WORLD NEWS
The Green Agenda: How St. Patrick’s Day is Used to Push the Great Reset
St. Patrick’s Day has become a bludgeon for leftist elites to push for the politics of the ‘Great Reset’ — such as open-borders and global integration — in both America and beyond.
Claiming Irish heritage and getting drunk is what St. Patrick’s Day means for the vast majority of people not living on the island of Ireland. However, behind this tacky facade lies a left-leaning elite hell-bent on pushing a globalist agenda, with St. Patrick’s Day being just another tool in an ever-varying arsenal used to push globalism worldwide.
Ireland’s elites are very much like the U.S. Democrats in favouring many of the policy elements commonly associated with the so-called “Great Reset”, and both Irish and American politicians have frequently made use of the ostensibly Christian holiday to push leftist talking points, the two making apt bedfellows for policy change in Washington.
On the face of things, it does not seem reasonable to believe that Irish politicians — nor an Irish holiday for that matter — could be effectively used to push for policy change within the most powerful country in the world.
Ireland — as a nation-state — is small and relatively inconsequential, at least when it comes to the question of hard, political power. The country has a domestic population similar in size to the US state of Alabama, lacks considerable heavy industry, and has a GDP well below the likes of both Mexico and South Korea.
What’s more, Ireland lacks any meaningful military whatsoever, possessing an “Air Corp” that is simply not equipped to defend the country’s own airspace and a Naval Service that is under-staffed and outclassed by those of its immediate neighbours.
Yet hard power isn’t everything, and the Irish state’s soft power can often pack a disproportionate punch.
Besides, when Irish elites travel to Washington with the aim of pushing progressivism, more often than not they’re pushing at an open door, particularly with the eager media
‘Patron of Immigrants’:
A clear example of this weaponised soft power was when the Irish Prime Minister publicly rebuked then-President Donald Trump on St Patrick’s Day 2017.
A complete Washington outsider, President Trump was not even one hundred days in office when then-Irish PM Enda Kenny made the annual Paddy’s Day visit to the White House. Trump and his administration made the usual preparations; dying the fountain green while brushing up on old familial anecdotes about Irish ancestors arriving in the Land of the Free for the first time. Ultimately, the visit was set to be a moment of relative calm for a President relentlessly targetted from day one of taking office.
Yet the Irish Prime Minister launched a political assault on the new administration’s border policies.
Russia Ignores U.N. Court Ordering End of Ukraine War
The United Nations’ highest court on Wednesday ordered Russia to immediately end its invasion of Ukraine, take no further steps into the country and prepare for sternly mediated peace talks. Moscow roundly ignored the globalist organization and continued fighting anyway.
Two weeks ago, Ukraine approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – also known as the World Court – to intervene, arguing Russia violated the 1948 Genocide Convention by falsely accusing Ukraine of committing genocide and using that as a pretext for the ongoing invasion.
Zelensky Outlines Demands for Ukraine–Russia Negotiations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an address on Thursday outlined the country’s key priorities for peace talks with Russia.
“Negotiations are ongoing. Negotiations for the sake of Ukraine,” said Zelensky.
“My priorities in the negotiations are absolutely clear: the end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country,” he said.
His remarks come after Mykhailo Podoliyak, adviser to Zelensky and one of Ukraine’s representatives at the Russia–Ukraine ceasefire negotiations, signaled that the two countries appear to have found some common ground amid talks.
“The only thing we confirm at this stage is a ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees from a number of countries,” he wrote in a Twitter post, encouraging a direct dialogue between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine on Feb. 24, describing it as a “special military operation.”
Three weeks in, Britain’s Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update that the offensive has “largely stalled on all fronts.”
Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea, or air in recent days and continue to suffer heavy losses, while Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated, the update said.
“The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands,” the ministry said.
Podoliyak confirmed the authenticity of a draft ceasefire deal reported on by the Financial Times, but said it represents only the position of the Russian side.
Zelensky on Tuesday signaled that Ukraine does not expect to join NATO, a critical Russian concern that was used to justify the invasion.
“Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We understand that. We have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could not join. It’s a truth and it must be recognized,” Zelensky said during an address by video conference to leaders of the the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force.
”I am glad that our people are beginning to understand this and rely on themselves and on our partners who assist us,” Zelensky added.
Zelensky in his address early Thursday also thanked the United States for lending “strong support” amid the invasion. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine.
“I’m grateful to President Biden for that. I am grateful for the leadership that has united the democratic world,” he said.
Irish Prime Minister Tests Positive for Coronavirus After Interacting with Joe Biden
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday night, just after interacting with President Joe Biden at an event.
Martin reportedly learned he tested positive for the coronavirus during the Ireland Fund’s 30th National Gala in Washington, DC. Both Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended the event where the president delivered a speech.
Zelensky: World War III May Have Already Started
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 16 that World War III may have already started amid the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
When asked by NBC anchor Lester Holt about whether he believes a third world war has started, Zelensky responded, “Nobody knows.”
“Nobody knows whether [World War III] may have already started,” Zelensky told Holt, without elaborating. “And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall? It’s very hard to say.
“We’ve seen this 80 years ago when the Second World War had started. … Nobody would be able to predict when the full-scale war would start,” Zelensky said, claiming that the current conflict puts the “whole civilization at stake.”
The invocation of World War III has become increasingly common since the start of the Feb. 24 invasion, by both Russia and the West. Last week, President Joe Biden warned that getting directly involved in the current conflict by either enforcing a no-fly zone or sending troops to Ukraine would escalate the conflict between NATO and Russia.
“We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct conflict between NATO and Russia is World War III, something we must strive to prevent,” Biden said in public comments on March
Ukraine, Russia Make Progress in Finding Common Ground in Ceasefire Talks
Ukraine and Russia appear to have found some common ground amid ceasefire talks, according to information released from both sides.
“The only thing we confirm at this stage is a ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees from a number of countries,” Mykhailo Podoliyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote in a Twitter post.
Podoliyak is also one of Ukraine’s representatives at the Russia–Ukraine ceasefire negotiations.
He confirmed a draft ceasefire deal reported on by the Financial Times but said it only represents the position of the Russian side.
He also encouraged a direct dialogue between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Financial Times, the 15-point draft would include Kyiv abandoning its pursuit of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership, declaring neutrality, accepting limits on its armed forces, and promising not to host foreign military bases or weapons; leading to a ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.
Beijing Rushes to Revive Market After Chinese Stocks Crash
Top Beijing regulators rushed to salvage market confidence as investors began panic selling Chinese stocks for days in a row, pushing major indexes to their lowest levels in years.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Tech Index lost roughly 22 percent since Friday, stocks in Shanghai and Shenzhen also saw a daily drop of 5 and 4 percent respectively.
U.S.-listed Chinese shares fared no better. China Concepts Stock had a combined three-day loss of roughly $277 billion, the steepest since the 2008 financial crisis, and NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index slumped by a cumulative 75 percent compared to its peak last February.
The regime’s Vice Premier Liu He on March 16 chaired a Financial Stability and Development Committee meeting, urging government bodies to roll out market friendly policies and exercise caution when introducing measures that may hurt markets.
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, also convened a meeting the same day to convey support for small and medium-sized enterprises. The meeting also emphasized on the importance of responding timely to “hot market trends” and to “reinvigorate confidence”—echoing a phrase Liu had invoked during the Cabinet meeting. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and China Securities Regulatory Com
Biden Announces Additional Military Support to Ukraine, Including Small Arms for Civilians
U.S. President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in new support to Ukraine on March 16, bringing the total U.S. military aid sent to Ukraine this week to $1 billion.
The defense package, which is meant to fend off the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, includes 800 anti-aircraft systems and 9,000 anti-armor systems, according to Biden. It also includes 7,000 small arms and 20 million rounds of ammunition meant to arm Ukrainians, “including the brave women and men who are defending their cities as civilians.”
“I want to be honest, this could be a long and difficult battle, but the American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations,” Biden said, citing reports of Russian attacks on hospitals and other civilian sites.
The announcement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a virtual address to the U.S. Congress, requested that the United States and NATO arm Ukraine with fighter jets and enforce a no-fly zone over Ukrainian airspace—two requests that Biden and other top officials say are nonstarters, as doing so would likely draw the United States into a war with Russia.
Zelensky told U.S. lawmakers, “We need you right now,” invoking the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while requesting S-300 surface-to-air missile systems and Polish MiG-29 fighter jets.
At the conclusion of his remarks, Zelensky addressed Biden directly.
“You are the leader of your grand nation,” Zelensky said. “I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.”
This request came after Zelensky said on March 15 that his country has to accept that it won’t become a member of the NATO military alliance, a critical concern that Putin used to justify the invasion, which began on Feb. 24.
U.S. NEWS, POLITIC & GOVERNMENT
US Senate votes to make daylight saving time permanent
The U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act by a unanimous voice vote on Tuesday. The bipartisan bill would make daylight saving time permanent in November of 2023. One poll suggests 71% of Americans prefer to no longer switch their clocks twice a year.
Chinese Secret Police Targeted US Army Vet on American Soil, Attempted to Interfere in Election: DOJ
Chinese secret police and their agents are stalking, harassing, intimidating, and conspiring to commit violence against pro-democracy activists and Chinese dissidents on U.S. soil, according to three new criminal cases unsealed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on March 16.
The efforts include a plot to interfere in a Congressional election, covert attempts to arrest enemies of the Chinese Communist Party, and surveillance operations to spy on anti-communist activists.
“These cases expose attempts by the government of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] to suppress dissenting voices within the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen during a press conference, referring to the Chinese regime’s official name.
“They demonstrate how the PRC seeks to stalk, intimidate, and silence those who oppose them.”
Five individuals were charged in relation to schemes to harass and spy on ethnic Chinese in the United States critical of the communist regime.
US Elections Officials, Workers Call For More Protection
Three-quarters of local elections officials and staff who responded to a nationwide survey say the federal government is not doing enough to support their needs or protect them from a rising tide of threats in the wake of the 2020 elections.
That perceived lack of support and fears of “false political attacks on the election system” is why at least 20 percent of locally elected elections officials and professional staff plan to leave their posts before the 2024 election, according to a survey released this month by the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.
The center canvassed 596 of roughly 9,250 local election officials nationwide between late January and mid-February.
Of those who responded, 71 percent said the federal government must do more than launch a U.S. Department of Justice task force to investigate threats against local election officials to protect them; 42 percent said they weren’t aware of the task force even existed.
Fauci Braces for House GOP Investigations: ‘Benghazi Hearings All Over Again’
White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said he expects to be investigated by Republicans if they take back control of the House during the 2022 midterm elections.
“It’s Benghazi hearings all over again,” Fauci told The Washington Post on March 15 in reference to numerous GOP lawmakers saying they will look into alleged gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, located near where the first COVID-19 cases were officially reported in late 2019.
Fauci, an unelected federal official who has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, claimed that potential hearings “will distract me from doing my job, the way it’s doing right now.” Should there be hearings and an investigation, Fauci said, “there will be nothing there.”
His reference to the Benghazi hearings was an apparent comparison to the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that left several Americans dead.
Several prominent House Republicans have gone on the record saying they’ll probe Fauci’s agency and its ties to research in Wuhan.
“And if you’re watching this, Dr. Fauci, look out, because when the Americans give us control in the House of Representatives, God willing, we’re going to get some answers on behalf of the American people,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told Fox News last week.
The Texas lawmaker’s comment came just a few days after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, told Just the News that the GOP will investigate the NIAID chief over the institute’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether or not tax dollars were used to fund research into “gain-of-function,” a controversial form of research, will be probed as well, Jordan said.
Ernst Bill Would Create Executive Branch Transparency Czar in the White House
Executive branch officials who fail to follow federal laws guaranteeing public access to government documents would have to answer to a newly created director of openness in government (DOG) in the White House under a proposal introduced by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
“Iowans, and all Americans, have a right to know what’s happening in Washington, but without proper supervision, our transparency laws are often more bark than bite,” Ernst said in a statement announcing the proposal.
“As autocrats around the world, from Russia to China, try to crack down on citizens’ freedom of information, my bill will ensure here in America we open our government to the public and the officials we pay with our tax dollars fully comply with our transparency laws.
“Sticking up for the taxpayer and holding government officials accountable might not make me a lot of friends inside the Beltway, but you know what they say: ‘If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.’”
If the Ernst proposal becomes law, it would accomplish three things, the Iowa Republican said during a March 15 Senate floor speech:
- Provide taxpayers with a comprehensive summary of the information they have a right to know and how to obtain it from the appropriate executive branch office.
- Review complaints about failures by any agency to comply with a federal transparency law and work with the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy in resolving them.
- Grade each agency annually on how it performs in the timeliness and completeness of information provided to the public under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other regulations and statutes requiring transparency of government documents and operations.
Also covered by the DOG would be the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA), disclosure requirements for federal grant recipients, multiple transparency regulations under the federal budget process, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The FFATA’s primary sponsors were then-Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). The law required the federal government to establish a website, USASpending.gov, that would make available most federal spending to the public. The site has often been criticized since its creation for failing to be user-friendly or to provide all of the information required by law.
Chris Cuomo Hits CNN With $125 Million Arbitration Demand: Court Filing
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo filed a demand for arbitration on Wednesday against Turner Services and CNN for $125 million, claiming the network wrongfully terminated his employment.
Cuomo was fired in December 2021 after the network and New York’s Attorney General’s office said he played an active role in giving advice to his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after several women accused him of sexual harassment.
“Cuomo has had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared, making it difficult if not impossible for Cuomo to find similar work in the future and damaging him in amounts exceeding $125 million,” the filing (pdf) said.
That includes, the suit continues, “not only the remaining salary owed under the Agreement, but future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the Agreement. Cuomo now seeks to recover the full measure of his damages against Turner and CNN.”
Cuomo’s lawyers further alleged that the former anchor didn’t lie to CNN about his involvement in how he provided advice to former Gov. Cuomo regarding the alleged misconduct, adding that CNN executives also actively assisted the government “both through Chris and directly themselves.”
Previously, Cuomo said that former CNN President Jeff Zucker was aware of his involvement in helping his brother during the scandal. The former Democrat governor announced his resignation in August 2021.
Video: How the US Ruling Class Is Fueling, Funding, and Arming the War on America
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Chip Roy to Seek Impeachment Proceedings Against DHS Head Mayorkas
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) will attempt to bring impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, documents obtained by The Epoch Times show.
The move caps a full year of Republican dissatisfaction with Mayorkas, who as the DHS secretary is in charge of border security.
In the past year, the United States has seen unprecedented levels of illegal immigration.
While estimates of how many illegal aliens have entered the country since Biden took office vary, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show that about 2 million people illegally crossed the border in 2021, a nearly fourfold increase from a year earlier.
In addition, deportation rates have plunged under Mayorkas’s leadership of the DHS. In 2021, 68 percent fewer illegal immigrants were deported than a year earlier; compared to 2019, the DHS deported 78 percent fewer illegal immigrants.
Responsibility for the situation, according to a letter penned by Roy’s office to GOP leadership, lies squarely with Mayorkas.
“The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Mayorkas just over one year ago and he subsequently took an oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic’ and to ‘well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office,’” the letter said.
“Yet, following the orders of President Biden or acting on his own—he has embarked on the purposeful abandonment of the laws of the United States and the successful policies of the previous administration to secure our borders and protect our people.
“His actions have resulted in the death and endangerment of Americans, damage to property and communities across the border, loss of operational control of our border to dangerous cartels imprisoning thousands of migrants sold into human trafficking, and the fueling of deadly drug poisonings of thousands of Americans.
“It is most certainly a ‘high crime or misdemeanor’ for a public officer to purposefully endanger Americans while willfully ignoring one’s oath to enforce our laws. Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas is our duty.”
In his letter, Roy laid out a series of impeachable offenses that he said Mayorkas has committed.
American opposition to “Smart Cities” and all the costs and risks associated with them has ongoing for years. Nevertheless, proponents still have tremendous influence in convincing American communities to officially become “Smart.” In fact, last year proponents convinced legislators to fund their “Smart Cities” vision with an additional $500 million in federal grants. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is also a big fan of “Smart Cities.” Of course, even communities that don’t call themselves “Smart Cities” have still been installing expensive, hazardous, and privacy invasive data collecting technology including utility “Smart” meters (gas, electric, and water).
If you’re wondering how “Smart” your community is, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) now provides “a measurement framework to help local leaders assess the impacts of smart city technologies.”
From Smart Cities Dive:
How smart is your city? NIST provides a framework to measure
Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released a measurement framework to help local leaders assess the impacts of smart city technologies.
- NIST intends for its holistic key performance indicators (KPI) framework to help community leaders measure the return on investment and community impact of certain technology or projects across an entire “smart city ecosystem.” The framework involves assessing data across three main levels of analysis: technologies, infrastructure services and community benefits.
- The key metrics are (1) the alignment of KPIs with community priorities across districts and neighborhoods, (2) investment alignment with community priorities, (3) investment efficiency, (4) information flow density and (5) quality of infrastructure services and community benefits.
FEMA Has Reimbursed $2 Billion in Funeral Costs for COVID-19 Victims
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Tuesday that its funeral assistance program has reimbursed more than $2 billion in funeral costs for more than 300,000 families of COVID-19 victims.
The COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program provides up to $9,000 per funeral and covers COVID-19 related deaths since Jan. 20, 2020. The average amount awarded per death is $6,500, according to FEMA.
“FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program has helped provide over 300,000 people with critical financial relief during a time of such unexpected, unimaginable and widespread loss,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement.
The agency announced the assistance program in March last year, saying that it had $2 billion dollars for reimbursements from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
FEMA said that individuals who applied for the funeral assistance program would be required to present an official death certificate indicating a COVID-19-attributed death, documents showing funeral costs, and proof of funds received from other sources specially used toward funeral costs, such as burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or others.
The COVID-19 related death of a family member or members must have occurred in the United States, including its territories, FEMA said at the time.
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020, the agency added, noting that there is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
California Democrats Float $400 Checks to Taxpayers After Hiking Gas Taxes
California Democrats, who have raised gas taxes and vehicle license fees in recent years, are now proposing to send $400 checks to the state’s taxpayers to help defray the high cost of fuel in the latest surge, which is hitting the state’s drivers hard.
While the entire country is paying more for gasoline, thanks to surging post-pandemic demand, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Biden administration’s hostility to oil and gas development, California’s price is the highest in the nation.
“California’s high fuel prices are partly because of taxes as well as regulatory programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Together, they added about $1.27 to the cost of a gallon of gas last month [February], according to a calculation by the Western States Petroleum Association,” the New York Times recently reported. Gas taxes will increase in June, thanks to legislation passed by Democrats under Governor Jerry Brown, ostensibly to fund road repairs in the state.
Now, Democrats are facing public outrage at the price, which hits working-class Californians hardest. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a pause in the tax increase, and a rebate in his recent State of the State address.
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients announced his decision to depart Thursday, after a year of leading President Joe Biden’s team.
“I called on Jeff Zients to lead my Administration’s COVID-19 response because there is no one better at delivering results than Jeff,” Biden said in a 486-word statement released by the White House to mark Zients’ departure.
Zients was the voice behind every video call coronavirus briefing and coordinated the response from both Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
“He is a man of service and an expert manager,” Biden said. “I will miss his counsel and I’m grateful for his service.”
Under Zients, the Biden administration was caught off guard by the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants of the virus, leaving the country unprepared. He also oversaw the administration’s response during a testing shortage around the Christmas season, which left Americans frustrated.
The president noted under Zients’ leadership, Americans were finally starting to get back to “more normal routines” even as another wave of the virus threatens to ramp up coronavirus precautions and restrictions again.
Biden warned the American people the fight against the virus was “far from done” and that the administration needed to get more vaccines and boosters.
“We must fight the virus overseas, prepare for new waves, and new variants – all of which can be coming,” he warned
Biden announced that Dr. Ashish Jha would replace Zients as the new coronavirus coordinator.
Poll: 71% of Americans Favor Biden Restarting Keystone XL Pipeline
High gas prices in the United States and now the banning of Russian oil imports following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are causing Americans to favor domestic energy production, including a poll that shows 71 percent “favor very much” or “favor somewhat” restarting the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The Canadian website The Province reported on the poll:
The idea that Canadian oil and gas could help fill shortfalls in Europe and the United States has received considerable traction in the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, with some re-evaluating energy projects such as Keystone XL and Energy East.
While 64 per cent of American believe Canada should fill the void left following the ban on Russian oil, the challenge for Canada would be in increasing production — it could take years, not weeks or months — and figuring out how to ship it across the border.
Between 2014 and 2017, according to polling from the Pew Research Center, support for the Keystone XL pipeline dropped 17 percentage points, from 59 percent to 42 percent. It also had a major partisan divide in 2017, with 76 percent of Republicans or Republican-leaning independents supporting it, and 74 percent of Democrats opposing it. That year, then-president Donald Trump reversed former president Barack Obama’s decision to halt the pipeline. In January 2021, Biden revoked the cross-border permits the pipeline needed, and the project was officially dead by June 2021.
Breitbart News reported on how Biden’s decision to shut down Keystone through an executive order on his first day in office cost as many as 11,000 American jobs.
Report: Apple Faces Probe by Multiple States over Deceptive Trade Practices
Multiple U.S. states have reportedly launched an investigation into tech giant Apple over allegations that the company deceived consumers. The new investigations come just years after “batterygate,” in which Apple was caught slowing down older iPhones via software updates. The Masters of the Universe blamed battery health for the slowdown, which also conveniently made a new iPhone purchase more attractive.
Reuters reports that multiple U.S. states have launched an investigation into tech giant Apple for potentially deceiving consumers. A document from March obtained by the Tech Transparency Project shows that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton may sue Apple for violating the state’s laws relating to deceptive trade practices.
Reuters reached out to the office of Paxton, which declined to comment. Apple has previously faced class-action lawsuits from consumers alleging that the company lied about the performance of iPhone batteries.
In 2017, Apple announced plans to offer replacement batteries for older iPhone models for a fee. Tim Cook’s company agreed to service the phones after it was discovered that the company was purposefully slowing down older iPhone models via software updates. Apple claimed that the slowing of older iPhones was done to “smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down” as batteries in older model iPhones aged. This led to an outcry across social media as iPhone users were angered that they had not been informed of this feature on their phone or given the option to replace their battery.
Apple paid $500 million to settle one of the iPhone battery lawsuits earlier this year. The tech giant is facing further lawsuits claiming that the company knew its “butterfly” keyboard design used in its MacBook laptops was extremely prone to failure.
Read more at Reuters here.
HEALTH
New Hampshire House Approves Over-the-Counter Ivermectin
New Hampshire took a giant step closer to becoming the first U.S. state to offer Ivermectin without a prescription on March 16.
By a 183 to 159 vote, New Hampshire’s Republican-dominated House of Representatives approved HB1022, which would allow pharmacists to dispense
Lone Star Tick Carrying Heartland Virus Found in Georgia: Researchers
Lone star ticks carrying a virus that could potentially prove fatal to humans have been discovered in Georgia, a new study reported Wednesday.
The Heartland virus is an emerging infectious disease that can cause symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, headache, nausea, and a loss of appetite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Many individuals who have been diagnosed with the Heartland virus have had to be hospitalized due to their symptoms and some who had underlying health conditions have died.
There are currently no vaccines or medications that work to prevent or treat infection of the virus and antibiotics do not work.
Scientists from Emory University who are researching the Heartland virus said they have discovered it is circulating in lone star ticks in central Georgia, providing new evidence as to how the tick-borne virus may evolve and spread geographically and from one organism to another.
Lone star ticks, also known as Amblyomma americanum, are the most common tick in the state and are mostly found in woodlands with dense undergrowth.
They are named after their unique appearance—a female lone tick has a silvery-white, star-shaped spot on the center of its back.
Scientists at Emory University sampled nearly 10,000 juvenile and adult lone star ticks across the state between 2018 and 2019 and found the virus was prevalent among the population.
The ticks were collected from sites in Georgia’s Putnam and Jones counties and separated into groups, each containing either five adults or 25 nymphs, then crushed and placed into a solution to test if they were carrying the virus.
Their findings indicate that roughly one out of every 2,000 of the specimens collected from the areas carried the Heartland virus and confirm active transmission within the state.
One adult and one nymph sample, both of which were collected on the same date, tested positive from a site in Putnam County, which is used for hunting. Another sample of adult ticks, collected on a different date from a stretch of woods along a highway in Jones County, also tested positive.
The research was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC publication.
A Flu Bug’s Worst Enemy, It Chews Them Up and Spits Them Out
Bump your levels of this to above 10% and you’ll make your body virtually flu-proof – causing these cells to basically chew up and spit out any infected cells it is in contact with. Here are 9 simple ways to ramp up your levels.
Story at-a-glance
- Natural killer (NK) cells are a specific type of white blood cell. They’re an important component of your cell-mediated (innate) immune system and are involved in both viral diseases and cancer
- NK cells are cytotoxic; they induce apoptosis (programmed cell death), which destroys the virus along with the infected cell
- NK cells — which are not antigen-specific — contain the infection while your adaptive, humoral immune response generates T cells containing antigen-specific cytotoxins to clear the infection
- KLRD1 is a receptor gene found on the surface of NK cells, and the level of KLRD1 found in a person’s blood prior to exposure to the influenza virus can predict whether that individual would contract the flu with 86% accuracy
- People whose immune cells consisted of 10 to 13% NK cells remained disease free after exposure to the flu virus, whereas those below 10% became ill
Ways to Boost Your NK Cells
While the researchers hope their findings may help develop more effective flu vaccines, you don’t need drug intervention to boost your NK cells and hence your protection against virtually all viruses and malignancies.
NK cells tend to lose functionality as you age, leaving you more susceptible to disease, including viral infections such as influenza and cancer. The medical term for this degeneration is “immune senescence.” The good news is you can counteract this decline in a number of different ways, including the following:
Get regular exercise — In one study, moderate exercise improved NK cell function in cancer patients.
Quit smoking — Quitting smoking will also help, as smoking impairs NK cell function.
Consume enzymatically modified rice bran (EMRB) — EMRB is produced by exposing rice bran fiber to enzymes isolated from the shiitake mushroom. In one 2013 study, a rice bran product called MGN-3 increased NK cell activity by as much as 84 percent in patients with multiple myeloma after three months of treatment. In an earlier study, old mice injected with EMRB had a fivefold increase in NK cell activity within two days.
Use cardamom — A relative of turmeric, known for its potent immune-boosting benefits, cardamom increases NK cell activity. A 2007 study found cardamom inhibited colon cancer by preventing cellular damage caused by the accumulation of toxins and various waste products in the colon.
This tasty spice also has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, effectively inhibiting E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the latter of which is a common source of hospital-acquired infections.
Add black pepper to your food — Like cardamom, black pepper has also been shown to enhance the cytotoxic activity of NK cells and promote healthy immune function.
Take a colostrum supplement — Colostrum is milk produced within the first 24 to 48 hours of giving birth. Colostrum from cows is very similar to human colostrum, and colostrum products are typically derived from cows. The colostrum contains an array of immune and growth factors required by the offspring.
COVID RELATED NEWS
In January, we reported on multiple military doctors who came forward and blew the whistle alleging that the DoD medical data showed alarming increases in cancer, miscarriages, infertility and other illnesses after the vaccine was mandated in the US military. As with most bombshell whistleblower cases like this one, it was quickly written off by the factcheckers who spoke with DoD officials who claimed this was due to faulty data.
According to the US military, the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED) is the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch’s (AFHSB) “web-based tool to remotely query de-identified active component personnel and medical event data contained within the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS).” It contains every International Classification of Diseases (ICD) medical billing codes for any medical diagnosis in the military submitted for medical insurance billing. Because it is a closed system for the DoD, the data within DMED is highly accurate which is why the following information is incredibly shocking.
Also, according to the US military, all the data in this very accurate system, has been wrong — for years.
As we reported, according to three military doctors who have come forward, Lt. Col. Peter Chambers, Lt. Col. Teresa Long and Col. (Ret.) Stewart Tankersley, M.D., after the approval of the covid-19 vaccine, the data shows that in the first 11 months of 2021, military members experienced a sudden and shocking spike in nearly every ICD code associated with common vaccine injuries.
Certain disorders spiked after the vaccine mandate went into effect, according to these doctors, including miscarriages and cancers, and neurological problems which increased by 1000 percent.
But this was a fluke, according to the fact checkers and the data in 2021 is correct while all the data before it was underreported. So, according to the single DoD spokesperson, there was no increase.
According to a fact check by Politifact, who says they spoke to a military spokesperson, the data in the article below are wrong as “they resulted from a glitch in the database.”
But Peter Graves, spokesperson for the Defense Health Agency’s Armed Forces Surveillance Division, told PolitiFact by email that “in response to concerns mentioned in news reports” the division reviewed data in the DMED “and found that the data was incorrect for the years 2016-2020.”
Officials compared numbers in the DMED with source data in the DMSS and found that the total number of medical diagnoses from those years “represented only a small fraction of actual medical diagnoses.” The 2021 numbers, however, were up-to-date, giving the “appearance of significant increased occurrence of all medical diagnoses in 2021 because of the underreported data for 2016-2020,” Graves said.
The DMED system has been taken offline to “identify and correct the root-cause of the data corruption,” Graves said.
That was in February and very little has been said about this “glitch” since then and we are unable to access the DMED system, indicating that it is still offline. The whistleblowers, however, are charging forward. In a recent hearing in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Dr. Long made a telling admission.
As the Liberty Counsel reports, Dr. Long is a flight surgeon who also holds a master’s degree in Public Health, Dr. Long is specially trained in the DMED. The night before the hearing, Dr. Long was contacted and told by high-level command to not discuss her findings regarding military medical data, although the findings are paramount to ensuring best practices in protecting the health and readiness of the force. Earlier, after she tried to get her superiors to address the findings, she describes “fearing for her life and for the safety of my children.”
During the testimony, when Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver asked her a question about the DMED, she said, “I have been ordered not to answer that question.” Judge Merryday immediately asked, “Ordered by who?” She then testified about what happened the night before the hearing.
Staver then asked Dr. Long if the information the military ordered her not to testify to was relevant and important to the court and the public. She said, “Yes.” Staver then asked, “Why?”
Dr. Long paused, held back tears, looked at the judge and said, “I have so many soldiers being destroyed by this vaccine. Not a single member of my senior command has discussed my concerns with me … I have nothing to gain and everything to lose by talking about it. I’m OK with that because I am watching people get absolutely destroyed.”
Dr. Long said she is inundated morning, noon and night regarding people who have been injured by taking the COVID shots. Those injured are “predominantly pilots, and pilots have to meet one of the highest fitness standards.”
She also said she is aware of at least two people who committed suicide under pressure to get the shots and threat of punishment for refusal.
Dr. Long also testified that based on the VAERS database, deaths of military members from the vaccines exceed deaths from COVID itself.
While the “fact checkers” refer to these doctors as “antivaxxers” it is important to point out that they actually took the shots. Dr. Pete Chambers says that he was planning on retiring in 2023 with 40 years of service but his plans were derailed after he had an adverse reaction to the Moderna shot. He now suffers from demyelination, a condition affecting the central nervous system caused by the injection.
After his injury he met with the other doctors-turned whistleblowers who then began to examine the data. Like Dr. Long, Dr. Chambers also testified that many soldiers were being injured by the covid vaccines. As a doctor, he said, “This is not normal.”
COVID Vaccines and Neurodegenerative Disease
Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is speaking out about the risks of COVID-19 shots, including their link to neurodegenerative diseases and vaccine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (VAIDS)
Seneff believes that we can learn lessons from Parkinson’s disease about how the spike protein from COVID-19 shots could be leading to a prion-like disease, in part due to similarities between α-synuclein — the main protein found in Lewy body deposits in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease — and spike protein
Genetic modifications introduced by COVID-19 shots may induce immune cells to release large quantities of exosomes into circulation; exosomes are extracellular vesicles that may contain mRNA along with spike protein
Seneff discusses the possibility that people who have received COVID-19 shots could shed vaccine particles to those around them, potentially leading to shot-induced disease or symptoms
Eating a nutrient-dense, organic, sulfur-rich diet and getting regular sun exposure may help your body detox from COVID-19 shots
—> Power Mall Product of Interest: OxySulfur (1lb)
CDC Warns Agency Would Lose Access to Key Data If Emergency Declaration Ends
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that the end of the public health emergency for COVID-19 would cut the agency off from critical data for tracking the disease.
“CDC has no general statutory authority to direct what and how public health data are reported. Data authorities related to COVID-19 test results and hospitalizations are available now because of a public health emergency declaration. When that declaration lapses, so do the federal legal authorities to require the reporting of this important information,” a CDC spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.
The emergency was declared by then-Health Secretary Alex Azar in January 2020 during the Trump administration. It has been extended multiple times by Azar and his successor, Xavier Becerra, most recently on Jan. 14.
The declaration enables the CDC and other health agencies to take certain actions, including tapping into a financial reserve and waiving some requirements from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. In a pandemic-era bill, Congress also ordered all laboratories that perform or analyze COVID-19 tests to report the results to the federal government until the declaration ends.
A separate national emergency declaration was made by former President Donald Trump in March 2020 and has been kept in place by President Joe Biden, who last extended it in February.
Critics say that the emergency is over because COVID-19 metrics have plunged since the latest peak, and many officials, including top ones in the Biden administration, have acknowledged that the pandemic has eased.
The CDC said it’s reliant on voluntarily reporting from local, state, and public health partners in collecting data on COVID-19.
“This pandemic demonstrated the inadequacies of this fractured system which results in delays and incomplete data when the agency must move quickly to keep people safe through policymaking,” the spokesperson said.
The CDC has launched an effort to modernize its data collection and reporting but is pushing for the White House or Congress to give it more authority for data collection outside of the emergency powers.
“If people want CDC to be responsible, to be able to report in a timely fashion, in a quick fashion, we have to have the authority to collect those data,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency’s director, said on CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
Millions of people people ‘fully vaccinated’ for COVID now suffering excruciating illnesses
A blogger who calls himself “A Midwestern Doctor” has issued a warning that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) “vaccine” adverse events are far more prominent than many people realize.
Potentially millions of “fully vaccinated” people are now suffering with a range of jab-induced illnesses that may or may not be curable. And the unfortunate reality for them is that they will probably never find the answers or solutions they need. “I’ve tried to use very neutral language to describe these events, but this has been a very difficult process for me to watch,” the doctor wrote, referring to the many stories that are pouring in from jab-damaged folks.
“Many of the people I know and have guided through the process have access to options for mitigating these injuries, something most people don’t. I’ve read through various support groups, and in general found their experiences are typically worse than what I am describing here as they are not privileged to have access to way to mitigate the harm.”
Ivermectin Decreases Mortality
While ivermectin has been widely vilified as either useless, dangerous or both, studies have repeatedly demonstrated its usefulness against COVID-19
A study published in the March 2022 issue of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases again found that treatment with ivermectin reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients to a greater degree than remdesivir
Another recent study found ivermectin was the most effective drug treatment against the Omicron variant out of 10 drugs, including nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), which was granted emergency use authorization against COVID in December 2021
Remdesivir costs between $2,340 and $3,120, and nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), costs $529 per treatment, while the average treatment cost for ivermectin is $58
In 2021, Dr. Andrew Hill published a meta-analysis on ivermectin against COVID. While he’d expressed great enthusiasm about the data and had agreed to work to get ivermectin approved as soon as possible, the conclusion of his paper was that more large-scale studies were needed before regulators could take action. It appears one or more people pressured him to change the conclusion of his paper, and some believe at least one culprit may now have been identified
CANCEL CULTURE
‘Rooted In Colonialism and Racism’ – National Museum ‘Cancels’ Steam Trains
In the latest effort from British institutions to cancel British history, National Museum Wales (NMW) has declared that the use of steam trains is “rooted in colonialism and racism”.
National Museum Wales (Amgueddfa Cymru) owns a to-scale replica of Richard Trevithick’s steam-powered locomotive, which debuted in 1804 when it replaced a team of horses. It pulled a train nearly ten miles along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks — a groundbreaking achievement widely perceived to be “ahead of its time”.
However, the Welsh government-sponsored NMW has now pledged to “explore how the slave trade linked and fed into the development of the steam and railway infrastructure in Wales” as they conduct a woke audit their collection — which could lead to the placement of a disclaimer next to their engine replica dubiously connecting it to the slave trade.
While NMW — which runs the National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon National Wool Museum, National Slate Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, and National Waterfront Museum — has admitted they can not prove “direct links between the Trevithick locomotive and the slave trade”, they insist that the locomotive is still complicit as “links to slavery are woven into the warp and weft of Welsh society”.
“Trade and colonial exploitation were embedded in Wales’ economy and society and were fundamental to Wales’ development as an industrialised nation”, the museum alleged in an official statement.
It is unclear how this relates to the Cornish inventor Trevithick, who has no personal links to slavery, and while some investors in the railroad were slave owners there is no evidence to suggest that they were connected to Trevithick, The Telegraph reports.
The colonialism audit comes after National Museum Wales launched a so-called “Charter for Decolonising” which plans to “identify collections linked to colonial aggression and the transatlantic slave trade”.
It has attributed the initiative to the Black Lives Matter movement, claiming it inspired them to “confront history and challenge present-day injustices”.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Bob Saget’s Fractures Possibly Caused by Fall on Carpeted Floor: Officials
Bob Saget’s head injury, including several skull fractures, was possibly caused by a fall on a carpeted floor, said Florida officials on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, a court order was entered prohibiting the release of certain materials gathered during the course of OCSO’s investigation into the death of Bob Saget. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office will comply with the order, while remaining committed to transparency and following the law regarding access to public records,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida, told WESH-TV and other local media.
A doctor who performed the autopsy on the “Full House” star said that fractures in Saget’s eye sockets and bleeding around his brain may have been caused by him hitting “something hard, covered by something soft,” including a carpet, according to the report.
Saget, who was also a standup comedian and who hosted “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” was found dead in a Florida hotel room in January. A Florida judge this week permanently blocked the release of certain details about Saget’s case after his family filed a lawsuit seeking the order.
The medical examiner in January concluded that Saget died from an accidental blow to the head, possibly due to a backward fall. Investigators previously said there was no foul play in his death, and a toxicology report found there were no illegal drugs or toxins in his system at the time of death.
In the incident report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, a detective noted that Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany said the fractures “would have stunned Mr. Saget,” and that he would have experienced dizziness, reported The Associated Press.
If Saget were around people, they would have noticed him exhibiting “confusion, balance, and/or slurred speech,” the police report said, without noting where he fell.
After his autopsy was released, investigators re-investigated Saget’s hotel room.
“The countertops, tables, nightstands, and other hard furniture in the room all had sharply defined edges and corners and were thought to be unlikely due to the fact that they would have lacerated the skin,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office report said, local media reported. “Most of the chairs and couches were thickly upholstered and were too soft to have caused the type and extent of injury Mr. Saget suffered.”
They also spoke to individuals who interacted with the actor in the days leading up to his death, and they said Saget appeared to be fine and showed no signs of impairment, according to the report.
NEWS FROM THE DARK SIDE
Sex And Pornography Aim To Strike Gold In The Metaverse
Mark Zuckerberg has staked his claim to head the “IBM” of virtual reality, having already renamed Facebook to Meta. Welcome to Zuck-World, where virtual anything is possible and probable in a lawless world, including anonymous sex and immersive pornography. ⁃ TN Editor
Humans may rely on exoskeletons to have realistic sex in the metaverse, one sex tech expert has revealed.
Daniel Goldin, vice president at adult site Dreamcam, spoke to The Sun about a new exoskeleton technology called Dreamtouch.
Dreamtouch is the name of an exoskeleton that Dreamcam is working on.
It’s predominately made up of smart gloves and a virtual reality headset that could give you a very realistic sensory experience.
Goldin told The Sun: “The exoskeleton connects to VR gloves that activate your sensory nerves through innovative, high-speed tech.
“This sends electrical signals across your body to give you a smooth, real-time experience, all in VR.
“Dreamcam collects and analyzes a set of spatial coordinates for all physical objects using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs).
“This allows us to mimic the full body sexual experience than an in-person encounter provides.”
Goldin doesn’t think the exoskeleton would make metaverse sex feel exactly the same as it does in real life.
However, he doesn’t think this is a bad thing.
The sex tech expert explained: “It is different, but not in a bad way. I would argue from experience that it is just as good, if not better.
“VR sex isn’t limited to one’s physical traits and behaviors. The ‘Dreamtouch’ technology provides different feelings and sensations that traditional sex cannot provide.
“While it may not provide the same feeling or emotions involved with body to body contact, we feel that using the ‘Dreamtouch’ technology will open up new avenues of sensation that have never been truly felt during real sex.”
Having virtual reality sex may sound like a futuristic concept but Goldin expects it will become normalized.
He told The Sun: “The metaverse is here to stay. It is quickly becoming a world where will we all work, play, and yes, date/have sex in.
“If we are really all in on the metaverse, all aspects of human behavior will translate into this virtual medium.
“The desire to have sex is a prominent part of human nature, and we expect that desire will translate as we integrate into a more virtual world.”
The exoskeleton isn’t as expensive as you may think.
Goldin says the gloves will cost at $299/£230 and software will cost $50/£38.
He added: “I think this piece of equipment will be a necessity for all adults living in the metaverse.
“Sex plays a huge role in any society, and we have no reason to believe that this will be any different in the metaverse.
“Furthermore, we as humans are always looking to enhance our sexual experiences and technology is one of the major ways we have achieved this enhancement.”
The Transhuman Agenda Targets The Souls Of Mankind
All of the rhetoric surrounding transhumanism points to complete capture of one’s soul – mind, will and emotions. Can the soul become a tradable commodity? A foretelling verse from the Bible lists tradable goods: “cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. (Rev. 18:13). ⁃ TN Editor
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
> According to Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the goal of The Fourth Industrial Revolution is to change what it means to be human by merging man and machine
> Humans are now “hackable,” in that technology now exists by which a company or government can know you better than you know yourself, and that can be very dangerous if misused
> Professor Yuval Noah Harari predicts that algorithms will increasingly be used to make decisions that have historically been made by humans, either yourself or someone else, including whether or not you’ll be hired for a particular job, whether you’ll be granted a loan, what scholastic curriculum you will follow and even who you will marry
> Harari warns that if we allow the establishment of a digital dictatorship, where the system, be it a corporation or a government, knows the most intimate details about each and every person, it will be impossible to dismantle it. Its control will be total and irreversible
> If you believe that your thoughts and behavior are and always will remain under your own control, think again. We already have the technology to directly alter thoughts, emotions and behavior
PET NEWS
Lifting of Eviction Moratoriums Driving New Wave Of Pet Surrenders
Life during the COVID-19 pandemic could be an especially lonely time for homebound Americans, and to ease the stress many families adopted a pet for daily companionship.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports that in 2021 alone 23 million households—nearly one in five—had taken in a cat or dog since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
“The vast majority of these households still have that pet in the home—90 percent for dogs and 85 percent for cats—and are not considering rehoming their pet in the near future,” according to the society in a recent survey.
Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO, said in a statement that this “incredibly stressful period motivated many people to foster and adopt animals, as well as further cherish the pets already in their lives.”
What’s more, the organization’s research found “no significant risk of animals being re-homed now or in the near future as a result of the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions,” Bershadker said.
“Pets are still providing their families with joy and comfort, regardless of changes in circumstances, and loving owners continue to recognize and appreciate the essential role pets play in their lives,” he added.
Eviction Pause Ends, Creates Problems
Still, in many cases, families are being forced to choose between finding a home or keeping a beloved pet with the lifting of the federal eviction moratorium on July 31, 2021.
In Arizona, pet surrenders at community shelters began to climb with the end of the moratorium with projections of 2,000 new intakes per month—5,000 being a “worst-case” scenario.
At the Pinal County Animal Care and Control shelter in Casa Grande, Arizona, director Audra Michael said the facility is now “triple overcrowded” with 152 dogs and 30 cats as of March 6, placing a strain on the agency’s budget and available resources.
“It presents some problems,” Michael said. “People are being evicted or they can’t take their pet with them. Or they don’t have the resources to care for them anymore.”
Or, she added, “they just don’t have the time during the pandemic.”
Lindsay Hamrick, director of shelter outreach and engagement for The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), said the agency has not seen any nationwide increase in pet surrenders in recent months.
In fact, overall pet intakes are “actually down,”
“We saw in the very beginning of the pandemic that people were going to be home and isolated,” Hamrick told The Epoch Times. Still, the HSUS remains concerned about the “eviction crisis” and its impact on pet surrenders, including the lack of affordable, “pet-inclusive” housing despite studies that show there are benefits to pet-friendly properties, she said.
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