Today's News: June 04, 2020

World News

Toronto Police Are Blocking Off Streets Due To Reports Of White Smoke In The Air

Narcity – Don’t mistake the white smoke for summer smog. Toronto Police issued a hazard warning for residents in the downtown area of College Street and Elizabeth Street on June 2 due to some questionable white smoke crowding the scene. Police are asking people to avoid the area in the meantime.

According to a tweet sent out by Toronto Police, at around 2:25 p.m., officers were called to College and Elizabeth, right in the area of Toronto General Hospital.

The call came in after residents reported seeing white smoke in the area. First responders including Toronto Fire were on the scene on Tuesday afternoon. 

Anyone who is in the area is being asked to stay inside due to the danger that the unknown hazard could potentially cause.

City News reports that the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive team (CBRNE) is at the scene. 

Liberal gun ban quietly expanded, potentially putting owners unknowingly on wrong side of the law

A spokesperson for Bill Blair said the government is ‘considering options’ for how it can make the list of banned firearms more available and transparent

National Post – OTTAWA — The RCMP has quietly outlawed hundreds of rifles and shotguns over the past month, adding to the list of 1,500 firearms already banned by the Liberal government on May 1.

The list has been expanded without public notifications from either the RCMP or the federal government, raising concerns among gun sellers and owners that they could have unknowingly bought, sold or transported illegal firearms in recent weeks. The recently banned firearms have all been deemed illegal retroactively, as of May 1.

The new list also includes a number of single-shot and semi-automatic shotguns, and at least one Russian-made pump-action, despite repeated claims by Public Safety Minister Bill Blair that Ottawa’s sweeping ban would not include guns used for bird hunting.

Iran frees US Navy vet Michael White – US officials

RT – Michael White, a veteran of the US Navy who was arrested in Iran in 2018, has been released by Tehran and has reportedly left the country on a Swiss government aircraft.

White’s mother, Joanne White, said in a statement on Thursday that her son was on his way home and expressed gratitude to the US government and a team at the State Department, as well as Swiss diplomats, for helping him. 

“We understand that there is great interest in Michael’s story. In time Michael will tell it himself, his way,” she added, asking people respect the family’s privacy in the meantime.

India and Australia sign deal to use each other’s military bases

Al Jazeera – Deal being seen as part of security cooperation to balance China’s growing economic and military weight in the region.

Hong Kong: Thousands defy ban to attend Tiananmen vigil

BBC – Thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong have defied a ban to stage a mass vigil in memory of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

Officers erected barricades around the city’s Victoria Park, but some pro-democracy protesters knocked them down and held candlelit gatherings.

Police banned the vigil this year, citing coronavirus measures.

Earlier, lawmakers approved a controversial bill making it a crime to insult China’s national anthem.

Ahead of the vote, two legislators were taken away by security guards after throwing a foul-smelling liquid on to the chamber floor.

They said they were protesting against China’s growing control over Hong Kong, and also marking the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

Canadian Police Chief Kneels to Black Lives Matter Protesters

Breitbart – Canadian police chief Scott Gilbert kneeled before Black Lives Matter activists clambering on the city war memorial in Peterborough, Ontario, after they asked officers to attend their demonstration and either lie down or “take a knee”.

The June 2nd march, organised by black, transfeminine non-binary drag queen Said Jiddawy, was ostensibly in aid of George Floyd, who died while being detained by a white police officer — since charged with third-degree murder and negligent manslaughter — in the United States.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Minnesota charges three more officers over George Floyd killing and elevates Chauvin murder charge

Guardian – The Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, has announced charges against three former police officers in the death of George Floyd, and increased the charge against the officer who kneeled on the man’s neck.

“We’re confident in what we’re doing,” Ellison told a press conference on Wednesday. “But history does show that there are challenges here.”

In recent years, across the US, high-profile cases across in which African Americans were killed by police officers have rarely resulted in criminal charges or convictions.

Asking for “continued patience”, Ellison noted that the county prosecutor in the case, Mike Freeman, had previously successfully prosecuted a murder case involving a police officer.

WATCH: Looters pilfer flat screen TVs from MOVING freight train in US

RT – screen TVs and other electronics from a slow-moving freight train in Chicago, as mass protests raged across the US.

As the wave of peaceful anti-police brutality protests continue across the US – along with violent and chaotic rioting – in the wake of the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, reports of looting have been widespread. 

Unverified footage posted to YouTube showing screen recordings of a Facebook Live, allegedly taken in Chicago on Sunday, shows dozens of people pilfering a moving freight train, making off with a variety of electronic goods.

Black business owner rips BLM movement: ‘We’re trying to build it up and you’re tearing it down’

The Western Journal – Some feel as though the Black Lives Matter movement is helping the African American community. According to one black business owner, however, it is instead “tearing it down.”

In a video posted on Tuesday, one co-owner of The Valentine Deli Corp in the Bronx section of New York City took Black Lives Matter rioters to task for looting and destroying the local neighborhood.

“You says black lives matter. I worked here part-time. Plus I’m a part-owner of this store. You said black lives matter. Why don’t you choke me? I’m black. Look what you did to my store. Look at the things you’ve done, look. We’ve been here all night cleaning up,” the unidentified woman said in the video.

“Tell me black lives matter. You lied. You wanted to loot the store, you needed money. Get a job, like I did. Stop stealing. This is a neighborhood. We’re trying to build it up and you’re tearing it down.”

The video was then shared by conservative comedian Terrence K. Williams and viewed over 400,000 times.

After Massive Uprising, City Council Members Look to Entirely Disband Minneapolis PD

Free Thought Project – After a massive uprising in Minneapolis, Minnesota that subsequently spread to nearly every state in the country, significant change appears to be on the horizon. Several city council members in Minneapolis are reportedly in talks to disband the Minneapolis Police Department. This would be a revolutionary move to affect positive change and allow the city to start over with a police force designed around public safety instead of predation and extortion.

“Several of us on the council are working on finding out, what it would take to disband the MPD,” says Steve Fletcher, a member of the 13-person assembly that serves as the legislative branch of Minneapolis government, according to Alpha News Minnesota.

The talks over disbanding the police department come just days after one of the most chaotic weeks in American history that left many parts of Minneapolis and other cities burned to the ground and heavily damaged. All of the chaos stemmed from a single flash point when officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on the neck of George Floyd and kept it there until he died.

It took several days for Chauvin to be arrested. In fact, as the riots raged on, instead of arresting him, dozens of cops protected him in his home.

What’s more, none of the other officers who either helped hold Floyd down or failed to stop a murder in progress have been arrested. It was only announced on Wednesday that they are “facing charges.” This shows just how corrupt and complacent the department has become.

“It became clear by day two that people were marching for much more than that – the response to George Floyd’s death needed to be much more than any prosecution could offer. What people in the streets have won is a permanent, generational change to the mainstream view of policing,” Fletcher said of the uprising’s success.

The talks could last for some time as the council hasn’t figured out exactly what disbanding the police department would look like yet. Fletcher did mention that its replacement would be community-oriented, however.

“I don’t know yet, though several of us on the council are working on finding out, what it would take to disband the MPD and start fresh with a community-oriented, non-violent public safety and outreach capacity,” Fletcher wrote.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Officials Cutting $100 Million-$150 Million From LAPD Budget, Funds To Be Reinvested In Communities Of Color – Deadline

Deadline – As he began to speak about reforming the LAPD during his Wednesday evening press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called this an “urgent moment” for the city, “an inflection point.”

He said he is “committed to making this moment not just a moment.”

Garcetti said he would be making commitments to creating racial equality. “It is time to move our rhetoric towards action to end racism in our city.”

He said the city must move beyond police reforms of the past. “Prejudice can never be part of police work…It takes bravery to save lives, too.”

“We will not be increasing out police budget,” said the mayor. That allocation is pegged at $1.8 billion in the mayor’s previously proposed budget.

Garcetti spoke of “reinvesting in black communities and communities of color.”

The mayor proceeded to announce $250 million in cuts to the proposed budget and to reallocate those dollars to communities of color, “so we can invest in jobs, in education and healing.” L.A. Police Commission President Eileen Decker then announced that $100 million-$150 million of those cuts would come from the police department budget.

L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez made it official Wednesday by introducing a motion to cut LAPD funding, “as we reset our priorities in the wake of the murder of #GeorgeFloyd. This is just one small step. We cannot talk about change, we have to be about change,” Martinez tweeted.

Economy & Business

Nearly 43 million have filed for unemployment benefits during the pandemic

CNN – Millions of Americans again filed for unemployment benefits last week, as the coronavirus recession drags on.

Another 1.9 million workers filed for initial unemployment aid last week, according to the US Department of Labor. More than a quarter of the labor force — 42.6 million people — has now claimed benefits since the pandemic began ravaging the US labor market.

For 11 weeks in a row, jobless claims have been in the millions. Before the pandemic, the labor department had never recorded a single week of jobless claims over a million.

Energy & Environment

Cleaner air during UK lockdown relieves asthma for millions

Guardian – Two million people in the UK with respiratory conditions such as asthma have experienced reduced symptoms during the coronavirus lockdown, according to the British Lung Foundation.

A survey by the charity of 14,000 people with lung conditions found one in six had noticed improvements in their health. Among children, the figure was higher, with one in five parents saying their child’s condition had been alleviated. Asthma sufferers in particular reported benefits, with one in four noting relief.

There is a well-established link between air pollution and lung disease. Of the 12 million people in the UK who live with conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, about 8 million have been diagnosed with asthma, of which 5.4 million are receiving treatment. 

The number of visits to hospital emergency departments for asthma in England have also fallen by half during lockdown, according to Public Health England data. But it is unclear how much of the decrease is due to a reduction in symptoms or people’s reluctance to visit hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health

WHO halted hydroxychloroquine trials based on suspect data from small U.S. company

WND – The World Health Organization and a number of other governments changed COVID-19 policies and treatments based on “flawed” data from a U.S. health care analytics company, according to a report from The Guardian.

The Guardian’s investigation revealed that U.S. based Surgisphere has provided data for coronavirus studies, but has been unable to adequately explain how it got the data or its methodology.

In particular, a May 22 study posted in The Lancet used data from Surgisphere to conclude that coronavirus patients taking hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine were more likely to die in the hospital, Science reported.

This specific study was important because President Donald Trump has touted the anti-malarial drug as a potentially promising treatment for COVID-19.

Within days of study’s publication, randomized trials of hydroxychloroquine came to a stop, including part of the WHO’s trial of potential COVID-19 treatments.

Ibuprofen Being Tested as Coronavirus Treatment

Newsmax – British scientists are conducting a clinical trial to determine whether ibuprofen can treat breathing difficulties in hospitalized coronavirus patients.

The team from London’s Guy’s and St. Thomas’ hospital and King’s College are hoping that the inexpensive, anti-inflammatory drug can keep people off ventilators.

According to BBC News, studies in animals show that the drug may be effective in treating acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, which is one of the symptoms of severe coronavirus. Half the patients in the trial, called Liberate, will receive an advanced form of ibuprofen used by arthritis patients, along with regular medical care.

Can you treat food allergies with probiotics? Turns out, you can

NaturalNews – According to the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) organization, around 32 million Americans – one in 10 adults and one in 13 children – suffer from food allergies. Worse yet, around 200,000 people each year require emergency medical care due to allergic reactions to food. FARE rightfully categorizes this as a “food epidemic,” especially since the prevalence of food allergies among children has increased by over 50 percent in the last two decades.

Fortunately, one study has found that boosting the amount of certain types of good gut bacteria in the body may protect people against food allergies. This study was conducted by scientists from the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Lack of gut bacteria can lead to allergic reactions

For their study, the team collected stool samples from 56 young patients who were dealing with food allergies and 98 patients who weren’t (control group). They found that the stools collected from the food allergy patients contained a different set of bacteria than the samples from the allergy-free group.

The researchers then extracted fecal bacteria from the stool samples and transplanted them into mice who were suffering from egg allergies. Interestingly, the researchers found that the animals that received bacteria from the control group did not exhibit an allergic reaction when fed small doses of protein from chicken eggs.

With the help of researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the team isolated the specific bacteria that protected the mice from allergic reactions. They identified two particularly beneficial bacterial strains: Clostridiales and Bacteroidales. These “good bacteria” are immune-shaping microbes that help prepare a child’s immune system to accept certain foods.

While the researchers only studied stool samples from children, they are hopeful that their findings will also be applicable to adults who are suffering from food allergies. (Related: Breastfeeding and food allergies: Moms who eat the most common allergy-causing foods and breastfeed provide their babies with protection.)

Speaking about the study, Talal Chatila, one of the study authors and the director of the Food Allergy Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, said that he and his colleagues were able to suppress allergic reactions in adult mice by introducing good bacteria isolated from the stool samples of children without food allergies.

This finding suggests that consuming probiotics, particularly a specialized blend of bacteria, may help reinforce the immune system of people with food allergies. According to Chatila, this will help “reset their immune system in favor of tolerance.”

Other benefits of probiotics

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that, when consumed, provide people with a variety of health benefits. These useful microbes can be found in fermented food products or in health supplements.

As was shown in the study, probiotics may be able to help people deal with food allergies. Probiotics can also improve their gut health by increasing the amount of beneficial bacteria in their digestive system.

However, these aren’t the only health benefits associated with the consumption of probiotics. Here are other notable benefits: (h/t to Healthline.com)

• They help people lose weight and belly fat.
• They improve heart health by helping lower the amount of “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood.
• They help reduce the symptoms of mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, stress and memory problems.
• They can boost immune function by promoting the production of natural antibodies that can fight off infections.
• They can help treat or prevent diarrhea.
• They help reduce the symptoms of bowel disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

**Power Mall Products of Interest: 

• Living Streams Multi-Blend Probiotic (available in 2, 4, and 8oz)

• Latero-Flora Probiotic – 60 vegetarian capsules

 

Extract from moringa trees found to prevent cataract formation

NaturalNews – The clouding of the eye’s natural lens, known as a cataract, is the most common cause of visual impairment among Americans. According to data from the University of Illinois at Chicago, more than 40 percent of non-Hispanic whites, African Americans and Hispanics with impaired vision develop cataracts. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers cataracts the second leading cause of visual impairment worldwide.

Several risk factors are linked to cataract formation, such as aging, diabetes, excessive exposure to sunlight and hypertension. However, recent studies have found that oxidative stress, which results from the imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS), is the main cause of cellular damage in the eyes that leads to cataracts. Hence, scientists have begun to explore the protective role of antioxidants against eye diseases.

In a recent study, Chinese researchers investigated the ability of Moringa oleifera, a plant known for its high antioxidant content, to prevent cataract formation. Using an extract derived from its stem (MOSE), they evaluated M. oleifera‘s protective effect on cultured mouse lenses exposed to oxidative stress. The results of their experiment were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.