WORLD NEWS
French Parliament Votes 780-72 to Enshrine Right to Abortion in Constitution
France has enshrined a “guaranteed” right to abortion in its constitution, the first country in the world to codify abortion in its foundational documents in this way.
Parliamentarians gathered for a special session at the Palace of Versailles on Monday and voted 780 in favour to 72 against to amend the national constitution to include a “guaranteed” right to voluntary termination of pregnancy.
In France, abortion is already legal up to 14 weeks of gestation, which is more restrictive than the 16-week limit proposed in the United States by former President Donald Trump.
There was “thunderous” applause in the chamber after the vote and, as reported by The Guardian, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated specially to mark the passing of the resolution. The paper notes the constitutional amendment will be made official at a ceremony on Friday, on International Women’s Day, a holiday originally devised by radical socialists in the early 1900s.
French newspaper Le Figaro notes making abortion a permanent feature of the French legal system by enshrining it in the constitution had been a political project of the left for many years, and that recently the right wing in the country had “given up” trying to oppose it.
Gangs rule Haiti’s capital. Some say they’re ready to overthrow the government too
From above, Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince still looks serene, its white-washed homes climbing steep green hills that encircle a glittering bay. But to step onto its cracked streets requires a careful calculation of risk and reward.
Ruthless gangs have a stranglehold on the city, preying on the population, carving neighborhoods into warring criminal fiefdoms, and cutting Haiti’s international port off from the rest of the country.
In this city, the most-shared online videos are often torture footage, recorded and posted by gangs to spread horror and hasten ransom payments for thousands of kidnapping victims. Last month, within hours of landing at the city’s Toussaint L’Ouverture airport, a CNN team began to receive forwarded messages from contacts sharing the latest cruel footage – a bound woman twisting away from flames as her kidnappers jeered.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
What to Watch on Super Tuesday
Trump is poised to dominate on March 5 as ballots in several states will feature key congressional races in addition to presidential primary contests.
Presidential primary voters across 15 states and one U.S. territory will sound off on their preferred presidential candidates on Super Tuesday, March 5. But for the first time this election season, there will be other races of national consequence on the ballot as well.
This year, control of Congress also hangs in the balance as slim majorities in the House and Senate present vulnerabilities and opportunities for both parties.
Here’s what to watch for as the votes roll in on Super Tuesday.
Which States Will Vote?
States whose primaries fall on Super Tuesday this year are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia, as well as the territory of American Samoa.
Supreme Court says Trump can appear on 2024 ballot, overturning Colorado ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said states cannot bar former President Donald Trump from the ballot using a rarely invoked provision of the 14th Amendment, overturning a decision from Colorado’s top court and handing the GOP presidential front-runner a victory in an unprecedented case that threatened to derail his bid to return to the White House.
In December, the Colorado Supreme Court determined that Trump was ineligible for the presidency due to his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Colorado court’s divided decision rested on the Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the insurrection clause, which bars oath-taking insurrectionists from holding public office.
In its opinion on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court said only Congress can enforce the clause. The ruling resolves challenges to Trump’s eligibility for office pursued by voters in several other states and comes one day before Super Tuesday, when voters in 15 states will cast their ballots for the Republican presidential nomination.
“Responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the states,” the court said in its 13-page unsigned opinion. “The judgment of the Colorado Supreme Court therefore cannot stand.”
Justices Amy Coney Barrett wrote separately to note that all nine justices agree on the outcome of the case, saying “that is the message Americans should take home.” The three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued an opinion concurring with the judgment, but said the court went too far in dictating “novel rules” for federal enforcement of Section 3.
Trump Easily Wins North Dakota GOP Caucus on Eve of Super Tuesday
On March 5, the Republican frontrunner is poised to sweep up victories across 15 state primary contests and come within striking distance of the nomination.
ormer President Donald Trump on March 4 coasted to an easy victory in the North Dakota Republican caucus on the eve of Super Tuesday, when he is poised to continue his dominance and come within reach of the nomination.
The Associated Press projected President Trump as the winner at 9:22 p.m. ET.
The win came a day after GOP Nikki Haley picked up her first primary win, sweeping up all 19 delegates in Washington D.C. A day earlier, President Trump won GOP caucuses held in Missouri and Idaho, states in which he handily defeated Democrat opponent President Joe Biden in the November 2020 presidential election, as well as the Michigan GOP caucus.
Supreme Court’s Alito pauses Texas law on illegal border crossings
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday temporarily blocked a judicial decision that would let a Texas law take effect to give state officials broad powers to arrest, prosecute and order the removal of people who illegally cross the border from Mexico.
Alito issued his order – requested by Democratic President Joe Biden‘s administration – after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday paused a federal judge’s ruling that had blocked the Republican-backed Texas law.
His order is set to expire on March 13 but he or the full Supreme Court could take further action before then. Alito handles certain emergency matters involving cases from a group of states including Texas.
The 5th Circuit ruling would have permitted the measure, known as SB4, to go into effect even as Biden’s administration presses forward with a legal challenge claiming the statute unlawfully interferes with the federal government’s enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
The 5th Circuit stayed its decision for seven days to give the administration a chance to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Justice Department filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Monday arguing that the 5th Circuit’s decision was wrong and that letting the law take effect would harm the U.S. relationship with Mexico and other countries.
“And beyond its disruptive foreign relations effects, SB4 would create chaos in the United States’ efforts to administer federal immigration laws in Texas,” Justice Department lawyers wrote.
The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If Alito had not acted, the law would have taken effect on March 10 pending an appeal of last week’s decision by U.S. District Judge David Ezra in Austin. In his ruling, Ezra had said the Biden administration is likely to prevail in its legal challenge, citing a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down key provisions of a similar Arizona immigration law.
AG Merrick Garland Calls Voter ID Laws ‘Unnecessary’
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sunday said his agency is “fighting back.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland on March 3 declared that efforts by states to implement voter ID laws are “unnecessary” and “burdensome,” drawing the ire of Republicans.
While speaking at a church Selma, Alabama, the attorney general was commemorating the 59th anniversary of the targeting of demonstrators by Selma police during an early civil rights protest.
He said that the right to vote “is still under attack,” though he provided little evidence in his speech for how requiring identification would be an assault on voting rights.
“There are many things that are open to debate in America,” Mr. Garland stated. “One thing that must not be open for debate is the right of all eligible citizens to vote and to have their vote counted.”
The attorney general said the Department of Justice is “fighting back” against states that have passed bills requiring identification that would prove such eligibility to cast ballots.
“One of the first things I did when I came into office was to double the size of the voting section of the civil rights division,” Mr. Garland said. “That is why we are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot, including those related to mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements.”
“Those measures include practices and procedures that make voting more difficult; redistricting maps that disadvantage minorities; and changes in voting administration that diminish the authority of locally elected or nonpartisan election administrators,” he said. “Such measures threaten the foundation of our system of government.”
The attorney general also accused courts of issuing rulings that, according to him, imperil U.S. voting rights.
“Court decisions in recent years have drastically weakened the protections of the Voting Rights Act that marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge bled for 59 years ago,“ he said. ”And since those decisions, there has been a dramatic increase in legislative measures that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote and to elect the representatives of their choice.”
Judge Rules Arizona Law Requiring Proof of Citizenship Not Discriminatory
A false registration ‘is a class 6 felony.’
A federal judge has ruled that an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of American citizenship is not discriminatory.
The 109-page ruling summarizes testimony from a 10-day bench trial that concluded on Dec. 19, 2023, during which experts provided testimony regarding Arizona’s history of voting discrimination and voter suppression.
The discriminatory practices included literacy tests, which were said to effectively preclude Native American and Latino voters from participating in elections.
The case arises out of a challenge by Mi Familia Vota and others to the Arizona Legislature’s passage of H.B. 2492 and H.B. 2243,“ collectively known as the “Voting Laws.” They alleged that these laws are discriminatory.
According to its website, Mi Familia Vota “is a national civic engagement non-profit organization that unites Latino, immigrant, and allied communities to promote social and economic justice through citizenship workshops, voter registration, and voter participation.”
In a ruling issued Feb. 29, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton said the passage of HB 2492 and HB 2243 by Arizona lawmakers was not discriminatory because the intent is to prevent voter fraud.
“Considering the evidence as a whole, the court concludes that Arizona’s interests in preventing non-citizens from voting and promoting public confidence in Arizona’s elections outweighs the limited burden voters might encounter when required to provide DPOC,” Judge Bolton wrote, referring to documentary proof of citizenship.
Judge Bolton cited existing Arizona election law, noting that, “To be qualified to vote in Arizona, a person must be a United States citizen, a resident of Arizona, and at least eighteen years of age. Ariz. Const. art. VII, § 2.”
Specifically, Section 2. A of Arizona’s election law states, “No person shall be entitled to vote at any general election, or for any office that now is, or hereafter may be, elective by the people, or upon any question which may be submitted to a vote of the people, unless such person be a citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years or over, and shall have resided in the state for the period of time preceding such election as prescribed by law, provided that qualifications for voters at a general election for the purpose of electing presidential electors shall be as prescribed by law. The word ‘citizen’ shall include persons of the male and female sex.”
In addition, Judge Bolton recalled that Arizona voters approved Proposition 200 in 2004 requiring those registering to vote to provide one “satisfactory evidence of citizenship.”
While the purpose of HB 2492 is to prevent voter fraud, the purpose of Proposition 200—otherwise known as the “Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act”—was drafted and passed to protect the state from the financial damages caused by illegal immigration.
“This state finds that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship to this state and that illegal immigration is encouraged by public agencies within this state that provide public benefits without verifying immigration status,” reads the Findings and Declaration of the measure. “This state further finds that illegal immigrants have been given a safe haven in this state with the aid of identification cards that are issued without verifying immigration status, and that this conduct contradicts federal immigration policy, undermines the security of our borders, and demeans the value of citizenship. Therefore, the people of this state declare that the public interest of this state requires all public agencies within this state to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to discourage illegal immigration.”
Tennessee Governor Deploys National Guard Troops to Texas Border
‘As America faces the most severe border crisis in decades, TN is showing the rest of the country what it means to lead,’ Gov. Bill Lee said.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is the latest Republican governor to deploy a contingent of his state’s National Guard troops to the southern U.S. border to help block illegal border crossings.
During a visit to the Texas border town of Eagle Pass last month, Mr. Lee announced his intent to authorize two new rounds of troop deployments to the border. On March 2, he made good on that vow, meeting with a group of 50 Tennessee National Guard soldiers who will take on the border mission.
“As America faces the most severe border crisis in decades, TN is showing the rest of the country what it means to lead,” the Tennessee governor wrote on the social media platform X. “Today, I joined TN National Guard members who will soon deploy on a voluntary mission to secure the Southern border as the federal government fails to act.”
This troop deployment isn’t the first Mr. Lee has ordered to help protect the border against illegal crossings. Over the past three years, his administration has placed hundreds of troops along the border. Most recently, 125 members of the Tennessee National Guard’s 1175th Transportation Company were deployed in a year-long mission, in which they assisted the U.S. Customs and Border Protection by operating mobile surveillance sites and monitoring surveillance cameras to detect illegal border crossings.
While they’ve provided some assistance for federal-level border missions, several Republican governors also have worked to directly assist Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a separate border security effort that has often placed him at odds with the Biden administration.
Arguing that the Biden administration wasn’t doing enough to block illicit crossings between the designated ports of entry along the southern border, Mr. Abbott began Operation Lone Star in 2021 to block such crossings at the state level and to intercept cross-border drug smuggling efforts. Throughout Operation Lone Star, the Abbott administration has attempted to place physical barriers, including a floating barrier along the Rio Grande and razor-wire along the Texas side of the river.
While Georgia Trump prosecutor Fani Willis is embroiled in Fanigate – paying her boyfriend nearly $1 million to help her ‘get Trump’ while he flew the two of them on (allegedly ‘cash’ reimbursed) lavish vacations, New York AG Letitia James has been spending tens of thousands of dollars on all sorts of personal benefits, according to a recent analysis of a recent financial disclosure by X user “Mel” (@Villagecrazylady).
The findings are damning. James spent more than $15,000 on luxury hotels in Puerto Rico, $20,000 per yea rin meals, $7,000 dropped at a NYC nightclub that was billed as an “office,” and $84,000 in airfare to fly all over the country.
She also stayed at the Beverly Hills Wilshire, and claimed $65,000 in “reimbursements” to “campaign consultants,” which as X user Jim Weed notes, “could literally be anything.”
Speaking of campaign consultants, can anyone tell me why a state Attorney General would need to spend over $300,000 in a single year (2023) on campaign consultants when she *just* won re-election the previous November? What could she possibly be consulting on? Furthermore, why do these million-dollar “campaign consultancy firms” always seem to be run out of random 2-bedroom apartments?
To be clear, Ms. James isn’t breaking the law with her expenditures. But considering the high bar she set for Trump in his civil fraud case, it’s more than a little galling that she plays so fast and loose with what she deems to be “legitimate campaign expenses.” -@JimBobW49
James also spent thousands at the ’48 Lounge’ in NYC as a ‘fundraising’ expense, a venue which claims to provide a “luxurious and intimate atmosphere.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Jeff Bezos dethrones Elon Musk to become the richest person on earth again
Jeff Bezos has reclaimed the title of the richest person on earth, surpassing Elon Musk, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Monday.
The Amazon founder’s net worth was $200 billion, while Musk followed at $198 billion. Musk has lost about $31 billion over the past year, while Bezos has gained $23 billion, according to the index.
Tesla shares had tumbled more than 7% on Monday.
Apple Slapped with $2 Billion Fine by EU Over Anticompetitive Music Streaming Practices
In a landmark decision, the European Union has imposed a hefty $2 billion fine on tech giant Apple for unfairly favoring its own music streaming service over competitors like Spotify.
The Associated Press reports that the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU responsible for antitrust enforcement, has delivered a significant blow to Apple’s dominance in the music streaming market. After a five-year investigation sparked by a complaint from Spotify, the commission found that Apple had engaged in anticompetitive practices that stifled competition and limited consumer choice.
Apple’s restrictive policies regarding in-app purchases and subscription models were the key focus of the issue. The commission’s investigation revealed that Apple had forbidden rival music streaming services from informing users about alternative payment options available through their websites, which would allow them to bypass Apple’s 30 percent commission on in-app purchases.
During a news conference in Brussels, Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, commented: “This is illegal. And it has impacted millions of European consumers who were not able to make a free choice as to where, how and at what price to buy music streaming subscriptions.”
$175,300,000,000,000 is the most important financial number in the world.
The new Financial Report of the United States Government (February 2024) estimates that the financial position of Social Security and Medicare are under funded by that much. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin signed the report.
The amount is unfathomable. Here are two examples for context:
- The gross domestic product of every country on planet earth was only $104.5 trillion last year.
- $175.3 trillion is nearly as much as our federal government has spent on everything since the Constitution was written in 1787, even adjusted for inflation.
The Federal Government has been paralyzed. The last reform worthy of the name was 41 years ago next month.
So, Medicare is forecasted to start cutting benefits in just seven years. Social Security’s trust funds start running out of money in ten years. The funds are projected for depletion by 2041.
In 2013, then-U.S. Senator, the late Dr. Tom Coburn, warned that Congress was “drunk on spending.” Coburn highlighted the federal unfunded liabilities, which then were $128 trillion. Today, just ten years later, the financial picture is considerably worse – up nearly $50 trillion, or 39 percent!
Because of the size of the deficit, there is no clear path towards obtaining the funding needed. that means radical changes could be coming to two of the nation’s most fundamental services.
75-year Projections
The Treasury estimates that the U.S. will spend $215.7 trillion in the next 75 years to give Social Security and Medicare payouts to beneficiaries. In that period, collections – mostly through payroll taxes – are estimated at only $137.4 trillion.
The $78.3 trillion funding gap? According to the Yellin Report, it can only be generated through increased borrowing, higher taxes, reduced benefits, or some combination of these. All options are politically toxic, which is why Congress is hiding, hoping the problem will go away. And why no one in Washington DC wants to talk about the Yellin Report.
For example, more than half of the unfunded liability comes from Part B of Medicare, which covers “basic healthcare services” like doctor’s visits and equipment such as wheelchairs.
JetBlue and Spirit are ending their $3.8 billion merger plan after a federal judge blocked the deal
JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines are ending their proposed $3.8 billion merger weeks after a federal judge blocked the deal, saying it would hurt consumers who depend on Spirit’s lower fares.
JetBlue said Monday that even though both companies still believe in the deal, they were unlikely to meet the closing conditions required in the agreement before a July 24 deadline.
JetBlue’s new CEO, Joanna Geraghty, called the merger “a bold and courageous plan intended to shake up the industry status quo” and speed JetBlue’s growth.
“However, with the ruling from the federal court and the Department of Justice’s continued opposition, the probability of getting the green light to move forward with the merger anytime soon is extremely low,” Geraghty said in a memo to employees of New York airline. She said uncertainty over the merger’s fate was distracting the airline from its effort to return to profitability.
Spirit CEO Ted Christie said he was disappointed that the airlines could not combine and create a new challenger to the nation’s four biggest airlines but said he is confident that Spirit — which has been losing money since the pandemic started — can succeed on its own.
The Justice Department sued to block the merger last year, saying it would reduce competition and drive up fares, especially for travelers who depend on low-fare Spirit.
HEALTH
Trader Joe’s recalls dumplings possibly containing hard plastic
Trader Joe’s issued a recall notice on Saturday to customers who purchased its steamed chicken soup dumplings, warning the product could contain hard plastic from a permanent marker pen.
The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said that about 61,839 pounds of dumplings are being recalled out of fear they may be “contaminated with foreign materials.”
Diet drinks boost risk of dangerous heart condition by 20%, study says
Drinking two liters or more per week of artificially sweetened beverages — the equivalent of a medium-sized fast-food diet soda a day — raised the risk of an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation by 20% when compared to people who drank none, a new study found.
Known as A-fib, atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat often described by many people who have it as a “quiver,” “flutter” or “flip-flop” of the heart in the chest.
Drinking a similar number of added-sugar beverages raised the risk of the condition by 10%, while drinking about four ounces of pure, unsweetened juices, such as orange or vegetable juice, was associated with an 8% lower risk of atrial fibrillation, the study found.
“This is the first study to report an association between no- and low-calorie sweeteners and also sugar-sweetened beverages and increased risk of atrial fibrillation,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, in a statement. She was not involved in the new study.
While the study could only show an association between sweetened drinks and A-fib, the relationship remained after accounting for any genetic susceptibility to the condition. A 2017 study found people with European ancestry had about a 22% risk of inheriting the condition.
Excess TV Linked to More Nighttime Bathroom Trips
A new study indicates that people who spend too much time watching videos may be more likely to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
Do you wake up excessively during the middle of the night to go to the bathroom? The reason could be the amount of television you watch during the day.
A new study indicates that people who spend too much time watching videos may be more likely to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. The findings, published in Neurology and Urodynamics, indicated that people who spent more time watching movies, TV, or online videos were almost 50 percent more likely to experience nocturia, or the need to urinate multiple times during the night.
Symptoms of nocturia include waking up at least twice to pee at night. Typically, people affected by it are tired and experience sleepiness during the day because their sleep cycles have been interrupted.
RSV shots may be tied to neurological condition
Fall of 2023 was the first time a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus became available for those most at risk, but now data shows the shots may have caused a few cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, The New York Times reported March 1.
“At this point, due to the uncertainties and limitations, these early data cannot establish if there is an increased risk for GBS after vaccination in this age group,” Thomas Shimabukuro, MD, the director of the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office said during a Feb. 29 briefing.
The CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system revealed 37 preliminary reports of adverse effects from RSV vaccines, 23 of which were verified by medical records. Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine was linked to 15 of those reports and GSK’s Arexvy vaccination was linked to eight, according to the Times.
Health officials acknowledged that while cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome caused by the vaccines are rare, ongoing surveillance and monitoring will be important to continue.
“I will say that these rates are higher than rates that we’ve observed for high-dose influenza and for Shingrix,” Dr. Shimabukuro told the Times, adding that the data shows there were around three more cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome than anticipated per 1 million doses of Abrysvo.
“Due to the small number of GBS cases and size of the prelicensure studies, it is not known at this time whether these GBS cases or other neuroinflammatory events occurred due to random chance, or whether RSV vaccination might increase the risk of these events,” a slide from the Feb. 29 meeting reads.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Miniorgans Grown From Cells in Fluid During Pregnancy
Scientists have created miniorgans from cells floating in the fluid that surrounds a fetus in the womb – an advance they believe could open up new areas of prenatal medicine.
Miniorgans, or “ organoids,” are tiny simplified structures that can be used to test new medical treatments or study how the real organs they mimic work, whether they are healthy or diseased.
Researchers from University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital in the United Kingdom collected cells from amniotic fluid samples taken during 12 pregnancies as part of routine prenatal testing. Then, for the first time, they grew mini-organs from cells taken during active pregnancies. They envision their approach could eventually help doctors monitor and treat congenital conditions before birth and develop personalized therapies for a baby in the womb.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Climate Activist Accosts Joe Manchin at Harvard University, Gets Shoved to Ground
The protesters took issue with the senator’s support of a $6.6 billion plan to build a 300-mile natural gas pipeline.
A climate activist group is bragging about a confrontation with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) at Harvard University, during which one of its members was thrown to the ground after denouncing the pro-oil and gas Democrat with an outburst of profanity.
In an interaction filmed and shared by Climate Defiance, Mr. Manchin is seen sitting at a table when a group of protesters enter the room and have him surrounded. The protesters took issue with the role the senator played in facilitating the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a $6.6 billion natural-gas transmission project spanning over 300 miles, from West Virginia’s northwestern border to southern Virginia.
“You sold our futures and got rich doing it, you sick [explicit],” one of the protesters shouted, prompting Mr. Manchin to stand up from his chair to face his antagonist. “How dare you? You have sold our—”
A member of Mr. Manchin’s staff quickly jumped between the two and held the senator back. Before the protester was able to finish his last sentence, the Manchin aide grabbed the young man by his jacket and tossed him out the door, shoving him to the ground.
With their peer thrown out, the protesters who remained inside the room were offered by Mr. Manchin an opportunity to “sit down and talk.” However, they refused and began shouting over him, accusing the senator of making millions of dollars in personal profit from the pipeline project.
“I’m not going to sit down. You’ve received more funding from fossil fuels than any other senator,” a protester shouted.
“You’ve made millions out of your position, you drive a Maserati,” an elderly female protester said.
According to OpenSecrets, a watchdog website that tracks money in politics, Mr. Manchin was the senator who received the most money in political donations from the oil, gas, and coal industries in the 2021-2022 election cycle. This year, he was ranked sixth on the list.
‘Very Bizarre’: Scientists Expose Major Problems With Climate Change Data
Authored by Alex Newman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Temperature records used by climate scientists and governments to build models that then forecast dangerous manmade global warming repercussions have serious problems and even corruption in the data, multiple scientists who have published recent studies on the issue told The Epoch Times.
The Biden administration leans on its latest National Climate Assessment report as evidence that global warming is accelerating because of human activities. The document states that human emissions of “greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide are dangerously warming the Earth.
The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) holds the same view, and its leaders are pushing major global policy changes in response.
But scientific experts from around the world in a variety of fields are pushing back. In peer-reviewed studies, they cite a wide range of flaws with the global temperature data used to reach the dire conclusions; they say it’s time to reexamine the whole narrative.
Problems with temperature data include a lack of geographically and historically representative data, contamination of the records by heat from urban areas, and corruption of the data introduced by a process known as “homogenization.”
The flaws are so significant that they make the temperature data—and the models based on it—essentially useless or worse, three independent scientists with the Center for Environmental Research and Earth Sciences (CERES) explained.
The experts said that when data corruption is considered, the alleged “climate crisis” supposedly caused by human activities disappears.
Instead, natural climate variability offers a much better explanation for what is being observed, they said.
Some experts told The Epoch Times that deliberate fraud appeared to be at work, while others suggested more innocent explanations.
But regardless of why the problems exist, the implications of the findings are hard to overstate.
With no climate crisis, the justification for trillions of dollars in government spending and costly changes in public policy to restrict carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions collapses, the scientists explained in a series of interviews about their research.
“For the last 35 years, the words of the IPCC have been taken to be gospel,” according to astrophysicist and CERES founder Willie Soon. Until recently, he was a researcher working with the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.
“And indeed, climate activism has become the new religion of the 21st century—heretics are not welcome and not allowed to ask questions,” Mr. Soon told The Epoch Times.
Lawsuit alleges EPA concealed health risks of PFAS in plastic containers
As time passes, it’s becoming clearer that many health issues stem from synthetic chemicals in everyday products. Among these, polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) stand out as particularly problematic. They’ve been prevalent in various products since the mid-20th century.
PFAS are commonly found in protective coatings and items resistant to stains, grease, oil, and heat. Think non-stick cookware, food packaging, adhesives, furniture, and clothing. Recently, a lawsuit has surfaced, accusing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of concealing the health risks associated with PFAS.
Is the EPA trying to conceal the risks of PFAS used in plastic containers?
If the accusations made in the lawsuit linked above are true, the EPA went to great lengths to conceal the health risks of the plastic containers everyone uses daily. The suit alleges the EPA illegally concealed evidence that plastic containers’ PFAs were unsafe for human use. The legal action was taken by two environmental groups, the Center for Environmental Health and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
It appears that the EPA might have intentionally withheld information about toxic forever chemicals in polyethylene plastic containers of the high-density variety. Such an action is illegal as it constitutes the willful concealment of safety and health data pertaining to the toxicity of PFAS.
The EPA’s response to the allegation is concerning
The EPA has refuted the claims made in the lawsuit and has declined to disclose data regarding the alleged use of toxic PFAS in plastic products. The agency cited confidential business agreements with manufacturers, such as Inhance Technologies, as the reason for not publicizing such information.
Last year, the environmental groups in question sought additional details about these plastic products through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, the EPA allegedly withheld information about the use of toxic PFAS and redacted certain details to avoid exposure, criticism, and potential legal consequences.
Lawyers representing the environmental groups argue that the EPA is leveraging confidentiality agreements with plastic manufacturers to keep health and safety risks hidden from the public. On the other hand, EPA attorneys assert that there are legal grounds for concealing PFAS information and cite obligations to corporate partners.
If the allegations are proven true, it would suggest negligence on the part of the EPA towards taxpayers, who ultimately fund the agency. Prioritizing corporate interests over public health could indicate a breach of the EPA’s duty of care to taxpayers. Should the lawsuit result in a ruling against the EPA, it would signify a failure to uphold its mission of protecting public health.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Pickling beets is a delicious way to preserve your harvest. Learn how to make pickled beets with this easy-to-follow recipe and can them into shelf-stable jars using a water bath canner.
4 Simple Tips for Growing MASSIVE Onion Bulbs!
Onions are a popular plant in most gardens. They can be started from seed or onion sets. You can plant them deep to create scallions or “Spring Onions” for early harvest, or plant them shallower to let them grow into thick bulbs you can use all year round.
As simple as they might seem, some techniques will make all the difference when it comes to enjoying a big onion harvest.
If this is your first time growing onions, or you’ve been underwhelmed by your past harvests, you need to try these tips to give you a bountiful onion harvest this year.
COVID RELATED NEWS
COVID-19 Shot Hesitancy Driven by Knowledge of Adverse Events
In a survey, 22 percent of respondents said they knew of at least one vaccinated person who suffered health issues after taking the injections.
People who did not comply with COVID-19 vaccine requirements were hesitant because they knew someone who had experienced a health problem after getting the injection, according to recent research.
“Knowing someone who experienced a health problem following COVID-19 injection reduced the likelihood of injection, the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research reported.
Such people “were more likely to oppose injection mandates and passports.
Conversely, “knowing someone who had health problems following the COVID-19 illness increased the likelihood of injection,” the journal said.
Among those who were aware of at least one individual who experienced COVID-19 injection adverse events, they said they knew about 57 deaths following vaccination.
“The health issues reported ranged from serious problems such as cardiac arrests and other heart-related problems, blood clots and other circulatory problems, to neurological issues, as well as milder effects such as feeling sick, headache, fever, etc.”
The study, published on Feb. 16, investigated the factors that made people support or protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and passports. Researchers collected information from an online survey completed by 2,840 individuals in December 2021.
It found that 22 percent of the respondents knew at least one person who experienced a health issue after getting vaccinated.
The authors cited other studies on vaccine hesitancy in the context of influenza to point out that “vaccination status [in these studies] is influenced by beliefs regarding vaccine safety, effectiveness in infection prevention, and the gravity of the illness that might be prevented.”
GOOD NEWS
Decades of research have already determined that exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) from cell towers and other wireless “Wi-Fi” radiation emitting sources (including Bluetooth and 5G) is biologically harmful. Children are particularly vulnerable to exposure which has led to increasing opposition to cell towers being installed on school property including recently in New Hampshire.
From Inside Towers:
School Board Cancels Order for Cell Tower on Rye
Although Verizon (NYSE: VZ) had hoped to order up a cell tower site on the grounds of Rye Elementary School, the New Hampshire School Board issued a unanimous vote against it. As Seacoast Online reports, the Board was influenced by parents who feared that a 130 foot cell tower might have negative health consequences.
“I think that because of our responsibilities, there has to be an absolute certainty that something we would approve has no potential health risks,” said School Board chairperson Matt Curtin, explaining his nay vote. “I understand that from a scientific perspective it’s practically impossible, but I would have needed to have walked away from this conversation feeling 99.9 percent confident that you wouldn’t be introducing something harmful.”
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