WORLD NEWS
Self-Proclaimed Hezbollah Terrorist Arrested at Border in Texas
A Lebanese migrant apprehended near El Paso, Texas, reportedly claims to be a Hezbollah terrorist. The Lebanese national claimed to be headed to New York and said he wanted to make a bomb.
Border Patrol agents arrested 22-year-old Basel Bassel Ebbadi, a Lebanese national, after he illegally entered the United States from Mexico near El Paso. “I’m going to try to make a bomb,” Ebbadi told Border Patrol agents when asked why he came to the U.S., according to an exclusive report by the New York Post.
Agents captured Ebbadi on March 9 after he crossed the border from Mexico into Texas. The agents transported the Lebanese man to the El Paso hardened facility for processing and investigation. Two days later, Ebbadi told the agents he was going to make a bomb. The agents moved the man to isolation and contacted the Tactical Terrorism Response Team to conduct an interview.
During the interview on March 12, agents Mirandized the man who later admitted to being a member of a foreign terrorist organization.
Ebbadi also reportedly admitted he trained with Hezbollah for seven years and served as an active member for an additional four years. His duties included guarding weapons locations.
During the first four months of Fiscal Year 24, which began on October 1, 2023, nearly 60 migrants illegally entering the United States have been identified as being on the terror watch list. Approximately 270 more were apprehended in the prior two fiscal years — shattering prior records.
Mass Migration Driving Population of London to Record High Economic Disaster
London’s population has reportedly soared to a record high mostly due to migration,
further straining the housing market and social services, an analysis has found.
Research conducted by the Centre for Cities think tank has claimed with “almost certainty” that the population of London is at its highest level in history, in large part due to the waves of new arrivals continuing to come to the city.
While the report found that London’s population decreased by 75,500 between mid-2019 and mid-2021 during the coronavirus lockdowns, this trend has reversed in large part due to the Conservative-in- name-only government’s open-door migration policies enacted following Brexit.
Centre for Cities said that 66,000 people moved to the British capital in 2022 and although numbers for 2023 are not yet available, only 9,000 would have needed to have moved to the city last year to bring the population to a new record of over 10.1 million, The Telegraph reports.
The think tank said that the influx of foreigners was the main driver of the population growth, reporting that 38,170 migrants moved to the city in 2019-20 and 73,660 more came in the following year.
This trend is likely to continue, with net migration to the UK hitting a record 1.2 million over the past two years, despite long standing pledges from the Tories to reduce immigration; a promise which party bigwigs admitted they never had any intention of fulfilling.
Responding to the report, Migration Watch UK Chairman Alp Mehmet, in comments provided to Breitbart London, said: “London’s population explosion is a direct result of mass and rapid immigration. The government’s promises to ‘take back control’ and reduce numbers have once again been shown to have been hollow.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Supreme Court Extends Temporary Block on Texas’s Enforcement of SB4
The U.S. Supreme Court has extended a temporary freeze barring Texas from enforcing a new law that allows state police to arrest immigrants suspected of crossing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally.
Justice Samuel Alito, who oversees the federal circuit handling the case, on March 18, extended an administrative stay on Texas Senate Bill 4 that was initially issued on March 4 and then extended on March 12 to allow the court time to review the case. The stay was extended “pending further order” of the court, according to the order.
The order is a setback to Texas and other red states in stemming the tide of illegal immigrants whom they have deemed an “invasion.”
The law makes it a state crime to cross the Texas–Mexico border outside legal ports of entry. Punishment for the Class B misdemeanor is up to six months in jail. However, repeat offenders could face second-degree felony charges and up to 20 years in prison.
Supreme Court also Deciding if Biden Admin Illegally Pressured Social Media Censorship
Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of state arguments on March 18 that the federal government was wrong to communicate with social media platforms about public health issues during the recent pandemic.
At the same time, during oral argument in Murthy v. Missouri, the states argued that the federal government strong-armed social media companies into censoring disfavored views on important public issues such as side effects related to the COVID-19 vaccine and the pandemic lockdowns. Applying this kind of pressure violates the First Amendment, the states argued.
Dr. Vivek Murthy is the U.S. surgeon general. The state of Missouri and other parties sued the federal government for alleged censorship by pressuring social media companies to suppress certain content.
Conservatives and others have complained that social media censors information about transgender issues, COVID-19, and the 2020 election. They were particularly concerned about coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop computer that contained information they say might have harmed President Joe Biden’s election campaign had it been allowed to circulate freely.
Brian Fletcher, principal deputy solicitor general of the United States, acknowledged that the government “may not use coercive threats to suppress speech” but argued it was “entitled to speak for itself by informing, persuading or criticizing private speakers.”
There is a “fundamental distinction between persuasion and coercion,” he said.
In this case, the states of Missouri and Louisiana, plus five individuals, are trying to use the federal courts “to audit all of the executive branch’s communications with social media platforms,” Mr. Fletcher said.
“That problem has infected every step of this case. Respondents don’t have standing at all because they have not shown an imminent threat that the government will cause a platform to moderate their posts in particular,” he said.
Justice Neil Gorsuch asked Mr. Fletcher if President Biden’s statement that social media companies are “responsible for killing people” if they don’t alter their policies could be considered coercive.
Mr. Fletcher said it wasn’t coercive.
“I just want everyone to look in their mirror … and imagine what would happen if this misinformation was going to their opponents,” the lawyer said. “I think it’s clear that this was exhortation, not threat.”
Mr. Fletcher told Justice Clarence Thomas that the government is allowed to “persuade” private parties.
Trump Codefendants Challenge the Judge’s Ruling that Allowed Fani Willis to Stay
Steve Sadow, attorney to former President Donald Trump, filed on March 18 a request for review of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to allow Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the high-profile Georgia election case.
Co-defendants Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Harrison Floyd, and Cathleen Latham, who had joined the initial motion for disqualification, joined the motion for a certificate of immediate review.
“Defendants believe that the relevant case law requires dismissal of the case, or at the very least, the disqualification of the District Attorney and her entire office under the facts that exist here, and the resignation of Mr. Wade is insufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists,” the motion reads.
Judge McAfee’s March 15 order had found there was an appearance of impropriety but that a conflict of interest hadn’t been proven. He found that disqualification didn’t need to be the “cure” to an appearance of impropriety, instead ordering special counsel Nathan Wade to be taken off the case.
It looks like Peter Navarro is going to jail today!
The Supreme Court denied former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro’s motion to avoid jail time over his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the January 6 committee in 2022.
“Departing from the practice in most serious or high-profile legal fights, [Chief Justice John] Roberts ruled on Navarro’s request himself, without referring it to the full court,” noted Politico. “The chief justice noted that a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel found that Navarro failed to raise several challenges to the fairness of his conviction when he first sought to remain free pending appeal.”
In his one-page order, Roberts appeared to keep the door open for Navarro to challenge the initial convictions, writing, “I see no basis to disagree with the determination that Navarro forfeited those arguments in the release proceeding, which is distinct from his pending appeal on the merits.”
As AFP reported, the 74-year-old Navarro was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena:
Navarro, 74, a Harvard-educated economist, was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress by a federal jury in Washington in September after a two-day trial.
US District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced him to four months in prison — two months less than prosecutors had requested — and ordered him to pay a fine of $9,500.
Judge Mehta reportedly said at the time of Navarro’s sentencing, “You are not a victim. You are not the object of a political prosecution. These are circumstances of your own making.”
Keith Olbermann appears to endorse Trump assassination: ‘There’s always the hope’
Far-left former cable news talking head Keith Olbermann over the weekend appeared to endorse the assassination of former President Donald Trump.Olbermann — rarely shy about espousing leftist views, particularly when his aim is taking shots at Trump — noticed a Saturday afternoon post on X from the account of Biden-Harris HQ, which touts itself as a “project of Biden-Harris 2024” and boasts over 300,000 followers.
The Biden-Harris HQ post included a video of Trump on the campaign trail and remarked that “Trump says he has been treated worse than Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated.”
Olbermann’s response? “There’s always the hope.”
This response on X drew a number of complaints and criticisms, from “You need Jesus” to “Maybe the Secret Service needs to pay Keith a visit.”
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from J-6 Defendant Ousted from Office
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed by a former New Mexico county commissioner who was banned from running for office after he participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol.
Couy Griffin, the former Otero County commissioner and the “Cowboys for Trump” founder, is the only elected official to have been banned from office in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, incident. He was banned by a state court under an interpretation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The high court’s decision not to take up his case means that the lower court ruling handed down in 2022 will stand and that Mr. Griffin can’t be elected to a local or state office. The court issued no comment on the matter and there were no dissents.
It appears former President Trump can’t post the appeal bond in the fraud case
Lawyers for former President Trump and his co- defendants said in a court filing yesterday that it is “impossible” for them to secure a $464 million bond to appeal New York’s fraud case against them.
If Trump and others can’t secure the bond as required by New York law, they may be unable to appeal the damages and interest they were ordered to pay.
Trump and his co-defendants were ordered to pay $464 million in damages and interest after being found liable for financial fraud. Trump is on the hook for $454 million of that amount.
In New York, defendants in civil cases are required to post a bond worth at least 110% of the judgment amount in order to delay paying the penalty as they appeal, so Trump’s appeal bond total is $464 million.
Trump’s lawyers have asked an appeals court to delay the bond posting until his appeal of the case has run its court.
In Monday’s filing, Trump’s lawyers said he has been unable to find a company willing to cover the $464 million bond.
They said they’ve approached around over two dozen companies through four separate brokers and have spent “countless hours negotiating” without securing an underwriter.
“Defendants’ ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is ‘a practical impossibility,'” the lawyers wrote.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
A bloodbath against the American auto industry? Chinese auto exec and Trump respond!
He Xiaopeng, the CEO of XPeng Motors, predicts a “bloodbath” against America’s auto
industry with the help of cheap China-made electric vehicles (EVs).
Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump was campaigning in Andalia, Ohio, when he warned that without fierce new United States tariffs on China-made EVs, the American auto industry will face “a bloodbath for the country” with jobs lost and industry offshored.
“We’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected,” Trump said. “Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole, that’s going to be the least of it, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country, that’s going to be the least of it.”
Trump’s remark mimicked comments made by Xiaopeng in a letter to XPeng employees obtained by CNBC last month. Xiaopeng suggested that “a bloodbath” is coming for the American auto industry this year.
China seeks to deliver a “brutal knockout round” against its Western competitors, including the U.S., in the global EV market, Xiaopeng said.
Laid-off Hollywood Executives Panic as Jobs Vanish
Hollywood suits who have been laid off amid the recent rounds of studio budget cuts are worried that they are facing the prospect of long-term unemployment as the industry and overall economy show few signs of rebounding, according to a new report.
“This is a full-scale depression for the entertainment industry,” one TV executive told Deadline. The situation is “bordering on worst-case scenario,” another executive said.
Hollywood executives have been hit hard in the past year as the major studios enacted deep budget cuts amid a perfect storm of economic chaos that includes Americans continuing to cancel their cable TV subscriptions, the steep downturn in TV advertising, and streaming losses in the billions of dollars.
In addition, the industry is still recovering from last year’s strikes by Hollywood writers and actors.
Studios that have slashed their headcount in recent months include the Walt Disney Company, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Amazon MGM.
Laid-off Hollywood executives are using LinkedIn to bemoan their predicament, according to Deadline.
Some said they have sent hundreds of job applications and never got a response to the majority of them, not even from corporate HR. Meanwhile, some have been looking for more than a year while trying to make ends meet through consulting and part-time work.
The lack of jobs is reportedly pushing down salaries in Hollywood.
“With fewer jobs and more demand, the companies can get away with that. An executive who made $500,000 in their last job would now be willing to take a $350,000 offer. That’s what the contraction is doing,” an executive told Deadline.
Joann Fabrics has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy due to decline in crafting
Fabric and crafts retailer Joann has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as consumers continue to cut back on discretionary spending and some pandemic-era hobbies.
In a Monday statement, the Hudson, Ohio-based company said that it expected to emerge from bankruptcy as early as the end of next month. Following this process, Joann will likely become privately-owned by certain lenders and industry parties, the company added — meaning its shares would no longer be publicly traded on stock exchanges.
Joann’s more than 800 stores and its website will continue to operate normally during the bankruptcy process. Vendors, landlords and other trade creditors should also not see any pay disruptions, the company said, pointing to a deal it had struck with most of its shareholders for financial support.
In addition to Monday’s filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Joann said it had received about $132 million in new financing and expected to reduce its balance sheet’s funded debt by about $505 million.
Tyson Foods Plans to Hire 42,000 More Migrants!
Tyson Foods Inc. is reportedly hoping to offer employment to additional migrants, as President Joe Biden says he wants more of them to fill workplaces and jobs across the nation.
Bloomberg reported on March 11 that Tyson is working with the nonprofit group Tent Partnership for Refugees in the hiring project that centers on those who have come through New York City’s intake system.
The company already has approximately 42,000 immigrants in its workforce, the report said.
“We would like to employ another 42,000 if we could find them,” said Tyson Human Resources leader Garrett Dolan. On Saturday, Fox Business reported the company is pushing back against the news and has accused the Bloomberg article of “misinformation.”
The outlet reported:
“In recent days, there has been a lot of misinformation in the media about our company, and we feel compelled to set the record straight,” Tyson said in the statement. “Tyson Foods is strongly opposed to illegal immigration, and we led the way in participating in the two major government programs to help employers combat unlawful employment, E-Verify and the Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program.”
“Tyson Foods employs 120,000 team members in the U.S., all of whom are required to be legally authorized to work in this country,” the statement adds. “We have a history of strong hiring practices, and anybody who is legally able is welcome to apply to open job listings.”
“Chobani—like other corporations in the meatpacking and dairy industry—profits from mass immigration to the country, as the vast majority arriving in the U.S. are low-skilled immigrants looking for low-wage jobs.” says its founder Hamdi Ulukaya.
HEALTH
CATO Institute Files Suit Against HHS to Obtain Medical Data
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” is an aphorism frequently applied to managing companies, but it applies equally to complex government programs like Medicaid. The federal/state initiative reimburses medical services provided to over 80 million beneficiaries in multiple categories using a variety of service delivery mechanisms. Assessing federal and state Medicaid policies is complicated by the unavailability of comprehensive, public data.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a unit of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, has a large trove of Medicaid payment data that could be quite helpful for policy analysis. This data resides in CMS’s Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T‑MSIS).
Unfortunately, this data set is not made available to the public. Instead, interested users must purchase it at costs ranging into the tens of thousands of dollars and obtain approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). An IRB is a body (typically at an academic institution) that reviews research protocols to ensure that human subjects are not mistreated. These barriers effectively limited access to detailed Medicaid data to government researchers, a few academics, and large non‐governmental research organizations like the Urban Institute and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Taxpayer advocates and good‐government watchdog organizations are effectively barred from obtaining this data, even though analyzing the files could well yield findings of waste and ideas for greater efficiency.
The Cato Institute filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with HHS asking for the T‑MSIS data that OIG analyzed.
Unfortunately, HHS allowed seven months to pass without responding to Cato’s FOIA request despite the fact that federal law mandates a response within twenty business days consequently. Cato has decided to file suit in the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia.
The suit, which can be tracked on CourtListener, is entitled Cato Institute v. Department of Health and Human Services, case number 1:24-cv-00719. Cato is asking the court to declare HHS in violation of federal FOIA Law, order HHS to search for the data and release it (unless it is covered by a FOIA exemption), and to pay court costs.
Hopefully, the act of defending the case will compel HHS to revisit its stance on T‑MSIS data. It should be freely available to any organization that has the capacity to process and analyze very large datasets.
Online sales begin for first over-the-counter birth control pill in US
Online sales began Monday for the first over-the-counter birth control pill approved in the U.S.
The product, Opill, can be bought online at Amazon and directly from Opill.com, said Sara Young, senior vice president and chief consumer officer at Perrigo, the pill’s manufacturer. Once the drugs are in stock, Walgreens and Walmart will sell them online, as well. Orders will be fulfilled within 24 to 48 hours, according to Young, and will usually arrive in three to five business days.
Science Says Almonds Are the New Anti-Aging Superfood
Almonds have long been hailed as a healthy food packed with nutrients like vitamin E, but emerging research now shows they may also help keep skin looking young. Two recent clinical trials found that eating almonds daily led to significant reductions in facial wrinkles and age spots in postmenopausal women over 16-24 weeks.
The first pilot study, published in 2019, had participants consume around 58 grams or 2 ounces of almonds per day, supplying 20% of their daily calorie needs.1 After just 16 weeks, photographic analysis showed 9% shallower wrinkles in the almond group compared to controls eating calorie-matched snacks.2
The second larger trial, published in 2021, used a similar protocol with about 59 grams or 2.1 ounces of almonds per day.3 This time, even greater wrinkle improvements of 15-16% were seen at 16 and 24 week follow-ups in the almond group.4 Additionally, a 20% decrease in facial hyperpigmentation occurred.5
Unlike controls, almond eaters maintained stable skin sebum production.6 Given excessive sebum drives acne and seborrheic conditions, this shows almonds may normalize oiliness for clear, youthful skin.
Implications
The 15-16% wrinkle reductions seen with daily almond consumption exceed effects typically gained from over-the-counter wrinkle creams.7 They approach efficacies of some cosmetic procedures like laser skin resurfacing, which run risks of prolonged healing and side effects.8 Given their safety and ease of use, almonds could obviate more invasive anti-aging options.9 If sustained wrinkle improvements persisted for years with ongoing intake, almonds may profoundly impact age-related skin changes.10
Rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, the alpha-tocopherol in almonds likely protects cell membranes against wrinkle-causing free radical damage from sunlight and other aging factors.11 Almond fat and protein contents could also contribute by nourishing skin.
Requiring no pills or topicals, just tasty daily almonds, this research supports incorporating them into diets for healthier, more vibrant skin at any age. The versatile nut makes an easy, portable snack to beautify from the inside out.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Report indicates Google interfered in 41 U.S. elections over 16 years
A new study by the Media Research Center alleges that Google has repeatedly interfered in
U.S. elections, favoring leftist candidates and suppressing conservative voices.
Google, the ultra-woke tech giant that dominates online search and advertising, has been accused of a staggering pattern of election interference spanning over 16 years and 41 separate instances, according to a bombshell report from the Media Research Center (MRC). The study, conducted by MRC’s Free Speech America division, levels severe allegations against the Silicon Valley giant, claiming it has systematically utilized its immense technological prowess to sway electoral outcomes in favor of left- leaning candidates.
“MRC researchers have found 41 times where Google interfered in elections over the last 16 years, and its impact has surged dramatically, making it evermore harmful to democracy. In every case, Google harmed the candidates – regardless of party – who threatened its left-wing candidate of choice,” asserted Dan Schneider, vice president of MRC Free Speech America, and Gabriela Pariseau, the division’s editor.
The study cites a litany of apparent infractions, ranging from algorithmic manipulation to outright censorship. Among the most egregious claims are allegations that Google favored Barack Obama over his Republican rivals John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012, refused to rectify a derogatory “Google bomb” smearing Rick Santorum during the 2012 GOP primaries, and excluded potentially damaging autofill results for Hillary Clinton in 2016 while not extending the same courtesy to Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.
Moreover, the researchers assert that Google disabled Tulsi Gabbard’s ad account during the 2020 Democratic debates, suppressed negative coverage of Joe Biden, concealed most Republican campaign websites in 2022’s competitive Senate races, and is actively aiding Biden’s 2024 campaign by “burying in its search results the campaign websites of every one of his significant opponents.”
The authors of the study allege that this pattern of misconduct extends far beyond mere isolated incidents. “Utilizing the many tools in its arsenal, Google aided those who most closely aligned with its leftist values from election cycle to election cycle since as far back as the 2008 presidential election. Meanwhile, it targeted for censorship those candidates who posed the most serious threat,” they wrote, accusing the company of making election interference “an organizational mission.”
Supporting these claims, the study cites research from Dr. Robert Epstein, who concluded that Google’s algorithm likely shifted at least 2.6 million votes toward Hillary Clinton in 2016, while its “results and get-out-the-vote reminders favored Democrats and shifted the 2020 election results by at least 6 million votes.”
Google has adamantly refuted the allegations, asserting it has implemented robust safeguards to ensure unbiased and accurate search results. “There is absolutely nothing new here – just a recycled list of baseless, inaccurate complaints that have been debunked by third parties and many that failed in the courts,” a Google spokesperson told Fox News Digital, adding, “We have a clear business incentive to keep everyone using our products, so we have no desire to make them biased or inaccurate.”
Apple may retain Google to Power the new iPhone with Gemini AI technology (Oh no!)
Apple is in talks to license Google’s Gemini model to power AI features like Siri in a future iPhone software update coming later in 2024, according to people familiar with the situation. Apple has also reportedly conducted similar talks with ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
The potential integration of Google Gemini into iOS 18 could bring a range of new cloud-based (off-device) AI-powered features to Apple’s smartphone, including image creation or essay writing based on simple prompts. However, the terms and branding of the agreement have not yet been finalized, and the implementation details remain unclear. The companies are unlikely to announce any deal until Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Gemini could also bring new capabilities to Apple’s widely criticized voice assistant, Siri, which trails newer AI assistants powered by large language models (LLMs) in understanding and responding to complex questions. Rumors of Apple’s own internal frustration with Siri—and potential remedies—have been kicking around for some time. In January, 9to5Mac revealed that Apple had been conducting tests with a beta version of iOS 17.4 that used OpenAI’s ChatGPT API to power Siri.
Toddlers to Get Digital ID in Philippines, Caymans
The Philippines is allowing children four years of age and younger to sign up for the country’s digital ID, the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys.
Signing up for the ID system usually requires biometric information, such as fingerprints, iris scan and a facial image. Registering children, however, will only require demographic data and a photograph, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority in the Central Visayas region. The agency, which is in charge of implementing the digital ID system, will only capture their biometrics once they reach five years old.
The children’s PhilSys Number (PSN) will be linked to their parents or legal guardians. Upon reaching the age of 15, their biographic and biometric data will be recaptured once again, Cebu Daily News reports.
The Philippines are currently on a drive to register 92 million Filipinos for PhilSys by June this year. To achieve this, the country has been sending out mobile teams to isolated areas, including special PhilSys boats.
As of March, the country had 85 million registered residents in the system.
The Cayman Islands government has presented plans for issuing physical and electronic identity cards, known as eIDs, to people of all ages starting in the last quarter of 2024.
The first citizens that will receive the new IDs will be the elderly and the young, followed by the rest of the population, which is due to receive cards in 2025. The government said it chose to target their older and younger population first as they often lack alternative forms of identification such as passports.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Before you invest in solar, consider the costs vs. your electric bill
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The amount you’ll save by going solar varies based on how much you pay for electricity, installation costs, your energy usage, and the rebates and incentives available where you live.
- Most property owners will see a return on their investment in six to ten years.
- You can maximize your solar savings by shopping around and obtaining multiple quotes from different installers. The more quotes you get, the more likely it is you’ll find additional savings.
EPA faces legal threat over unregulated radioactive fertilizer waste
Imagine driving past a landfill and quickly closing your windows to block out the stench. Yet there’s a far more sinister threat: towering mountains of radioactive fertilizer waste silently poisoning our environment and endangering our health. This crisis demands immediate action, as these toxic peaks jeopardize our environment and well-being.
A group of environmental organizations has filed a notice of intention to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its mishandling of radioactive fertilizer waste regulation. The EPA allegedly failed to regulate phosphogypsum, a byproduct of radioactive fertilizer that creates massive piles of leaking waste that pose a hazard to people, animals, and the environment.
EPA failed to set proper safeguards for disposal and handling of this hazardous material
The notice of intent to sue the EPA points out that the piles of fertilizer waste are supposedly radioactive and carcinogenic. These open-air radioactive dumps, often towering over 200 feet tall and spanning hundreds of acres, are truly concerning.
If the notice of intent to sue progresses to an actual lawsuit, the federal agency may be compelled to take protective action to better safeguard the planet and its inhabitants. The plaintiffs, representing public interest advocacy groups and individuals residing near these manmade dumps containing significant amounts of phosphogypsum, seek accountability and measures to address the potential risks these sites pose.
Why phosphogypsum is a threat to public health
This radioactive substance forms during the production of phosphoric acid, which is commonly used in fertilizer. Along with its leachate, it contains various hazardous substances, such as chromium, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Even low levels of exposure to these substances have the potential to cause cancer and harm several organs.
These radioactive waste piles are found in Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. Florida’s situation is particularly concerning, with over a billion tons of the substance spread across 25 stacks.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Thinking about doing raised bed gardening? Here’s 32 ideas for doing that!
Raised garden beds are easier to use and customize. Here are the benefits of gardening in raised beds:
- Better soil drainage
- Easier to reach
- Soil mix can be customized
- Portable
- Easier on a gardener’s back
- Looks nice
- Fewer pest invasions
- Improved drainage
- Fewer weeds
- Better soil temperatures
- It can be temporary or permanent
- Less concern about soil contamination
11 Uses for Cherry Stems and Pits. What to Do With Them
I think everybody loves cherries. I know I sure do, and because you’re here, I’m willing to bet you do too. Whether you are prepping a delicious homemade cherry pie, or getting them ready to dehydrate and turn into long-lasting and delectable snacks, one way or the other you’re going to wind up with a pile of leftover pits and stems…
For most folks, those go straight into the garbage with nary a thought. But don’t be so hasty!
Turns out that cherry pits and cherry stems both are surprisingly useful, and recipes and for other more utilitarian things. I bet you’ll be surprised to find out what they are.
Keep reading and I’ll tell you about 11 of them…
Non-Recipe Uses
Cherry pits aren’t just useful in various recipes. They also have a wide variety of surprisingly utilitarian uses, perfect if you don’t care about any of the recipes above or if you have other needs to be taken care of.
Pot Substrate
Cherry pits are mildly acidic, and knowing this we can re-purpose them as a substrate at the bottom of a pot for our house plant, or any other plant, in place of gravel to promote drainage.
The natural acidity of the pits will help keep any lingering water free of germs and other microorganisms that might suddenly take hold and in danger our plants at the roots.
The only trick is you’ll need to accumulate quite a load of cherry pits to make this a worthwhile strategy unless it’s just for an odd plant here or there. You will need a layer of 1-2 inches (3-4 centimeters) made entirely from cherry pits.
But if you harvest tons of cherries you’ll have no shortage of pits and this is the perfect way to repurpose them.
Stress Ball
At the end of the day, cherry pits are basically tiny beads, and so long as you clean them up well and let them dry out, they can be used as such safely.
Hot Pad
This is a method that earlier generations knew all about for alleviating cramps and other pains, or just for comfort on a chilly or lonely night.
Cherry pits, it turns out, are remarkably good at holding heat, and when you put a bunch of them in a cloth sack and then heat that up gently you can use it for warming up a cold bed.
This is really a simple project, and the perfect opportunity to customize and show off other skills you have like sewing, crochet and more. You can make them as big or as small as you like depending on your preferences or the preferences of the recipient, and they are infinitely reusable.
A safe and eco-friendly option compared to electric or chemical filled alternatives.
BBQ/Stove Fuel
Another clever use for cherry pits is as a fuel for your barbecue grill, smoker or any other stove.
Cherry pits burn quite hot because of the oil content, and as you might imagine they also impart a truly wonderful aroma which you can enjoy in your home, at your campsite or as part of your favorite food.
If you’re using them in a traditional stove you can just burn them directly and enjoy. If you want to use them on a grill, especially a charcoal grill, or in a smoker make sure you create a small amount of them on top of the coals so they will smolder; don’t bury them.
This is one of my favorite ways to reduce waste and also get more use out of those cherry pits. Check it out here.
Compost Additive
As you might imagine, cherry pits are compostable…
Being organic matter they will break down just like anything else you would put in your compost pile, and they’re also full of various nutrients and compounds that can improve the overall health of the resulting compost.
But there’s a trick to it: you never want to throw whole cherry pits in your compost pile because not only will they take forever to decompose that way but there’s also a non-zero chance they will sprout into a cherry tree!
Instead, take the time to completely grind and crush them up into a coarse meal. This will prevent them from growing and also help them decompose much quicker.
Cherry Stem Herbal Bath
Cherry stems can be used, along with other ingredients, to make a relaxing herbal bath. Not only does it smell great and will help you unwind, but it will do wonders for your skin and some folks even swear it helps with aches and pains.
Recipes
Believe it or not, cherry pits and cherry stems are both useful as ingredients in their very own recipes. No kidding! Check out the following.
2ND AMENDMENT
Illegal Immigrant Can Carry Guns: Federal Judge
An illegal immigrant was wrongly banned from possessing guns, according to a recent ruling.
A federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 922, bars illegal immigrants from carrying guns or ammunition. Prosecutors charged Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, the illegal alien, in 2020 after he was found in Chicago carrying a semi-automatic pistol despite “knowing he was an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.”
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman rejected two motions to dismiss, but the third motion, based on a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, triggered the dismissal of the case on March 8.
“The noncitizen possession statute, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5), violates the Second Amendment as applied to Carbajal-Flores,” Judge Coleman, appointed under President Barack Obama, wrote in her 8-page ruling. “Thus, the court grants Carbajal-Flores’ motion to dismiss.”
Lawyers for Mr. Carbajal-Flores had argued in the most recent motion to dismiss that the government could not show the law in question was “part of the historical tradition that delimits the outer bounds of the right to keep and bear arms.”
In 2022, the Supreme Court determined that the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment “presumptively protects” conduct that is covered by the amendment’s “plain text.”
To justify regulations, governments must show that each regulation “is consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” the high court said at the time. “Only if a firearm regulation is consistent with this nation’s historical tradition may a court conclude that the individual’s conduct falls outside the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command.’
“Lifetime disarmament of an individual based on alienage or nationality alone does not have roots in the history and tradition of the United States,” Mr. Carbajal-Flores’ lawyers argued.
They pointed to several rulings interpreting the Supreme Court’s decision, including an appeals court ruling that declared stripping a man convicted of a nonviolent crime or his gun rights was unconstitutional.
The government opposed the motion, noting that neither cited decision applied to illegal immigrants and that the defendant ignored other rulings that did, including a 2023 ruling that found illegal immigrants don’t enjoy Second Amendment rights. The government also offered examples of laws that prohibited certain categories of people from carrying guns, including “individuals who threatened the social order through their untrustworthy adherence to the rule of law.”
But Judge Coleman ruled for the defendant, finding that the laws against untrustworthy people contained exceptions for people who signed loyalty oaths and were deemed nonviolent.
Texas woman who was drugged, kidnapped, shot her attacker dead
A Texas woman who was drugged and kidnapped turned the tables on her attacker by shooting her dead, she reportedly told police.
Around 12:42 p.m. on March 15, emergency crews reportedly responded to a call from a 45-year-old woman who claimed to have been drugged and kidnapped by an attacker. The alleged victim – from Montgomery – also claimed to have shot the assailant.
The deputies originally did not know the whereabouts of the alleged woman, but located her near a winery.
The Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “A deputy arrived at the location and observed the vehicle in question as it was sitting in the outside lane of westbound traffic. The deputy observed a male in the front-seat area who appeared deceased and was confirmed deceased by emergency services personnel.”
Police met with the alleged female victim near the purported crime scene, approximately 70 miles east of Austin, Texas.
Law enforcement did not name the alleged victim. She was transported to a local hospital.
The alleged attacker was identified as 49-year-old Lance Damon Reid – who lived in the Houston area, according to the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the investigation is “ongoing.” No further details were provided by the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office.
COVID RELATED NEWS
COVID-19 Infection Increases Risk of Autoimmune Diseases by up to 30 Percent: Study
Surviving COVID-19 may leave you at heightened risk of developing debilitating autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus for up to a year after infection, according to new research.
However, the study also found that vaccinating against the virus could significantly lower your chances of developing these potentially life-altering inflammatory conditions.
The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed national claims data from over 10 million Korean and 12 million Japanese patients aged 20 and above diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 2020 and December 2021. The dominant strains were the wild-type virus and the delta variant during this period. COVID-19 patients were compared with matched flu patients and uninfected controls.
A little less than 4 percent of Korean participants had a history of COVID-19, and about 1 percent had a history of flu. Among Japanese participants, about 8 percent had been infected with COVID-19, and slightly less than 1 percent had been infected with flu.
Researchers found that COVID-19 patients had a 25 percent to 30 percent increased risk of new-onset autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) 30 days after infection compared to uninfected individuals.
More severe COVID-19 was linked to a greater risk of new-onset, untreated, and treated AIRD, with both wild-type and delta variants associated with AIRD risk. The risk of new-onset AIRD seemed to decline over time and trailed off after the first year.
CANCEL CULTURE
Adult Survivors Act suit reveals alleged sexual assault by NYC Mayor Eric Adams
The allegation of sexual assault from 31 years ago against Democrat New York City Mayor
Eric Adams has been detailed months after the initial lawsuit was filed.
As Breitbart News reported in November 2023, an unidentified woman filed a lawsuit against the mayor, alleging he sexually assaulted her while the two were working together in 1993. On Monday, the New York Times reported that Adams allegedly “asked a colleague for oral sex in exchange for career help in 1993 and sexually assaulted her when she refused.”
Filed in Manhattan under the Adult Survivors Act, which provided New Yorkers a one-year window to bring lawsuits over sexual assaults that may have occurred decades ago, the woman said the incident allegedly happened when she and Adams worked together at New York City’s transit police bureau. At the time, she had asked him for career help after having been passed up for a promotion. In the 26-page complaint, the woman claimed that Adams drove her to “a vacant lot and requested oral sex.” When she declined, Adams then allegedly “forced her to touch his penis and ejaculated on her leg.”
“The effects of that sexual assault, betrayal and astonishing abuse of power, continue to haunt the plaintiff to this day,” the lawsuit said.
The woman claimed that she feared for her life at the time due to Adams’ then-status as a police officer with a loaded gun.
Mayor Eric Adams has denied the sexual assault allegation since the lawsuit was filed in November 2023.
“That is not who I am,” he said at a community meeting in December. “I want to be very clear: Never happened. I don’t even know who the person is. I don’t even remember if I ever met them before.”
The woman now lives in Florida and reportedly stopped working for the city in 1994. The lawsuit also seeks $5 million in damages and names the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) transit bureau and the Guardians Association — a fraternal organization of Black police officers that Adams had been active in at the time — as defendants. She also accused the NYPD of “gender discrimination, retaliation, creating a hostile work environment and inflicting emotional distress.” Per the Times, the woman previously filed lawsuits in the past that were unsuccessful:
The plaintiff has filed other lawsuits in the past. In 2008, she sued American Airlines and lost, arguing that an employee had caused her to fall out of a wheelchair, injuring her back.
She sued the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Board in 2009, arguing that she was denied compensation after she was attacked by a student. She lost at trial and then appealed parts of the decision to the Florida Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court, where she won several procedural motions but failed to win a retrial.
The woman’s lawyer, Megan Goddard, said in a statement that her client filed the suit out of a belief to hold sexual abusers to account.
“She knew that filing this lawsuit would cause her significant personal challenges, but she did so, nevertheless, because she believes sexual abusers must be held to account, no matter who they are,” she said.
Religion may be losing ground, but God and Spiritualism isn’t!
A strong majority of U.S. adults believe religion is losing its influence in public life, a new
Pew Research Center survey found.
Overall, 80 percent of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking, “a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been,” according to the poll report. Nearly half (49 percent) say the decline of religious influence in public life is a “bad thing.” Eight percent say religious influence is “growing and this is good.”
Only 6 percent say religious influence is “growing and this is bad,” and 13 percent say religious influence is “shrinking and this is good.”
A little over one in five Americans feel neutral about religious influence on public life, the poll found. Three percent say it is “growing and this doesn’t make a difference,” while 18 percent say it is “declining, and this doesn’t make a difference.”
Other polls in recent years have found that Americans perceive a decrease in religious influence in the United States and place less value on their children sharing their religious views. Other polls show that church attendance and general belief in God have dropped in the U.S. during the past few years.
A Wall Street Journal-NORC poll in March 2023 notably found that the percentage of Americans who said patriotism, religious faith, family, and other traditional American values are “very important” is on the decline.
While 49 percent of respondents said, “I know God really exists and I have no doubts about it,” only 39 percent said religion is “very important” to them. Religion saw a precipitous decline in ranking of importance: 62 percent of Americans said religion was “very important” in 1998, a sentiment which tumbled down to 48 percent in 2019 before hitting 2023’s low percentage.
Younger respondents were less likely to rank religion as very important to them than seniors, 31 percent to 55 percent. Republicans (53 percent) were also more likely than Democrats (27 percent) and independents (38 percent) to say that religion is “very important.”
The Pew Research Center poll was conducted with 12,693 respondents between February 13-25, 2024. The margin of sampling error is ±1.5 percentage points.
Are your pet nicknames confusing your pet?
Dina Casellini, founder, owner, and principal trainer of MindfulPups in Brooklyn, New York, says names aren’t completely necessary to communicate with our pups.
“Some trainers just use commands,” Casellini says. “They don’t necessarily use the name.”
Yet, naming is a natural human impulse, and can be a useful one. Teaching a dog their name also teaches them to pay attention to you, Casellini adds, so you can carry out other cues. It’s among the first building blocks of dog training. A dog’s name usually cues, “Eyes and ears on me.”
Giving a dog a good name foundation while training is especially essential for one very specific
reason: emergency situations. In case of emergency, Casellini explains, you want the dog to have an immediate response to their name so you can quickly call them away from dangerous circumstances.
“When it comes to any of the life-saving skills, we really want to make sure that we practice with clarity,” Casellini says. She recommends using the exact same name, command, and tone each time.
“You have to rehearse multiple times, not just wait until the emergency moment to call upon that practice,” Casellini adds.
Likewise, in a group-training space or multi-dog households, naming becomes a more crucial piece of the communication puzzle. “If we open the door, and we don’t want six dogs to run through at the same time, we will ask the dogs to wait, we will open the door, and then we will call the designated dog [by name],” Casellini says.
She advises against naming dogs in a single household similar names to avoid confusion, but it’s not an insurmountable obstacle if a Bonnie and a Bobbie, for example, shared living space. In the event that she has, say, three “Lunas” in a class, she uses eye contact and body language to communicate which Luna she’s talking to.
Alana Stevenson, a dog and cat behaviorist who trains dogs across New England, likewise suggests avoiding similar-sounding names.
ICYMI
Second man charged with stealing Dorothy’s Wizard of Oz ruby slippers
Nearly five months after an ailing man with a history of theft admitted to stealing the shining shoes worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, a second person has been charged in the caper, according to the Associated Press.
Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, was charged with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering. He did not enter a plea when he first appeared on Friday in a US district court in St Paul, Minnesota. He was released on his own recognizance after the hearing.
In a recently unsealed indictment, the government claims that from 2005 to 2018 Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage” – specifically, “an authentic pair of ‘ruby slippers’ worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz”. The indictment adds that he knew they were stolen, and threatened to release a sex tape of a woman and “take her down with him” if she didn’t keep her mouth shut about the slippers.
Saliterman’s attorney, John Brink, claims that his client is not guilty.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong,” Brink told the AP outside the courthouse on Friday.
The shoes, which are covered in glass beads and sequins, were originally stolen from a museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Garland’s hometown, in 2005. They were found by the FBI in 2018 and four years later Terry Jon Martin, 76, confessed to stealing them as part of his “last score”. He claims to have used a hammer to smash the class enclosure the famed shoes were in and tried to sell what he believed were the rubies that encrusted the footwear.
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