WORLD NEWS
AI Top of the Agenda at Secretive Bilderberg Meeting
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will attend the secretive Bilderberg Meeting, an annual gathering of over 100 political and corporate leaders from Europe and North America, which has announced AI as a key item on its agenda this year.
Altman isn’t the only Big Tech figure in attendance. Other participants include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Google DeepMind head Demis Hassabis.
Five Reasons Why ChatGPT Flaunts Privacy
Issue #1
ChatGPT collected a massive amount of personal data to train its models but may have had no legal basis for such data collection. According to the GDPR³, data collected without an appropriate legal basis (such as user consent) is unlawful. This was one of the main reasons for Italy’s temporary ChatGPT ban. In response, Open AI has recently provided a form for EU users⁴, allowing them to opt out of their data being collected to train the AI model. However, the form is only available in the EU, and those who do not actively fill out the form can expect their data to remain on the platform.
Issue #2
According to the GDPR³, data controllers (in this case, ChatGPT/Open AI) must inform users whose data they collect and use. However, ChatGPT has not notified all of the people whose data was used to train the AI model² – another reason why the use of this data may be unlawful. Since many people do not know that their data has been collected and is being used by ChatGPT, they do not know that they should fill out the opt-out form⁴, further amplifying the issue of potentially unlawful data collection.
Issue #3
ChatGPT is not in line with the principle of accuracy – The platform’s provision of inaccurate information can significantly damage an individual’s reputation. For instance, it may falsely assert a person’s guilt or accuse them of crimes they have never been associated with⁵.
Issue #4
ChatGPT lacks effective age verification tools to prevent children under the age of 13 from using it. In response to Italy’s ban, ChatGPT developed a tool to determine that users are above the age of 13⁴. However, ChatGPT cannot confirm that the age entered is the true age of the user, meaning that children can lie that they are adults and use the platform freely.
Issue #5
ChatGPT lacks parental consent verification for children aged 13-18. ChatGPT’s terms of use⁶ require that children aged 13-18 must receive parental consent before using the platform. However, there is no verification process to ensure that this consent has been given, meaning that children between these ages can also use the platform freely, even without consent.
Telecom Giant to Shed 55,000 Jobs, Will Replace Some Humans With A.I.
U.K. telecom company BT Group said Thursday that it plans to shed up to 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade and replace some of them with artificial intelligence, as part of an overhaul aimed at slimming down its workforce to slash costs.
BT, which has 130,000 workers including both staff and contractors, said in its latest earnings report that its number of employees would be reduced to between 75,000 and 90,000 by 2030.
Colonel Douglas Macgregor THE US GOVERNMENT LIED ABOUT THE UKRAINE WAR
It has been over a year since tensions escalated in Eastern Europe as Russian troops marched into Ukraine and began their offensive. Since that time, mainstream media outlets have understandably been dominated by the latest frontline news, and barring the first few weeks, have largely shared a narrative that portrays Ukraine as very much in a position of strength.
However, for many experts and military analysts, this is far from a realistic reflection of events, and the true cost of this war to Ukraine doesn’t bear thinking about. In fact, my recent conversations with legendary journalist Seymour Hersh revealed some startling truths about what’s happening in the country at the government level.
El Salvador’s Bukele Deploys 5,000 Soldiers to Surround Town After Gang Kills Police Officer
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has made fighting gang violence into a defining issue for his presidency, sent 5,000 soldiers and 500 police to surround the northwestern town of Nueva Concepcion on Wednesday after alleged gangsters killed a police officer.
As is his custom, Bukele announced the operation on Twitter, complete with a dramatic professionally filmed video of his troops locking, loading, mounting up, and rolling out
EU country’s inflation shows no sign of slowing
Consumer prices in Austria saw their highest annual increase last year since 1975
Austria’s consumer price inflation has continued to rise, accelerating to 9.7% in April on an annual basis, the national statistics office reported on Wednesday.
According to Statistics Austria, the figure jumped from 9.2% in the previous month and was just below the 9.8% increase seen in a flash report published on May 2.
Inflation harmonized to compare with other European Union countries also increased in April to 9.5%, up from 9.2% in March.
The report indicated that utility bills saw a major spike of 14.7% year-on-year, followed by a 14.2% rise in restaurant and hotel costs. Transport charges were 3.3% higher compared to April 2022.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Mayor Eric Adams: Nearly Half of NYC Hotel Rooms Now Filled with Migrants
Nearly half of hotel rooms in New York City today are filled with newly arrived border crossers and illegal aliens, living rent-free at the expense of local taxpayers, Mayor Eric Adams (D) says.
Since the spring of last year, nearly 70,000 border crossers and illegal aliens have arrived in the sanctuary city of New York City — many bused from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott (R). The figure represents a fraction of the millions of border crossers and illegal aliens who have been released into the United States interior or successfully crossed the border.
New York Town Declares State of Emergency Banning Hotels, Facilities From Housing Immigrants
Riverhead in Suffolk County, New York, declared a state of emergency on May 16 in an effort to prevent an influx of illegal immigrants from being sent to the small town following the expiration of Title 42.
Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar signed the emergency declaration after reports emerged that officials from New York City were arranging to transport immigrants to a number of hotels and motels in the town.
According to a statement from Aguiar’s office, the order was signed “based on information received and in response to reports that the New York City Department of Homeless Services has, or will be arranging for the transportation and relocation of undocumented migrants and/or asylum seekers to hotels or motels within the Town of Riverhead.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) says it is “wicked” and “unconscionable” for Texas to bus thousands of border crossers and illegal aliens to the sanctuary city.
This week, on his first official day as mayor, Johnson visited border crossers and illegal aliens who are living inside city police stations on the ground.
During the visit, Johnson said politicians “that are using the lives of individuals as a way to score some political points with a certain segment of the population in this country,” in a veiled attack on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who has bused thousands of border crossers and illegal aliens to Chicago and other sanctuary cities since mid-2022.
Three Venezuelan nationals have been charged with a series of crimes after having recently arrived, potentially on migrant buses, in the sanctuary city of Chicago, Illinois.
If You Live in a Major US City, It’s Probably Time to Move
The crimewave overtaking Chicago, Illinois, is a perfect example of the moral degradation happening in most metropolitan areas around the U.S. A person is shot every three hours and 41 minutes in “The Windy City.” This despite having some of the toughest gun control laws in the country
Democrat-controlled cities and states are decriminalizing theft, looting and even violent crime and murder under the banner of fighting systemic racism and inequality. Yet the end result is always the same: More crime and rising lawlessness
Brick and mortar stores are intentionally being pushed out of the big cities due to rising crime. It’s a consolidation program. The end goal is to transition to a traceable central bank digital currency and near-exclusive use of online shopping
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is working to create tiny self-contained vertical cities where your every move is surveilled and countryside excursions are forbidden. To get there, they must destroy the old infrastructure and rebuild according to new specifications
If you live in a big city — any major metropolitan area — consider moving to a smaller one, preferably in a less “woke” state where lawlessness is not openly embraced and accepted as some form of “equity” arrangement, as it’s only going to get worse from here
Rep. Cori Bush introduces bill on reparations for Black Americans
Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush has introduced new legislation calling for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans, in an effort to see the federal government atone for the practice of chattel slavery and hundreds of years of racist policies that followed.
“The United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people,” Bush said in a Wednesday news conference attended by Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., as well as other stakeholders.
“America must provide reparations if we desire a prosperous future for all,” Bush said.
Her resolution is the latest in a long line of congressional efforts by Democrats to compensate Black Americans for centuries of racial inequity. Similar language about reparations has been introduced in every legislative session since 1989.
“We know that we continue to live under slavery’s vestiges. We know how slavery has perpetuated Jim Crow. We know how slavery’s impacts live on today,” Bush said, citing the racial wealth gap, voter suppression, infant mortality rates and other negative health outcomes for Black people.
Nashville School Shooting Investigation Used to Identify Possible Accomplices: MNPD
Top law enforcement officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), including the lead investigator in The Covenant School shooting case, have filed motions with the court to stop the release of the writings amid their “ongoing” investigation. In their court filings, law enforcement stated they believed the assailant Audrey Hale, who died on the scene, acted alone, but they “do not know for sure.”
“Even though the assailant died at the school, the criminal investigative file does not automatically, instantly close,” investigator Lt. Brent Gibson wrote in a court filing. “Investigators must still work to gather and analyze evidence in the case and determine if related crimes were committed, are being planned, or whether other people were involved.”
Gibson went on to say the Covenant investigation is expected to take approximately “12 months,” based upon the “volume of evidence and the number of persons to be interviewed,” along with officers working on a total of 46 homicide investigations in the city so far this year.
Michigan school shooter’s parents file appeal on judge’s order to make them stand trial
The parents of the shooter who killed four students at a Michigan high school in November 2021 are appealing a judge’s order that they stand trial for manslaughter, according to new filings.
Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors argued they provided their son with a gun and ignored warning signs about his behavior before the killings.
The Michigan Appeals Court ruled earlier this year the Crumbley parents could stand trial because their “actions and inactions were inexorably intertwined” with the actions of their son.
The parents are now appealing to the Michigan Supreme Court, according to two filings shared by local outlet WXYZ-TV Detroit. Their attorneys argue in the documents that “to hold parents to such a standard runs afoul of principled outcomes” and that “the mass shooting perpetrated by [Ethan Crumbley] was not foreseeable.”
Penguin Random House, Florida parents sue school district over book bans
The publishing house, five of its authors, parents and an advocacy group allege that removing the books discussing race and LGBTQ people violates the First Amendment.
Eyewitness Heard Jordan Neely Say ‘I Don’t Care If I Have to Kill,’ Calls Daniel Penny a ‘Hero’
An eyewitness to the fatal chokehold of a homeless man by a Marine Corps veteran aboard a New York City subway said she was thankful the vet intervened.
On May 1, Jordan Neely boarded the northbound F train and started screaming, then threw his jacket on the ground, Breitbart reported.
“I’m sitting on a train reading my book, and, all of a sudden, I hear someone spewing this rhetoric,” the 60-year-old eyewitness told Fox News. “He said, ‘I don’t care if I have to kill an F, I will. I’ll go to jail, I’ll take a bullet.’”
Another East Oregon County Votes to Explore Unification With Idaho
A dozen counties in eastern Oregon have now thrown their support behind a proposed merger with neighboring Idaho, bringing the idea of Greater Idaho closer to reality.
The ballot measure in the May 16 Wallowa County election was won by a razor-thin 21-vote margin, with 1,721 (50.31 percent) of 3,241 ballots cast in favor of the proposal, according to KTVB7.
Reps. Jim Jordan, Mike Turner Threaten to Subpoena CIA in Hunter Biden Laptop Investigation
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) are threatening to subpoena the CIA to force it to address claims of its involvement in an intelligence community letter to discredit reports on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Last week, the two Republican-controlled House committees published a report alleging the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board (PCRB) reviewed and approved an October 2020 letter by 51 former U.S. intelligence community officials, which alleged reports about the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” The Republican report also alleged a PCRB employee may have recruited signatories for the letter discrediting the negative reporting about Hunter Biden and his father, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.
‘Enveloped in Politicization’: FBI Whistleblowers Reveal ‘Serious Abuses,’ House Report Finds
House Judiciary Republicans on May 18 unveiled a whistleblower report (pdf) showing “serious abuse” and misallocations of resources by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
A whistleblower told Republican investigators that the FBI has become “cancerous” and has “let itself become enveloped in this politicization and weaponization,” echoing earlier whistleblower testimony that the FBI had become “rotted at its core.”
“It is clear from these disclosures, and especially in the wake of Special Counsel John Durham’s report, that the FBI has become politically weaponized,” the report said.
FBI Concerned Jan. 6 Footage Would Expose Undercover Agents, Informants: Whistleblower
Boston officials pushed back, saying they would need evidence, such as footage of individuals inside the Capitol, to open investigations of the individuals.
“Happy to do it. Show us where they were inside the Capitol, and we’ll look into it,” one official was quoted as saying.
“We can’t show you those videos unless you can tell us the exact time and place those individuals were inside the Capitol,” WFO officials responded, according to Hill.
Hill said Boston officials questioned why they couldn’t get access to the tranche of some 11,000 hours of footage from inside the Capitol.
“Because there may be—may be—UCs, undercover officers, or … confidential human sources, on those videos whose identity we need to protect,” Washington-based officials responded.
Joe Biden Leaves Kamala Harris in Charge of Debt Ceiling Negotiations
President Joe Biden left for overseas, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris to be briefed about the continuing debt ceiling talks.
Biden left for Japan on Wednesday as Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and the White House continue negotiating a potential debt ceiling deal.
Rep. Greene Introduces Measure to Impeach Biden
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has introduced a measure to impeach President Joe Biden.
The measure, which Greene has introduced to Congress on various occasions before, was announced during a May 18 press conference.
“It is with the highest amount of solemnity that I introduce articles of impeachment today on the head of this America Last executive branch that has been working since Jan. 20, 2021 to systematically destroy this country: the president of the United States, Joseph Robinette Biden,” Greene said.
In the articles (pdf), Greene wrote: “In his conduct as President of the United States, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of the President of the United States, and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend, the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, Joseph Robinette Biden abused the power of the Office of the President by endangering the security of the United States and thwarting the will of Congress as set forth in duly enacted law.”
During the press conference, Greene explained, “Joe Biden has deliberately compromised our national security by refusing to enforce immigration laws and secure our border.” She cited figures that more than 6 million illegal aliens have entered the United States under Biden’s watch.
“His administration has willfully refused to maintain operational control as required by the law.”
She cited various policies of Biden’s administration toward immigration, saying that Biden had refused to carry out the law and to protect American national security.
Greene introduced similar measures during the 117th Congress, but it did not gain traction.
Massachusetts US attorney will resign; probe finds ‘extraordinary breach of public trust’
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins will resign Friday, two days after new investigative reports condemned her for attending a Democratic fundraiser and for leaking information to the press in “an extraordinary breach of public trust.”
A report by the Department of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel said Rollins had leaked nonpublic DOJ information about a candidate she opposed to the news media, Law360 reports.
A letter to President Joe Biden that accompanied the report said the leak “constitutes an extraordinary abuse of her authority.”
A second report by the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General also accused Rollins of the leak, along with other wrongdoing, CBS News reports. The report said Rollins lied under oath to the inspector general’s office when she initially denied that she was the source of the leak.
Rollins’ lawyer, Michael R. Bromwich, said in a statement Rollins was resigning because her presence has become a distraction.
“The work of the office and the Department of Justice is far too important to be overshadowed by anything else,” Bromwich told Law360, Reuters and the Associated Press.
The Office of Special Counsel and the DOJ’s inspector general investigated Rollins after the Boston Herald photographed her arriving at the fundraiser in a government vehicle, according to Reuters.
The Office of Special Counsel considered whether Rollins violated the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from engaging in political activity at work or while using a government vehicle. The law also bars employees from using their official authority or influence to affect the result of an election.
The special counsel report said the fundraiser and the leak were violations of the Hatch Act. Rollins “committed an extraordinary abuse of her power as U.S. attorney,” the report concluded.
She attended the fundraiser in her official capacity in July 2022 “in disregard of legal advice from her own agency,” the report said.
Report: Chris Christie to Run for President in 2024
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) will announce his 2024 White House candidacy “in the coming days,” New Hampshire news radio host Chris Ryan reported on Thursday.
Bipartisan Bill Aims to Protect AM Radio as Automakers Move to Kill It
In response to a growing trend among car manufacturers to exclude traditional AM radio from their vehicles, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers has proposed legislation that would require automakers to retain the ability for drivers to tune in to the airwaves dominated by conservative talk radio.
Variety reports that a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has proposed legislation that would require automakers to keep AM radios in their vehicles, in response to a growing trend among automakers to remove the traditional feature from their cars.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Report: Bidenflation Forces Shoppers to Buy Groceries at Walmart
Americans are reportedly buying groceries at Walmart and opting out of nonessentials at other stores as inflation troubles President Joe Biden’s (D) economy.
Walmart experienced strong sales last quarter, according to a recent CNN Business report:
The company said Thursday that sales at stores open for at least one year increased 7.4% during its latest quarter compared with the same stretch last year. Its operating income increased 17.3% last quarter.
Walmart (WMT) raised its sales forecast for its next quarter and the full-year, sending its stock up 1.5% during pre-market trading.
During a recent conference call, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon expressed an optimistic outlook on the situation.
“It’s a great time to be a merchant. We continue to gain market share in the grocery category, including with higher income and younger shoppers, and we saw good growth in membership income in both businesses,” he stated, per Yahoo! Finance.
Delta CEO Warns Government Regulation Could Increase Ticket Prices
The CEO of Delta Air Lines has warned that government regulations could increase ticket prices, further contributing to the country’s ongoing travel crisis.
Speaking to CBS Mornings, CEO Ed Bastian said that “common business logic” dictates that government regulation will cause a spike in ticket prices.
“There’s no question if there is another layer of government regulation and cost that’s introduced into the system, it’ll eventually find its way back into ticket prices,” Bastian said.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Twitter, Google, Facebook in Liability Case Over User-Posted Content
The Supreme Court unanimously sided with Twitter, Google, and Facebook, finding in a pair of decisions on May 18 that the Silicon Valley giants are shielded from liability for content posted by users.
The lawsuits arose after deadly Islamic terrorist attacks overseas. Victims’ families argued that the Big Tech companies were liable because they allowed terrorist videos to be posted online or failed to do enough to police the terrorist accounts posting the videos.
Big Tech and its supporters had been deeply concerned that the court could eviscerate Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, which generally prevents internet platforms and internet service providers from being held liable for what users say on them. They say the legal provision, sometimes called “the 26 words that created the internet,” has fostered a climate online in which free speech has flourished.
Technocracy: Humanity Is Sentenced To A Unipolar Prison And Digital Gulag
Using the fake “COVID virus” narrative as cover, the privileged, power-mad parasites who pilfer the world’s wealth have sharply accelerated their longstanding plan to create a single global empire that is completely under their command.
This single global empire will ultimately employ the services of all the transnational institutions on the planet in order to regulate and control every aspect of human life.
It is a global empire run by an exclusive club, perhaps 8,000 to 10,000 strong, whose members do not pledge allegiance to any national flag, who snobbishly view themselves as superior to their countrymen, and who are indifferent to political ideology so long as they can control the political structure from within. They aim to erase all national borders and are well on their way to shredding the constitutions of every nation-state.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Aussies Go For Biometric Digital Identity, America Follows
Victoria, Australia, is set to become the third state in the land down-under to rollout digital drivers’ licenses stored on citizens’ smartphones.
Citizens of Victoria can expect to obtain a new digital ID by next year, though a six-month pilot program will be launched in July in the city of Ballarat.
The new ID will provide three options: display all of one’s credentials and a unique barcode that can be scanned by law enforcement; conceal the important data and only reveal your name and date of birth; or a third selection that displays only the user’s date of birth.
Each option displays a new QR code every 90 seconds as a precaution against hackers..
Government Services Minister Danny Pearson made a complete fool out of himself at a press conference last week announcing the news.
Like a clown selling snake oil at a carnival, Pearson said:
“This is just such a glorious day and, I can’t wait, I just can’t wait. I gotta say, you’re gonna love it. It’s just going to be woo! It’s so good, it’s so good, it’s so exciting!”
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Sen. Manchin Blocks Biden’s Energy Nominee Over Proposed Gas Stove Regulations
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) has abruptly blocked one of President Joe Biden’s nominees from further consideration after the department he has been nominated to lead proposed new regulations on gas-powered stoves.
Biden had named Jeff Marootian as his choice to lead the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) in July of last year but the Senate failed to finalize his nomination before the end of the last session of Congress, forcing Biden to renominate him in January. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was set to consider the nomination during a hearing on Wednesday, but Manchin—the committee chairman—canceled the vote on Wednesday morning.
In an emailed statement to NTD, Manchin said he initially supported Marootian’s nomination but “since then the office he’s been nominated to lead has proposed stove efficiency rules that I’ve raised concerns about.”
In February, the EERE proposed new regulations for gas stoves, setting a maximum annual energy consumption limit of 1,204 thousand British thermal units per year (kBtu/year) for new gas stoves.
“While I appreciate that these rules would only apply to new stoves, my view is that it’s part of a broader, Administration-wide effort to eliminate fossil fuels,” Manchin said. “For that reason, I’m not comfortable moving forward with Mr. Marootian at this time.”
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
20 Vegetables You Should Never Grow Together, Plus Ideas for Companion Vegetables
Some vegetables should just not be planted together. Instead, put companion vegetables next to each other to yield a robust harvest.
HEALTH
The Essential Guide to Pancreatic Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and Natural Approaches
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging forms of an already difficult disease. Despite relatively low incidence levels, it ranks seventh among causes of global cancer deaths in industrialized countries and was the third most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States in 2020.
Because patients seldom experience symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage, pancreatic cancer remains challenging to treat successfully. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, 80 percent of cases aren’t diagnosed until later, difficult-to-treat stages. Thus, despite advancements in detection and management, the five-year survival rate is still only 5 to 10 percent.
Prenatal Marijuana Use Results in Babies With Lower Weight and Smaller Heads: Study
Marijuana usage during the first trimester of pregnancy can result in infants having lower body weight and decreased head circumference, which could create multiple health issues for the child, according to a recent study.
The May 16 study, published at the “Frontiers in Pediatrics,” analyzed two groups of women—109 marijuana users and 171 non-users. It found a “significant decrease” in the weight of newborns born to women who used marijuana during the first trimester of pregnancy. The weight of such newborns was lower by 154 grams. If women continued marijuana use through gestation, a further 31 grams in weight was found to be lost.
Researchers also found “significant deficits” in head circumference. Infants born to women who used marijuana had a head circumference deficit of 0.83 cm, while those born to women who used marijuana throughout pregnancy had a deficit of 0.79 cm. The length of the baby was found to be “not significantly predicted” by marijuana exposure.
Prozac Is Unsafe and Ineffective for Young People, Analysis Finds
A new analysis finds that Prozac (generic name fluoxetine) is unsafe and ineffective for treating depression in children and adolescents.
Regulatory documents show that trial participants attempted suicide after taking fluoxetine, but these events were excluded from the final journal publication.
COVID RELATED NEWS
State Supreme Court Allows Mother to Vaccinate Children for COVID-19 Against Father’s Objections
Two children received COVID-19 vaccines this month despite objections from their father after their mother won a court case that made it to the state’s highest court.
Rhode Island Supreme Court justices on May 5 sided with Lauren Nagel, who argued that the girls needed to receive COVID-19 vaccines even though they’ve recovered from COVID-19, and upheld an earlier ruling by Rhode Island Family Court Associate Justice Sandra Lanni.
At issue is the divorce settlement, which states both parties would jointly decide on major decisions affecting the health of the children and that “neither party shall unreasonably withhold his or her consent to medical treatment for the children or the administration of medication recommended by the pediatrician of the children.”
Dr. Colleen Ann Powers, the children’s pediatrician, recommended the kids receive a COVID-19 vaccine, largely relying on recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, two entities that have promoted misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and recommend them for virtually all unvaccinated people.
Lanni ruled that “based on a totality of the evidence before it and the best interests of the parties’ children in this case, that it is in their best interest to give plaintiff decision-making authority regarding vaccination of the children for COVID, including future boosters, as long as she follows the recommendations of Dr. Powers at the time, because those recommendations could change.”
Joshua Nagel, the girl’s father, appealed, arguing that because the judge found his concerns were “not unreasonable” that he should have ruled in his favor. The actual ruling improperly changed the custody agreement, he said.
Justices disagreed.
“Contrary to defendant’s argument that an objecting parent may ‘veto’ a decision regarding their children’s medical treatment, we conclude that neither the marital settlement agreement nor the final judgment requires the Family Court to defer to, and automatically rule in favor of, an objecting party,” Justice Melissa Long, writing for the court, said.
When parents disagree on a matter, “their recourse is to return to the Family Court, which has an obligation to decide and resolve the stalemate by considering the best interests of the children,” she added later.
The ruling was 5–0.
The state’s top court said Lanni “fairly considered the wishes of both parents” and only ruled in favor of the mother after taking into account how Powers has been the children’s doctor while Dr. Andrew Bostom, the father’s expert witness, has not examined them.
Big Pharma’s ‘Rampant Corporate Lawlessness’ Cost Americans $40 Billion In 2019
The U.S. pharmaceutical industry’s aggressive and often unlawful efforts to prevent competition and keep drug prices elevated cost American patients, insurers, and federal health programs more than $40 billion in 2019 alone, according to a report released Tuesday.
The new report—put out by the American Economic Liberties Project and the Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge (I-MAK)—focuses specifically on pharmaceutical companies’ antitrust law violations, which the groups say are a key reason why U.S. drug prices are astonishingly high compared to those of other rich nations.
Examining the 100 top-selling drug products in Medicare Part D—which covers prescription medicines—and Medicaid, the report estimates that Big Pharma’s antitrust violations “increased Part D gross spending by 14.15%, or $14.82 billion, and increased Medicaid gross drug spending by 9.05%, or $3.15 billion, in 2019 for the top 100 drugs in each.”
Assuming that pharmaceutical companies’ antitrust violations similarly affected retail brand drug spending, the report estimates that “U.S. patients and payers spent an additional $40.07 billion on pharmaceuticals in 2019.”
“American families are paying far too much for prescription drugs, in large part due to rampant corporate lawlessness,” said Erik Peinert, research manager and editor at the American Economic Liberties Project.
The report highlights 10 illegal anticompetitive schemes that U.S. pharmaceutical companies deploy to juice their profits and keep prices high, including horizontal collusion, patent fraud, no-generics agreements, and sham citizen petitions aimed at convincing regulators to delay approval of potential competitor drugs.
“This report documents the many ways Big Pharma is manipulating and breaking the law to expand corporate profits at the expense of patients and taxpayers,” said Peinert. “The Federal Trade Commission has begun fighting back, but it needs more assistance from Congress and other agencies to crack down on these illegal practices and deliver for patients.”
Shortly following the new report’s release, the FTC sued to stop the biopharmaceutical giant Amgen from acquiring Horizon Therapeutics, warning that “rampant consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry has given powerful companies a pass to exorbitantly hike prescription drug prices.”
GOOD NEWS
Medieval-Themed ‘Promposal’ With Teenage Prince and Knights on Horseback Goes Viral
An Ohio teen has gone viral for galloping up to his girlfriend’s house with his three best friends for an epic, medieval-themed “promposal.”
Gavin Gillig showed up at his girlfriend, Gianna Masterlasco’s, house near Findlay, Ohio on April 25 with three willing comrades: fellow seniors Ethan Bauer, RJ Coldren, and Damon Gasser. The Liberty-Benton High Schoolers were dressed in wigs and pretended to ride a horse, while Gavin donned a regal cloak and a paper crown from Burger King.
ICYMI
Why lawyers in Young Slime Life trial got a free lunch from strip club
A defense lawyer in the Fulton County, Georgia, racketeering case against the Young Slime Life gang treated other lawyers in the criminal case to a lunch of chicken wings as a result of a judge’s order.
Chief Judge Ural Glanville ordered lawyer Suri Chadha Jimenez to supply lunch after holding him in contempt for being late to court last Tuesday, report the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV.
Glanville bought the wings from Magic City, described as an “iconic strip club” in Atlanta by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Although the club doesn’t open until 3 p.m., it was able to prepare lunch for Jimenez.
Jimenez said he was late because of another case in Cobb County, Georgia.
Among the 10 defendants expected to be tried together in the racketeering case is rapper Young Thug, who was taken to the hospital on Thursday and Friday after experiencing chest pains, according to WSBTV.
Glanville has imposed other unusual punishments to wayward defense lawyers and jurors. He ordered a potential juror who skipped a return court appearance to write a 30-page essay focusing on the history of jury service in Atlanta. And he ordered a different lawyer to write a 17-page research paper on the importance of professionalism after he left the courtroom without permission, according to the Journal-Constitution.
Prosecutors allege the RICO conspiracy involved murders, armed robberies and assaults. Young Thug is not accused of murder or attempted murder, but prosecutors allege he rented a car used in the murder of a rival gang member, by ABC News reported in January. He is also accused of co-founding the Young Slime Life gang. His lawyer told ABC that his client “committed no crime whatsoever.”
Twenty-eight people were indicted in the case last year. The state intended to try 13 defendants together, but two defendants will be tried separately because their lawyers are pregnant and will be taking maternity leave, the Brunswick News reported on May 2.
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Today’s News: April 25, 2024
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