Today's News: January 25, 2018

World News

U.S. Expected to Send Aircraft Carrier to Vietnam for First Time Since War
The Washington Free Beacon – A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is expected to make a unique port call in Vietnam this March, a decision that comes amid increased Chinese aggression in the region. While other American naval vessels have visited Vietnam, the visit would be a first for an American aircraft carrier. Secretary of Defense James Mattis discussed the upcoming visit with Vietnamese officials who are seeking final approval from senior officials, the Associated Press reports.

Trump: Jerusalem Embassy Move Ahead of Schedule
AP – President Donald Trump says the United States Embassy’s move to Jerusalem is happening “ahead of schedule,” as he sits down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Jan. 25)

Turkey to U.S.: End support for Syrian Kurd YPG or risk confrontation
Reuters – Turkey urged the United States on Thursday to halt its support for Kurdish YPG fighters or risk confronting Turkish forces on the ground in Syria, some of Ankara’s strongest comments yet about a potential clash with its NATO ally. The remarks, from the spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan’s government, underscored the growing bilateral tensions, six days after Turkey launched its air and ground operation, “Olive Branch”, in Syria’s northwestern Afrin region. In Washington, the Pentagon said that it carefully tracked weapons provided to the YPG and would continue discussions with Turkey. “We carefully track those weapons that are provided to them, we ensure that they, to the maximum extent possible, don’t fall into the wrong hands and we’re continuing discussions with the Turks on this issue,” Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, joint staff director, told reporters.

Trump Says Open to TPP Agreement if ‘Substantially’ Better Deal Struck
Sputnik – US President Donald Trump said in an interview on Thursday that he might be open to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement if there were substantial improvements made to the deal. “I would do TPP if we were able to make a substantially better deal. The deal was terrible,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Egypt marks seventh anniversary of Arab Spring uprising
AL Jazeera – Egyptian authorities have closed off routes leading to Cairo’s Tahrir Square as the country marks seven years since a revolution toppled former President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule. Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to mark the anniversary in previous years and to protest against current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule, but these demonstrations were quickly silenced by Egypt’s security services, resulting in civilian deaths.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Missing texts between the anti-Trump FBI lovers are found
Daily Mail – A massive cache of texts between the anti-Trump FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page have been found, the Justice Department inspector general said Thursday. Michael Horowitz, the inspector general, told two senior Republican senators, Charles Grassley and Ron Johnson, about the discovery, the Washington Examiner reported. It came after mounting pressure – including from President Donald Trump – on the FBI to find the cache of as many as 50,000 messages between the two. The already uncovered messages have sent shockwaves through Washington, with the two calling Trump ‘an idiot’ and suggesting the FBI decided not to charge Hillary Clinton long before the end of her secret server probe.
Related: Media Networks Ignore FBI’s Missing Texts from Anti-Trump Agents

Republicans full steam ahead on surveillance memo release despite DOJ rebuke
Fox – Republicans appear to be proceeding with the release of a much-hyped memo that purportedly reveals government surveillance abuse — despite Justice Department officials describing such a move as “extraordinarily reckless.” Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote Wednesday to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., urging him not to release the memo. “We believe it would be extraordinarily reckless for the Committee to disclose such information publicly without giving the Department and the FBI the opportunity to review the memorandum and to advise the HPSCI of the risk of harm to national security and to ongoing investigations that could come from public release,” he said.

‘Build The Wall’ Sign at Stanford University Declared “Hate Speech”
Prison Planet – A handwritten sign that read “#BuildTheWall” posted in a dorm at Stanford University caused a complete meltdown amongst snowflake students and staff members, with one declaring it an act of “hate speech”. The controversy began when signs started to appear across the university encouraging students to “report ICE activity” in the hopes of preventing immigration officials from enforcing the law. However, when one of these signs was torn down, university officials immediately declared it to be an “Act of Intolerance”.

Oklahoma’s Exemplary AMI Smart Meters Removal and Consumer Protection Bill: A Model For Other States To Follow
Activist Post – Representatives legislator Dale Derby for introducing House Bill 2872 that would provide many legislative means of relief for utility consumers who reject AMI Smart Meters, including removal at no cost to consumers, plus many more exemplary legislative provisions sorely needed by those individuals who are compromised by and suffer with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) or idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI). Oklahoma House Bill 2872 is the most comprehensive bill I’ve seen to date dealing with the horrendous draconian totalitarian AMI Smart Meter implementation against supposedly free people’s rights and/or objections to causing them problems and/or damaged health!
See the bill here: www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HB2872

Lawmaker Calls for Crackdown on International Mail Shipments of Opioids
Newsmax – Postal and Customs authorities must do a better job at screening international mail shipments for opioids arriving in the United States via “Express Mail,” Sen. Rob Portman told “CBS This Morning” on Thursday. “The problem is the P.O. Box in America that gets a shipment through our postal service straight from China,” the Ohio Republican told CBS News. “There is no requirement for any electronic data in advance to be able to tip off law enforcement.” CBS said U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 180 pounds of fentanyl last year — a new record. But that’s probably just a fraction of total drug shipments, and Portman says the increasing volume of international mail has overwhelmed screeners.

Economy & Business

Alabama Committee Passes Bill to Help Encourage Use of Gold and Silver as Money
Act
Activist Post – An Alabama House committee has passed a bill that would exempt the sale of gold and silver bullion from state sales and use tax, encouraging its use and taking the first step toward breaking the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money. Rep. Ronald Johnson (R-Sylacauga) introduced House Bill 19 (HB19) earlier this month. The legislation would exempt the gross proceeds from the sale of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion and coins from sales and use tax in the state. The tax repeal would sunset in five years unless renewed by the legislature. Today, the House Ways and Means Education Committee passed HB19 with “favorable” recommendation.

Brazil turns to bitcoin technology to curb corruption
The Christian Science Monitor – Brazil will use blockchain – the technology behind the bitcoin currency – to curtail fraud. The move comes on the heels of a four-year, high-level corruption investigation, but experts warn that this attempt will not be a silver-bullet fix.

Energy & Environment

Solar industry is split on Trump’s tariff plan
Yahoo – The U.S. solar industry is split over President Trump’s decision to slap a 30 percent tariff on imported solar panels in an effort to help domestic manufacturers. The White House announced plans for tariffs on washing machines, which would primarily affect imports from South Korea. The administration’s decision has divided solar panel manufacturers and the companies that install the panels, or make and install related components, who fear the tariffs will raise costs, hamper the industry’s growth and kill tens of thousands of jobs. During a press call Tuesday, Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of SEIA, said the tariffs will not help the economy, U.S. energy security or even U.S. manufacturing. She said one of SEIA’s next steps will be documenting how these tariffs affect American companies.

5.8 earthquake strikes off Northern California coast. No tsunami threat
LA Times A shallow magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck about 100 miles off Northern California’s Lost Coast on Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor was reported at 8:39 a.m. in the Pacific Ocean west of Capetown at a depth of three miles. Paul Caruso, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., said the USGS recorded a 5.1-magnitude aftershock in the same area just before 9:30 a.m.
Related: Japan hit by 6.2 earthquake off coast of Honshu, day after Alaska quake

U.S. Pacific Northwest under-prepared for tsunamis, experts say
Reuters – The U.S. region most vulnerable to tsunamis – the massive waves of water unleashed by undersea earthquakes – is dangerously under-prepared, experts and officials in Oregon and Washington state said after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake this week.

Science & Technology

Your Cell Phone Is a Psychotronic Weapon of Mass Mind Control
Activist Post – Modern telecommunications usually involves devices that can both send and receive wireless signals. These devices are also almost invariably capable of producing and receiving signals that affect our moods, thoughts, and bodily functions. Your cell phone is a psychotronic weapon. That means that your cell phone CAN read and control and probably IS reading and controlling your mind. People should care more about that than whomever is currently on TV. Evidence suggests that these mind control activities are part of a larger effort the author calls The New Manhattan Project. The author became aware of psychotronic weaponry during the course of his research into this related subject. If you are not familiar with the New Manhattan Project, please refer to the author’s book Chemtrails Exposed: A new Manhattan Project.

Health

A Drug Made From CBD Is Coming To The US
MindBodyGreen – You’ve probably heard chatter about CBD oil; it’s recently praised for everything from relieving anxiety to curing insomnia to helping with chronic pain and inflammation. If this is the first time you’re hearing about it, CBD (cannabidiol) is one of the compounds found in the Cannabis sativa plant. Unlike THC—one of the other famous compounds found in this plan—CBD won’t make you high and has therefore sparked the attention of medical experts and researchers around the world. One company that has jumped on the CBD train is GW Pharmaceuticals, who already has CBD-based drugs approved in Europe. They just published results from a clinical trial on 171 patients, in the Lancet, showing that their CBD-derived drug was able to cause a significant reduction in seizures. The trial was performed on patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which is characterized by seizures that have not responded to medications currently available on the market. These results are promising, and the drug is expected to be on the market this year as long as it gets final approval from the FDA.

Anise Seed Benefits Blood Sugar & May Protect Against Ulcers
Dr. Axe – Ranked as one of the top herbs and spices for healing, anise seed is a nutritional powerhouse when it comes to your health. Plus, besides being associated with an extensive list of anise seed benefits ranging from reduced blood sugar to decreased menopause symptoms, it also boasts a unique flavor that’s ideal for kicking up the flavor of just about any dish or drink.
Anise Seed Benefits