World News
Julian Assange to remain locked up in UK prison following brief court appearance ahead of US extradition hearing
RT – WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has been ordered to stay in a British prison ahead of a hearing on his possible extradition to the United States, despite reaching the end of his custody period.
Assange was due to be released on September 22 after serving a sentence for breaching bail conditions by seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012.
The 48-year-old was told at a court hearing last month that he would be kept in Belmarsh prison because of “substantial grounds” for believing he would abscond.
At a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said that Assange would remain in custody “for the same reasons as before.”
Assange spoke only to confirm his name and age before he was remanded in prison. He is due to appear in court in person at his next hearing on October 21.
“I very much hope we can make some progress on this case,” Judge Ikram told him at the end of the five-minute hearing, Reuters reports.
In the US, Assange is charged with possession and dissemination of classified information. If found guilty, he could receive up to 175 years in prison. The activist has long feared that the US would attempt to extradite him after WikiLeaks published the leaked ‘Collateral Murder’ video, which shows the US military attacking journalists and civilians in Iraq in July 2007.
Million Mask March: Anonymous Plans To Fight For The Internet, Freedom Of Speech And Press November 5th
Activist Post – The fifth of November only happens once a year, quickly approaching, activists who associate themselves with the decentralized leaderless Anonymous collective are beginning to organize together for rallies across the world. So grab a sign, print out your paper Guy Fawkes mask, (provided for convenience in this article) and get ready to remember the fifth of November.
This year activists from all over the world plan to partake in the march highlighting human rights abuses, the rise of the surveillance state, the dangers of losing our internet and our ever decreasing freedom of speech and press.
Specifically, Anonymous has vowed to at least in part dedicate its march to WikiLeaks Founder journalist Julian Assange, who faces a trial for extradition to the United States early next year. If extradited Assange will face up to 175 years in prison for simply publishing information that was in the public’s best interest, charged under the Espionage Act for his publishing of the Iraq/Afghanistan war logs and Cablegate publications — something that many journalists, activists and lawyers agree will set a precedent for journalism as a whole. CandlesForAssange, a movement of activists in support of the WikiLeaks publisher, are hosting Anonymous’ Million Mask March locations on its own website, urging protesters to print out a paper Assange mask and hold it up on a stick while protesting.
Besides Assange, imprisoned whistleblowers U.S. Army analyst Chelsea Manning, and NSA whistleblower Reality Winner will be honored with signs on the streets.
Egyptian Protests: A US-Fueled “Arab Spring” Reboot
Activist Post – When the West’s leading media organizations attempt to convince audiences they know nothing about where Mohammed Aly – a Spanish-based Egyptian protest leader – came from, the first thing one can be sure of is they are being lied to.
Protests have begun to spread again in Egypt after nearly a decade of frustration in Washington over its inability to coerce Cairo into serving its regional and global designs.
Protesters have allegedly been stirred up by economic turmoil still plaguing Egypt; however, familiar US-backed organizations used in the past to destabilize Egypt are turning up at the center of protest venues including the Muslim Brotherhood which has served a pivotal role in other regional US projects including filling the ranks of militant forces fighting the government in Syria.
The Western media’s feigned ignorance over self-proclaimed protest leader Mohammed Aly is meant to obfuscate his political ties and those of the organizations and enterprises he is associated with.
China denounces Thai politicians for backing Hong Kong protests
Al Jazeera -The Chinese embassy in Bangkok has condemned Thai politicians for showing support to Hong Kong activists amid mass anti-Beijing protests, saying that such a move could harm the relationship between the two countries.
The criticism was echoed by Thailand’s army chief, who on Friday spoke of “hidden agendas” in meetings between opposition activists.
The embassy statement, posted on its official Facebook page late on Thursday, came days after Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong posted a picture on social media with prominent Thai opposition figure Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
Brexit: EU and UK agree to ‘intensify’ talks
BBC – EU countries have agreed to “intensify” Brexit talks with the UK over the next few days.
The development comes after a meeting in Brussels between Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, described by both sides as “constructive”.
But UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was “a way to go” before a deal could be reached.
The UK is due to leave the EU at 23:00 GMT on 31 October.
A European leaders’ summit next week is seen as the last chance to agree a deal before that deadline.
Mr Johnson put forward revised proposals for a deal last week, designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit.
Speaking on Friday, he said there was not “a done deal”, adding: “The best thing we can do now is let our negotiators get on with it.”
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Trump Accountant Told by Appeals Court to Surrender Records
Bloomberg – President Donald Trump, under siege from House Democrats weighing impeachment, suffered a stinging blow as a federal appeals court upheld a subpoena ordering his accountants to provide Congress with his financial records.
The ruling, by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, means Trump will lose control of his long-secret tax and other business papers at Mazars USA LLP unless the full court reconsiders the decision or the U.S. Supreme Court blocks it. In a 2-1 decision, the judges rejected arguments made by lawyers for the president that the House Oversight and Reform Committee had no legitimate legislative reason to seek the information.
Child Charged With Felony For Pointing ‘Finger Gun’ in School
Newswars – A 12-year-old girl was hauled from school in handcuffs and charged with a felony for allegedly pointing her fingers in the shape of a gun at classmates in Overland Park, Kansas.
The child was arrested on Sept. 18 after she, “unlawfully and feloniously communicated a threat to commit violence, with the intent to place another, in fear, or with the intent to cause the evacuation, lock down or disruption in regular, ongoing activities,” according to court documents reviewed by the Kansas City Star.
While school officials and authorities have reportedly declined to discuss the case, citing privacy laws, a source familiar with the course of events shared them with the Star.
“The person said that during a class discussion, another student asked the girl, if she could kill five people in the class, who would they be? In response, the girl allegedly pointed her finger pistol — like the ones many children use playing cops and robbers,” the Star reports.
“Because of that gesture, The Star was told, the girl was sent to Principal Jeremy McDonnell’s office, and the other students involved were also talked to. The school resource officer recommended that she be arrested, the source said. She was detained by police and later released to her mother.”
The child is now reportedly living with in California with her grandfather, Jon Cavanaugh, who says he is afraid for her future, as he has been advised she could face up to a year at a juvenile detention center if convicted.
“I think that this is something that probably could have been handled in the principal’s office and got completely out of hand,” Cavanaugh said. “She was just mouthing off.”
Cavanaugh says the child has no access to a real firearm and never intended to hurt anyone.
Several national security officials raised alarms about Ukraine policy before and after Trump call
Stamford Journal – At least four national security officials were so alarmed by the Trump administration’s attempts to pressure Ukraine for political purposes that they raised concerns with a White House lawyer both before and immediately after President Donald Trump’s July 25 call with that country’s president, according to U.S. officials and other people familiar with the matter.
The nature and timing of the previously undisclosed discussions with National Security Council legal adviser John Eisenberg indicate that officials were delivering warnings through official White House channels earlier than previously understood – including before the call that precipitated a whistleblower complaint and the impeachment inquiry of the president.
US ambassador to EU to testify on Thursday, won’t share documents
RT – Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, will testify before the committees leading an impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump on October 17, complying with House Democrats’ subpoena, Reuters quoted his lawyers as saying on Friday.
Sondland was initially scheduled to testify before the House committees on Tuesday and had flown from Brussels to do so, but was blocked by the Trump administration from appearing.
“Notwithstanding the State Department’s current direction to not testify, Ambassador Sondland will honor the Committees’ subpoena,” the lawyers said.
Sondland is not authorized to release the documents the House committees have sought, they said, adding that Sondland hopes the material will be shared with the committees before his Thursday appearance.
Ukraine Whistleblower May Not Testify In Person
WSJ – Lawyers for the CIA officer whose whistleblower complaint helped ignite an impeachment inquiry into President Trump have asked Congress whether their client could submit testimony in writing instead of appearing in person, according to people familiar with the matter.
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine shows up on Capitol Hill
CBS – Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has arrived on Capitol Hill to give her testimony behind closed doors. It was unclear whether she would comply, given that she is still employed by the State Department, and the administration has clamped down on testimony from current officials.
That testimony comes a day after two foreign-born men who helped the president’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in his efforts to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden were arrested on federal campaign finance charges, with prosecutors describing a sprawling effort to funnel foreign money into the American political process at the behest of Ukrainian officials.
The men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, are both U.S. citizens, according to an indictment brought by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. Parnas was born in Ukraine, while Fruman was born in Belarus, prosecutors said. Two other men, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, also face charges.
The indictment alleges the pair concealed the foreign source of hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign money that eventually went to candidates and committees.
Prosecutors allege the men enlisted a U.S. congressman to seek the ouster of the then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who was prematurely recalled from her post earlier this year. The president called the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, “bad news” in his July phone call with the Ukrainian president that’s at the center of House Democrats’ impeachment probe.
Yovanovitch, who is still a State Department employee, was scheduled to be deposed by the House committees leading the impeachment inquiry on Friday morning.
Portland Trail Blazers No Longer Partnering with Military Contractor Who Supplies Israel
Infowars – After a series of protests led by several radical anti-Israel organizations, the Portland Trail Blazers recently announced the termination of their relationship with an Oregon-based rifle scope manufacturer who supplies rifle optics to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Trail Blazers President and CEO Chris McGowan announced that the team’s sponsorship contract with Leupold & Stevens, a deal that expired after after the 2018-2019, would not be renewed.
“Leupold is no longer a partner of the organization,” McGowan said. “I thank them for many years of supporting our organization. They were a great partner when they were a sponsor. But, for various reasons…they’ve decided to go in a different direction, so they’re no longer a partner of our team.”
Reporter Silenced After Asking NBA Stars About China
Infowars – A reporter had the mic snatched from her after she asked two NBA stars what they thought about freedom of expression following the controversy over a pro-Hong Kong tweet.
After Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protest movement, China pulled almost all sponsorship and NBA broadcasts, forcing the NBA into a groveling apology.
Since then, numerous other major American brands and corporations have caved to the Communist Chinese government and muzzled their own representatives.
During a press conference, CNN’s Christina Macfarlane asked, “The NBA has always been a league that prides itself on its players and coaches being able to speak out openly about political and social affairs. I just wonder after the events of this week, and the fallout we’ve seen, whether you would both feel differently about speaking out in that way in the future?”
Sesame Street Introduces A Muppet Who Has A Mother Addicted To Opioids
NaturalBlaze – Sesame Street, one of the longest-running children’s television shows in the United States, has introduced a new character that has a mother who is addicted to opioids. The new character is a bright green Muppet with yellow hair who is friends with Elmo. Karli will reportedly talk about how addiction has affected her and her family in new editions of the show’s online community resource initiatives.
Betancourt said the shows featuring Karli approach the issue of addiction with compassion, from a perspective that young people can understand. The episodes illustrate that addiction is an “adult illness,” and emphasizes that children are not in any way responsible for their parents’ actions.
Kama Einhorn, a senior content manager with Sesame Workshop, said that these shows can just as beneficial for parents as they are for children.
“There’s nothing else out there that addresses substance abuse for young, young kids from their perspective. It’s also a chance to model to adults a way to explain what they’re going through to kids and to offer simple strategies to cope. Even a parent at their most vulnerable — at the worst of their struggle — can take one thing away when they watch it with their kids, then that serves the purpose,” Einhorn told the Guardian.
In one of the scenes, the Muppet tells her friend that addiction is
A sickness that makes people feel like they have to take drugs or drink alcohol to feel OK. My mom was having a hard time with addiction and I felt like my family was the only one going through it. But now I’ve met so many other kids like us. It makes me feel like we’re not alone.
Partisan Antipathy: More Intense, More Personal
Pew Research Center – Majority of Republicans say Democrats are ‘more unpatriotic’ than other Americans
Three years ago, Pew Research Center found that the 2016 presidential campaign was “unfolding against a backdrop of intense partisan division and animosity.” Today, the level of division and animosity – including negative sentiments among partisans toward the members of the opposing party – has only deepened.
Economy & Business
Gas prices exceed $5 a gallon at some Los Angeles area stations
Fox – As gas prices reached its highest level in the state of California since 2015, some Los Angeles area gas stations are charging more than $5 a gallon.
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County was $4.25 on Wednesday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. The average price is 4.5 cents higher than one week ago, 57.6 cents more than one month ago and 37.1 cents greater than one year ago. It has also risen 86.4 cents since the start of the year.
Major Junk Food Company Collapses
Mercola – The Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA) was the brazen trade and lobbying group for junk food makers and biotech and GMO seeds companies.
In recent years, Nestlé, Kraft, Mars, Campbell Soup Co. and others have quit GMA, as it was increasingly perceived as being out of touch with consumer sentiments.
GMA was influential in defeating California’s GMO-labeling Proposition 37 in 2012 and Washington state’s GMO-labeling bill, I-522. Its initiatives resulted in a money laundering conviction.
The GMA has also tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to preempt state GMO labeling laws.
As of 2020, the GMA will become the Consumer Brands Association with a different, downscaled agenda.
Energy & Environment
Wildfire explodes in Southern California, prompting mandatory evacuations amid power outages
CBS -A wildfire exploded overnight in Southern California, burning dozens of homes and prompting mandatory evacuations. High winds driving the flames were expected to last for hours.
The fire started Thursday night in Sylmar, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Fueled by dry conditions and wind gusts of up to 70 mph, the Saddleridge Fire had consumed more than 4,600 acres by 3 a.m. Friday, fire officials said.
It’s one of eight active wildfires burning in California days after power was shut off to hundreds of thousands of people in an effort to prevent fires. The Saddleridge Fire broke out after 9 p.m. along the 210 Freeway and jumped the highway.
An “All-Out Blizzard” That Is “Unheard Of For October” Is About To Hit Farms In The Midwest With Up To 2 Feet Of Snow
Michael Snyder – Farmers in the middle of the country are about to get hit by what could potentially be the worst October blizzard in U.S. history. According to USA Today, “the massive size and intensity of this snowstorm is unheard of for October”. In other words, we have never seen anything like this in the month of October ever before.
Such a storm would have been disastrous enough in a normal year, but this has definitely not been a normal year for Midwest farmers. As I detailed extensively in previous articles, endless rain and horrific flooding made planting season a complete and utter nightmare for many Midwest farmers this year. Millions of acres did not get planted at all, and planting was seriously delayed on tens of millions of other acres. As a result, corn, soybeans and other crops are simply not ready to be harvested in many parts of the Midwest, and now an unprecedented winter storm is barreling directly toward our heartland.
This is a very, very serious situation. Normally, most corn in the Dakotas and Minnesota is considered to be “mature” by now, but this year we are facing a completely different scenario.
According to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report, only 22 percent of the corn in North Dakota is considered to be “mature” at this point.
And now here comes an “all-out blizzard”.
In case you are wondering, I am not the one that put such an extreme label on this storm. In fact, Accuweather is specifically using that term to describe this historic storm.
It is crazy that Spokane is already getting snow.
According to Yahoo News, that snowfall already makes this the “third-snowiest October” that the city has ever experienced.
Ultimately, a few inches of snow is not that big of a deal.
But once this storm reaches the middle of the country, it is going to dump up to 2 feet of snow on some of our most important agricultural areas
Needless to say, that much snow at this time of the year is going to be absolutely devastating for many farmers.
And we are being told that this coming storm actually has “two parts”. After the first part strikes, the second part is going to come rolling through on Friday and Saturday.
Explosions on Iranian oil tanker off Jeddah’s coast cause spill
Al Jazeera – An Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea was hit by two suspected rockets on Friday off the coast of Saudi Arabia, raising fears of further escalation in the already-volatile Gulf region.
The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) said in a statement the hull of the ship sustained two separate explosions about 100km (60 miles) off the Saudi port city of Jeddah.
It said the blasts – one at 5am local time (02:00 GMT) and the other at 5:30am (02:30 GMT) – were “probably caused by missile strikes”. Oil prices spiked 2 percent on the news.
>> Related: Iran says missiles strike its oil tanker off Saudi Arabia – Iran said Friday two missiles struck one of its oil tankers traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia, a mysterious assault not immediately corroborated that still spiked oil prices amid months of heightened tensions at sea across the wider Mideast.
Science & Technology
‘DNA-Based’ Vaccines Are In Our Future: They Will “Literally Change Your DNA”
SFTPlan – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has launched efforts to create a vaccine that would protect people from most flu strains, all at once, with a single shot. This shot would be a DNA-based vaccine that will literally change your body’s DNA.
With mandatory vaccinations increasingly being legislated, this bodes a very dangerous health future. Politicians and Big Pharma are pouring a lot of money into this and at first glance, it may appear that your health and well-being are their concern. That could not be further from the truth.
Massachusetts Senator and big spender, Ed Markey, has introduced a bill that would shovel no less than a billion dollars toward the universal flu-vaccine project. Here is a sentence from an NIAID press release that mentions one of several research approaches:
“NIAID Vaccine Research Center scientists have initiated Phase 1/2 studies of a universal flu vaccine strategy that includes an investigational DNA-based vaccine (called a DNA ‘prime’)…” –Technocracy.News
This is horrifying if you know what the phrase “DNA vaccine” means. It refers to what the experts are touting as the next generation of immunizations. Instead of injecting a piece of a virus into a person, in order to stimulate the immune system, synthesized genes would be shot into the body. This isn’t traditional vaccination anymore. It’s gene therapy.
In any such method, where genes are edited, deleted, or added to living organisms, there are always “unintended consequences.” These vaccines will permanently alter your DNA. Once injected, there’s no going back either.
The reference is the New York Times, 3/15/15, “Protection Without a Vaccine.” It describes the frontier of research—the use of synthetic genes to “protect against disease,” while changing the genetic makeup of humans. This is no longer science fiction.
First pilotless Black Hawk helicopter capable of 172mph speeds to launch in 2020
Daily Star – A pilotless Black Hawk helicopter capable of reaching speeds of up to 172mph will make its first flight in 2020, a defence firm has said.
Manufacturer Sikorsky says the optionally manned S-70 helicopter could be easily retrofitted to existing US army aircraft.
The “Safe Drivers Act” Is A Real-Time National Driver Surveillance Program
Activist Post – A new Senate bill would create a real-time national driver surveillance program that would allow law enforcement to know anything and everything about a driver at the click of a button.
A recent article in WCVB Channel 5 revealed that the “Safe Drivers Act” is designed for one purpose and that is to share everything a motorist has ever done with law enforcement nationwide.
Outside the Danvers branch of the Registry of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday, Congressman Seth Moulton publicly announced legislation he’s filed in hopes of making it easier for traffic safety officials to share information about drivers across state lines.
How Moulton plans to make it easier to share drivers’ personal information with law enforcement across the country is frightening.
The ultimate goal of the bill is to help lead to the creation of a national, real-time data sharing program, Moulton’s office said.
Apparently, knowing a driver’s Social Security Number, address, date of birth, checking their driving record and running their name against a national criminal database is not enough.
There are few places in America that do not use Automatic License Plate Readers to track our every movement and even that does not appear to be enough for Big Brother’s insatiable desire to know everything about everyone.
The Salem News revealed that the bill would “incentivize states” into creating a national real-time driver sharing program.
Moulton said, “the goal is to incentivize states to modernize their systems and work together to make sure their databases are compatible to improve communication on dangerous drivers.”
WCVB Channel 5 explains how the U.S. DOT would offer states more than $50 million to help create a national real-time data sharing program.
Apple removes Hong Kong police tracker app, stirs protests
CSMonitor – Pressured by Beijing, Apple removed an app used by Hong Kong protesters, saying it enabled criminal activity. Many in Hong Kong disagreed.
In doing so, it immediately alienated some customers in Hong Kong, even those who haven’t been yelling in fury on the streets these past four months.
The company said in a statement that it removed HKmap.live from its app store because it “has been used to target and ambush police” and “threaten public safety.”
“Criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement,” Apple said. “This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.”
Apple phone user Canny Ng has taken to wearing black to express sympathy for the protesters, though with a 6-month-old baby at home, she’s followed the demonstrations on TV, not in the streets.
Apple’s decision was “not acceptable,” she said, adding she’ll think twice about buying more of the company’s products.
Health
These key proteins can block bacterial infections without triggering cell death
NaturalNews – There are natural proteins in the body that fight off viral infections by causing infected cells to die in a process called necroptosis. A new study by North Carolina-based researchers showed that these same molecules also stop bacterial infections from spreading.
Furthermore, the proteins don’t trigger cell death in infected cells that host pathogenic bacteria. Instead, they block the infection by keeping the harmful microorganism trapped inside the host cell, keeping both alive while also inhibiting the bacterial disease.
Researchers Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji and Kazuhito Sai of North Carolina State University (NC State) discovered the additional role played by the RIPK3 and MLKL proteins. They tested the protective molecules on intestinal cells infected by Listeria monocytogenes.
A pathogenic bacteria that attack the intestines, Listeria infection causes the gut disease listeriosis. Eating contaminated food increases the risk of the illness, which is sometimes fatal.
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