WORLD NEWS
Russia announces troop withdrawal
RT – Russian troops have completed their training drills in Belarus, close to neighboring Ukraine, and will begin returning to their places of regular deployment, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow has announced amid fears in the West that the exercises could have been a precursor to an invasion.
Major General Igor Konashenkov, the chief spokesperson for the ministry, delivered the news in a video released by military chiefs on Tuesday.
“As the forces complete their military exercises, they will, as always, complete a multimodal march back to their permanent bases,” Konashenkov stated. “The divisions of the South and West Military Districts have finished their tasks and have already begun loading the rail and automobile transport, and today will begin moving back to their military garrisons.”
He explained that different divisions would be moving separately in military columns. Video clips released by officials also showed armor being loaded onto railway carriages to return home.
Canada invokes emergency powers to deal with trucker protest
RT – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history on Monday, citing the threat of “Freedom Convoy” trucker protests in Ottawa and at several border crossings in the US.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Trudeau said in a speech on Monday afternoon, adding that “illegal blockades” have been “disrupting the lives of too many Canadians.”
After consulting premiers, government and opposition, “the federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act,” Trudeau said, confirming media reports from earlier in the day that he would do so.
The measures will be “time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address,” the PM said. It does not involve calling in the military, or suspending fundamental rights and freedoms.
“This is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting people’s jobs, and restoring confidence in our institutions,” he said. “We are reinforcing the principles, values and institutions that keep all Canadians free.”
Toronto Star – Mounties in Alberta say they swept in to make arrests and seize weapons and ammunition as an already tense blockade near the Coutts border crossing was about to escalate dangerously.
The RCMP said they had arrested more than a dozen people by Monday evening in and around Coutts who were associated with the protest, had access to a large collection of guns and were willing “to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade.”
“We knew what was about to happen or inevitably to happen, and we acted as soon as we could,” Supt. Roberta McKale told media.
A number of investigations, including “conspiracy to attempt to commit murder” and those related to possession of weapons are taking place, she said.
The RCMP action appeared to have deflated the two-week blockade at the border crossing. By Monday night, most of the protesters had cleared out — leaving only a few dozen vehicles in the area.
Eight of the arrests took place at two residences in Coutts. Other arrests were at a vehicle in Coutts, at the blockade and on the highway.
RCMP said that two people connected to the protest had been arrested later Monday, bringing the total number to 13. One person was arrested on the highway with two weapons and allegedly en route back to the protest site. The other was a truck driver who, around 1 p.m., accelerated toward an RCMP checkpoint before swerving “at the last moment” and hitting some traffic cones.
Police say they grew aware of a small, organized group that was part of the overall protest. They began making arrests at midnight while executing a search warrant. Officers searched three trailers and police said they seized 13 long guns, handguns, multiple sets of body armour, a machete, a large quantity of ammunition as well as high-capacity magazines.
Prince Andrew Settles Sexual Abuse Lawsuit With Virginia Giuffre
NYT – Prince Andrew, the disgraced second son of Queen Elizabeth II, has settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, a woman who had accused him of raping her when she was a teenage victim of Andrew’s friend, the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new court filing in Manhattan on Tuesday.
The amount that Andrew, 61, will pay Ms. Giuffre is confidential, the parties said in a joint statement attached to the filing.
Andrew also “intends to make a substantial donation” to a charity “in support of victims’ rights,” the statement says.
The deal comes just weeks before Andrew was scheduled to sit for a deposition, in which he would have been questioned under oath by Ms. Giuffre’s lawyers. Andrew did not admit to any of Ms. Giuffre’s accusations against him in the statement announcing the settlement.
U.S. NEWS, POLITIC & GOVERNMENT
ABC – Remington Arms agreed Tuesday to settle liability claims from the families of five adults and four children killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to a new court filing, marking the first time a gun manufacturer has been held liable for a mass shooting in the U.S.
Remington agreed to pay the families $73 million.
The settlement comes over seven years after the families sued the maker of the Bushmaster XM15-E2S semiautomatic rifle that was used in the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Video: Facts Matter (Feb. 14): Durham Reveals How Trump’s White House Was Spied On
5 Things to Know About Special Counsel’s Finding That Clinton Campaign Spied on Trump, White House
Daily Signal – Electronic political espionage that allegedly infiltrated White House computer servers “should shock everyone regardless of who controls the White House,” and the crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, said Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
The recent court filing by special counsel John Durham alleges that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign hired a technology company to access information from computer servers used by Donald Trump’s business headquarters at Trump Tower in New York City and then, perhaps more seriously, to access servers inside the White House after Trump assumed the presidency in January 2017.
“If any of the communications that were intercepted were classified, that opens up the cyberoperatives to even more serious criminal charges,” von Spakovsky told The Daily Signal.
Durham made the filing in his case against Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor who is charged with lying to the FBI. Sussmann, who has pleaded not guilty, is contesting the charges.
In December 2020, then-Attorney General Bill Barr named Durham as special counsel after he already had begun investigating the matter as U.S. attorney for Connecticut.
Durham’s filing Friday alleges that Clinton campaign lawyers enlisted a technology executive’s help to assemble various corporate and university researchers, including a cybersecurity company with a government contract that was able to access White House information.
The cybersecurity company accessed computer servers for information to establish an “inference” and “narrative” of a plot between the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government, in order to spark a federal investigation.
In his long-awaited 2019 report, then-special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
Heritage’s von Spakovsky answered five questions from The Daily Signal to put the new allegations from Durham’s investigation into perspective. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)
ATF Ridiculed for Valentine’s Day Message Encouraging Americans to Snitch on Ex-Partners
Epoch Times – The Biden administration has chosen to use this year’s Valentine’s Day to encourage people to get revenge on former lovers by reporting their illegal gun purchases or sales to the federal government.
“Valentine’s Day can still be fun even if you broke up,” reads a message posted on the official Twitter page of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Do you have information about a former (or current) partner involved in illegal gun activity? Let us know, and we will make sure it’s a Valentine’s Day to remember!”
The post also includes an image showing a broken heart and the contact information for the ATF. “Got an ex who buys or sells guns illegally? We would love to meet and treat them to a Valentine’s Day surprise!” the image text reads.
The Justice Department, which is seeking to crack down on what it calls “ghost guns” and firearms made from DIY kits, shared the post.
The ATF’s Valentine’s Day message was not well received on social media, with many expressing concerns over “swatting,” a harassment tactic of reporting an non-exist emergency situation in order to get an armed law enforcement response—such as a SWAT team—against a target victim.
“Pissed by at your ex? Why not get them swatted?” one user wrote.
Epoch Times – Former Seattle Jenny Durkan’s text messages from one of the most tumultuous periods in city history vanished because a phone setting likely was manually changed to deletMayore texts automatically, and ex-Police Chief Carmen Best deleted her texts, a long-overdue forensic analysis has found.
The analysis, which tried but failed to recover the texts and investigated what happened to the public records—including messages exchanged during Seattle’s racial justice protests in the summer of 2020—indicated that Durkan’s texts were set in July 2020 to delete after 30 days and that Best’s texts were “periodically deleted.”
“We investigated whether there were any events that could have changed [Durkan’s] text message retention settings without manual intervention, and to date have not identified any that apply,” a report on the analysis says.
The 52-page report, written by an expert with the California cybersecurity firm Unit 42 under contract with the City Attorney’s Office, was released late Friday to lawyers involved in lawsuits against the city related to the 2020 protests.
The contractor did not attempt to determine who deleted Durkan’s texts from her iPhone by changing the retention setting from “forever” to “30 days,” the report says, because “digital forensic evidence regarding who made changes does not typically exist on mobile devices.”
NC Board Can’t Disqualify Rep. Cawthorn From 2022 Election on 14th Amendment: Attorney
Epoch Times – North Carolina officials have no authority to block the reelection bid of U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) on 14th Amendment grounds over his actions in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol building, his attorney told The Epoch Times.
Cawthorn’s mere advocacy of a pro-Trump position during the aftermath of the hotly contested 2020 presidential election doesn’t constitute participating in an insurrection, something that can trigger a constitutional bar that prevents the insurrectionist from seeking elective office, Cawthorn attorney James Bopp Jr. told The Epoch Times on Feb. 14.
Cawthorn, who had been sworn in as a federal lawmaker only days before, was already present in the U.S. House of Representatives fulfilling his constitutional duties before the disturbance broke out on Jan. 6, 2021, and his activities there didn’t contribute to the hours-long delay of the congressional certification of the election.
Cawthorn, 26, was elected in November 2020 and describes himself as a Christian and constitutional conservative. He’s considered to be a rising star in the conservative movement.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections isn’t currently preventing the incumbent first-term congressman from running again, but stated in a Feb. 7 filing in federal court that it has the power to do so under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The relevant part of that constitutional provision states, “No person shall be a … Representative in Congress … who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Epoch Times – In exclusive comments to The Epoch Times, Tim Stewart, the president of the U.S. Oil & Gas Association, said his industry has faced unprecedented hostility from D.C. under the Biden administration.
“In my 30 years of working in Washington, this has without a doubt been the most unfavorable political and regulatory environment for our industry I have ever seen,” said Stewart. “It started on Day One, and it continues.”
Stewart referenced President Joe Biden’s promise at last Friday’s press conference that he would “work like the devil” to lower gasoline prices. He said it ran contrary to the administration’s prior actions on oil and gas, including cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and a freeze on oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.
“My response would be: ‘You’ve worked like the devil to jack up prices until last Friday,’” Stewart said.
Energy analyst David Blackmon, an editor for Shale Magazine, voiced strong agreement with Stewart.
“In the U.S., we have a presidential administration that has spent a year now taking every action at its disposal to hinder domestic oil and gas production, as well as the build-out of transportation infrastructure to move it to market. We have Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress who inserted significant anti-fossil fuel provisions into their infrastructure bill and sought even more in the failed Build Back Better legislation,” Blackmon told The Epoch Times in an email interview.
Levi’s Ex-President Claims She Was Forced Out Over COVID-19 Protests
Epoch Times – The former executive vice president and president of clothes maker Levi Strauss & Co. said she quit and walked away from $1 million because of her views against COVID-19-related school closures.
“More than 20 years ago, I joined Levi’s. I quit so I could be free,” Jennifer Sey wrote on Twitter, linking to her article published in former New York Times editor Bari Weiss’s Substack newsletter.
Sey said she started working her way up Levi’s corporate ladder in 1999, but when the COVID-19 pandemic started to unfold in early 2020, the mother of four became an advocate for keeping schools open.
The 52-year-old organized rallies and spoke to local media outlets against school closures. However, management in Levi’s condemned her for her stance, and Sey recalled in the summer of 2020 that a corporate communications manager told her to “pipe down.”
“I refused to stop talking. I kept calling out hypocritical and unproven policies, I met with the mayor’s office, and eventually uprooted my entire life in California—I’d lived there for over 30 years—and moved my family to Denver so that my kindergartner could finally experience real school,” she wrote.
After appearing on Fox News to describe her experience, Sey said that others in Levi’s lodged left-wing labels at her.
The Fox appearance “was the last straw,” she wrote. “The comments from Levi’s employees picked up—about me being anti-science; about me being anti-fat (I’d retweeted a study showing a correlation between obesity and poor health outcomes); about me being anti-trans (I’d tweeted that we shouldn’t ditch Mother’s Day for Birthing People’s Day because it left out adoptive and stepmoms); and about me being racist, because San Francisco’s public school system was filled with black and brown kids, and, apparently, I didn’t care if they died.”
At one point in her article, Sey said she was told by management that she could be the next Levi’s CEO if she stopped publicly speaking against COVID-19 rules.
“In the last month, the CEO told me that it was ‘untenable’ for me to stay. I was offered a $1 million severance package, but I knew I’d have to sign a nondisclosure agreement about why I’d been pushed out,” said Sey, who is a former gymnast who competed for the United States in the 1986 Goodwill Games. “The money would be very nice. But I just can’t do it. Sorry, Levi’s.”
HEALTH
Sweet spice supports hormone health, improves digestion and more
NaturalHealth365 – Star anise is one of many spices that is easy to recognize by both sight and flavor. It also has several health benefits that set it apart from other herbs and spices. The systemic benefits it offers are widespread and can support various bodily systems. The fact that it offers one of the most recognizable and well-known flavors across the world is a delicious plus.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits star anise offers.
Help guard against pathogenic invaders by adding this spice to your diet
Star anise has been proven to protect against the big three. As an antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal, star anise keeps bacteria, viruses, and fungi from overtaking the body and causing illness and disease.
It has been used for centuries in medicines and herbal blends to eradicate the dangerous organisms that make their way into the body and break down our defenses.
-Star anise supports digestive health in multiple ways
-An abundance of phytonutrients make this spice a potent antioxidant
-Unique chemical compound gives this sweet spice immune-boosting properties
-Protect against seasonal and environmental threats one sip at a time
What’s the bottom line?
Whether you choose to consume star anise as a tonic, tea, or in capsule form, the list of benefits is quite lengthy. The fact is, it is one of the few spices that can have a positive effect on almost every system in the body.
Understanding how it works and what it can do will help you use this vital and very potent spice to its fullest advantage.
BPA-free substitutes linked to increased risk of heart disease, study suggests
NaturalHealth365 – When bisphenol-A, or BPA, came on the radar as a serious health hazard, scientists began scrambling to find a suitable alternative as quickly as possible. They were successful – or were they?
The substance they created to be used instead of BPA is bisphenols-S or BPS. And researchers are now sounding the alarm that BPS poses serious risks to cardiovascular health.
Exposure to BPA linked to multiple severe health issues
The industrial chemical BPA has been used since the 1950s to make epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. These plastics are commonly used in water bottles and other containers to store beverages, food, and other consumer goods.
The epoxy resins are often used to coat the inside of water supply lines, bottle tops, food cans, and other metal products. It is also found in some dental composites and sealants.
Several research studies have found that BPA can seep into beverages and food from the container they are stored in that contain BPA. In addition, exposure to the chemical through skincare products has been linked to several health issues such as type 2 diabetes, increased blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. It has also been shown to affect the prostate gland and brain of children, infants, and even fetuses and cause lifelong adverse effects.
Bottom line: It’s wicked stuff!
COVID RELATED NEWS
China Imposes Local Ban on Anti-Cough Drugs, Locks Down City of 10+ Million over Coronavirus
Breitbart – Chinese Communist Party officials in eastern China’s Suzhou city shut down most medical services and schools across the metropolis of 10.72 million people on Monday allegedly in an attempt to contain just eight new cases of the Chinese coronavirus, China’s state-run Global Times reported.
“Suzhou in East China’s Jiangsu Province, home to over 10 million people … has suspended schools and parts of its medical services after eight COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] cases were found in the city on Monday,” according to the newspaper.
Several Suzhou hospitals “halted outpatient and emergency medical services” on the evening of February 13 after the city detected four new coronavirus cases in the city, according to the state-run China Central Television (CCTV). Health officials reported four additional cases of the disease on February 14, bringing Suzhou’s coronavirus caseload to eight at press time.
Communist Party officials in charge of Suzhou suspended “online and in-person sales of anti-fever medicine as well as part of hospitals’ outpatient and emergency medical services” on February 13, China’s Caixin Global news platform reported on Monday.
Suzhou’s government issued an edict requiring “online and offline pharmacies suspend the sale of four categories of epidemic-related drugs, including antipyretic, cough, antiviral and antibacterial medicines,” the Global Times detailed.
At least 39 of Suzhou’s districts were forced into lockdown on February 14 in an effort to contain the city’s latest coronavirus epidemic, according to the newspaper.
Western Australia bans the unvaccinated from visiting their own children in the hospital
NaturalNews – Mark McGowan, the premiere of Western Australia, is upping the ante once again with his endless stream of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny.
From now on, parents who are unvaccinated will not be allowed to enter state hospitals to visit their loved ones. This includes sick relatives and even the parents’ children.
“West Australian parents who are unvaccinated will be banned from seeing their own sick children in the state’s hospitals under the new strict laws drawn up by Premier Mark McGowan,” announced a host on the “Sunrise” program (watch below).
“The tough new rules will come into play from January 31. Only those with exemptions from the vaccine or under compassionate grounds, including end-of-life visits, will be allowed to step inside the hospitals, which includes visiting their own kids.”
Can Super-Shots and ‘Morality Pills’ End COVID?
Mercola –For years, Big Pharma has had its eye on mRNA gene transfer technology. In 2019, a Milken Institute panel specifically discussed how they might achieve the transition from conventional vaccine development to novel mRNA technology
A year into the rollout of the COVID jabs, we’re realizing just how lacking scientists’ understanding of these shots is. Or worse, they do understand, and don’t care about the damage they cause
The COVID shots do not contain the identical mRNA found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The mRNA has been genetically manipulated in a process called “codon optimization,” and this process is KNOWN to create completely unforeseen side effects
Codon optimization can result in protein misfolding, which in turn has been linked to lethal conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and heart failure
Pfizer appears to have been the most aggressive in their codon optimization. In its Risk Management Plan submitted to the FDA, Pfizer admits that the codon optimization they did resulted in elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), which is an early marker of heart failure
EXCLUSIVE: Pfizer Trial Whistleblower Presses Forward With Lawsuit Without US Government’s Help
Epoch Times – A former clinical trial overseer for a contractor holding trials of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is pressing forward with a lawsuit against Pfizer and her former company despite the U.S. government declining to side with her.
Brook Jackson was fired by the contractor, Ventavia Research Group, in 2020. She came forward as a whistleblower in 2021.
Jackson filed a False Claims Act suit against Pfizer, Ventavia, and another company involved in the trial, ICON. It has been under seal for over a year, but is now public after the U.S. Department of Justice declined to intervene on behalf of Jackson.
Government lawyers did not explain the choice not to intervene and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which investigates alleged clinical trial fraud, did not respond to a request for comment.
The choice, though, has not deterred the whistleblower.
“We’re going to pursue the case without the help of the government,” Jackson told The Epoch Times.
She said she wasn’t surprised but felt “total disappointment” when, after over a year of putting off a decision, the government declined to intervene.
The odds of success aren’t good but “it’s just a chance I have to take,” Jackson said. “I just feel like somebody has to be held accountable.”
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