Today's News: February 23, 3018

World News

Trump administration to target North Korea with new sanctions on Friday
Reuters – The Trump administration plans to announce on Friday what is being billed as the largest package of sanctions yet against North Korea to increase pressure on Pyongyang for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests, a senior administration official said.

Australian deputy prime minister resigns following sex scandal
Washington Post – Australia’s deputy prime minister resigned Friday after being undermined by a sex scandal that triggered a ban on sex between government ministers and their personal staff and a national debate over exposing politicians’ bedroom behavior.

400kg of flour in diplomatic mail: Cocaine smugglers busted in tricky Argentine-Russian anti-drug op
RT – In an unprecedented joint Argentine-Russian police operation straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, six people have been arrested for trying to smuggle over $60mn worth of cocaine out of Argentina through diplomatic mail.
Back on December 13, 2016, Russian Ambassador to Argentina, Viktor Koronelli, personally alerted Argentinian Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, of a discovery of suspicious packages in the school annex of the diplomatic mission in Buenos Aires. Argentine authorities wasted no time, dispatching a team of experts by 11pm to check the contents of the 12 suitcases discovered by the Russians.
It was the beginning of an investigation that lasted more than a year and was full of cinematic edges. After receiving confirmation at 2am that same night that the bags were full of pure cocaine, totaling some 389 kg (858 pounds), Bullrich, who accompanied a team of Argentine experts to the embassy, instructed the Gendarmerie team to run to the Central Market to buy some 400 kilos of flour. Argentine authorities knew that they only had until 6am before staff began arriving for work. The next four hours were spent by the team replacing the cocaine with flour and placing a GPS tracker inside.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Mystery deepens: Armed deputy stood by and ALLOWED the Florida shooting to happen, doing nothing to intervene
NaturalNews – It’s always fascinating to me how the “official stories” surrounding almost every mass shooting begin to unravel a few days after the event. ABC News is now reporting that an armed deputy stood by and watched as the Parkland school shooting took place, refusing to even enter the building
>> Related: Armed deputy at Florida school who ‘never went in’ to confront the shooter resigns

Wash Post: Mattis to Propose Allowing Transgender Troops
Newsmax – Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to propose transgender military members be allowed to continue serving despite President Donald Trump’s call for a ban, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Rising Democratic Star Megan Barry Under Pressure to Resign as Mayor of Nashville as Sex Scandal Spins Out of Control
Breitbart – Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County Mayor Megan Barry, a rising star of the Democratic Party, came under increasing pressure to resign late Thursday as the scandal surrounding her extramarital affair with her former taxpayer funded bodyguard, recently retired Metro Nashville Police Sgt. Rob Forrest, took a salacious and potentially criminal turn.

Jeff Sessions Seeks to Strip Citizenship from Five Alleged Child Sex Abusers
Breitbart – Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to strip citizenship from five alleged child sex abusers who allegedly became naturalized citizens by lying about their sex abuse past.

Eric Greitens, Republican Governor of Missouri, Indicted on Felony Count of Invasion of Privacy
Breitbart – Eric Greitens, the Republican Governor of Missouri and former Navy SEAL, was indicted Thursday afternoon “on one felony count of invasion of privacy,” KMOV reported.

CPAC Crowd Wild Over Vice President’s Unequivocal Declaration, ’We’re Gonna Build That Wall’
Breitbart – “Make no mistake about it, we’re gonna build that wall,” declared Vice President Mike Pence from the stage of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday morning. “Build that wall! Build that wall! Build that wall!” came chants from the crowd in response to the Vice President’s assurance that the Trump administration will build a wall along the U.S. southern border.

Energy & Environment

AEROSOLS: Tiny particles found to have a big impact on weather
NaturalNews – iny particles contribute to the making of powerful storms and affect the weather in more ways than one, a study that was published in the January 26 issue of the journal Science showed.

Science & Technology

Social media websites are ‘causing a mental health crisis’
Daily Mail – Social media is causing a global mental health crisis among young people, according to the chief of a university hit by suicides among students.
Hugh Brady, vice-chancellor of Bristol, said the pressure to appear ‘perfect’ all the time online was causing anxiety and depression. He said social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram have become a ‘burden’ for youngsters, who feel they have to pretend to be ‘happy’ all the time. Seven students at Bristol have killed themselves in less than 18 months – with three doing so within weeks of each other.

Glitches or not, Nissan starts testing semi-autonomous rides
Town Hall – Starting next month, Nissan Motor Co. is testing on regular roads what it calls “a robo-vehicle mobility service.” Called Easy Ride, it uses a cell-phone app to book semi-autonomous driven rides.
But Easy Ride won’t necessarily be easy if poor internet connections mean it won’t work at all.

WSU designs bionic voice for cancer survivors
Campus Review – Researchers from Western Sydney University have created a game changer in the global field of electronic voice research, which will be applied to help cancer survivors.
For the first time, researchers have confirmed that prosthetics can generate a high-quality human-sounding voice without any invasive surgery or input from the nerves of the larynx.

Health

7 Signs of protein deficiency
NaturalNews – Here’s something you may have heard before: “Protein is the basic foundation of the body.” Protein provides the building blocks of our muscles and bones, it assists in tissue building and repair, and it’s necessary for natural enzyme and hormone production.
With protein being so vital in most of our bodily functions, it’s no wonder that lacking this building block can cause problems. If you or someone you know is exhibiting any of the following signs, you might be suffering from protein deficiency:

You feel moodier and more anxious: Proteins are long chains of amino acids. These are important molecules that make up a large portion of our tissues and support various biological functions. One such amino acid is tyrosine, which is required for the natural production of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. All of these hormones play key roles in soothing away tension and bringing about feelings of calm and relaxation.
Your workouts aren’t as efficient: Almost everyone knows that protein is needed for muscle building. What isn’t as widely realized is the fact that it helps sustain our energy levels. Without protein, our bodies will eventually resort to breaking down muscles to keep us going. So on top of contributing to our muscle mass, protein can also help maintain feelings of wakefulness as you go about your workout routine.
You’re unable to concentrate: In addition to reducing feelings of anxiety, dopamine and serotonin can restore mental alertness. Protein is necessary for various neurological functions, which is why you might feel a bit of “brain fog” if you aren’t getting enough of this nutrient.
You have difficulty sleeping: Once again, serotonin is crucial here. This hormone is needed for a good night’s sleep, so a lack of it can result in sleeplessness.
You struggle with weight loss: As was previously mentioned, consuming protein ensures that the body doesn’t have to burn muscle to keep on chugging. This attribute of protein is vital to those attempting to gain muscle mass and those with reasonable weight loss goals. Furthermore, loading up on protein promotes feelings of satiety, making you less likely to seek out something unhealthy to snack on.
You feel gassier than usual: A body that’s bogged down by protein deficiency will often experience compromised natural biological functions. Digestive functions are a good example: not getting enough protein can disrupt enzyme production and make it more difficult to digest certain foods.
You bruise easier but heal slower: