Today's News: June 08, 2020

World News

New Zealand has eradicated coronavirus: report

Fox – New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus — at least for now — after health officials said Monday the last known infected person had recovered.
The announcement was greeted with joy around the country and means the nation of 5 million people will be among the first to welcome throngs of fans back into sports stadiums, embrace crowded concerts and remove seating restrictions from flights.
It has been 17 days since the last new case was reported, during which time an additional 40,000 people have been tested, bringing the total number tested to about 300,000. Monday marked the first time since late February there have been no active cases.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was confident New Zealand had halted the spread of the virus but it still must be prepared for more.
“We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort,” she said at a news conference. “We almost certainly will see cases here again, and I do want to say that again, we will almost certainly see cases here again, and that is not a sign that we have failed, it is a reality of this virus. But if and when that occurs we have to make sure — and we are — that we are prepared.”
More cases are likely to be imported as people enter the country. For now, the border remains shut to all but citizens and residents, with some limited exceptions. Everybody who does enter has to go into quarantine.
Ardern announced that the Cabinet had agreed to remove almost all remaining virus restrictions from midnight, with the exception of the border strictures.

Brazil stops releasing Covid-19 death toll and wipes data from official site

The Guardian – The Brazilian government has been accused of totalitarianism and censorship after it stopped releasing its total numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths and wiped an official site clean of swaths of data.
Health ministry insiders told local media the move was ordered by far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, himself – and was met with widespread outrage in Brazil, one of the world’s worst-hit Covid-19 hotspots, with more deaths than Italy and more cases than Russia and the UK.
“The authoritarian, insensitive, inhuman and unethical attempt to make those killed by Covid-19 invisible will not succeed. We and Brazilian society will not forget them, nor the tragedy that befalls the nation,” said Alberto Beltrame, president of Brazil’s national council of state health secretaries, in a statement.
Brazil currently has the world’s second-highest number of cases, at 672,846, according to the Johns Hopkins university site, and has overtaken Italy, with 35,930 deaths. Johns Hopkins removed Brazil from its global count on Saturday but later reinstated it.

UK Police Admit BLM Protests Unlawful, But Won’t Enforce Lockdown for Fear of ‘Serious Disorder’

Breitbart – London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said that mass Black Lives Matter protests are still illegal under the nation’s national lockdown laws, yet have admitted that they are unlikely to prevent them from happening for fear of sparking “serious disorder” if the lockdown is enforced.
Black Lives Matter protests over the death of U.S. national George Floyd took place across the United Kingdom over the weekend despite fears of a second wave of the Chinese coronavirus.

‘Run Piggy Run’ – British Cops Chased Through Streets at BLM Protest

Breitbart – London police squads were chased through the streets and pelted with missiles by crowds yelling “run, piggy” at the Black Lives Matter protest on Sunday.

German lawmakers criticize reported American troop withdrawal plan

Military TImes – Two conservative German lawmakers have criticized the reported U.S. decision to withdraw more than a quarter of American troops stationed in Germany.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany by 9,500. Currently there are 34,500 American service members permanently assigned in Germany as part of a long-standing arrangement with America’s NATO ally.
In an interview published Saturday by Germany’s Funke Media Group, lawmaker Norbert Roettgen said such a troop withdrawal would be “very regrettable.”
German news agency dpa quoted Wadephul as saying that Russia and China would benefit from discord within the Western alliance.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Entire Buffalo Police Unit Resigns In Solidarity With Officers Suspended For Shoving Elderly Protester

ZeroHedge – The Buffalo police union president has reportedly sent an email following the suspension without pay of two Emergency Response Team (ERT) officers who were caught on camera pushing a 75-year-old protester onto the sidewalk, causing him to bleed from the head.
“After witnessing first hand how these 2 officers were treated. I can tell you, they tried to fuck over these guys like I have never seen in my 54 years. It is despicable to say the least the treatment they have received from this Administration as well as DA John Flynn and his ADA Gary Hackbush,” reads an email allegedly sent by PBA President John Evans.
Evans goes on to say that the police union won’t pay for legal costs of officers related to protests, as it could put a “serious dent in the PBA’s funds. OVER BULLSHIT!”
Meanwhile, the entire police unit in Buffalo that responds to protests resigned Friday in solidarity with the two officers, The Buffalo News reported.
”Our position is these officers were simply following orders from Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia to clear the square,” the paper quoted Buffalo Police Benevolent Association President John Evans as saying.
The officers did not quit the force but only resigned from the unit responding to protest and civil unrest, the paper reported.
The Buffalo, New York Police Department has suspended two officers without pay and launched an Internal Affairs investigation after a viral video showed the cops shoving a 75-year-old protester onto a concrete sidewalk as police cleared Niagra Square during enforcement of a citywide curfew.
The man can be seen bleeding from the head following the incident.

Moderna’s Guinea Pig … “Sickest in His Life” after Being Injected with Experimental Vaccine

Children’s Health Defence – You know Ian Haydon from many appearances on CNN and other networks celebrating his heroic act of volunteering to test Moderna’s experimental COVID vaccine. The sun has now set on Haydon’s television career. He is no longer useful to the Pharmedia narratives that all vaccines are always safe for all people, that Moderna’s business partners, Tony Fauci and Bill Gates, were justified in skipping animal studies and that Moderna’s vaccine will soon rescue us from the Pandemic. Ian Haydon is now an embarrassment to Fauci, Gates, and their CNN cheerleaders. He will therefore vanish into the censorship twilight.
Moderna chose Haydon for the study because of his robust good health. He was among the 15 volunteers in the high dose group. Within 45 days, three of these—a shocking 20%—experienced “serious” adverse events according to Moderna’s press release meaning they required hospitalization or medical intervention. Less than 12 hours after vaccination, Hayden suffered muscle aches, vomiting, spiked a 103.2 degree fever and lost consciousness. His girlfriend caught him as he fell. His Moderna trial supervisor instructed Haydon to call 911 and described him as being the “sickest in his life”. Moderna let Haydon believe the illness was just a sad coincidence unrelated to the jab. Moderna never told Haydon he was suffering an Adverse Event.
“Moderna’s press release was the first I learned of the 3 AEs in the high dose group.” Haydon confessed last week on Twitter. “Later a study doc confirmed that what happened to me was an AE.” While hiding this truth, Moderna encouraged Haydon to appear on TV to deceive the public and its shareholders by declaring Moderna’s COVID vaccine trials a smashing success. On May 7, Haydon told Sanjay Gupta about his reactions in a pre-interview. The two men agreed to keep this bad news secret when he went on air. This corrupt deal bespeaks the pathetic state of journalism at CNN.
Fauci and Gates are proceeding with their plan to funnel half a billion taxpayer dollars into their reckless vanity project to create 30 million doses by November and two billion within a year (personal interview, Moderna insider) manufactured in the US and Switzerland.

‘Forced’ vaccinations will control your life, warns religious-liberty group

WND – In an online campaign allowing people to express their opposition, the group points out that mandatory vaccinations set up the conflict between a government’s responsibility to take reasonable actions to protect public health and “a deeply personal decision of faith and/or medical necessity.”
“Just as the government has no right to force us to worship as they dictate, neither does the government have the right to force Americans to inject our bodies with unknown, and potentially untested, substances,” the organization contends.
Americans likely would object to forced vaccinations, but a “voluntary” program could have the same effect, Liberty Counsel says.
Liberty Counsel explained: “Mandatory vaccination will likely not mean that jackbooted government agents will hold you down and force a needle into your arm. Rather, if world news reports are accurate, your life will be made so uncomfortable without taking the vaccine that you will find that you don’t really have much of a choice. The playbook for how this will roll out is already on full display in several countries around the world.”
In India and China, “tracking and tracing” programs already are being used to control peoples’ movements.
“Before being allowed into any building, including offices, grocery stores and even pharmacies, users must display their COVID app status to officials or their deputies monitoring the doors,” Liberty Counsel says.
Billionaire Bill Gates is “touring the world” promoting the idea of a “digital health certificate,” which the European Union already is considering.
While President Trump has opposed mandatory vaccinations, some governors are in favor.
But Liberty Counsel says there’s still time for people to express their opposition.
“Freedom loving citizens must now rise up with one voice to… tell Congress NOT to pass compulsory vaccine laws,” the group says. “The American people are not mere cattle to be bagged, tagged and tracked. We are a free people who intend to keep ALL our liberties, including the liberty to decide what we want –or don’t want — injected into our bodies.”

Pentagon sends home all active-duty troops deployed near DC

Stars and Stripes – The Pentagon on Friday sent home the remaining 900 active-duty soldiers that it had rapidly deployed to the Washington region this week in response to large protests in the city, the Army said.
Those military police officers from Fort Drum, N.Y., and Fort Bragg, N.C., were on alert at Joint Base Andrews, Md., all week, but they never entered Washington before they were ordered home Friday, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said. They follow the roughly 700 soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division who were sent back to Fort Bragg on Thursday.
The Army will leave a small contingent of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, on alert status to respond in case demonstrations in the coming days grow violent, McCarthy said. The active-duty unit, based at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., primarily serves ceremonial purposes, including providing sentinels for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Ceremony, which is guarded at all times.
“It is our intention to turn that off as quickly as possible,” McCarthy said of those soldiers serving on alert status.

Democrats unveil police reform bill after nationwide protests against brutality

CNBC – Top congressional Democrats unveiled a bill Monday to overhaul police practices as Americans mass daily to protest excessive use of force and systemic racism.
The Democratic legislation would make sweeping changes designed both to deter police use of force and hold officers more accountable for abuses. The federal bill comes as changes start at the local level: most of the Minneapolis city council committed to disbanding and replacing the city’s police force Sunday, while New York City will consider a range of law enforcement reforms.
Here’s some of what congressional Democrats’ bill would do, according to summaries obtained by NBC News and the Associated Press:

Reform “qualified immunity” for officers, making it easier for people whose constitutional rights were violated to recover damages
Change the federal standard of criminal police behavior from “willful” to acting “knowingly or with reckless disregard,” to address the difficulty of prosecuting officers
Start a federal registry of police misconduct and require states to report use of force to the U.S. Justice Department
Ban police use of chokeholds and carotid holds, and condition funding for state and local departments on barring the practices
Stop the use of “no-knock” search warrants in drug cases in the U.S., while also making state and local money contingent on stopping use of the warrants
Give the Justice Department subpoena power to carry out “pattern and practice” investigations into police department conduct
Provide state attorneys general with grants to carry out pattern and practice probes and create a process for independent investigations into uses of force
Require training on racial bias and implicit bias at the federal level, and condition state and local funding on offering training
Curb transfers of military-grade weapons to state and local police
Classify lynching as a federal hate crime

The Democratic plan did not meet many activists’ demands to slash — or entirely cut — police funding. The legislation offers money for only two components: the requirement to track and report use of force and the investigations by state attorneys general, according to NBC News.
It is unclear whether the bill as written — or any specific parts of it — could garner support from Republicans. The GOP controls the Senate, while Democrats hold the House.

It begins: N.Y. mayor to suck money from NYPD amid calls to defund police

Daily Caller- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to shift funding away from the city’s police department and toward youth programs Sunday, as activists push for defunding police departments.
De Blasio’s plan is part of a suggestion from the mayor’s task force on racial inclusion, which is chaired by his wife, activist Chirlane McCray. Decisions about police funding must ensure New Yorkers’ safety is a priority, the mayor said during a press briefing.
“We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services,” de Blasio said during the hour-long press conference Sunday addressing potential police reforms.
De Blasio’s announcement comes after he was booed during a vigil for George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled down on his neck for more than 8 minutes, video of the incident shows. “Defund the police” has become a common slogan among protesters and left-wing figures.
De Blasio added: “The details will be worked out in the budget process in the weeks ahead. But I want people to understand that we are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people.”

Supreme Court ready to spark fury on gay and transgender rights

Washington Examiner- The Supreme Court this month will deliver a divisive ruling about whether or not Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects gay and transgender people from employment discrimination.
The case, Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, is a consolidation of several cases involving gay and transgender people arguing that Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex should be expanded. It was heard in October and was the court’s first on the issue since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who delivered the decisive swing vote in the landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges case, legalizing gay marriage.
No matter how the court rules, the decision is expected to heighten partisan disagreements. If the court does not extend protections, it will draw the ire of gay and transgender activists. If it rules for them, outcry is expected from religious groups worried that their ability to hire people who align with their beliefs will be restricted.
One of the attorneys who participated in the case, John Bursch, of Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal group that specializes in freedom of speech cases, said that if the Supreme Court rules in favor of protections, the effects will be wide-reaching, particularly for women.
“Redefining sex to mean gender identity creates chaos, is unfair to women and girls, and puts employers in difficult situations,” he said in a statement. “Title VII and other civil rights laws, like Title IX, are in place to protect equal opportunities for women; changing sex to mean gender identity undermines that.”
Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch addressed the acrimonious climate on the decision during the case’s arguments, both agreeing that they expect their decisions to be met with public negativity. Alito said that it is unlikely that the public would accept a ruling from the court with such a wide reinterpretation of Title VII, adding that such a decision would make the court act “like a legislature.” Solicitor General Noel Francisco, representing the Trump administration in the case, made a similar argument.
Alito also said that it does not make sense to change the meaning of Title VII when it did not originally include explicit protections for gay people.

Biden wins enough delegates to clinch U.S. Democratic nomination

Reuters- Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden secured enough delegates to formally clinch the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday, setting the stage for a challenge to President Donald Trump in the November election.
The achievement was a formality after Biden became the presumptive nominee when his main rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, quit the race in April.
“It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded — and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party,” Biden said on Friday.

Economy & Business

Treasure stash worth over $1 million found in Rocky Mountains after decade-long search

Fox – A New Mexico treasure hunter revealed that his chest of gold, jewels and other valuables worth over $1 million has been found.
Ten years ago, Forrest Fenn gained a cult following when he announced that he had hidden the chest somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. He inspired tens of thousands to set out in search of his treasure, but the prize eluded everyone — until now.
Fenn revealed to the Santa Fe New Mexican on Sunday that a man, who wished to remain anonymous, had discovered the chest a few days ago. The unnamed hunter sent Fenn a photo of the chest to confirm his discovery.
Fenn originally designed the treasure hunt as a means of leaving behind a legacy: in 1989, he was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer, but he managed to recover. He claimed that he hoped to tempt people to venture into the wild and give them an old-fashioned adventure for riches.
He listed the contents on the website, claiming that the chest contained pre-Columbian animal figures, gold nuggets and coins, Chinese jade faces, emerald rings and other exotic items.
He hid the treasure in 2010 and shared clues to treasure’s whereabouts on his website and in a poem he published in his autobiography, “The Thrill of the Chase.” Fenn told the New Mexican that an estimated 350,000 people tried to find the treasure, some quitting their jobs outright to search for it – and a select few died in the search.

Energy & Environment

Tropical Depression Cristobal’s Inland Track to Bring Flooding Rain and Strong Winds From the South to Midwest

The Weather Channel – Tropical Depression Cristobal will bring flooding rain, strong winds and possible isolated tornadoes as it tracks farther inland through parts of the South and Midwest early this week.
Cristobal’s area of low pressure is forecast to move from the lower Mississippi Valley on Monday to the Midwest by Tuesday. That general south-to-north movement is just ahead of a frontal system that will eventually absorb Cristobal’s remnants as it moves into southeastern Canada on Wednesday.
Interestingly, Cristobal could be just the fourth Atlantic tropical cyclone remnant to move over Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service in Milwaukee. If Cristobal remains a tropical depression when it crosses into Wisconsin, it would be the first tropical depression on record in the state.
Parts of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan might also flirt with all-time June low-pressure records from this setup.

Science & Technology

China aims to install 600,000 5G stations by the end of the year – reports

RT – The number of 5G base stations that provide access to super-fast wireless networks is set to more than quadruple across China in 2020, its industry and information technology ministry has revealed to local media.
Around 250,000 units are currently operating in the country, offering services to over 36 million users. China plans to speed up construction by adding nearly 10,000 new stations every week – a huge boost compared to 2019, when fewer than 2,500 towers were built weekly. By the end of the year, more than 600,000 5G base stations will be completed, covering all of China’s major cities.
The next-generation technology enables users to enjoy fast mobile internet and is actively implemented by major Chinese operators. In April alone, the number of 5G users in the country increased by at least seven million, according to the Xinhua news agency.
China’s major telecoms company, Huawei, is the global leader in 5G technology. Having filed more than 3,000 patent applications, the tech giant boasts the largest declared 5G portfolio. While Huawei has been participating in the rollout of 5G networks in many countries across the globe, it has come under increased scrutiny, as the US has been pressuring its allies to blacklist the company.
Apart from trying to deprive Huawei of foreign 5G contracts, Washington has also put the company on its infamous Entity List, prohibiting US businesses from dealing with it without special permission. In its latest move, the US tried to cut the firm off from global semiconductor supplies.

Russian Robot Joins Ranks of Abu Dhabi Police, Manufacturer Says

Sputnik – A Russian-made robot has been admitted into ranks of the Abu Dhabi police to conduct patrols and video surveillance of employees and visitors as well as to check body temperature of people, Promobot, the manufacturer of customer service robots based in the city of Perm, said.

Radio Bursts From Distant Galaxy Repeats Every 157 Days

Forbes – One of the great mysteries of modern astronomy has been revealed after a five years-long observation found a repeating pattern in a radio signal coming from a small dwarf galaxy about three billion light-years from Earth.
It comes in the wake of another landmark study into fast radio bursts (FRBs), one of the hottest topics in astronomy. Very short, but bright radio pulses, FRBs were detected for the first time in 2007 by the Parkes radio telescope in Australia.
These massively energetic flares of radiation in the radio spectrum last for just a few milliseconds. Mostly they happen once.
Although several thousand FRBs are thought to be coming in from deep space every day, and from every direction, there are two that are particularly interesting—FRB 121102 and FRB 180916.J10158+56.
These two keep repeating.

Health

Eight Reasons to Consume Bee Propolis

Green Med Info – Bee propolis, a natural resin sourced from honeybees, hosts numerous health benefits thanks to its antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we’ve outlined eight of the main benefits of consuming bee propolis
Bee propolis, a kind of “bee glue” or resinous substance used by bees to protect against fungus and seal holes or cracks in the hive, is garnering more attention in the health and wellness community thanks to a growing body of research highlighting its therapeutic benefits.
Composed mainly of resin and wax, bee propolis is full of phenolic compounds, esters and 12 different kinds of flavonoids that contribute to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties.[iii] If you’ve never tried bee propolis, here are eight excellent examples of why you should consider adding bee propolis products into your routine and diet:

Bee Propolis Protects Against the Common Cold
Bee Propolis Fights Upper Respiratory Infections in Children and Adults
Bee Propolis Has Antifungal Properties
Bee Propolis May Protect Against Cancer
Antidiabetic Properties of Bee Propolis
Bee Propolis Offers Neuroprotective Benefits
Bee Propolis as a Potential Gastrointestinal Treatment
Bee Propolis for Dermatology and Skin Care

Can negative thinking lead to dementia? People with gloomy outlook more likely to get illness

Daily Mail – People who have a persistently gloomy outlook may be more likely to get dementia, research suggests.
Repeatedly thinking negative thoughts may lead to a build-up of harmful deposits on the brain, which are linked with Alzheimer’s disease – the most common type of dementia.
The research may offer hope to those who experience occasional depressive episodes, as the team said the risks are associated more so with long periods of repetitive negative thoughts (RNT).
Lead author Dr Natalie Marchant, of University College London, said: ‘We do not think the evidence suggests short-term setbacks would increase one’s risk of dementia.’
Based on the findings published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the scientists are calling for further research into RNT as a potential risk factor for dementia.
In the study, supported by the Alzheimer’s Society, the researchers observed 292 people over the age of 55 over two years.
The participants completed questionnaires about how they typically respond to negative experiences.
Signs of depression and anxiety symptoms were also taken into account while cognitive functions such as memory and attention span were assessed.
Brain scans were used to measure the deposits of two types of brain proteins – tau and amyloid – associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Those who showed higher RNT patterns experienced more cognitive decline over a four-year period and were more likely to have harmful protein deposits in their brain, the researchers said.