Today’s Top 5:
The United States will still be “careening towards bankruptcy” after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, says Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fl.) in a new interview.
The 2024 presidential candidate appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Memorial Day and was asked about the potential fracture in the Republican Party following the White House and GOP leadership approving the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which some critics have dubbed the “Fiscal Irresponsibility Act.”
“Prior to this deal, our country was careening towards bankruptcy,” DeSantis said. “And after this deal, our country will still be careening towards bankruptcy.”
The U.S. debt ceiling agreement established by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during the Memorial Day long weekend cleared a critical hurdle that will allow House lawmakers to vote on the deal.
The House Rules Committee passed it with a vote of 7 to 6, advancing the debt limit bill—the Fiscal Responsibility Act—to the congressional floor on May 30 for a debate and vote.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) voted against it, joining all four Democrats on the powerful committee. There had been concern that it would not make it out of the committee because some of the loudest conservative critics are members, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who supported the legislation going before his colleagues.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he is prepared to advance contempt of Congress charges against Christopher Wray if the FBI director misses a May 30 deadline to hand Congress a document alleging a criminal scheme involving President Joe Biden.
“I personally called Director Wray and told him he needs to send that document, today’s the deadline,” McCarthy said during a May 30 appearance on Fox News. “Let me tell Director Christopher Wray right here, right now: If he misses the deadline today, I’m prepared to move contempt charges in Congress against him.”
In a May 3 letter, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) revealed that they received “highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures” that the FBI possessed an unclassified record that “describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-vice president Joe Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.”
The United States faces a heightened risk of terror attacks from now through the 2024 election cycle, according to a new memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The DHS issued a new National Terrorism Advisory Bulletin (pdf) on May 24 stating “perceptions of the 2024 general election cycle and legislative or judicial decisions pertaining to sociopolitical issues” could “mobilize individuals to commit violence.”
The DHS bulletin states likely targets for attacks include law enforcement, government facilities, critical infrastructure, faith-based institutions and “individuals or events associated with the LGBTQIA+ community.” The bulletin states these threats come from extremists associated with foreign terrorist organizations as well as domestic violent extremists motivated by a range of ideological beliefs.
Two pro-life advocates were attacked outside of a Planned Parenthood in Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday morning, police said.
“The attack happened just before 10:30 a.m. at the clinic along North Howard Street, according to police. The two victims are both men, 73 and 80 years old,” KATV reported Tuesday.
LifeSiteNews first reported on the incident Saturday. Local pro-lifer John Roswell told the outlet via email that Dick Schafer and Mark Crosby are the men who were allegedly attacked and seriously injured.
The pro-life outlet obtained photographs of what appear to be facial injuries. Roswell said that Schafer is “recovering at home” and Crosby was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
WORLD NEWS
Economic Basket Case Venezuela Wants to Join China-Led BRICS Coalition
Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro said on Monday that he would like to join BRICS, the economic alliance between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa that will hold its next summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August.
“If we are asked whether Venezuela wants to be part of BRICS in the future, yes, we want to be a humble part of BRICS and keep pace with the changing geopolitical situation,” Maduro said at a joint press conference in Brasilia with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Maduro Offers Electric Services to Brazil as Venezuela Suffers Daily Blackouts
Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro offered on Monday to once again provide the Brazilian state of Roraima with electricity — despite most Venezuelans facing lengthy daily blackouts as a result of the nation’s decaying power grid.
Maduro made the offer in a joint press conference between Maduro and Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held after their official meeting in the presidential Planalto Palace in Brasilia. Between 2001 to 2019, Brazil paid the Venezuelan socialist regime to provide power to the the border state of Roraima.
China’s New US Ambassador Calls on ‘Compatriots,’ Chinese Students to ‘Serve the Motherland’
China’s new ambassador to the United States has called on his Chinese compatriots and Chinese students in the United States to work with the Chinese Embassy to serve communist China in his open letters published on the embassy’s official website.
Upon his arrival on May 24, the new ambassador, Xie Feng, published the letters in both English and Chinese. In one letter titled “To Fellow Compatriots in the United States,” Xie directly addressed Chinese Americans and Chinese expats in the United States on behalf of the motherland, trying to invoke nationalistic or ethnic sentiment with phrases such as “blood is thicker than water.”
He called on the Chinese community in the United States to help the regime improve U.S.–Sino relations as defined by Xi Jinping, leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and to serve as “a bridge that connects the two countries” because that community has “a stake in China-U.S. relations.”
Kyiv Denies Involvement as Moscow Undergoes Second Drone Attack
Drones crashed into three residential buildings in Moscow in the early hours of May 30, according to the Russian authorities.
The attack failed to cause any casualties, although several apartment buildings sustained minor damage, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement.
Residents were briefly evacuated in the immediate wake of the incident, the mayor added.
According to Moscow transport officials, traffic in the vicinity has since come to a standstill while emergency services and other agencies conduct investigations.
Full-Commie: UK Labour Plans to Force Landowners to Sell Property to Govt at Cut-Rate Prices
The left-wing Labour Party is reportedly planning on forcing landowners to sell their land at cut-rate prices to force more home building.
In a return to form, the Labour Party is reportedly eyeing a socialist-style scheme they claim will alleviate the ‘housing crisis’ by using the long arm of the state to force the sale of privately-held land at lower-than-usual prices.
Former Biden Accuser Tara Reade Defects to RussiaTara Reade, the former Senate staffer to Joe Biden who accused him of sexual assault during the 2020 presidential election, has now defected to Russia.
Reade made her defection known in an interview with the pro-Vladimir Putin outlet Sputnik during a press conference.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Judge Declines to Sanction Kari Lake in Election Case
A judge issued a ruling denying sanctions requested by attorneys for Maricopa County against GOP candidate Kari Lake after her latest legal challenge was rejected.
Maricopa County officials were seeking penalties against Lake and her attorneys after a Maricopa County judge, Peter Thompson, rejected her case challenging signature-verification rules that were implemented by the county during last year’s midterm elections. While asking Thompson to determine the amount that should be sanctioned, the Maricopa lawyers also requested reimbursement of attorney fees and other costs connected to Lake’s challenge.
But Thompson denied the request for sanctions and the petition for reimbursement on May 26, coming days after County Attorney Rachel Mitchell filed a motion for sanctions last week. It came about a day after Thompson ruled that Lake did not prove her claim that county officials didn’t verify tens of thousands of signatures on mail-in ballots.
“Even if her argument did not prevail, Lake, through her witness, presented facts consistent with and in support of her legal argument,” Thompson wrote (pdf) Friday. “The remainder of Defendants’ allegations appear to rely on the Court’s inherent power as the authority by which they request the Court ‘award’ unspecified sanctions ‘against’ Lake’s counsel,” he added.
“The Court acknowledges its inherent authority to sanction bad faith attorney conduct and that the rules of attorney conduct in the Rules of the Supreme Court provide a legal basis for imposing sanctions against attorneys,” the judge wrote. But he stipulated that “opposing litigants in a heated dispute will naturally view the same evidence differently,” providing an argument for why Lake’s lawyers shouldn’t be sanctioned.
Report: Man Let Go by Gascón After Stabbing Construction Worker Arrested for Murder
A man who avoided jail time, thanks to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, after stabbing a construction worker in 2020 over “noise” has now been arrested for allegedly murdering his upstairs neighbor.
L.A. County Gives Crack Pipes to Homeless to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths
Los Angeles County has begun distributing pipes used for smoking crack, methamphetamine, and opioids to the homeless population, hoping to discourage them from overdosing by injecting themselves with fentanyl.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the grim phenomenon Tuesday, which has divided homeless advocates:
By a line of ragged RVs slung along 78th Street in South Los Angeles, a seven-member team passes out glass pipes used for smoking opioids, crack and methamphetamine.
Part of the front line of Los Angeles County’s offensive against the deadly fentanyl epidemic, the group hands out other supplies: clean needles, sanitary wipes, fentanyl test strips and naloxone, medication that can reverse an overdose.
…
Fentanyl, which is laced in everything from weed to heroin and meth, was present in more than half of the nearly 1,500 overdose deaths of homeless people in 2020-21. In response, Los Angeles County this year increased its harm reduction budget from $5.4 million to $31.5 million. Most of the money covers staffing and programs; officials said that only a fraction of county funds — no state or federal money— goes to pipes.
2ND AMENDMENT
The Truth About Crime Rates From 18-20 Year Olds
John Lott, founder and CEO of the Crime Prevention Research Center, takes on a “fact” now being used by gun-control groups, and all the media members who repeat their “facts” without challenging them, that 18-20 year olds are particularly dangerous.
Gun-control groups, and politicians who want to ban and onerously restrict gun ownership, want people to believe that 18-20 year olds are particularly apt to commit crimes because they want to ban gun sales to this group; after all, if they can’t have complete gun bans, then they try for incremental steps in that direction.
Lott also, talks about the U.S. Supreme Court, where they stand on our freedom and what might happen as the justices on this court age.
Minnesota Goes for Gun Control
A Minnesota measure that will inflict unjust gun-control restrictions on the law-abiding citizens of the North Star State was recently signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz (D)
Senate File 2909, called the “Public Safety Omnibus Bill,” infringes on the constitutionally protected rights of gun owners, and not just their Second Amendment rights. The bill, which pro-Second Amendment politicians fought hard against in both the Minnesota House and Senate, includes a so-called “red-flag” law and institutes grossly misnamed “universal” background checks, among other provisions.
“There is a reason the Senate has stood firm for the Second Amendment for all of these years,” state Sen. Andrew Matthews (R) said of the gun-control provisions being tossed into the public safety bill. “And, the new majority that has come in, without even the decency to give this a standalone vote, has tried to tuck it into a 500-page omnibus bill at the 11th hour on short notice.”
Walz had previously expressed support for both schemes prior to signing.
“As a veteran, gun-owner, hunter, and dad, I know that basic gun safety isn’t a threat to the Second Amendment. It’s about our first responsibility to our kids: Keeping them safe. When the bill reaches my desk, I’m going to sign a red flag law and background checks into law,” tweeted Walz.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Ex-Lululemon Employees Say They Were Fired for Calling Police on Looters
Two former Lululemon employees in Georgia say they were fired for allegedly breaking company policy when they called the police to report a robbery at their store earlier this month.
Jennifer Ferguson, a former assistant manager at a Lululemon store in Peachtree Corners, and one of her employees, Rachel Rogers, told local outlets they reached out to local authorities after a group of robbers came to the store.
The thieves have reportedly looted the location multiple times in previous months. The latest robbery was recorded by Rogers, 23.
Video of the incident shows masked thieves burst into the Peachtree Corners store in metro Atlanta earlier this month, grabbing as many items as possible before being confronted by Ferguson.
“No, no, no, you can march back out,” Ferguson can be heard telling the thieves.
At one point in the video, the thieves seemed to pause and consider the employee’s demand before re-entering the store and grabbing more items.
“Seriously? Get out,” Ferguson can be heard saying to the robbers.
The employees then record the thieves as they exit the store and enter a waiting car to escape. The duo made no effort to physically prevent the thieves from stealing items or leaving the store.
Following this, the women reported the robbery to the Gwinnett Police Department, who later tracked down the thieves and charged them with felony robbery.
“We didn’t really feel very protected or know what else to do,” Rogers, 23, told local TV station 11Alive.
“We are not supposed to get in the way,” Ferguson told the outlet. “You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do,” Ferguson said of the store’s policy. “And then, after it’s over, you scan a QR code. And that’s that. We’ve been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. We’re not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.”
Both women were questioned by a regional manager over their decision to call the police and were later fired for their actions due to the company’s “zero tolerance policy” regarding the incident, 11Alive reported.
It comes as stores nationwide experience a sharp rise in crime and some major retailers have been forced to shut down shops due to rampant theft causing millions of dollars in losses to the businesses.
The nation’s biggest tech conglomerates continued hiring foreign workers through the H-1B visa program, even as they carried out mass layoffs of American employees, investigative reporter Lee Fang details.
Since the start of the year, hundreds of thousands of Americans in tech jobs have been laid off, with about 12,000 cut at Google, 10,000 out at Microsoft, close to 20,000 laid off at Amazon, and 10,000 cut from Meta Platforms which owns Facebook and Instagram.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Musk Goes To China, Plans Tesla Expansion, Parlays Against “Decoupling”
According to an official government statement, Elon Musk told Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing that Tesla opposes “decoupling” and is willing to invest more in China.
Here are the highlights of the meeting (courtesy of Bloomberg):
- Qin told Musk that China’s market for new energy vehicles has broad prospects for development, and the country is committed to developing a business environment for companies from various countries
- Qin, referring to China-US ties, said it’s important to “get the steering wheel right” and “step on the brakes” in time to avoid “dangerous driving”
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush, shared his thoughts on Musk’s first visit to China in three years. He said the visit comes amid a worsening EV price war and stressed the importance for Tesla to capture a greater market share in China versus domestic competitors.
“Playing nice in the sandbox in Beijing is something the Street is laser-focused on to make sure there are no disruptions to Tesla’s expansion,” Ives wrote in the note.
While many other Western companies are rejiggering supply chains out of China, Musk appears to be doing the opposite.
Experts Ramp Up Warnings: AI Now Poses “Extinction Risk” To Humanity
Global leaders should be working to reduce “the risk of extinction” from artificial intelligence technology, a group of industry chiefs and experts warned on Tuesday.
A one-line statement signed by dozens of specialists, including Sam Altman whose firm OpenAI created the ChatGPT bot, said tackling the risks from AI should be “a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war”.
ChatGPT burst into the spotlight late last year, demonstrating an ability to generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts — and sparking billions of dollars of investment into the field.
But critics and insiders have raised the alarm over everything from biased algorithms to the possibility of massive job losses as AI-powered automation seeps into daily life.
The latest statement, housed on the website of US-based non-profit Center for AI Safety, gave no detail of the potential existential threat posed by AI.
But several of the signatories, including Geoffrey Hinton, who created some of the technology underlying AI systems and is known as the father of the industry, have made similar warnings in the past.
Their biggest worry has been the idea of so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI) — a loosely defined concept for a moment when machines become capable of performing wide-ranging functions and can develop their own programming.
The fear is that humans would no longer have control, which experts have warned could have disastrous consequences for the species.
Dozens of academics and specialists from companies including Google and Microsoft signed the latest letter, which comes two months after billionaire Elon Musk and others called for a pause in the development of such technology until it could be shown to be safe.
How ChatGPT and other AI platforms could dramatically reshape the legal industry
In November, when artificial intelligence research firm OpenAI launched its new chatbot, ChatGPT, it stirred both anxiety and awe. Type a prompt into a chatbox, such as, “How can you make lawyers’ lives easier?” “Will you take my job?” or even, “Write me lyrics about John Roberts in the style of Kendrick Lamar,” and ChatGPT can answer in seconds.
Built on OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 language model and trained on a massive—if dated and limited—dataset, ChatGPT quickly captured the world’s imagination and claimed 100 million active monthly users by January, according to a study by investment bank UBS.
People have quickly discovered the platform can churn out persuasive and eloquent copy that would take a human hours, days, months or even years to write, including drafts of emails, legal briefs, essays and books.
ChatGPT represents a dizzying leap in the capabilities of generative AI, which can create original content based on the dataset the technology draws upon. But while some in the industry are exploring its potential to aid in legal research, contract review, communications and litigation strategy, there is plenty of hand-wringing about how it could make lawyers obsolete.
Suffolk Law School Dean Andrew Perlman used ChatGPT to help write a 24-page law article, draft a U.S. Supreme Court brief on same-sex marriage, craft deposition questions and work on a real estate contract. Though the tech is flawed, and OpenAI says it may produce inaccurate and biased responses, Perlman predicts the technology will touch all facets of law practice.
LexisNexis announces new generative artificial intelligence platform
Legal research company LexisNexis became the latest adopter of generative artificial intelligence in the legal industry Thursday by rolling out a new platform for case research and document drafting.
The new software, called Lexis+ AI, boasts a simple interface and user experience that mirrors OpenAI’s popular platform ChatGPT.
Jeff Pfeifer, the chief product officer for LexisNexis in the United Kingdom and North America, says the new platform is built on multiple large language models, including GPT.
Like ChatGPT, the AI responds in a matter of seconds to prompts and can draft summaries, legal documents and communications. The platform also provides citations, including relevant caselaw, authorities and guidance, and allows users to copy and save generated text entries into separate folders.
Lexis+ AI was trained on a data set that includes LexisNexis’ database, according to a May 4 news release. To develop the platform, the company said it is drawing on feedback from Am Law 50 firms, including Baker McKenzie, Reed Smith and Foley & Lardner.
Thomson Reuters partners with Microsoft for generative AI push
Thomson Reuters said Tuesday it had partnered with Microsoft to create a contract drafting plug-in for Word powered by artificial intelligence and plans to roll out generative AI integration for its suite of legal products, including Westlaw Precision, later this year.
The company plans to invest $100 million annually in generative AI. It said the new plug-in will initially work with Word in Microsoft 365 Copilot, the AI assistant feature for Microsoft 365, but will eventually feature in other apps in the suite.
In a videoconference with journalists, David Wong, the chief product officer at Thomson Reuters, said the integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot and planned updates to Thomson Reuters’ suite of products, including Westlaw Precision, Practical Law and Legal Document Review and Summary, “aligns to our vision on generative AI that it has to be about improving the efficiency, as well as the delivery of work.”
“We hope lawyers will ultimately see dramatic time savings in some of the most routine parts of their work but also ultimately better work product,” Wong said.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Conspirators for the Constitution: When Anti-Government Speech Becomes Sedition
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”— George Orwell
Let’s be clear about one thing: seditious conspiracy isn’t a real crime to anyone but the U.S. government.
To be convicted of seditious conspiracy, the charge levied against Stewart Rhodes who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for being the driving force behind the January 6 Capitol riots, one doesn’t have to engage in violence against the government, vandalize government property, or even trespass on property that the government has declared off-limits to the general public.
To be convicted of seditious conspiracy, one need only foment a revolution.
This is not about whether Rhodes deserves such a hefty sentence.
This is about the long-term ramifications of empowering the government to wage war on individuals whose political ideas and expression challenge the government’s power, reveal the government’s corruption, expose the government’s lies, and encourage the citizenry to push back against the government’s many injustices.
This is about criminalizing political expression in thoughts, words and deeds.
This is about how the government has used the events of Jan. 6 in order to justify further power grabs and acquire more authoritarian emergency powers.
This was never about so-called threats to democracy.
Google — One of the Largest Monopolies in the World
Google monopolizes several different markets, including search and advertising. Bing, its closest web search competitor, has just 2% of the market; Google has 90%
Google also controls 60% of the global advertising revenue on the internet. One of the primary reasons smaller advertisers cannot compete is because they don’t have the user data Google has
While not the sole threat to privacy, Google is one of the greatest. It catches every single thing you do online when using a Google-based feature, and builds powerful personality profiles of all users
Evidence suggests Google’s Android operating system circumvents a customer’s decision not to share location data by tracking the addresses of nearby cellular towers instead, and sharing that information with Google
Monopolies like Google pose a serious threat to democracy and basic liberties. Take back control by boycotting Google-based services, including Gmail, Google search engines, Google Docs and Chrome
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
‘Do Not Drive’ Alert: Millions of Dangerous Vehicles Currently on the Roadways
Automotive website Carfax sent out an alert that shows that about 2.5 million vehicles across the United States are subject to urgent recalls that have not yet been fixed.
In the bulletin, released on May 17, Carfax said that those vehicles are currently subject to “do not drive” and “park outside” safety recalls. About 10 states have more than 70,000 vehicles each driving on their roads, with California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania leading the way.
“All recalls need to be taken seriously, but these two types are more time-sensitive than most because they urge owners to either not operate their vehicle, or to park away from any structure to avoid a fire. There have been serious consequences from some of the problems that these vehicles are being recalled for,” said Carfax on its website.
Meanwhile, Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief for Carfax, noted that many of the urgent recalls were issued more than a decade ago by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA). In elaborating, he told 11ABC last week that a “park outside” notice means that a vehicle has an elevated risk of causing a structure fire.
“The fire risk is so great that not only do they not want you to park it inside the garage, they don’t want you to park it next to the garage. If you can park it, park it away from any structure,” Olsen said.
Report: L.A. Considers Charging Drivers to Use Freeways
Los Angeles County is finalizing plans for a pilot project in congestion pricing that could see drivers charged an additional fee to use certain high-frequency routes on freeways, in a bid to reduce traffic in the congested city.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected by the summer to release a long-awaited study that will offer a blueprint for a congestion pricing scheme similar to ones in cities such as London, Stockholm and Singapore, where commuters pay to drive in city centers.
The transit agency has zeroed in on three locations for a possible test program: a nearly 16-mile stretch of the 10 Freeway between downtown and Santa Monica, arterial streets and freeways around downtown and the canyon streets and freeways that connect the San Fernando Valley to the L.A. Basin.
As Breitbart News reported in 2017, Los Angeles is considered to have the worst traffic in the world, though drivers in other cities s
Hidden Impact of Massive Solar Farms: Residents and Wildlife Affected, Aquifers Threatened
California’s deserts are transforming into a sea of solar panels, as the state seeks to reach ambitious renewable energy goals. But a growing group of residents and environmentalists say the move is coming at a significant price to wildlife, nearby residents’ health, native lands, and even property values.
With 776 solar power plants producing approximately 17 percent of the state’s electricity, the Golden State is awash with bright silver and blue panels dotting hundreds of thousands of acres.
Millions of panels have been installed east of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert over the last five years, changing the look of the landscape in the process, and bringing with it a new set of challenges for nearby residents, according to experts.
Dustin Mulvaney, a professor of environmental studies at San Jose State University said he is concerned about their impact on public land, including damage to ecosystems and soil and high water demand.
“There is potential concern for groundwater depletion,” Mulvaney told The Epoch Times.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Even though this article is from October of 2022, it merits current revisiting …
USDA Now Asking People to Register Their Vegetable Gardens for National Database
HEALTH
The dark side of CPR: Why doctors say that it could do more harm than good
The world’s most famous life-saving rescue technique could be worse than death in many cases, according to a new report.
Administering CPR — or cardiopulmonary resuscitation — to a cardiac arrest sufferer might seem like a no-brainer. However, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation could paradoxically cause more harm than good, according to a disturbing new NPR investigation.
“The bad experiences far outnumber the good ones, unfortunately,” Holland Kaplan, a physician and bioethicist, told the outlet about the so-called dark side of CPR.
Not only is this revival method not as successful as portrayed on countless televised medical dramas — but it can leave many patients with lasting physical and cognitive impairments.
In actuality, this so-called time-honored technique has long caused a host of complications, including “fractured or cracked ribs,” pulmonary hemorrhage, liver lacerations and broken sternums and most, frighteningly, brain damage, per a 1961 Johns Hopkins Study.
Disinfectant Wipes Are Linked to Health Problems
Quaternary ammonium compounds are also referred to as “QACs” or “quats.” They are a popular ingredient in disinfectant wipes, which Clorox increased production of to 1.5 million packs per day during the pandemic
One survey suggests 83% of households asked used disinfectant wipes at least one time in the previous week and 29% claimed to use them every day. Researchers found that the chemicals contribute to antimicrobial resistance, pollute the environment and are linked to several health issues
Serum concentrations of QACs rose from 2019 to 2020 in a sample of 111 participants; although school systems began using wipes to clean student desks after the return to school, the National Pesticide Information Center warns that children should not use disinfectant wipes due to exposure to toxins
A 2017 animal study revealed exposure to quats could have transgenerational effects in animals that were not exposed to the quats. Animals have also exhibited reproductive dysfunction after respiratory and contact exposure to QACs
A clean and decluttered home is a sanctuary from the outside world, but when you use harsh chemicals and rubber gloves to get the job done, you’re likely doing more harm than good. Instead, choose nontoxic and multiuse combinations to clean, deodorize and polish your home
Nutritionists Love To Use This Stealthy Seed To Sneak More Fiber Into Meals
If you’ve ever seen a field of flax, you’d probably never guess that at the base of these pretty, purple-flowered plants lie some of the world’s most nutritious seeds.
Flaxseeds are well known for their sky-high level of alpha-linoleic (ALA) omega-3 fatty acids, ample antioxidants, and sizable protein and fiber content. Plus, their mild taste and thick texture when ground makes for a pleasant heft in smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, and more. Here’s a deep dive into some of the top benefits of flaxseeds and how to plant more of them into your diet.
Flaxseed benefits
Flaxseed and its oil are popular as both whole foods and supplements for their various health benefits. Here’s a look at several that have evidence to back them up.
1.Flaxseed is beneficial for heart health
Heart health is where flaxseeds display their greatest potential. They’re one of the richest plant sources2 of the omega-3 ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), explains nutritionist Allison Gross, MS, RDN, CDN. “Omega-3 fats have been shown to improve heart health by lowering bad cholesterol3 (LDL), raising good cholesterol4 (HDL), reducing the risk of heart arrhythmias5 (irregular heartbeat); and slowing arterial plaque build-up6, which in turn reduces the risk for heart attack and stroke,” Gross notes.
2.They may support women’s health
Flaxseed may also offer benefits for women’s health. “Some research shows that the phytoestrogens in flaxseeds, called lignans, are great for women’s health because they may lower the risk of breast cancer8 in women and may even reduce tumor growth in breast cancer patients,” says Gross. “This is because the lignans act as estrogen in the body.”
3.They may have skin and hair benefits
The internet is teeming with information on flaxseeds’ benefits for skin and hair—but does reality match the hype? Sort of. Though there are no human clinical trials on flaxseeds’ impact on hair or skin, animal studies are promising.
4.They’re great for digestive health
Flaxseed meal is loaded with gut-boosting fiber at almost 2 grams per tablespoon. Desiree Nielsen, RD, the author of Eat More Plants, points out that the powder contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, each of which has benefits for digestive health.
- They could support weight loss
Between their ample fiber content and their small dose of protein, flaxseeds have plenty to offer for weight management. A 2017 meta-analysis in Obesity Reviews found that people who regularly supplemented with flaxseed had significant reductions in body weight and waist circumference.
COVID RELATED NEWS
Green Monkey DNA Found in COVID-19 Shots
Microbiologist Kevin McKernan — a former researcher and team leader for the MIT Human Genome project — has discovered massive DNA contamination in the mRNA COVID shots, including simian virus 40 (SV40) promoters
SV40 has been linked to cancer in humans, including mesotheliomas, lymphomas and cancers of the brain and bone. In 2002, the Lancet published evidence linking polio vaccines contaminated with SV40 to Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. According to the authors, the vaccine may be responsible for up to 50% of the 55,000 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases diagnosed each year
The level of contamination varies depending on the platform used to measure it, but no matter which method is used, the level of DNA contamination is significantly higher than the regulatory limits in both Europe and the U.S. The highest level of DNA contamination found was 30%
The finding of DNA means the mRNA COVID shots may have the ability to alter the human genome
Even if genetic modification does not occur, the fact that you’re getting foreign DNA into your cells poses a risk in and of itself. Partial expression could occur, or it might interfere with other transcription translations that are already in the cell. Cytoplasmic transfection can also allow for genetic manipulation, as the nucleus disassembles and exchanges cellular components with the cytosol during cell division
Texas Attorney General to investigate Big Pharma for COVID jab fraud
If Volney Howard, the inaugural holder of the Lone Star state’s Attorney General post, were alive today, he would be shocked to see what has become of the United States. Hope springs eternal in Ken Paxton, the current Texas Attorney General. Paxton is doing his part to serve justice by launching an investigation of Big Pharma for COVID-19 jab fraud.
Paxton, the state’s chief legal officer, is determined to quantify exactly how much the head honchos at Big Pharma are making from the pandemic. So let’s take a closer look at Paxton’s profile in courage and delve into why his legal action is so important.
It is time for Big Pharma executives to justify their egregious jab profits
The financial compensation paid to Big Pharma executives has been lost in the shuffle of the pandemic. To say it is discomforting that executives like Moderna’s head, Stephane Bancel, raked in $400 million of annual compensation in addition to owning nearly $3 billion of shares in the enterprise would be an understatement.
Factor in the head of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, making an annual salary of $33 million after selling millions of dollars worth of company stock in one year alone, and you have quite the awkward situation. Sadly, too many people tend to overlook this egregious money grab and buy into the mainstream media’s narrative of Big Pharma serving as “rational, logical, and benevolent” actors that advance the collective of society.
Texas is doing its part to uphold justice and protect individual liberty
As usual, Texas is bucking the trend, choosing to pursue justice through an in-depth investigation of Big Pharma companies for jab fraud that has led to widespread injury and death. If Paxton’s investigation reveals what truthtellers have known for years, we will finally have proof that the Big Pharma jab is unsafe and ineffective.
It is also possible that the investigation will reveal that Big Pharma altered injection trial data to fast-track jabs to the market.
CANCEL CULTURE
LGBTQ Radicals Send Target Bomb Threats After Pride Month Merchandise Pullback
LGBTQ radicals reportedly deluged Target with bomb threats in retaliation to the retail giant pulling back on some of its Pride Month merchandise after significant backlash.
The bomb threats were allegedly made against several Target stores in at least three states: Utah, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. An email to one Cleveland store that Cleveland 19 News reviewed indicated that radical LGBTQ activists may have been behind the threats.
Chick-fil-A’s DEI leader sparks calls for boycott
News of Chick-fil-A having vice president of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) has some conservative groups calling for a boycott. The fast food giant has been a favorite among many over the years, due in large part to its religious roots and sporadic financial support of anti-LGBTQ organizations, but a previous announcement of Erick McReynolds, VP, DEI, who has been with the company’s DEI segment since 2020, has some claiming the company has “gone woke.”
It’s unclear why news of Chick-fil-A’s previous DEI initiatives took off on social media Tuesday, though it may possibly be due to several viral posts.
Nolte: The CNN of Beers — Bud Light Sales Crash 30% Week of May 20
Two months into the Bud Light transvestite debacle and sales are worsening with a staggering drop of 29.5 percent for the week ending May 20.
Everyone assumed time would heal Bud Light’s public relations debacle. Eventually, it was assumed, beer drinkers would get over their anger at Anheuser-Busch for “partnering” with Dylan Mulvaney, a guy who runs around in a dress mocking women. All Bud Light had to do was wait it out, right? After all, it’s not easy to get someone to change their brand, especially their beer brand, right?
Bud Light Donates $200,000 to Support LGBTQ+ Businesses amid Boycott
Bud Light announced a $200,000 donation to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) on Tuesday as the company suffers from declining sales amid a boycott over the company’s partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
Conservative activists launched a Bud Light boycott on April 1 after Mulvaney shared a video to social media showing off a Bud Light can that bore his likeness and claimed, “this month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood.”
Watch: Disneyland Video Shows Male Employee Dressed in Drag and Greeting Children
A TikTok video that appears to show a male Disneyland employee dressed in drag and greeting children has gone viral, attracting millions of views since being posted earlier this week.
The video shows a man who calls himself “Nick” welcoming children to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique allows young girls to live out their fantasies by glamming them up as Disney princesses.
PetSmart Latest Company to Face Outrage Over LGBT Pride Promotion
PetSmart has become the latest brand name to face online backlash over the promotion of LGBT-themed merchandise, as social media users continue to call for the pet supplies superstore to be added to a boycott list that already includes Target and Bud Light.
The company came under fire on social media because of its new “You Are Loved” collection—launched days before the start of Pride Month in June—which features rainbow-colored clothes, toys, and other items like dog bandanas, cat harnesses, aquarium ornaments, and reptile capes emblazoned with the words “pride vibes.”
“PetSmart is celebrating Pride Month with the all-new 2023 You Are Loved collection of Pride themed clothing, toys and accessories for pets of multiple species,” the company said in early May, noting that this product line has been around since 2019.
“The proprietary collection was created in partnership with the associate resource group, PetSmart PRIDE AT WORK, and is a representation of the company’s commitment to supporting associates and community members of all orientations, gender identities and expressions,” it added.
The company’s marketing campaign doesn’t appear to be well-received among many conservative customers, who posted images and videos from PetSmart stores to Twitter along with calls on like-minded Americans to take their money elsewhere.
California Mom Reclaims Young Daughter From Clutches of Trans Agenda in Middle School—Here’s How
No white knight would be riding in to rescue their kids—they were it. California mom Erin Friday, 56, found out she was it for her then 11-year-old daughter. It started innocently enough: just a few boyish-sounding nicknames and a couple of extra letters from the alphabet. But innocent it was not.
A Poison Seed in Middle School Sex Ed
So, this curious culture began bearing its strange and noxious fruit. It became cool to have a label. As one girl identified as pansexual, another called herself polyamorous (open to multiple partners), nonsensically. “Half her Girl Scout troupe came out as transgender,” Friday said. Out came the breast binders. Girly voices suspiciously dropped low overnight.
“My daughter picked ‘pansexual.’ She was 11. There’s nothing sexual about my 11-year-old daughter,” Friday said. “A couple picked ‘lesbian,’ but nobody picked ‘straight’—I guess in their terminology ‘cis’—because that’s boring; it’s like picking vanilla ice cream.” In a humorous caveat, Friday noted how they oddly kept watching “Twilight” to fawn over their hunky vampirical heart throbs—little girls that they were.
Yet momma bear was incensed, feeling betrayed by those at Central Middle School, in San Carlos, whom she trusted: her daughter’s teachers. Friday knew most of them by name, as she often volunteered there. They sometimes went for drinks together.
PET NEWS
Pet Food Warnings: FDA Issues Health Warning Letter About Contaminated Pet Foods
Dogs in America are facing a health crisis. Dedicated pet owners are being misled by big pet food manufacturers, and their pets are paying the price. The Food and Drug Administration has issued pet food warnings after a string of pet food recalls, citing dangerous ingredients and bacterial contamination in pet foods, such as elevated levels of aflatoxin and traces of salmonella, which can both be a hazard for pet health.,,,,, This lack of quality standards puts hundreds of pets at risk of experiencing loss of appetite, digestive problems, bad breath, and other adverse health consequences, whether they’re eating dry dog food, raw food, or wet food.
In a time when some of the biggest companies in the pet food market have issued pet food wide recalls for serious pet illnesses, deciding on a pet food goes far beyond just keeping dogs satisfied and satiated, and becomes about a pet’s day-to-day well-being and happiness.
Unfortunately, bacterial contaminations in pet foods are not the only potential hazard to canine health. Here are a few common, and little-known, problems with many dog foods on the market today. This information can help any pet parent steer clear of low-quality pet foods, and find top-tier, nutritious foods for their beloved companions.
The Little-Known Dangers of Dry Dog Foods
Unfortunately, one of the most popular types of dog food also tends to be the worst for canine health: Kibble. These dog foods are cooked at high temperatures which can create compounds called AGE’s — or advanced glycation end products. These by-products have been linked to pet illnesses and diseases including diabetes and neurological disorders. Again, since AGE’s are a by-product of high-heat cooking, they cannot be spotted on a label. Instead, it’s up to pet parents to know that many kibble dog foods that are cooked in this manner may be at risk of containing AGE’s.
Even kibble foods marked “premium” or “natural” could be hazardous to pet health. Many of these dog foods are filled with cheap fillers like grains and corn, which can contribute to unhealthy weight gain and skin irritation. It’s often a red flag if these ingredients are listed towards the top of the ingredients list on a dog food label.
Kibble may also contain artificial preservatives, such as BHA and ethoxyquin, which have been linked to signs of premature aging and other diseases in dogs. The good news is, any dog food that contains these artificial preservatives must display a disclaimer on the dog food bag, so these are easy to avoid. Just keep an eye out for a black and white box disclosing the use of ethoxyquin or BHA as preservatives.
How can pet parents find quality, nutritious food for their pets?
For a pet owner, choosing pet foods is now one of the single most important decisions they can make. In times like these, pet owners are turning to a trusted pillar in the pet health community for guidance, advice, and a safe solution — renowned veterinarian, Dr. Gary Richter.
GOOD NEWS
FHRC Open House! June 24th, 2023 ( The 2 Citizens Mom’s will be joining this coming Friday at 7:30 am CDT to announce their new foundation!)
ICYMI
IN-DEPTH: How Flipping Colorado Blue Has Become Democrats’ Blueprint for the Rest of US
Colorado’s legislative session is 120 days long, and lawmakers introduced 617 bills during the 2023 session. Of those, 218 passed and have been signed into law by Democrat Gov. Jared Polis. More are waiting to be signed.
Democrats have a historic majority in the Colorado House, a supermajority in the Senate, and control the governorship. As such, all of those bills passed with Democrat support—and more often than not, over Republicans’ vehement objections. It’s a marked change from 2002, when the GOP dominated politics in Colorado.
Republican state Rep. Stephanie Luck is one of a handful of Colorado representatives fighting back and trying to expose what she describes as Democrats’ Marxist agenda, in which individual rights don’t matter and the government controls every aspect of life.
“When I first got elected and sworn into office in 2021, Governor Polis gave his State of the State address shortly thereafter and stated that it was his goal and the goal of his Democratic majority to fundamentally transform Colorado,” Luck told The Epoch Times.
“So, the question becomes, what was the initial foundation they want to transform? And I would point us to the mission statement of the United States, which is the Declaration of Independence.
“And basically, we could go word by word in that most famous phrase starting with ‘We hold these truths.’ We can start with the word ‘We’ and demonstrate how they want not a ‘We,’ not a unified whole, not one nation, but different tribes, different groupings, different identities, and then just go every single word and recognize that they really are advancing the opposite of that mission statement.
“And that is what Governor Polis and the Democrats have been doing in Colorado.”
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