WORLD NEWS
France Issues Arrest Warrant for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad
France has issued an international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity over chemical attacks in 2013, a judicial source and plaintiffs in the case said Wednesday.
The judicial source told AFP Assad was also suspected of complicity in war crimes for the attacks, blamed by the opposition on the regime, that killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus in August 2013.
AK-47’s, ammunition and grenades were found in an MRI room
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a video Wednesday showing what it said were weapons in a Hamas-run hospital inside the Gaza Strip amid international criticism that Israel has targeted medical facilities in its war with the terror group.
Israel, as well as many experts, have long said that Hamas uses hospitals as command centers and ammunition depots to conceal its military operations, putting civilians in harm’s way with little regard for their safety.
The IDF video shows Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus walking through an MRI center of the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after Israeli forces raided the building.
“A few of the most interesting things that we found totally confirms, without any doubt, that Hamas systematically uses hospitals in their military operations, in violation of international law,” he said.
WATCH: Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Confront Justin Trudeau at Restaurant
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was confronted Tuesday evening at a Vancouver restaurant by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
CityNews reports:
Videos posted online show Trudeau sitting at a table at a restaurant called Vij’s when demonstrators arrive and begin chanting.
Demonstrators yelled, “Ceasefire now,” and told Trudeau he had blood on his hands as he said goodbye to people in the restaurant and made his way out.
Videos posted from later in the evening show a group of around 250 demonstrators gathered outside of Bagheera, a speakeasy cocktail bar in Chinatown, with signs in hand continuing, “Ceasefire now” chants.
Vancouver Police Sgt. Steve Addison told CityNews in a statement that roughly 100 officers were “deployed last night after protesters surrounded a restaurant in Chinatown just before 10 p.m.”
Report: Anti-Christian Hate Crimes in Europe Leapt by 44 Percent in 2022
Religiously motivated hate crimes against Christians in Europe jumped by 44 percent in just one year, reveals a sobering report by a prominent Christian persecution monitoring group.
On Thursday, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) released its Annual Report 2022/23, which documents a sharp rise in violent incidents and social hostility against Christians, as well as in vandalism and arson attacks on churches.
The report also underscores legal developments in several European countries that infringe upon the religious freedom of Christians, including “hate speech” legislation, under which some Christians have been prosecuted for voicing mainstream Christian beliefs in public.
It also notes the elimination of conscience clauses and legislation needed to guarantee parents’ right to educate their children in conformity with their beliefs.
Greta Thunberg Enters Not Guilty Plea Over Public Order Offence at London Court
Climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday denied a public order offense after she was arrested last month at a demonstration against a major oil and gas industry conference in London.
The 20-year-old Swedish environmental campaigner was among more than two dozen people charged after protesters sought to block access to the luxury InterContinental Hotel in central London during last month’s Energy Intelligence Forum, attended by some of the industry’s top executives.
Thunberg was charged with breaching a section of the Public Order Act that allows police to impose limits on public assemblies. She and four other protesters pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates´ Court on Wednesday.
Boo WHO! The WHO in part, caused this!
WHO declares loneliness a ‘global public health concern’
The World Health Organization has launched an international commission on loneliness, which can be as bad for people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared loneliness to be a pressing global health threat, with the US surgeon general saying that its mortality effects are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
WHO has launched an international commission on the problem – led by the US surgeon general, Dr Vivek Murthy, and the African Union youth envoy, Chido Mpemba – of 11 advocates and government ministers, including Ralph Regenvanu, the minister of climate change adaptation in Vanuatu, and Ayuko Kato, the minister in charge of measures for loneliness and isolation in Japan.
It comes after the Covid-19 pandemic halted economic and social activity, increasing levels of loneliness, but also amid a new awareness of the importance of the issue. The WHO commission on social connection will run for three years.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
US, China Talk Amid Bilateral Tensions at Meeting in San Francisco
President Biden stated that while both sides had made some progress, he has not changed his mind about Xi being a dictator.
President Joe Biden met with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping on Nov. 15 to tackle a range of contentious issues, including Taiwan, human rights, and fentanyl.
The leaders and their delegates convened at a Georgian revival-style estate south of San Francisco.
President Biden said in remarks before the meeting that he’s known the Chinese leader for a long time and hasn’t always agreed with him, but their discussions have always been open, frank, and productive.
The old fart nearly gave up sensitive information during the meeting!
On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC360,” CNN Senior White House Correspondent MJ Lee reported that President Joe Biden almost started revealing too much sensitive information about negotiations over the hostages held by Hamas during his press conference that day, and had to look to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to see if he was giving away too many details.
Lee said, “Anderson, if I could just note one more very interesting moment that stood out to me and — helpful, because I was sitting so close to the front row, I was in the second row, the first row of reporters in this press conference, when President Biden was asked about the ongoing hostage negotiations, he said that he was mildly hopeful. He started to talk about a pause that Israel may have agreed to. And then he looked over at Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was sitting right in front of him, and made some remark about how perhaps he shouldn’t get too much into the detail[s]. And Secretary Blinken [shook] his head no, definitely do not get into too much of the details. I thought it was a really interesting moment that captured just how sensitive these negotiations have been. The President, of course, has been sort of optimistic all along, at least in what he has said in his public remarks, that he will ultimately end up seeing these American hostages and others get out. But these negotiations are ongoing. And you can tell, just from that very interaction, that those talks have been incredibly, incredibly sensitive.”
Exclusive – Rep. Waltz: Hamas Attack Result of Biden’s ‘Failed’ Iran Policy, Terror in U.S. ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ Due to Open Border\Every time President Biden lectures Israel, he is signaling that Hamas’s propaganda is “working,” according to Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), who blamed Biden’s “failed Iran policy” for the current conflict as he called to “starve [Tehran] of the funds that it’s using to fund terrorism,” and warned that terrorism on American soil is “only a matter of time… as long as this border is wide open.”
In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News on Tuesday, Waltz, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House Armed Services Committee, and House Foreign Affairs Committee, began by noting his “strong feelings” for the Biden administration, or President Biden himself, “lecturing the Israelis about human rights.”
Police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clash at DNC headquarters
U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were illegally and violently protesting outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington.
Police said they evacuated the area around the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., after making arrests at a chaotic pro-Palestinian rally Wednesday night.
U.S. Capitol Police said on X that a “large group of illegal protesters…have cleared out, but USCP officers will stay on scene out of an abundance of caution.” They previously put the number of demonstrators at about 150 and said they were “violently protesting in the area.”
Six officers were treated for injuries as a result of the demonstration, and one person was arrested and accused of assault on an officer, Capitol Police said on X.
Capitol Police said in a separate notice to reporters that they had restricted entry and exit to the nearby House office buildings.
“We’re monitoring the situation outside the DNC and are in touch with USCP and Metro Police, who are directing the security response,” A DNC spokesperson said in a statement.
Numerous lawmakers were in the DNC headquarters when the protest erupted.
House Conservatives Block Spending Bill in Setback for Johnson
This is the third spending bill the new speaker has been unable to pass since taking office on Oct. 25 as intra-party wrangling continues in the GOP.
House Republicans handed Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) a legislative loss on Nov. 15 by blocking consideration of a spending bill just one day after approving a stopgap funding measure to keep the government open into next year.
Eighteen Republicans joined 207 Democrats in torpedoing a procedural vote on legislation that would fund the Commerce and Justice departments and other agencies for fiscal year 2024.
While fiscal hawks in the GOP conference continue to speak highly of Mr. Johnson, they insist that longstanding practices that deny individual members a voice in spending decisions be changed and reckless overspending checked.
Trump Files Motion for Mistrial in New York Fraud Case
Former President Trump filed a motion for a mistrial in his fraud case.
Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has requested that the judge declare a mistrial in his New York fraud case, saying the judge in the case and his law clerk exhibited bias against the former president.
The motion, filed on Nov. 15, alleges that Judge Arthur Engoron and his chief law clerk engaged in the “appearance of bias [that] threatens both Defendants’ rights and the integrity of the judiciary as an institution.”
The request for the declaration of a mistrial will be evaluated by Judge Engoron, who has suggested in court that he would deny the motion, telling the former president’s attorney that he shouldn’t file it. Later, the judge said his attorneys should file it in writing.
Trump Election Interference Case May Extend to 2025: Fani Willis
An emergency request filed in the case by prosecutors is scheduled to be heard by the judge on Wednesday.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis expects the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump to extend into early 2025.
“I think the case will be on appeals for years … I believe in that case there will be a trial. I believe the trial will take many months. And I don’t expect that we will conclude until the winter or the very early part of 2025,” Ms. Willis said in a Nov. 14 interview with The Washington Post.
When asked about whether this would mean that the defendants in the case, including President Trump, would be on trial during the election season, Election Day, and even the inauguration day of the new president, Ms. Willis said: “I don’t, when making decisions about cases to bring, consider an election cycle or an election season, does not go into calculus. What goes into calculus is this is the law. These are the facts. And if the facts show you violated the law, then charges are brought.”
Lawyer Admits to Leaking Video of Trump Codefendant During Fulton County Hearing
An attorney representing several media outlets likened the request to an overbroad gag order.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee held a hearing Wednesday afternoon regarding a protective order, after video statements by four defendants charged alongside former President Donald Trump for allegedly interfering in the 2020 Georgia election, were leaked and published in the media. He is expecting to issue an order Thursday morning.
During the hearing, most parties supported a protective order, but attorney Jonathan Miller, representing defendant Misty Hampton, revealed he had leaked videos.
News outlets, including ABC and CNN, had obtained the video statements, or proffers, made by Scott Hall, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and Jenna Ellis, to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office as required by their plea bargains.
Trump Drops Appeal in NY Criminal Case
Defense attorneys’ characterization of Michael Cohen in a New York civil case may have necessitated a different approach in the criminal case.
Former President Donald Trump moved to dismiss his request to move the criminal case against him in Manhattan to federal court, on Tuesday, listing no reason in the brief filing.
“Donald J. Trump, by and through undersigned counsel, respectfully moves this Court, pursuant to FRAP 42(b), to dismiss his appeal in this case. Upon information and belief, to date the government has not borne any costs in this matter,” it reads. The new motion was filed in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In April, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg unsealed a 34-count indictment against the 45th president, alleging he falsified business records to cover up bribery payments.
Jack Smith Wants Trump Gag Order Reinstated in Election Case
Federal prosecutors argued that a gag order targeting the former president should remain intact.
Special counsel Jack Smith filed court papers Tuesday seeking to uphold a gag order in former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election case, claiming that the former president’s public criticism of the prosecutor is reason to keep it intact.
Last week, an appeals court in Washington suspended the gag order, which was handed down earlier by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. The former president had appealed the restrictions that were imposed by the judge, arguing they violate his First Amendment right to free speech.
Ina 67-page filing, federal prosecutors wrote that there “has never been a criminal case in which a court has granted a defendant an unfettered right to try his case in the media, malign the prosecutor and his family,” while claiming that the former president has “threatened witnesses and others.”
Former Editor of Left-Wing Site The Recount Arrested for Child Pornography
Slade Sohmer, the former editor for the the left-wing news site The Recount, has been arrested and charged for possessing and distributing child pornography.
The 44-year-old Sohmer was reportedly released on $100,000 bail on Monday after being charged in a Massachusetts court. He allegedly possessed and distributed “hundreds of child pornography images and videos.” Per the New Yorker:
Sohmer — who also has worked as a camp counselor for a New York City-based nonprofit — was arrested at his home in Otis, Mass. on Friday, weeks after law enforcement officials confiscated his electronic devices after obtaining a search warrant, the newspaper reported.
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of dissemination of child pornography.
If convicted, Sohmer faces minimum mandatory sentences of 10 years in state prison if convicted of dissemination of child pornography and five years if convicted of possession of child pornography.
Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey called it the most “egregious” case she has come across. A spokesperson for The Recount said Sohmer “is no longer editor-in-chief” of the site “following a company restructuring exercise in early October to focus on our editorial and commercial plans.”
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Clash with Police Outside DNC, Arrests Made
Several arrests have been made outside the DNC offices in Washington, DC, where pro-Palestinian protesters violently clashed with police on Wednesday.
“U.S. Capitol Police said they were making arrests at a pro-Palestinian protest on Wednesday night in Southeast D.C.,” noted NBC Washington.
“The protesters had gathered outside of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) just south of the Capitol before authorities said several dozen demonstrators got into a shoving match with officers,” it added.
Police then used pepper spray and pushed back on protesters to move them a block away from the building. Members of the DNC were evacuated. People have also been asked to avoid the area.
“Right now our officers are working to keep back approximately 150 people who are illegally and violently protesting in the area of Canal Street and Ivy Street, SE,” police said in a post on X.
It remains unclear as to what sparked the violence and if they were protesting a particular event at the DNC.
“Was just evacuated from the #DNC after pro-terrorist, anti-#Israel protestors grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building. Thankful to the police officers who stopped them and for helping me and my colleagues get out safely,” said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)
“Apparently, these pro-#Hamas demonstrators want #Republicans to prevail in the next Congressional election,” he added.
Video of the moment has gone viral all over social media.
From Devin Nunes – Having served as the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee during the committee’s investigation of the Russia collusion hoax and the first impeachment of President Trump, I’ve seen my share of fake news attacks. But I’ve never seen one as massive, malicious, and tightly coordinated as the parade of nearly identical stories touting false financial results for Truth Social.
Our company is the centerpiece of a rapidly growing movement, and we created the platform for a fraction of the cost spent by the Big Tech giants.
The mainstream media, apparently, is frustrated they can’t stop us, so they defame us. Having squandered the trust of the American people, the mainstream media has become a pitiful, embittered, and increasingly idiotic industry.
A tragic incident that occurred in Austin, Texas, seems to substantiate a warning given to Congress by FBI Director Christopher Wray about potential terrorist activity in the United States. Against the backdrop of the current war between Israel and Hamas, heightened concerns about the possibility of extremists carrying out attacks on American soil have become an even more pressing issue.
And just how FREE is your State?
The new edition of Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom is out. This edition is the most up‐to‐date yet, with data good up to the start of this year. It remains the most comprehensive measure of governmental respect for freedom at the state level, with more than 230 policy variables feeding into the scores.
This edition has some exciting new features. With state‐level housing reforms becoming popular, we have added some of these to the index. Some are good for freedom, like legalizing accessory dwelling units, and others are bad for freedom, like letting towns adopt mandatory “inclusionary zoning” standards (price controls based on income).
With the Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision, abortion is also a hot topic at the state level. While abortion is not part of the standard index, we offer alternative indices based on pro‐life, moderate pro‐choice, and strong pro‐choice assumptions. We have included a wide range of new states restricting abortion in the wake of the Dobbs decision. In future editions, we will look carefully at the effect these laws actually have on abortion so we can re‐weight them if necessary.
We’ve also added a bunch of new variables in areas like occupational licensing, where other organizations have been increasingly producing research.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
US Senate passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown
U.S. Senate took the risk of an impending partial government shutdown off the table on Wednesday as it passed a stopgap spending bill and sent it to President Joe Biden to sign into law before a weekend deadline.
The 87-11 vote marked the end of this year’s third fiscal standoff in Congress that saw lawmakers bring Washington to the brink of defaulting on its more than $31 trillion in debt this spring and twice within days of a partial shutdown that would have interrupted pay for about 4 million federal workers.
Strip Clubs, D*ck Pics & Booze: FDIC Revealed As Misogynistic Free-For-All In New Expose
A brand new expose out this week paints banking regulator the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as a toxic work environment where strip club visits, sex with underlings and drinking at work – not to mention male workers texting female co-workers photos of their genitals – were all part of the “day to day” culture.
The Wall Street Journal expose was out on Monday and hours later FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg announced that the agency has engaged BakerHostetler for a comprehensive review following. In a staff video, Gruenberg stated that necessary changes would be made based on the law firm’s findings.
The Journal’s investigation revealed several incidents at the FDIC, including a male supervisor in Denver engaging in sexual relations with an employee, bragging about it to colleagues, and encouraging her to consume alcohol during work hours.
‘You can’t beat us’: Starbucks workers to strike in ‘Red Cup Rebellion’
Thousands expected to participate, including actions at non-unionized stores, in latest attempt to pressure company to bargain
Starbucks workers will strike at stores across the US on 16 November, the company’s promotional Red Cup Day, in their latest attempt to pressure the company to bargain a first union contract with unionized stores and address issues such as understaffing.
On Red Cup Day, Starbucks customers get a free limited edition reusable red cup as a promotional event to kick off the holiday season. Starbucks’ 2022 Red Cup Day was reportedly its highest single sales day ever despite strikes affecting over 100 stores organized by the Starbucks Workers United union.
This year, thousands of Starbucks workers are expected to participate in walkouts at hundreds of Starbucks stores as part of an escalated effort to expand the strikes, including actions at non-unionized Starbucks stores. The union has dubbed the day of action the “Red Cup Rebellion”.
Workers are calling on the company to turn off mobile ordering on high-volume promotion days, improve staffing and scheduling issues, and bargain with the union.
Big Whoop! 4.5% … is THAT all?
With gas prices and airfares falling it will be cheaper for Americans to get to Grandma’s or wherever they celebrate Thanksgiving this year, and when they arrive they’ll find another happy price shock: The turkey and sides will cost less than last year.
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey of holiday food prices out Wednesday shows the full spread will run a party of 10 about 4.5% less in 2023 than in 2022.
The bureau annually gets a nationwide group of shoppers to price 11 ingredients needed for the traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, a menu that might trigger mealtime dissent about the peas but, this year at least, not about the cost. Seven of the 11 ingredients saw price declines over the year, including the centerpiece poultry down 5.6%, to $27.35 for a 16-pound bird, as of the first week of November compared to the year before.
Shoppers “will see some relief in food prices for their Thanksgiving dinner,” farm bureau economist Betty Resnick wrote of this year’s survey results, though she noted that the $61.17 total bill for the meal was still about 25% above where it was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kris Kobach: Biden Rule Would Give Union Rights to Foreign Farm Workers While Americans Are Excluded
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R), along with 23 attorneys general, is demanding that President Joe Biden drop a proposed federal rule that he says will give collective bargaining rights to foreign farm workers while American farm workers are excluded.
In September, Biden’s Department of Labor issued a proposed federal rule that would dramatically change the H-2A visa program that allows United States farms to import foreign workers to take agricultural jobs.
Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicle Goals Spur Stellantis to Offer Buyouts to 6.4K American Employees
Stellantis is offering to buy out thousands of its American white-collar employees as a result of the company’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) — a move spurred by tax credits from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Executives with Stellantis — which owns Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, and others — announced a buyout plan in which 6,400 of its 12,700 non-union American white-collar employees would be offered a “voluntary separation package.”
HEALTH
Apparently, “their” depopulation effort is working! You can thank the DoD for that!
CDC Reports Largest Infant Mortality Rate Increase in 20 Years
U.S. infant mortality increased by 3% in the period between 2021 to 2022, based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Restricted healthcare access and economic instability during the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics.
U.S. infant mortality from all causes rose 3% in the year 2021 to 2022 — the first increase since 2001, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The trend represents a sharp reversal, as between 2000 and 2020, infant deaths decreased by 21%.
Danielle Ely, Ph.D., a co-author of the NCHS report, told Decatur, Illinois, TV station WAND he wasn’t sure if the increase was an anomaly or the start of a new, disturbing trend.
“The study provides a description of some of the basic relationships between risk factors and infant mortality rates,” said Ely, adding that it was just a “first step in determining what is going on with infant health in our country.”
Ely suggested the study could be “used to identify some of the higher risk subgroups, which might be used later on for prevention efforts.”
The only conclusion evident from the NCHS data is that something changed in 2021 — but what?
An NBC News analysis mentioned three possibilities: healthcare access, the overturn of national abortion rights and COVID-19 stress.
Adelle Davis: A Matriarch of Modern Nutrition
The late Adelle Davis, who passed away in 1974, is known as the most famous nutritionist in the early to mid-20th century and was my first nutrition mentor.
Time has proven her correct about many of the foundational nutrition basics; she was far ahead of her time on many issues.
Davis promoted a whole food diet and warned that refined and processed foods were the cause of most chronic health problems.
Davis basically seeded the modern health food movement, the whole food movement in particular. That was her key advice. Just eat real, whole foods, nothing processed or refined.
As food processing has become more intense and our food more artificial, chronic disease rates have skyrocketed and now even affects children.
FDA Approves Bristol-Myers’ Lung Cancer Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Bristol-Myers Squibb’s lung cancer drug that was acquired as part of the company’s $4.1 billion buyout of Turning Point Therapeutics last year.
The drug, to be sold under the brand name Augtyro, is set to compete in a crowded market for lung cancer treatments that includes Bristol Myers’ other cancer treatment Opdivo and rival cancer drugs from Roche, Merck and AstraZeneca .
Augtyro will be available in the United States in mid-December this year, Bristol Myers said in a statement.
Can You Relieve Anxiety Just by Tapping Your Fingers?
By tapping on specific points on your body, you can gain relief from anxiety symptoms in only 10 minutes. The key lies in rebalancing the flow of energy in your body.
EFT significantly reduced phobia-related anxiety and behavior in 22 students with anxiety related to a specific phobia
EFT is a psychological acupressure technique based on the same energy meridians used in acupuncture, but uses tapping of your fingers instead of needles
In another study, EFT led to a significant decrease in levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which mirrored an improvement in psychological distress
Traumatic events, like the unexpected loss of a loved one, increase the risk of anxiety disorders, but EFT helps decrease the intensity of traumatic memories after just one session
Lack of sleep is also linked to increased anxiety; EFT helps in this area, too, improving sleep quality in older adults with insomnia
Amazon pulls several eyedrops after FDA warning
Amazon is pulling seven eyedrop products from its online retail website following a warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that told the company the products are not FDA-approved.
In a letter to Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy dated Nov. 13, the FDA said the products are “especially concerning from a public health perspective,” and products administered through people’s eyes “pose a greater risk of harm” since they bypass some of the body’s natural defenses
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
AI Platform Civitai Allows ‘Bounties’ for Creating Deepfakes of Normal People
Civitai, an online marketplace for AI models, has recently introduced a controversial feature allowing users to post “bounties” for creating deepfake images of real people, including normal people without significant public presence. Creators earn money for completing the bounties, which may be used for deepfake porn or other nefarious purposes.
404 Media reports that Civitai, an emerging player in the generative AI marketplace, has been under fire for its latest feature, which permits users to request and financially incentivize the creation of deepfake images of real people. This practice, involving the use of ‘bounties’ and virtual currency, raises significant concerns regarding privacy and ethical use of AI technologies.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Your phone and TV are tracking you, and political campaigns are listening in\
Reporting from Washington — It was a crowded primary field and Tony Evers, running for governor, was eager to win the support of officials gathered at a Wisconsin state Democratic Party meeting, so the candidate did all the usual things: He read the room, he shook hands, he networked.
Then he put an electronic fence around everyone there.
The digital fence enabled Evers’ team to push ads onto the iPhones and Androids of all those attending the meeting. Not only that, but because the technology pulled the unique identification numbers off the phones, a data broker could also use the digital signatures to follow the devices home. Once there, the campaign could use so-called cross-device tracking technology to find associated laptops, desktops and other devices to push even more ads.
Welcome to the new frontier of campaign tech — a loosely regulated world in which simply downloading a weather app or game, connecting to Wi-Fi at a coffee shop or powering up a home router can allow a data broker to monitor your movements with ease, then compile the location information and sell it to a political candidate who can use it to surround you with messages.
Lawmakers to Target CCP-Linked Biotech Firm Accused of Stealing American DNA
Congressional lawmakers appear ready to ban a CCP-linked biotech firm from operating in the U.S. after it was accused of stealing Americans’ DNA.
If Congress takes action, the CCP-linked firm, Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), would effectively lose its ability to operate in the U.S., reshaping the geopolitical posture between the U.S. and China.
The CCP-linked biotech giant concerns lawmakers for several reasons:
- Pentagon lists BGI as a “Chinese military company”
- The 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment linked BGI to an effort to obtain human DNA from the U.S.
- CCP-linked companies must share their compiled data with the CCP
- BGI America operated in the U.S. since 2010
To curb BGI’s alleged threat to Americans, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) introduced legislation earlier this year in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). His initiative would specifically prevent BGI from conducting business with the U.S. government and/or receiving any U.S. government reimbursement.
The legislation must also have the support of the Senate. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) is prepared to introduce similar legislation to ensure Gallagher’s language is included in the final NDAA conference report.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
US Appeals Court Orders Biden Admin to Conduct Gulf Oil, Gas Auction Within 37 Days
The Biden administration sought to restrict the offshore oil and gas lease sales.
A federal appeals court in New Orleans gave the Biden administration 37 days to move forward with the sale of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, dismissing challenges from environmental groups in a ruling on Tuesday.
The decision comes after a series of legal battles, primarily citing concerns over endangered whale species.
The three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the attempts by environmental groups to block the leases, which had been delayed due to legal challenges related to whale protections.
Manchin: Biden Got Forced into Allowing More Drilling by Congress, Which Was Difficult to Do
During an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that while American drilling has gone up, it was difficult to get that done and the Biden administration “had to” allow that to happen because Congress forced them to do so.
Manchin stated, “[I]t’s to the point now, we want to bring everything back to America, all the building blocks. Now, whether it be electric vehicles, things of that sort, that’s fine. But let’s make sure that we can support ourselves in doing it.”
He continued, “I basically said this, when Henry Ford started with the assembly line, the Model T, I don’t remember going out and saying, well, the government’s got to build the filling stations. If the government doesn’t build filling stations, we can’t invent the car, we can’t basically mass produce. … It’s the market. It’s capitalism. It’s the market. So, if you take that concept, and now, all of a sudden, we’ve got to build — the government’s got to do everything for you. And that’s the problem I have.”
Massive Cost Overrun on Renewable Energy Project
Government infrastructure projects often go far over budget. Around the world, the costs of transit systems, energy developments, and other projects frequently soar above what was promised. One cause is the low‐balling of initial cost projections to help secure public support.
A massive Australian energy project is an exemplar of runaway costs. The budget of the Snowy 2.0 power dam and energy storage project has exploded from $2 billion in 2017 to $12 billion today. The project is a reminder that taxpayers should be skeptical when governments propose large and complex construction schemes.
In the 1970s, Australia completed a system of 16 dams, seven power stations, and miles of tunnels called the Snowy Scheme. The project produces electricity and provides water for irrigated farming. It took 25 years to complete and cost $820 million, or about $8 billion in today’s Australian dollars.
In 2017, the Australian government announced Snowy 2.0, which will add tunnels, generation capacity, and large‐scale power storage to the Snowy Scheme. Once completed, Snowy 2.0 is supposed to “provide an additional 2,200 megawatts of dispatchable, on‐demand generating capacity and approximately 350,000 megawatt hours of large‐scale storage to the National Electricity Market.”
The energy storage plan is to pump water uphill in periods of excess supply and then use the water to generate power when other supply sources—such as solar and wind—ebb. The project was “sold as a nation‐building project for a low‐carbon future.”
When Snowy 2.0 was announced in 2017, the government claimed it would cost $2 billion and be open in 2024. Government‐owned Snowy Hydro pushed for approval saying it had completed “two years of rigorous due diligence.” But some experts warned at the time that the cost estimates were low‐balled.
Over the years, the project has suffered major technical difficulties and delays. One of the project’s large tunneling machines advanced much slower than planned, created a giant sinkhole, and got stuck in soft ground for months.
Snowy Hydro announced in August 2023 that 2.0 would now cost $12 billion and be completed no earlier than 2028. If we add the costs needed to connect 2.0’s generation to the grid, the total cost could be $20 billion. An Australian dollar is about 65 cents of a US dollar.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Video: Homestead Juggles – EDC Knife – Tanning – Butchering
We tackle a number of homestead related topics in today’s video. Being a homesteader who seems to do so much, how do I get it all done?
Also, what is my knife EDC?
CANCEL CULTURE
Rashida Tlaib member of secret Facebook group where Hamas terrorists glorified
Rashida Tlaib member of secret Facebook group where Hamas terrorists glorified
Rep. Rashida Tlaib is part of a secret social media group in which its members have glamorized Hamas in its war battle with Israel after the terror group attacked and killed hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians last month, Fox News Digital has found.
The Michigan Democrat is a member of the Palestinian American Congress group on Facebook. The group is hidden from non-members and does not appear on the platform’s search engine, though Fox News Digital was able to gain access to it.
The group’s founder, Maher Abdel-qader, who has extensive ties to Tlaib and has also been linked to other liberal politicians, has come under fire in the past for his antisemitic social media posts, including questioning if the Holocaust ever occurred.
Florida middle schooler in coma after fellow student slammed his head into lunchroom floor
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office identified the 13-year-old boy charged with slamming another student’s head into the lunchroom floor at L.A. Ainger Middle School Thursday.
Deputies arrested the teen for aggravated battery. WESH 2 is not identifying the child due to his age.
The arrest report said the teen picked up another student by the waist and dropped the boy on his head.
The victim recently moved from Haiti and had a habit of touching people in a friendly way. It was advised that his mannerisms had drawn bullying from other students.
Parents of students say the victim’s name is Patley.
Kim Petras, the transgender German pop star, said he wants his gay fans to engage in sex during performances of his current concert tour, where children as young as eight are allowed to attend.
In a recent conversation published in Interview magazine, Kim Petras — who is a man but identifies as a woman — acknowledges that lewd and pornographic acts are taking place in full view.
“There’s definitely gay sex happening, which is lit,” Petras said. “In the crowd, and that’s the goal.”
Ticketmaster shows that children as young as eight are allowed to attend Petras’ tour, which will make its way through the U.K. and Europe, following stops in the U.S. Those under 14 must be accompanied by an adult at all times, the site states.
GOOD NEWS
A little boy diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder at 5 months old has defied the odds by turning 5 years old and is now thriving at his home in Texas.
Jason and Tara Borofka of Salinas, California, welcomed their only child, JT, on Sept. 13, 2018. Five years later, the couple had a huge birthday party in their new hometown of Lavon, Texas, to celebrate their son turning 5—a day they feared they’d never see.
JT suffers from triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) deficiency, which is a shortage of red blood cells. The condition can cause movement problems, increased susceptibility to infection, and muscle weakness that can lead to breathing issues and heart failure. Doctors gave him only two to five years to live.
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