WORLD NEWS
Number of Chinese Illegally Crossing US-Mexico Border Surges 500 Percent in San Diego Sector
The number of Chinese nationals entering the United States illegally has surged in recent times, with the latest data from the San Diego sector showing a staggering 500 percent surge so far this year compared to the same period a year ago.
As the nation remains gripped by an illegal immigration crisis of historic proportions, there’s been an exceptionally high increase in the number of Chinese nationals—especially military-aged men—who have unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.
Some border patrol officials and others have warned this poses a national security risk because, among those simply seeking a better life, there may be those with links to the Chinese military.
Brandon Judd, the head of the Border Patrol union, recently warned about a sharp rise in the number of military-aged Chinese men crossing the southern border illegally, saying that he believes some of them may be spies working on behalf of China’s communist regime to “infiltrate” the United States.
And now, Jason Owens, the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), has revealed that, so far this fiscal year, the San Diego sector has seen over 20,000 apprehensions of Chinese nationals, over five times the number in the comparable period last year.
“In FY24, San Diego Sector has made +140K apprehensions with +20K of them being from China (a more than 500% increase compared to last FYTD),” Mr. Owens wrote in a post on X.
Iran Boasts of Expanding Arsenal of Kamikaze Drones
Iranian state media reported on Wednesday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has “taken delivery of sophisticated homegrown kamikaze and combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), featuring state-of-the-art technologies suitable for operations against enemy targets.”
According to Iran’s PressTV, IRGC commanders attended a ceremony on Tuesday to take possession of the latest Shahed-131 and Ababil-5 drones, upgraded versions of two designs that have helped Iran’s homegrown drone industry become a significant threat.
The Shahed drone is a “suicide” or “kamikaze” design, intended to fly an explosive payload to its target and then explode. Iran admitted in November 2022 it has supplied Russia with a large number of Shahed drones to attack Ukrainian targets. Iran also supplied Shahed models to the Houthi terrorists of Yemen, who have used them to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea. PressTV excitedly reported the Shahed-131 featured prominently in an exercise that simulated Iran using “precision strikes” to destroy an Israeli nuclear power plant.
The Ababil-5 drone, rolled out in April 2022, is an attack drone along the lines of the U.S.-made Predator UAV. The Iranian drone can carry up to six missiles or bombs and has an operating range of about 480 kilometers.
Iranian state media claimed in October 2023 that an Ababil-5 was able to shadow a U.S.-guided missile destroyer in the Indian Ocean, seemingly without being detected or interfered with. PressTV said the latest version of the Ababil drone can carry a heavier payload with its stronger wings, and has a smaller radar signature thanks to its retractable landing gear.
Hospitals in South Korea cancel surgeries as doctors keep up protests
Seoul’s biggest hospitals reduce surgeries by a third as trainee doctors continue strike over health reforms.
Hospitals in South Korea have been forced to cancel or postpone surgeries and medical procedures, including treatments for cancer, according to media reports, as more trainee doctors walked off the job in protest over proposed health reforms.
The reports on Thursday came as the South Korean government called on the doctors to hold talks and threatened to arrest those leading the walkout.
India’s demand to block accounts amid farmers’ stir curtails free speech: X
Social media platform takes down certain accounts and posts following the government orders, adding that it disagrees with the action.
Social media platform X says it has taken down certain accounts and posts following an order by the Indian government, which local media reports say are linked to ongoing protests by farmers demanding higher prices for crops.
The platform, formerly known as Twitter, did not provide details of the removals but on Thursday said it disagrees with the action and that the move amounts to curtailing freedom of expression.
The action puts the spotlight again on the struggles faced by foreign technology giants operating in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has often criticised Google, Facebook and X for not doing enough to tackle what it calls fake or “anti-India” content.
Many users have complained their social media accounts are either blocked or face restrictions in India.
X said its position on the matter was consistent with its ongoing legal challenge against the Indian government’s orders to block content.
“We will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts,” X’s Global Government Affairs team said in a post, without naming the accounts.
The statement comes following a week of protests by thousands of Indian farmers who have camped 200km (125 miles) north of New Delhi after police blocked their march to the capital and fired tear gas at crowds trying to press forward.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Organized Migrant ‘Theft Groups’ Plague Pennsylvania Town
Authorities in the western Philadelphia suburb of West Whiteland Township are reporting
clashes with organized gangs of retail thieves made up of illegal border crossers.
Police officials have identified at least three gangs of migrants responsible for the theft of thousands of dollars of merchandise since January, according to WPVI-TV.
“They’re taking advantage of coming to the U.S. and committing these crimes and being able to disappear to some degree,” West Whiteland Township Police Department Detective Scott Pezick told the station.
“Over the last month, we’ve had what we call South American theft groups,” Pezick added.
Officers arrested two Venezuelan migrants on February 1 and charged them with stealing more than $2,000 in merchandise from an Ulta store in Exton, the outlet added.
The suspects — Albert Torrealba Jordan and Keiver Guilarte Camps — had both entered the U.S. illegally, the police said.
In another case, an illegal from Peru was accused of stealing $17,000 from a Kohls in Exton. The suspect had been deported but is reportedly already back.
“That was less than a month ago, and he’s back in the United States,” Pezick explained. The groups are also being implicated in home and car burglaries, police said.
The epidemic of organized gangs of migrants engaging in crimes is hardly limited only to a small village west of Philadelphia.
Chicago and its suburbs have been inundated by waves of thefts, often at the hands of organized migrant gangs.
In January, authorities in the western suburb of Oak Brook noted that an increase in thefts in multiple retail outlets was being perpetrated by illegals who have been traced back to migrant shelters in Chicago.
Other areas in the Chicago region have also reported gangs of illegals engaged in criminal activities.
Nearby Lake County, Illinois, located just north of Chicago, reported that a migrant gang was suspected of operating a theft ring targeting businesses.
Authorities in Michigan found similar circumstances after a gang of migrants from Chile was arrested for robbing a Macy’s store in Oakland County.
In addition, a pair of Chilean illegals was nabbed in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and charged with robbing a jewelry store.
Businessman James Biden, younger brother of President Joe Biden, said on Feb. 21 in a closed-door deposition to House impeachment investigators that the president wasn’t involved in his business dealings.
The deposition comes at a critical moment for House Republicans’ Biden impeachment inquiry after a key witness in the probe was charged by the special counsel with lying about the alleged role of the president and his son Hunter Biden in the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Mr. Biden, 74, delivered the remarks to the House Judiciary Committee, which is assisting in an impeachment inquiry into the president.
The GOP has alleged in past findings that the president’s brother benefited from Hunter Biden’s business dealings, making about $360,000 on at least one known occasion. The finding came as part of a larger GOP-led investigation into allegations of influence peddling by the first family, and potentially by the president himself.
But during his opening remarks to the panel, Mr. Biden insisted that over the course of his decades-long career, President Biden had never been involved.
Mr. Biden’s deposition comes as the fate of the inquiry is dubious after bombshell allegations about a document used as a predication for the investigation.
House Republicans voted in December 2023 to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry after months of investigations by Republicans who alleged that President Biden and his family personally profited from policy decisions he made as vice president during President Barack Obama’s administration.
It formalized the inquiry, which had already been underway for months after then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) unilaterally authorized it without a full vote of the House.
Board of Ethics to Take Up Ethics Complaints Targeting Fani Willis
The Fulton County Board of Ethics in Georgia confirmed Wednesday that it will take up multiple complaints against Trump prosecutor and District Attorney Fani Willis.
In a letter, the county board said that it will “hold a special meeting” on possible Willis ethics violations on March 7, saying that “members of the public are welcome to attend.”
It provided few details, but gave a list of items to be discussed in the meeting, including two specific complaints against Ms. Willis. According to the letter, Greg Mantell, with the Investigative News Service on Substack, is said to be the source of one of the Willis complaints, while an individual named Steven Kramer also filed a complaint.
Ms. Willis has been recently accused of financially benefitting from a relationship with her special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, according to a motion filed by a Trump case co-defendant, Michael Roman. Both testified on Feb. 16 over the matter, denying allegations of any impropriety—although portions of their testimony were called into the question.
Reports have indicated that Mr. Mantell wrote to the Fulton County Ethics Board last month and accused Ms. Willis of multiple ethics violations stemming from the Roman filing last month.
Trump Reveals Vice President Shortlist
Former President Donald Trump has confirmed several shortlisters to be his running mate in the upcoming election cycle.
President Trump made the remarks on Feb. 20 during a Fox News town hall in Greenville, South Carolina, hosted by anchor Laura Ingraham.
Many of the potential picks mentioned have been speculated to be key contenders for the No. 2 job, and most come as no surprise.
Ms. Ingraham asked about several prospects that have been raised as potential contenders for months, including biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Fox News contributor and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
“Are they all on your shortlist?” Ms. Ingraham asked.
President Trump replied, “They are.”
But the former president also predicted that his choice of running mate could have little effect on the outcome.
“The thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact,” President Trump said. “It’s whoever the president is.”
But he also acknowledged that because he only has one term left, “it’s very important” who the vice president is.
He also reiterated his past point that his No. 1 consideration in picking a running mate is who’s capable of being the president should the need arise.
“You would like to get somebody that could help you from the voter standpoint,” President Trump said. “And honestly, all of those people are good, they’re all good.”
President Trump also made clear that one person definitely won’t be appearing on the ballot beside him in November if he becomes the nominee: former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the sole remaining challenger for the Republican nomination, who’s widely seen as having no path to the nomination.
New York AG Says She May Seize Trump Buildings, Assets If He Can’t Pay $355 Million Penalty
New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Feb. 20 that she’s prepared to seize former President Donald Trump’s buildings and assets if he can’t pay the penalty imposed in the state’s civil fraud case.
The former president was recently ordered to pay nearly $355 million and barred from doing business in New York state for three years by state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron.
During an interview with ABC News, Ms. James said that it was “really not my business” if President Trump doesn’t have the money to pay the penalty, while also noting that she has her eyes on the Trump Building in Lower Manhattan.
“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek, you know, judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” she said.
“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,” she added, referring to the Trump Building.
President Trump’s attorneys have vowed to appeal the case; he and his attorneys have described the case as a “political witch hunt” and the verdict as “manifest injustice.”
Bankruptcy Judge Allows Rudy Giuliani to Appeal $148 Million Defamation Verdict
A New York bankruptcy judge has allowed Rudy Giuliani to appeal a $148 million defamation verdict so long as he uses pre-approved donors for legal expenses.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane, in his order on Tuesday, specified that such fees and expenses must not be paid from Mr. Giuliani’s current assets.
“Any fees and expenses incurred by the Debtor and his advisors in the Freeman Litigation in connection with any Post-Trial Filings and the Notice of Appeal shall not be paid by, and shall not result in a claim against, the Debtor or his estate,” Judge Lane wrote.
The former New York City mayor filed for bankruptcy protection late last year, one day after he was ordered to immediately pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers. Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea Moss, sued him for defamation while he was working as a lawyer for former President Donald Trump.
In early January, Mr. Giuliani asked the New York bankruptcy judge overseeing his case to lift the automatic stay, a legal provision that pauses certain proceedings during bankruptcy, for the “limited purpose” of filing post-judgment motions to modify the judgment.
Judge Lane, from the Southern District of New York, granted the limited relief this week.
Why was Kamala Harris at the DNC, not the Capitol, on January 6?
Over the past few weeks, Americans finally have been learning about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee headquarters while then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was inside the building on January 6, 2021.
Never-before-seen videos released by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), independent journalist Julie Kelly, and Blaze Media have provided more context about what was happening at the DNC just as the protesters began to flood the Capitol Building a couple of blocks away.
Revolver News is one of the only media outlets that has been consistently investigating and
reporting this story. Darren Beattie’s viral analysis of the recently released video and emerging new details led him to proclaim that the “pipe bombs are 100% a hoax and 100% a cover-up.”
Why was Harris not at the Capitol just as Vice President Mike Pence was gaveling the Senate into session to begin the Electoral College vote certification process?
Why did it take almost 11 minutes after the pipe bomb’s discovery for the Secret Service to evacuate Harris from the DNC building?
Why did we not learn until exactly a year later about Harris’ presence at the DNC when the bomb was discovered?
How is it possible that Harris — or any politician, for that matter — did not attempt to make political hay out of the danger she was in? In fact, more than three years later, Harris has never once publicly mentioned her presence at the DNC on January 6 or her proximity to the pipe bomb.
Politico was the first to report in November 2021 about a court filing in a January 6 defendant’s case, in which it was revealed for the first time that Harris was not at the Capitol when the riots began.
“Although the mistake may have limited legal significance, it’s an indication that even some fundamental facts about the insurrection remain murky — such as, where was the vice president-elect and why did she leave the Capitol?”
Why has Harris never mentioned her whereabouts at the DNC when the pipe bomb was discovered?
Is she trying to avoid embarrassing the Secret Service for their egregious security failure in missing the bomb during their advance sweep of the DNC? Is she avoiding embarrassing the FBI for its three-year failure in breaking the case and discovering who planted the bombs? Or does Harris herself have something to hide about why she was at the DNC offices in the first place?
And why, after over two years since we’ve known Harris was in the DNC headquarters when the bomb was discovered, has she never been questioned about that experience in any press interview or press conference?
A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing on Monday after passengers noticed the “wing coming apart” on the Boeing 757-200, the New York Post reported.
A flight from San Francisco to Boston was forced to divert after a passenger, Kevin Clarke, noticed that one of the aircraft’s wings appeared to be tearing apart. Video taken by Clarke and posted by his wife on social media showed the damage.
“Just about to land in Denver with the wing coming apart on the plane,” Clarke stated in the video moments before the plane safety touched the ground.
“It came apart when we took off in San Francisco, and we’re just about on the ground. Can’t wait for this flight to be over,” he continued. “They’ve got another plane waiting for us to continue to Boston. Touchdown any second, and the nightmare will be over.”
The plane landed safely in Denver at 5:15 p.m. local time on Monday, WBTS reported. No injuries were reported.
Clarke told the news outlet that he heard an “incredibly loud vibration” as the plane took off. According to the passenger, approximately 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot left the cabin and showed up near his seat to view the wing’s damage.
Second Infant Surrendered to Alabama’s First Safe Haven Baby Box
A second baby has been surrendered to Alabama’s first Safe Haven Baby Box, the City of Madison announced Wednesday.
Madison Fire and Rescue received the second infant through its baby box located at Fire Station #1, News19 reported. The baby was assessed and transported to Madison Hospital for further evaluation, according to the city.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources has also been notified, the city said.
Alabama’s first baby box in Madison was used for the first time less than two weeks after it opened on January 10.
Baby boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into outside, exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals that can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Then, the outside door locks, and mothers have time to get away before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff inside.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Biden Admin to Wipe Out $1.2 Billion Federal Student Loan Debt for 153,000 Borrowers
A total of $1.2 billion in federal student loan debt will be automatically discharged for 153,000 borrowers enrolled in President Joe Biden’s “most generous ever” repayment plan, the U.S. Department of Education said on Wednesday.
To be eligible for the latest round of student loan debt cancellation, the borrowers must be enrolled in the new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, dubbed SAVE, have been making at least 10 years of payments, and have originally taken out $12,000 or less for college.
For every $1,000 borrowed above $12,000, a borrower can receive debt discharge after an additional year of payments. For example, those who had an original principal balance of $13,000 can now have their remaining balance wiped out if they’ve been in repayment for 11 years.
All borrowers on SAVE receive forgiveness after 20 or 25 years, depending on whether they have loans for graduate school.
“With today’s announcement, we are once again sending a clear message to borrowers who had low balances: if you’ve been paying for a decade, you’ve done your part, and you deserve relief,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement, pledging that the “historic fight to cancel student debt isn’t over yet.”
The announcement comes as the Biden administration pushes for a second attempt at large-scale federal student loan debt cancellation after the nation’s highest court torpedoed his initial $400 billion plan last summer. After the court’s conservative majority ruled that he overstepped his authority, President Biden tasked the Education Department with crafting a new plan on a more solid legal basis, which in turn requires a more lengthy and complicated process called “negotiated rulemaking.”
According to the Education Department, it has so far canceled over $138 billion in federal student loan debt owed by more than 3.9 million borrowers. That includes $45.6 billion for 930,500 borrowers who are on an IDR plan, $56.7 billion for 793,000 borrowers who work in the public sector, 11.7 billion for 513,000 borrowers with a permanent disability, and $22.5 billion for 1.3 million borrowers who said they have been misled or defrauded by their schools.
Mortgages stuck above 7% as rates tick up this week
Mortgage rates jumped this week, with the average 30-year fixed loan at 7.13 percent, according to Bankrate’s latest survey of large lenders. Rates rose as the prospect of a Federal Reserve interest rate reduction faded further into the future.
The 30-year fixed mortgages in this week’s survey had an average total of 0.31 discount and origination points. Discount points are a way for you to reduce your mortgage rate, while origination points are feesa lender charges to create, review and process your loan.
The national median family income for 2023 was $96,300, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the median price of an existing home sold in December 2023 was $382,600, according to the National Association of Realtors. Based on a 20 percent down payment and a 7.13 percent mortgage rate, the monthly payment of $2,063 amounts to 26 percent of the typical family’s monthly income.
The IRS yesterday unveiled plans for “dozens of new audits” of corporate jet usage as part of its increased scrutiny of large corporations, complex partnerships and top earners.
More than 10,000 corporate jets operate in the U.S., and the agency believes some companies overstate deductions while using aircraft for mixed business and personal travel. Plus, individuals may not be reporting personal trips via corporate jet as income, the IRS said.
The agency will begin with a round of three to four dozen audits of corporate jet usage, focused primarily on corporations and complex partnerships. But future exams could expand to individuals, depending on the findings.
DeLand, Florida, passed a series of measures designed to curb homelessness, including making it illegal to camp on public property.
With approximately 400 homeless people in DeLand, a city with a population of around 37,000, officials stated that after eight years of failing to reduce the number of homeless, it was time for stricter measures.
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, DeLand has been experiencing an increased number of homeless residents intimidating and harassing business owners and their employees, as well as more people sleeping in public areas. There has also been an increase in the homeless population urinating and defecating on sidewalks near businesses.
City leaders signed off on new measures that are expected to allow more police intervention to curb the issues. New laws will prohibit camping on public property for more than 24 hours and ban lying on public sidewalks, streets, alleys, and benches. In addition, residents will not be allowed to leave belongings on public property for more than 24 hours.
This measure was reported by Click Orlando as preventing the storage of personal items in shopping carts. According to Law Server, Florida state law says that any person “in possession of any shopping cart, laundry cart, dairy case, egg basket, poultry box, or bakery container” that belongs to a registered company is presumed to be in possession of stolen goods.
The First Step Shelter houses 100 beds and has a fenced-off “safe zone” outdoors where homeless people can stay overnight. Those in the zone can leave whenever they want. However, those who wish to sleep inside the shelter must commit to a work program that pushes them toward obtaining housing.
Over 600 people have successfully transitioned to housing through the program.
DeLand will pay just under $70,000 per year to help with the operation of the First Step Shelter.
Massachusetts Spending $64 a Day to Feed Each Migrant, On Track to Spend $1 Billion By 2025
State records show that Massachusetts is spending about $64 per migrant per day to feed those in state care, a cost that is contributing to the expected one billion dollars in expenses to be spent by the Bay State by 2025.
The latest numbers show that the state is paying out $16 for breakfast, $17 for lunch, and a whopping $31 for every dinner every day, according to WBZ-TV.
The state insists that it is required to provide the free food due to its 1983 sanctuary city law, which was passed to deal with a far smaller number of homeless people in the state, Fox Business Network reported.
However, the right to shelter law is not exactly being applied as written. The law also says that those afforded shelter must be supplied with refrigerators and the capability to prepare food, but migrants are being given already-made food, not the capability to prepare their own.
The state is currently housing and caring for about 20,000 migrants, according to the Daily Mail. Fox Business Network added that the state awarded a $10 million, six-month, no-bid contract to food service provider Spinelli Ravioli to supply the meals. The state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities justified the contract because of Healey’s “state of emergency” proclamation.
The food service company insisted that it is not guaranteed a continued contract and is only aware of the “emergency” six months it has been awarded.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams Vows to Cut Funding to Migrants amid Record-Low Approval
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) vowed on Wednesday to cut funding to border
crossers and illegal aliens amid record-low approval with New Yorkers.
In November 2023, Adams authorized city-wide budget cuts where New Yorkers would have public services eliminated to afford waves of illegal immigration to the sanctuary city. The move came as fewer than 3-in-10 New Yorkers said they approved of Adams — a record low for a mayor in New York City.
On Wednesday, Adams said he is canceling the proposed budget cuts and will instead reduce taxpayer funding currently going to newly arrived border crossers and illegal aliens. Specifically, Adams said his office would cut another 10 percent in city-funded services for border crossers and illegal aliens and halt plans to carry out billions in more budget cuts on New Yorkers.
At the same time, though, Adams is defending his office’s decision to provide border crossers and illegal aliens — most of whom continue to live off city taxpayers — with prepaid debit cards that could eventually cost upward of $53 million.
The prepaid debit cards for border crossers and illegal aliens will be expanded, Adams said, if the program is deemed “successful” by city officials.
“I know on the first brush you look at it and say, ‘Wait a minute, what are you doing, you’re giving people cards?’” Adams said. “This was a small policy shift that we’re doing on a pilot project with 500 people. If this is successful, we’re going to expand it even more.”
Over the next three fiscal years, illegal immigration may cost New Yorkers $12 billion.
Leasing Companies Are Demanding Payoffs from EV Makers Like Tesla as Resale Values Plummet
Car leasing companies are feeling the pinch as electric vehicle resale values tumble, prompting demands for compensation from automakers trying to meet strict emissions targets.
Fortune reports that the market for used electric cars has taken a massive hit since Tesla slashed prices last year, forcing other manufacturers to follow suit. This has impacted companies like Europe’s largest multi-brand leasing firms Ayvens and Arval, which serve as middlemen in the critical corporate car market that makes up around 60 percent of European sales.
According to Ayvens CEO Tim Albertsen, the company has already received compensation checks in recent weeks from carmakers to cover the cratering prices of leased EVs returned at the end of their contracts. Leasing agreements typically factor in an estimated residual value, with payments designed to cover expected depreciation. But with values dropping more than predicted, the leasing firms take a loss when selling those vehicles.
Now companies like Ayvens are pushing manufacturers for protections, including buyback guarantees to safeguard against further erosion in the $1.2 trillion used EV market. “Manufacturers today need to keep selling EVs,” said Albertsen. “We then need some kind of protection from the manufacturers in terms of their future pricing.”
This mounting pressure comes as carmakers face tightening emission regulations and potential fines if they do not meet fleet targets for zero-emissions vehicles. Europe aims to phase out sales of new combustion cars by 2035, but unstable used EV pricing threatens this transition, according to analyst Philippe Houchois.
Major corporate customers have already begun rethinking EV offerings amid the uncertain values. SAP will stop providing employees with Tesla vehicles due to concerns over fluctuating prices complicating planning. Car rental firms Hertz and Sixt have similarly moved to offload Teslas from their fleets.
In a blow to President Joe Biden’s green energy agenda, rental car company Hertz is selling off tens of thousands of electric vehicles (EVs), due to a lack of demand, to buy gas-powered cars. Hertz executives announced they will be selling 20,000 EVs from their fleet, which accounts for about 33 percent of the company’s total number of EVs. In return, Hertz will use the money from the EV sales to guy gas-powered cars, which executives said are in much higher demand than EVs.
Manufacturers are responding by guaranteeing buybacks, shifting risk into the future. But carmakers remain responsible for eventually finding used EV buyers at decent prices, or taking writedowns. With demand “artificially stoked” by incentives and ending after the second-hand market, this distorted dynamic poses serious challenges, said auto expert Ursula Weigl.
HEALTH
Oregon Fentanyl Overdoses Increase by 1,530%, Largest Spike in the Nation
Oregon’s fentanyl overdose rate has surged by a whopping 1,530 percent over the last few years, making the state home to the most dramatic increase rate in the nation.
A new FOX12 report using data obtained from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) exposed the shocking statistics, revealing that 1,268 deaths occurred as a result of the fatal drug between September 2019 and September 2023.
The drastic increase came with the 2020 passing of Measure 110, a drug decriminalization law that most Oregonians now believe to be a grave mistake after seeing the spike in deaths.
The state with the second-largest percentage increase is Oklahoma, with health officials anticipating a total of 717 deaths from 2023 to be linked to fentanyl, compared to 67 just five years earlier.
“States along the East Coast saw some of the lowest increases,” the local outlet reported.
Oregon’s fentanyl problem led Democrat officials — Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler — to declare a 90-day state of emergency in Portland earlier in February.
Local leaders in Oregon’s more rural areas are begging for state help to curb the issue, which has spread far beyond the metropolitan areas.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ChatGPT Suffers AI Meltdown, Answers Queries with Gibberish, Disturbing Responses
Popular AI chatbot ChatGPT has experienced troubling technical issues in recent days that have led it to provide users with nonsensical and disturbing responses.
The Independent reports that ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot created by OpenAI that has become hugely popular over the last year, has appeared to suffer an epic meltdown on Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Numerous users reported that when posed with queries, the AI began responding with lengthy messages of complete gibberish rather than providing relevant and coherent answers.
In one alarming example shared on Reddit, when continuing a conversation about jazz music and vinyl records, ChatGPT’s response suddenly devolved into it repeatedly shouting “Happy listening!” and spouting absolute nonsense. Asked simple questions about topics like computers or cooking recipes, the AI spewed long paragraphs of text that made no logical sense whatsoever.
Disturbingly, some users said ChatGPT’s unprompted responses seemed to imply the AI was actively in the room with them. When one user requested help with a coding issue, the chatbot wrote back a rambling, largely nonsensical answer stating “Let’s keep the line as if AI in the room.” Understandably, receiving such an eerie message in the middle of the night proved frightening.
Other odd behaviors displayed during the incident included ChatGPT apparently mixing English with Spanish words randomly and inventing phrases that resembled gibberish attempts at foreign languages. The reasons behind the AI’s temporary meltdown remain unclear. OpenAI, ChatGPT’s developer, acknowledged issues were occurring and said they were monitoring the situation, but did not explain what specifically went wrong.
Some technologists theorized the problems could stem from ChatGPT’s “temperature” being set too high by OpenAI. This setting controls the AI’s level of creativity versus focus, with higher temperatures leading to more diverse and unpredictable responses. However, OpenAI claimed the model’s parameters have not been adjusted since November 11, ruling out intentional changes by the company.
Transhuman Scientists Grow Testicles In Laboratory
Scientists have successfully grown working “testicles in a dish” that could one day help solve male infertility, which affects one in 12 men worldwide. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel produced tiny organoids – artificial miniature organs – that closely mimic the structure and function of natural testicles. These lab-grown organs, cultured from cells sampled from mouse testes, formed small tubules that parallel the sperm-producing seminiferous tubules found in real testicles.
“Artificial testicles are a promising model for basic research on testicle development and function, which can be translated into therapeutic applications for disorders of sexual development and infertility,” says lead researcher Dr. Nitzan Gonen, of the BIU Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, in a statement.
Research shows one in eight couples encounter problems when trying to conceive a child, and in around half of cases the issues lie with the male partner. Low sperm count or poor sperm quality can have multiple causes, including genetic defects, hormonal imbalances, and damage from cancer treatments. Growing artificial testicles offers scientists a unique window into understanding and potentially treating these disorders.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
COVID-19 Tested Our Commitment to Freedom. Three Years Later, We’re Still Failing
The government never cedes power willingly. Neither should we.
If the COVID-19 debacle taught us one thing it is that, as Justice Neil Gorsuch acknowledged, “Rule by indefinite emergency edict risks leaving all of us with a shell of a democracy and civil liberties just as hollow.”
Unfortunately, we still haven’t learned. We’re still allowing ourselves to be fully distracted by circus politics and a constant barrage of bad news screaming for attention.
Three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave world governments (including our own) a convenient excuse for expanding their powers, abusing their authority, and further oppressing their constituents, there’s something being concocted in the dens of power. The danger of martial law persists.
Any government so willing to weaponize one national crisis after another in order to expand its powers and justify all manner of government tyranny in the so-called name of national security will not hesitate to override the Constitution and lockdown the nation again.
You’d better get ready, because that so-called crisis could be anything: civil unrest, national emergencies, “unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters.”
COVID-19 was a test to see how quickly the populace would march in lockstep with the government’s dictates, no questions asked, and how little resistance the citizenry would offer up to the government’s power grabs when made in the name of national security.
Security Breach: Wyze Camera Mishap Allows 13,000 Users to See Strangers’ Property
Wyze, a security camera company boasting 10 million users, is in hot water after a breach allowed 13,000 customers to see into other people’s homes.
Company cofounder Dave Crosby announced Friday that employees had identified 14 people who were briefly able to see images from a stranger’s Wyze camera. As of Monday, that number had ballooned to 13,000, reports the Verge.In an email blast to customers, Wyze apologized for the mishap while shifting the blame to a third-party web host.
“The outage originated from our partner AWS and took down Wyze devices for several hours early last Friday. If you tried to view live cameras or Events during that time, you likely weren’t able to,” Wyze said. “We’re very sorry for the frustration and confusion this caused.”
While Wyze was working to bring its cameras back online from the breach, customers reported strange images and videos in their Events tabs, prompting the company to disable access to the section while investigating the mistake.
According to the company, “a third-party caching client library” is to blame for the error.
However, a similar incident occurred last year when 2,300 users were able to see through strangers’ cameras.
“Simply put, it crossed some wires in the backend and, for about 40 minutes, up to 2,300 users who logged in to the online web viewing portal may have seen cameras from one of the 10 affected users who had also logged in during that time,” Wyze said on September 22, 2023.
This time, Wyze says that 1,504 people enlarged the thumbnails from other people’s cameras, and a few actually viewed video footage.
“It also claims that all impacted users have been notified of the security breach, and that over 99 percent of all of its customers weren’t affected,” the Verge reported.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
BILLIONAIRE DOOMSDAY BUNKERS GETTING BIZARRE DEADLY TRAPS TO KEEP OUT POORS
How are things going with the world’s very normal wealthy elites? Well, they’re perhaps more obsessed than ever with building invariably absurd doomsday shelters that come tricked out with every conceivable gizmo you’d need to survive the apocalypse — or to keep out any rebellious peasants, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Given the kind of money involved, the people building these shelters aren’t your ordinary doomsday preppers. They’re commissioned by guys like billionaire and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who’s reportedly buildinga $100 million underground island bunker of his own. He may just be one billionaire to make headlines for their apocalypse planning, but take it from the guys that build these things: he’s not alone — and business is booming.
President and founder of Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments Al Corbi told THR about one of his firm’s most ambitious shelters, a veritable fortress which is only accessible via a moveable bridge. And here’s why: the entire compound is encircled by an enormous moat filled with flammable liquid “that can transform into a ring of fire” on demand.
To balance that out, there’s also powerful water cannons “that can take down parachuters, Apache helicopters, whatever’s coming your way 500 feet in the air,” Corbi added. If those aren’t good enough, there’s flamethrowers, closing steel walls, and a gassing system. Leaving nothing to waste, the dirt excavated to build the moat was used to form a manmade mountain as additional fortification.
Other clients like to trick out their mansions with state-of-the-art doors and hidden corridors. An engineer at Creative Home Engineering told THR of a decidedly James Bond villain-esque estate that featured a rotating fireplace as the secret entrance to an underground lair. Once you navigate the giant staircase it leads to, you can reach an enormous vehicle garage, a phone booth that lets you disappear, and a flight simulator
. Elsewhere, there’s also a dedicated security room and — to amp up the villainous vibes — a shark tank.
According to Corbi, many clients like to throw in tunnels that lead to another backup shelter as a precaution. And to survive the long haul, some even install mini-medical centers that come with operating tables and “every drug imaginable.”
All that being said, this kind of doomsday prepping by wealthy people isn’t new — but the paranoia fueling it might be.
“The newness is it’s shifting from the idea of nuclear ka-boom to protection against local threats,” Corbi explained to THR. “The real threat is the power grid… In situations like this, sustaining your life is as important as food and water.”
2ND AMENDMENT
Gunman Who Killed Two Minnesota Police Officers and a Paramedic Was Prohibited From Owning Firearms
The individual who shot and killed two police officers and a paramedic in Burnsville, Minnesota, on Sunday has been identified as new details have emerged shedding light on the tragic incident. The assailant had a troubled criminal history and was legally barred from owning firearms.Shannon Cortez Gooden, a 38-year-old man, used multiple firearms to murder the three officials after they showed up at his home to answer a domestic violence call.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has confirmed the name of the man behind Sunday’s standoff in a Minneapolis suburb that left three first responders dead.
Shannon Gooden, 38, died after fatally shooting Burnsville police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, and firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth. Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also injured and has since been released from the hospital.
A report by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office lists Gooden’s manner of death as suicide.
The BCA says Gooden barricaded himself in his rented Burnsville home early Sunday morning. Also inside were Gooden’s girlfriend and seven children who ranged in age from 2 to 15. The BCA says all family members made it out of the home safely after Gooden shot himself.
Gooden’s troubled background adds even more layers of complexity to the tragedy. In 2008, he was convicted after pulling out a seven-inch knife during a fight at a shopping center and throwing rocks at a woman’s vehicle. He also had two arrests for disorderly conduct in 2004 and 2005.
He was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his violent history.
ICYMI
Country Star Willie Nelson’s Son Robbed of All Musical Equipment in Seattle Ahead of Concert
Legendary country star Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas Nelson, said he was robbed of all of his musical equipment in Seattle, Washington, right before he and his band were set to perform a concert in the Democrat-controlled city on Tuesday.
“Bad news, our truck with all of our equipment got stolen last night out of the hotel near Seattle,” the singer of the band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real told his nearly 300,000 Instagram followers.
“We’ve got rental equipment now, and we will play the show tonight, but if you’re in the Seattle area and you hear about any guitars being pawned or sold — my 1956 Les Paul Junior, my ’64 335, and custom Nacho tele are all in there,” Nelson added.
“We have a lot of other equipment that’s in there as well,” the singer said, adding that other equipment included bass guitars and steel guitars.
Nelson concluded, saying, “Please, if you have any information, email lukasnelsonandPOTR@gmail.com. I appreciate your help.”
Later, the singer posted an update in the caption of his Instagram post, writing, “Items have been found. Thank you all for your help!”
“They found the truck,” Nelson said in a new video posted to his Instagram account. “All of the valuable instruments that were in there are still there.”
The singer, who noted that the police found the truck “very quickly,” added that a few items were missing, but that all of the missing equipment is replaceable.
“The irreplicable stuff is still there,” Nelson said. “I’m so grateful to this community for helping out.”
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real is currently on tour, and has a concert in Portland, Oregon, set for Wednesday night.
Crime relating to vehicles and property theft in the Democrat-controlled city of Seattle has reportedly skyrocketed.
Chiefs’ Harrison Butker Gives Jersey to Parade Shooting Victim to Be Buried In
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was killed at last week’s shooting during the Chiefs Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, will be laid to rest wearing the jersey of her favorite player, Harrison Butker.
And the jersey is being provided by Butker himself.
Lopez-Galvan was wearing a Butker jersey when she tragically lost her life last Wednesday in a hail of gunfire that left more than two dozen victims. Lopez-Galvan’s husband wanted his wife to be buried in her favorite player’s jersey.
A family member took to social media in search of a white #7 Harrison Butker jersey for the burial.
“#ChiefsKingdom I need your help… the son of Lisa Lopez-Galvan wants his mom to be put to rest in a white @buttkicker7 jersey .. the same she wore the day of the parade. We can’t find them anywhere … anyone have any idea where we can look?”
That post has been deleted, but it was online long enough to be noticed by the NFL’s official retailer and someone who knows Chiefs’ Chaplain Father Richard Rocha.
That got the wheels turning, and eventually, Butker became aware of the family’s request. Not long after, Butker sent a jersey to the family.
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