WORLD NEWS
U.S. officials are now briefing the Associated Press that deadly explosions in Poland blamed on Moscow by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky were probably caused by missiles fired by Ukrainian forces, with President Joe Biden telling reporters it is “unlikely” Russia is responsible.
President Zelensky was quick to allege that explosions that killed two people at a grain drying plan in the Polish border town of Przewodów were caused by “Russian missile terror”, adding that “[Ukraine], [Poland], all of Europe and the world must be fully protected from terrorist Russia.”
Rishi Sunak Seemingly Abandons Plans to Label China a ‘Threat’ to UK
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears to be abandoning plans to label Communist China as a “threat” to the security of Britain.
British plans to label China as a “threat” to the country’s security appear to have been left by the wayside, with UK Prime Minister refusing multiple times to describe the country as such a threat at the G20 summit in Bali.
Six Injured After ‘Anti-Fascists’ Raid Populist Party Conference with ‘Hammers’ – Reports
Six people are reported as being injured after a large number of “anti-fascists” allegedly attacked an annual conference of a political party in Ireland.
The annual conference of a political party in Ireland was reportedly disrupted on Sunday after an unknown number of “anti-fascists” allegedly attacked it, resulting in six people being injured, four of which were reportedly brought to hospital.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Donald Trump Launches 2024 Bid for White House
Former President Donald Trump commenced his third campaign for the White House on Nov. 15.
Trump, 76, who had hinted at a 2024 run for more than a year, announced the presidential bid in a prime-time speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“In order to make America great and glorious again I am tonight announcing my candidacy for President of the United States,” Trump said.
The former president stressed that this won’t be his campaign but “our campaign,” saying that the only force “strong enough to defeat the massive corruption we are up against is you—the American people.
“Together we will be taking on the most corrupt forces and entrenched interests imaginable. Our country is in a horrible state. We’re in great trouble.”
House Republicans Nominate McCarthy for Speaker
House Republicans on Nov. 15 nominated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker of the House.
The vote happened during a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington as Republicans near gaining control of the House of Representatives, securing 217 of the 218 seats they need with more than a dozen races still uncalled.
During the closed-door vote, 188 Republicans voted to nominate McCarthy as speaker while 31 were opposed, The Epoch Times confirmed.
Close Arizona Gubernatorial Race Could Be Headed to Recount
The Arizona gubernatorial race could be headed to a recount after the lead Katie Hobbs holds narrowed further on Nov. 14.
Hobbs, the Democrat secretary of state, was up over Republican Kari Lake by about 26,000 votes on Sunday. That lead narrowed to 19,382 with newly reported results on Monday.
Hobbs declared victory and a number of media outlets have called the race for her.
“Democracy is worth the wait. Thank you, Arizona. I am so honored and so proud to be your next Governor,” Hobbs said in a statement.
But Lake, a former TV anchor, is not conceding.
“Arizonans know BS when they see it,” she said in a statement.
The current margin is tight, with Hobbs having 50.4 percent of the vote to Lake’s 49.6 percent.
How Google Stopped the Red Wave
Commentary – Google and other tech companies want you obsessing about conspiracy theories so you won’t look at how they tampered with the 2022 midterm elections
PA House Judiciary Committee Moved to Impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner
In the final days of a Republican controlled Pennsylvania House, the Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to move two impeachment articles against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to the full House, which is expected to vote on it Wednesday.
The articles blame Krasner’s leadership in the district attorney’s office (DAO) as being a direct cause of increasing Philadelphia crime and accuse him of obstructing the impeachment investigation by not sufficiently complying with a subpoena from the Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order.
That select committee released a report of its investigation on Oct. 24 and, although it did not recommend impeachment, it offered a grim look at Philadelphia’s crime.
The report (pdf) looked at rising crime rates, the use of public funds intended for enforcing the law and prosecuting crime, the enforcement of crime victims’ rights, and the use of public funds intended to benefit crime victims in the City of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia-Bound Migrant Bus Departs from Texas Border
Texas Governor Greg Abbott added the city of Philadelphia as a destination for migrant buses from the border region. The first Philadelphia-bound bus departed with migrants from Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas, on Tuesday.
“Since April, Texas’ busing strategy has successfully provided much-needed relief to our border communities overwhelmed by the historic influx of migrants caused by President Biden’s reckless open border policies,” said Governor Abbott. “Until the Biden Administration does its job and provides Texans and the American people with sustainable border security, Texas will continue doing more than any other state in the nation’s history to defend against an invasion along the border, including adding more sanctuary cities like Philadelphia as drop-off locations for our busing strategy.”
Texas Governor Invokes Invasion Clause to Push Back Migrants Crossing Border
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he is invoking the “Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions” to protect the state from the record-setting influx of migrants. Nearly two-thirds of all migrants illegally crossing the border enter through the five Texas-Based Border Patrol sectors.
Governor Abbott tweeted on Tuesday morning that he invoked the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions in order to protect citizens of the State of Texas from the continuing border crisis created by changes in border security and immigration policies under the Biden administration.
Missouri Doctor Faces $500 Billion in FTC Fines for Promoting Vitamin D3 During Pandemic
A St. Louis chiropractor could face more than $500 billion in civil penalties through a federal lawsuit that alleges that he profited from selling Vitamin D and zinc products in violation of the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act.
“The federal government is suing me for half a trillion dollars … for telling people to take vitamins,” said Dr. Eric Nepute.
Nepute said his case goes to trial in Missouri federal court in March.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed the 27-page complaint in April 2021. It alleges, among other things, that Nepute profited from the online sale of Vitamin D and zinc products during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The government’s complaint alleges that Nepute, through social media and internet advertising, promoted and sold “Wellness Warrior Vita D” and other products as drugs capable of treating, or preventing, COVID-19.
“Starting no later than June 2020, [Nepute] began advertising a protocol that customers should follow to protect against, prevent, or treat COVID-19. This protocol, which has varied over time, advises consumers to take [daily] substantial quantities of emulsified Vitamin D3 and zinc,” found in the Wellness Warrior products, the complaint stated.
The complaint also claimed that “no published studies prove Vitamin D protects against, treats, or prevents COVID-19.”
According to the suit, Nepute’s “lack of factual or scientific bases for these claims [are] frequently accompanied by equally unsupported assertions regarding applicable science.
“In short, defendants are selling their products by disseminating information, exploiting fears [amid] a pandemic, and posting a significant risk to public health and safety.”
However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states Vitamin D is “essential for bone health as well as muscle and nerve functions [and] helps the immune system fight off bacteria and viruses.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: Amazon Plans to Lay Off Thousands of Employees
Amazon plans to cut approximately 10,000 workers starting as soon as this week according to reports.
The New York Times reports that according to verified sources, Amazon plans to reduce its corporate and technology workforce by as much as 10,000 employees as soon as this week, the largest downsizing in the firm’s history.
What’s Fueling the Rise of ESG Investing?
News Analysis – Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing has not only become a popular investment trend, but also a new front in the culture wars. Market predictions show that global ESG-mandated assets will reach $55 trillion in 2022 and close to $100 trillion in 2025.
But has the recent spike in ESG investing been driven by market demand or something else?
According to a survey (pdf) by Consumers’ Research, 76 percent of retail investors say that they use their investment income mainly to save for retirement or long-term financial stability and to supplement their income. Only 3 percent of retail investors use their investment income to promote sustainability, and only 2 percent use it to make social change.
Lawrence Cunningham, a corporate law professor at George Washington University, stated in a recent report that individual investors place less importance on climate change than institutional investors.
The Vast Majority of Americans Say Rising Costs Will Impact Thanksgiving
The rising cost of goods will impact the Thanksgiving holiday for the vast majority of Americans, a recent FinanceBuzz survey found.
Most Americans, 86 percent, said rising food costs will impact their Thanksgiving meal. This coincides with the reality of turkey — a staple of a traditional Thanksgiving meal — soaring in price, just in time for the holiday. Turkey and non-chicken poultry are up 16.9 percent, as are other Thanksgiving staples, including pie (up 18.6 percent), rolls and biscuits (up 13.6 percent), butter (up 26.7 percent), and gravy (up 14.6 percent), as Breitbart News reported.
Rising Gas Prices Fuel Producer Price Inflation Again in October
A key measure of inflation in prices of goods and services sold by U.S. businesses held steady in October, boosted by rising gasoline prices.
The producer price index rose 0.2 percent in October from September, the Labor Department said Tuesday. This was the second straight month of a 0.2 percent increase after the September from August estimate was revised down from the preliminary report of 0.4 percent.
Conservative Coalition Lobbies Against Tens of Billions in Ukraine Aid During Lame-Duck Session
A coalition of conservative activist groups urged lawmakers to oppose additional aid to Ukraine during Congress’s lame-duck session.
The conservative groups wrote to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), likely the next speaker of the House, and current Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), urging the groups “not to rush through another large assistance package for Ukraine during the lame-duck session.”
Breitbart Business Digest: Sam Bankman-Fried Wants to Respawn
Sam Bankman-Fried is attempting to respawn.
The founder of FTX, the high-flying cryptocurrency exchange that flamed out into bankruptcy last week, spent the weekend calling deep-pocketed investors in an attempt to raise a new round of financing to plug the reported $8 billion hole in the firm’s balance sheet, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. SBF, as he’s called, “still believes he raise enough money to make users whole,” the Journal said.
This no doubt strikes you as outrageous. How could anyone who had driven a company recently valued at $32 billion into bankruptcy even imagine that investors would be willing to entrust more money into the project? But Silicon Valley’s start-up culture is often described as subscribing to an ethic of “fail fast” or even “lose big, win bigger.” The idea is in part rooted in the investment strategy at the heart of venture capital: Most investments in start-ups will not pan out, but that’s okay so long as a few succeed wildly.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
TikTok Is a National Security Threat: FBI Director Wray
Social media giant TikTok presents a unique threat to U.S. national security due to its ties to communist China, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Speaking during a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, Wray said that TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, poses significant national security concerns to the United States.
“I would say that we do have national security concerns, at least from the FBI’s [perspective] about TikTok,” Wray said.
“They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users, or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations if they so chose, or to control software on millions of devices which gives it opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices.”
Wray delivered the comments in response to a line of questioning by Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), who asked if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, was actively using ByteDance or TikTok to surveil American citizens.
Pocket Change: Google to Pay $391 Million in Privacy Settlement over Tracking Users Without Consent
Google is set to pay $391 million in a privacy settlement after 40 states accused the tech giant of tracking the location of users who opted out of the location services on their devices.
Google has been instructed as part of the settlement to be transparent about location tracking, as well as create a web page that informs users about the data the company collects, according to a report by BBC News.
HEALTH
As Melatonin Use Rises, So Do Safety Concerns
But with such growth have come concerns that consumers have a view of the potent, complex hormone that’s too simple. In March, three workers at a day care in Illinois were arrested for slipping melatonin gummies to 2-year-olds to hasten their naps. When questioned by police, they said they assumed it was safe since it was sold over the counter.
But as a remedy for general sleeplessness, it has its limits. And when it comes to its use in children, concerns abound. Melatonin supplements appear to be safe when used short-term; less is known about long-term safety.
“A lot of people just take it right before they go to bed as if it were a sleeping pill,” says Michael Breus, PhD, a California-based clinical psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders. “It’s not that simple.”
“Melatonin is a sleep regulator, not a sleep initiator,” says Breus, author of The Power of When.
Since the 1980s, dietary supplement makers have billed melatonin made in a lab as a promising sleep aid. But studies show its effects on occasional insomnia for the general public are mild at best.
Shifting the Body Clock
Experts do agree that taking melatonin supplements can have a big effect on treating circadian rhythm disorders like delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, in which the body’s natural melatonin levels fail to rise at a normal time, making it hard to fall asleep and hard to wake up in the morning.
One study, published in June in the journal PLOS Medicine, looked at 116 men with the disorder and found that those who took 0.5 milligrams of fast-release melatonin 1 hour before their desired bedtime at least 5 nights per week fell asleep 34 minutes earlier on average, slept more soundly, and saw their sleep patterns normalize after 4 weeks.
“The challenge with melatonin is that it’s complicated. If you take it at the wrong time, it can shift your body clock in the wrong direction, and that can cause problems,” Lewy says.
Note: Herbal Zzs formula from The Power Mall is designed to support the body’s natural circadian rhythm more efficiently than melatonin.
Sepsis May Be Responsible for 20% of Deaths Worldwide
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition triggered by a systemic infection that causes your body to overreact and launch an excessive and highly damaging immune response
Unless promptly diagnosed and treated, sepsis can rapidly progress to multiple-organ failure and death. In the U.S., 1.7 million adults develop sepsis each year, and nearly 270,000 die as a result
According to the most comprehensive global analysis to date, sepsis is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide each year — double that of previous estimates
Despite its prevalence, sepsis is frequently overlooked, even by health care professionals. For this reason, it’s important to familiarize yourself with its signs and symptoms, and to take immediate action if you suspect sepsis
Sepsis has been identified as a major contributor in influenza deaths. Some symptoms of sepsis also resemble those of influenza, so it’s important to know how to distinguish the two
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
DIY Solar Water Heater: 10 Designs and How to Build Them
Solar water heaters use naturally occurring sunlight to heat the water that flows through them. This is a more environmentally friendly and direct method compared to using electricity and gas. They can be more efficient because there is no energy loss by converting one energy form to another, for example when electrical water heaters are powered by solar panels. Best news is – you can build one yourself! DIY solar water heaters are incredibly easy to make.
What makes them even more exciting is that it is relatively easy to build them yourself. In this article, we will discuss a number of possible solar water heaters that anyone with some basic handyman skills can make. Of each of these, we will briefly discuss their main characteristics and how to build them.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
We evaluated the effects of oregano essential oil (OEO) added to the feed of semi-heavy laying hens during winter. We measured performance as well as physical and chemical quality of fresh and 21-day stored eggs. A total of 240 semi-heavy laying hens were distributed into six treatments and five replicates (n = 8 each). Treatments consisted of five groups of hens fed diets supplemented with 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg OEO/kg. We measured the average of three productive cycles (1st: week 1–4, 2nd: week 5–8 and 3rd: week 9–12), and found that feed consumption increased in hens in the control group and those in the group treated with 200 mg OEO/kg; other zootechnical variables did not differ between treatments. When we analyzed each individual production cycle individually, we did not observe differences between treatments for the performance variables in the first or second cycles. However, in the third cycle, when the animals were exposed to a greater number of days to cold stress, we recorded improved conversion rate/dozen eggs, conversion rate/daily feed consumed and egg production at T50 (50 mg OEO/kg). Stored eggs from hens supplemented with 50 mg OEO/kg showed lower eggshell percentages and higher yolk pHs. The intensity of the yellow was higher in yolks of the control group and in those from hens supplemented with 200 mg OEO/kg. Lipid peroxidation was lower in fresh egg yolks from hens that received 200 mg OEO/kg and stored eggs of T150. The reduction of lipid peroxidation in egg yolk is beneficial to consumer health by reducing levels of free radicals consumed. Reduction of lipid peroxidation associated with 150 mg OEO/kg in laying hens in winter might be useful for maintaining egg quality and for prolonging shelf life; productive efficiency was improving even at 39.8 mg OEO/kg if we consider feed conversion (kg/kg)
If you’ve been contemplating purchasing or building a greenhouse to extend your gardening season, go for it. Growing plants in a greenhouse might seem a little intimidating at first, but it’s pretty much the same as caring for plants outside. The difference is you’ll need to water your plants on your own since you won’t be able to depend on the rain like you would with a traditional garden. If you are worried about bees being able to get in to pollinate your plants, don’t. They’ll get in through the ceiling vents and doorways.
How To Grow In A Greenhouse 101
f you want more freedom and flexibility with respect to your growing season, one way you can make it happen is by using a greenhouse.
In this newbie’s guide to greenhouse growing, we will teach you greenhouse basics. We will explain what you can do with a greenhouse and how greenhouses work. Then we will introduce you to some backyard greenhouse kits.
COVID RELATED NEWS
Historic Negative Scholastic Impacts of Social Distancing
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the “nation’s report card,” tests fourth and eighth graders across the U.S. to measure student achievement
The results are in from the 2022 NAEP Mathematics Assessment, which was last given in 2019, before the pandemic
The results show a staggering decline in test scores — the largest drop in mathematics scores seen since the initial assessments were given in 1990
Among eighth graders, the average math score decreased by eight points since 2019 and was lower than all previous assessments dating back to 2003; a 10-point decrease is considered equivalent to about a year of learning
Average reading scores for fourth graders declined by five points in the Northeast region, three points in the Midwest and South, and two points in the West
In the U.K., the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists has also warned about declines in speech and motor skills in children since the pandemic
New Study Finds Heart Inflammation After COVID-19 Vaccination Higher With Moderna Than Pfizer
A new study estimated that hundreds of cases of heart inflammation occur in every million second doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in the highest-risk group.
Some 269.5 cases of myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation, were estimated for men aged 18 to 29, researchers concluded.
Myocarditis is a serious condition that can lead to death.
Researchers drew the numbers from a public health surveillance system established by authorities in British Columbia in Canada.
In the population-based cohort study, researchers looked for cases of myocarditis, pericarditis, and myopericarditis shortly after receipt of a Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, both of which utilize messenger RNA technology. Pericarditis is inflammation of tissue near the heart and myopericarditis is when both myocarditis and pericarditis occur.
Is Long-COVID the Elephant in the Room? – not the right link
Fauci’s Pandemic Leadership Needs to Be Investigated: Dr. Scott Atlas
Former White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Scott Atlas sees multiple reasons for an investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci, the outgoing director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Such a probe has been discussed as Republicans inch closer to a House majority that would grant them subpoena powers. Some Republican lawmakers have accused Fauci of playing a role in misleading the public about the origins of COVID-19 and supporting pandemic mandates they describe as draconian.
While Atlas, a vocal critic of the NIAID head, is “very skeptical” that an investigation like this could get away from politics or the perception of it being political, he thinks it’s warranted. Fauci’s changing stance on certain COVID-19 policies needs to be put under the spotlight, Atlas recently said on EpochTV’s “Newsmakers.”
“The real, clear public airing of exactly what happened needs to be done,” said Atlas, a senior fellow in health care policy at the Hoover Institution and contributor to The Epoch Times.
“I personally am very skeptical that a political investigation, no matter who does it, is going to be done without politics, or if it’s going to be perceived as nonpolitical. I don’t trust people in government at all. They don’t deserve to be trusted, to be objective.
“What was the motivation to flip flop multiple times with policy?”
His question was referring to Fauci’s changing stance on pandemic school closures that drew criticism in late 2020.
CANCEL CULTURE
Nurse-Midwife Association Bans Pro-Life Group’s Members From Conference
The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) banned members of a pro-life association of health care providers from attending a medical conference last month.
The nurse-midwives group told the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) that their members’ viewpoints on abortion were no longer welcome.
“We are unable to accommodate as your mission doesn’t align with our position statement on abortion,” a staffer wrote in an email to the pro-life association. “We affirm patient autonomy.”
Dr. Donna Harrison, CEO of the pro-life group, told The Daily Signal, a conservative news site, that abortion-performing obstetricians and gynecologists are rare.
About 93 percent don’t perform abortions, according to a 2017 study by the Guttmacher Institute. Some don’t even refer patients for abortion.
However, some groups—including the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ABOG)—have taken up “pro-abortion activism,” said Harrison.
And that, she said, is “one of the greatest threats to maternal health care.”
PET NEWS
10 Best Dog Breeds for Protection
If you are searching for the right dog to protect you, your family, or your property, some dogs are born with instincts to act as guard dogs. The best dog breeds for protection usually have a strong sense of loyalty to you and your family, are highly alert, observant, and act obediently. An ideal guard dog is typically large, fearless, and responsive to training.
Here are 10 dog breeds that generally serve well as protectors and companions if you are considering getting a guard dog.
GOOD NEWS
5 Unusual Ways Lazy People Are Boosting Their Bank Account
Feel like your bank account is draining week after week? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there and we’re here to help.
We’ve done our research and found some strange and unusual but legit options to help you stack your bank account without having to leave the house. Some of these will help you save. Others will help you earn some extra cash to pad your wallet right away.
The companies on this list are legit – they’re all real companies that do what they say they’ll do.
ICYMI
Weaponizing COVID to Promote Collectivism
Techno-Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay: China and the Deep State Have Joined Forces
Wray Refuses to Answer Whether FBI Had Sources ‘Dressed as Trump Supporters’ on Jan. 6
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