Today’s Top 5:
1.Report: Joe Biden Turns Anger, Abuse on Staff Behind Closed Doors
President Joe Biden has again been accused of delivering angry, abusive outbursts against his own staff when behind closed doors, a report Monday details.
Axios reporter Alex Thompson laid out the accusations in a piece headlined — “Old yeller: Biden’s private fury”
2.Biden Tells Media ‘We’ve Run Out of Ammunition,’ Pundits Respond
Conservative commentators have expressed concern after U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters asking about his administration’s decision to give cluster bombs to Ukraine, “We’ve run out of ammunition.”
Mr. Biden’s remarks to the media were made in passing as he left a speaking event about lowering health care costs in the East Room of the White House on July 7.
In a more in-depth interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on July 7, Mr. Biden had said that after months of requests from Kyiv, his administration was making the “very difficult decision” to send controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine despite his initial opposition to the request.
3.Supreme Court Revives Whistleblowers’ Medicare, Medicaid Fraud Lawsuits
The Supreme Court resurrected two whistleblower lawsuits against companies for allegedly defrauding Medicare and Medicaid.
The cases concern the federal False Claims Act (FCA), a key tool the government uses to combat health care fraud, and “scienter,” a legal term meaning prior intent or knowledge of wrongdoing.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has called the FCA “the centerpiece of the government’s anti-fraud arsenal.”
The new orders followed the court’s unanimous decision on June 1 to reinstate whistleblower actions against pharmacy operators SuperValu and Safeway for allegedly overcharging the government by filing false Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement claims for prescription drugs they sold.
4.Judge Denies DOJ’s Request for Stay in Social Media Censorship Case
A federal judge on July 10 denied the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to stay a ruling that places limits on government communications with social media firms, rejecting the White House’s argument that such an order could put a damper on law enforcement activity online.
U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty wrote that his order last week had created exceptions for communications for cyberattacks, election interference, and national security threats. The DOJ and Biden administration, he wrote, didn’t provide any specific examples that “would provide grave harm to the American people or our democratic processes.”
“Although this Preliminary Injunction involves numerous agencies, it is not as broad as it appears,” Mr. Doughty wrote on July 10. “It only prohibits something the Defendants have no legal right to do—contacting social media companies for the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner, the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech posted on social-media platforms.”
5.7 Times Joe Biden Vowed to Restore ‘Integrity’ and ‘Decency’ to White House Before Cocaine Scandal
Seven times before law enforcement found cocaine smuggled into the White House, President Joe Biden promised to restore “integrity” and “decency” to the presidency.
WORLD NEWS
North Korea Threatens to Down American Planes over U.S. Submarine Docked in South
Communist North Korea threatened on Monday to shoot down U.S. Air Force planes in response to the docking of a nuclear-capable submarine in South Korea, the result of an agreement between leftist American President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, in April.
Report: Nicaraguan Communists Using Biden Parole Program to Get into U.S.
Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa reported Monday that communists supporting or belonging to the brutal dictatorship of Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega have entered the United States as beneficiaries of the Biden Administration’s humanitarian parole program.
The move to debank people in Britain — largely driven by the use of holdover EU directives prior to Brexit — could be part of a wider effort to usher in the “tyranny” of a cashless society, Brexit leader Nigel Farage has warned.
Nigel Farage, who recently revealed that his longtime bank had closed his account and that nine other banks refused to offer him their services, said on Monday that he fears the UK could be moving towards a situation such as in Canada, where the leftist government of Justin Trudeau froze the bank accounts of truckers protesting lockdown restrictions
A transgender activist with a serious criminal history of violence attended London’s Trans Pride parade on Saturday and was filmed urging the crowd to attack feminists who are critical of the transgender movement while waving a flag for the far-left ‘Antifa’ group.
‘It’s pillage’: thirsty Uruguayans blast Google’s plan to exploit water supply
A plan to build a Google data centre that will use millions of litres of water a day has sparked anger in Uruguay, which is suffering its worst drought in 74 years.
Water shortages are so severe in the country that a state of emergency has been declared in Montevideo and the authorities have added salty water to the public drinking water supplies, prompting widespread protests.
Volcano erupts near Iceland’s capital
Iceland has 33 volcanic systems currently considered active, the highest number in Europe.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Disgraced ex-USA Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar Stabbed Multiple Times in Prison
Disgraced former U.S.A Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, currently incarcerated after being found guilty of sexually abusing female gymnasts including Olympic medalists, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with a fellow inmate at a federal prison in Florida, a report Monday details.
‘Land-Grab Universities’: Native American Tribes Demand Reparations for Land Sold to U. of Minnesota
Several Native American tribes, whose ancestors sold over 94,000 acres of land to make space for the University of Minnesota, now want reparations from the school.
Eleven Native American tribes sold the land to make room for the university over 150 years ago, but researchers claim the time has come for restitution, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
US Marines without leader for first time in 150 years as Republican blocks nomination
The commandant of the US Marine Corps, Gen David Berger, stepped down on Monday, leaving the military branch without a confirmed leader for the first time in more than 150 years.
The vacancy comes as one Republican senator, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, has staged a months-long blockade of Pentagon nominations to protest against the department’s abortion policies.
Berger’s assistant commandant and potential successor, Gen Eric Smith, has stepped in as the acting leader of the marines while his nomination remains stalled in the Senate. Smith became the marines’ first acting commandant since 1859, when Archibald Henderson died in office.
Republicans roll out new national voting law, warn Americans to watch out for Democrat deception
House Republicans have introduced a bill aimed at securing election integrity across the country while also issuing a stark warning to Americans to watch out for possible Democrat deception surrounding the legislation.
Five Republican members of the Committee on House Administration (CHA) held a press conference at the famous Marietta Diner near Atlanta on Monday to officially roll out the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act, something they say will give states the tools they need to not only protect the integrity of their elections, but also restore voter confidence in the elections process.
The bill includes a photo ID requirement to cast a federal election ballot, bars non-citizens from voting, requires annual maintenance of voter rolls, and prevents the mailing of unsolicited ballots to rolls that have not been maintained.
2ND AMENDMENT
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones Privately Admits Gun Control Won’t Lower Crime
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones (D) is in damage control mode after an open records request revealed private text messages in which Jones noted the ineffectiveness of gun control in cities such as Chicago.
The text messages appear to counter a pro-gun control stance Jones has publicly maintained after high profile firearm-related crimes in her city.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Cash-Strapped Consumers Resort To “Dumpster Dining” To Save On Grocery Bill
Despite the Biden administration’s cheerleading that “Bidenomics” is the economic savior of the middle class — most Americans will disagree there has been an economic revival amid the worst inflation storm in a generation that has sent negative real-wage growth negative for more than two years, forcing consumers to deplete personal savings and rack up record amounts of credit-card debt in a high-interest rate environment.
We have shown many households are in rough financial shape. Dollar Tree executives confirmed weeks ago that mid/low-tier consumers are trading down from other more expensive retailers to their stores for groceries. This means Walmart has become too expensive for some consumers.
Even before we noted “Consumers Trade Down From Walmart, Dollar Tree Becomes Supermarket For The Working Poor,” we found a trend on TikTok that showed an increasing number of Americans in March were resorting to dollar stores for groceries to save money. We titled that note “Dollar Tree Dinners”: TikToker Goes Viral After Showing People How To Cook For $35 A Week.
Last week, we were the first to point out that Google searches for “pawn shop near me” just erupted to record highs, indicating that consumers are in rough shape.
It’s not just us pointing out that Bidenomics might be a failure. Goldman Sachs’ Rich Privorosky told clients last month, “Something is not quite adding up on the consumer,” and asked, “Have we just run out of excess savings and are we returning to replenishing savings?”
Meanwhile, an increasing number of corporate execs from consumer staple companies have warned about a weakening consumer, leaving us with the evolution of trading down from dollar store dinners to dumpster diving.
Some media outlets, including Business Insider and the New York Post, have pointed out that some folks have resorted to dumpster diving to save on food costs.
Waiting for ‘Buyers to Come’: Unsold Electric Vehicles Piling Up in Car Dealerships, Says Report
The number of unsold electric vehicles at dealers in the second quarter tripled compared to the past year, signaling a weakened demand for the segment, said a recent report by leading auto-dealer data company Cox Automotive.
In second quarter 2023, the average inventory for electric vehicles (EVs) topped more than 92,000 units on the ground at dealer lots, according to the 2023 Cox Automotive Mid-Year Review presentation. This is up 342 percent compared to second quarter 2022. During this period, the new “EV days’ supply,” which refers to the average number of days a warehouse holds inventory before selling it, rose 166 percent, to 92 days from 38.5 days. While the pace of EV sales is up, it is “not rising as fast as inventory builds,” said Jonathan Gregory, senior manager, Economic and Industry Insights.
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are facing a “field of dreams moment,” he stated. “They have built inventory, and now they wait for buyers to come. This is one of the hottest topics we’ve had this year.”
Apple supplier Foxconn pulls out of $19.5 billion India chip project
Lead Apple supplier and global manufacturing powerhouse Foxconn
has pulled out of a $19.5 billion joint venture project with Indian conglomerate Vedanta
that would have brought semiconductor and display manufacturing to the Indian state of Gujarat.
“Foxconn has determined it will not move forward on the joint venture with Vedanta,” the Taiwanese company told CNBC. The move is a significant blow to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitions to transform the country into a global, high-tech manufacturing powerhouse.
Foxconn said the decision was by “mutual agreement,” but that it remained “confident” about India’s semiconductor ambitions. Vedanta did not respond to a request for comment.
Disney Crowd Sizes ‘Shockingly Low’ Amid Backlash
Walt Disney World crowd sizes over the July 4th long weekend were “shockingly” thin, according to tracking data provider Touring Plans, which predicted that the low-attendance trend seems poised to continue amid ongoing conservative backlash to what some describe as a woke agenda.
Disney has been embroiled in a legal and political fight with Florida governor Ron DeSantis which was triggered by the company’s opposition to a bill that bans discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
The company has also faced streaming losses and its stock was recently downgraded in part due to fears of lower attendance at its Disney World and Disneyland theme parks
Consumer Credit Growth Unexpectedly Crashes
Consumer debt growth declined by much more than expected in May, data from the Federal Reserve showed Wednesday.
Consumer credit, which excludes home loans, grew by just $7.3 billion, an annual rate of 1.8 percent increase from the prior month’s downwardly revised growth figure of $20.3 billion.
IN-DEPTH: Patchwork of State Laws Not Stopping Catalytic Converter Thefts, Say Industry Leaders
Scrap metal industry heads say the United States needs a universal solution to the theft of catalytic converters because a patchwork of laws is allowing the black market to continue to exist.
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industry (ISRI) Chief Lobbyist Billy Johnson said there needs to be a federal solution to catalytic converter thefts because thieves exploit gaps created by each state having its own laws.
“What happens in a patchwork system, where one state has one law and another state doesn’t have any laws or has a different law is the thieves know how to manage and manipulate the differences,” Mr. Johnson told The Epoch Times on July 7.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
BIS Says CBDC Roll-out May Require Changing The Constitution
The IMF is warning that with all these CBDCs about to launch, there need to be global inter-operability standards between them all, and they’re working on a global platform to facilitate just that.
Speaking at a conference of African central banks in Rabat, Morocco, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that there needs to be agreement among CBDC implementations,
“on a common regulatory framework for digital currencies that will allow global interoperability. Failure to agree on a common platform would create a vacuum that would likely be filled by cryptocurrencies”
Not to be outdone, the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) worked with seven central banks to publish YARP (Yet Another Research Paper) on CBDC policy, entitled “Central Bank Digital Currencies: ongoing policy perspectives”… (*yawn*).
The central banks involved were: Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, England, the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
Tech titans Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have found themselves embroiled in a deepening public feud. The rivalry, which has played out in the public eye, was sparked by the launch of Threads, a new social media platform developed by Zuckerberg’s Facebook (now known as Meta) as a “sanely run” Twitter clone. In his latest salvo, Musk accused Zuckerberg of being a cuck and challenged him to a “literal dick measuring contest.”
The New York Post reports that Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, two of the biggest names in technology, have unexpectedly become involved in a public dispute following the launch of Threads, Zuckerberg’s Twitter clone. The platform is associated with Instagram and designed to directly compete with Twitter as a “sanely run” and highly censored alternative.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
The Patchwork Strikes Back: State Data Privacy Laws after the 2022–2023 Legislative Session
Prior to the 2022–2023 legislative session, five states (California, Virginia, Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut) had passed consumer data privacy laws, but now the patchwork of state laws has more than doubled. Congress has continued to debate a potential federal standard with the American Data Privacy Protection Act in the 117th Congress being the first such proposal to be voted out of a committee; however, without momentum around a federal standard and with continuing and new concerns about data privacy from consumers, many states are undertaking their own policy actions around data privacy.
The patchwork nature of these individual state laws can potentially amplify compliance costs for businesses operating across different states and create confusion among American consumers whose digital footprint often crosses state borders. The potential financial impact of complying with 50 distinct state laws could surpass $1 trillion over a decade, with a minimum of $200 billion being borne by small businesses. As this patchwork grows, what does data privacy look like as the 2022–2023 legislative session comes to a close?
Malicious ad for USPS fishes for banking credentials
This malvertising campaign was first spotted by Jesse Baumgartner, Marketing Director at Overt Operator. In his LinkedIn post, he shares several screenshots of his experience while attempting to track a package and instead ending up on a scam website.
We were able to immediately find this same campaign by performing a simple Google search for “usp tracking”. Incredibly, the ad snippet contains the official website and logo of the United States Postal Service and yet, the “advertiser” whose verified legal name is Анастасія Іващенко (Ukraine), has nothing to do with it.
This fake advertiser had 2 different ad campaigns, one that appears to target Mobile and the other Desktop users:
Address verification and update just a trick to get banking credentials
One may wonder how threat actors are able to use the official URL in the ad and redirect victims to their own different website. The URLs shown in the ad are pure visual artifacts that have nothing to do with what you actually click on. When you click on the ad, the first URL returned is Google’s own which contains various metrics related to the ad, followed by the advertiser’s own URL. Users never get to see this, and that is what makes malvertising via brand impersonation so dangerous.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
NASA Chief Scientist Blames Increase in Airline Turbulence on Climate Change
You may or may not have noticed, but according to NASA chief scientist and senior climate adviser Kate Calvin, airplane rides are more turbulent now than ever.
Calvin blames climate change for the phenomenon.
During an appearance on Sunday’s broadcast of CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Calvin said research backed up her claim.
Residents Given 20 Minutes to Evacuate as L.A. Landslide Hits 12 Homes
A landslide in the Rancho Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles destroyed twelve homes on Saturday night, as residents were given 20 minutes to evacuate with as many of their belongings as they could muster quickly.
Federal Agency Issues Weather Warning for Millions as State of Emergency Declared
At least one death was confirmed after a storm system brought heavy rain and flooding to the northeastern United States on Sunday and now Monday, prompting officials in New York state to declare an emergency. The National Weather Service also listed much of the northeastern United States under various flood warnings and advisories as the system moves to the east.
“Heavy rain is likely to produce the potential for significant flash flooding throughout parts of New England on Monday,” said the National Weather Service in a bulletin on Monday morning. It added that “several additional inches of rainfall is expected through Tuesday morning as this system slowly moves eastward.”
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Heat Wave Watering Guide – How Much To Water During Heat Waves
It’s hot enough out there to fry an egg on the sidewalk, can you imagine what it’s doing to your plant’s roots? It’s time to step up your watering efforts – but just how much should you increase your watering? Learn about heat wave watering and tips for keeping plants safe during high temperatures in this article.
HEALTH
Can Ginger Help With Diabetes?
The epidemic number of people with diabetes has the pharmaceutical industry scrambling to identify interventions; the most recent FDA-approved drug is in short supply despite side effects that include pancreatitis, depression, confusion, kidney failure and thoughts of suicide
Scientific evidence in animal models and human trials show ginger can help lower blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin resistance; combined with behavior modification to help you eat less and exercise more, it may be all that’s needed to achieve your goals
Ginger helps lower the inflammatory response in your body, a hallmark of virtually all diseases, including obesity, cancer and heart disease. Ginger helps reduce pain perception and promotes a healthy gut microbiome
Your gut microbiome is linked to the development and management of diabetes. More strategies to promote gut health include eating fermented foods, taking a probiotic supplement, boosting your fiber intake, and washing your dishes instead of using the dishwasher
Infrared Therapy Is the Most Effective Treatment for Tinnitus Among Those Tested: Study
Tinnitus, or “ringing in the ears,” is an often debilitating condition with no approved treatment or cure. Some sufferers, however, may find relief from low-level infrared light therapy, according to a new peer-reviewed, first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.
Over four weeks, researchers evaluated treatment for tinnitus in more than 100 men and women aged 18 to 65 divided randomly into 10 groups whose condition either had an unknown cause or had been unresponsive to treatment. Researchers sought to investigate and propose personalized treatment options involving low-level laser therapy (LLLT) using red and infrared light in the inner ear or cochlea where tinnitus often occurs, or LLLT combined with other treatments like vacuum therapy or drug therapy.
‘They’re in the air, drinking water, dust, food …’ How to reduce your exposure to microplastics
Invisible specks of eroded plastic from long-forgotten toothbrushes, sweet wrappers and stocking-filler toys are everywhere. They live in our laundry bins, the Mariana trench and the human bloodstream. Microplastic particles can be small enough to infiltrate biological barriers such as the gut, skin and placental tissue. We are all now partially plastic – but how worried should we be, and is there any way to minimise our exposure?
COVID RELATED NEWS
Why Pfizer Stopped COVID Vax Trial
In February 2021, Pfizer launched a randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blind study to evaluate the safety of its COVID-19 shot — BNT162b2 — in healthy pregnant women
The injections were set to take place between 24 and 34 weeks’ gestation, with participants randomized 1-to-1 to receive a COVID-19 shot or placebo
The study was initially set to enroll 4,000 women, but Pfizer only signed up 349, then stopped enrollment entirely
The CDC’s widespread endorsement of COVID-19 shots for pregnant women before the study was completed may have negated the need for the trial
Pfizer stated that because so many pregnant women had already gone ahead and gotten the shot, due to the government’s endorsement, enrollment dropped and there was no reason to move ahead with the study
Autopsy Review Blows Government Narrative Out of the Water: “The Patients Did Die of the Vaccine”
What Post-Vaccination Autopsies Show: Dr. Peter McCullough on New Analysis, Removed by Lancet
“The government narrative is still that people do not die after COVID-19 vaccination. And now we have the largest series of autopsies. And the autopsies really are incontrovertible,” says Dr. Peter McCullough, an internist, cardiologist, and epidemiologist.
We discuss the paper he co-wrote, which did a systematic review of autopsies after COVID-19 vaccination that were published in the peer-reviewed literature to see how many of these deaths were caused by the vaccines.
CANCEL CULTURE
Report: 40% of Brown University Students Identify as LGBTQQIAAP2S+
The number of students who identify as LGBTQI+ at Brown University stands at just under 40% of the total enrollment, the institution’s Brown Daily Herald reports.
Musk: It’s ‘Time for Parents to Fight Back’ Against Gender Ideology
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again speaking out against transgender politics, calling upon parents to “fight back” and protect their children from the ideology.
“Time for parents to fight back!” the billionaire wrote on Twitter on July 9 in response to a TikTok video posted by an irate father.
“I’m literally on fire right now,” said the dad, who goes by JoToJaVin on TikTok. He explains in the video that he had just spoken with his wife, who took their two sons to the doctor’s office for routine physicals before the new school year.
“My 9-year-old son went in first, and the first thing this woman asks him is if he identifies as a boy, a girl, gender-fluid, or nonbinary,” he fumed. “My son, he’s never heard of any of that [expletive] before.”
PET NEWS
Meet Lotus, the Majestic 22-Pound Maine Coon Cat Who Is ‘Everything’ to His Owner
A majestic 6-year-old Maine coon named Lotus lives with his family in Jämtland, Sweden. Owner Lindstein, an IT industry employee in her 40s, adopted him from a breeder in Norway when he was just 13 weeks old.
Lotus was “already big and kind,” and joined Lindstein’s Maine coon siblings, Marion and Chivaz, to make three.
GOOD NEWS
Social Media Makes Veteran and First-Time Author a Number-One Best Seller
It was Shawn Warner’s life-long dream to be a published author, and now, after a chance encounter with a TikToker, he became the number-one, best-selling author on Amazon.
The 58-year-old army veteran was promoting his young adult fantasy novel at a Texas grocery store, the New York Post reported. Warner had copies of his book Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor displayed on a folding table in front of a clothing rack.
ICYMI
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Bottoms up: pilot escapes with minor injuries after plane plunges into hangar
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