Today’s Top 5:
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) announced Thursday she is filing new articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden in light of a border crisis and alleged bribery scheme.
“I have filed Articles of Impeachment now in this Congress just as I did in the last Congress, but I did it in a very special way. This time, I was sure to draft these so they can be brought up as a privileged resolution on the House floor at any time,” she said on The Benny Johnson Show.
The nation’s cyber watchdog agency reported that the U.S. government was the target of a global hacking campaign that exploited a vulnerability in widely used software on June 15. However, the agency does not anticipate the attack to have a significant impact.
Eric Goldstein, the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said in a statement that several federal agencies had been compromised after the discovery of a vulnerability in the file transfer software MOVEit.
CISA did not identify the affected agencies or specify how they were affected. It did not respond promptly to requests for additional comment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week expanded a recall of frozen strawberries due to a potential contamination of hepatitis A, according to an agency news release.
On Monday, the Willamette Valley Fruit Company based in Oregon announced the recall of frozen strawberries that are sold at Walmart, Costco, and HEB retail stores under the brand names Rader Farms Organic at Costco and HEB as well as Great Value at Walmart, the FDA notice said. The strawberries were grown in Mexico, the agency added.
The FDA notice further said that Walmart locations across the United States sold the Great Value strawberries, while the impacted products were sold at Costco stores in Colorado, Texas, Arizona, and California between Oct. 3, 2022, and June 8, 2023. A list of products, lot numbers, and best by dates is available on the FDA’s recall website.
Hepatitis A, a contagious liver disease that results from exposure to the hepatitis A virus, can “range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious illness lasting several months,” the FDA said. A common vector for the virus is via contaminated food, officials say.
The House of Representatives voted on June 15 to approve a bill that could significantly shift federal regulatory authority away from the executive branch to Congress.
Lawmakers voted for the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, known as SOPRA, in a 220–211 vote. Most Republicans voted in favor of the measure, while most Democrats voted against it.
According to an analysis provided by the Congressional Budget Office (pdf), the bill, HR 288, would authorize federal courts to review agency rules and “decide all relevant questions of law, including the interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions and rules, without deferring to previous legal determinations by the agency.”
Under the bill, according to the analysis, “federal courts could overturn some agency decisions that they would have upheld under current law,” and some of the “decisions could affect federal spending by overturning regulations that affect direct spending, revenues, and spending subject to appropriation.”
- Tucker on Twitter: Fox News Calls Biden Wannabe Dictator; Producer Out!
Ep. 4 Wannabe Dictator … and it’s amazing how Tucker indirectly implies the obvious!
WORLD NEWS
U.S., Britain, Denmark, and the Netherlands Rush Fresh Air-Defence Aid to Ukraine
A new emergency military aid package for Ukraine was announced late Thursday with the United States, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands joining together to rush air-defence weaponry to the country.
“The Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK defense ministries and the United States Department of Defense today announced that they are partnering together to deliver high priority air defense equipment to Ukraine,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a joint statement with its allies.
“The initiative will deliver hundreds of short and medium range air defense missiles and associated systems required to protect Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure and further ensure the success of counter-offensive operations in coming months,” the ministry said.
UN Chief Guterres Demands Countries End Oil, Gas, and Coal Dependence
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday demanded the world start phasing out oil, coal and gas energy sources with immediate effect, further cautioning fossil fuel companies to “cease and desist” measures that aim to “knee-cap” climate progress.
“The problem is not simply fossil fuel emissions. It’s fossil fuels – period,” Guterres told reporters gathered at U.N. headquarters in New York. “The solution is clear: The world must phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way – moving to leave oil, coal and gas in the ground.”
New Zealand Enters Recession After Years of Lockdowns
New Zealand’s government data agency, Stats NZ, released Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures Thursday that showed the economy slipped into recession in the first quarter of 2023. GDP was down by a seasonally-adjusted 0.1 percent as of March.
A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, and since New Zealand’s GDP slipped by 0.7 percent in the last quarter of 2022, Stats NZ declared the first technical recession since the lockdown-hobbled pandemic nightmare year of 2020.
Former PM Boris Johnson Claims ‘Political Assassination’ as Committee Rules he Misled Parliament
The UK Parliament’s Privileges Committee publishes its report on Boris Johnson, stating it believes he deliberately misled the House over ‘Partygate’, a claim the former PM continues to deny, decrying the “kangaroo court” and “political assassination” against him.
Boris Johnson would be suspended from Parliament for 90 days for misleading members, the House Privileges Committee has ruled, a serious punishment that would be served had former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson not already resigned from Parliament last week. Instead, the Committee recommended Johnson not be allowed to hold a former member’s pass for the House of Commons.
American Woman Sexually Assaulted, Thrown to Her Death at Famous ‘Fairytale’ Castle
Two young American citizens were sexually assaulted and then thrown into a ravine at the world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle, the attack killing one and seriously injuring the other.
A man sexually assaulted two women at a scenic spot closely overlooking the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwingau, Germany, on Wednesday evening. According to a report in Germany’s Welt, the man led the two women on a walking trail under the pretext of going to a good viewpoint to enjoy the vista of the castle, and then attacked.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Tornadoes strike north Texas town, killing three and injuring 75
The north Texas town of Perryton was struck by one or more tornados that inflicted damage to homes and a mobile home park, local media reported on Thursday.
Three fatalities has been confirmed and more than 75 people were being treated at the local hospital, Perryton fire chief Paul Dutcher told ABC News. Ten were in a critical condition, one health official said.
He said at least one person was killed in a mobile home park that took a “direct hit” from a tornado.
Local KVII-TV reported that at least 30 trailers had been damaged or destroyed in Perryton and that firefighters were still rescuing victims at 6pm local time. It said the town may have been struck by three tornadoes.
“It’s bad, it’s very bad. It’s non-stop crazy. It couldn’t have hit in a more vulnerable place,” mayor Kerry Symons said by telephone, adding that he would be unable to say exactly how many people had died until Friday morning.
Jack Teixeira, Pentagon leaks suspect, indicted by federal grand jury
US airman charged with six counts of retention and transmission of classified documents relating to national defense, DoJ says
Why Donald Trump Cannot Get a Top-Tier Lawyer
Former President Donald Trump has now been arraigned and pleaded not guilty. He was represented by two lawyers, neither of whom he apparently wants to lead his defense at trial. He has been interviewing Florida lawyers, and several top ones have declined. I know, because I have spoken to them. There are disturbing suggestions that among the reasons lawyers are declining the case is because they fear legal and career reprisals.
There is a nefarious group that calls itself The 65 Project that has as its goal to intimidate lawyers into not representing Trump or anyone associated with him. They have threatened to file bar charges against any such lawyers. When these threats first emerged, I wrote an op-ed offering to defend pro bono any lawyers that The 65 Project goes after. So The 65 Project immediately went after me, and contrived a charge based on a case in which I was a constitutional consultant, but designed to send a message to potential Trump lawyers: if you defend Trump or anyone associated with him, we will target you and find something to charge you with. The lawyers to whom I spoke are fully aware of this threat — and they are taking it seriously.
There may be other reasons as well for why lawyers are reluctant to defend Trump. He is not the easiest client, and he has turned against some of his previous lawyers, as some of his previous lawyers have turned against him. This will be a difficult case to defend and an unpopular one with many in the legal profession and in general population.
On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Jen Easterly stated that she’s “very concerned” about China’s ability to launch cyberattacks on American critical infrastructure and “it’s great” that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going to China to “have an open and frank discussion about these issues,” because “It’s very, very hard to prevent these disruptions.”
Easterly stated, “We are very concerned, not just, frankly, about data theft and espionage, but the ability for China to hold the critical infrastructure that Americans rely on every day at risk. And so, it’s great that we’re seeing the Secretary of State go there and have an open and frank discussion about these issues, because we just published a report three weeks ago with our federal partners and international partners about Chinese intrusions into our critical infrastructure. And this, of course, is very consistent with what we’ve heard from the intelligence community. I think every American should read the annual threat assessment that talks about aggressive cyber operations against our critical infrastructure, because we need to understand the threat, how formidable this adversary is. It’s very, very hard to prevent these disruptions. So, we need to be resilient, we need to be prepared to deal with it, and ensure that every business puts the measures in place so we can operate even in the face of disruption.”
Girl Sues Hospital for Removing Her Breasts at Age 13
A hospital and doctors in California are facing a new lawsuit for removing the breasts of a 13-year-old girl after she claimed she was a boy.
The defendants carried out “ideological and profit-driven medical abuse” when they prescribed her puberty blockers and hormones and, later, performed a double mastectomy, Charles LiMandri, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiff, Layla Jane, said in a statement.
Jane, now 18, was influenced by people online when she was just 11 and told her parents that she was a boy, prompting them to ask for guidance from doctors.
While three doctors said Jane was too young for cross-sex hormones, she was eventually referred to several other doctors who prescribed her puberty blockers and hormones. Within six months, they removed her breasts.
The hormones and puberty blockers were given based on a single, 75-minute session with Susanne Watson, a psychologist, according to the suit. Dr. Winnie Tong, a plastic surgeon, concluded after a 30-minute session that Jane could have her breasts removed.
“Defendants did not question, elicit, or attempt to understand the psychological events that led Kayla to the mistaken belief that she was transgender, nor did they evaluate, appreciate, or treat her multi-faceted presentation of co-morbid symptoms,” the suit reads.
A federal judge scheduled E. Jean Carroll’s second defamation trial against former President Donald Trump for January 2024, just days before Republican primary voters will begin the presidential nomination process.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan set Carroll’s civil trial against Trump for January 15, 2024, in a brief scheduling order.
Lawsuit: Michigan Farm Forced Foreign H-2A Visa Workers to Pick Blueberries for Slave Wages
A farm in western Michigan trafficked foreign workers through the H-2A visa program and forced them to pick blueberries for slave wages, a lawsuit alleges.
Mexican nationals Luis Guzman Rojas and Feliciano Velasco Rojas, both represented by the Michigan Immigration Rights Center, filed suit against First Pick Farms after they said they, as well as other foreign H-2A visa workers, were forced to take jobs for just 50 cents per pound of blueberries picked.
Ex-NYC Mayor de Blasio Ordered to Pay $500,000 for Campaign Security
A New York ethics board on Thursday ordered former Mayor Bill de Blasio to pay a record $474,794 for using city funds for a security detail during his long-shot 2019 presidential campaign, finding that he violated conflict of interest laws.
The city’s Conflicts of Interest Board said de Blasio had required the city to pay travel expenses for a New York Police Department security detail for him and his wife while mounting a failed run for the Democratic nomination for president between May and September 2019, while still mayor of New York.
It said it had advised de Blasio, who served eight years as New York’s mayor from 2013 to 2021, against using city resources before he launched the campaign, but he disregarded that advice.
Texas Gov. Buses First Group of Migrants to LA
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said the first group of migrants bused from his state to Los Angeles had arrived in the California city, the latest move by Republicans opposed to Democratic President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, said more than 40 migrants had arrived in the city and called the bus trip “a despicable stunt that Republican governors have grown so fond of.”
Texas has bused more than 21,000 migrants to Washington, New York City, Chicago, and other cities since 2022, in what some critics have labeled a stunt amid a national debate over the high levels of immigrant arrivals along the southern border.
2ND AMENDMENT
Clerk and Robber Both Dead After Shootout in Gun-Controlled California
Footage released this week shows Visalia, California, EZ Mart Liquor Store clerk Krish Singh exchanging gunfire with a 16-year-old alleged armed robber in the heavily gun-controlled state.
Kamala Harris Pushes to Open Up Gun Makers to Lawsuits over Crime
On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris pushed for numerous gun controls, including the removal of protections that shield gun makers from being sued when a legally-made firearm is legally purchased but later used in a crime.
Kamala Harris tweeted, “Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Strengthen background checks. Enact safe storage and red flag laws. Repeal the immunity that protects gun manufacturers from liability. Address the mental health crisis deepened by the trauma of gun violence. Let’s get it done.”
Gun-Controlled Colorado: Another Nuggets Celebration, Another Shooting
Two people were shot, conditions unknown, following a Denver Nuggets NBA title celebration Thursday in gun-controlled Colorado.
This is the second shooting associated with the Nuggets’ victory.
NBC 15 noted that Thursday’s shooting occurred roughly an hour after the parade ended.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
States Sending Tax Rebates and Stimulus Checks
While federal stimulus checks ended several years ago, some states have continued to provide assistance to residents in the form of tax rebates or so-called “inflation relief” payments.
In context of such payments, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued clarification earlier this year that most relief checks issued by states last year aren’t subject to federal taxes and so for the most part don’t need to be reported on 2022 tax returns.
IN-DEPTH: New Colorado Law Set to Take Away Taxpayer Rights, Voters to Decide
Colorado residents used to enjoy low property taxes, thanks in part to the Gallagher Amendment—passed in 1982 after pressure from residents tired of skyrocketing residential property taxes. Gallagher required that the state’s total property tax burden be divvied up, with 45 percent collected from residential property and 55 percent from commercial property.
But in the November 2020 election, Colorado voters approved Amendment B, which repealed Gallagher. At the time, proponents of Amendment B successfully argued that repealing Gallagher would help fund schools and local governments. However, opponents argued that it would lead to a significant increase in property taxes.
Fast forward to today, and Colorado residents are again up in arms over skyrocketing residential property taxes, as county assessors across the state warn homeowners to expect a historic jump of anywhere between 30 percent to 70 percent in 2024.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
The Safest Thing Is Not To Get Lured Into The Matrix In The First Place
In “The Metaverse is a Scam” I called Virtual Reality “late state globalism’s Hail Mary” play to herd huge swaths plebs into their own private, fully immersive hallucinations – where they can live out an inconsequential dreamlike existence however they want, just so long as it stops them from taking up too much space in the real world.
“Soon he will be shown something that perfectly fulfills his most hidden and cherished desires, desires he has never fulfilled. Unable to resist the chance to do it at last he enters by a golden door into eternal captivity”
— How Do They Get Our Souls? Whitney Streiber’s The Key
Apple’s announcement at WWDC saved the Vision Pro for last – it’s expected to roll out in 2024 and is being heralded as the most significant revolution in technology interface since the smartphone. The Vision Pro is not a VR head-set per se, it’s a “spacial computing” interface for Augmented Reality: instead of immersing you 100% in a digital construct, it overlays objects, icons and UXs from the computing world and the internet, onto your visual field of the physical world you occupy.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Sharing Surveillance Capitalism: Feds Hoover Up Mountains Of Personal Data From Silicon Valley
A recent report from the Director of National Intelligence has unveiled that the U.S. government is buying vast quantities of Americans’ personal data generated by our cars, smartphones, and web browsers, mirroring the results of intrusive surveillance techniques and posing significant threats to privacy.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. government is exploiting commercially available information (CAI) to learn everything it can about private citizens. This data, sourced from cars, phones, and web browsers, has become so extensive that it replicates the results of intrusive surveillance techniques such as wiretaps, cyber espionage, or physical surveillance.
In response to a request from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines ordered the report. He demanded that the intelligence community explain and make known how it makes use of CAI. The results were shocking.
“In a way that far fewer Americans seem to understand, and even fewer of them can avoid, CAI includes information on nearly everyone that is of a type and level of sensitivity that historically could have been obtained,” the report stated.
The data goes far behind simple information. It includes the thorough trails left behind by smartphones and their apps, social media sites, cars, and location-tracking gadgets like fitness watches. The report issued a caution, stating that such detailed information can now “cause harm to an individual’s reputation, emotional well-being, or physical safety.”
Former Head of Jan. 6 Bomb Investigation Reveals Key Obstacle to Identifying Suspect
The FBI captured data on people around the sites at which pipe bombs were discovered on Jan. 6, 2021, but some of the data was not usable, the former head of the bureau’s investigation into the bombs has claimed.
Agents “did a complete geofence” of the areas, Steven D’Antuono, the former FBI official, said.
“We have complete data. Not complete, because there’s some data that was corrupted,” he added.
Geofencing is a technique that involves creating a zone and locating all devices within the area. The FBI has utilized the data it obtained through geofencing in charging documents against people charged over the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
D’Antuono said that the data was corrupted “by one of the providers” before saying it was not done intentionally.
“It just—unusual circumstance that we have corrupt data from one of the providers,” he said. “I’m not sure—I can’t remember right now which one.”
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Is the World “Dirtier” Than We Thought?
The world around us is not as clean as we in the West have been led to believe, and the “industry standards” are in a free fall
As a species, we have been happily dealing with “dirt” since time immemorial but post industrial revolution — and increasingly so—we are facing contaminations of different types
In 2016, Whole Foods was mildly slapped by the FDA for grossly unsanitary condition at a kitchen in MA where they prepared food
This year, the FDA announced recalls of several eye drop brands linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria responsible for four deaths and multiple cases of people going blind
Leading pharmaceutical companies had multiple FDA recalls due to visible glass particulates in their drugs (including, ironically, Gilead’s injectable Remdesivir in 2021)
The trick is to be aware of our surroundings and careful — but not paranoid
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Country Lore: Low-Cost Garden Greywater System DIY
This garden greywater system DIY project uses a 5-gallong bucket and low-cost parts. I’ve always wanted to do more with greywater (also spelled graywater, gray water and grey water) — waste water from dishwashing, laundry, and bathing — but as a renter, I wanted to invest my money and energy in a way that was more portable than traditional systems. I started by looking into rain barrels as a way to cache water and was amazed at how expensive they were. Then I found a few 5-gallon buckets at a construction site, and came up with this simple DIY greywater system for irrigation setup that has worked well for me for the past two summers.
The setup is a 5-gallon bucket with a tap inserted, hooked up to a commercial drip-irrigation system in my raised garden beds. I use one bucket per 2-foot-square bed.
Are You and Your Family Really Ready For A Power Grid Failure?
The dangers to our aging, fragile electrical grid are numerous. Over the last few years, many of us have focused on the risk of an EMP, mostly fueled by North Korea’s nuclear and ICBM testing. But that may not be the biggest risk our power grid faces, according to Dan Coats, the National Director of Intelligence. According to a recent statement by him, cyber attacks against the grid have become so commonplace as to have “the light flashing red” right now. This is just as it was after the 9-11 World Trade Center disaster.
HEALTH
Taking Vitamin D Daily May Reduce Cancer Mortality by 12%
A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found daily vitamin D supplementation reduced cancer mortality by a significant 12%
Daily vitamin D supplementation was particularly beneficial for people aged 70 and over, as well as those who took vitamin D daily and were later diagnosed with cancer
Among people who took daily vitamin D doses of 5,000 IU to 50,000 IU daily, no adverse effects were found
Past research has found women with a vitamin D level at or above 60 ng/mL (150 nmol/L) had an 82% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those with levels below 20 ng/mL
To optimize your vitamin D levels, regular sun exposure is the best option; however, if you’re unable to get adequate sun exposure each day, supplementation may be necessary
—> Power Mall Product of Interest: OPTIVIDA VITAMIN D – plant based made from button mushrooms!
COVID RELATED NEWS
COVID-Vaccinated More Likely to Be Hospitalized: CDC Data
COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization turned negative over time, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data presented on June 15.
The effectiveness against hospitalization plummeted to negative 8 percent for people who received one of the old COVID-19 vaccines, according to data from a CDC-run hospital network
FDA Advisers Back XBB-targeted COVID Shots
Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday unanimously recommended that updated COVID-19 shots being developed for a fall vaccination campaign target one of the currently dominant XBB coronavirus variants.
The panel voted 21-0 in favor of XBB-targeted shots and the committee’s discussion indicated that the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant would be preferred.
COVID vaccine makers Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax are already developing versions of their respective vaccines targeting XBB.1.5 and other currently circulating subvariants. Preclinical data from all three was presented at the meeting.
Welcome To The CDC’s Elite “Epidemic Intelligence Services”
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is departing at the end of June and Joe Biden has tapped former North Carolina health boss Dr. Mandy Cohen to replace her. More important than the identity of the CDC director is what goes on behind the scenes, and hints have been emerging.
In April of 2021, the CDC reassigned Dr. Nancy Messonnier, longtime director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). In a May 7, 2021 White House briefing, Walensky suddenly announced that Messonnier was stepping down.
“Dr. Messonnier has been a true hero,” Walensky told reporters. “And through her career, in terms of public health, she’s been a steward of public health for the nation. Over this pandemic and through a many-decade career, she’s made significant contributions, and she leaves behind a strong, strong force of leadership and courage in all that she’s done.”
Walensky neglected to mention Messonnier’s series of telebriefings in early 2020, conducted on January 17, January 24, January 29, January 30, February 3, February 5, February 12, February 25, and March 10.
CANCEL CULTURE
Poll: Support for Black Lives Matter Movement Lowest Since 2020
American support for the Black Lives Matter movement has reached its lowest point since 2020, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The Pew Research Center survey found about 51 percent of U.S. adults support the Black Lives Matter movement, a full six-point drop from last year when 56 percent supported it. Per The Hill:
Two-thirds of U.S. adults said they supported the movement following Floyd’s death in 2020, according to a Pew analysis of the 5,073-person survey.
Opinions on the movement vary by race, age and political leaning.
Black adults are the most likely to back the movement. According to the survey, 81 percent of Black adults in the U.S. support the Black Lives Matter movement, while 63 percent of Asian adults, 61 percent of Hispanic adults and 42 percent of white adults support it.
Younger adults were more likely to support the movement while white adults were more likely to find the movement “divisive” or “dangerous.”
Roughly 64 percent between the ages of 18 to 29 support the movement while just 52 percent of 30 to 49-year-olds support it. The number goes down to 46 percent among 50 to 64-year-olds and down to its lowest of 41 percent for seniors 65 and older.
PET NEWS
GOOD NEWS
Biden Says He Plans To Build A ‘Railroad From The Pacific All The Way Across The Indian Ocean’
President Joe Biden said that his administration plans to build a transoceanic railroad spanning thousands of miles and two of the world’s largest oceans in remarks delivered during a Wednesday evening speech in Washington, D.C.
Biden made the confusing gaffe during a dinner speech at an event hosted by the League of Conservation Voters. “We have plans to build a railroad from the Pacific all the way across the Indian Ocean,” he said, seemingly unaware of the logistical hurdles that would need to be cleared in order to do so.
ICYMI
Glenda Jackson, Two-time Oscar Winner, Dies at 87
Police: Penn State Professor Caught Having Sex with Dog Says ‘I Do It to Blow Off Steam’
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