WORLD NEWS
Global-Scale COVID-19 Fraud Is Designed to Control People: Former Pfizer VP
Lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates are all measures not for health, but to get people under control and move toward the ultimate goal of digital ID and digital currency, said Dr. Michael Yeadon, former Pfizer vice president and chief scientific officer for allergy and respiratory research.
“In brief, I’m seeing fraud on a global scale, of which the drug companies are just part,” Yeadon told EpochTV’s “Facts Matter” program in a recent interview.
“There is a huge push globally to persuade people that there is a health threat in order to get them to comply with various economy-destroying measures, and then follow them up with these injections. And I believe this is all ultimately to do with control.”
In April, Yeadon published an article titled “The Covid Lies.” The report refuted a dozen mainstream statements about COVID-19, such as lockdowns slowing the spread and reducing the number of cases and deaths; the only way to end the pandemic is universal vaccination; or the new vaccines are safe and effective.
“I knew it was wrong the moment I heard that they were developing a vaccine. We have never even sought to suppress or end a pandemic through running alongside creating a novel vaccine and then intervening with it,” said Yeadon. “Why? Because—this is really important—the elapsed time taken to get an adequate amount of safety data is always longer than the feasible length of any pandemic in history.”
“And if you take less time, it means you do not have an appropriate amount of safety data.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Intervention (CDC), vaccines go through three phases of clinical trials to make sure they are safe and effective. “During the development of COVID-19 vaccines, these phases overlapped to speed up the process so the vaccines could be used as quickly as possible to control the pandemic. No trial phases have been skipped,” said CDC.
“The clinical trials showed no serious safety concerns within eight weeks following vaccination. This is an important milestone, as it is unusual for adverse effects caused by vaccines to appear after this amount of time,” added CDC.
Yeadon said that government shouldn’t coerce people to receive the vaccines with only 2-month-long institutional safety data. “What’s the safety profile six months after you’ve taken it? No one can tell you.”
“I’ve been in drug discovery, drug development for 34 years now. Safety is the most important thing, even more important than effectiveness. Why? Because you’re going to give it to lots of people. So if you’re not really, really sure about the safety, you can easily hurt more people than you could possibly save. That would be doubly so when using a new type of technology,” said Yeadon.
Yeadon had worked for Pfizer for 17 years. He left Pfizer in 2011 to co-found biotech company Ziarco, which Novartis acquired in 2017.
Trudeau Suspends Vaccine Restrictions For Canadian Air and Train Travel
The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will suspend restrictions that banned unvaccinated Canadians from air travel and train travel within and outside of Canada after growing pressure on Monday.
The Trudeau government announced the restrictions, which banned unvaccinated people from boarding aeroplanes for travelling outside and inside of Canada as well as trains travelling to other provinces, on Tuesday, stating the restrictions would be lifted on June 20th, this coming Monday.
Finland Prepares for Possible ‘Hybrid Warfare’ Migrant Surge At Russian Border
The Finnish government is developing various legislative policies and amendments to be able to handle a possible surge of illegal immigrants and close the border with Russia while suspending asylum applications.
The Finnish Parliament’s Administrative Committee is looking to make changes to the Emergency Powers Act and the Border Guard Act in order to better prepare the country for a possible surge of illegal crossing attempts if Russia sends illegals to the border and engages in the so-called “hybrid warfare” used by Belarus against Poland last year.
The new rules would allow the government to completely close the border and suspend all asylum applications, leaving just Helskini’s main airport as the only point migrants would be able to apply for asylum, broadcaster Yle reports.
Riikka Purra, chairman of the Administrative Committee, commented on the new policies saying it was vital in an emergency that asylum applications were not being processed at the border with a foreign neighbour engaging in hybrid warfare policies.
Kremlin Claims, Contradicting China, that Xi Jinping Endorsed ‘Legitimacy’ of Ukraine Invasion
The Kremlin claimed on Wednesday that Chinese dictator Xi Jinping affirmed the “legitimacy” of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a major departure if true from China’s previous agnostic stance and a differing account from the Chinese government’s report of Xi’s statements.
The remarks in question reportedly occurred during a phone call between Xi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as part of a larger conversation on bilateral ties that the Chinese Foreign Ministry claims was more closely focused on economic cooperation, not the Ukrainian war. China has meticulously toed the line between Russia and Ukraine since the eight-year-old conflict escalated into air attacks on Kyiv in February, calling vaguely for a diplomatic resolution without blaming either side.
China Fully Automates Cloning Of Pigs
Researchers at China’s Nankai University claimed this week that they successfully cloned pigs through an entirely automated process for the first time in March, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Thursday.
A surrogate sow allegedly birthed seven cloned piglets in March at the College of Artificial Intelligence at Nankai University in northern China’s Tianjin city.
“Each step of the cloning process was automated, and no human operation was involved,” Liu Yaowei, a member of the research team that developed the robotic cloning system, told reporters this week.
Removing humans from a previously developed cloning system helped streamline the process and improved the clones’ success rate, according to Liu.
Nankai University had already claimed to clone pigs using robots in 2017, though the process used at the time included human contributions. The human involvement, the Chinese scientists claimed, correlated with a higher margin of error that Liu’s team claimed to have successfully eliminated during its latest cloning experiment through improved algorithms. These algorithms, used by the scientists’ AI system, allegedly instructed robots to perform actions more accurately than humans.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Barr’s Jan. 6 Committee Testimony Provokes Pushback From Election Watchdog Group
Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr bolstered the Jan. 6 House committee’s case that the 2020 presidential election was the “most secure in history.”
He also did his best to debunk former President Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, the Trump-appointed Republican testified in a recorded deposition that aired nationwide on June 13.
He told the committee he hadn’t seen any evidence of voter fraud on a scale that could have affected the outcome of the presidential election.
Documentary filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza couldn’t disagree more.
D’Souza’s latest movie, “2000 Mules,” contains detailed evidence of an organized illegal vote-harvesting scheme operated in Democratic-dominated cities in key swing states in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election—a crime that many voters and the Trump campaign want independently investigated to determine if it could have altered the result.
Teaming with True the Vote, a public interest election watchdog organization, D’Souza and a squad of investigators purchased 10 trillion cellphone pings (unique identity signals) to reconstruct the movements of suspected ballot traffickers.
An Orlando restaurant manager saved a child from an abusive stepdad by calling 911 during their stay at her establishment over a year ago.
On June 6, the suspect, Timothy Lee Wilson II, 36, was charged with several counts of abuse and neglect. He is set to be sentenced this summer.
It was New Year’s Day, 2021, when Flavaine Carvalho, who runs Mrs. Potato Restaurant on South Kirkman Road, served Wilson, his 11-year-old stepson, and his mom and noticed that, while the adults ordered for themselves, the boy was denied food.
When Carvalho asked if there was a problem with the food, Wilson said the boy would eat dinner at home later that night.
She noticed tell-tale signs of abuse and became concerned.
“I could see he had a big scratch between his eyebrows,” Carvalho said at a recent news conference. “Couple of minutes later, I saw a bruise on the side of his eye. So I felt there was something really wrong.”
She added, “I could not see the boy going away without any help.”
The manager took the initiative and wrote a note saying “Do you need help? OK” and discreetly showed him, standing behind the parents so that they wouldn’t see it.
‘Red Wave’ Becoming More Likely in Eyes of Political Forecasters
Election forecasters changed their predictions on June 15 on the expected outcomes of four November midterm elections.
They based those decisions partly on the way voters in four states cast ballots the day before. The changes signaled expectations of improved chances for victory for Republicans in two Texas congressional races and Vermont’s gubernatorial race.
Only one revised prediction showed diminished confidence in a Republican’s chances to win in the fall. That slight downgrade was aimed at the ability of incumbent Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to hang on to his seat in the U.S. Senate. But Lee is still expected to prevail.
The tweaked predictions about the upcoming Election Day come after voters waited in line on June 14 for a South Texas special election and for primaries across Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina.
Man Who Allegedly Tried to Kill Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh Indicted, Faces Life in Prison
The California man who authorities say admitted to flying across the country to try to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is facing life in prison if convicted after a grand jury returned an indictment on June 15.
Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, was indicted on one count of “Attempt to Assassinate Justice of United States,” according to a court filing.
The punishment for the count, a violation of 18 U.S. Code Section 351(c), is a maximum of life in prison.
Roske was initially charged with attempting to murder a U.S. judge. If convicted of that charge, a judge could have sentenced him to no more than 20 years in jail.
Roske flew to an airport in the Washington area and took a taxi to Chevy Chase, Maryland, on June 8, according to court documents. He was dropped off outside Kavanaugh’s home at approximately 1 a.m.
After spotting two U.S. deputy marshals standing on the property, Roske turned and walked down the street. After texting with his sister, he called 911 on himself, reporting that he had weapons and was going to try to hurt Kavanaugh.
Montgomery County police officers rushed to the scene and took Roske into custody without incident.
Roske admitted in two separate interviews with law enforcement that he went to Kavanaugh’s home with the intention of breaking into the residence and killing the justice. He said he planned to kill himself afterward.
Roske stated that he was motivated by fears that Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, would rule against Roe v. Wade in the upcoming decision in a case brought by the state of Mississippi, and against gun control laws, referring to a separate decision due before the nation’s top court finishes its current term.
Charging documents listed what items Roske had with him, but the indictment identified additional items and went into more detail on those previously listed.
The document gives the serial number for the Glock 17 gun Roske possessed while revealing that in addition to having two magazines with approximately 10 rounds each of 9mm ammunition, there were approximately 17 additional rounds of ammunition in a plastic bag. It also lists Roske as having, among other items, a Streamlight TLR4 light and laser; a ComfortTac belly band holster, used to carry a gun for easy access; an ASP-Micro TM160 monocular that’s capable of thermal imaging; a black face mask; and a lock-picking kit.
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Chip Roy Blasts Senate GOP-Backed Efforts to ‘Forcibly Conscript Our Daughters’
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is criticizing legislative efforts to make women eligible in a military draft after several Senate Republicans voted in favor of a measure that would do just that.
In a June 16 letter that was exclusively obtained by The Epoch Times, Roy called for the removal of a Senate-approved provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—the annual military spending omnibus package—that would require women to register with the Selective Service System (SSS).
That provision won the support of seven Republicans in the Senate Armed Services Committee: Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).
“This is pathetic,” Roy wrote in a June 15 Twitter post calling out the Republican proponents of the provision. “Even volunteer women in the military cause the standards to be reduced. These Republicans are from bright red states & this is what we get … in the face of open borders, inflation, mandatory jabs, crime … these clowns draft women. #DontDraftOurDaughters”
Now, Roy is calling on Republicans in the House to oppose the measure.
“I request that you oppose any effort to amend the Military Selective Service Act (MSSA) to require young women to register with the Selective Service,” Roy wrote in the letter, which was addressed to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and the panel’s ranking Republican member, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.).
“Thousands of women serve admirably in the United States Armed Forces, and I am grateful for their service and sacrifice to our country. But, this is not a question of the dedication and willingness of American women to step up and serve their country, but whether we as a country will force the horrors of war upon our wives, our sisters, and our daughters.
“Under no circumstances should Congress greenlight a future that cripples the American family by sending mothers and daughters to the frontlines—drafted to be combat replacements for casualties on the battlefield—while fathers and sons stay home.
“Requiring women to register for the draft does not advance our national security objectives—the only metric by which the NDAA should be measured.”
Last year, a similar provision in the NDAA won the support of 316 members of the House, but was later stripped from the legislation.
“On the merits, this is an absurd policy decision,” Roy wrote before laying out a litany of reasons to bolster the claim. “First, women and men are different. Women are just not as capable as men in combat roles.”
He cited a series of studies by the military that suggest that the differences between men and women cause mixed-sex combat units to underperform and that women are unable to meet the same physical requirements as men.
“Putting aside the issues that arise with mixing the sexes—particularly in a draft setting—certain women can be as capable as certain men,” he wrote. “But, on average, it’s simply not true that in combat settings both sexes fare the same overall.”
Second, Roy addressed the claim that women would never actually be drafted.
“Some have argued that women will never be drafted anyway,” he wrote. “But the fact is, of course they will be. Some of our colleagues won’t even call pregnant women ‘women.’ Further, the same government that left billions of dollars of equipment in the hands of the Taliban, left Americans and SIVs [special immigrant visa holders] behind in danger, leave our borders wide open, push for defunding police, mandate vaccines, and eliminate life-saving treatments cannot be trusted to not draft our daughters.
“In this, many have argued that we will never need the draft again, but this cannot be certain—there have been two drafts in my own father’s lifetime, and one in mine. And if this is a belief of Members, then this undermines the purpose of drafting women anyway.”
Third, he criticized the symbolic nature of the proposal.
“This policy is not needed and is nothing more than another symbol of ‘equity,’” Roy wrote. “There are around 17 million men of draft-registration age and some 60 million of ‘fighting age’ from age 18 up to 49, the vast majority of whom are able-bodied. If we need women for combat operations because we can’t muster a strong response from those numbers, then we’ve messed up so badly that we’re doomed anyway. It won’t matter who we are at war with, be it China or any other country.”
Fourth, he dismissed arguments that other countries have made women draft-eligible.
“It doesn’t matter if any other country does it,” he wrote. “We are America and we make our own laws based on what is good for our country. Some of our colleagues have pointed to Israel as an example of this, however, we have 1.3 million active-duty volunteer troops, Israel has about 170,000 with conscription in a far more hostile position than ours. Further, there are differences in service requirements for men and women. Males are required to serve 32 months, while females are required to serve 24 months. And, to date, there are still elite IDF units that remain male-only.”
Lastly, he argued that the prospect of ending the draft at a later time didn’t justify making women draft-eligible now.
USA Today Removes 23 Articles After Investigation Found Reporter Fabricated Sources
USA Today removed 23 articles from its website after an internal investigation found that one of its reporters fabricated sources.
USA Today’s breaking news reporter Gabriela Miranda fabricated sources and misappropriated quotes for stories, the news outlet confirmed on Thursday. The outlet conducted an internal audit after receiving an “external correction request” on one of its published stories.
USA Today removed 23 articles written by Miranda for not meeting the outlet’s “editorial standards” after the several-week investigation.
As USA Today explained:
After receiving an external correction request, USA TODAY audited the reporting work of Gabriela Miranda. The audit revealed that some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated. The existence of other individuals quoted could not be independently verified. In addition, some stories included quotes that should have been credited to others.
Although the links to the now-removed stories are still up, the text of the articles has been replaced with an editor’s note that says, “This story has been removed from our platforms because it does not meet our standards.”
USA Today pledged to “reinforce and strengthen” its reporting and editing diligence after removing the fabricated stories.
Miranda’s removed stories include coverage of Texas’s six-week abortion ban, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and an “anti-vaxxer” coronavirus treatment.
While the internal investigation was pending, Miranda “took steps to deceive investigators by producing false evidence of her news gathering, including recordings of interviews,” according to the New York Times.
Miranda has since resigned from USA Today, and her final article was published on April 17.
Police: Mom Claims Daughter Killed Dog, Burned It Alive as ‘Sacrifice’
A woman in Moberly, Missouri, was charged for allegedly killing a pet dog and burning it as a “sacrifice,” ABC 17 reported June 9.
The outlet continued:
The Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office charged Brianna L. Lingo, 29, with felony counts of stealing an animal and animal abuse. Lingo was arrested at 4 a.m. Thursday at a home in the 300 block of Wightman Street, according to the Moberly Police Department.
Police said officers responded to a call from the dog’s owner that her daughter, Lingo, had killed their dog and burned its body to make a sacrifice. The probable cause statement did not describe the type of sacrifice the owner was referring to. Officers located the body of the dog in a firepit in the courtyard of the home, according to court documents.
Animal cruelty covers numerous behaviors that hurt animals, such as neglect and malicious killing, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
“Intentional cruelty can run the gamut from knowingly depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, socialization or veterinary care to maliciously torturing, maiming, mutilating or killing an animal,” the agency’s site read:
All animal cruelty is a concern because it is wrong to inflict suffering on any living creature. Intentional cruelty is a particular concern because it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates that an individual either has already been a victim of violence or might be predisposed to committing acts of violence.
Authorities had not received any similar reports in Moberly, although they investigated animal abuse cases in the past but “never one to this extent that I’m aware of,” explained Troy Link, who is the chief of police.
The woman reportedly admitted strangling the canine and burning it. Randolph County Jail records showed the suspect was being held on bond.
New Jersey Parent Sues School For Curriculum That Allegedly Discriminates Against White Students
A parent is suing their child’s school district and its individual administrators in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, for teaching an educational curriculum that allegedly promotes “anti-racism” and discriminates against white students, according to legal documents.
The parent, listed as B.L. for privacy, is suing Mountain Lakes School District for certain parts of its curriculum put in place since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 which allegedly teach “racial political ideology” and create a “hostile educational environment” for white students, according to the lawsuit filed on June 6. White students, and particularly one student listed as J.L. for privacy, have been allegedly discriminated against because of race, the lawsuit says. (RELATED: Over Half Of Americans Don’t Think Schools Need To Teach About The Ongoing Impact Of Slavery And Racism)
Former Mountain Lakes High School Principal Frank Sanchez allegedly sent an email and a pamphlet to parents in June 2020 which said there was “institutionalized racism” within the school district, according to legal documents. Sanchez allegedly called the pamphlet a “curriculum post” he planned to refine by adding articles for parents on how to address “the lack of equity in America.”
Sanchez also allegedly encouraged students with a “call to arms” to attend Black Lives Matter protests, the suit claimed. White students, the suit said, were allegedly being taught about their “roles in perpetuating racism” and when the plaintiff brought concerns to the school, they were allegedly ignored.
“I provided my students and parents with resources for them to be able to have conversations with their children about such a traumatic event they witnessed, home alone,” Sanchez told NJ.com. “I find the complaint is not honest. It’s not something that should be taken seriously by the courts.”
Sanchez did not immediately respond to TheDCNF’s request for comment.
The suit also pushes for government funds to be withheld from the school district until it halts “discriminatory practices.” Discrimination based on race is a violation of federal law.
Ronald A. Berutti, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to TheDCNF’s request for comment, nor did Mountain Lakes School District’s superintendent Michael Featherman.
Nolte: Michigan’s Attorney General Wants a ‘Drag Queen for Every School’
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Wednesday that there should be “a drag queen for every school.”
The openly gay Democrat was speaking at an event in Lansing, Michigan, and explained her rationale this way: “Drag queens make everything better. Drag queens are fun,” she said, according to audio obtained by the Detroit News.
Per the audio, here are some of her comments: “Drag queens are entertainment. And you know what I’ll say that was totally not poll-tested, I’d say this — ‘A drag queen for every school.’”
After calling for drag queens in every school, Nessel laughably went on to complain about how “wedge issues” are used to divide voters.
“I am so tired of having prominent members of our state government create wedge issues that don’t help, that don’t heal us but divide us,” she said. “And that’s all they do.”
This is standard rhetoric from the child groomers on the left. They call for drag queens to infest elementary schools and kindergarten classes and then accuse us of fabricating “wedge issues” when we oppose their perversion and abuse.
Keep in mind that other than grooming small children into sexual playthings who can be easily preyed upon by child rapists and abusers, there is no reason to allow drag queens into any school, much less elementary schools. The whole idea behind “drag queens for every school” is to confuse small children about who they are and to sexualize them into damaged beings who can be easily manipulated and abused.
If adults want to get together and enjoy drag queens, no one cares. But exposing small children to such a thing, especially in a way that seeks to normalize it, is naked grooming, naked child abuse, and now the top law enforcement officer in Michigan wants this in every school.
Make no mistake about what’s going on here. The left is openly targeting your children. The left not only wants to have sex with your children, but they also want to emotionally abuse them into Democrats: broken, neurotic, damaged losers who identify only by their sexual identity, whose “self-esteem” comes only from their sex life.
Subjecting minors to drag shows and gay porn should be as illegal as giving them alcohol and drugs. It is naked abuse and now Democrats not only want this child-grooming normalized, they’re determined to institutionalize it through the public school system.
President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released over 95,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into the United States interior last month — a foreign population four times the size of Key West, Florida.
New court filings by Biden’s DHS reveal that the agency released 95,318 border crossers and illegal aliens into American communities last month as part of its expansive Catch and Release network that deploys non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fly and bus foreign nationals into the United States interior.
The figure indicates that in a single month the Biden administration added a foreign population to the United States that is larger than the resident population of Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania; four times the size of Key West, Florida; and about the same size as Albany, New York.
In April, Biden’s DHS released about 118,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into the United States interior and in March, the agency released more than 80,000 into American communities.
None of these figures include the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who successfully entered the United States undetected by Border Patrol, or the tens of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) the federal government resettles across the U.S. every month.
Today, there are anywhere from 11 to 22 million illegal aliens living in the United States, at least eight million of whom are taking American jobs. The cost to American taxpayers is roughly $143 billion every year.
Monday on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) reacted to the attacks on the homes of U.S. Supreme Court justices and planned assassination on Justice Brett Kavanaugh over the leaked draft of an opinion by the court, signaling that the court was preparing to overturn Roe. v. Wade.
DeSantis called the attempt to influence the ruling by left-wing activists “problematic,” adding it was “totally antithetical to a rule of law.”
“I think that we have a rule of law in this country, and you don’t get to just have a mob descend on a Supreme Court justice’s house or try to impede the operations of government because there may be a decision you don’t like,” DeSantis declared. “That would be considered an insurrection to stop a court from functioning, and yet they seem to be able to get away with a lot more than if the shoe were on the other foot. So, I think it’s been really problematic to watch the behavior there.”
“You had someone travel from halfway around the country to come and murder Justice Kavanaugh,” he added. “And that was like not even significant news in a lot of the mainstream media. And not only was it significant because it’s an attack on somebody’s life — they’re trying to change the outcome of decisions that they are concerned that they don’t like, and that is just totally antithetical to a rule of law.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
What High Interest Rates Mean for American Borrowers, Savers, Homebuyers
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 75 basis points at the June Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting as the central bank tries to stop inflation from spiraling out of control.
Deutsche Bank analysts are already anticipating the rate-setting Committee to pull the trigger on a three-quarter-point increase at next month’s meeting, which could bring the Fed funds rate to around 2.3 percent.
With Fed Chair Jerome Powell and colleagues paving a path of rate normalization, what kind of impact will this have on American borrowers, savers, and prospective homeowners?
The U.S. central bank directly affects the prime rate—the base rate of how other interest rates are formulated—so when it is higher, consumers will endure greater borrowing costs. This can affect everything from personal loans to credit cards.
Credit card companies charge their clients a variable interest rate that is based on the prime rate. Since the Fed’s actions impact short-term rates, this can influence what customers pay on credit cards.
According to Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow at Pacific Research Institute, a California-based free-market think tank, the Fed’s decision to raise interest rates by 75 basis points is an appropriate response to the high inflationary pressures that are undermining the economy.
He says, however, rising interest rates will continue to put downward pressure on the financial markets and housing values, and reduce consumer borrowing and spending.
“For those consumers with credit card debt or variable rate mortgages, the affordability squeeze will worsen as interest rates rise,” he told The Epoch Times in an email. “Businesses, particularly small businesses, will see rising cost structures and stagnant (perhaps declining) sales growth. Companies that are highly leveraged could, depending on how these debts are structured, face higher rates of bankruptcy.”
Although mortgage rates are not directly connected to the Fed’s monthly rate decisions, they are mostly tied to the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield. This generally functions as a benchmark to the 30-year fixed mortgage rate, which surged to 6.28 percent on Tuesday, up from 5.55 percent in the previous week.
That said, interest rates on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) will be more affected by the Fed because these financial products are typically pegged to the prime rate.
The same applies to interest rates for automobile loans. They are usually tied to the prime rate.
Analysts are penciling in more rate hikes this year, which will likely push the fed funds rate to around 3.5 percent by the end of the year.
Put simply, borrowers will be facing ballooning costs in this policy-tightening environment, says Greg McBride, the senior vice president and chief financial analyst at Bankrate.
“If you’re in the market for a mortgage or car loan, borrowing costs are going up. If you have credit card debt or a home equity line of credit, the cost of carrying that debt will rise right alongside the Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. And the cumulative effect is what to watch out for,” he told The Epoch Times.
“Mortgage rates are up nearly 3 percentage points since the beginning of the year and if the Fed raises rates by a total of 3 percentage points this year, your variable rate credit card and home equity line of credit will increase that much as well.”
The current situation has spawned affordability concerns. According to data from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the average sales price of houses sold topped $500,000 in the first quarter. With a 20 percent down payment and an increasing mortgage rate, there is a risk that too many households will be sitting on the sidelines in the real estate market.
While the short-term fed funds rate has increased by 175 basis points, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has increased by approximately 300 basis points, according to the National Association of Realtors’ senior economist, Lawrence Yun.
“On the same $300,000 mortgage, the monthly payment has risen from $1,265 in December to $1,800 today. That’s painful and, consequently, will shrink the buyer pool,” he said in a statement.
Thousands of Electric Vehicles Recalled in US Over ‘No Start Condition’Ford announced it is recalling nearly 50,000 electric vehicles in response to a defect with the cars’ batteries, which could lead to a loss of power while driving.
The automotive firm instructed dealers to stop selling Mustang Mach-Es produced between May 27, 2020, and May 24, 2022, that do not have the proper repairs. Ford said it is working to develop a fix for the 48,924 cars that have experienced a loss of power, overheating, and startup problems.
“In the affected vehicles, it is possible that the high voltage battery main contactors may overheat, which can result in an open contactor or welding condition. Should the contactors weld closed while driving, a powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated on the next drive cycle, along with a no start condition,” the company said in a letter.
According to Ford, the issue stems from a battery main contactor that can overheat and may remain stuck open or become welded.
“Should the contactors weld closed while driving, a powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated on the next drive cycle, along with a no-start condition,” said Ford.
Ford spokesperson Said Deep told Nexstar the problem specifically relates to the vehicles’ “Direct Current” fast charging, adding that there is a chance the better can overheat, which “may lead to arcing and deformation of the electrical contact surfaces.” That may lead to the car losing power while driving, Deep said, significantly raising the risk of an accident.
Deep added that the repair will be fixed remotely through an “Over-The-Air (OTA) deployment” of a software update starting in July. Owners of the electric vehicle can take their Mach-Es to a Ford dealership for the software update.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced another $1 billion in military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday, following the third meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a group of about 50 nations supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
“I’m especially pleased to be able to announce today that the United States will provide an additional $1 billion security assistance package for Ukraine,” Austin said at a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, where the members of the group met.
A portion of the $1 billion — $350 million — will come from the Pentagon’s existing stocks, and the remaining $650 million will come from the $40 billion that Congress passed for Ukraine security and humanitarian assistance last month.
Austin said the latest package of military aid includes guided multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) munitions, 18 more M777 howitzers and the tactical vehicles to tow them, and 36,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition. It also includes two additional Harpoon coastal defense systems and thousands of secure radios, night vision devices, thermal sights, and other optics.
Earlier this month, Biden authorized four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) with guided MLRS munitions, Javelin anti-tank missiles, helicopters, counter-battery radars, and ammunition.
Flood Rocks Abbott Baby Formula Plant, Likely Delaying Production for ‘Weeks’
Baby formula “production and distribution” at Abbott’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, will likely be delayed “for a few weeks” after flooding Monday has led to setbacks, the company announced Tuesday.
The plant had only resumed baby formula production on June 4, following a months-long delay stemming from a voluntary recall after complaints that four infants who had consumed products manufactured at the plant developed bacterial infections, Breitbart news previously noted. Abbott’s recall and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) investigations that coincided contributed to the nationwide baby formula shortage that has left frantic parents struggling to feed their infants for months.
Abbott stated that “severe thunderstorms and heavy rains” in Southwest Michigan caused the flood that rocked portions of Sturgis and “areas of our plant.”
“As a result, Abbott has stopped production of its EleCare specialty formula that was underway to assess damage caused by the storm and clean and re-sanitize the plant,” the company noted. Abbott has alerted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the incident and “will conduct comprehensive testing in conjunction with the independent third party to ensure the plant is safe to resume production.”
US Refiners Boost Heavy Crude Imports as Biden Threatens Executive Action
The United States has increased heavy crude imports amid Western sanctions on Russia and President Joe Biden’s letter calling on U.S. energy producers to make more gasoline and diesel.
Customs data shows that U.S. refiners last month imported the highest number of crude barrels in nearly two years, with refiners importing 33.5 million barrels of heavy crude in May.
According to the data, 56 vessels discharged nearly 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of Mexico’s Maya, Ecuador’s Napo and Oriente, and Iraq’s Basra heavy, among other grades.
Heavy crudes cost less than lighter shale oils that are produced in the United States and typically produce more diesel and less gasoline.
U.S. inventories of diesel were down to 104 million barrels in May, with further declines expected. Meanwhile, margins continue to rise, further lining refiners’ pockets.
While higher heavy-crude imports are common in summer-driving months, the latest boost to imports comes after the Biden administration called on refiners to bring “near-term solutions” to address rising gas prices and inflation levels at a 40-year-high.
“Your companies and others have an opportunity to take immediate actions to increase the supply of gasoline, diesel, and other refined product you are producing,” Biden wrote in the letter to oil refiners.
“My administration is prepared to use all reasonable and appropriate Federal Government tools and emergency authorities to increase refinery capacity and output in the near term, and to ensure that every region of this country is appropriately supplied.”
Biden’s letter comes as gas prices have soared across the country, currently standing at a national average of $5 per gallon, according to AAA.
The president has attributed the higher prices to the Russia–Ukraine war and increased demand after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to Biden’s letter to Marathon Petroleum Corp., Valero Energy Corp., Phillips 66, Chevron, BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil, the latter released a statement stating that the administration’s policies were partly to blame for the current economic climate.
“In the short term, the U.S. government could enact measures often used in emergencies following hurricanes or other supply disruptions—such as waivers of Jones Act provisions and some fuel specifications to increase supplies,” ExxonMobil said Wednesday.
The oil giant states that it has also “been investing more than any other company to develop U.S. oil and gas supplies” including more than $50 billion over the past five years, which it says has boosted U.S. production of oil during this period by nearly 50 percent.
“Longer term, [the] government can promote investment through clear and consistent policy that supports U.S. resource development, such as regular and predictable lease sales, as well as streamlined regulatory approval and support for infrastructure such as pipelines,” it added.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
EXCLUSIVE: The Code Behind Google’s Woke Autocorrect
Leaked material from Google provided exclusively to Breitbart News give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a feature rolled out to business and enterprise users of Google Docs that suggests woke-approved replacements for words like “man,” “woman,” “white,” and “master” as users type.
In the examples below, Google’s curated list of non-woke words and their woke replacements can be seen, such as replacing “manhole” with “maintenance hole” and “whitepaper” with “report.”
n some cases, Google can be seen struggling to replace everyday words. “Motherhood,” for example, is replaced with the far less succinct “experience of being a parent or guardian.”
The feature is so clunky and riddled with errors, that Breitbart News’ source within Google, who wishes to remain anonymous, now says the company is going to roll it back.
“This was an amazingly ham-handed feature,” said the Google employee. “A crude (with at least one spelling mistake), manually curated but poorly vetted list of anything vaguely race or gender-related that led to an obviously bad user experience. It’s hard to believe it ever went through user research.”
Google announced the feature’s rollout in April, but gave scant details about how it operated, except to say that it would flag “discriminatory and inappropriate language” to users and recommend more “inclusive” alternatives.
The feature works by recommending new words to Google Docs users as they type in much the same way as a regular autocorrect function.
HEALTH
Are Medical Mistakes the Leading Cause of Death in the US?
According to a 2011 Health Grades report, the incidence rate of medical harm occurring in the U.S. is estimated to be over 40,000 harmful and/or lethal errors daily
In 2014 10.5% of American doctors admitted they’d made a major medical mistake in the last three months
In 2016, Dr. Marty Makary published a report showing an estimated 250,000 Americans die from medical mistakes each year — about 1 in 10 patients — making it the third leading cause of death, right after cancer and heart disease
The World Health Organization’s Surgical Safety Checklist, developed by Makary, has been proven to reduce adverse event rates and save lives
In 2019, RaDonda Vaught, a registered nurse, was indicted for reckless homicide for administering the wrong drug to an elderly patient who died. She was found guilty and in May 2022, was sentenced to three years probation. It’s the first time a medical professional has been charged over a medical mistake that did not involve fraud or intentional malice. Many now worry this may prevent openness and transparency about unintentional medical mistakes
The popularity of the Mediterranean diet made olive oil a $16 billion-a-year industry in 2016. In 2022 it’s down slightly to $11 billion due to problems with olive production, but it’s still a robust industry. Unfortunately, this popularity has also led to massive fraud and corruption
Even “extra virgin” olive oil is often diluted with other types of less expensive oils, including hazelnut, soybean, corn, sunflower, palm, sesame, grape seed and/or walnut. These added oils will not be listed on the label
Tips on how to identify high-quality olive oil include buying from specialty retailers that allow you to taste it first. Guidance on what to look for is included. Taste and smell are factors by which you discern authenticity
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
White House Keeps Suggesting Electric Vehicles as Fix for Record Gas Prices
Amid continually increasing gas prices, White House officials have continually recommended that Americans feeling pain at the pump should switch to electric vehicles.
During a live streaming event this week, the Biden administration’s energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said a way to deal with $5 per gallon gas is to purchase an electric vehicle.
“If you filled up your EV [electric vehicle] and you filled up your gas tank with gasoline, you would save $60 per fill-up by going electric rather than using gasoline, but it’s a very compelling case,” she said in a clip circulated by Republicans on social media on June 14. “But again, we want to bring down the price at the point of purchase.”
Her comments received significant criticism from Republican lawmakers and conservatives on social media, who accused Granholm, a former Michigan governor, of being out of touch. Last year, Granholm sold millions of dollars in stock options from Proterra—a company that manufactures electric buses.
“If you drive an electric car, this would not be affecting you,” she said in May 2021 in reference to the elevated gas prices.
Several weeks ago, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted electric vehicles to a House panel amid increasing gas prices and GOP concerns that motorists in rural areas won’t benefit from more federal spending on electric vehicles.
“It is actually rural drivers who would benefit the most,” Buttigieg said in May. “The more they drive, typically, the more of their income is going to gas, so the more money they are going to save if they can afford an electric vehicle, which allows them to fill up on electrons.”
Last year, Buttigieg drew criticism for telling families who are struggling with high gas prices to buy an electric vehicle, because if they do, they’ll “never have to worry about gas prices again.”
According to Kelly Blue Book’s late 2021 figures, the average price of a new electric vehicle hovered at roughly $56,000. In contrast, the average price of a new compact was about $25,000 at about the same time. The average price of a new, non-electric SUV was $34,000, while the electric version was nearly $45,000.
The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV starts at about $31,500, according to the website.
As of June 16, data from auto club AAA show that the average price for a gallon of regular gas fell by less than a penny to $5.009 across the United States. California, as usual, led the way with prices hitting $6.428, the figures show, while no other state had an average price of $6 per gallon.
President Joe Biden himself said in late May that the record gas prices will spur Americans to purchase electric vehicles. Earlier this year, Biden announced the release of 180 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which the White House said would cause gas prices to “come down fairly significantly.”
“[When] it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels,” Biden said during a trip to Japan.
ExxonMobil Fires Back at Biden After Letter Warning Use of Emergency Powers
The Exxon Mobil Corportation fired back at President Joe Biden’s letter calling on U.S. energy producers to bring “near-term solutions” to address rising gas prices and decades-high inflation.
“In the short term, the U.S. government could enact measures often used in emergencies following hurricanes or other supply disruptions—such as waivers of Jones Act provisions and some fuel specifications to increase supplies,” the oil giant said in a news release Wednesday.
And in the longer term, the federal government “can promote investment through clear and consistent policy that supports U.S. resource development, such as regular and predictable lease sales, as well as streamlined regulatory approval and support for infrastructure such as pipelines,” according to ExxonMobil.
Notably, Biden signed an executive order in early 2021 that suspended construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have brought oil from Alberta, Canada, to the interior United States. The move was criticized by oil industry officials, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Republicans.
In recent days, the president has increasingly blamed oil companies for allegedly gouging consumers as gas prices remain elevated at $5 per gallon. Gas prices nationwide are averaging roughly $5 a gallon, an economic burden for many Americans and a political threat for Biden’s fellow Democrats going into the midterm elections.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Thousands of cattle dead due to heatwave in Kansas
Extreme heat is predicted for large parts of the US including Kansas, which is one of the country’s top three beef producers
The record-breaking heat sweeping across the US is having a deadly effect on livestock, with Kansas reporting 2,000 cattle dead.
This week, the National Weather Services (NWS) predicted extreme heat on parts of the Gulf coast and spreading to the Great Lakes in the midwest, with more than 100 million Americans advised to stay inside to fight the heat.
Kansas has also been hard hit and will continue to be. The state is among the top three producers of beef in the country, where there are twice as many cows as people, and beef is among its top exports.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), heatwaves in the US have steadily gone up by frequency, duration and intensity in four decades since the 1960s.
May sales of tractors and combines down again
Monthly report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers shows Canadian and US sales of all types of tractors and combines down in May compared to 2021 numbers—but not in all categories.
According to the May 2022 report issued by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), tractor sales and combine sales were down in the month.
But it’s not all doom and gloom, as three categories in Canada and one in the US did show positive numbers—for April data, only one category in total showed a positive result (in the US).
COVID RELATED NEWS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine advisory panel today unanimously voted 21-0 to recommend Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines for infants and young children, stating the totality of the evidence available shows the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks of use.
Pfizer’s three-dose vaccine would cover children 6 months to 5 years old, while Moderna’s two-dose vaccine covers children 6 months to 6 years old.
States have already ordered millions of doses made available prior to FDA authorization by the Biden administration.
Depending on whether the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) accept the recommendations of their advisory panels, White House officials have said the administration of vaccines for these age groups could start as early as June 21.
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) ignored pleas from experts, the vaccine injured and a congressman representing 17 other lawmakers to halt authorization until questions about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for the nation’s youngest children could be properly addressed.
Many of the committee members, including pediatrician Dr. Ofer Levy, said the decision to authorize the shots was about providing a choice to parents who wanted access to COVID-19 vaccines, despite concerns by public commenters the panel was not adhering to the requirements for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and that authorization would eventually lead to mandates — as it did with adult vaccines.
“I know that the death rate from COVID and young children may not be extremely high,” said Dr. Jay Portnoy, professor of pediatrics at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. “It’s absolutely terrifying to parents to have their child be sick.”
Portnoy said there are “so many parents who are absolutely desperate to get this vaccine” and he thinks the committee “owes it to them to give them the choice.”
Several committee members, including Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, raised concerns about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids and the minimal protection it provided after two doses.
Offit said he still supports authorizing a three-dose regimen for the youngest age groups but expects four doses may be needed.
Moderna’s vaccine for infants and toddlers consists of two 25-microgram shots, while Pfizer’s vaccine is a triple-dose regimen of 3-microgram shots each.
Combining all ages together, Pfizer said its three-dose regimen for children 6 months to 5 years old was 80% effective at preventing illness from the Omicron variant based on preliminary data from its clinical trial.
The 80% number was calculated 30 days after the third dose. As noted by committee members, the efficacy number is likely to go down after 30 days and post-approval monitoring was suggested.
Moderna said its two-shot vaccine was about 51% effective against infection from Omicron in children under 2, and about 37% among kids 2 to 5 years old, citing different efficacy numbers than what was reported by the company in March.
In a March 23 press release, Moderna said its vaccine in the 6-month to 2-year age group was only 43.7% effective. In the older age group, the company said its vaccine was 37.5% effective.
A top official at Moderna has already said a booster will be necessary.
All previously authorized COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for all age groups were required to meet the FDA’s 50% requirement prior to obtaining EUA.
But Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA, last month told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis the agency would not withhold authorization of a pediatric vaccine if it fails to meet the agency’s 50% efficacy threshold for blocking symptomatic infections.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) addressed critics who are lambasting the state for standing alone refusing to preorder vaccines for children under the age of five, making it clear that Florida officials believe the “risks outweigh the benefits.” However, the governor made it clear that people can absolutely exercise the free choice to get the shot for their children, as they will still have access.
“Our Department of Health has been very clear the risks outweigh the benefits. And we recommend against — that’s not the same as banning it,” DeSantis said during Thursday’s press conference, defending the state’s decision, as it is reportedly the only state that did not preorder the vaccines for children under the age of five, which federal health regulators are expected to officially approve in the coming days via emergency use authorization.
“I mean people can access it if they want to and parents can do, but if you look at when they were doing the hearing, you had one physician say, you know, parents are really, really frightened, like we know that the risk is low,” he said, noting that “media hysteria” led to many parents being frightened about their children’s welfare in relation to the Chinese coronavirus.
“It’s because of media hysteria, it’s because of a lot of misinformation. That’s why they’re scared,” he said to applause.
“But to do an emergency use for a six month old or a one year old simply to placate anxiety– that’s not the standard when you’re doing this,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis explained, making it clear that the state’s position is “different than saying you can’t; you are free to choose.”:
The standard is, is this something that’s safe and effective? And then very importantly for recommendations, does the benefit outweigh the risk. And so that’s what you’re looking at doing. But the state of Florida has had the recommendation from five and up for a while. We are the first state to do that. And now from the six months to five, the state’s recommendation holds. It’s a recommendation against doing it.
The governor added, noting that the administration does not find that “appropriate.”:
That’s not an issue. But I’d also say just apart from how you recommend it, we were distributing this when it first came out because a lot of people wanted it and there wasn’t enough supply. Well, there’s a surplus of this. Doctors can get at hospitals can get it, but there’s not gonna be any state programs that are gonna be trying to, you know, get COVID jabs to infants and toddlers and newborns.
“And so that’s not where we’re gonna be utilizing our resources in that regard,” he added.
His remarks follow the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously approving of Moderna’s and Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccines for children under the age of five this week. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expected to issue their final decisions soon.
Vaccine Response to COVID-19 Was Pre-Planned: Authors of New Book, ‘The Courage to Face COVID-19’
Dr. Peter McCullough and co-author John Leake spoke to ‘American Thought Leaders’
During the research for their book, “The Courage to Face COVID-19: Preventing Hospitalization and Death While Battling the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex,” cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough and author John Leake discovered that the “system” was primed by global leaders to make vaccination the principal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was absolutely telegraphed from the beginning,” McCullough said. “[In] 2010, Gates says it’s the decade of the vaccines. Later on, Gates announces at meetings that the return on investment of vaccines is 20-to-1 anything else that he’s done.
“It is clear the system is juiced for a vaccine,” McCullough said during a recent interview with EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders” program.
McCullough was referring to a 2010 post by Bill Gates on Twitter, in which the billionaire investor wrote: “Decade of Vaccines- a $10B, 10yr pledge for vaccine research, development & delivery.”
In 2019 Gates told CNBC’s Becky Quick on “Squawk Box” from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “We feel there’s been over a 20-to-1 return” on his $10 billion investment into vaccine development.
In the interview with McCullough, Leake questioned why the COVID vaccines, which were developed hastily, were advertised as safe and touted as the only solution to the pandemic while effective alternative and off-label treatments were demonized.
“What we discovered in our research and what we map out in our book is that this was being planned for, well in advance,” Leake said.
He also criticized Gates for his obsession with vaccines.
CANCEL CULTURE
Elon Musk Tells Twitter Staff He’ll Allow ‘Pretty Outrageous’ Tweets in Leaked Video
A portion of billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s call with Twitter employees was released Thursday, with the Tesla CEO saying that he believes “people should be allowed to say pretty outrageous things” as long as it’s legal.
“So I think people should be allowed to say pretty outrageous things that are in the bounds of the law but that don’t get amplified and don’t get a ton of reach,” he said in full, according to a video released by Project Veritas. Musk, who is attempting to purchase Twitter for $44 billion, was speaking during a Twitter all-hands meeting.
Musk added, “I think an important goal for Twitter would really try to include as much of the country … as much of the world as possible,” allowing the social media platform to “really go to the next level.”
“I think the potential is there for Twitter to have … to be accessible to an order of magnitude more people,” he added. “Let’s say the far-left 10 percent and the far-right 10 percent were equally upset on Twitter, then that would probably be a good outcome.”
Elaborating further in the short clip released by Veritas, Musk said Twitter should meet a “standard” to keep Twitter users “very entertained and informed” above all else, rather than merely employing policies to “not offend” certain people. Musk appeared to have been answering a series of questions from employees who work at the San Francisco-based tech firm.
In April, Musk and Twitter jointly announced that he would purchase the company and take it private. Such deals tend to take several weeks or months to complete, and much of Twitter’s top leadership team is still intact with current CEO Parag Agrawal still at the helm.
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