WORLD NEWS
Drone that killed US soldiers in Jordan followed American drone onto base, causing confusion
The drone that killed three US Army soldiers and wounded dozens more in Jordan on Sunday approached the US military outpost, Tower 22, around the same time an American drone was returning to the base, which led to uncertainty over whether it was hostile and caused a delay to the US response, two US officials told CNN.
The enemy drone followed the American drone as it approached, but it is not clear whether the enemy drone intentionally followed the American one or if it was a coincidence, one of the officials said. US officials are also still assessing the enemy drone’s point of origin.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the confusion over the enemy drone.
The three US soldiers killed in the attack were identified Monday as Sgt. William Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia, according to the Defense Department.
They were all assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, a US Army Reserve unit based out of Fort Moore, Georgia, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a briefing.
Singh said more than 40 were injured in the attack, a number that could possibly continue to increase.
Singh said on Monday that eight personnel who were medically evacuated were taken to Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center. Three of those service members will be transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for follow-on care and the other five are expected to return to duty after being assessed for mild traumatic brain injuries. A US official previously told CNN that all eight had been evacuated to Landstuhl.
France Farmers Say Will Take Protests Against Excessive Green Regulations, EU Directives Into Paris
French agricultural unions are prepared to mount an “indefinite siege” on Paris starting Monday, as part of ongoing protests calling for the government to roll back a range of uncompetitive regulations hurting the livelihoods of the nation’s growers and agricultural workers.
According to France’s two main farming unions, the FNSEA (Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles) and the Jeunes Agriculteurs, their members are ready to converge on the French capital with their tractors and other farming equipment. All major roads will be blocked for an “indefinite period,” mimicking a medieval siege, without the bloodshed, until their grievances are solved.
Farmers from the Lot-et-Garonne region, a hotspot for the protest movement in southern France, were among the many groups intending to march on Paris and blockade the Rungis wholesale food market south of the capital, which supplies the capital and its surrounding regions with much of their fresh food.
Among the concerns being aired by the farmers are not receiving a fair price for their produce and little to no protection against supermarkets buying cheaper imports and undercutting them. Endless red tape, low fuel emissions targets, low pensions, and complex environmental laws have also been flagged as concerns by the farmers.
French farmers are forbidden from using farming products that their competitors in neighboring countries, such as Italy, still have the right to use.
As part of the environmental laws, farmers are also required to keep a portion of their land as fallow. The farming technique involves leaving tracts of land without crops for one or more growing cycles. In theory, it’s supposed to allow the land to recover and disrupt the life cycle of pests. However, the farmers are already struggling to make a living; being forced to leave land vacant and not utilizing their whole farm only adds to the issue.
The final straw for many French farmers was the phasing-out of a tax break on diesel for farm equipment. It sparked protests that have been ongoing for the last two weeks, with over 100 blockades around the country.Farmers have been using their tractors to block long sections of road, slow traffic, dump agricultural waste at the gates of government offices, and take a range of other actions meant to disrupt and put pressure on policymakers.
Unions in other French industries have also flagged strike action as a possibility to show solidarity. The latest escalation and possible action at the capital have caused the French government to intensify its efforts to quell the growing unrest.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
VIDEO: GREG REESE REPORTS TEXAS BORDER COULD BE A FALSE FLAG EVENT!
False Flag Warnings For Martial Law in the USA and War with Russia
Speaker Johnson Rejects Pending Border Deal: Illegal Crossings ‘Must Be ZERO’
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has made clear where House Republicans will draw the line on any agreement dealing with the border: allowing illegal crossings.
“Any border ’shutdown’ authority that ALLOWS even one illegal crossing is a non-starter. Thousands each day is outrageous. The number must be ZERO,” Mr. Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Jan. 29.
The deal, whose text is set to be released this week, reportedly would permit the president to close ports of entry if illegal crossings reach a certain threshold.
One of the negotiators, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), announced on Jan. 28 that a proposal was almost ready.
“This bill could be ready to be on the floor of the United States Senate next week,” he said on CNN, “but it won’t be if Republicans decide that they want to keep this issue unsettled for political purposes.”
The White House called on Congress to give the president the ability to protect the border.
“Until recently, Mr. Johnson advocated for HR2 because, in his view, presidents needed new legal authorities in order to secure the border,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a memo.
HR2, known as the Secure the Border Act, was passed by the GOP-controlled House last year. It would have required a border wall to be completed and for asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are considered, in addition to other border security measures. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said that bill was dead on arrival in the Democrat-controlled upper chamber.
Mr. Johnson previously said any Senate bill that doesn’t include HR2 would be dead on arrival in the House.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) beclowned CNN anchor Dana Bash on Sunday for defending President Joe Biden over the border crisis.
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Bash asked Noem about ongoing negotiations to pass a controversial border bill that Republicans believe will do little to stymie the border crisis. Biden, over the weekend, committed to shutting down the border only ifCongress passes the bill.
The bill, however, is unlikely to pass the Senate because an increasing number of Republican lawmakers oppose the bill. That opposition is giving Democrats a talking point to use against Republicans, and Bash deployed it in her interview with Noem.
“Why not take ‘yes’ for an answer?” Bash asked, referring to Biden’s willingness to sign the bill.
In response, Noem correctly pointed out that Biden doesn’t need the bill to fix the border crisis. Congress, she explained, has already given the president authority to enforce immigration law. Instead, she argued that Biden’s policies need to change.
“The president can be the one who stands up and shows leadership at this time. Change your policies, build a wall, secure the border, and then let’s fix the immigration policy,” Noem said. “But we don’t have to compromise one to do the other.”
But Bash continued to defend Biden.
“Governor, President Biden is negotiating,” the CNN host said. “He didn’t want to do any of this. He’s negotiating because this is what Republicans wanted him to do. So, again, why not take the W? Why not take the win?”
Gov. Kristi Noem: Joe Biden can close the border TODAY
VIDEO: www.youtube.com
Noem responded with a single question that silenced Bash and brought an awkward silence onto CNN’s airwaves.
“What has he done?” the governor asked.
Noem then broke the silence and recounted what Border Patrol officers on the front lines of the border crisis told her last week.
“[Biden has] done nothing as far as actual policies and actually using the tools that he has. I sat two days ago with people that work for him that said, ‘This president is tying our hands every single day. He does not let us do our job. This president, we work for him. We work for the federal government, and we hate it. We hate our jobs and we hate what’s happening to this country, because he will not keep us safe,'” she said.
Bash, unfortunately, refused to answer Noem’s question. Instead, she blamed Congress for the border crisis and promptly ended the interview.
Majority of Americans Support Texas in Border Dispute With Biden Admin
A significant majority of U.S. voters support Texas in its efforts to bolster security on the U.S.–Mexico border amid an influx of illegal immigrants by putting up razor wire barriers to block unlawful crossings, a new poll shows.
The poll, conducted by Rasmussen and published on Jan. 29, found that 69 percent of likely U.S. voters support Texas’s strategy. The poll was taken from Jan. 23 to 25 and captured the views of 940 likely voters; it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
The findings of the poll come as the Lone Star State is embroiled in an ongoing dispute with President Joe Biden over razor wire barriers.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas National Guard to put up the concertina wire barriers, but the Biden administration sued, leading to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows federal agents to take them down.
Undeterred by the court order and the Biden administration’s criticism, Mr. Abbott said recently that he would add more razor wire to make sure the state is “doing even more to secure the border.”
The Rasmussen poll also asked voters whether they support the Supreme Court ruling, with 49 percent saying they disapprove of the decision and 46 percent saying they’re in favor.
Reacting to the Supreme Court ruling, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said immigration law enforcement is a federal responsibility and Texas’s actions hamper those efforts.“Rather than helping to reduce irregular migration, the State of Texas has only made it harder for front-line personnel to do their jobs and to apply consequences under the law,“ the spokesperson said. ”We can enforce our laws and administer them safely, humanely, and in an orderly way.”
By contrast, Mr. Abbott’s tough stance on border security has been praised by Republicans. Recently, a group of 25 GOP governors issued a joint statement accusing President Biden of failing to secure the border and backing Mr. Abbott’s efforts.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border,” they wrote.
A third question posed to U.S. voters as part of the Rasmussen poll was whether they agree with a statement made by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) that “the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground.”
A majority of respondents—55 percent—agreed, while 36 percent disagreed.
Republican Senator Launches Thread to Track Violent Crime by Illegal Aliens
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) has launched a thread on X to track serious crimes committed by illegal aliens under the Biden administration.
The thread, which comes amid concerns over a border that critics have described as “porous,” will feature stories of violent crimes perpetrated by illegal aliens.By comparison, in only three years under President Biden, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has encountered more than 6.5 million illegal aliens along the southern border since January 2021.
Many of those apprehended by CBP will turn themselves over voluntarily before being paroled into the U.S. interior to await a court date to determine their eligibility to remain in the country.
But with such a large intake of illegal aliens, the courts have become overwhelmed. In some jurisdictions, these aliens won’t see a trial until after 2030.
“Under the Biden administration, every state has become a border state, ultimately jeopardizing our national security,” Mr. Marshall told The Epoch Times. “This is not just another talking point but the reality of Joe Biden’s unprecedented border crisis.”
So far, the thread catalogs a series of stomach-churning crimes, including child murder, sexual assault, and traffic collisions.
“For the past three years, thousands of illegal aliens have entered our country; violent crime is on the rise; fentanyl is killing over 300 Americans a day, and a historic number of individuals with ties to terrorist organizations have been encountered at our southern border, ” Mr. Marshall said. “We are sharing the deadly consequences of a nation without borders that have been compounded by Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies.”
The service comes amid continuing concerns over unprecedented illegal immigration via the southern border.
Immediately after taking office, President Joe Biden made a series of major changes to U.S. immigration policy—changes that have contributed to the vast increase in illegal crossings since January 2021, according to Republicans.
The numbers speak for themselves.
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statistics, there were roughly 2.4 million illegal alien encounters along the southern border during the entire four years of the Trump administration.
And according to statistics, many will never turn up to court in the first place, instead choosing to take their chances as fugitives.
Tens of thousands of pounds of fentanyl, one of the deadliest drugs in the world, has also streamed in across the border.
Media interviews with those living in border towns reveal a nightmare scenario: Many families refuse to leave their homes without a weapon; they’ve encountered dead bodies, drug smugglers, and human traffickers near their homes; and children aren’t allowed outside to play without being closely watched by their guardians.
The policies pursued by the administration have effectively turned the U.S. government into a “middleman” for the human trafficking of children by cartels, according to whistleblowers.
The border itself is littered with garbage and the discarded identification cards of foreign nationals from countries all around the world.
According to some reports, about 200 people on the terrorist watchlist have been caught trying to cross into the country; however, there are likely many more that were not caught, with DHS having recorded 1.4 million known “gotaways” who successfully evaded CBP and made it into the interior of the country.
House Sergeant at Arms Served With Subpoena From DOJ
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has subpoenaed the sergeant at arms for the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Office of the Sergeant at Arms was served with a grand jury subpoena for documents, it was announced on the House floor in Washington on Jan. 29.
“After consulting with the office of general counsel, I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the rights and derivatives of the House,” House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland said in a statement.
It’s unclear why Mr. McFarland was subpoenaed.
The sergeant at arms is the chief law enforcement officer for the House and is charged with “maintaining order” in the House side of the Capitol, according to the House website.
Mr. McFarland was appointed in 2023 by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has kept him in place.
The DOJ and the Office of the Sergeant at Arms declined to comment.
Mr. Johnson’s office has not returned an inquiry.
Trump Lawyer Says ‘Experts Were Denied’ by New York Judge
An attorney for Donald Trump has claimed that her experts were denied the chance to testify before a New York jury that ultimately ruled in favor of a writer who accused the former president of defamation.
Attorney Alina Habba told reporters on Jan. 26 that presiding Judge Lewis Kaplan allegedly made sure that “every single defense that President Trump had” was not raised in the case. She said her team’s “experts were denied” and couldn’t take the stand.
Her comments came just hours after a jury ruled that President Trump should pay $83.8 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, finding that he defamed her in 2019 when he denied accusations that he assaulted her decades earlier. It was the second time Ms. Carroll was awarded damages from the former president after making those accusations, which he denies to this day.
Ms. Habba accused Ms. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, of bringing in a witness who was “paid for by” her firm.
“That is a violation of everything I stand for, and that is why I stand with Trump, and that is why so many Americans are so proud that he is running again and so excited to run to the ballot box but don’t get it twisted, we are seeing a violation of our justice system,” she said.
During the trial, the judge threatened to jail Ms. Habba and kick President Trump out of the courtroom for what he described as “disruptive behavior.” The former president has asserted that Judge Kaplan, a Clinton appointee, is a partisan actor and biased against him.
Before the case was heard by a jury, Judge Kaplan had already ruled that he believed President Trump defamed Ms. Carroll. The jury was considering the damages that should be paid.
After the jury rendered the decision, Ms. Habba said she was “so proud to stand with President Trump.”
“But I am not proud to stand with what I saw in that courtroom,” she told reporters.
“I have sat on trial after trial for months in this state, the state of New York, Attorney General Letitia James and now this. Weeks, weeks. Why? Because President Trump is leading in the polls, and now we see what you get in New York.”The jury of seven men and two women, whose members were kept anonymous, awarded Ms. Carroll $18.3 million in compensatory damages, including $11 million for harm to her reputation. She also was awarded $65 million in punitive damages, which she said was needed to stop President Trump from continuing to defame her.But President Trump has long said that he had never heard of Ms. Carroll and that she made up her story to boost sales of her memoir. His lawyers argued in the trial that she was hungry for fame and enjoyed the attention of supporters for speaking out against her nemesis, which she has denied.
Ms. Carroll’s lawyer said during her closing argument that President Trump acted toward her client as though he were not bound by the law and that he should pay “dearly.”
Ex-IRS Contractor Who Leaked Trump’s Tax Returns Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
A federal judge called the theft the ‘biggest heist’ in IRS history.
WASHINGTON—A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was sentenced to five years in prison on Jan. 29 for leaking tax information associated with thousands of individuals, including former President Donald Trump.
Charles Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty in October to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information. He leaked President Trump’s information to The New York Times in 2019 and shared data on some of the wealthiest Americans to PropublicaThe letter cited Mr. Littlejohn’s plea deal, in which he acknowledged that he “willfully obstructed or impeded, or attempted to obstruct of impede, the administration of justice with respect to the investigation of his offenses.” It also noted that he engaged in “two separate acts related to misappropriation of taxpayer information.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) was among those whose tax returns were leaked. He offered a victim statement in which he decried Mr. Littlejohn’s conduct and suggested he got the “plea deal of the century.”
President Trump’s attorney previously offered a statement on his behalf. According to CNN, she suggested Mr. Littlejohn’s actions may have led to President Trump losing votes in the 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Littlejohn offered a statement in which he apologized to the court, the government, Mr. Scott, and others hurt by his actions.
“I alone am responsible for this crime,” he said in the courtroom.
Mr. Littlejohn added that he acted out of a “sincere and misguided belief” that he was serving the “public interest,” but “systematically violat[ed]” the privacy of thousands.
In a 15-page filing, prosecutors pushed for the maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison, arguing that Mr. Littlejohn’s betrayal of the public trust “merits significant punishment.”His attorney attempted to portray him as someone well-respected by friends, but engaged in conduct that was “the product not only of his misguided idealism but of life experience that led him to treat each day as if it were his last.”
When Ms. Manning argued that her client’s conduct wasn’t done out of political animus, Judge Reyes interjected, “Of course he did.”
in 2020. His crime, federal district court Judge Ana Reyes said, was the “biggest heist” in IRS history. His sentence included $5,000 in fines and community service
“It cannot be open season on our elected officials,” Judge Reyes said before adding that judges had a duty to make that clear. She later noted that Mr. Littlejohn purposefully sought his job at least in part to leak tax information.
Judge Reyes started the hearing by lending her “sympathy” for Mr. Littlejohn while accusing him of perpetrating an “attack” on the nation’s constitutional democracy. “He targeted the sitting president of the United States of America and that is exceptional by any measure,” she told Mr. Littlejohn’s attorney. She added that in targeting President Trump, Mr. Littlejohn targeted the office of president.
Judge Reyes said she would go beyond sentencing guidelines, adding that his offense covered the personal information and tax information of a substantial number of individuals, as well as risking non-monetary harm. She also scrutinized the plea deal, stating she had “no words” for the fact that he only faced one count.
House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee had sent Judge Reyes a letter on Jan. 23, requesting the maximum sentence but criticizing the Justice Department (DOJ) for not charging Mr. Littlejohn with additional counts.
His attorney attempted to portray him as someone well-respected by friends, but engaged in conduct that was “the product not only of his misguided idealism but of life experience that led him to treat each day as if it were his last.”
When Ms. Manning argued that her client’s conduct wasn’t done out of political animus, Judge Reyes interjected, “Of course he did.”
Three Illegal Aliens Charged with Armed Robbery of Massachusetts Butcher Shop
Three illegal aliens, two got-aways and one who was released into the United States, have
been charged with armed robbery of a butcher shop in Milford, Massachusetts.
Illegal aliens Daniel Generoso, 26 years old, from Brazil; Lucas Morreira Fontenelle, 21 years old, from Brazil; and Jonatha De Araujo Lima, 19 years old, also from Brazil, were arrested this month by the Milford Police Department and charged with armed robbery after allegedly holding up the Aroma Brazil butcher shop.
Details from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), published in the Boston Herald, reveal that Morreira Fontenelle was arrested in March 2023 in Framingham, Massachusetts, for assault and battery and was convicted in December 2023.
ICE placed a detainer on Morreira Fontenelle, requesting custody of him, but Massachusetts’ sanctuary state policy helped free him back into the community instead.
Lima, meanwhile, was initially arrested by the Border Patrol at the United States-Mexico border in May 2021 but was subsequently released into the United States interior thanks to President Joe Biden’s Catch and Release network.
Morreira Fontenelle and Generoso are both considered got-aways from the southern border — indicating that they successfully crossed without being detected by Border Patrol agents. Nearly a million illegal alien got-aways are known to have crossed the border in Fiscal Year 2023.
Nikki Haley was the victim of a second swatting attempt at home, records show
Nikki Haley was dealt an unpleasant start to the new year.
On Jan. 1, authorities responded to a false 911 call directing them to Haley’s Kiawah Island home after a woman alleged the 2024 GOP hopeful had killed her daughter and was threatening to kill herself, an incident report revealed.
The episode took place two days after another bogus emergency call dispatched law enforcement to her South Carolina residence on Dec. 30, 2023, in an instance of a malicious criminal prank known as swatting.
The caller further dubiously claimed that her daughter was lying in a pool of blood on the floor.
A woman answered the door and a responding Charleston County Sheriff’s Office deputy quickly concluded the call was a hoax.
Over the weekend, news first broke about the Dec. 30 incident, during which a caller spuriously claimed a man had shot a woman and was getting ready to injure himself.
“I was not home, but Michael and I take care of my parents. They are 87 and 90, and we take care of them. And they were at home and with their caregiver,” Haley said of the first swatting incident on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
“It is an awful situation. It put the law enforcement officers in danger. It put my family in danger. And, you know, it was not a safe situation.”
The South Carolina Republican then revealed, “We’ve had it happen twice.” Details of the second instance hadn’t been previously known.
Haley served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 to early 2017 and as US ambassador to the UN from 2017 to 2018.
Swatting has been increasingly deployed against a bevy of high-profile politicians over recent months, including prominent politicians such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
Turning Point Action, the political arm of conservative movement leader Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA, has identified more than 4.5 million so-called “disengaged” Republican voters in several battleground states around the country, enough to more than swing the 2024 presidential election’s results from 2020.
The group is holding its first-ever Restoring National Confidence event at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip on Monday and Tuesday, flying in county GOP chairs from 75 of the top 100 battleground counties across the country. The event—contrasting the Republican National Committee (RNC) winter meetings, which will happen from January 30 to February 3 in the same city —is designed, as Breitbart News has reported, to show things the event organizers, which include some of the 168 members of the RNC, should be doing. The counter event’s name—Restoring National Confidence—even trolls the RNC with the same acronym as the national Republican Party committee.
Interestingly, here on Monday morning, the county-level GOP chairs from around the nation were provided with binders that include precinct-specific data in their counties as well as state-level data on what Turning Point Action’s Tyler Bowyer—also the Republican National Committeeman from Arizona —has deemed “low propensity GOP voters.” The definition, loosely applied, is basically voters who have been identified as likely to vote for the Republican for president who did not vote in the 2016 or 2020 presidential elections.
“This is what the left has targeted on their side,” Bowyer told the attendees gathered here. “They are obsessed with what we call low-propensity or low-information or less-likely or disengaged voters. We’re calling these disengaged voters. Why? I don’t care if they voted in 2022 or 2018, or any other time. What I know is they didn’t vote in 2016 and 2020, and that is scary. That is a scary person, whoever does that.”
The numbers, which Turning Point Action provided to Breitbart News exclusively, are stunning. Across ten battleground states, the group identified 4,571,210 disengaged GOP voters who did not vote in 2016 or 2020. The ten states counted are Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada. While Trump won Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and North Carolina in 2020, Democrat President Joe Biden took the other six states—and in each one, the disengaged GOP voters total was more than the margin of Biden’s victory over Trump.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Amazon abandons $1.4 billion deal to buy Roomba maker iRobot
iRobot CEO Colin Angle is stepping down, and the company plans to lay off 350 people.
Amazon’s deal to buy Roomba maker iRobot is off, the companies announced today, after iRobot said the deal has “no path to regulatory approval in the European Union.” iRobot is also announcing that it’s laying off around 350 employees, or around 31 percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring. It expects to notify the majority of affected employees by the end of March.
As part of the announcement, iRobot chair and CEO Colin Angle, who co-founded the company in 1990, is stepping down from both roles. iRobot’s current executive vice president and chief legal officer, Glen Weinstein, will serve as interim CEO, and Andrew Miller, formerly lead independent director of the board, will become chair. As part of the restructuring, iRobot is pausing its work on devices outside of its core floor-cleaning product lineup like air purifiers and lawn mowers, and closing offices and facilities in “smaller, underperforming geographies.”
The collapse of the deal means Amazon will pay a $94 million termination fee to iRobot, which will largely be used to help pay off a $200 million loan it took out last year. As part of today’s announcement, iRobot published its preliminary fourth quarter results for 2023 and said it expects to report a GAAP operating loss of “between $265 and $285 million.”
HEALTH
Caution: This common beverage poses risk to liver health, research warns
Liver problems are often tied to the consumption of alcohol. However, a new study published in BMC Public Health reveals consuming diet soft drinks also threatens liver health.
Sadly, for too many people, the little-known truth is drinking diet soda – in any amount – is detrimental to health. Previous studies revealed the consumption of diet soft drinks is tied to a higher risk of health problems, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Yet, to this day, the mainstream media rarely touches on such risks as there is an inherent conflict of interest with diet soda-makers who regularly advertise on TV, radio, magazines, etc.
The sobering reality of diet soda dangers and liver health
Diet sodas contain harmful ingredients such as, aspartame (an artificial – neurotoxic – sweetener). These ingredients have the potential to cause metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). MASLD was previously referred to as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The disease was renamed this past summer.
Diet soda drinkers and those considering diet sodas should be aware that MASLD is increasing at a shockingly fast rate, representing nearly one-third of the population in 2022. MASLD is one of the most common types of chronic liver disease. Exactly one-fifth of those diagnosed with MASLD will transition to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, referred to by the acronym MASH.
MASH manifests in the form of hepatocellular injury, hiking the chances of cirrhosis of the liver by 20% across the ensuing three to four decades. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry has not obtained approval for any MASLD medications.
Study links diet sodas to liver disease and premature death
Simply put, the likelihood of developing MASLD increases with diet soda consumption and poor dietary habits. This inference stems from a thorough analysis of data gathered during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted between 2003 and 2006. Researchers utilized the Fatty Liver Index (FLI) to assess participants’ MASLD status and employed weighted multiple logistic regression modeling to scrutinize the connection between diet sodas and MASLD. Mediation analysis was also conducted to gain insights into the mediating effect of body mass index (BMI).
2,378 individuals participated in the study, with 1,089 exhibiting MASLD. The research team adjusted variables associated with metabolic syndrome, lifestyle, and demographics.
The findings indicate a notable association between excessive diet soda consumption and a heightened occurrence of MASLD. Intriguingly, 84.7% of this association was mediated by body mass index.
Breaking the diet soda habit: Healthier swaps for a refreshing change
No doubt, by ditching a diet soda habit, you can make a more positive step toward better health. Instead of reaching for another 12-pack of diet soft drinks, explore healthier alternatives like flavored water, tea, and kombucha. While kombucha contains sugar, it boasts digestive health benefits, and you can even brew your own at home with a DIY kit.
Here are some more tips to kick your soda habit:
- Sparkling water infusions: Create your own fizzy drinks by adding fresh fruits, herbs, or cucumber slices to sparkling water.
- Herbal tea blends: Enjoy a variety of herbal teas, hot or iced, for a flavorful and caffeine-free beverage.
- Homemade smoothies: Blend your favorite fruits with some veggies or a plant-based alternative for a nutritious and satisfying drink.
- Cold brew coffee: For a caffeine kick without the added sugars, try cold brew coffee with a splash of milk or a dairy-free option.
- Freshly squeezed juices: Choose freshly squeezed juices from fruits or vegetables for a natural burst of vitamins and minerals.
Increasing Rate of Medical Mistakes and Misdiagnosis
Diagnostic errors represent a public health crisis resulting in a significant number of deaths and cases of permanent disability every year, but most people are unaware that it’s even a problem.
- In the U.S., an estimated 795,000 people become permanently disabled or die every year due to misdiagnoses
- Overall, medical conditions are misdiagnosed about 11% of the time, but the likelihood of misdiagnosis varies widely depending on the type of medical problem and the symptoms presented
- Among strokes, a leading cause of disability in the U.S., misdiagnosis occurs more than 17.5% of the time
- Among patients transferred to a hospital ICU or who died in the hospital, a missed or delayed diagnosis took place in 23% of cases, and 17% of the time the errors caused temporary or permanent harm or death
- Compared to white men, ethnic minorities are 30% more likely to be misdiagnosed while women are at a 20% increased risk of misdiagnosis
Gross Misconduct — The Final Nail in the Coffin for Antidepressants
Medical journalist Robert Whitaker unravels a shocking revelation about the claim that antidepressants work for 7 out of 10 patients, exposing research misconduct and scientific fraud.
- The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study published in 2006 was the largest and longest-running antidepressant effectiveness trial ever conducted and, importantly, it used real-world patients
- The authors claimed an overall cumulative remission rate of 67%, and this study has since been used to prop up the idea that antidepressants work in the real world
- However, the widely-made claim that antidepressants work for nearly 7 out of 10 patients in real-world clinical settings is based on scientific misconduct and fraud
- In his reanalysis of the STAR*D study, psychologist Ed Pigott and colleagues showed that, had the study protocol been followed, the cumulative remission rate would only have been 35%. Moreover, the STAR*D report omitted the stay-well rate. Only 3% of the 4,041 patients who entered the trial and went into remission were still in remission at the end of their one-year follow-up
- Most clinical drug trials have found the effectiveness of antidepressants are on par with placebo, and many studies have debunked the serotonin theory that underpins the use of antidepressants. Meanwhile, large-scale meta-analyses show that physical exercise is the most effective remedy — about 1.5 times more effective than antidepressants — for depression
Power Mall Product of Interest: Lithium Balance (200 CT) – Safe potential mood stabilizer and possible healthy alternative to anti-depressants
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Musk Says 1st Human Receives Brain-Tech Implant
Neuralink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, for the first time implanted its device – which seeks to help patients with severe paralysis or degenerative diseases control external tech using only neural signals – in a human Sunday, and Musk said the patient is “recovering well.”
The device is named Telepathy and the company said on its website the goal is to “create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.”
“The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well,” Musk posted on X, the social media platform that he owns. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”
Klaus Schwab On AI: “We Don’t Even Need Democratic Elections”
Klaus Schwab is not a Communist or a Fascist; he is both a Technocrat and a Transhumanist. No other labels apply. He wants to drive the entire world into Scientific Dictatorship. His imagination runs wild with visions of technological possibilities, where if he thinks it, it will somehow materialize. In short, Schwab is detached from reality and, like the Sirens of Crete, is beguiling all who will listen.
The defense to overcome the mythological Sirens was to stop your ears up and refuse to listen to them. More of the world is doing just this, and Schwab feels the heat. He identifies the “libertarian” movement as his archenemy and “free speech” as his anathema.
This old buzzard likely believes his own narrative, and this is what makes him so dangerous. Others are seeing this as well. Truckers and farmers are going ballistic all around the world, for instance. Liberty-minded people are finally sensing the net of scientific dictatorship cast over them, and they are recoiling from it.
Like Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski (his former mentors) before him, he will soon find the ultimate reality that his technology will not save him, that his imagination will not make him post-human, and that death will finally claim his miserable soul.
Remember Klaus Schwab’s interview of 2016 with a Swiss-French TV moderator, in which Schwab said something to the extent, “Imagine by 2025 we may all have a chip implanted somewhere in our body or brain, and we may be able to communicate with each other without a telephone, even without using our voice…”? Klaus Schwab calls it a fusion between the physical, digital, and biological world.
He also talks about having personalized “butlers” in the form of robots, that are not just slaves, but rather assistants, as they function with Artificial Intelligence (AI), and will learn from us….
Schwab’s obsession with the Fourth Industrial Revolution – the full digitization of everything, seems to be boundless. See this full 2016 interview (video 28 min.), with the chipped humans beginning at 00:02:30.
This is all moving towards globalization and a One World Government, for which a drastically reduced world population is of the order. This remains the WEF’s number ONE objective, as per The Great Reset and UN Agenda 2030. Klaus Schwab’s dream of The Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI, and digitization of everything are just instruments to get there faster.
Another tool was covid and the bio-weapons “vaccines”, and perhaps the WEF Davos24 propagated new virus “X” – not yet existing, but roaming somewhere out there (Gates, Tedros WHO) and, ludicrously, “vaxxes” are already being developed – and a foremost instrument for this globalist genocide is the tremendous climate hoax.
The climate lie has been in the making, at least since the Club of Rome’s devastating Report of “Limits to Growth” which is still the blueprint for much of what is going on today, including population reduction. Under climate change every eugenist dream may be realized. If we, the People, let them.
The Club of Rome, a Rockefeller invention, is also headquartered in Switzerland (Winterthur), as are the WEF, WHO, GAVI (the vaccination-pharma alliance) and – the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), also called the Central Bank of all Central Banks. All with full diplomatic immunity and tax-free. A coincidence?
Klaus Schwab’s interview with Swiss TV was on 10 January 2016, just before the WEF Davos16, the 46th WEF, carried out under the theme “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.
Eight years later, the 54th WEF Davos24 which just ended 6 days ago, bore the title “Rebuilding Trust”. At the outset, one might be tempted believing the WEF realizes it is falling in ever deeper disarray with people around the world, including big business and previously proud WEF adherents, and indeed, needs to rebuilt trust.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The very topics discussed at the WEF’s plenaries “Climate Change”, the coming of a new yet unknown disease “X” that is “already somewhere out there”, and the cult-like admiration of an ever more perfected AI – did not do much for “Rebuilding Trust”.
Especially when looking at some secluded sessions, with a limited audience, where Klaus Schwab’s obsession with micro-chips implants, AI – and mindreading, come to the fore.
Those are certainly some of the most terrifying moments of the WEF Davos24. For example, when he talks with Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google and former President of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. A net worth of US$ 118 billion (2024) makes Mr. Brin the world’s 9th richest person (Forbes).
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Google changes wording for Incognito browsing in Chrome
Users of Chrome Canary have noticed some slight changes in the wording that Google uses for Incognito mode.
Chrome Canary is mainly intended for use by developers. It’s updated nearly daily with new features, and because it can be used alongside versions of the “normal” Chrome browser (known collectively as Chrome’s “Stable channel”), it can serve for testing and development purposes. So, these developers have access to the latest features and some of them noticed a few updates in the wording about Chrome’s Incognito mode.
Chrome’s Incognito mode aims to protect your privacy from other people who use the same device. It mitigates the risk of a spouse, roommate, or anyone on a public computer spying on your browsing habits. Private browsing mode does so by stopping your browser from saving your browsing information on your computer.
Incognito mode is also sometimes used for troubleshooting, because it ignores the installed browser extensions unless you specifically allow them to run in Incognito mode.
But, although the primary function of private browsing is to locally hide your browsing activity, Incognito mode has an interesting side effect—websites also see you as a new user when you come back in Incognito mode. This can come in handy, but should not be overrated.
You can open Incognito mode by clicking on the three dots in the right hand upper corner (More) of the browser menu and then on New Incognito window.
“You’ve gone Incognito. Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google.“It’s clear that Google has put more emphasis on users of the same device while moving away from the websites you visit. And it’s true that Incognito mode is primarily designed to keep your information private from other users of the same computer. It isn’t designed to keep your information private from the websites you visit, although that is sometimes a side effect. We have explained this in the past, but it’s noteworthy that Google has now added that it “won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google.”
It’s generally assumed that the changes are tied to the fact that Google has indicated that it is ready to settle a class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 over the Incognito mode. Arising in the Northern District of California, the lawsuit accused Google of continuing to “track, collect, and identify [users’] browsing data in real time” even when they had opened a new Incognito window.
The judge rejected Google’s bid for summary judgement in August of 2023, pointing out that Google never revealed to its users that data collection continued even while surfing in Incognito mode.
Apparently many users, surely not our regular readers, where not aware that Incognito mode is not an anonymous mode. Websites and services, will still be able to track you and collect your data. Enabling the Block third-party cookies setting is more helpful.
How to open an Incognito window
In the Stable channel build this is what you will see when you open an Incognito window.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Cars to be programmed to limit speed if California bill becomes law
A California state senator is calling for a “first-in-the-nation requirement that all new vehicles sold in California install speed governors, smart devices that automatically limit the vehicle’s speed to 10 miles above the legal limit.”
In a January 24th press release, California Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) announced Senate Bills 960 & 961, called the ‘Speeding and Fatality Emergency Reduction on California Streets (SAFER California Streets) Package,’ aimed at slashing traffic deaths. The release states that traffic fatalities have surged in recent years, a change he attributes to COVID-19:
These changes are a head-on attempt to tackle vehicle fatalities, which are surging across the U.S.—and especially in California—amid a rise in reckless driving since the onset of the pandemic. A recent report from TRIP, a national transportation research group, found that traffic fatalities in California have increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022, compared to 19% for the U.S. overall. In 2022, 4,400 Californians died in car crashes.
Senate Bill 961 mandates the installation of speed limiters and would also require side underride guards on trucks to “reduce the risk of cars and bikes being pulled underneath the truck during a crash.”
Channel 7 Eyewitness News (video below) discussed Bill 961, stating that, should it pass, would make speed limiters mandatory in all new vehicles beginning in 2027. Eyewitness News’s Scott Cabrera says that some believe this is just more government overreach and bureaucracy but Weiner disagrees, comparing it to seat belt regulations, though many consider those to be a component of the “nanny state” as well.
Cabrera then says that it is not clear how the cars will know the applicable speed limit. It may be assumed, though, that a GPS monitoring system is all that is required, just as the Waze application uses location to determine the road on which one is traveling, and the applicable speed limit. Autocar, reacting to an EU decision four years ago to adopt a similar law, published an article entitled, “Speed limiters may create more dangers than they prevent,” detailing the following safety concerns with the mandate:
- Inattention: Driving long distances in “tightly speed-limited conditions” leads to dangerous levels of inattention and to drivers falling asleep.
- Poor mapping: Computer-generated speed limits are often incorrect, which can lead to “unexpected rear-end collisions” and veering off the road in a turn.
- Risky driving: There’s a potential for head-on collisions if drivers take chances to go against traffic to pass a vehicle limited in speed.
- Override: Some states may allow an override system, such as a hard press on the accelerator, which may lead to rear-end collisions with drivers not overriding the limit.
- Older cars: Existing cars without speed limiters may likewise crash into the rear end of speed-limited cars.
Streetsblog lists “Six Arguments Against ‘Speed Limiting’ Technology,” including the potential need to rush to a hospital or get away from a dangerous driver in another vehicle (who may be driving without a speed limiter). The blog also lists the loss of the freedom of commuting as one wants, something that is even more endangered by climate-based legislation pushing people into ”sustainable” public transportation and “15-minute Communities.”
Progressive Review goes so far as to justify the “denial of auto-freedom” in 15-minute cities with an attack on all car driving:
[T]he ‘freedom’ to drive is not so much a freedom but, rather, permission to operate dangerous machinery.
Vox even entitled a piece, “How to end the American obsession with driving.”
The loss of control over the driving experience may also lead drivers to more readily accept fully autonomous vehicles lacking a steering wheel altogether. Alex Roy founded the Human Driving Association to lobby to ensure the continued availability of traditional cars.
Another challenge to driver freedom comes in the way of lanes limited to multi-occupant vehicles, with the remaining lanes becoming more congested, requiring more fuel and taking longer to arrive at a destination. The Journal of Cleaner Production even published a study entitled, “Tackling single-occupancy vehicles to reduce carbon emissions: Actionable model of drivers’ implementation intention to try public buses.” [Emphasis added.]
Would the government mandate that a self-driving single-occupancy vehicle stop to pick up a stranger (using an app built into the vehicle’s software) to protect the earth from climate change?
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
8 Small Vegetable Garden Ideas & Growing Tips
Maybe you’ve dreamed about growing your own fresh vegetables, but you’re frustrated by your lack of space? We’ll help you enjoy the satisfaction of the harvest, even in the smallest vegetable garden space.
Optimizing Your Small Vegetable Garden
To maximize your harvest, you need to get creative. We don’t have room for long rows of vegetables with tilled bare ground between the rows. (Even in big gardens, that’s inefficient and damages the soil structure.
Instead, we want to space plants close together, and use all available space. We also want to choose the right vegetables to grow. Quick maturing crops give us multiple harvests, and vertical crops have a smaller footprint.
Let’s start with finding space to grow vegetables.
#1 – Use Vertical Gardening and Containers
Vertical gardening is a great space saving option, because you can grow up instead of out. There are three main ways you can garden vertically.
- Use trellises, fences, or other structures to train the plants upward.
- Create raised garden beds (especially mounded beds that allow you to plant on the side of the bed).
- Use containers like hanging baskets or window boxes to create growing space out of thin air.
Trellises work well for vining crops, like indeterminate tomato plants, cucumbers, pole beans, and sugar snap peas. Training crops up fencing can help create privacy, another bonus for a small yard. Add in a few vining flowers to a vegetable trellis to create a lovely focal point in your yard.
Trellising improves airflow, which helps with fungal diseases. It also makes harvesting much easier because you don’t need to bend as much. Vining plants like pole beans provide a higher yield in a smaller footprint than their bush cousins.
Herb spirals and hugelkultur beds mound the soil, creating more vertical planting space. They also add visual interest to your small vegetable garden.
Hugelkultur (HOO-gul-culture) meaning hill culture or hill mound. Instead of putting those branches, leaves and grass clippings in bags by the curbside…build a hugel bed. Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other biomass you have available. Top with soil and plant your veggies.
You can use containers almost anywhere. Place them on a patio or stacked on a ladder, hanging from a roofline or fence, even inside your home. Potato towers let you grow potatoes without having to dig the soil.
See “Vertical Vegetable Garden Ideas (Over 20 Photos)” for more inspiration. Vertical Garden Advantages explains more about the benefits of vertical gardening.
#2 – Use Edible Landscaping
With edible landscaping, we swap out grass and other plants that don’t produce food for food producing plants. This is great opportunity to grow more than vegetables. Think about fruits, herbs, and edible flowers as an addition to small vegetable garden.
Can you replace that juniper bush with a blueberry bush? What about the ornamental grass with lemongrass, kale, or other edible greens? Do you have a small tree that you can replace with a dwarf fruiting tree?
See “Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist” for more information on edible landscaping.
#3 – Plant indoors
Do you have a sunny window? Turn it into a mini garden. You can grow many herbs indoors successfully like basil, chives, parsley, cilantro, thyme, and ginger. Try your hand at micro greens or sprouts.Both have a high nutritional content.
Mushrooms grow great indoors, and mushroom kits make them easy for beginners. Lettuce and other greens grow well indoors, providing you with fresh salad ingredients all year. Tabletop hydroponic kits with grow lights make it easy to grow salad greens indoors.
#4 – Select Compact Vegetable Varieties for Your Small Garden
It’s important to pick the right vegetable plants for your garden space. Compact or dwarf varieties work best for container cultivation and small vegetable beds.
#5 – Pick Fast Maturing Crops
Choose vegetables that mature quickly to get multiple harvests from the same growing space. Some of the fastest crops to mature include:
- Microgreens – 14 days
- Pea shoots – 2-3 weeks
- Radishes – 3 weeks
- Green onions 3-4 weeks
- Lettuce – 30 days
See “Fastest Growing Vegetables” for more ideas.
#6 – Plant Care for Small Spaces
When you plant in intensive beds and containers, those plants need a lot of nutrients. In containers, they can’t sink their roots deeper into the soil, so they are counting on you. Healthy soil promotes healthy plants, and healthy plants provide better nutrition and can resist pests and disease.
Most soil types benefit from extra calcium to help control pests and weeds. Rotate crops to avoid planting the same type of plant in the same spots each year. Work organic fertilizer into the soil, and top dress with compost during the season. Foliar feed with seaweed fertilizer or compost tea.
#7 – Use Companion Planting
Companion planting involves planting crops near each other to benefit both crops. For instance, you can use tall plants to provide shade for lettuce to keep it cool in the summer heat.
#8 – Invite Pollinators
More than 100 crops rely on honeybees and other pollinators. Even plants that are self pollinating will have better production when pollinators abound. Butterflies are like flying flowers, adding beauty and movement to the garden. The gentle hum of bumblebees soothes and relaxes you as you work in the garden.
Make sure to avoid toxic pesticides, and, if possible, include a shallow bird bath in the garden. Keep a mix of flowers and herbs in bloom to keep pollinators well fed.
Check out “Edible Flowers” for blooms that both you and the bees can enjoy. See “Attracting Beneficial Insects” for more pollinator tips.
Small scale gardens can still produce a bountiful harvest. Their smaller footprint makes it easier for you to care for your plants without feeling overwhelmed.
CANCEL CULTURE
Elon Musk’s X Pauses Taylor Swift Searches as Fake Explicit Images Spread
X, the social media network owned by Elon Musk, is blocking users from searches for Taylor Swift as the company responds to fake explicit images of the pop superstar that have gone viral.
Users searching for Ms. Swift were met with a message that stated: “Something went wrong. Try reloading.”
The error message began showing over the weekend and was still appearing as of yesterday.
Again, we are warning everyone to be careful of what you post on social media.
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