WORLD NEWS
Moments after they emerged from a two-hour closed-door meeting in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared at a press conference in the crowded East Room of the White House.
Biden told Zelenskyy that he “will never stand alone” and said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “using winter as a weapon” by “destroying systems that provide heat and light in the coldest and darkest part of the year,” which is why the United States “will give Ukraine what it needs to defend itself and succeed on the battlefield.”
U.S. slaps sanctions on Russian naval entities
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities over Russian operations against Ukrainian ports, the U.S. State Department said, as Washington increases pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
The action comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with President Joe Biden in Washington and delivered a speech to Congress on Wednesday, during which he thanked the United States for its support of Ukraine in the conflict and pleaded for more weapons.
Canadian Border Agency Using China Tech Banned in USA Over Security Concerns
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been using a Chinese communications technology for years that has been banned by the United States on national security grounds.
The CBSA has been using technology developed by the Chinese company Hytera Communications for around five and a half years, tech banned by the United Stations over spying fears earlier this year.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Negotiations surrounding the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package have stalled in the Senate as Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) Title 42 amendment has put a wrench in the process, leading some senators to reportedly discuss a short-term funding bill instead.
Title 42 is an immigration policy that makes it easier for the federal government to send border crossers back to their native countries. Initially implemented by former President Donald Trump at the start of the pandemic, a federal judge recently ordered President Joe Biden’s administration to phase out the program by December 21.
Omnibus Bill Has Extra Funds for DOJ to Pursue More Jan. 6 Lawsuits
The $1.7 trillion, 4,155-page omnibus government funding bill released early Tuesday morning, contains funds for the Justice Department (DOJ) to pursue additional lawsuits related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
The bill lists various funds, based on Jan. 6 events.
It would give U.S. attorneys $2.63 billion—an increase of $212.2 million—”to further support prosecutions related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and domestic terrorism cases,” according to the summary provided by the House Appropriations Committee.
The bill also has $734.5 million for the U.S. Capitol Police, up $132 million over fiscal year 2022. That includes incentives for law enforcement personnel for overtime pay, officer retention, and recruiting. These benefits include tuition credits, wellness, and trauma counseling.
House Republican Panel Releases Counter Report on Jan. 6
A group of five House Republicans on a shadow committee released a report on Wednesday with key findings about security failings they say were ignored by the official Democrat-led House Jan. 6 committee.
The report focuses on “why the Capitol was left so unprepared” on Jan. 6, 2021, when protests turned violent, and the U.S. Capitol building was breached.
The GOP group’s key findings point to alleged failures by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Democrat leadership, and the U.S. Capitol Police. This includes claims that Republicans were intentionally excluded from security conversations by then-House Seargent at Arms Paul Irving at the direction of Pelosi’s office.
The GOP’s framing will likely contrast with the panel’s soon-to-be-released final report, which is expected to focus on former President Donald Trump.
The GOP group’s report was released before the official final report of the select committee, which was due to be published on Wednesday but was delayed until Thursday.
Biden sued for sending millions that could be used for Palestinian violence
President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are defendants in a lawsuit filed Tuesday regarding the over half a billion U.S. dollars sent to benefit the Palestinian Authority (PA), which allegedly uses those funds for its “Pay to Slay” policy responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and U.S. citizens.
The PA Martyrs Fund, known pejoratively as “Pay to Slay,” pays off terrorists and their families for acts of violence committed against Israelis and visitors to Israel. The lawsuit filed by America First Legal Foundation argues that despite Congress passing the Taylor Force Act in 2017 to prevent the U.S. government from funding the PA, the State Department and the Biden administration have continued to send large payments to subsidize the PA.
Former business associates of disgraced former crypto CEO Sam Bankman-Fried have pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them and are cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Damian Williams Wednesday.
Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda research and reportedly ex-girlfriend of Bankman-Fried, pleaded guilty to seven counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, while Gary Wang, co-founder of FTX and former chief technology officer, pleaded guilty to four counts, including wire fraud, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing plea agreements. Separately, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC) brought charges for securities fraud against the pair, alleging that they were “active participants” in Bankman-Fried’s efforts to defraud investors on FTX, according to a complaint filed by the SEC Wednesday
Texas National Guard ‘Border Force’ Blocking Illegal Crossings
Texas National Guard troops deployed to El Paso have constructed a razor-wire barrier along the Rio Grande and have been blocking people from making unauthorized crossings into the United States amid a migrant surge and legal back-and-forth about ending Title 42, a Trump-era rule that helped stem the tide of illegal immigration.
Acting under orders from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, several hundred soldiers that are part of a “contingency border force” have set up along the river channel separating El Paso from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, with the aim of preventing people from crossing the border illegally.
“This morning, service members deployed to El Paso, Texas constructed a triple-strand concertina barrier near the border to secure the area from illegal crossings,” the Texas Military Department, which oversees the state’s National Guard, said in a Dec. 20 statement.
Musk Signals Support for Congressional Probe Into FBI’s Alleged Censorship Efforts
Following the latest revelations from the “Twitter Files,” Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk indicated on Dec. 20 that he would support a congressional investigation into the FBI’s alleged efforts to censor social media users.
On Monday, author Michael Shellenberger presented the seventh installment of the Twitter Files exposé, sharing internal documents from the social media company that he said described as an “organized effort” by intelligence officials to discredit leaked information about Hunter Biden both before and after the New York Post published content from the younger Biden’s laptop on Oct. 14, 2020, in the lead up to the presidential election.
Commenting on those revelations on Tuesday, former PayPal COO David Sacks suggested the creation of a “new Church Commission” to investigate the alleged censorship initiatives of the FBI and intelligence community, referencing a congressional committee that investigated abuses of the intelligence community in the 1970s.
Musk, sharing that tweet, responded, “Hear, hear!!”
FBI Responds to Musk’s ‘Twitter Files,’ Says ‘Conspiracy Theorists’ Trying to Discredit Bureau
The FBI on Wednesday responded to the Elon Musk-endorsed “Twitter Files” releases that appear to show the FBI having worked closely with the social media company, alleging that “conspiracy theorists” are trying to discredit the bureau.
“The correspondence between the FBI and Twitter show nothing more than examples of our traditional, longstanding and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries,” the FBI statement, issued to Fox News, said in response to the files. “As evidenced in the correspondence, the FBI provides critical information to the private sector in an effort to allow them to protect themselves and their customers.”
“The men and women of the FBI work every day to protect the American public,” the statement continued. “It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency.”
The FBI statement did not elaborate on who it considers “conspiracy theorists.” Since early December, Musk has released files to several independent
El Paso Prepares to Shelter 10K Migrants in Advance of Freeze, Possible Title 42 End
In advance of the life-threatening freeze expected through the Christmas weekend, El Paso officials are preparing to shelter up to 10,000 migrants being released by federal officials. Officials also expressed concern that a sudden end to Title 42 could cause an increase in demand for shelter space.
A polar vortex bearing down on the border region could prove deadly for migrants crossing the Rio Grande in large groups. Temperatures in the border region are expected to remain below freezing beginning Thursday when overnight lows will reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit with expected wind chill temperatures in the single digits in several border cities.
ICE Prepares to Release Illegal Immigrants in Tennessee
Tennessee’s two Republican senators and Gov. Bill Lee are demanding a response from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on its plans to transport illegal immigrants from New Orleans to the state in a letter sent on Tuesday.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) posted her frustration with the agency’s lack of transparency, stating “ICE can respond to media requests about trafficking illegal immigrants to Tennessee, but won’t get back to us with information about who they are dropping off in our state.”
However, Blackburn said on Fox News Wednesday the plan is to have “50 at a time” and “at least two buses, maybe more, every single week” into Tennessee.
Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) on Dec. 21 said that the conditions at a processing facility on the U.S.-Mexico border were the worse he’s ever seen it.
Gonzalez, in an interview with Fox News, made the remark while discussing a video he filmed at a processing center in El Paso, Texas, last week.
“I’d been to that processing center many times, but I’ve never seen it that bad,” he added, noting that the “absolutely horrible” conditions had not improved in the five days since he took the video.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Elon Musk Argues with Investors Over Tesla Shares Dropping Like a Rock
Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk has been arguing with Tesla investors in recent days as the electric car company’s stock price continues to plummet. Long-time Tesla bull Ross Gerber complained that Tesla has “no CEO,” while Musk steadfastly claimed that the drop in Tesla shares is strictly due to macroeconomic factors.
CNBC reports that as Tesla shares sank eight percent on Tuesday to a new 52-week low, CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to argue with investors and blame the stock downturn on macroeconomic factors rather than his focus on Twitter in recent months.
Report: Apple to Shift MacBook Production from China to Vietnam Next Year
Nikkei Asia on Tuesday reported that Apple will begin producing its MacBook line of laptop computers in Vietnam by mid-2023, a major step toward diversifying the company’s supply chain away from China.
Apple’s top supplier, Taiwan-based electronics firm Foxconn, is the largest foreign company operating in China, and Apple itself is Number Three, coming in just behind German automaker Volkswagen. The top 100 foreign companies in China collectively generate a trillion dollars in sales, providing seven percent of China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Duo responsible for nationwide “swatting spree”, including incident in North Port
Two people were arrested for making “swatting” calls around the country, including right here in Southwest Florida.
The Department of Justice said Kya Christian Nelson, 21, Wisconsin, and James Thomas Andrew McCarty, 20, of Charlotte, North Carolina, were behind the swatting calls that spanned ten states. McCarty lived in Arizona at the time of the 2022 incident in North Port.
In November 2020, the duo allegedly sent North Port Police and SWAT teams to Sarah Courtney’s Perennial Avenue home in the middle of the afternoon.
“It’s weird. It’s creepy,” Courtney said.
Musk’s Neuralink Promising for Disabled, ‘Ethical Concern’ for Masses, Experts Say
The Neuralink implant that aims to allow a person to control a computer with thoughts has good potential to achieve its initial goal of helping paralyzed people communicate. It may, at least to some extent, help restore vision for the blind. It may, to a significant degree, restore limb control for those with spine injuries, according to several neuroscientists.
But when it comes to Neuralink’s broader goals of letting healthy people interface with computers directly via the mind, the technical capability is achievable, but would lead to expansive ethical, safety, security, privacy, and even philosophical issues, experts told The Epoch Times.
Neuralink—founded in 2016 by the world’s richest man, prolific entrepreneur Elon Musk—recently applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human trials of its brain implants. The company staged a three-hour presentation of its progress, including demonstrations of a monkey controlling a computer with its mind, a robot that can handle some of the most delicate parts of the required brain implant insertion surgery, as well as a pig whose legs can be controlled remotely by a computer.
The presentation also included a monkey with a brain implant that made it see flashes of light, a step toward the company’s proposition to restore vision for the blind.
HEALTH
Got MilQ? Fake Milk to Replace Dairy and Breast Milk
The globalist technocrats are intent on monopolizing the entire food supply. They already have a monopoly on grains and have made headway in genetically engineered (GE) seafood. The next targets include lab-grown meats and dairy substitutes
Biomilq, made from cultured breast tissue, will be marketed as a breast milk substitute
The company Helaina is working on creating glycoproteins “identical to those found in breast milk.” Those proteins can then be added to a variety of infant formulas, seniors’ nutrition and, eventually, all sorts of foods
The justification for creating synthetic milk substitutes is, of course, preventing and reversing “climate change.” That’s the justification used to sell virtually all fake foods. In reality, however, they will perpetuate and worsen adverse effects on the environment
Lab-created foods are ultraprocessed and therefore qualify as junk food. Fake meat and dairy cannot replace the complex mix of nutrients found in grass fed beef and dairy, and it’s likely that consuming ultraprocessed meat and milk alternatives may lead to many of the same health issues that are caused by a processed food diet
The starting ingredients in fermented synthetic biology products are cheap sugars derived from GE corn and soy. All GE crops are grown in environmentally destructive monocultures, and use loads of herbicides such as glyphosate, pesticides like neonicotinoids and synthetic fertilizers. As a result, they’re loaded with chemical residues that end up in the final product
Sleep Disorder Pill Increases Risk of Overdose in Youths
Young people prescribed benzodiazepines for a sleep disorder had a higher risk of overdose, and the risk was higher for those who were recently prescribed opioids
Benzodiazepines are one of the most widely prescribed drug classes. They are known to depress the central nervous system by bypassing the blood-brain barrier and affecting the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA
Data show those taking hypnotic sleep aids, including benzodiazepines, barbiturates and sedative antihistamines, on a regular basis are significantly more likely to die over 2.5 years than nonusers
These types of dangerous drugs are prescribed and given to babies and toddlers, which the FDA says can cause psychosis, heart attack, diabetes and sudden death
There is drug-free help for many sleep disorders when the root problem is addressed, such as anxiety, depression or health issues like heart disease or lung disease. Consider addressing lifestyle factors and making these changes to your sleeping environment
—> Power Mall Products of Interest: Herbal zzZs & Lithium Balance
Can Coffee Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?
A report revealed coffee could potentially reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions or relieve some symptoms
The results support past studies that found coffee protects the neurological system, reduces cognitive decline and improves insulin sensitivity
Rates of Alzheimer’s Disease are rising. It is also called Type 3 diabetes, as the effect of insulin dysregulation in the brain may induce changes seen in Alzheimer’s Disease
More possible benefits from coffee include reduced risks of dying early and of contracting certain cancers and Type 2 diabetes; it also may boost athletic performance
Coffee crops are heavily sprayed with pesticides, so seek out organic selections; consider grinding it at home and drinking it without sugar
COVID RELATED NEWS
New Jersey School District Reinstates COVID Mask Mandate
A school district in northern New Jersey confirmed this week it would reinstate its COVID-19 mask mandate starting Wednesday, drawing criticism.
“Therefore, effective Wednesday, December 21, 2022, all employees, Pre-K through grade 12 students, and visitors are required to wear face coverings in all district facilities, school grounds, and buses,” Passaic Public Schools Superintendent Sandra Diodonet said in a letter issued via Twitter. “When Passaic County is in the moderate or below range, the mask mandate will be lifted,” Diodonet wrote.
Passaic Public Schools includes 17 schools and has about 14,000 students in total. Passaic, within Passaic County, is located in northern New Jersey.
The mandate drew criticism from locals. “This is anti-science, anti-child & just plain cruel. Shame on ‘educators’ who impose restrictions on children’s learning, socialization & joy just because they can,” Twitter user Maud Maron, a Democrat who ran for Congress, wrote to the school district on Twitter.
A group that opposes COVID-19-related rules for schools and the teaching of critical race theory in classrooms similarly panned the decision this week.
“Families are still dealing with the fallout from these policies, and will be doing so for years to come … so for districts across the country to yet again unilaterally impose mask mandates on suffering children defies logic,” Parents Defending Education said in a statement in response. Different families have different levels of risk tolerance, and should anyone desire to have their children masked, they should be free to do so … but certainly not mandated.”
CANCEL CULTURE
PET NEWS
Family’s Dog Mistakenly Flown to Saudi Arabia Instead of Nashville: ‘An Absolute Nightmare’
A family flying to Nashville was shocked after landing to discover their dog was over 7,000 miles away in Saudi Arabia.
James and Madison Miller were moving from London to Tennessee on December 1, and were bringing their mixed 5-year-old Labrador named Bluebell with the
ICYMI
FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Officially Agrees to Be Extradited to US
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried agreed on Dec. 21 to be extradited to the United States on fraud charges, according to an affidavit read aloud by his lawyer during a court hearing in the Bahamas, where he has been held since being charged by federal prosecutors.
During the court hearing, Bankman-Fried stepped up to the witness stand in court and agreed to be sent back to the United States.
“Yes, I do wish to waive my right to such formal extradition proceedings,” he told the judge, the Reuters news agency reported. His defense lawyer told the judge that his client was “anxious to leave.” Video footage also showed Bankman-Fried, known as SBF, signing extradition papers to be sent back to the United States.
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