WORLD NEWS
Disease X? Really? Sounds like a way to take away more of our rights!
WHO director calls for worldwide pandemic treaty to prepare for ominous ‘Disease X’
The head of the World Health Organization has called on countries to sign the health organization’s pandemic treaty to prepare the world for a “Disease X”, an undesignated term for a future pandemic that could be more deadly than anything humanity has ever faced.
(Sounds a bit like fear mongering, doesn’t it?) Ghebreyesus went on to suggest that the best way to prepare for such a possibility would be to get a treaty drafted that countries can get behind.
“This is a common global interest, and very narrow national interests should not come into the way.”
It is uncertain how many countries plan to sign the treaty. The U.S. better not be one of them.
This week global leaders met at the World Economic Forum to discuss “Disease X,” a hypothetical pathogen that could usher in a new—and deadlier—pandemic.
But to disease experts like Dr. Richard Urso, it’s nothing novel.
“I’m not really that worried,” he told Frontline Health.
“It literally took me two hours to figure [COVID-19] out…If they make something really deadly, it won’t spread that easily,” he said. Urso alluded to the possibility that the next deadly pathogen may likely originate from a lab rather than nature.
“At the end of the day, the disease itself won’t be the real weapon. It’ll be the vaccine,” he said. “They will have a genetic vaccine already developed for it.”
Urso is a drug design and treatment specialist, an ophthalmologist, and former chief of orbital oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He says the powers that be “will shut down the internet and stop communication” between parties trying to get the truth out about the plans to depopulate by vaccine.
Jonestown all over again …
Kenyan Cult Leader Charged with Terrorism After Hundreds of Followers Starved Themselves to Death
Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, and 94 of his associates were charged in Kenyan court on Thursday with terrorism-related crimes over the starvation deaths of 429 of his followers.
Mackenzie was accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves so they could enter Heaven before the destruction of the world. Mackenzie was arrested in April 2023 after the police were tipped off to the starvation cult by a human rights group called Haki Africa.
Many members of the Good News International Church were so determined to carry out Mackenzie’s order of suicide by starvation that they went into hiding in the Shakahola Forest of eastern Kenya, hiding from the police and military search teams. Some of the cultists taken into custody had to be physically forced to eat.
Mackenzie was arrested twice before the starvation horror was discovered, including for an incident in March 2023 in which two children’s parents murdered them through suffocation and starvation on Mackenzie’s orders.
Mackenzie told the authorities he was no longer the leader of a church and merely owned some farmland in Shakahola, but his half-starved followers kept turning up, along with dozens of corpses packed into shallow graves.
Kenyan officials said more than 400 bodies were ultimately recovered from the forest, most of them dead from malnutrition, although some of the cultists violently murdered children who refused to follow the starvation plan. Mackenzie allegedly maintained a squad of 16 enforcers to ensure that none of his followers had second thoughts and backed out of the suicide pact.
Officials hinted all along that Mackenzie might be tried on terrorism charges, and on Friday, such charges were filed in Mombasa.
Court documents described Mackenzie’s church as an “organized criminal group engaged in organized criminal activities, thereby endangering lives and leading to the deaths of 429 members and followers.” This was evidently the legal basis for charging Mackenzie with terrorist activity.
Prosecutors also charged Mackenzie and his associates with “organized criminal activity” and “radicalization.” All of the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and will return to the court on February 8 for a bond hearing.
According to Al Jazeera, the prosecution has been struggling to put its case together against Mackenzie, requesting several extensions of his pre-trial detention to gain more time. The court finally warned that it would release him if charges were not filed within 14 days.
Another Kenyan judge in the coastal town of Malindi on Wednesday ordered Mackenzie and 30 of his associates to undergo mental health evaluations so they could face charges of “murder, manslaughter, terrorism, and torture.”
Prosecutors in Malindi told reporters the charges will be filed within two weeks and will include 191 counts of child murder. According to a former cult member, Mackenzie preached that children should be murdered first, starving in bright sunlight “so they would die faster,” so their parents could be certain the children made it to Heaven before they killed themselves.
North Korea Claims to Test ‘Underwater Nuclear Weapon System’
North Korea announced it tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, a weapon that could theoretically wipe out entire port cities. North Korean state media said the test was intended as an intimidating response to United States- South Korean military drills.
“The Underwater Weapon System Institute under the DPRK Academy of Defense Science conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system ‘Haeil-5-23’ under development in the East Sea of Korea,” Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North Korean regime’s preferred name for itself. “Haeil” is the name North Korea assigned to a series of undersea drones it has been working on since 2012. Only a few of the earlier tests were publicized, but dictator Kim Jong-un claimed on Friday he has overseen no fewer than 29 tests over the past decade.
“Our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the U.S. and its allies,” KCNA wrote, quoting an unnamed North Korean military official.
When Pyongyang rolled out its latest generation of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) in March 2023, it said the purpose of the weapon was to “stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami through underwater explosion to destroy naval strike groups and major operational ports of the enemy.”
Friday’s test supposedly involved the Haeil-5-23 drone “cruising along an oval and pattern-8 course at an underwater depth of 80 to 150 meters in the East Sea of Korea for 59 hours and 12 minutes” before detonating a non-nuclear warhead against a mockup of an “enemy port.”
KCNA said the test “verified” the reliability of the Haeil platform and “fully confirmed its lethal strike capability.”
Outside observers were skeptical of North Korea’s claims and especially skeptical that the Haeli UUV is a devastating super-weapon that could slip past South Korea’s undersea defenses.
“What we do know about it, if it’s close to what they tested last year, is that this underwater unmanned vehicle is likely quite slow. It’s a very exotic system,” professor Mason Richey of Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies told Al Jazeera News on Friday.
“It probably runs only something around eight knots per hour, which is somewhere around 14 or 15 kilometers per hour. It’s probably quite vulnerable to anti-submarine warfare,” he said.
Richey thought the UUV test was probably a bit of theatrical “political signaling” to show North Korea remains infuriated by United States and South Korean military exercises. The United States, South Korea, and Japan conducted a large-scale three-day combined naval exercise off South Korea’s Jeju Island this week, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
The North Korean Defense Ministry issued a statement denouncing “the U.S. and its followers” for their “reckless acts of seriously threatening the security of the DPRK” and threatening “catastrophic consequences” if further such drills are held.
South Korean intelligence has long accused Pyongyang of exaggerating the capabilities of its UUV program, but it asked the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to “break the silence” on North Korea’s rapidly escalating weapons tests at an emergency session on Thursday.
The UNSC session was called to discuss North Korea’s test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday, the first provocative launch by Pyongyang in 2024.
The launch was particularly troubling because North Korea claims to have developed solid-fuel rocket engines, a system that can be prepared and launched much faster than liquid-fueled missiles. North Korea already has solid-fuel short-range missiles, but the intermediate-range weapon tested on Sunday could be capable of hitting U.S. bases in Guam or Okinawa.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood agreed with South Korea’s representatives that North Korea’s provocative weapons tests “are of great concern.”
Wood noted the North Korean tests are violations of UNSC sanctions, and asked “all Security Council members to enforce those resolutions.”
Former Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams Faces Lawsuit From Victims of IRA Bombings During ‘The Troubles’
Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams faces a lawsuit by three people who were wounded in bombings attributed to the Irish Republican Army that date back more than 50 years, a judge said Friday.
Adams can be sued as an individual but not as a representative of the IRA, Justice Michael Soole ruled. The judge also threw out a claim against the IRA, saying the group could not be sued because it was not a legal entity.
Adams is one of the most influential figures of Northern Ireland’s decades of conflict and led the IRA-linked party Sinn Fein between 1983 and 2018. He has always denied being an IRA member, though former colleagues have said he was one of its leaders.
The three claimants are seeking to prove Adams was responsible for bombings in England during “the Troubles,” referring to three decades of violence involving Irish republican and British loyalist militants and U.K. soldiers. Some 3,600 people were killed – most in Northern Ireland, though the IRA also set off bombs in England.
The three claimants are John Clark, a victim of the 1973 Old Bailey courthouse bombing in London, Jonathan Ganesh, a 1996 London Docklands bombing victim, and Barry Laycock, a victim of the 1996 Arndale shopping center bombing in Manchester. They allege Adams was a leading member of the IRA during those events and was on its decision-making Army Council.
Adams “acted together with others” to “bomb the British mainland” and was “directly responsible” for decisions to place devices in 1973 and 1996, they said in court.
If they prevail, they are seeking only 1 pound ($1.27) “for vindicatory purposes.”
The case is likely to be the one of the final court efforts by victims of the Troubles to seek any type of justice in court after the controversial Legacy and Reconciliation Act set a cut off last May to file lawsuits.Attorneys for the victims said this case – filed in 2022 – was the last to make it.The judge ruled that Adams cannot recover his lawyers’ fees if he wins at trial, though he’d be on the hook for paying the victims’ legal costs if he loses.
Adams had challenged that protection to claimants in personal injury cases. The bombing victims had said the move was an effort to bully them into dropping the case.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Ron DeSantis Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Donald Trump
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of the two remaining challengers to former President Donald Trump, dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday, before the New Hampshire primary, and endorsed Trump.
In a video DeSantis released from Florida on Sunday afternoon, he endorsed Trump over the last challenger—former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley—saying that while he has disagreements with Trump he thinks Trump is better than Haley and certainly better than Democrat President Joe Biden.
In the video, DeSantis said that after his second-place finish in Iowa–he finished ahead of Haley but far behind Trump–he and his family and team have “prayed and deliberated on the way forward.”
“If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome — more campaign stops, more interviews — I would do it,” DeSantis said. “But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”
Seconds later, DeSantis formally endorsed Trump.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis said. “They watched his presidency get stymied by relentless resistance and they see Democrats using lawfare to this day to attack him. While I have had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear — a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism — that Nikki Haley represents. The days of putting Americans last, of kowtowing to large corporations, of caving to woke ideology, are over.”
Top Republicans close to Trump are beginning to react to the news as well, with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)–an early Trump endorser who just this weekend on Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM 125 the Patriot Channel called on DeSantis and Haley to drop out so Republicans can unify behind Trump– praising DeSantis for the move:
Prosecutor in Trump Georgia Case Paid for Trips With Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Bank Records Show
A special prosecutor in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump paid for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to fly with him to San Francisco and Miami, court documents filed Friday show.
Detailed credit card statements included in the filing on behalf of Joycelyn Wade in her divorce case with special prosecutor Nathan Wade indicate that flights for both Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade were purchased together.
Ms. Wade has alleged that her husband had a romantic relationship with the Fulton County district attorney, who hired him to probe President Trump.
Last week, one of President Trump’s co-defendants in the election case, Ms. Willis has filed a motion seeking to avoid being deposed in the divorce proceedings, alleging that Ms. Wade has “conspired with interested parties” in the Trump case “to annoy, embarrass, and oppress” her.
Ms. Wade’s attorney pushed back against this on Friday, insisting that Ms. Wade seeks the Fulton County district attorney’s deposition “in order to determine details surrounding her romantic affair” with Mr. Wade, “as there appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship.”
“Contrary to Ms. Wills’s belief, the Defendant is not utilizing the deposition to harass her but rather to seek pertinent information from her husband’s paramour regarding her relationship with Plaintiff and the extent of the Plaintiff’s financial involvement in the same,” Ms. Hastings wrote.
made a similar accusation, claiming that the allegations have undermined the credibility of the racketeering indictment against them.
The bank statements disclosed in Friday’s filing suggest that Mr. Wade paid for Ms. Willis to travel with him at a time when prosecutors were actively investigating President Trump.
Flights from Atlanta to Miami on American Airlines were purchased on Oct. 4, 2022, and flights from Atlanta to San Francisco were bought on April 25, 2023, the bank statements show. Additional transactions at a Napa Valley hotel on May 14, 2023, were also recorded in the statements.
“The evidence is clear that Ms. Willis was an intended travel partner for at least some of these trips as indicated by flights he purchased for her to accompany him,” Andrea Hastings, an attorney for Ms. Wade, wrote in the filing.
Mr. Wade, an attorney with a private law firm, has argued at nearly every hearing in the Trump case since its inception.
Mike Roman, the Trump case defendant who originally brought to light the alleged relationship, alleged that Mr. Wade had been paid about $650,000 at a rate of $250 per hour with public funds and had received other funds that were used to pay for “lavish” vacations with Ms. Willis.
Washington Judge Orders Printing of Primary Ballots With Trump Included
Former President Donald Trump will appear on the primary ballot in Washington state following an order from Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson.
Judge Wilson dismissed the challenge to President Trump’s eligibility on Thursday, after Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bassett dismissed the same challenge on Tuesday, saying the petition should have been brought in Thurston County, which encompasses the state capital.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs praised the ruling. And as expected, the Trump Campaign praised the decision as well. The state primary will be held March 12, and officials have a Jan. 27 deadline to print ballots, which will first be mailed to overseas and military voters.
Experts are expecting the matter to ultimately be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court, which on Jan. 5 agreed to hear a related appeal filed by President Trump after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that he was disqualified under the Civil War-era statute. Some 40 amici briefs, including those filed by a group of 179 members of Congress and a group of 102 Colorado citizens, have been submitted, urging the high court to settle the matter definitively.
Recent rulings have highlighted the imminent decision by the Supreme Court.
Justice Department Confirms Authenticity of Hunter Biden Laptop, Says It Matches iCloud Data
Federal prosecutors have confirmed in a new court filing the authenticity of the infamous Hunter Biden laptop and that when investigators took possession of the device and searched it, they found its contents largely overlapped with records obtained from President Joe Biden’s son’s Apple iCloud account.
The new filing comes in Hunter Biden’s gun case in a federal court in Delaware, in which the president’s son faces three felonies in connection with allegations he made false statements to a gun dealer and possessed a firearm while being addicted to drugs.
Hunter Biden plead not guilty and is trying to get the gun charges thrown out, arguing that the case is a politically-driven “vindictive prosecution” and that special counsel David Weiss filed the charges due to Republican pressure.
Journalist Uncovers “Shadowy Network” Of NGOs Facilitating US Border Invasion
Journalist James O’Keefe uncovered a “shadowy network of secretive nonprofits” (some of which are funded by taxpayers) that are facilitating the invasion of illegals on the southern border.
O’Keefe said “Alita’s Angels” is a “brand-new nonprofit with no tax records on file” that operates inside an old Bank Building in the Arizona border town of Nogales.
We just followed the trail of the migrant vans right to the source, visiting the Arizona border town of Nogales, where we encountered some rude and suspicious “Alita’s Angels” NGO (@alitasangels) workers who once again called the police on us.
A volunteer with the American Red Cross, who wouldn’t give us his name, tried to prevent us from filming outside a migrant facility and kept sticking his hand over our cameras. Then, when we questioned a volunteer with the NGO, she said “I am your father” and stormed off.
Nogales Police officers showed up and questioned us after Alitas and Red Cross workers falsely accused us of using racial slurs and inhibiting their movement. We tried to get the officer’s first name but he refused to give it. When we FOIAed the bodycam footage, we were told Nogales police don’t use them.
A group called “Alita’s Angels” runs the facility, but they’re a brand-new nonprofit with no tax records on file. (We requested the documents, with no luck.) -O’Keefe
After Alitas, the migrants are crammed into busses like cattle to a processing facility an hour away in Tucson.
Once the migrants were boarded on the bus, we got a head start to meet them at a processing facility an hour away in Tucson, but once again, we couldn’t get anywhere near the building. The staff of the facility, run by Casa Alitas, threatened to call the cops again, but we managed to interview a local driver who does business at the facility and he gave us even more information. -O’Keefe
O’Keefe said, “A WORKER with Casa Alitas CONFIRMED TO OUR UNDERCOVER journalist that Casa Alitas was getting federal money.”
“These “Alitas” (http://alitasangels.com) groups are part of a shadowy network of secretive nonprofits funding the mass migration of millions of people into the country, without truly vetting asylum seekers’ claims and determining if they are eligible for refugee status,” the journalist continued.
Then Elon Musk chimed in on the X thread, asking: “Is the Red Cross supporting illegal immigration?” O’Keefe responded:
“@elonmusk Here, @RedCross is working right alongside Alitas putting illegal immigrants on busses and shipping them to location in Tucson where they are then shipped to phoenix sky harbor. Also, the Red Cross are the first in at child camps. They leave once a NGO is contracted.”
In a separate report from the news website Muckraker, NGOs provided illegals in South and Central America with critical maps to show routes to the southern US border. Americans need to wake up. These chilling reports may indicate the federal government is using taxpayer dollars to facilitate the largest invasion of the southern border ever. It’s becoming increasingly apparent why the Biden administration has yet to ‘properly’ secure the border:
“A lot of NGOs are helping Biden open the border to unlimited illegal crossing. But none of this could happen without the president’s approval,” Byron York, the chief political correspondent at the Washington Examiner, recently said.
An alarming video recorded by a witness on the ground in Florida shows the moment flames were shooting out from a Boeing plane mid-flight on Thursday night. The Boeing 747 cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami.
Melanie Adaros was out for a walk with her mother in southwest Miami when she noticed an airplane “shooting sparks.”
“There’s always planes flying overhead, but they’re little planes,” Adaros said. “But this didn’t sound like a little plane. It sounded very low, so I turned … You always see a plane going up or going down. This one was just at a steady level and it was shooting sparks. It was very surreal.”
Adaros decided to record the eye-opening spectacle because she was wondering, “Is it falling? Is it going to explode? It seemed to do a big, wide, swerving turn.”
Atlas Air Flight 95 took off from Miami International Airport at 10:32 p.m. but needed to make an emergency landing after the crew reported an engine failure. The plane touched down at 10:46 p.m. at Miami International Airport, according to FlightAware.
The Boeing 747 cargo plane was scheduled to travel to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico.
No injuries were reported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
A spokesperson for Air Atlas said the plane made a safe landing “after experiencing an engine malfunction soon after departure” and noted that “the crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA.”
Air Atlas said it would conduct an inspection to determine the cause of the malfunction.
The Federal Aviation Administration revealed that the plane had a “softball size hole” above its engine that failed mid-flight.
Atlas Air Worldwide offers air transport of cargo and “large-group passenger charters for celebrities or dignitaries,” according to its website.
Atlas Air features a fleet of Boeing 737s, 747s, 767s, and 777s.
Boeing declined to comment on the fiery incident and directed all media to Atlas Air instead.
This is the second scary predicament involving a Boeing plane this month.
Earlier this month, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines had a section of its fuselage blow out mid-flight.
The concerning situation caused the FAA to ground Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes.
The FAA said on Wednesday that it had inspected 40 737 MAX 9 planes. However, there are 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes in operation with Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.
“All 737-9 MAX aircraft with door plugs will remain grounded pending the FAA’s review and final approval of an inspection and maintenance process that satisfies all FAA safety requirements,” the civil air agency said in a statement. “Once the FAA approves an inspection and maintenance process, it will be required on every grounded 737-9 MAX prior to future operation. The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning these aircraft to service.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/21/colorado-town-newspapers-stolen
Nearly all the copies of a small-town Colorado newspaper were stolen from newspaper racks on the same day the Ouray County Plaindealer published a story about charges being filed over rapes alleged to have occurred at an underage drinking party at the police chief’s house while the chief was asleep, the owner and publisher said Friday.
Mike Wiggins vowed to get to the bottom of it, posting Thursday on X, formerly Twitter: “If you hoped to silence or intimidate us, you failed miserably. We’ll find out who did this. And another press run is imminent.”
The newspaper posted the story on social media and removed its website paywall so people could read about the felony sexual assault charges filed against three men, including a relative of the police chief, for actions that allegedly occurred at a May 2023 party in Ouray where drugs and alcohol were used, according to court records.
The suspects were ages 17, 18 and 19 at the time, and the person who reported the rapes was 17, records said.
By Thursday evening, someone had returned a garbage bag full of newspapers to the Plaindealer and supporters had donated about $2,000 to the paper, something Wiggins called “extremely heartening and humbling”.
Wiggins believed the person who returned the newspapers was the person who took them and that only one person was involved in the theft. Wiggins declined to identify the person, but he reported the information to police. Officers also had surveillance video of some of the thefts, he said.
Police identified a suspect who will be cited for the theft, the Ouray county sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on social media Friday.
“The suspect is not a member or relative of local law enforcement and not associated with the defendants in the recent reported sexual assault,” the statement said, adding that the Colorado bureau of investigation is investigating the sexual assault.
About 250 newspapers filled the racks Friday morning in Ouray county, a mountainous area in southwestern Colorado that is home to about 5,000 people.
“If somebody was going to try to make it so the public couldn’t read this story, we were going to make sure to counteract that,” Wiggins said.
The Ouray County Plaindealer is published on Thursdays and delivered to racks late Wednesday. Subscribers receive the paper in the mail.
The rack price for the weekly newspaper is $1, so someone spent $12 opening racks and removing all the newspapers. They missed one newspaper rack at a coffee shop, so about 200 papers were stolen, said Wiggins, who added he was glad the racks themselves weren’t damaged.
The newspaper plans to have a story in next Thursday’s edition about the theft of the papers and possibly a column explaining why they took it so seriously and reprinted the paper, Wiggins said.
“It’s strange to be writing about ourselves,” said Wiggins, who has owned and published the paper for nearly five years with his wife, Erin McIntyre. “We work very hard to make sure we are not the story.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
RECALL WARNING: ATTENTION SAM’S CLUB & COSTCO SHOPPERS …
CDC Expands Warning of Salmonella Infections Linked to Costco and Sam’s Club Products
The CDC has announced it’s expanding an investigation into an outbreak of salmonella in meat products sold at Costco and Sam’s Club, in particular, having to do with last week’s recall of charcuterie meats—Fratelli Beretta brand Antipasto Gran Beretta—for salmonella contamination has expanded to include a new brand that is sold at Costco. The recall and associated warnings were initially for Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler products sold at Sam’s Club.
In all, 47 people in 22 states have been sickened, while 10 people have been hospitalized in connection to the two products, the CDC said, which issued a “food safety alert” over the products. The CDC further said that the actual number of salmonella infections is likely higher and could be present in other states.
“Investigators are working to determine if any additional products may be contaminated,” the CDC also stated.
The 22 states where salmonella illnesses were reported in connection to the Sam’s Club and Costco-sold products, according to the CDC, include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Earlier in January, CDC officials reported that 24 illnesses and five hospitalizations occurred in 14 states.
The agency is now advising consumers and retailers not to purchase, sell, or consume either of the two sampler tray products. The meat trays come in twin packs that include Italian dry salami, dry coppa, prosciutto, and black pepper-coated dry salami, as well as prosciutto, sweet soppressata, and dry coppa, according to the CDC.
“While this investigation is ongoing, do not eat the Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler from Sam’s Club or Fratelli Beretta brand Antipasto Gran Beretta from Costco. Throw them away,” the CDC said. “Wash surfaces and containers that may have touched these products using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher.”
The salmonella cases linked to the Fratelli Beretta product were first founded by the Washington state Department of Health, according to a news release issued on Jan. 18.
The department said that consumers should “check your refrigerator and freezer for the Fratelli Beretta Antipasto Gran Beretta (sold by Costco) and the Busseto Charcuterie Sampler (sold by Sam’s Club), adding: “Throw them away or return them where you bought them.”
The CDC and state health department also advised consumers to call their health care provider right away if they have more severe symptoms, including a fever higher than 102 degrees F in combination with diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea for more than three days without signs of improvement, so much vomiting that they can’t drink liquids, as well as signs of dehydration. That includes dry mouth, dry throat, not as much urination, and feeling dizzy or lightheaded when standing.
Symptoms of the bacterial infection tend to start between six hours and six days after a person consumes the bacteria. Most people recover without treatment in four to seven days, officials say.
Antibiotics are often used to treat people with severe salmonella infections, while patients with diarrhea are advised to drink more fluids.
Is it simply another way to get more votes in November?
Biden Admin Cancels Another $4.9 Billion in Federal Student Loan Debt
The U.S. Department of Education on Friday said it’s canceling nearly $5 billion in federal student loan debt owed by some 73,600 borrowers, a majority of whom are public servants.
The announcement marks the the latest effort by the Biden administration to target specific groups of federal student loan borrowers by tweaking and expanding rules under existing relief programs, after the U.S. Supreme Court shot down its broader and more expensive debt cancellation plan.
Of those 73,600 beneficiaries announced on Friday, 43,900 are receiving $3.2 billion in student loan discharge through Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a program that erases outstanding student loan balances for those working in public service jobs like teachers, nurses, or police officers once they have made 10 years of qualifying payments.
In 2021, the Biden administration overhauled the Loan Forgiveness program, allowing hundreds of thousands of borrowers to get additional credit toward the final discharge.
The other $1.7 billion is going to 29,700 people currently enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. Under such a plan, the amount of monthly payment is adjusted based on the borrower’s income and family size, and the borrower may be eligible to have any remaining debt wiped out after a certain amount of time in repayment, typically after 20 years for those with undergraduate student loans and 25 years for those with graduate school loans.
According to the Education Department, those 29,700 borrowers have been in repayment for at least 20 years and have earned their eventual debt relief, but have not received it because loan servicers failed to “accurately account” for their payments.
Including Friday’s relief, the Biden administration has so far approved the cancellation of over $136 billion in student loan debt for more than 3.7 million people.
Ford Cuts Michigan Workforce for Electric Truck That Joe Biden Touted
Ford Motor Company is following through on plans to scale back production of its all-
electric F-150 Lightning pickup that President Joe Biden once touted.
On Friday, Ford executives announced that about 1,400 auto workers at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, would be moved to other manufacturing jobs at the company or offered retirement packages.
The workforce cuts come as Ford scales back production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning due to a lack of demand among American consumers.
In December, Ford executives told suppliers that they planned to only produce about 1,600 F-150 Lightnings a week at the Rouge facility — indicating a 50 percent reduction from its promised goal of producing 3,200 a week.
In May 2021, Biden met with Ford executives to promote the F-150 Lightning as part of his administration’s green energy agenda for the United States economy.
“This sucker’s quick,” Biden said while driving the pickup truck. When asked if he would buy the truck, Biden said, “I would” before touting the truck’s speed ability.
At the same time, Ford executives said they are hiring about 900 auto workers in Michigan to produce traditional gas-powered cars, indicating that such vehicles are in high demand against electric vehicles (EVs).
Ford’s cuts to EV production are yet another problem for the Biden administration, which is moving along with EV mandates in an attempt to force the cars on American consumers and automakers.
The latest Rasmussen Report survey, though, found that 65 percent of American adults said they were not likely to consider buying an EV when purchasing their next car — including 37 percent who stated they are “not at all likely” to buy an EV. Fewer than three in ten Americans said they would consider purchasing an EV.
A Consumer Reports survey conducted in late 2023 found that EVs have almost 80 percent more problems than gas-powered cars using traditional combustion engines.
US Existing Home Sales Fall to Near 30-Year Low
Sales of existing homes dropped last year to the lowest in 28 years even as property prices jumped to record highs, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)
Existing home sales declined to 4.09 million units in 2023, which is the lowest level since 1995, according to a Jan. 19 NAR press release. At the same time, the median price of homes hit a “record high” of $389,800. “Despite sluggish home sales, 85 million home owning households enjoyed further gains in housing wealth,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Obviously, the recent, rapid three-year rise in home prices is unsustainable.”
“If price increases continue at the current pace, the country could accelerate into haves and have-nots. Creating a path towards homeownership for today’s renters is essential. It requires economic and income growth and, most importantly, a steady buildup of home construction.”
In December, existing home sales declined from the previous month as well as from a year back. Meanwhile, the total housing inventory at the end of the month was 1 million units, down by 11.5 percent from November but up by over 4 percent in 2022.
Unsold inventory is now only enough to meet 3.2 months of supply at the current pace of sales, down from 3.5 months in November.
“The latest month’s sales look to be the bottom before inevitably turning higher in the New Year,” Mr. Yun said. “Mortgage rates are meaningfully lower compared to just two months ago, and more inventory is expected to appear on the market in upcoming months.”
Since the pandemic, home sales have seen ups and downs in accordance with changing mortgage interest rates. By the end of the first pandemic year in 2020, around 5.5 million homes were sold. This increased to six million in 2021 as mortgage rates declined.
However, beginning in early 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve began raising its benchmark interest rate, which also triggered a jump in mortgage rates, thereby making mortgages more expensive for prospective homeowners.
Between January 2022 and December 2023, the Fed raised its effective rate from 0.08 percent to 5.33 percent. During this time, the average weekly rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased from 3.22 to 6.61 percent. Home sales dropped to five million in 2022 and then to roughly four million last year.
VIDEO: American Airlines Flight Attendant Allegedly Used iPhone to Film Minors in Plane Restrooms
An American Airlines flight attendant allegedly recorded five minor girls while they used
plane restrooms during incidents that happened between January and September of 2023.
NBC Boston identified the suspect as 37-year-old Estes Carter Thompson III in its report Thursday, noting authorities launched an investigation after a 14-year-old girl said she found an iPhone taped to a toilet seat lid on a flight from Boston to Charlotte.
An image shows the suspect in the case. He no longer works for the airline, according to Queen City News:
The victim reportedly claimed she was waiting to use one of the restrooms on the plane when Thompson told her she could use the first-class one. Prior to her using it, the girl claimed he went inside the restroom to allegedly wash his hands for a few moments, the NBC report continued:
While using the bathroom, the victim saw stickers on the underside of the toilet seat that read “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT,” “REMOVE FROM SERVICE,” and “SEAT BROKEN.” Beneath those stickers, she found the phone. After she spotted the device, she took pictures of it on her own phone to show her parents. The victim told investigators that as soon as she left the lavatory, Thompson entered it.
The minor told her parents about the incident and they reported that information to other crew members. In addition, the father confronted the suspect who reentered the restroom.
Video footage shows an image of what appears to be the red and white stickers holding the phone onto the toilet seat, and the phone’s light appears to have been switched on:
Police met the suspect when the plane landed in Boston and it appeared the suspect’s phone had been reset to factory settings. However, officials reportedly found stickers similar to those allegedly seen in the restroom tucked inside his suitcase.
Thompson’s iCloud account also revealed he allegedly had recordings of victims who were 7, 9, 11, and 14 years old, along with photos of an unaccompanied minor.
“It is further alleged that hundreds of images of AI-generated child pornography were also found stored on Thompson’s iCloud account,” the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release Thursday.
According to the agency, Thompson was arrested in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Thursday and faces a charge of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography.
The family of the 14-year-old has since filed a lawsuit in the case, the NBC Boston report said.
“How the hell was this allowed to happen in the first place? This wasn’t an isolated occurrence. If the allegations are true in the DOJ’s press release, there was a serial pedophile flying around for months on American Airlines filming young girls,” the family’s attorney, Paul Llewellyn, told the outlet.
American Airlines has said it is working with officials investigating the allegations.
Publisher of Sports Illustrated Lays Off Magazine’s Entire Staff
The owner of Sports Illustrated has ended the employment of the publication’s entire
staff, leaving the very existence of the nearly 70-year-old magazine in doubt.
The licensing group that owns the sports mag has terminated its agreement with The Arena Group to continue publishing the magazine three weeks after Arena missed a $2.8 million payment, a deficit that breached the magazine’s licensing deal, according to Front Office Sports.
Authentic bought SI out from Meredith in 2019 for $10 million. If it continues publishing, the magazine will turn 70 years old this August.
An email announcing the decision says in part, “We were notified by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) that the license under which the Arena Group operates the Sports Illustrated (SI) brand and SI-
related properties had been officially revoked by ABG. As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand.”
“Some employees will be terminated immediately,” the statement continued, “and paid in lieu of the applicable notice period under the [the union contract]. Employees with a last working day of today will be contacted by the People team soon. Other employees will be expected to work through the end of the notice period and will receive additional information shortly.”
The union representing the Sports Illustrated employees responded by demanding that Arena continue publishing the magazine.
“We have fought together as a union to maintain the standard of this storied publication that we love and to make sure our workers are treated fairly for the value they bring to this company. It is a fight we will continue,” wrote Mitch Goldich, NFL editor and unit chair.
According to insiders, Authentic has been reaching out to all its various publications to discuss new plans going forward after Manoj Bhargava, the founder of 5-Hour Energy, took over the leadership of the publisher and licensing company.
It is not known if Authentic intends to take over Sports Illustrated and eliminate Arena or will allow Arena to try to renegotiate its deal.
Arena (which operated under the name Maven until 2021) agreed to pay Authentic $45 million in a 10- year licensing deal. But it appears that Authentic has been unhappy with the chaotic operations of the sports magazine, which has undergone multiple leadership changes, rounds of layoffs eliminating top staffers, and bouts with troubled articles written by artificial intelligence, as well as an emphasis on plus-sized models in the legendary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Arena also fired more than 1000 employees throughout its organization. These layoffs were instituted by Arena executives, its board of directors, and Jason Frankl of FTI Consulting.
“My immediate focus is to collaboratively design a growth-oriented media company, ensuring the financial stability necessary to cultivate and grow the brands we cherish,” Frankl said in a statement on Friday. “While this week’s layoffs were regrettably necessary, I look forward to sharing detailed plans soon.”
Gee … and here we thought In and Out Burger would go good next to this gas station!
Kum & Go Is Changing Its Name and You Know Why
Gas station and convenience store chain Kum & Go will reportedly rebrand after being bought out in 2023. The new owners are reportedly worried the double entendre in Kum & Go’s name could hurt its business prospects.
Established in Iowa in 1959, Kum & Go was acquired by FJ Management’s Maverik chain in April 2023 according to CSP Daily News. Initially, the Utah-based Maggelet family that owns FJ Management reportedly planned to rebrand only the Kum & Go locations in Maverik’s territory, and leave the rest of the network unchanged. However, its tone seemed to shi! late last year.
“I think there was some concern about the inadvertent double entendre of the Kum & Go name,” a source with knowledge of Maverik’s management told CSP Daily News.
“If you’re growing cross-regionally, which brand do you think will have more appeal to a new audience: Maverik or Kum & Go? No disrespect to Kum & Go, but the answer is pretty clear,” another told the outlet.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) filed a judicial complaint against the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud case, accusing him of issuing an “illegal” gag order against a candidate running in the presidential elections.
On Tuesday, the State of New York Court of Appeals dismissed President Trump’s appeal against a gag order related to his civil fraud trial in New York. The order was initially imposed by Justice Arthur Engoron on Oct. 3 after the former president accused a top clerk with the judge of being politically biased. The order prohibits the former president from making public statements about the judge’s staff. On Friday, Ms. Stefanik filed a judicial complaint against Judge Engoron with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
She challenged the New York Court of Appeals’ dismissal of President Trump’s appeal against the gag order. “The Court dodged addressing a crucial issue, which has ramifications for all New Yorkers. Simply stated, it is unacceptable that any judge in America would place an unconstitutional gag order on a defendant,” the complaint said.
Ms. Stefanik called Judge Engoron’s order “election interference” and said that “Illegally gagging a presidential candidate … is shocking and appalling.” She warned that the decision “undermines the public’s faith and confidence in our New York courts.”
“Judge Engoron’s political show trial is coming to a close, and I urge your office to stop this grotesque miscarriage of justice,” she requested.
HEALTH
Please note: The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional.
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Higher Risk of Early Onset Dementia
Forgetfulness and confusion, once considered normal signs of aging, are now increasingly striking adults at the peak of their careers. Rates of early-onset dementia and Alzheimer’s disease among Americans younger than 65 have inexplicably doubled between 2013 and 2017, according to data from Blue Cross Blue Shield, a health insurance provider.
Now, new research identifies vitamin D deficiency, which affects 35 percent of adults in the United States, among 15 adjustable lifestyle factors that appear to drive up a person’s early dementia risk. While the findings also highlight alcohol abuse and isolation, the surprising link between low vitamin D levels and early cognitive decline suggests a simple daily supplement may help the fight against this baffling rise.
The average age of someone between 30 and 64 years old living with either young-onset dementia or Alzheimer’s is 49, with women being disproportionately affected compared to men, according to the BCBS data.
In a recent large-scale study published in JAMA Neurology, researchers identified 15 lifestyle and health risk factors associated with early-onset dementia. The study analyzed information from over 356,000 people younger than 65 whose data were in the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research initiative in the United Kingdom, between 2006 and 2010.
“Young-onset dementia has a very serious impact, because the people affected usually still have a job, children, and a busy life,” Stevie Hendriks from the Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and lead author of the study said in the statement. “The cause is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don’t actually know exactly what the cause is.”
Major contributing risk factors included alcohol abuse, stroke, and hearing impairment—all previously identified as risks for cognitive decline.
However, the study also identified some additional risk factors associated with early-onset dementia that have not been previously explored in depth, including vitamin D deficiency, high levels of inflammatory C-reactive proteins, specifically in women, orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure that happens when standing after sitting), and social isolation.
One relevant study, published in the Alzheimer’s Association’s journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, compared dementia onset between people who took vitamin D supplements versus those who did not. The study included 12,388 Americans without a dementia diagnosis at baseline, with an average age of 71.
The study found that among those who developed dementia within 10 years, about 75 percent were non-supplement takers compared to only 25 percent who took vitamin D supplements. Supplementation provided greater protection for women, though it reduced dementia risk in both sexes.
Interestingly, the study found vitamin D seemed to offer more benefit if people supplemented it before there were signs of cognitive problems. “Vitamin D effects were significantly greater in females versus males and in normal cognition versus mild cognitive impairment,” the authors wrote.
Overall, the researchers associated vitamin D supplementation with a 40 percent lower incidence of dementia compared to no supplementation.
“However, the results of randomized controlled clinical trials of vitamin D interventions on cognitive performance have been mixed,” Ms. Sexton said, noting that further research is needed to confirm the link between vitamin D deficiency and dementia risk.
Chiropractic Care May Reduce the Need for Future Back Surgeries: Study
Every year, half a million Americans find themselves on the operating table for lumbar discectomies to combat debilitating lower back pain caused by herniated discs. Yet, the path to relief is not always straightforward—up to 14 percent of patients find themselves needing additional surgery, underscoring the complexities of effectively treating persistent back pain.
However, hope emerges from the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, where recent research indicates that chiropractic care could significantly slash the rates of secondary surgeries. Published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, the study casts a new light on the potential of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in the aftercare of lumbar discectomy.
Led by chiropractic physician Robert J. Trager, the research delved into the experiences of adults grappling with ongoing sciatica—a form of pain radiating along the sciatic nerve—post-surgery. Over a two-year observation, the study compared the outcomes of patients receiving SMT with those under standard medical care, uncovering the substantial impact of chiropractic intervention in reducing the need for further surgical interventions.
Patients in the chiropractic group showed a 45 percent reduction in the likelihood of needing another lumbar surgery compared to those in the standard care group. Notably, only 7 percent of patients undergoing chiropractic care required a second operation, against 13 percent in the control group.
In a press statement, Mr. Trager underlined the importance of the results but also urged prudent interpretation. “This is the largest study of its kind to date and shows promise for chiropractic spinal manipulation in this population. However, we need to be careful about interpreting the findings, considering it is an observational study.”
The study suggests that chiropractic care may be a valuable addition to post-surgical treatment plans. Its potential to reduce the need for another back surgery could alleviate the physical and emotional burden on patients and imply significant health care cost savings, as alluded to in the study.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Digital Kill Switches: How Tyrannical Governments Stifle Political Dissent
What’s to stop the U.S. government from throwing the kill switch and shutting down phone and internet communications in a time of so-called crisis?
After all, it’s happening all over the world.
Communications kill switches have become tyrannical tools of domination and oppression to stifle political dissent, shut down resistance, forestall election losses, reinforce military coups, and keep the populace isolated, disconnected and in the dark, literally and figuratively.
As the Guardian reports, “From Ukraine to Myanmar, government-run internet outages are picking up pace around the world. In 2021, there were 182 shutdowns in 34 countries… Countries across Africa and Asia have turned to shutdowns in a bid to control behaviour, while India, largely in the conflict-ridden region of Jammu and Kashmir, plunged into digital darkness more times than any other last year… Civil unrest in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan has triggered internet shutdowns as governments try to prevent political mobilisation and stop news about military suppression from emerging.”
In an internet-connected age, killing the internet is tantamount to bringing everything—communications, commerce, travel, the power grid—to a standstill.
Tyrants and would-be tyrants rely on this “cloak of darkness” to advance their agendas.
In Myanmar, for example, the internet shutdown came on the day a newly elected government was to have been sworn in. That’s when the military staged a digital coup and seized power. Under cover of a communications blackout that cut off the populace from the outside world and each other, the junta “carried out nightly raids, smashing down doors to drag out high-profile politicians, activists and celebrities.”
These government-imposed communications shutdowns serve to not only isolate, terrorize and control the populace, but also underscore the citizenry’s lack of freedom in the face of the government’s limitless power.
Yet as University of California Irvine law professor David Kaye explains, these kill switches are no longer exclusive to despotic regimes. They have “migrated into a toolbox for governments that actually do have the rule of law.”
This is what digital authoritarianism looks like in a technological age.
Digital authoritarianism, as the Center for Strategic and International Studies cautions, involves the use of information technology to surveil, repress, and manipulate the populace, endangering human rights and civil liberties, and co-opting and corrupting the foundational principles of democratic and open societies, “including freedom of movement, the right to speak freely and express political dissent, and the right to personal privacy, online and off.”
For those who insist that it can’t happen here, it can and it has.
In 2005, cell service was disabled in four major New York tunnels, reportedly to avert potential bomb detonations via cell phone.
In 2009, those attending President Obama’s inauguration had their cell signals blocked—again, same rationale.
And in 2011, San Francisco commuters had their cell phone signals shut down, this time, to thwart any possible protests over a police shooting of a homeless man.
With shutdowns becoming harder to detect, who’s to say it’s not still happening?
Although an internet kill switch is broadly understood to be a complete internet shutdown, it can also include a broad range of restrictions such as content blocking, throttling, filtering, complete shutdowns, and cable cutting.
As Global Risk Intel explains:
“Content blocking is a relatively moderate method that blocks access to a list of selected websites or applications. When users access these sites and apps, they receive notifications that the server could not be found or that access was denied by the network administrator. A more subtle method is throttling. Authorities decrease the bandwidth to slow down the speed at which specific websites can be accessed. A slow internet connection discourages users to connect to certain websites and does not arouse immediate suspicion. Users may assume that connection service is slow but may not conclude that this circumstance was authorized by the government. Filtering is another tool to censor targeted content and erases specific messages and terms that the government does not approve of.”
How often do most people, experiencing server errors and slow internet speeds, chalk it up to poor service? Who would suspect the government of being behind server errors and slow internet speeds?
Then again, this is the same government that has subjected us to all manner of encroachments on our freedoms (lockdowns, mandates, restrictions, contact tracing programs, heightened surveillance, censorship, overcriminalization, shadow banning, etc.) in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, preserve the integrity of elections, and combat disinformation.
These tactics have become the tools of domination and oppression in an internet-dependent age.
It really doesn’t matter what the justifications are for such lockdowns. No matter the rationale, the end result is the same: an expansion of government power in direct proportion to the government’s oppression of the citizenry.
According to Global Risk Intel, there are many motives behind such restrictions:
“For instance, the kill switch serves to censor content and constrain the spread of news. This particularly concerns news reports that cover police brutality, human rights abuses, or educational information. Governments may also utilize the kill switch to prevent government-critical protestors from communicating through message applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Twitter and organizing mass demonstrations. Therefore, internet restrictions can provide a way of regulating the flow of information and hindering dissent. Governments reason that internet limitations help stop the spread of fake news and strengthen national security and public safety in times of unrest.”
In this age of manufactured crises, emergency powers and technofascism, the government already has the know-how, the technology and the authority.
Now all it needs is the “right” crisis to flip the kill switch.
This particular kill switch can be traced back to the Communications Act of 1934. Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Act empowers the president to suspend wireless radio and phone services “if he deems it necessary in the interest of national security or defense” during a time of “war or a threat of war, or a state of public peril or disaster or other national emergency, or in order to preserve the neutrality of the United States.”
In the event of a national crisis, the president has a veritable arsenal of emergency powers that override the Constitution and can be activated at a moment’s notice. These range from imposing martial law and suspending habeas corpus to shutting down all forms of communications, restricting travel and implementing a communications kill switch.
That national emergency can take any form, can be manipulated for any purpose and can be used to justify any end goal—all on the say so of the president.
The seeds of this ongoing madness were sown several decades ago when George W. Bush stealthily issued two presidential directives that granted the president the power to unilaterally declare a national emergency, which is loosely defined as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.“
Comprising the country’s Continuity of Government (COG) plan, these directives (National Security Presidential Directive 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20), which do not need congressional approval, provide a skeletal outline of the actions the president will take in the event of a “national emergency.”
Just what sort of actions the president will take once he declares a national emergency can barely be discerned from the barebones directives. However, one thing is clear: in the event of a perceived national emergency, the COG directives give unchecked executive, legislative and judicial power to the president.
The country would then be subjected to martial law by default, and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights would be suspended.
The internet kill switch is just one piece of the government’s blueprint for locking down the nation and instituting martial law.
There may be many more secret powers that presidents may institute in times of so-called crisis without oversight from Congress, the courts, or the public. These powers do not expire at the end of a president’s term. They remain on the books, just waiting to be used or abused by the next political demagogue.
Given the government’s penchant for weaponizing 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, it’s only a matter of time before this particular emergency power to shut down the internet is activated.
Then again, an all-out communications blackout is just a more extreme version of the technocensorship that we’ve already been experiencing at the hands of the government and its corporate allies.
Packaged as an effort to control the spread of speculative or false information in the name of national security, restricting access to social media has become a popular means of internet censorship.
In fact, these tactics are at the heart of several critical cases before the U.S. Supreme Court over who gets to control, regulate or remove what content is shared on the internet: the individual, corporate censors or the police state.
Nothing good can come from techno-censorship.
As Glenn Greenwald writes for The Intercept:
“The glaring fallacy that always lies at the heart of pro-censorship sentiments is the gullible, delusional belief that censorship powers will be deployed only to suppress views one dislikes, but never one’s own views… Facebook is not some benevolent, kind, compassionate parent or a subversive, radical actor who is going to police our discourse in order to protect the weak and marginalized or serve as a noble check on mischief by the powerful. They are almost always going to do exactly the opposite: protect the powerful from those who seek to undermine elite institutions and reject their orthodoxies. Tech giants, like all corporations, are required by law to have one overriding objective: maximizing shareholder value. They are always going to use their power to appease those they perceive wield the greatest political and economic power.“
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, these censors are laying the groundwork to preempt any “dangerous” ideas that might challenge the power elite’s stranglehold over our lives.
Whatever powers you allow the government and its corporate operatives to claim now, whatever the reason might be, will at some point in the future be abused and used against you by tyrants of your own making.
By the time you add AI technologies, social credit systems, and wall-to-wall surveillance into the mix, you don’t even have to be a critic of the government to get snared in the web of digital censorship.
Eventually, as George Orwell predicted, telling the truth will become a revolutionary act.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) wants to know who at the Department of Treasury approved searches of Americans’ private financial accounts for transactions for “religious texts,” which books, if any, were singled out, and why such purchases were assumed to indicate that an individual was involved in “domestic violent terrorism.”
In a Jan. 19 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Adrea Gacki, director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Mr. Scott, who is the ranking Republican member on the Senate Banking Committee, said such searches “represent a flagrant violation of Americans’ privacy and the improper targeting of U.S. citizens for exercising their constitutional rights without due process.”
Mr. Scott asked Ms. Yellen and Ms. Gacki, “Which religious texts were flagged as potentially indicative of extremism?”
“On what basis did Treasury/FinCEN conclude that purchasing or possessing of religious texts may be indicative of extremism?” he asked. “Who made the decision for Treasury/FinCEN to warn financial institutions that religious texts may indicate extremism?”
Mr. Scott said “federal government efforts to target individuals and entities based on their political views is a blatant and egregious violation of our Constitution. Additionally, reported actions like these disrupt confidence in federal law enforcement and raise significant questions regarding the independence of federal financial regulators.”
The South Carolina Republican lawmaker’s demands were sparked by the House Judiciary Committee’s Jan. 17 release of documents describing a joint operation involving FinCEN, which is part of the Treasury Department, and the FBI, in which federal officials encouraged the searches, with the results to be shared with the government.
The “religious texts” search term was among many federal officials asked financial institutions to use following the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, a congressional source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Epoch Times on Jan. 18. Other terms that banks, credit card companies, and financial firms were asked to use in the searches included “MAGA” and “Trump,” according to the House Judiciary Committee.
“Freedom of Religion is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution,” House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told The Epoch Times. “It should frighten every American that the federal government is watching people based on their purchases. This is as wrong as it gets and we will continue to expose this blatant attack on faith and civil liberties.”
Multiple religious liberty advocates also told The Epoch Times the searches represent a serious threat to constitutional liberties.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Geoengineering Watch Global Alert News, January 20, 2024, #441
The January chemical ice nucleation flash freeze of the US is about to be followed up by a weather whiplash record warm temperature rebound. The planet’s life support systems are broken, climate intervention operations are radically accelerating the process.
The First Full Moon of 2024—The ‘Full Wolf Moon’—Will Soon Rise, But Why Is It Called That?
The eerily mysterious sounding name “Full Wolf Moon” denotes the full moon that occurs every January—the first full moon of the year! The first thing one might ask about this moon is how it got its ominous-sounding moniker that seems more fitting for Halloween.
Packs of wolves were heard howling outside villages in Colonial American times, and traditionally it was thought this was from hunger during the winter months, according to Farmer’s Almanac. But in fact, today it is known that wolves howl for myriad reasons: to define territory, solidify social bonds, locate members of the pack, and coordinate hunting activities.
Nor is January’s full moon necessarily special for having such a name—all calendar months have their own moons and associated names, such as the Worm Moon in March and Strawberry Moon in June. Such names do not denote just the full moon either, but their entire respective lunar month.
Traditionally, various cultures have named full moons to match the seasons in which they fall. Besides Wolf Moon, it has been given other names: In parts of Canada, where the sound of cracking is heard in the trees during winter, this moon was referred to as the Frost Exploding Moon by the Woodland Cree people. It was given the name Spirit Moon by the Ojibwe, connecting it with the aurora borealis as well as a time of prayer and reflection.
And the list of popular nicknames goes on. Countless other cultures have linked this moon with winter season: According to Farmer’s Almanac, it was called the Cold Moon by the Cree, the Freeze Up Moon by the Algonquin, and Severe Moon by the Dakota.
As for when the Full Wolf Moon will rise in January, one might ask, is it too late to view it? No, it’s not too late.
The Full Wolf Moon will fall next week on Thursday, January 25, at exactly 12:54 p.m. EST—which is in the middle of the day in most of North America.
But, not to worry, the moon will still look quite full indeed later that night, after it rises just minutes before sunset; you will see it rising in the east as the sun sets in the west. (In New York moonrise will be at 4:56 p.m. and sunset 5:06 p.m.) It will also appear to be almost, but not quite, full on the nights before and after that.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
A NO DIG, NO TILL LASAGNA BED GARDEN
This is a great no-dig, no-till organic gardening method that will give you rich soil, and best of all, it’s easy to build & maintain. The name “Lasagna Gardening” is actually the method of building the garden. You will add layers of organic material that “decompose” over time, and the result will be soil that will help your plants thrive. It’s great for the environment, because you use your yard and kitchen waste, and then compost it to make a new garden.
If you don’t feel like doing all the Garden work to clean up your Garden now, then this might be for you, or for your Spring Garden in 2024. One of the best things about Lasagna Gardening is how easy it is. You don’t have to remove existing sod and weeds from your Garden. You don’t have to double dig. In fact, you don’t have to work the soil at all. The first layer of your Lasagna Garden consists of cardboard laid directly on top of the grass or weeds in the area you’ve selected for your garden. Wet this layer down to keep everything in place and start the decomposition process.
The grass or weeds will break down fairly quickly because they will be smothered by the cardboard, as well as by the materials you’re going to layer on top of them. This layer also provides a dark, moist area to attract earthworms that will loosen up the soil as they tunnel through it.
Anything you’d put in a compost pile, you can put into a Lasagna Garden. The materials you put into the garden will break down, providing nutrient-rich, crumbly soil in which to plant.
The following materials are all perfect for Lasagna Gardens:
Leaves
Grass Clippings
Fruit and Vegetable Scraps
Coffee Grounds
Tea leaves/ tea bags
Weeds
Manure
Compost
Hay or Straw
Shredded newspaper or mail
Pine needles
Trimmings from the garden
You’ll want to alternate layers of “BROWNS” such as leaves, shredded newspaper, peat, and pine needles with layers of “GREENS” such as vegetable scraps, garden trimmings, and grass clippings. In general, you want your “brown” layers to be about twice as deep as your “green” layers. What you want at the end of your layering process is a two-foot tall layered bed. You’ll be amazed at how much this will shrink down in a few short weeks.
You can make a Lasagna Garden at any time of year. To maintain the garden, simply add mulch to the top of the bed in the form of straw, grass clippings, or chopped leaves. Once it’s established, you will care for a lasagna garden just as you would any other. While you will be maintaining it the same way you would care for any other garden, you will find that caring for a Lasagna Garden is less work-intensive. You can expect:
FEW WEEDS…..thanks to the cardboard suppressing them from below and the mulch covering the soil from above.
BETTER WATER RETENTION…..due to the fact that compost (which is what you made by layering all of those materials) holds water better than regular garden soil, especially if your native soil is sandy or deficient in organic matter.
LESS NEED TO HAVE TO FERTILIZE….. because you planted your garden in almost pure compost, which is very nutrient-rich.
SOIL EASY TO WORK…..crumbly, loose, and fluffy.
Lasagna Gardening is fun, easy, and allows you to make a new Garden at a much faster rate than the old double-digging method. Now, your only problem will be finding some good HEIRLOOMS SEEDS to fill your new garden!
Get your Heirloom seeds from The Power Mall today!
Orpington Chicken: A Backyard Pet with Benefits
If you’re looking for the Golden Retriever of chickens, think Orpingtons! The original Orpingtons were bred with black feathers that wouldn’t show soot during the industrial coal era in England. That made them an excellent urban meat bird with good laying potential.
Today Orpingtons come in a range of colors and are bred for better egg production and a docile disposition. With their amiable natures and ability to thrive in confinement or on protected pasture, these loyal, lush, and loveable chickens offer lots more than golden-brown eggs. They’re the classic choice for kid-friendly pet layers with stew pot potential.
The Orpington chickens are named for the town in Kent, England where they were initially bred. There, in 1886, a chicken enthusiast named William Cook crossed Minorca roosters with Black Plymouth Rock hens. Then those offspring were bred to the clean legged Langshan chicken that only arrived in England from the Langshan region of China 14 years prior in 1872. [1] The resulting chicken helped rekindle dwindling interest in chicken breeding. Those original Orpingtons were easy to manage, black-feathered, fast-growing meat birds that dressed well or worked as productive winter egg layers.
Later, as Orpingtons increased in popularity, William Cook introduced other colors including White, Buff, Jubilee (Speckled), and Spangled (Mottled). Additionally, Cook’s family members introduced Blue and Cuckoo (colored with white stripes) Orpingtons to the color line-up.
To date, only the Buff (1902), Black (1905), White (1905), and Blue (1923) Orpingtons have been accepted as breeds or varieties by the American Poultry Association (APA) with established Standards of Perfection. [2] Bantam Orpingtons of the same four colors are also recognized by the APA.Full-size Orpingtons are more common and easy to find. They’re also the more practical choice for homesteaders since they lay more normal-sized eggs, have better meat potential, and make more manure for the garden than the bantam-sized ornamental Orpingtons.
Full-sized Orpington chickens are considered dual-purpose or equally useful for eggs and meat. They’re good layers with production ranging between 170-280 eggs depending on color and breeder. Their light brown eggs also range in size from medium to large depending on lineage.
Orpingtons have relatively large breasts and thighs for a heritage breed. They also have light colored skin and easy to pluck feathers that make them easier to dress out as meat bird. However, compared to meat-type chickens, Orpington chickens size up slowly and aren’t as feed efficient. As such, their use as a meat breed is usually reserved for extra roosters and non-productive laying hens.
Homeschooling for beginners: 5 first steps
Have you resolved to remove your kids from the public school system yet?
In “Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late” (2019, Regnery Press), Mary Rice Hasson and Theresa Farnan sounded a wake-up call to parents with children in public schools: “The truth is that nearly everything in America’s public schools — the culture, discipline, curriculum hiring practices, school policies, even the names of schools themselves — is determined by progressive ideologues, both inside and outside the school systems. … Public education has been incredibly successful in one area: churning out youthful progressives — growing numbers of men and women in the grips of existential confusion, perpetual victimhood, and political intolerance” (p. xii).
Since their book’s publication, the situation has only become more tenuous, more ideologically insane, and more challenging for conservative — or even centrist — parents. There are some good arguments for staying in, but thousands have heeded Hasson’s advice in the meantime. Whether or not that’s a leap you want to take, understanding your options remains important.
And if you do want to homeschool, below is a step-by-step guide to getting started.
- Meet legal requirements
Before getting into the question of how you’ll teach your kids, familiarize yourself with the more basic logistical problem of abiding by local laws. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association provides information on homeschooling laws in each state and offers legal support for homeschooling families.
- Pick an educational approach
Once you understand the legal landscape of your locale, it’s time to explore the best pedagogical style for your family, which can depend on various factors such as your educational philosophy, teaching style, and the specific needs of your family. Research different approaches to homeschooling. The most popular include Charlotte Mason, the eclectic approach, Waldorf, Montessori, classical, and unit studies.
- Find your friends
While determining which educational philosophy best fits your family’s needs, it’s important to talk to parents who are actually engaged in the non-abstract act of homeschooling in order to get an even clearer sense of what to expect and to tap into pre-existing homeschool networks. We weren’t meant to do it alone, and friends have a way of keeping one another accountable and inspired.
- Choose curriculum
It’s important to refrain from running out to buy a curriculum before you feel fully prepared. Take some time to marinate in the other steps before spending any money. All-in-one boxed sets seem promising, but they are expensive, and you may very well end up using only a part of them, or not at all. This is where friendly input will matter most.
In that spirit, here are several homeschool curricula recommended to me by experienced mothers in my church community. They combine the teaching philosophies of classical education and Charlotte Mason, conformed to the Catholic tradition. These include Seton Home Study School, Mother of Divine Grace School, and Mater Amabilis.
- Begin
Ryan Topping writes for the Cardinal Newman Society, “Insofar as homeschooling habituates parents and siblings to make room for each other, they win opportunities to practice charity. By the subordination of their finances and their time and their sweat to the great project of educating their children, they are particularly suited to the building up of Catholic culture in our time through embracing new life and nurturing the children that come to them.” The same is true for the more specific American culture that has been systematically undermined from the inside out, beginning in our public schools. The new frontier is our own front stoop; if only we practice the courage to begin!
2ND AMENDMENT
Pennsylvania Gun Restrictions for Adults Under 21 Struck Down by Federal Court
Pennsylvania’s ban on adults under 21 carrying guns in public violates the U.S. Constitution, a federal court ruled on Jan. 18.
The Constitution’s Second Amendment, which says that “the people” have the right to “keep and bear arms,” applies to all adults, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit panel said in a split decision.
“The words ’the people’ in the Second Amendment presumptively encompass all adult Americans, including 18- to-20-year-olds, and we are aware of no founding-era law that supports disarming people in that age group,” U.S. Circuit Judge Kent Jordan wrote for the majority.
In a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the nation’s top court found that gun restrictions must be “consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
Pennsylvania law bars carrying guns in a concealed manner in public without a license. People under 21 cannot apply for a permit.
While most Pennsylvania adults are typically allowed to carry guns openly in public, only those who met certain criteria, such as having a license, were able to do so legally once a state of emergency was declared for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those restrictions violated the constitutional rights of adults under 21, plaintiffs argued in a lawsuit filed in 2020.
U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV ruled against them in 2021. He said that per guidelines outlined in a 2008 Supreme Court decision, the restrictions were “longstanding” and “presumptively lawful” and thus fell “outside the scope of the Second Amendment.”
The Firearms Policy Coalition and the other plaintiffs appealed, arguing the ruling was wrong. When the Supreme Court issued its 2022 ruling, the plaintiffs notified the appeals court. The 2022 ruling established that the right of adults to carry guns in public “is squarely protected by the Second Amendment” and Pennsylvania “has not carried its burden in proving that the State’s restrictions as to 18-to-20-year-olds are analogous to any historical restrictions,” the plaintiffs said.
Pennsylvania officials argued that the regulations still fell outside the scope of the Constitution, in part because adults aged 18 to 20 are not part of “the people” and should not be struck down.
Judge Jordan, in the new ruling, said that’s not true.
“18-to-20-year-olds are, like other subsets of the American public, presumptively among ’the people’ to whom Second Amendment rights extend,” he wrote.
That means Pennsylvania officials would have to identify historical laws that limited the population’s gun rights, and they did not do so, the judge added. In fact, an act passed by Congress shortly after the Second Amendment was ratified required all men to enroll in a militia when they turned 18. They were then armed.
“We understand that a reasonable debate can be had over allowing young adults to be armed, but the issue before us is a narrow one. Our question is whether the Commissioner has borne his burden of proving that evidence of founding-era regulations supports Pennsylvania’s restriction on 18-to-20-year-olds’ Second Amendment rights, and the answer to that is no,” Judge Jordan said.
U.S. Circuit Judge D. Brooks Smith joined with Judge Jordan. Both were appointed by former President George W. Bush, while Judge Stickman was appointed by former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Circuit Judge L. Felipe Restrepo, appointed under former President Barack Obama, offered a dissent.
“There is no dispute that there is some age threshold before which the protection of the Second Amendment does not apply,” Judge Restrepo wrote, adding later that consultation with various sources led him to believe that “the scope of the right, as understood during the Founding-era, excludes those under the age of 21.”
The decision reversed the earlier ruling against the plaintiffs.
COVID RELATED NEWS
CDC Drafted Alert for Myocarditis and COVID-19 Vaccines, but Never Sent It
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prepared to alert state and local officials to an emerging connection between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines, but ultimately did not send the alert, according to a new document obtained by The Epoch Times.
All four COVID-19 vaccines that are or have been available in the United States can cause the heart inflammation, or myocarditis, according to studies, experts, and agencies like the CDC. The first cases were reported shortly after the vaccines became available in late 2020.
The CDC sends alerts to federal, state, and local public health officials and doctors across the nation through a system called the Health Alert Network (HAN). Messaging through the system conveys “vital health information,” according to the CDC.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are made with modified messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.
The draft alert was attached to the email. The Epoch Times is working to acquire the draft alert.
“This censorship of a proposed alert in May of 2021 is just one more example of our regulatory agencies’ repeated pattern of behavior to censor any information that serves to counter the narrative that the COVID-19 vaccinations are ’safe and effective,’” Dr. Joel Wallskog, co-chair of the vaccine-injured advocacy group React19, told The Epoch Times via email.
The CDC started receiving reports of post-vaccination myocarditis in January 2021 and either failed to detect or ignored a safety signal for myocarditis and the mRNA shots the following month, previous reporting from the Epoch Times showed. The agency also hid a warning from Israel, the country that first vaccinated young people, who face the highest risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccination.
COVID Vaccines Could Trigger Vasculitis, Damaging Multiple Organs
Various diseases associated with COVID-19 vaccines have been reported. A recent case study indicated that COVID-19 vaccination may trigger the development of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, potentially damaging multiple organs. Among 29 patients, five underwent plasmapheresis treatment (the separation and replacement of plasma from blood), and five relied on dialysis therapy.
ANCA-associated vasculitis can cause damage to small blood vessels. Since these are distributed throughout the body, any part of the body can be affected, with the most common areas being the lungs, kidneys, joints, ears, nose, and nerves.
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that aids the body in fighting infection and healing injuries. ANCA are harmful autoantibodies that bind to neutrophils in the blood, releasing toxic substances and damaging the walls of small blood vessels. This can also result in the migration of neutrophils through blood vessel walls, inducing inflammation in the surrounding tissues. Additionally, it releases signaling factors that attract even more neutrophils, perpetuating inflammation and further damaging small blood vessels.
An increasing number of reports indicate that widespread vaccination has led to the development of vasculitis in some people, resulting in damage to multiple organs.
A case-based review reported five types of COVID-19 vaccines linked to ANCA-associated vasculitis.
The study included cases from 29 patients, with 22 receiving mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer), four receiving AstraZeneca, two receiving Covaxin, and one receiving Johnson & Johnson. They all exhibited symptoms of ANCA-associated vasculitis after receiving one of these COVID-19 vaccines.
Specifically, 22 patients exhibited kidney damage, manifested as new-onset or recurrent glomerulonephritis. At least 24 individuals presented with hematuria. Ten experienced lung damage, with five cases involving alveolar hemorrhage. One person developed optic neuritis, and another had auricular chondritis. These are manifestations of organ damage following vaccine administration.
CANCEL CULTURE
Let’s play the victim again, shall we? And what race dominates NFL teams?
NFL Announces ‘Black National Anthem’ Will Be Performed at Super Bowl
The NFL has announced that the pregame entertainment for Super Bowl LVIII will include the performance of a song known colloquially as the “Black National Anthem,” drawing mixed reactions and stirring debate on social media and beyond.
Grammy-winning R&B singer Andra Day will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” unofficially known as the “Black National Anthem,” ahead of the Super Bowl game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 11, the NFL said in a Jan. 18 announcement.
The song, written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, served as a rallying cry for black Americans during the civil rights era. Ms. Day took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post her reaction to the NFL’s announcement.
“Peace & Blessings!!! Performing the Anthem at the SuperBowl yall! Grateful! Thank You God,” she wrote.
While Ms. Day’s reaction to the NFL’s announcement was understandably positive, reactions on X to the NFL’s post were mixed.
Some reactions online to news that Ms. Day would be singing the “Black National Anthem” at the Super Bowl were positive, with some people praising the lineup.“That’s a good lineup! Love it,” one user commented in a post on X.
Country music legend Reba McEntire will perform the national anthem at the pre-game show, while musician Post Malone will deliver a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
There were plenty of negative reactions to the NFL’s decision to include “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the pre-game show, however.
Some people suggested it sows division because there already is a national anthem for everyone.
“No need for a separate national anthem for the black community,” one user wrote. “Don’t need a ‘black’ national anthem and an ‘everyone else’ national anthem. Our national anthem is called that for a reason—it’s for all Americans.”
Another user said they found “Lift Every Voice and Sing” a “beautiful song” but added they would rather have no anthem at all performed at the Super Bowl “than two divided on race.”
Introducing the most racist movie of 2024
Hollywood has been caught up in the downward spiral of wokeness for some time now, and it looks like 2024 will be no different. In fact, it may even get worse this year.
Lauren Chen claims she was just introduced to what is undoubtedly “the most racist movie [she’s] ever seen.”
It’s called “The American Society of Magical Negros,” which revolves around an organization the entire job of which “is to, through magic, keep white people happy and comfortable because apparently it makes the world safer for black people,” she groans.
The trailer alone will shock you. Here’s just one line from it:
“What’s the most dangerous animal on the planet?” “Shark?”
“White people when they feel uncomfortable.”
“Could you imagine if the races were reversed here? If there was a film that was actually saying, ‘What is the most dangerous animal on the planet?’ and the answer was black people? Like, in no universe would that be okay,” says Lauren, pointing out the glaring double standard.
“In 2024, I’m just done with this narrative. I’m done with the idea that black people are just victims. And I’m definitely done with the idea that white people are just evil and it’s okay to hate on them.”
And according to YouTube ratings for the trailer, apparently, a lot of people agree.
At the time Lauren filmed this review, the trailer had “6,700 up-votes on YouTube and a whopping 98,000 down-votes.” Further, on X, the discourse surrounding the trailer was “brutally ratioed by both white and black people.”
“Clearly, the people behind this film were trying so hard to pander to a black audience with all this hating on white people and lifting up black actors and, presumably, also a black filmmaker, but if you look on black Twitter … they’re not happy.”
To hear more of Lauren’s analysis and see what people are saying about “The American Society of Magical Negros,” watch the video below.
‘F*** these cops’: New York woman runs car into police officer who suffers fractured arm and leg
A woman in New York City apparently ran into a police officer with her vehicle in Manhattan on Wednesday. Authorities noted that the woman said she did it on purpose. She is now being charged with vehicular assault, according to the New York Post.
Sahara Dula, 24, was driving the wrong way on a road in the Upper East Side near a crime scene when the incident occurred. The police were dealing with a group that had stolen from a high-end clothing store when Dula appeared on the road.
When a police officer told Dula to pull over, she apparently rammed into the officer with her black Lexus, according to the report.
“I told the cop I wanted to go straight, and he wouldn’t move, so I hit him. I did it on purpose,” Dula told investigators, according to court documents. The Daily Caller reported part of the road in the area was blocked off because of the robbery.
“F*** these cops! He wouldn’t move!” she reportedly screamed following the incident. “F*** these cops, it’s a lesson to him, and hopefully he doesn’t want to be a cop anymore,” she apparently added.
The New York Police Benevolent Association posted to X: “Another night, another hospital emergency room, this time with our brother police officer who was run down on the Upper East Side. Thankfully he will be OK, but we need all NYers to help us protect the cops who protect your neighborhood.”
Dula was arrested and taken into custody after the tragic incident. Fox News Digital reported court documents show she is being charged with “first-degree attempted assault, attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer, second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment and operating a vehicle while ability impaired by drugs and reckless driving.”
During Dula’s Friday arraignment, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Lucy Shephard said she “admitted to smoking marijuana.” Marijuana and rolling papers were discovered in her vehicle at the time of the incident.
Judge John Zhuo Wang reportedly set Dula’s bail at $25,000, but she did not make bail right away.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry commented on the situation, saying: “We’re glad that this individual is being kept in jail, but we don’t understand why she isn’t being charged with attempted murder.”
“This was a vicious attack. She intentionally tried to run over a New York City police officer. This leniency is why thousands of police officers are being assaulted and attacked on a daily basis.”
PET NEWS
In the dead of night, rescue dog King busted out of his kennel before trying to get his buddies out and having a party.
The husky’s big escape took place at Lost Our Home Pet Rescue in Tempe, Arizona, where he was caught on camera somehow managing to slip out of his enclosure and then attempting to open the other doors.
When that failed, the canine mastermind set about searching for food and drink, making a huge mess, and enjoying his taste of freedom. It was a little after midnight when the breakout took place and the alarm instantly went off, alerting rescue founder Jodi Polanski.
“He was brought in from the Tempe Police Department as a stray,” Ms. Polanski told The Epoch Times, “and he was only in the shelter for a couple of hours when he did his big escape.
“So, it was not very long before he started his antics like, ‘I’m out of here.’ First, he got out of his kennel, and then he was in the room where all the kennels are. He tried to get his friends out then he gave up and got himself out into the main room.
“He decided to get some food and get some water and knock some things over and have a party and go back in trying to get his friends out again, just sort of walking around having fun and running the place. So that’s what he was doing; just hanging out, drinking, eating, trying to get some friends to join him.”
Ms. Polanski knew someone from the police department would already be on the way, but she called the non-emergency line to make sure the officer knew a big dog was on the other side of the door. The officer arrived on the scene within minutes, and from the moment he arrived, he was as cool as a cucumber.
“He got in the door, got it shut without King getting out, and was just a pro,” Ms. Polanski said.
King, for his part, was overjoyed to have company, jumping up and wagging his tail excitedly. After calmly leading the excited escape artist back to his bed, the officer got to work cleaning up.
“That was the part I found out about the next morning when I saw some video footage of how clean it was,” Ms. Polanski said.After local media reported the story and Lost Our Home Pet Rescue posted it to social media, a lot of people commented on how good and thorough the officer’s cleaning skills were.
“Oh, everybody’s really enjoying it,” Ms. Polanski said. “Lots of laughs, lots of really great comments. One of the comments I loved was where somebody said that ’the cop busted the party but then cleaned up all the evidence.’ They’re just funny.”
Even better, working with one of the organization’s program partners, King was adopted by a new, caring owner within the week.
“I was trying to find the owner—there’s a whole process involved in trying to locate the original owner. If the owner doesn’t show up, though, they aren’t kept there forever waiting,” she said.
Ms. Polanksi says she informed the potential new adopters about what had happened in the kennels, so they would know what they were getting into. “They know he’s an escape artist,” she said.
The organization, founded in 2008, started as a grassroots rescue and has continued to grow. Its most well-known activity is a temporary care program, whereby Lost Our Home takes care of people’s pets for up to four months while they’re in a crisis situation.King entered the rescue’s care under its Tempe Police Department program, which sees strays picked up by on-duty officers brought into safety. Over the last 15 years, the nonprofit has helped in the region of 34,000 animals. Lost Our Home Pet Rescue is appealing for dry food donations and large dog fosters.
GOOD NEWS
ICYMI
Alec Baldwin Indicted by Grand Jury in ‘Rust’ Shooting
Actor Alec Baldwin was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury over the 2021 death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a prop gun fired a live round and struck her, according to court documents.
According to several media outlets, the move to indict Mr. Baldwin was confirmed Friday after the grand jury heard evidence presented by special prosecutors. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Specifically, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter—negligent use of a firearm—or, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter—without due caution or circumspection—reported ABC News. Both are fourth-degree felonies.
His lawyers suggested to several news outlets Friday that they would fight the charge. “We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin lawyers Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas said in a statement.
The “30 Rock” actor’s initial involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped in April 2023. At the time, prosecutors said they could be brought again, however.
“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter as well. She faces an additional charge of evidence tampering.
Science Teacher Finds Airliner Door That Blew Out of Alaska Flight, Fell in His Backyard in Oregon
Bob Sauer grasps the physics of how a door blown out of an Alaska Airlines flight landed unscathed in his backyard earlier this month.
“I think one of the reasons was that the door came down through my trees in the backyard. They are cedar trees,” Mr. Sauer, 64, a high school science teacher at Caitlin Gabel in Portland, told The Epoch Times.
Cedar trees, he said, have “very bendable branches, and so they would have softened the fall quite a bit.” There are other factors in the air, too.
Why or how a mechanism consisting of 12 stop fittings could fail, causing a panel next to a row of passengers to blow out of the airplane, is being investigated by members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Similar to how a bank vault works, those bolt-like fittings should have held the door plug (as the removable panels are called) securely to the rest of the aircraft.
What happened instead was a disaster in row 26 of Alaska Airlines 1282, shortly after takeoff at 5 p.m., on January 5. The flight departed from Portland, Oregon, bound for Ontario, California, and was carrying 177 passengers and crew along with 18,900 pounds of fuel.Passengers reported hearing a loud “boom” and imagined the worst. The sudden depressurization as a panel inside the plane blew out at an altitude of 16,000 feet caused loose articles, a table tray, and a headrest to get sucked out along with the shirt off a young boy’s back, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters.
The Boeing 737 MAX 9 turned back and made an emergency landing.
“It was on the news all weekend, I knew it happened in Portland,” Mr. Sauer, who lives in West Haven-Sylvan neighborhood, told the newspaper. “But it didn’t occur to me that it would be anywhere near me.”
On Sunday, a neighbor called him and mentioned how cell phones falling from the air had been found close by his yard.
It was 8 p.m. and dark by then. “I took the flashlight out, and there was nothing in the front yard,” he said. The tall cedar trees in the backyard that he and his children had planted 20 years ago cast dark shadows.
“In the flashlight beam I saw something white and gleaming underneath the row of cedar trees at the back of the property,” Mr. Sauer said, adding that this “was very unusual, there shouldn’t have been anything like that back there.”
He said, “As I got closer to it, my heart started beating faster.”
A telltale airplane-style window and the object’s distinct curvature—like an airplane’s fuselage—meant only one thing. “It was indeed the part,” he said. “It was incredible to me that this thing I’d been hearing about all weekend had fallen in my backyard.”
A piece that weighed approximately 65 pounds, the science teacher guesses, and measured 4 by 2 feet had landed without any noticeable signs of impact on the ground—probably because the trees acted as a cushion, he surmised.
NTSB investigators were already searching for the missing door plug. They had received a report from someone who found something earlier that day but, upon inspection, the team determined it was just a fluorescent light fixture.
When Mr. Sauer called in his discovery to the NTSB’s 24-hour hotline in Washington D.C. and sent pictures, they confirmed it was the missing airplane part.
An NTSB spokesperson heard the news and ran back to a press conference to announce that a teacher named Bob, from Portland, had found the door.
Rick Harrison’s son dead at 39, heartbroken ‘Pawn Stars’ reality TV star breaks silence
Pawn Stars” reality star Rick Harrison broke his silence about the sudden death of his son.
Adam Harrison – the son of the creator of the “Pawn Stars” – died suddenly at the age of 39.
Laura Herlovich – the public relations representative for the reality television star – confirmed the death of Adam Harrison with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday. Herlovich said Harrison’s son died from an overdose. No other details about the sudden death have been made available to the public.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2191-SW-Zack-Wheat-Dr-Polo-MO-64671/252368496_zpid/
In an era where even technology titans are grabbing headlines for their investments in personal safety, such as his end-of-the-world bunker, this property emerges as a true testament to visionary planning. Offering a spacious 10,007 sqft of modernized underground space, this bunker enjoys a strategic location just 35 minutes away from Kansas City, making it a truly exceptional find.
Originally constructed in the 1960s at a cost of $4.5 million, an equivalent value today exceeding $34 million, this bunker represents the pinnacle of security and resilience.Its features include formidable 2.5-foot-thick concrete walls, additional layers of earth, EMP-resistant copper shielding, & 2 massive 3,000 pound blast doors.
Inside, the bunker has been meticulously transformed into a luxurious living space spanning two levels.It boasts a modern kitchen, two bathrooms, a spacious living room, and adaptable bedroom arrangements . Complementing these features are amenities such as a gym, a soundproof music studio with recording facilities, a theater room complete with a pool table, an expansive glass blowing studio, and a generous recreation area with soaring 16-foot high ceilings.
One of its standout attributes is self-sufficiency, with a private water well, a new pump, and a substantial 10,000-gallon stainless steel water storage tank, all seamlessly connected to an Aquasana Water Filtration System.The bunker is equipped with an emergency escape hatch and a towering 177-ft communication tower.
A couple in Kansas has been charged for fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a relative who had already died. And the couple reportedly kept the corpse of the relative’s body in their home for six years, according to NBC News.
The authorities said Mike Carroll’s pacemaker indicated that he passed away in 2016, at the age of 81. But the Overland Park police did not find his body until 2022 when Kirk Ritter, Carroll’s son-in-law, reported the death. Prosecutors in the case mentioned Kirk and Lynn Ritter, both 61, continued making use of Carroll’s bank account after his body had become “mummified” in one of the home’s bedrooms.
Lynn is reportedly Carroll’s daughter.
The Kansas City Star reported that there were efforts to get in touch with the Ritters after the development was discovered. It is not clear if the Ritters have a defense attorney in the case. The report also mentioned that the Ritters relied on Carroll financially toward the end of his life.
A shocking development is that members of the family believed Carroll was still alive until his death was reported just 15 months ago, per the Kansas City Star. Carroll’s niece, Janet Carroll, said she and others were constantly given excuses as to why he could not come to the phone.
“We were denied contact with him,” Janet said, “[a]nd now we know why.”
Even after Carroll’s death, the Ritters continued to live inside the home. The authorities said that over six years, the Ritters made deposits into Carroll’s bank account from his pension and the Social Security Administration that totaled $216,067.
Another report published in early 2023 noted that Carroll’s granddaughter said the family found out about the man’s death after Kirk called in February 2022. Kirk explained Carroll had died in 2016, but never mentioned how long the body had been in the house.
“We were absolutely shocked,” she said. “He told us that he’s buried with Grandma.”
During the call, Kirk apparently told the granddaughter that Lynn had suffered a heart attack.
“I think Kirk got tired of it and took advantage of the fact that she was finally not in the house,” the granddaughter said.
The Ritters are expected in court on February 2.
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