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, and the Opioid Crisis
Activist Post – Drug companies are being forced to pay billions of dollars in settlements due to their role in creating and prolonging the “Opioid Crisis.” Recently, Johnson & Johnson has decided to stop producing opioids altogether – perhaps to avoid risk of future lawsuits and payouts.
Thanks to ProPublica for providing more details about lawsuits against Purdue Pharma and specifically members of the Sackler family who own the company.
We Are Releasing the Full Video of Richard Sackler’s Testimony About Purdue Pharma and the Opioid Crisis
A settlement is about to shield members of the Sackler family from civil litigation regarding their alleged roles in the opioid crisis. So it’s a good time to release the full video of Richard Sackler’s 2015 deposition.
A settlement close to being finalized in a bankruptcy case would provide a shield from civil litigation to the members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. The development means that family members will be significantly less likely to be questioned under oath about their role in the marketing of the potent prescription painkiller blamed for fueling a nationwide opioid epidemic.
Apple’s Plan to “Think Different” About Encryption Opens a Backdoor to Your Private Life
Electronic Frontier Foundation – Apple has announced impending changes to its operating systems that include new “protections for children” features in iCloud and iMessage. If you’ve spent any time following the Crypto Wars, you know what this means: Apple is planning to build a backdoor into its data storage system and its messaging system.
Child exploitation is a serious problem, and Apple isn’t the first tech company to bend its privacy-protective stance in an attempt to combat it. But that choice will come at a high price for overall user privacy. Apple can explain at length how its technical implementation will preserve privacy and security in its proposed backdoor, but at the end of the day, even a thoroughly documented, carefully thought-out, and narrowly-scoped backdoor is still a backdoor.
To say that we are disappointed by Apple’s plans is an understatement. Apple has historically been a champion of end-to-end encryption, for all of the same reasons that EFF has articulated time and time again. Apple’s compromise on end-to-end encryption may appease government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, but it is a shocking about-face for users who have relied on the company’s leadership in privacy and security.
There are two main features that the company is planning to install in every Apple device. One is a scanning feature that will scan all photos as they get uploaded into iCloud Photos to see if they match a photo in the database of known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) maintained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The other feature scans all iMessage images sent or received by child accounts—that is, accounts designated as owned by a minor—for sexually explicit material, and if the child is young enough, notifies the parent when these images are sent or received. This feature can be turned on or off by parents.
When Apple releases these “client-side scanning” functionalities, users of iCloud Photos, child users of iMessage, and anyone who talks to a minor through iMessage will have to carefully consider their privacy and security priorities in light of the changes, and possibly be unable to safely use what until this development is one of the preeminent encrypted messengers.
Nike CEO: We Haven’t Been More Vocal on China’s Abuses Because ‘China’s a Very Important Market’
Breitbart – On Thursday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” Nike CEO John Donahoe responded to a question on why Nike hasn’t been more vocal on human rights issues in China by stating that they participate “in sport all over the world, including China. China’s a very important market for us.” And maintained that they have “a very responsible global supply chain.”
Co-host Sara Eisen asked, “Some are wondering, John, why you have not been more vocal, as a company, around some of the human rights abuses in China, when you have been so out front on societal and social issues here in the U.S.?”
Donahoe responded, “Well, as I said earlier, Sara, that sport — we think sport’s a global phenomenon, and an important phenomenon. So, we participate in sport all over the world, including China. China’s a very important market for us. We have a long-term history in China. … And so, we take a very long-term view in China. We’re continuing to invest in China and we’ll continue to invest in China, while also operating a very responsible global supply chain.”
Eisen then asked, “Do you feel like you have to sacrifice your values at all, as a company, to do business there, and to continue to grow and continue those deep roots that you talk about Nike has there?”
Donahoe answered, “Not at all, Sara. We connect to consumers in markets all over the world. And so, I can say, go into any country around the world and say, consumers in that market consider Nike a brand of their market, for them. And that’s one of the reasons Nike’s been so globally successful. And we operate very aligned with our values, always have been, always will, including throughout our entire supply chain. And so, this is simply part of the challenges of operating a global brand, in global markets, and we’ve navigated that very well for 50 years, and we will continue to do that.”
Drought Forces California to Shut Down Major Hydroelectric Power Plant
Breitbart – Drought and extremely low water levels in the Lake Oroville reservoir have forced authorities in California to shut down a major hydroelectric power plant, amid intense summer heat and peak electricity demand.
As Breitbart News noted last month, officials began preparing to shut down the Edward Hyatt Powerplant for the first time since it opened in the late 1960s. The drought has not yet been as long or as extreme as the 2011-2017 drought, but the modest winter rains and snows failed to generate much runoff, as much of it was absorbed into the ground.
The California Department of Water Resources said in a statement quoted by ABC 7 News in San Francisco:
“DWR State Water Project operations managers have taken the Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville offline due to falling lake levels. This is the first time Hyatt Powerplant has gone offline as a result of low lake levels.”
Nemeth went on to say California has been bracing for this moment “and steps have been taken in anticipation of the loss of power generation.”
“This is just one of many unprecedented impacts we are experiencing in California as a result of our climate-induced drought,” Nemeth said.
Though Nemeth blamed climate change, scientists have not found a definite relationship between warmer global surface temperatures and precipitation. And as former Obama administration science official Steven E. Koonin has noted recently, while warmed temperatures might increase wildfires in the future, “whatever influence a changing climate might have had on wildfires globally in recent decades, human factors unrelated to climate were dominant.” He notes that lower rainfall and higher temperatures play a role, but other factors are more amenable to intervention.
Hydroelectric power makes up over 10% of California’s energy consumption. Last summer, the state was forced to endure rolling blackouts, as wind and solar power were unable to take up the slack during a statewide heat wave.
Big Pharma’s Little Secret: Drug Cross-Contamination Is Rampant
Machines that make one kind of pill often have traces of others—an issue so serious it can jeopardize Olympic dreams.
Bloomberg – Brady Ellison, a three-time U.S. Olympic medalist in archery, is going for gold in Tokyo, though he was almost disqualified. Pills he takes for a thyroid condition contained traces of a drug banned by anti-doping authorities. “I had absolutely no clue,” says Ellison, 32.
While few have access to Olympics substance testing, many would find themselves in a similar situation if they did. The trillion-dollar prescription-drug industry has a problem it doesn’t like to talk about and doesn’t fully understand. Manufacturers stamp out pills for one condition on the same machines they use to stamp out pills for a different one, and while they’re supposed to clean between production rounds, trace contamination is common and, some argue, inevitable.
Current and former U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say the extent of the contamination is unclear, because companies largely police themselves, workers get sloppy, and supervisors are lax. More should be done, they say, but how much and at what cost are a matter of keen debate. Ellison’s pills contained a diuretic, which Olympics officials ban because it can be used to flush—and therefore hide—illegal substances. It didn’t affect him, but the inspectors say its presence hints at a larger problem.
“I wish I could say everything is perfectly safe,” says Jim Agalloco, an industry consultant who worked in pharmaceutical manufacturing for almost 20 years, including at Pfizer Inc.
In 2019, before the pandemic, the FDA publicly reprimanded 21 companies for cross-contamination. In many other instances, federal regulators handled it behind closed doors. Mylan NV was among the 21 scolded in public. One of the largest generic drug makers until it merged with Pfizer’s Upjohn last year to sell brand-name and generic drugs, it got a warning letter expressing concerns over cross-contamination at a plant in India with a drug that contained probable carcinogens called nitrosamines.
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