WORLD NEWS
The U.S. is using unofficial back channels to secure crucial supplies from Russia, while publicly talking about being tough on sanctions
On the one hand, the West wants to appear tough on Russia by issuing trade embargoes, sanctions and bans on investments, while simultaneously being more or less dependent on Russia for essential commodities such as oil, gas, food and fertilizer components
As a result, shortages of energy and food and rising inflation now loom large around the world, which could have catastrophic consequences for the average person, without doing anything to pressure Putin to pull out of Ukraine. In fact, the Russian ruble is now the strongest it’s been in seven years
The corporate trend to make political statements at every opportunity is also backfiring and worsening the situation. The decision of some 1,000 companies to “self-sanction” and drop their business in Russia has now actually become a barrier to diplomatic resolution
Most wars are a means to an end, and that end is corporate profits. The Ukraine conflict appears to be more of the same, as NATO warns we should expect a long, protracted war, and that we must continue to supply Ukraine with weapons
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Bloody 4th of July Weekend in Major US Cities Leaves Many Dead, More Injured
Major cities across the United States saw a violent Fourth of July weekend, with reports saying that at least 50 people were shot in Chicago, while children were hit by gunfire in Houston and Baltimore, one fatally.
Authorities told NBC Chicago on July 4 that nine people were fatally shot across Chicago over the weekend. Last year, more than 19 were shot and killed and 100 more were injured during the same time period.
That included a mass shooting in Chicago’s Parkway Gardens in the 6500 block of South Martin Luther King Drive on the morning of July 4, according to officials. A 17-year-old was among those who were shot, authorities said.
Officials in Indianapolis told WISH-TV said that 11 people were shot in 10 incidents over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Police Department said it is investigating separate shootings in the city that left two dead and nine others wounded or injured over the weekend, according to WBAL.
A 14-year-old boy was injured in one of the shootings, officials told the Baltimore Sun. Police say the boy, who wasn’t identified, was hit in the hip at around 4 p.m. while he was in the backyard of a home.
In Houston, a 5-year-old was killed in a drive-by shooting that also left an 8-year-old injured in the Greenspoint neighborhood, police told ABC13.
From late on July 1 through July 3, there were 24 shooting incidents across New York City, officials told PIX11. That’s a 60 percent increase over last year, when 19 people were shot.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said that at least 16 people were shot, including five dead, since July 1, according to KMOV.
Person of Interest in Illinois July 4 Parade Mass Shooting Arrested
The person of interest in the Highland Park, Illinois, July 4 parade mass shooting has been arrested, police said.
Robert (Bobby) E. Crimo III, 22, was taken into custody without incident by the North Chicago police after a brief pursuit, Highland Park Police Chief Louis E. Jogmen told reporters.
Crimo came to stop during the vehicle chase and officers were able to take him into custody.
Various videos show Crimo crawling on the ground after he stopped his vehicle at the crossroad of U.S. Highway 41 and Wesley Road in Lake Forest. Officers approached him and arrested him.
A Texas man was arrested and charged in connection with a terrorist threat he allegedly made against the Supreme Court on social media hours after the court overturned the 1973 abortion precedent Roe v. Wade.
Mikeal Deshawn Archambault, 20, of The Colony, a suburb of Dallas in Denton County, Texas, allegedly posted on Twitter: “I’m finna kill everyone in the SUPREME COURT with my ak47[.]”
“Finna” is a contraction of “fixing to,” as in, “intending to.”
The post at the account @moseswrld was time-stamped late June 24, hours after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Mississippi abortion law case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The post quickly went viral but the account has since been deleted.
Archambault was booked into the Denton County Jail on June 25. Records show he was released the next day on a $25,000 surety bond.
The Colony Police Department said in a July 1 statement that it was contacted June 24 “by the FBI regarding online threats of violence towards The Supreme Court.” Police searched the suspect’s residence but didn’t initially locate him.
“In conjunction with the FBI, Detectives from The Colony Police Department’s Criminal Investigative Division conducted an investigation and obtained probable cause for an arrest warrant. Officers went back to the subject’s residence, located the subject and placed him under arrest for Terroristic Threat,” according to the statement.
The charge against Archambault came as threats related to controversial Supreme Court decisions have ramped up in recent weeks.
The justices themselves have been personally threatened.
Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley has accused Maryland authorities of not doing enough to protect the justices and of not enforcing anti-residential picketing laws to halt the boisterous protests at their homes.
Although Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has pushed back against Curley, Hogan and Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin have both called on the U.S. Department of Justice to do more to protect the court’s members.
Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, California, was arrested for allegedly planning to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Texas Sheriff: Open Border Is Transforming America to Marxist State
Sheriffs in Texas are experiencing the impact of the border crisis in their counties every day—whether it’s armed cartel operatives smuggling illegal immigrants, vehicle pursuits resulting in crashes and deaths, or drug overdose deaths from fentanyl brought across the southern border.
In Goliad, Sheriff Roy Boyd sits 200 miles from the Texas–Mexico border, between McAllen and Houston—a major transport corridor of illegal immigrants and illicit goods.
As a 29-year law enforcement veteran in the region, Boyd said he’s never seen a border crisis so bad or border-related crime so egregious.
“There’s no end to it,” he told The Epoch Times on June 23. He monitors 16 cartel-operated sites in his county that are currently dormant, but have been used to stash illegal immigrants on their way to Houston. Currently it’s mostly carloads of illegal immigrants being smuggled straight through his county to the city.
“It’s a movement of individuals from third world countries, all over the place, into our country. But the farther you get into it, the more you realize it’s all done by design—and it’s at the design of the federal government.
“We’re in a transformation of America from a free Republic to moving to something that’s more of a Marxist state.”
Guilty Pleas to Two Federal Felonies From Man Who Breached Rotunda Doors
A South Carolina man who opened the inner Capitol Rotunda doors during the breach on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty in federal court on June 30 to two felony charges.
George Tenney III, 35, of Anderson, pleaded guilty in Washington to civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.
Judge Thomas Hogan accepted Tenney’s guilty pleas.
Tenney faces up to five years in prison on the civil disorder charge and 20 years on the obstruction charge. He will be sentenced on Oct. 20.
Tenney played a pivotal role in allowing crowds into the Rotunda. He opened one of the magnetically locked inner doors after appearing to look to someone out of view of the security camera for instructions.
Federal prosecutors have charged a number of defendants, including members of the Oath Keepers, with “breaching” this entrance to the Capitol.
However, neither the huge bronze Columbus Doors on the outside, nor the magnetically secured inner doors can be opened from the outside.
Security video shows Tenney standing in the east foyer of the Rotunda and looking off-camera as if listening to someone.
Even though the inner doors can be opened in an emergency by holding the door handle down for three seconds, Tenney was able to open the left door as soon as he touched it, the video shows.
“A police officer who was outside tried to push [the doors] closed and Tenney resisted pushing against the door to try to keep it open,” the Department of Justice said in a news release.
“An employee of the House Sergeant-at-Arms then ran towards Tenney, pushing him aside in an effort to close the door.”
After assisting protesters coming through the door, “Tenney ultimately had to be pulled back inside so that the Rotunda Doors could be closed to keep other rioters from entering,” the DOJ said.
“He then retreated to the Rotunda and exited the Capitol through a window at approximately 2:32 p.m.”
Prosecutors said Tenney posted messages on Facebook in late December 2020 suggesting drastic action might be necessary at the Capitol due to fraud in the presidential election.
“It’s starting to look like we may siege the capital (sic) building and congress if the electoral votes don’t go right,” he posted on Dec. 28.
“There’s a bunch going around, figured we should talk about it … we are forming plans for every scenario. What you think?”
Tenney accessed the Capitol through the Senate wing doors at 2:19 p.m., prosecutors said.
A friend, Darrell Youngers, remarked at the time: “We are inside the Capitol Building. It has been overrun.
“… The Capitol Building has literally been broken into … this is what a revolution mother [expletive] looks like.”
Despite Tenney’s admission of guilt as part of a plea bargain, serious questions remain about the Columbus Doors and who opened them, allowing crowds to stream inside the Rotunda.
House GOPers Demanding Answers on Why Grants Going to Boost Atheism Overseas
House Republican Study Committee (RSC) chairman Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and 15 GOP colleagues are challenging the legality of State Department grants—of as much as $500,000 each—to international “organizations committed to the practice and spread of atheism and humanism.”
Their challenge is contained in a June 30 letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken concerning the department’s competitive grant process issued in April 2021 for “Promoting and Defending Religious Freedom Inclusive of Atheist, Humanist, Non-Practicing and Non-Affiliated Individuals” in South Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
“To be clear, atheism and ‘humanism’ are official belief systems.
“As an initial matter, therefore, we would like to know what other United States government programs supported with appropriated funds are being used either to encourage, inculcate, or to disparage any official belief system—atheist, humanist, Christian, Muslim, or otherwise,” Banks and the other signers told Blinken.
“It is one thing for the department to be tolerant and respectful of a wide range of belief systems, and to encourage governments to respect the religious freedom interests of their citizens. It is quite another for the United States government to work actively to empower atheists, humanists, non-practicing, and non-affiliated in public decision-making,” the signers continued.
“Any such program—for any religiously-identifiable group—in the United States would be unconstitutional.
“In addition to its constitutionally dubious legal foundation, we also question how such a grant or cooperative agreement program advances the foreign policy interests of the United States,” the signers wrote.
A State Department spokesman could not be reached for comment.
In addition to Banks, the signers include Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), Rep. Tim Burchett (R- Tenn.), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).
In countries with a dominate religious culture such as the Middle East and parts of North Africa where Islam dominates, the signers warned Blinken that providing U.S. tax dollars to groups promoting non-Islamic faiths is likely to be perceived by local populations as subversive funding ”from a foreign power designed to shatter local religious and cultural relationships.”
In addition, the signers told Blinken they have reviewed other similar official State Department Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) documents that “violate both the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses, but also the No Religious Test Clause of Article VI of our nation’s constitution.”
The funding provided to the organizations selected by the department would be used to support building “networks and advocacy groups” for atheists, according to the official notice.
“This would be analogous to official State Department promotion of religious freedom ‘particularly for Christians’ in China, with the express goal being to build a corresponding missionary network,” the signers told Blinken.
“Obviously, this goal that would never pass constitutional muster and would be derided by radical Leftist bureaucrats in your agency as completely out-of-bounds.
“So why is this atheist NOFO not viewed with similar objection,” the signers asked.
“Americans rightly discern this as a part of the broader effort on the part of your administration to promote radical, progressive orthodoxy abroad. Atheism is an integral part of the belief system of Marxism and Communism,” the signers said.
But industry representatives say AB5 will devastate the independent trucking sector.
“Gasoline has been poured on the fire that is our ongoing supply chain crisis,” the California Trucking Association, which brought the appeal, said in a statement.
“In addition to the direct impact on California’s 70,000 owner-operators who have seven days to cease long-standing independent businesses, the impact of taking tens of thousands of truck drivers off the road will have devastating repercussions on an already fragile supply chain, increasing costs and worsening runaway inflation.
“We are disappointed the Court does not recognize the irrevocable damage eliminating independent truckers will have on interstate commerce and communities across the state.”
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, also lamented the court ruling.
Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Truckers’ Challenge to AB5, California’s Anti-Freelancing Law
The Supreme Court turned away a challenge to California’s “radical” worker-classification law that virtually outlaws independent contracting, including independent trucking, and clamps down on the so-called gig economy.
The ruling has the effect of ending a temporary stay preventing the enforcement of the law, known as AB5, against motor carriers while the appeal to the Supreme Court was pending. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit previously denied the challenge to the law, finding the law wasn’t preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994, which was created to prevent states from undermining federal deregulation of the trucking industry by imposing regulations of their own.
The law is deeply unpopular in California’s struggling business community.
According to JD Supra, a legal publication, the Supreme Court’s refusal to review the case will have “profound consequences for the transportation industry and supply chains in general. At a time when transportation resources and supply chains are already stressed, motor carriers, transportation intermediaries, and commercial shippers must all now adapt to the new landscape in California,” the publication wrote. Motor carriers must “evaluate and adopt alternative operating models to mitigate risk if they intend to continue to do business in California.”
This was the second time in nine months the Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal challenging AB5. On Oct. 4, 2021, the court decided not to hear an appeal from a ruling by the Court of Appeal of California in a case known as Cal Cartage Transportation Express LLC v. California.
The new decision not to hear California Trucking Association v. Bonta, court file 21-194, came in an unsigned order on June 30 before the high court recessed for the summer. As is their custom, the justices didn’t provide reasons for their decision to reject the case. Rob Bonta, a Democrat, is California’s attorney general.
Bonta’s office said it was “pleased” with the decision, according to Land Line, a trade publication. “At the California Department of Justice, we’ll continue to do our part to defend laws that are designed to protect workers and ensure fair labor and business practices.”
Buttigieg Responds After Hundreds of Flight Cancelations Reported Over July 4 Weekend
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg informed travelers about how to get refunds amid hundreds of cancellations and thousands of delays in flights across the United States ahead of July 4.
According to airline tracking service FlightAware.com, as of Saturday, over 5,800 flights were delayed in the United States, including those in and out of the country. There were also at least 655 canceled flights, which is more than three times the average of about 210 canceled flights daily. As of Sunday morning, the tracking service said 211 flights were canceled and more than 938 delays were reported nationwide.
“Flight canceled? You are entitled to a prompt refund. Learn more about your rights at our Consumer Protection site,” Buttigieg wrote on Twitter with a link to the Department of Transportation’s website on Saturday.
According to the Transportation Department website, with the exception of non-refundable tickets, customers are entitled to a refund from airlines when a flight is canceled or delayed, or when bags are lost. They are also entitled to some refund if they were involuntarily moved to a lower class of service.
In the case of delayed flights, refunds only apply when the delay or schedule change is “significant,” which is something the transportation department determines on a case-by-case basis.
Customers can get a refund from airlines if they booked directly with them. Those who booked with third-party companies would need to obtain their refund via the travel agent.
Some 2.49 million travelers went through security checkpoints at U.S. airports on Friday, which is even higher than the 2.46 million travelers earlier in the week, according to data released by the Transportation Security Administration on Saturday. The passenger volume on Friday was a 13 percent increase from July 1 in 2021, which was the Thursday before the July 4 holiday.
New York Limits Concealed Carry Guns After Supreme Court Ruling
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday signed legislation into law to limit the use of concealed carry guns in “sensitive locations” such as schools and places of worship in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Hochul called lawmakers to Albany for an extraordinary session of the state legislature this week to change gun laws after the Supreme Court struck down a 100-year-old state law that required applicants for conceal carry gun permits to show “proper cause.”
The state law was deemed unconstitutional because the state and licensing officers had too much discretion in approving permit applicants.
“I just signed a new law to keep New Yorkers safe—even in the face of a monumental setback from the Supreme Court,” Hochul wrote on Twitter Friday, thanking lawmakers for their “quick work” to pass the reforms.
But New York Republicans disagreed that the bill is about protecting New Yorkers.
“This is NOT a public safety bill under debate in Albany’s ‘extraordinary’ session,” the New York Senate GOP declared on Twitter. “This is a callous, vengeful bill meant to put law-abiding New Yorkers in their ‘rightful place.’”
With a Democrat-controlled state legislature, the bill moved quickly through both chambers, with lawmakers deliberating on Thursday before it went to a vote on Friday.
The state Senate passed the bill (pdf) 43-20 in a party-line vote on Friday before the Assembly passed it later that night.
New Rules
In addition to other requirements, people applying for a firearms permit will need to hand over to licensing officers personal information about their home life and social media activity.
New Yorkers will need to provide information about their current partner or spouse and any adults or minors living with them.
The names of four people will also be required for reference checks to determine the applicant’s “moral character” and if there are any red flags that suggest they might be a harm to themselves or others.
The law requires that firearm permit seekers also complete 16 hours of firearm safety training and hand over information about their social media accounts for the last three years which will be used “to confirm … character and conduct.”
Some of the other requirements under the new law means firearm permit holders will undergo regular checks for criminal convictions. A state-wide license and ammunition database will also be created.
Concealed carry will also be prohibited at government buildings, places of worship, libraries, playgrounds, public parks, schools, and a number of other locations which have often been the location of mass shootings.
Anyone who violates the law at sensitive locations faces criminal penalties.
Trump’s Social Media Company Subpoenaed by Federal Grand Jury
Former President Donald Trump’s social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Manhattan as part of a criminal investigation into a deal to go public via a special purpose acquisition company called Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC).
TMTG is the parent company of Trump’s Truth Social app.
In a securities filing on July 1, DWAC said it was informed that TMTG received a subpoena on June 30, issued by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York, seeking information about the proposed merger between TMTG and DWAC.
Certain current and former TMTG personnel also recently received individual grand jury subpoenas, DWAC said. No names were disclosed.
DWAC noted on July 1 that TMTG had separately received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 27 “seeking documents relating to, among other things, Digital World and other potential counterparties for a business transaction involving TMTG.”
In a statement on July 1, TMTG said it “will continue cooperating fully with inquiries into our planned merger and will comply with subpoenas we’ve recently received, none of which were directed at the company’s Chairman or CEO,” referring to Trump and former U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, respectively.
Probe Into Whether Companies Violated Securities Law
The investigations by the Justice Department and the SEC are probing whether DWAC had held private or undisclosed talks on plans to merge with TMTG before its own initial public offering (IPO) in September 2021, which would have violated federal securities law.
More Companies Join the ‘Great Migration’ to Red States
Blue states believe their abortion policies can bring companies back
Amidst predictions of a political “red wave” in the upcoming mid-term elections, an economic wave has been building for years with no end in sight as companies flood out of blue states and into red states.
And as a result of its political divisions, America appears to now be dividing itself into prosperous, high-growth states and states that are suffering a chronic decline. But Democrat-run states believe their abortion policies could be a key factor in attracting companies back.
Caterpillar and Citadel, which in June announced their exit out of Illinois, are only the latest firms to leave high-tax, high-regulation states. Tesla, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, and Remington are also among the hundreds of companies flocking out of California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey to business-friendly places like Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Tennessee. Relocating companies have spanned industries including tech, finance, media, heavy manufacturing, autos, and firearms.
“There is a great migration going on, and I expect it to accelerate,” Glen Hamer, president of the Texas Association of Business, told The Epoch Times. “When the Caterpillars and the Elon Musks relocate, it’s an advertisement to the entire country and the entire world that something positive is going on in that state. And there is a multiplier effect.”
According to a 2022 survey of 700 CEOs, the top states for business were Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, and North Carolina. The worst were California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Washington.
Even companies like Apple, which did not move its headquarters to Texas, chose to establish its second-largest campus for employees there. Amazon selected Houston as one of its prime hubs. Ford, Volkswagen, and Nissan chose Tennessee as the location for major new manufacturing facilities. And in some cases, entire industries like firearms, which are being targeted by legislation and lawsuits in blue states, are moving south.
Rep. Andy Biggs Blows Whistle On ATF ‘Anti-Gun Agenda’ Targeting Law-Abiding Firearm Dealers
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) in a June 29 letter demanded answers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) about a dramatic increase in Federal Firearm License (FFL) revocations since President Joe Biden took office, which he blamed on an “anti-gun agenda” from the administration.
To hold a FFL, licensees must undergo occasional inspection by the ATF to ensure compliance with federal law. In these inspections, some paperwork errors are common and to be expected. Historically, only major and intentional violations of federal law, or gross negligence on the part of the FFL dealer, have led to FFL revocations.
In recent months, it appears the ATF has begun to change tack, dramatically increasing its revocations of FFLs for routine clerical errors and other minor mistakes.
According to John Clark, a firearms industry expert whose firm FFL Consultants helps would-be FFL holders avoid an ATF revocation, the ATF announced at a recent Firearm Industry Conference that it had revoked 273 FFLs in the first 11 months of the Biden presidency. This figure represents a staggering increase of more than 500 percent in FFL revocations.
Biggs, in a letter addressed to Acting ATF Director Gary Restaino, suggested that these increased FFL revocations by the ATF come as part of an anti-gun strategy from the White House, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and Attorney General Merrick Garland. The collateral damage of this effort, Biggs said, are the livelihoods of law-abiding gun shop owners and entrepreneurs.
“At the aggressive direction of the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is currently undertaking a broad and unprecedented effort to revoke Federal Firearm Licenses from law-abiding business owners throughout the country,” Biggs wrote.
Revoked Under Old Complaints
Reportedly, many of these revocations have come after evaluation of previously-closed complaints against FFL licensees.
“In recent months, the number of FFL revocation proceedings initiated by ATF has skyrocketed and ATF has reportedly adopted an officially sanctioned practice of basing revocations on minor infractions discovered in previously-closed inspections,” Biggs said. “According to business owners, these inspections, occurring six to eighteen months prior, often involved clerical errors that were fully resolved and addressed by the businesses with no subsequent infractions.”
“The DOJ’s efforts to force its administration’s agenda onto ATF are particularly disturbing,” Biggs continued.
The anti-gun crusade by the administration, Biggs reported, has forced many ATF agents to carry out tasks that they think do not serve the public interest. In some areas, ATF divisions have even reportedly been placed in competition to achieve the most FFL revocations.
“Local ATF field agents have shared they feel pressured to take actions against individual businesses that they do not feel are appropriate or in the interest of public safety,” he said. “Some have even reported that ATF field divisions are being pitted against each other and being forced to compete on the number of licenses revoked.”
ATF Directors of Industry Operations, who are in charge of overseeing revocation proceedings, “are being told to press forward with this escalating quota system or face professional repercussions,” Biggs reported.
These efforts, Biggs said, are likely to have dire consequences both for the relationship between FFL holders and the ATF, and for the FFL holders who find themselves in the sights of this new quota system.
Missouri Requires Photo ID, Bans Ballot Drop Boxes in Election Law Overhaul
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a new election law on Wednesday that will require a voter to show a photo ID to vote in the coming general election.
The new law, House Bill 1878, requires voters to show one of the following photo IDs at polling sites: nonexpired Missouri driver’s license, nonexpired state nondriver’s license, other documents issued by the state or federal government with a photo and recent confirmable signature, or photo identification issued by the Missouri National Guard, U.S. Armed Forces, or U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
A voter who comes to the polling sites without the required photo ID can cast a provisional ballot with a signature on the ballot envelope and a sworn affidavit.
However, the election judges will mark the ballot envelope to indicate that the voter’s identity was not verified.
The voter can either come back to the polling site with a photo ID on the same day or allow the election authority to determine if the ballot is effective by comparing the voter’s signature with one on file with the election agency.
Supreme Courts in Texas, Ohio Block Efforts to Reinstate Access to Abortions
Texas’s and Ohio’s Supreme Courts have given the go-ahead for the states to enforce their respective state laws that ban abortion, blocking efforts that barred the laws from taking effect, coming after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Roe v. Wade had enabled abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy across the country for almost five decades. The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 sends regulation of the procedure back to states.
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday allowed (pdf) the state’s longstanding pre-Roe abortion ban to take effect, by blocking a lower court order that said clinics could continue performing abortions.
Judge Christine Weems in Harris County on June 28 had issued a temporary restraining order to block the enforcement of the 1925 Texas law that bans abortion unless necessary to save the life of the mother.
Abortions in Texas were already restricted under a law that took effect in September 2021, known as the Texas Heartbeat Act or Senate Bill 8 (S.B. 8). Weems’s order had reassured some clinics they could temporarily resume abortions up to six weeks, which is roughly when a heartbeat is detectable in the unborn baby.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, announced on June 30 he sought emergency relief from the Texas Supreme Court by asking it to vacate the temporary restraining order.
A later hearing on the case is scheduled for July 12.
Julia Kaye, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) representing the Texas abortion clinics challenging the ban, said in a statement that the group “won’t stop fighting to ensure that as many people as possible, for as long as possible” can access abortion.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on July 3 that his department will continue to warn migrants to not show up at the U.S.–Mexico border, as the current “Remain in Mexico” policy isn’t going away for “several weeks.”
Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Mayorkas was asked whether the border enforcement agencies have the manpower and resources needed to handle “thousands of people who departed on Friday and are moving toward the U.S. border.” He responded by blaming “exploitative smugglers” who use “false information” to motivate migrants to illegally cross the border.
“We have said repeatedly and we continue to warn people not to take the dangerous journey,” Mayorkas told CBS’s Margaret Brennan, noting that his department is working with “our partners to the south” to “break up very often” migrant caravans. “We continue to enforce immigration law, as is our legal responsibility.
“These migrants receive false information from smugglers. They put their lives, their life savings, in the hands of these exploitative organizations, these criminal organizations that do not care for their lives and only seek to make a profit.”
Brennan pressed Mayorkas about the effectiveness of the Biden administration’s methods, pointing out that even last week’s tragedy, during which 53 illegal immigrants were found dead in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, didn’t seem to deter people from coming to the border en masse.
“Those words are not being heard—people are moving right now, so the efforts to stop the root causes are not stopping them,” she said, referring to President Joe Biden’s strategy to “address the root causes of migration in Central America.” “Are you predicting that this is only going to get more significant from here, that we’re going to go beyond the record surge in migrants?”
Mayorkas answered, “No, I’m not predicting that at all. We’re working with our partners to the south because this is a regional challenge that requires a regional response.”
He was also asked about the fate of the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which requires foreign nationals who claim to be asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases are being processed. On June 30, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration has the authority to end MPP, which is commonly known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
According to Mayorkas, MPP will continue to be enforced for now because it takes time for the lower court to lift its injunction that prevents the Biden administration from ending the protocol.
“In light of the favorable Supreme Court ruling, we have to wait for that ruling to reach the district court that issued an injunction preventing us from ending ‘Remain in Mexico,’” he told Brennan. “So we have several weeks to go before the district court lifts its injunction, and until then, we are obligated by the district court’s ruling to continue to implement the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, and we will do so in accordance with law.”
In a 5–4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled against Texas and Missouri, which had argued that the Biden administration violated the federal immigration law by rescinding MPP. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the three liberal justices in the majority.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the case was “wrongly decided” and will only “make the border crisis worse.” He said he agrees with the dissenting opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito, who said the government can’t guarantee that those who have already been released into the United States for later processing will show up for their scheduled asylum hearing to decide if they qualify for asylum.
“In fiscal year 2021, the Border Patrol reported more than 1.7 million encounters with aliens along the Mexican border,” Alito wrote. “When it appears that one of these aliens is not admissible, may the Government simply release the alien in this country and hope that the alien will show up for the hearing at which his or her entitlement to remain will be decided?
“Congress has provided a clear answer to that question, and the answer is no.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Jeff Bezos Responds After Biden Demands Gas Stations Lower Prices
Amazon founder and multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos criticized the Biden administration’s messaging around gas prices and rising inflation.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden suggested on Twitter that gas stations across the United States charge customers less for gasoline to offset historically high gas prices.
“Ouch,” Bezos wrote in response. “Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this. It’s either straight ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics.”
Earlier, Biden’s Twitter account wrote that he has a “message” to gas stations: “This is a time of war and global peril. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.”
From the Twitter post, it’s not clear how gas stations might accomplish Biden’s Twitter demand, which was praised by a Chinese Communist Party media account. Others, however, criticized the president’s post.
“You know as well as everyone that the Federal Reserve actually sets the prices—through rampant inflation,” wrote the Libertarian Party’s account. “When 40 percent of the dollars in the world was printed in one year, inflation sets in and prices skyrocket. Just yesterday you were blaming [Russia]. We see through your scam.”
Added California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger, “At a time of war, Biden could have leveled with the American people and united the country through an ‘all-of-the-above’ clean energy strategy that included oil & gas. Instead, he has repeatedly lied about the causes of the energy crisis and divided the country.”
Data released by auto club AAA on Sunday shows that the national average price for a gallon of regular gas currently stands at $4.81, down about 10 cents from a week ago. In mid-June, the average price hit $5 per gallon for the first time.
Biden and fellow Democrats have shifted from blaming Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, for the spike in gas prices to blaming oil companies and gas stations in recent days. The president sent a letter to the top oil companies in the United States, demanding that they bring down prices while accusing them of price-gouging.
ExxonMobil, one of the firms, fired back by suggesting that federal policies have contributed to rising prices.
“In the short term, the U.S. government could enact measures often used in emergencies following hurricanes or other supply disruptions—such as waivers of Jones Act provisions and some fuel specifications to increase supplies,” the oil giant wrote in a news release.
The federal government, it added, “can promote investment through clear and consistent policy that supports U.S. resource development, such as regular and predictable lease sales, as well as streamlined regulatory approval and support for infrastructure such as pipelines.”
Republicans and some analysts have said the higher prices are caused by Biden having issued a series of executive orders last year suspending new drilling leases on federal lands, fossil fuel subsidies, and killing off the Keystone pipeline.
JP Morgan Makes Dire Prediction on Future Oil Prices
Analysts with JP Morgan Chase said the price for a barrel of oil could more than triple if Russia decides to cut its output amid record-high gas prices.
The current price for a barrel of oil stands at around $110, but that could increase to a “stratospheric” $380 per barrel if Russia acts to cut output, JP Morgan’s analysis wrote in a note, according to Bloomberg News.
“It is likely that the government could retaliate by cutting output as a way to inflict pain on the West,” the analysts wrote in what they described as a worst-case scenario. “The tightness of the global oil market is on Russia’s side.”
JP Morgan analyst Natasha Kaneva said that Russia cutting production by 3 million barrels a day would push global prices to $190 per barrel. And the worst-case scenario, she added, would be if Moscow cut 5 million barrels per day, which could send the price to $380.
Since the start of the Ukraine conflict on Feb. 24, Western nations have hit Russia with punishing sanctions. However, Russia supplies much of Europe with oil and natural gas. The United States, meanwhile, has blocked all Russian oil exports since March.
JP Morgan’s analysts added that if the West continues to target Russia’s oil industry, the Kremlin may not play along.
“The most obvious and likely risk with a price cap is that Russia might choose not to participate and instead retaliate by reducing exports,” the note said, according to Bloomberg.
Data from AAA shows that the nationwide average for a gallon of regular gas currently is hovering around $4.81 as of Sunday, a slight decline of about 10 cents from the previous week.
US Response
Last week, when asked about how long Americans should expect to pay high gas prices, President Joe Biden claimed that they will continue to be elevated as long as the conflict takes to resolve.
“As long as it takes so Russia cannot in fact defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine,” Biden told reporters on June 30. “This is a critical, critical position for the world. Here we are. Why do we have NATO? I told Putin that in fact, if he were to move, we would move to strengthen NATO. We would move to strengthen NATO across the board.”
White House economic adviser Brian Deese said that Americans should pay high prices because it “is about the future of the liberal world order, and we have to stand firm.”
Biden also attempted to shift the blame to gas stations for the higher prices, writing on Twitter: “My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.”
He did not provide any examples of how gas stations could “bring down the price.” It’s also not clear if he was writing to individual gas station owners, companies, or individuals who own many franchises.
A day later, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby defended the Twitter post in a Sunday morning interview with Fox News.
“If everybody cooperates on this, we can bring the price down at least by about a dollar a gallon,” Kirby remarked, “so he’s working very, very hard to do this because he knows the impact that high gas prices have on the American household.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Have You Seen This Warning Hidden Inside Your Cellphone?
A little-known warning from the manufacturer hidden within your cellphone manual advises you to keep the device at a certain distance from your body to ensure you don’t exceed federal safety limits for radiofrequency (RF) exposure
Depending on the manufacturer, you need to keep your cellphone at least 5 to 15 (0.19 to 0.59 inches) millimeters away from your head and body at all times to avoid exceeding the safety limit for RF exposure
In the real-world, most people carry their phones close to their body, usually in a pocket or bra. When popular cellphones were tested in direct contact to the body, they all exceeded the safety limit
SAR is a measure of how much RF energy your body will absorb from the device when held at a specific distance from your body (ranging from 5 to 15 mm, depending on the manufacturer). It’s important to realize that the SAR value is not an indication of how safe your phone is
SAR testing, which is modeled on a very large male head, was devised before cellphone usage became commonplace among toddlers and young children, whose skulls allow for far greater RF energy penetration
Solar doesn’t only help the environment — it can also help your wallet
- Homeowners were willing to spend an average of $2,600 over budget for solar panels.
- Homeowners in St. Petersburg, FL, and Knoxville, TN, sold their green homes for 159% and 149% more than homeowners got for homes without a green feature.
- Americans are saving an average of $1,500 annually after switching to solar.
- 70% of American homeowners reported an increase in home value after the installation of solar panels.
- 3 out of 4 homeowners said they wouldn’t buy their next home without solar or some type of eco-friendly feature.
More and more people are pondering the question: “Should I go solar?” With this comes a host of other questions: “Will I save money? Will I save the earth? And how will it look?” (to name a few). In the latest study from the team at ConsumerAffairs, we try to better understand the impacts of going solar in your particular area depending on your particular values and preferences.
By collecting exhaustive Redfin data and responses from 1,000 American homeowners, the ins and outs of solar panels are becoming clearer. The value increases of green home sales are mapped by city and state, as are the top motivators and complaints of those who already went solar in the country. So, should you go solar? Keep reading to find out.
Why China Is Subsidizing Cheap Surveillance Cameras
Hikvision began as an entity of China, and its largest shareholder remains the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), a defense-industrial firm
Hikvision receives generous support from China’s Communist leaders, allowing the company to offer low prices and expand abroad rapidly, outpacing much of its competition
Hikvision cameras are used to surveil prisoners in “re-education” camps in China’s Xinjiang region, raising significant human rights concerns
In the U.S., federal agencies were ordered by Congress to remove Hikvision cameras by August 2019 due to national security concerns
Concerns have been raised that the Hikvision devices may have features, such as microphones, that can be turned on remotely, allowing them to relay information back to China
HEALTH
Opposition to controversial GMO salmon (aka “Frankenfish”) and GMO salmon farms is not going away. Additionally, research continues to prove that ALL farmed salmon (not just “Frankenfish”) isn’t healthy either. Bon Appetit!
From Beyond Pesticides:
Farmed Salmon Just as Toxic to Human Health as Junk Food
(Beyond Pesticides, June 16, 2022) Farmed salmon serves as an inferior food source, accumulating more toxic chemicals in fatty tissue with fewer healthy nutrient properties based on a study from the University of Bergen, Norway and Alternative Medicine Review. However, the issue of toxic chemical contamination in fish dates back decades with investigations demonstrating high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) flame retardants restricted or banned in the U.S. and U.K., polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), dioxin (a by-product of pesticide manufacturing), and ethoxyquin (a pesticide preservative in fish feed). The aquaculture industry (e.g., farmed seafood/fish) repeatedly faces sustainability issues, failing to adhere to environmental regulations and threatening marine health. Extensive use of pesticides in local marine ecosystems has induced coastal habitat loss and increased genetic and health risks to wild marine populations. Moreover, insecticides used to kill salmon parasites (e.g., fish lice) has led to widespread disease persistence and pest resistance. Marine species biodiversity is rapidly declining due to overfishing, global warming, pathogens, and pollution. Thus, further biodiversity loss can change aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem functions and reduce ecosystem services.
Food analysis results find the consumption of farmed salmon fillets contributes to higher rates of metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity. These farmed salmon also contain levels of toxins, including PCBs and dioxin, that are five times higher than levels in other tested foods. The report suggests the primary causes of farmed salmon toxicity stem from the toxicants in fish feed, like ethoxyquin, and environmental concentrations of the chemicals, whether from terrestrial sources or farmed fish itself.
Farmed fish, like salmon, use one of the most high-risk aquaculture practices, open-net pens in coastal and offshore regions. These pens allow easy exchange of waste (i.e., feces), chemicals (i.e., pesticides and pharmaceuticals), and parasites/diseases (i.e., sea lice) between the farm and the surrounding ocean environment. The discharge of waste, chemicals, and parasites/pathogens can have a disastrous impact on marine organisms and plants, disrupting ecosystem services. Generally, these pens are in relatively remote areas, somewhat “hidden” from public view. However, these fish live in very crowded conditions, unlike wild-caught fish. The fish consume food that may contain various pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics) or insecticides to control diseases and pest infestations that frequently occur in these conditions. Furthermore, the farm pens can attract predators, such as marine mammals, that can tangle and drown in fish farm nets.
The U.S. permits the use of the pesticide ethoxyquin on fruit, vegetables, and meat meant for animal feed, with no intended uses on fish. However, fish feed manufacturing companies fail to address the use of ethoxyquin as a preservative to prevent oxidization/spoilage of fatty tissue. Farmed salmon testing reveals levels of ethoxyquin are up to 20 times higher than levels allowed in fruits, vegetables, and meats. Despite there being no intended uses of ethoxyquin on food for human consumption, the chemical can pass to humans from contaminated food sources. Although claims suggest ethoxyquin has no human health effects, scientific evidence establishes that the chemical can induce DNA damage in human lymphocyte cells and chromosome aberrations.
Although current pesticide use and pollution contaminate both farmed and wild salmon populations, banned legacy pesticides like DDT, dieldrin, chlordane, and toxaphene continue to contaminate many major waterways, including shorelines where fishing is common. Legacy pesticides remain in the environment for decades as these products are relatively stable, with long half-lives. This slower breakdown rate and affinity to lipids (fats) allow these toxicants to accumulate in the fatty tissue of many marine species, including fish. Farmed salmon has a much higher fat content than wild salmon and thus has the potential to accumulate more lipophilic (fat-loving) toxic chemicals. Hence, the report advises individuals to consume wild-caught Alaskan salmon, not only due to the lower fat content but a shorter life cycle as well. Moreover, fish with shorter lifecycles, like small fish such as sardines and anchovies, tend to have a lower fat content and prove a better choice to mitigate chemical exposure. “With their low contamination risk and higher nutritional value, [these fish] are win-win alternative[s]. Other good choices include herring and fish roe (caviar), which is full of important phospholipids that nourish your mitochondrial membranes.”
The oceans are essential to human health and well-being, feeding billions, supporting millions of jobs, and supplying medicinal materials. However, environmental contaminants like pesticides and the subsequent effects of exposure, such as pest resistance, profoundly impact the ecosystem and its inhabitants. Pesticides are pervasive in all water ecosystems—from rivers, lakes, and oceans to glaciers in the Arctic, exacerbating the ubiquity and distribution of pesticide resistance among sea lice populations across the globe. Therefore, it is essential to understand how parasites may develop resistance to pesticides used to control populations in order to safeguard human, animal, and environmental health. Toxic pesticide use must end in order to protect the nation’s and world’s waterways and reduce the number of pesticides and resistant parasites found in our food, water, and wildlife resources. Learn more about how pesticides are hazardous to wildlife and what you can do through Beyond Pesticides’ wildlife program page.
There are many resources individuals can use to help gain knowledge and apply practices to avoid pesticide use and its adverse effects. These include news stories, local organizations, school pesticide policies, regulatory contacts, and least-toxic pest control operators. Organic practices can successfully eliminate toxic pesticide use. Replacing pesticides with organic, non-toxic alternatives is crucial for safeguarding public health and ecosystems from pesticide toxicity. Buying, growing, and supporting organic helps eliminate the extensive use of pesticides in the environment and from your diet. For more information on why organic is the right choice for consumers and the farmworkers who grow our food, see the Beyond Pesticides webpage, Health Benefits of Organic Agriculture.
How to Turn Challenge Into Opportunity
Predators exist to remind us about the light and to make us to come alive
The Great Reset is an old malaise in a new digital wrapper, with a smiley face painted on it
Technology is an enabler of the Great Reset but its driver is the spiritual malaise
Like most things in life, technology can be a blessing or a trap
Bottom line: predators exist to remind us about the light and force us to come alive
Study Sounds Alarm Over New Bacteria Increasingly Spreading Among Humans
A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria discovered in pigs is spreading to people and causing infections, according to a new study released this week.
A strain of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) is suspected to have emerged among European pigs and other livestock in the past several decades because of frequent antibiotic use in farming.
“Historically high levels of antibiotic use” may have led to the cause of this “highly antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA on pig farms,” said Dr. Gemma Murrayn, who worked on the study released by the University of Cambridge, in a news release.
“We found that the antibiotic resistance in this livestock-associated MRSA is extremely stable—it has persisted over several decades, and also as the bacteria has spread across different livestock species,” Murrayn added in the news release.
The researchers say the bacteria—known as CC398—is a potential threat to public health. LA-MRSA causes infections similar to non-resistant Staphylococcus aureus but is harder to treat with antibiotics.
It’s the dominant MRSA in pigs and other European livestock. Researchers say it’s also associated with a growing number of infections among people, regardless of whether or not they had direct contact with livestock or not.
How to Clean Your Ears Without a Cotton Swab
Ears are normally self-cleaning, but if you experience symptoms of excess earwax, including hearing loss, you may safely remove it using oil to soften the wax and a 3% hydrogen peroxide soak for five minutes
Cotton swabs are a major cause of eardrum punctures; a sample of emergency room records showed 66% of those treated for a traumatic perforation caused the injury themselves by sticking something in their ear. Nearly half of these were cotton swabs
While many perforations will heal without intervention, some experience neurological deficits such as facial nerve paralysis and require surgery to repair the membrane; other mistakes made when cleaning ears include cleaning them regularly, inserting any object, ear candling and using syringes that may increase your risk for swimmer’s ear
When earwax buildup goes unrecognized in the elderly it may pose significant problems; symptoms of earwax impaction include hearing loss and tinnitus, which may increase the risk of cognitive decline, reduced social engagement and an association with pain disorders, headaches and difficulty sleeping
What You Eat First During Meals Can Lower Glucose by 40%
You can consume the same foods — same calories, same total carbs, same nutrients — and have drastically different metabolic effects depending on what you eat first
Eating carbohydrates last is best and may reduce insulin and glucose levels compared to consuming them first
In a study, total glucose decreased by 38% when protein and vegetables were consumed first, compared to a carbs-first meal
Mean glucose levels were 1 mmol/L lower when carbs were consumed last compared to the typical meal, in which protein, fat and carbs are consumed at the same time
The beneficial effects of food order on glucose levels were so powerful that researchers deemed them comparable to the effects of drugs targeting postprandial glucose
The Critical Importance of Deep Knee Bending
Being able to sit down on the floor and stand up from that position without using one’s hands can indicate a person’s potential longevity, according to a 2012 study published in the European Journal of Cardiology.
If a person can stand up from the floor with the help of one hand or one knee, the study found, they wouldn’t live quite as long as those who can stand up without using their hands or knees, but they would live longer than someone who needed both hands or both knees to stand.
When I read about this study, I immediately incorporated standing without the use of hands into the yoga classes of all ages that I teach.
In all variations of this movement, at least one knee must bend beyond the toes to make the transition possible. Conventional wisdom in athletic training has condemned exercising with knees over toes, despite the fact that it’s necessary for sitting on the floor, not to mention climbing stairs.
“Contrary to popular belief, evidence only exists showing that the more ability you have with your knees over your toes, the less chance you have of knee pain and surgery,” writes Ben Patrick on his Medium page. Patrick is a knee-strength coach who’s extensively researched knee injuries, having had three surgeries by age 18 and suffered multiple torn ligaments.
He points to a 2016 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise that followed people after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and found that step-down and quadricep training improved performance six months after surgery.
But the training world has been fixated on the dangers of allowing the knees to extend beyond the toes ever since a 1978 Duke University study claimed that more pressure is put on the knees when they go over the toes.
Meanwhile, knee and hip replacements continue to rise. There are about 500,000 knee replacements and 175,000 hip replacements annually in the United States. Hip replacements are expected to increase 174 percent, while knee replacements are expected to go up 673 percent, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2006 data.
Patrick and other trainers are attempting to shift the narrative in line with what they are experiencing in real time—that people can strengthen their joints by challenging their range of motion at the ankles and gaining a deeper squat. Not only is this possible, but anyone can do it, taking into consideration past injuries and other limitations.
A review published in Sports Medicine in 2013 looked at 164 relevant studies over a two-year period and found deep squats don’t contribute to an increased risk of injury and, in fact, a deep squat done with the right form can prevent degenerative changes in the joints.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Biden Looks to Block or Limit New Offshore Drilling, Scaling Back Trump-Era Plan to Pump More Oil
The Biden administration has announced plans to block all new offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, while potentially letting a handful of new leases go ahead off the coast of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico, charting a different course from a Trump-era plan that sought to expand offshore drilling to bolster America’s energy security.
The draft plan, released on July 1 by the Interior Department, lays out several options for public input as to how many offshore oil and gas lease sales should be held over the next five years, ranging from nearly a dozen new leases to zero.
“The proposed plan puts forward several options from no lease sales up to 11 lease sales over the next five years,” said Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “The time for the public to weigh in on our future is now.”
Open for consideration and public input are ten potential new leases in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Cook Inlet off the southern coast of Alaska, as laid out in detail in the Draft Proposed Plan (DPP) (pdf).
Entirely removed from consideration are any new leases in federal waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Oil Billionaire Blasts Biden’s Gas-Price Blame-Game, Says Only One Thing Will Fix Inflation
New York billionaire and refiner John Catsimatidis, who owns hundreds of gas stations, blasted President Joe Biden’s pinning the blame on high prices at the pump on gas station owners, arguing there’s only one solution for inflation – boosting production of crude.
Catsimatidis made the remarks in an interview on Fox News on June 24, after being asked to comment on Biden’s call to gas station owners to “bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are paying for the product.”
“Do it now. Do it today. Your customers, the American people, they need relief now,” Biden said at a White House press conference on June 23, in which the president called for a federal gas tax holiday, urged oil companies to use their profits to boost refining capacity, and leaned on gas station owners to pass along lower crude oil prices by lowering prices at the pump.
‘Ridiculous to Put It on Us’
Catsimatidis reacted to Biden’s remarks by defending gas station owners, arguing that they’ve been “making the same margin that we’ve been making forever” as they have to cover payroll and pay rent, electricity bills, and other operating expenses.
While the margin gas station owners make fluctuates several cents one way or the other, Catsimatidis said it’s “ridiculous to put it on us. We’re not the ones that created the problem.”
The price of gasoline has nearly doubled since Biden took office, with the president variously blaming oil industry greed, a lack of refining capacity, global supply shortfalls set against a sharp post-pandemic rebound in demand, and the war in Ukraine.
Some experts and industry insiders have argued that the Biden administration’s anti-fossil fuel policies have discouraged companies from investing in refining capacity.
“It’s not the war in Ukraine. It’s really domestically caused constraint on the supply side,” said Ross McKitrick, a professor of economics at the University of Guelph in Ontario and expert on energy and environmental policy, in a recent interview with The Epoch Times.
“Nobody’s willing to invest in expanding refinery capacity because the outlook from everything that the government has said is you won’t get the approvals,” he added.
McKitrick’s view was echoed by Chevron CEO Mike Wirth, who said in a recent interview that he does not believe another oil refinery will be built again in the United States, arguing that government policies are the key factor.
“We’ve seen refineries closed. We’ve seen units come down. We’ve seen refineries being repurposed to become bio refineries. And we live in a world where the policy, the stated policy of the U.S. government is to reduce demand for the products that refiners produce,” Wirth said.
…
For his part, Catsimatidis said in the interview on Fox that there’s only one fix for the current inflationary spike—a big part of which is due to soaring energy costs.
“We have 100 years’ worth of oil,” he said. “Open up the spigots.”
“If we open up the spigots and flooded the market with oil, with crude oil, American crude oil, we bring the price of oil back” and “inflation goes away,” Catsimatidis said.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
The Power Hour Forum is Open! Join for discussions on gardening & more!
COVID RELATED NEWS
Will Pfizer Be Charged for Mislabeling Vaccine Side Effects?
Pfizer classified almost all severe adverse events that occurred during its Phase 3 trials as unrelated to the injection. A 2,566-page document catalogues serious adverse events and six deaths during the trial. These events were all classified as “toxicity level 4,” which is the most serious, yet none of them was deemed related to the injection
Examples of Level 4 adverse events — all of which were written off as “not related” to the mRNA injection — include acute respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, brain abscess, adrenal carcinoma (adrenal cancer) and chronic myeloid leukemia (blood and bone marrow cancer)
Most Level 3 adverse events were also dismissed as unrelated to the shot. Only a small number were listed as related. Examples of Level 3 side effects include tachycardia (disruption of the normal electrical impulses that control your heart rate — the very problem that underlies most cases of “sudden adult death syndrome” or SADS) and ventricular arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm that makes the lower chambers twitch rather than pump — another underlying cause of SADS)
A reanalysis of data from the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccine trials found that, combined, Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 jabs were associated with a risk increase of serious adverse events of special interest of 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated. Meanwhile, the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization was only 2.3 per 10,000 participants for Pfizer and 6.4 per 10,000 for Moderna
Whether intentional or not, mounting evidence now indicate the COVID-19 injections will result in depopulation through premature death and adverse effects on fertility in women and men alike. Research from Israel reveals the shot deteriorates sperm count and sperm motility in men for about three months post-jab
Former Pfizer Exec Believes Leaky Vaccine Was Intentional
There’s nobody more uniquely positioned to speak on this topic – and he’s not pulling any punches, stating you’ve been lied to in every way, shape and form.
Michael Yeadon, Ph.D., a former vice-president and chief scientific adviser for the drug company Pfizer, shares why he believes that the narratives around COVID-19 are false and were put into place deliberately to exert control over society
Yeadon says you’ve been lied to about the magnitude of the threat represented by this entity calle…
New disturbing pharmacovigilance signals from VAERS surrounding the use of the COVID vaccines on women of reproductive age prompted a group of doctors to call for a ban on the gene therapy COVID-19 vaccines.
Over the past two weeks, Dr. James Thorp, a maternal-fetal medicine expert, painstakingly analyzed and verified the most recent Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data related to COVID-19 vaccines and compared them to the influenza vaccines.
“COVID-19 vaccines compared to the influenza vaccines are associated with increases in menstrual disorders, miscarriage, fetal chromosomal abnormalities, fetal cystic hygroma, fetal malformations, fetal cardiac arrest, fetal cardiac arrhythmias, fetal cardiac disorders, fetal vascular mal-perfusion abnormalities, abnormal fetal surveillance testing, abnormal fetal growth patterns, placental thrombosis, and fetal death,” Thorp told The Epoch Times last week.
His findings are listed below:
- Abnormal uterine bleeding (menstrual irregularity) is 1000-fold greater
- Miscarriages are 50-fold greater
- Fetal chromosomal abnormalities are 100-fold greater
- Fetal malformation is 50-fold greater
- Fetal cystic hygroma (a major malformation) is 90-fold greater
- Fetal cardiac disorders are 40-fold greater
- Fetal arrhythmia is 50-fold greater
- Fetal cardiac arrest is 200-fold greater
- Fetal vascular mal-perfusion is a 100-fold greater
- Fetal growth abnormalities are 40-fold greater
- Fetal abnormal surveillance tests are 20-fold greater
- Fetal placental thrombosis is 70-fold greater
Thorp said that he verified his analysis with a DOD (Department of Defense) statistical consultant that agreed to help him on the condition of anonymity.
The Science Behind Time-Restricted Eating
Forget the notion of eating three square meals a day.
Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a form of intermittent fasting where you eat all of your meals for the day within a restricted window of time. Your eating window could range from two to eight hours a day, fasting for the remaining 16 to 22 hours
Researchers found that eating all meals between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. resulted in greater metabol…
Pathologist Speaks Out About COVID Jab Effects
I interviewed Dr. Ryan Cole about his thoughts on the fraudulent COVID-19 narrative. Listen to our entire conversation here.
- In the wake of the COVID jab rollout and additional boosters, a number of health conditions are on the rise, including cancer, most notably cancers of the uterus, endometrial cancers, and very aggressive blood and brain cancers
- Cancer has been on the rise for decades, thanks to diet…
>>> Download Interview Transcript
COVID-19 ‘Vaccines’ Are Gene Therapy
Not a vaccine in the medical definition, the COVID-19 ‘vaccine’ is really an experimental gene therapy that does not render immunity or prevent infection or transmission of the disease.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
mRNA “vaccines” created by Moderna and Pfizer are gene therapies. They fulfill all the definitions of gene therapy and none of the definitions for a vaccine. This matters because you cannot mandate a gene therapy against COVID-19 any more than you can force entire populations to undergo gene therapy for a cancer they do not have and may never be at risk for
mRNA contain genetic instructions for making various proteins. mRNA “vaccines” deliver a synthetic version of mRNA into your cells that carry the instruction to produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the antigen, that then activates your immune system to produce antibodies
The only one benefiting from an mRNA “vaccine” is the vaccinated individual, since all they are designed to do is lessen clinical symptoms associated with the S-1 spike protein. Since you’re the only one who will reap a benefit, it makes no sense to demand you accept the risks of the therapy “for the greater good” of your community
Since mRNA “vaccines” do not meet the medical and/or legal definition of a vaccine — at least not until the CDC redefined “vaccine” — marketing them as such is a deceptive practice that violates the law that governs advertising of medical practices
SARS-CoV-2 has not even been proven to be the cause of COVID-19. So, a gene therapy that instructs your body to produce a SARS-CoV-2 antigen — the viral spike protein — cannot be said to be preventive against COVID-19, as the two have not been shown to be causally linked
ICYMI
Ohio City Declares State of Emergency as Jayland Walker Protests Turn Violent
The mayor of Akron, Ohio, declared a state of emergency as protests became violent after police released body camera footage related to the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker.
“As night fell and others began to join, the protests became no longer peaceful,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a July 4 statement. “There was significant property damage done to downtown Akron. Small businesses up and down Main St. have had their windows broken. We cannot and will not tolerate the destruction of property or violence. In light of the damage that has occurred and in order to preserve peace in our community, I have declared a state of emergency, implemented a curfew, and canceled the fireworks which were scheduled for tonight.”
The curfew will remain effective without further notice for downtown Akron between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The city also shut the Patterson Park Community Center and the Akron Fulton Airport.
The mayor called on protesters to stay peaceful.
“As I stated yesterday, I fully support our residents’ right to peacefully assemble. What we have been calling for since the beginning, and what the Walker family and many community leaders and faith leaders have also urged, is peace,” he said.
Walker, a 25-year-old black male, died on June 27 after police officers shot him multiple times.
Local residents and activists protested after the death of Walker. The protests escalated after the police released the body camera footage of the police shooting.
The protests turned violent late on July 3. Protesters threw water bottles and other objects at the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center, broke windows of snowplows parked by the city to block off the street, launched smoke bombs into the streets, and set fire to two dumpsters, Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Police deployed tear gas and stun grenades in response.
6 Dead, 24 Injured During Mass Shooting at Chicago-Area July 4 Parade
Multiple people are feared dead after a mass shooting during a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb, officials said.
Six people were killed and at least 24 hospitalized in a parade in downtown Highland Park, officials told media outlets Monday.
“Numerous law enforcement officers are responding and have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park,” the statement said.
Witnesses told local media that crowds of people fled the scene after shots were heard.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a shooting took place and told people to stay away. The office did not confirm the number of victims.
A video posted by a reporter showed people watching the parade before gunshots were heard, causing people to flee.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering wrote on Twitter that residents should avoid the downtown area, saying that there is a significant police response.
“Highland Park Police are responding to an incident in downtown Highland Park,” she wrote. “Fourth Fest has been canceled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park. More information will be shared as it becomes available.”
Florida teen bitten by shark, rescued by brother, will have leg amputated
Addison Bethea faces a long fight ahead after she was bitten by a shark off Keaton Beach on the state’s Gulf Coast.
“I’ve always been told that something will happen just like that, that was definitely this situation,” the 17-year-old said from her hospital room days after the attack.
Bethea, who is from Perry, started last Thursday on the water just like many others ahead of Independence Day.
“We were scalloping for about two hours and we went to the last spot, obviously for only like 15 minutes, and we were going towards the boat and I felt like a tug,” she said.
The tug of a roughly nine-foot-long shark, coming seemingly out of nowhere.
“I tried to push it off of me and punch it in its nose, but it was at like a weird position where I couldn’t punch his nose good. Then it tried to drag me underwater because we were in like six feet of water,” said Bethea.
Her brother, Rhett Willingham, was nearly eight feet away from her when the shark attached itself to her thigh.
“I heard her almost yelp and I stood up to turn around and see what was going on because it sounded like something scared her and she was under the water and then she came back up and there was blood all around her and I saw the shark,” said Willingham.
Willingham, a firefighter, helped her fight it off. But then came the next battle, to save her life. He pulled his sister into another boat, applied a tourniquet to her leg to stem the blood loss, and rushed her back to land as fast as possible
From her daughter’s hospital room at Tallahassee Memorial, their mother, Michelle Murphy, called him a true hero.
“My daughter, by medical standards, should not be alive right now and I know that. It’s a miracle she survived this and I know if Rhett hadn’t been the one that was with her when it happened we may be in a very different scenario right now,” said Murphy.
The teen is scheduled to have her leg amputated above her knee on Tuesday.
Bethea’s story quickly spread across the country and she said that the support from people all over has helped her through this process.
“It’s just insane because I’ve seen other people go through things and need support and thought it’d ever be me. Now that I’m going through it, it’s just crazy,” she said.
But the most meaningful bond is at home with her older brother.
“We’ve always been close, like since forever, so this somehow brought us even more close. He’s always been by my side and I’ve always looked up to him,” said Bethea.
Despite the challenges ahead, her love of being out on the water remains.
“Don’t be scared of the ocean. I had so many people comment on my Instagram saying, ‘I’m so scared of the ocean now’. But I’m still going to get in the ocean when I heal and get better. I’m still going to do what I love, don’t just let fear overtake your life,” she said.
More Stories
Today’s News: April 30, 2024
Today’s News: April 29, 2024
Today’s News: April 26, 2024