April 20, 2024

The Power Hour

Knowledge is Power

Today’s News: November 09, 2022

WORLD NEWS

Will US Imperialism Intentionally Create Another World War?

For more than a century, the United States has meddled in the affairs of other countries against the wishes of the very populations we claim to have “rescued”

Between 1946 and 2000, the U.S. interfered in more than 80 foreign elections. Repeatedly, the U.S. has orchestrated coups to remove democratically elected leaders — all in the name of “defending democracy”

Hawaii, Cuba, Philippines, Nicaragua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Guatemala, Indonesia, Congo, Iraq and Honduras are just a few examples of countries that have been victims of American imperialism

America’s meddling in foreign elections has long been rationalized as being done “for a good cause,” but can a nation that claims to value democratic processes undermine those very processes in other countries and call it defense of democracy?

The U.S. is still flexing its imperialist muscles, this time by seeking to escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine into another world war and, potentially, a nuclear exchange

Europe braces for new refugee crisis

Local officials are stocking up supplies for people fleeing energy-strapped Ukraine

Eastern European countries are girding for a new influx of Ukrainian refugees this winter, with Slovakia anticipating that hundreds of thousands people may arrive in the country in the coming months due to low temperatures and hostilities in Ukraine, 

Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing local officials.

A Slovak government contingency plan envisages that about 700,000 refugees may pour into the country this winter, the report says.

“A large number of (Ukraine’s) internally displaced people are currently temporarily housed in conditions that are not suitable for the winter,” the document reads, according to Reuters, adding that the “further escalation of the conflict is also a risk.”

Moreover, European nations are said to be opening reception centers and stocking up products to get ready for a new refugee crisis.

Russia orders troop withdrawal from Ukraine’s Kherson city

Russia has ordered its forces to withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Kherson, the only regional capital seized by the Russian army since it invaded Ukraine in late February.

State media reported on Wednesday that Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu had ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnieper River and set up defences on the eastern flank.

Basketball player Brittney Griner moved to Russian penal colony

Russian penal colonies are known for their harsh conditions, as prisoners are forced to work.

Nurses across UK vote to go on strike for first time in dispute over pay

NHS braces for prolonged period of industrial action by health workers over the winter and into next year

Nurses have voted to stage strikes across the UK for the first time in their history in pursuit of a better pay deal, in a move that will seriously disrupt NHS care.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced on Wednesday that nurses at many, but not all, hospitals and other places of NHS care would take industrial action before Christmas and could continue striking until next May.

U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Pentagon Expects Congress to Provide Wartime Purchasing Power

Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, said that he expects Congress to grant the authority to allow wartime purchasing power at a level not seen since the Cold War, Defense News reported on Monday.

To continue arming Ukraine, LaPlante has been calling for the Pentagon to be granted the authority to lock in multiyear contracts for weapons purchases, which are typically reserved for procuring naval vessels and warplanes. The idea is to get arms makers the incentive to ramp up production.

The Senate has added an amendment to its version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to grant the authority. It would allow the Pentagon to make multiyear purchases through 2023 and 2024 of certain arms made by Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, and Raytheon, the former employer of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Maricopa County Confirms Tabulators Are Malfunctioning on Election Day

Authorities in Maricopa County, Arizona, confirmed Tuesday morning at a news conference that around 20 percent of the vote centers in the county are experiencing issues. At around 4 p.m. ET, Maricopa officials said they have “identified a solution to the tabulation issues” at dozens of polling locations, blaming “printer settings.”

“In about 20 percent of the vote centers …  when people will go and try to run the ballot through this tabulator, maybe one out of every five or so, of those ballots are not going through,” said Maricopa Board of Supervisors Chair Bill Gates. “It’s not like both of the tabulators in these 20 percent of locations are having these issues. It might only be one.”

Arizona County Cannot Hand Count All Ballots, Judge Rules Ahead of Midterms

County officials are not allowed to order a full hand count of ballots cast in the 2022 midterm elections, a judge ruled on Nov. 7.

Two members of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors recently approved a plan for a “100 percent county wide audit” of the election, saying the hand count would “enhance voter confidence.”

They were sued by the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, a nonprofit that said the plan violated state law governing hand counts.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Casey McGinley agreed, ruling that A.R.S. §16-602 does not permit an election official to conduct a hand count of manual audit “starting with and consisting solely of 100% of the ballots cast in an election, rather than by using the increments of ballots established by statute.”

Maricopa County: Blake Masters, Kari Lake, RNC sue after ‘hiccups’ at Arizona voting locations

GOP lawsuit alleges ‘hiccups’ decreased voters’ opportunity to cast ballots; ask polls to remain open until 10 pm on Election Day

The campaigns for Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters and the Republican National Committee are suing Maricopa County, Arizona, over issues with voting tabulation machines.

The GOP lawsuit seeks to keep polls open until 10 p.m. MT in the county. It also asks the state court to “instruct the inspector at every polling location that voters whom the e-pollbook have recorded as having previously voted in this election must be permitted to complete and cast a provisional ballot.”

Illinois County Clerk Reports Cyber Attacks on Servers, Voters Asked to ‘Stay in Line’

Authorities in Champaign County, Illinois, said Tuesday that a cyberattack is affecting server performance during the 2022 midterm elections.

The Champaign County Clerk’s Office said it is “is aware of connectivity issues and computer server performance being impacted. The Clerk’s Office believes these are due to cyber-attacks on the network and servers,” according to a statement posted on social media on Tuesday afternoon.

The office said its websites have been subject to distributed denial-of-service, or DDOS, attacks for the past month.

“Fortunately the reinforced security and response from the Clerk’s IT team has prevented these attacks from being successful and the Clerk’s website has remained secured,” it said. “No data or information has been compromised and the election is secure.”

Such “cyber-attacks are a strategic and coordinated effort to undermine and destabilize our democratic process. The intent is to discourage you from voting,” the office warned. “Please do not fall victim to this. The Clerk’s Office is committed to ensuring every eligible voter in Champaign County has access to a fair, free, and accessible election.”

Officials then called on voters to “please stay in line.”

Florida Rejects DOJ Plan to Place Monitors Inside Voting Locations

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) workers are not allowed inside polling locations, a Florida official has told the agency.

Brad McVay, general counsel for the Florida Department of State, told DOJ election official John Russ that Florida law does not permit DOJ monitors to be stationed inside of polling places after the DOJ announced it would monitor compliance with federal voting laws in three Florida counties.

“Earlier today, the Florida Department of State received copies of your letters to Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in which you seem to indicate that the Department of Justice will send monitors inside polling places in these counties. We also understand you sent a similar letter to Palm Beach County,” McVay wrote in a letter.

“But Department of Justice monitors are not permitted under Florida law.”

Florida law lists people who can enter a polling room or place and DOJ personnel “are not included on the list,” McVay said.

Ron DeSantis Victory Speech: Florida Has ‘Rewritten the Political Map’

Florida has “rewritten the political map,” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said during his victory speech Tuesday evening, telling supporters he has “only begun to fight.”

DeSantis celebrated his overwhelming victory in the Sunshine State after defeating Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) handily. With 91 percent of the votes in, DeSantis led Crist by over one million votes.

Philadelphia Imposes Last-Minute Change to How Votes Are Counted

Officials in Pennsylvania’s most populous city imposed last-minute changes on Nov. 8 to ballot processing that could delay the vote count.

In a 2–1 vote during a special meeting, the Philadelphia city commissioners decided to amend how ballots are processed.

The change focuses on reconciliation, or reviewing absentee ballots and in-person votes to make sure people don’t cast duplicate votes.

Facing pressure from a lawsuit, Commissioners Lisa Deeley, a Democrat, and Seth Bluestein, a Republican, voted to have reconciliation take place for ballots cast in the midterm elections.

“I want to make very clear that when there are conversations that occur later this evening about whether or not Philadelphia has counted all of their ballots, that the reason that some ballots will not be counted, it’s because Republican attorneys targeted Philadelphia—and only Philadelphia—trying to force us to do a procedure that no other county does,” Bluestein said before the vote. “And while we technically won the court case in Common Pleas Court, the opinion that was written was written in a way that we have no other choice but to go forward and reinstate reconciliation.”

Commissioner Omar Sabin, a Democrat, voted against reinstating the procedure.

Army Combat Veteran Cory Mills Flips Blue Seat to Red in Florida’s 7th Congressional District

Mills defeated Green in Florida’s 7th congressional district, flipping what was Democrat Rep. Stephanie Murphy’s old seat from blue to red.

Eric Schmitt Defeats Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine in Missouri U.S. Senate Race

Eric Schmitt will be the Missouri’s next U.S. Senator after winning against Democrat Trudy Busch on Tuesday night, AP projected. 

Ted Budd Wins Against Democrat Cheri Beasley in North Carolina U.S. Senate Race

Trump-endorsed Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) is victorious against Democrat Cheri Beasley in the North Carolina U.S. Senate race, NBC News projects.

Kristi Noem Wins South Dakota Gubernatorial Race

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Tuesday emerged the victor of her state’s gubernatorial election against Democrat opponent Jamie Smith.

Texas Gov. Abbott Thanks Voters for Big Reelection Victory: ‘Now It’s Time to Go to Work’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) promised to continue working hard for voters, who gave him a resounding victory on Tuesday.

New evidence: Ex-partner to expose Biden family’s China deals

The man who says he was vetted by Joe Biden himself when the family hired him to help craft a deal with an energy firm controlled by the Chinese Communist Party is prepared to testify to Congress with never-before-seen evidence.

Tony Bobulinski, according to sources who spoke to DailyMail.com, says he has thousands of recordings, messages, photos and emails related to the deal with CEFC China Energy that could expose alleged criminal activity by the Bidens.

McCarthy Declares GOP Victory in House; Pelosi Not Conceding Yet

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has declared that Republicans will take back the House of Representatives.

A GOP takeover of the House would likely mean that McCarthy will become the speaker of the House for the 118th Congress.

“I want to thank the millions of supporters across this country,” McCarthy said on Nov. 9. “It is clear we are going to take the House back.”

At the time of publication, the Associated Press has called winners in 371 of the 435 House seats up for grabs. This includes 199 Republicans and 172 Democrats.

Nevada Races Too Close to Call After Biggest Counties Quit Counting Votes

—Tossup races for the U.S. Senate, three House seats, and the governor’s office are too close to call in Nevada, especially after the state’s two largest counties stopped counting ballots a half-hour after polls closed on Nov. 8.

In Clark County, where 70 percent of Nevadans live in and around Las Vegas, and in Washoe County, which includes Reno, vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots dropped off or delivered on Election Day will not be counted until Nov. 9, the Nevada secretary of state announced at 7:30 p.m. on election night.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria said delays in counting the ballots in his county are because of a manpower shortage and what appears to be a high turnout, especially just before polls closed at 7 p.m.

Washoe County Registrar Jamie Rodriguez said a high volume of VBM ballots, especially in the campaign’s closing days, will take his staff at least another day to count.

Rodriguez told reporters in Reno that Washoe County had received more than 6,000 ballots in the mail that day, and another 10,000 were turned in at ballot drop boxes.

Republicans See Gains, But Chances of Red Wave Diminish as Democrats Overperform

DeSantis emerges as big winner in midterm elections

Republican candidates have managed to push ahead of Democrats in the midterms, but the predicted red wave appears to have turned out to be little more than a ripple.

As of 3:30 a.m. ET, the GOP is still on track to take over the House of Representatives but may eke out only a razor-thin majority.

In the Senate, the balance of power is likely to remain unchanged with Democrats on an easier path to shore in at least 50 seats with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaker to keep them in control.

Republicans recorded the most striking success in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis fortified his mandate, swiping nearly 60 percent of the vote, up from less than 50 percent in 2018, when he secured victory by 0.4 percent.

“We made promises to the people of Florida and we have delivered on those promises. And so today, after four years, the people have delivered their verdict. Freedom is here to stay,” DeSantis said in his victory speech to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Tampa Convention Center on Nov. 8.

The governor contrasted conditions in the Sunshine State with that of the other parts of the country under Democratic control.

“We set out a vision we executed on that vision. And we produced historic results and the people of this state have responded in record fashion,” he said. “Now, while our country flounders due to failed leadership in Washington, Florida is on the right track.”

Democrats were only able to defend eight House seats in Florida, compared to 11 two years ago.

In Ohio, JD Vance beat Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) for an open U.S. Senate seat. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude,” Vance told supporters in Columbus. “I cannot express possibly in words how grateful I am.”

“We need better leadership in Washington, D.C., and that’s exactly what I promise to fight for every single day,” he added.

In the rest of the country, however, it was largely Democrats overperforming.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

Meta will lay off 11,000 employees

Facebook parent company Meta on Wednesday said it is laying off 11,000 employees, marking the most significant job cuts in the tech giant’s history.

On The Verge Of The Worst Homelessness Crisis In The Entire History Of The United States

If you live in a major urban area, you may have noticed that “tent cities” are starting to pop up all around you.  The worst inflation crisis in decades has combined with the worst drug crisis that we have ever seen to create an unprecedented homelessness crisis.  Every night, even more Americans join the rapidly growing “unsanctioned encampments” that are taking up more and more real estate in our largest cities.  If things are this bad now, how many of our fellow citizens will be sleeping in the streets when economic conditions are much worse a year or two from today?  We are supposed to be the greatest nation on the planet, but with each passing day even more tent cities are established.  Our system is failing, and the widespread economic suffering that we are witnessing right now is truly difficult to comprehend.

Just look at what is happening in Sacramento.  It is the capital of the California, and tent cities are being established all over the place.

In fact, it is being reported that the number of homeless people in Sacramento has risen by nearly 70 percent just since 2019…

During the pandemic, the unhoused population has soared all over California, but the increase in Sacramento has been particularly stunning.

The region has seen an almost 70% rise in homelessness since 2019, now counting more unhoused people than San Francisco.

Needless to say, absurd housing prices are one of the main reasons why so many people are being forced out into the cold streets…

The primary force behind the dramatic rise, according to the 2022 point-in-time count, is the high cost of housing. The median home price in the county has surpassed $500,000 and the median monthly rent is $2,774, up more than 5% from last year. Some studios downtown rent for $2,000 a month, said Crystal Sanchez, the president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, while thousands of people sleep outside.

Most middle class families can barely afford to pay $2,000 or more for housing each month.

And those that are poor don’t stand a chance.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

FCC Provides “conditional approval” for Testing 6GHz Wi-Fi despite Dangerous Interference Issues, Public Safety Risks

In December 2021 utilities and other groups petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to delay opening the 6 GHz to unlicensed users because “a new generation of unlicensed 6G routers and other wireless devices” could cause dangerous inference issues.  Various noteworthy groups have continued to warn the FCC (see 1, 2).  Nevertheless, the regulatory agency recently approved testing anyway.  


HEALTH

Risk For Seasonal Depression Increases as Days Get Shorter

As the daylight hours shrink, people’s moods can wind up in the tank.

Rest assured, you’re not alone. It’s the SAD season for those affected by seasonal affective disorder. That’s the depression, fatigue and withdrawal that shorter days and longer nights often bring.

“The seasonal mood change can come in different shapes and forms,” said Dr. Dorothy Sit, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

“It can be a clinical diagnosis of depression, which we call SAD, but some people experience a milder form,” Sit said. “The clinical diagnosis means it is quite intense; it affects people all day for many weeks and can impact their functioning. In milder cases, people can feel a bit blah, but can push through. Still, functioning will feel a bit harder.”

Besides feeling sluggish, people may be hungrier, crave carbohydrates, eat more and gain weight. They may also feel less motivated and find less enjoyment in activities.

“This is a form of depression that cycles naturally; it starts every fall and winter and remits every spring and summer,” Sit said in a Northwestern Medicine news release.

A major remedy for SAD is starting the day with bright light therapy. Sit recommends a unit that produces 10,000 LUX of white light to be used in the 30 minutes after waking up.

Power Mall Product of Interest: Lithium Balance 

This Underrated Fruit Is Packed With Vitamin C (And A+ For Immune Health)

Roses are one of the most popular flowers in the world, but their fruit—called the “hip”—is rarely seen by comparison. This is unfortunate, because rose hips are bursting with beneficial vitamin C, and they ripen at the perfect time of year to bolster your immune system1 as we head into autumn.

Let’s broaden the knowledge and use of this underrated fruit, starting with some stats on why it’s a fabulous food-derived source of vitamin C.

Power Mall Products of Interest: 

Have Pesky Pain In Your Knees? Research Finds This Spice Can Help

Joint pain is no walk in the park when it’s impacting your knees—literally. And for people with knee osteoarthritis, the desire for relief is strong, with no known “cure.” There are, however, things you can do to help support your joints, and according to research published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, taking a turmeric supplement is one of them. Here’s what researchers found.

Power Mall Product of Interest: CurcuminX4000 With Fenugreek

More Health Benefits of Quercetin Revealed

Quercetin has been shown to combat inflammation and acts as a natural antihistamine. Several studies have highlighted quercetin’s ability to prevent and treat both the common cold and influenza

Another, less known benefit and use for quercetin includes the prevention and/or treatment of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, certain cancers, gout, arthritis and mood disorders

A review of quercetin’s effect on metabolic syndrome found it significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose when taken for at least eight weeks at a dosage of 500 milligrams per day or more

Other recent research found quercetin has a beneficial impact on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by ameliorating inflammation, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism

Quercetin also has the ability to trigger tumor regression by interacting with your DNA and activating the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis (the programmed cell death of damaged cells)

Power Mall Product of Interest: Plant Based Quercetin

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Greta Thunberg Shuns COP27, Calls For ‘Overthrow Of The Whole Capitalist System’

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has gone fully mask off and is now calling for the overthrow of “the whole capitalist system.”

Thunberg made the extremist comments during an appearance on Sunday night at London’s Royal Festival Hall to promote her new ‘Climate Book’.

Nicholas Harris from UnHerd was there to watch Thunberg outline her demented manifesto.

Previously, she’d sold herself as a five-foot human alarm bell, a climate Cassandra. Her role was to warn, not to instruct: her most viral moments involved her scolding political leaders, not trying to supplant them. She strenuously avoided programmatic detail, saying such things were “nothing to do with me”. But now, on stage and in this book, she has found her political feet, specifically the Left-wing ideology of anti-capitalism and de-growth.

Interspersed among the usual directives about the need to pressure political leaders, her message was more radical and more militant than it has been in the past. There is no “back to normal”, she told us. “Normal” was the “system” which gave us the climate crisis, a system of “colonialism, imperialism, oppression, genocide”, of “racist, oppressive extractionism”. Climate justice is part of all justice; you can’t have one without the others. We can’t trust the elites produced by this system to confront its flaws – that’s why she, much like Rishi Sunak, won’t be bothering with the COP meeting this year. COP itself is little more than a “scam” which facilitates “greenwashing, lying and cheating”. Only overthrow of “the whole capitalist system” will suffice.

So now we are finally seeing the contours of Thunbergism. Run your eye down the contributors to The Climate Book and you can see who she’s been reading: Jason Hickel, Kate Raworth, Naomi Klein. For these people the climate crisis isn’t man-made. It’s made by capitalism, as are the other forms of social injustice which plague society. There’s no GDP growth – especially of the capitalist sort – without increasing carbon emissions. The only solution to this state of emergency is for rich countries to immediately abandon economic expansion as a social goal.

As we have previously documented, the climate change agenda is merely radical leftism dressed up in a more palatable format.

GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING

Prepperism, Part 4. “The Alpha Strategy”

This article is pretty straightforward, pertinent and to the point for preppers and planners.

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