March 29, 2024

The Power Hour

Knowledge is Power

Today’s News: March 21, 2023

WORLD NEWS

Great Reset: EU Vote to Implement Digital ID Latest Step in the ‘Chinaficaton of Europe’ – MEP\

A European Parliament vote for bloc-wide digital IDs is the latest step towards the “Chinafication of Europe”, an MEP has claimed.

Cristian Terhes, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Christian Democratic National Peasants’ Party, has described the European Union’s latest push for cross-border digital IDs as another move towards the “Chinafication” of the bloc.

French Opposition Launch Bid to Remove Macron Government from Power

Opposition parties in France are to make an attempt to remove the Emmanuel Macron government from power via a vote on Monday amid ongoing riots across the country.

Various opposition parties within the French parliament have submitted a number of motions expressing no confidence in the Emmanuel Macron government in a bid to get it removed from power.

Xi Jinping in Russia: China Will ‘Stand Guard over the World Order’

Russian leader Vladimir Putin lavished praise on visiting Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Monday as Xi began his visit to Moscow.

While Xi’s public statements upon arrival were mostly about the growing partnership between China and Russia, Putin played his part as the junior partner in the new axis of tyranny, gushing over the Chinese leader and promising “clarification” for why Putin made things awkward for Beijing by invading Ukraine.

Credit Suisse Shares Crash to Record Low After Emergency Takeover

Credit Suisse shares dove by 63 percent in early trading on March 20 to a new low after it was announced that UBS would buy the troubled bank in a multi-billion-dollar deal backstopped by a Swiss central bank $100 billion emergency credit line.

Shares of Credit Suisse clawed back some of the initial losses that morning and at the time of reporting were 59 percent down on the day, as investors digested news that UBS would be taking over its distressed peer in a state-backed takeover.

The rescue deal sees UBS buying the 167-year-old Credit Suisse for about $3.23 billion and absorbing up to $5.4 billion in losses.

“With the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS, a solution has been found to secure financial stability and protect the Swiss economy in this exceptional situation,” the Swiss National Bank (SNB) stated.

Credit Suisse is among 30 financial institutions known as globally systemically important banks, and authorities worried that its failure could undermine broader financial system stability.

Kim Jong-un Oversees Simulated Nuclear Attack on U.S. and South Korea

North Korean state media on Monday said dictator Kim Jong-un personally oversaw drills on Saturday and Sunday that simulated his regime’s “war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability,” meaning a nuclear attack on the United States and South Korea.

The drill included the troubling launch of an alleged solid-fueled ballistic missile from a hidden underground silo.

US ‘Will Continue to Focus’ on China’s Forced Organ Harvesting: State Department

Beijing’s state-sponsored forced organ harvesting has remained a concern for the United States, a State Department official told reporters on March 20.

The communist regime’s systematic act of forcibly taking organs from prisoners of conscience for sale, which first came to light around 2006 after several whistleblowers came forward to The Epoch Times, has gained growing attention in recent years. The European Parliament as well as dozens of U.S. states and cities have issued resolutions condemning the abuse, and federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have recently introduced bills aiming to hold perpetrators accountable.

Erin Barclay, acting assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said that she is aware of the congressional legislative proposal, and pointed to a section in the State Department’s newly-released human rights report highlighting the issue.

“We will continue to focus on that as an issue on a broad spectrum of human rights and trafficking issues going forward where it comes up,” she said in response to a question from The Epoch Times at a Monday press briefing accompanying the report’s launch.

U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

House Republicans Demand Testimony From Manhattan DA Behind Potential Trump Arrest

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is demanding answers from a New York district attorney reportedly planning to arrest former President Donald Trump on March 21.

The district attorney in question, Alvin Bragg of Manhattan, is reportedly planning to arrest the former president over an alleged “hush money” payment during the 2016 election. Trump is accused of furnishing money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to hide allegations of an affair between the two, which Trump denies having.

Republicans were quick to condemn the move as another episode in the saga of the “weaponization” of the federal government against Trump and his allies.

In his letter to Bragg (pdf), Jordan—joined by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.)—called the impending arrest “an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”

Trump Says a ‘Most Important Witness’ to Testify Before NYC Grand Jury

Former President Donald Trump praised recent reports that a lawyer who briefly acted as a legal adviser to Michael Cohen is expected to testify on Monday before a New York grand jury investigating whether to charge the former president over claims he paid hush money to an adult actress during his 2016 presidential campaign.

“Just reported that the most important witness to go before the New York City grand jury, a highly respected lawyer who once represented convicted felon, jailbird, and serial fake storyteller and liar, Michael Cohen, will be doing so tomorrow afternoon,” Trump wrote in a March 19 post on Truth Social.

“The information he will present will supposedly be conclusive and irrefutable! Witch hunt!!!” he continued.

Ex-DOJ Official Has ‘Serious Doubts’ About Manhattan DA’s Case Against Trump

A top law professor said on March 19 that it’s likely that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation against former President Donald Trump will never see a jury and that Trump could easily beat the charges.

“I think this is a seriously flawed prosecution,” University of California–Berkeley law professor John Yoo told Fox News.

Yoo, a Bush-era deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice, noted that the timing of the investigation and reports of Trump’s possible arrest was suspicious, coming just months after the former president announced a 2024 bid for the White House. Going after Trump while he’s in the midst of a presidential campaign appears to be a politically motivated move to damage his chances of reelection, he suggested.

“I have strong doubts whether this will ever get to a jury,” he said. “I have strong doubts whether this will lead to the conviction of President Trump. He could easily get off all these charges and be declared innocent.”

Watch: Barriers Go up Outside NYC Courthouse as Trump Indictment Looms

Barriers were going up Monday outside of the New York City courthouse where the “hush money” case involving porn star Stormy Daniels is being heard.  The move comes after former President Donald Trump announced over the weekend he expects to be arrested this week at the instruction of leftist Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Video shows men unloading stacks of metal barriers outside of the courthouse as the jury continues to hear testimony on the case

Donald Trump Jr. and Others Blast DeSantis Response to Looming Donald Trump Arrest: ‘Pure Weakness’

Donald Trump Jr. and others criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for dismissing the rumors of a looming indictment of former President Donald Trump at the hands of leftist Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a “manufactured” circus that he wants no involvement in, concluding that the governor is displaying “weakness.”

DeSantis weighed in on the news of the looming indictment during Monday’s press conference, stating that he is aware of the rumors of the indictment but has not seen any “facts” yet.

Lauren Boebert: Democrats Believe Arresting Donald Trump Is Their ‘Only Hope’ of Victory in 2024

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) argued in a Twitter post that Democrats believe the anticipated arrest of former President Donald Trump is the party’s “only hope” of winning the 2024 election.

Boebert, who has closely aligned herself with Trump since she first ran for the House of Representatives in 2020, argued, “Democrats know they won’t be able to beat our ideas at the ballot box in 2024 so think this is their only hope.”

Trump Files Motion to Quash Georgia Special Purpose Grand Jury Investigation

An attorney for former President Donald Trump filed a motion in a state court in Georgia today to fend off an expected indictment resulting from a special purpose grand jury investigation in Georgia.

Besieged by legal challenges after announcing a 2024 presidential bid, the former president kicked off his first major counterpunch against what he calls a political “Witch Hunt” by Democrats with his Monday filing (pdf). A court ruling in Trump’s favor on this motion would dissolve one of four legal challenges that seek a criminal charge against the former president.

Trump’s motion comes as an attempt to uproot a year-long investigation on allegations that Trump and his allies engaged in election interference in the 2020 election. Initiated in early 2021 and run by Fani Willis, District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia (“FCDA”), the investigation focused on a call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, when Trump asked Raffensperger to investigate potential voter fraud in Georgia during the 2016 presidential election. Critics of Trump have alleged that the call constituted an act of election interference. Trump has denied all allegations of wrongdoing on his part.

Biden Signs Bill to Declassify COVID Origins Intelligence on Wuhan Lab

President Joe Biden on March 20 signed into law a bill mandating declassification of COVID origin-related intelligence, saying that he shares “Congress’s goal of releasing as much information as possible” on the issue.

“We need to get to the bottom of COVID-19’s origins to help ensure we can better prevent future pandemics,” Biden said in a statement. “My Administration will continue to review all classified information relating to COVID19’s origins, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”

He added that, in implementing the legislation, the administration will “declassify and share as much of that information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against the disclosure of information that would harm national security.”

This month, both the Senate and the House unanimously passed the bipartisan bill, dubbed “COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023,” before sending it to Biden’s desk. The bill directs the director of national intelligence to “declassify any and all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin” of COVID-19.

Joe Biden Issues First Veto to Reject Bill Reversing ESG Rule

President Joe Biden issued his first veto on Monday, rejecting a bipartisan bill that would have reversed his Labor Department rule allowing left-wing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies to be considered in retirement investing.

“I just vetoed my first bill,” Biden said in a tweet announcing the move.

SCOTUS Overturns Appeals Court Upholding Abortion Without Parental Consent

The Supreme Court threw out a federal appeals court decision on March 20 that upheld the right of a minor to go to court for permission to pursue an abortion without notifying her parents.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole member of the Supreme Court to file a dissenting opinion in the case, Chapman v. Doe, court file 22-312.

In the case, the court vacated the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and remanded the case to that court with instructions to dismiss the proceeding as moot. Jackson objected to the specific manner in which this was done because it erased any precedential value the circuit court ruling may have had.

In the case, a pregnant minor, Jane Doe, visited her local courthouse to apply for a dispensation allowing her to bypass parental consent for the planned abortion. The office of the petitioner, Michelle Chapman, circuit clerk for Randolph County, Missouri, told her she couldn’t file a bypass petition without notifying a parent.

Wyoming Becomes 19th State to Ban Men from Women’s Sports

Wyoming has become the 19th state to ban men from competing in women’s sports.

Men who identify as women will be barred from competing with women in high school sports in Wyoming under the new legislation.

HEALTH

Despite HPV Vaccine, Cervical Cancer Rates Keep Rising

More than 200 strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) have been identified, and about 40 of them can cause cancer, including cervical, penile, oral, vaginal, vulvar and anal cancer. Of these, cervical cancer is the most common type of HPV-related cancer in the U.S.

The first HPV vaccine, Gardasil, was licensed in 2006. The vaccine was hailed as a breakthrough that would slash cervical cancer rates, but in the real world, it has largely failed to deliver. The original vaccine contained four HPV strains. The latest version contains nine.

Since 2006, cancers associated with the four HPV strains included in the original quadrivalent vaccine have declined by 88% among 14- to 19-year-olds and 81% among women aged 20 to 24.

However, when looking at cervical cancer in general, there’s now a “troubling spike” in rates. Between 2001 and 2018, cervical cancer rates have increased by 1.3% per year. The primary cause for this continued rise appears to be because cancers associated with non-vaccine strains are going up.

Evidence suggests HPV vaccination makes women more susceptible than their nonvaccinated peers to HPV genotypes not covered by the vaccine. So, essentially, women who got the vaccine have traded one risk for another

CDC study warns of ‘dramatic increase’ in deadly fungus across US

Candida aurism, a rare and sometimes deadly fungal disease, is spreading through the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned this week, citing a “dramatic” increase in cases.

The fungus, which affects primarily old people and those with weakened immune systems, rejects treatments from traditional antifungal medications and has a mortality rate of up to 60 percent, health officials said.

—> Power Mall Product of Interest: Paratrex – Helps Balance Candida

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

‘No One Is Immune’: Massive Layoffs Coming to ESPN

Disney is preparing to lay off 4,000 employees, and it has been reported that many of those layoffs will be at its ESPN cable sports network and its other side entertainment divisions. And insiders say no one is safe.

According to the New York Post, the list of layoffs is set to be completed sometime over the next few weeks.

Amazon to Lay Off 9,000 *More* Employees After Cutting 18,000 in November

Amazon has announced yet another round of layoffs after letting go of 18,000 workers in November. This time the e-commerce giant will lay off 9,000 employees.

CNBC reports that Amazon, one of the world’s largest e-commerce retailers, is preparing to lay off 9,000 more employees in the coming weeks. CEO Andy Jassy made the announcement in a memo to the staff on Monday. This round of layoffs comes on top of the layoff of more than 18,000 workers in November.

Woke Disney Begins Layoffs of 4,000 Employees as Part of $5.5 Billion Spending Cuts

Entertainment giant Disney is set to eliminate up to 4,000 jobs as part of CEO Bob Iger’s $5.5 billion budget cut plan as the company faces repeated box office bombs, billions in losses over its streaming service, and political setbacks due to its radical left-wing policies in Florida.

According to reports, executives have tasked managers with identifying which of their employees can be laid off as “redundant and disposable” and have been told to have their lists ready in the next two weeks.
Insiders have leaked that the first layoffs will be initiated in April, though it is not known if the layoffs will happen in waves, or all at once.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

AI Count Disrupt The World More Than Electricity Or The Internet

Electricity took decades before it was ubiquitous in society. The Internet only took a few years. Both shook society to the core. GPT-4 now threatens to do the same in a matter of months, but the potential harm done to people and society is far from understood. Technocrats build first then ask questions later when it is too late to do anything about it

Google Warns Millions of Android Phone Users to Take Action Immediately

Google issued a warning to some Samsung, Pixel, and Vivo phones about critical vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to compromise their devices by making a special call to their phone numbers.

The security flaw impacts Android devices that use the Exynos Modem 5123, Exynos Modem 5300, Exynos 980, Exynos 1080, and Exynos Auto T5123 chipsets made by Samsung. International versions of the Samsung Galaxy S22 (the U.S. version uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip), some mid-range Samsung phones, the Galaxy Watch 5 and 5, the Pixel 6 and 7, and cars that used the Exynos Auto T5123 chip could be exploited, Google’s Project Zero warned in a blog post.

SURVEILLANCE STATE 

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Last Energy Signs Deals Worth $19 Billion for Nuclear Plants

Last still needs regulator approval in UK, Poland for reactors.  Company is building its first 20-megawatt reactor in Texas

Texas adds HSBC to energy sanctions list

A Texas official on Monday added HSBC Holdings (HSBA.L) to an energy sanctions list, widening a crackdown on companies which in the state’s view are too focused on energy transition.

GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING

10 Best Mushrooms to Grow at Home

There’s SO many awesome mushrooms out there to learn to grow – so where do you start? We thought it’s high time we shared our 10 Best Mushrooms to Grow at Home, for beginners.

Ok so by ‘best’ I mean ‘favourite’, I guess. But we’ve also selected these ten species because they are all easy to get started with as a beginner grower, compared to some other wonderful but trickier-to-grow mushrooms.

Easy doesn’t mean boring, though! In the knowledge below you’ll meet some of the most delicious, medicinal and beautiful mushrooms on the planet. This article will give you a rundown of 10 different species that you can learn to cultivate with one or more basic methods, at home, using low-waste techniques (plastic bags begone!).

And firstly – a note – this is all about growing mushrooms from scratch, at home. It’s not about mushroom fruiting kits. While kits look cool when they’re fruiting on your bench, they’re not an economical (or environmentally friendly) way to grow more than a handful of mushrooms at home, one time.

COVID RELATED NEWS

Conflicts of Interest: Pfizer’s Secret Collusion With the NIH Analysis by Dr. Joseph MercolaFact Checked

Under the 1984 Bayh-Dole Act, government scientists can collect royalties from drug companies for discoveries they make while working on the public’s dime

Taxpayers fund government research, while Big Pharma, the National Institutes of Health and NIH scientists keep all the profits

As a patent holder who profits from royalties, the NIH has a significant stake in regulations that impact patents and vaccine mandates, and may use its influence to benefit itself rather than the public

The NIH distributes $32 billion of taxpayer funds as research grants each year. As the largest federal grant-maker, the NIH has a monopoly on what research gets done and what doesn’t

Scientists vying for grants also recognize that in order to get funding, they have to play by the rules, and that means doing work that supports establishment narratives on public health policy

>> Watch Conflicts of Interest HERE

House of Fauci: How Dr. Christine Grady, aka Mrs. Fauci, Used Her NIH Position To Backstop Her Husband’s Pandemic Health Directives

It’s the Washington, D.C. power couple that cost taxpayers nearly $1 million per year.

While Dr. Anthony Fauci gave the nation its pandemic public policy prescriptions, his wife, Dr. Christine Grady, the Chief Bioethicist at Fauci’s employer, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provided the moral framework.

The Faucis are important to the center-left, because they represent the pinnacle moment of the administrative state – top-down public policy run by an elite group of government scientists.

Conversely, to the center-right, the Faucis represent “the fatal conceit of the elites.” As Noble Laureate economist Friedrich Hayek theorized, the elites are no match for billions of free people acting in their own best interests.

Epidemic of Sudden Adult Deaths Finally Made News

Insurance industry research from 2016 showed that group life policyholders are considerably healthier than the general U.S. population. They tend to be younger, well-educated, and employed with Fortune 500 companies. So, what happened in 2021 to turn the tables so dramatically?

War on the ‘Village Yokel’: An Ancient Gimmick of the Elites

A recent “study” suggests that vaccine skeptics are, ummm, likely to struggle with problem-solving and to demonstrate absolutist thinking, political conservatism, and xenophobia

There is a whole direction aiming at behavioral modification in the form of “digital vaccines”

Ironically, blaming the “village yokels” and “tradition defenders” has been a staple on the menu of psychological manipulation by the elites; some of those dirty tricks have been unfortunately deeply internalized

We are all familiar with the frustration of trying to convince our loved ones to use their common sense and look at facts. The frustration reduces significantly once we quit the “missionary” mode, do our job with love and patience, and leave the rest to the higher powers (however we personally believe)

CANCEL CULTURE

Biden White House Presser with ‘Ted Lasso’ Cast Goes Off the Rails: ‘You’re Making a Mockery of the First Amendment’

A White House visit by the cast of the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso quickly devolved into chaos Monday when a reporter stole the spotlight by accusing Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre of “making a mockery of the First Amendment.”

The Ted Lasso cast, including stars Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham, stood in awkward silence as Today News Africa reporter Simon Ateba berated Jean-Pierre for discriminating against certain journalists, saying she had not called on him for seven months.

But he would not be silenced. “This is the U.S. This is not China. This is not Russia. What you’re doing is not right,” he continued. “What you are doing is you’re making a mockery of the First Amendment. It’s been seven months you’ve not called on me.”

Ateba didn’t appear to receive any support from his fellow journalists. In fact, they rallied behind Jean-Pierre and the celebrity visitors.

Meghan and Harry Throw Weight Behind Child Transgenderism NGO

Wayward royals Harry and Meghan have “partnered” with an organisation that, reports note, promotes childhood transgenderism.

Harry and Meghan’s Archewell charity has teamed up with the Global Boyhood Initiative, an NGO that has publicly backed teaching transgender ideology to children. The partnership is prominently displayed on the NGO’s own website.

The Regime’s War To Make Memes Illegal

Commentary by by Pastor Andrew Isker

The Regime is currently trying to put a man behind bars for ten years for making memes. The most important First Amendment case of our lifetimes is taking place, and many have no idea it is even happening. 

United States v. Douglass Mackey began this week and is a major part of the Left’s war on free speech in America. Two days after Joe Biden took the oath of office, the Department of Justice charged Douglass Mackey with election interference for posting memes in 2016. Mackey is alleged to be the popular Twitter poster Ricky Vaughn, who shared memes instructing Hillary Clinton supporters to text in their vote rather than wait in line at their polling place.

PET NEWS

Report: Pet Owners Struggling Financially Because of Bidenflation

Pet owners are reportedly struggling to care for their animals under the weight of inflation and economic problems in President Joe Biden’s (D) America.

According to a CNN Business article published Sunday:

Overall inflation remains high across the United States, but has slowly and methodically stepped down since setting a fresh 40-year record of 9.1% in June 2022, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. However, during the past eight months, inflation in pet-related products and services has only worsened, rising in some cases to record-setting levels.

In February, when annual CPI declined to 6%, the catch-all “pets, pet products and services” index rose to 10.9%, veterinary services jumped nearly 2 percentage points to 10.3% and pet food increased to 15.2%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Meanwhile, a survey of 2,000 dog and cat owners showed almost 63 percent of pet owners claimed they had difficulty paying an unexpected vet bill because of inflation, Forbes Advisor reported in December.

“A vet bill of $999 or less would cause 42% of pet owners to go into debt, while a vet bill of $499 or less would cause 28% of pet owners to go into debt,” the outlet said.

GOOD NEWS

High School Football Coach Fired for Praying at Games Given $2 Million Settlement

Joe Kennedy, the high school football coach fired for praying at games, has reached a $2 million settlement with the school board and will be reinstated as a coach.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Kennedy’s favor in August 2022, with the justice’s ruling that the First Amendment protected his right to pray on the field. A court later ruled in October 2022 that the Bremerton School District in Washington State must hire him back by March 2023. In a statement on its website dated March 6, Bremerton High School said that he would be an assistant coach for the 2023 season.

ICYMI

California Meteorologist Faints, Falls out of Her Chair During a Live Broadcast

A California meteorologist fainted on air Saturday morning just as her segment began, startling her colleagues.

Alissa Carlson Schwartz, a meteorologist at CBS L.A., was preparing to deliver a weather report during the outlet’s 7:00 a.m. broadcast when she tilted her head forward at her desk and then slid out of her chair.

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