Today’s Top 5:
1.Former Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Convicted on 2 Counts of Contempt of Congress
Former White House economic adviser Peter Navarro was convicted by a jury on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress on Thursday.
The Washington, DC, jury determined Navarro willfully failed to comply with the House January 6 Committee’s subpoena when he refused to testify before the committee and produce documents.
2.Senate votes down measure to rein in NATO war-making authority
The Senate on Wednesday rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have clarified that Article 5 of the NATO treaty does not obviate the need for Congress to declare war.
Article 5 holds that an attack on any NATO member must be treated as an attack on the whole alliance, as part of the collective defense commitment.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the measure as NATO membership for Ukraine is being discussed while the country is at war with nuclear-armed Russia.
The final vote was 83 to 16.
3.Judge Orders Texas to Remove Floating Border Barrier — Abbott Appeals Ruling
A federal judge in the Western District of Texas ordered the State of Texas to remove the floating border barriers put in place in July. Governor Greg Abbott announced he is appealing the ruling.
U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra ordered the State of Texas to remove the sections of floating border buoys from the Rio Grande placed in July near Eagle Pass, Texas. The judge ordered the removal by September 15, Fox 26 Houston.
4.Legal Experts Weigh in on ‘Big Mess’ of Georgia Trump Election Case, What to Expect
The Fulton County, Georgia, racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants for challenging the 2020 election results, which prosecutor Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis wanted to try all together, was itself challenged almost immediately after the indictment. Several of the defendants began filing notices of removal to federal court, demanding different, varying trial dates, and finally severing their cases from each other.
It’s what Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, calls a “big mess.”
And Jim Jordan wants to see all of Fani Willis’s evidence BEFORE TRIAL???
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said Wednesday he is “very skeptical” of District Attorney Fani Willis’s plan to put former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants on trial in October.
In August, Willis proposed a trial date of October 23, 2023, for all 19 defendants. However, McAfee said he’s skeptical and called the schedule “a bit unrealistic.”
“It seems a bit unrealistic that we could handle all 19 in 40-something days. That’s my initial reaction,” McAfee said.
WORLD NEWS
They really want WW3 …
French Minister: E.U. Can Undermine Putin by Cleaning Up Process for Countries to Join
The European Union should be bolder about the onboarding process for new member states to head off attempts by the Russian state to undermine pro-European sentiment in those nations, Brussels diplomats have said, a report claims.
Talking about European accession for potential member states but then not acting on it presents Russia with a motive and opportunity to sow division in those states intended to pull them towards Moscow’s orbit, two European diplomats have said in remarks reported by Politico. France’s Europe minister Laurence Boone said disinformation and interference was a real issue in what are called candidate countries, which she believes Russian President Vladimir Putin deliberately encourages to “weaken the European Union”.
Pentagon announces another military aid package for Ukraine
Kiev will get HIMARS missiles, electronic warfare equipment, and mine-clearing hardware, Washington says
The US is set to provide another $600 million worth of military aid to Ukraine for use in its conflict with Russia, the Department of Defense has said.
According to a statement issued by the Pentagon on Thursday, the new package will include equipment for air-defense systems, additional ammunition for HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, 105mm artillery rounds, electronic warfare tools, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, and mine-clearing hardware.
The aid is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the Biden administration to procure weapons from the defense industry instead of taking them from existing US military stocks.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kiev on Wednesday, promised Ukraine $1 billion in assistance from Washington, including $665.5 million for military supplies.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed on the counteroffensive, but [also] in the long term,” Blinken told journalists in Kiev.
Countries are ‘tired’ of US-led ‘Ukrainization’ of global agenda
The upcoming G20 Summit in India may end up with no final declaration due to the conflict
The US and its allies are alienating nations that do not want to be involved in the Ukraine conflict by dragging the issue into every possible international event, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, in the run-up to the G20 Summit in India.
Lavrov criticized what he called the “Ukrainization of everything and anything” by the West, after attending the East Asia Summit in Indonesia on Thursday. Participant states resisted Washington’s pressure and asserted that their agenda did not include geopolitical issues and security crises, he noted during a press conference.
“Nations that want to deal with their specific affairs rather than engage in propaganda in support of the Kiev regime… are increasingly tired” of the Western strategy, the minister added.
Corrupt Billionaire Behind Zelensky’s Rise To Fame & Power Arrested
With an estimated fortune of just under $1.7 billion, Ihor Kolomoisky is among Ukraine’s top five richest citizens. Over the weekend he was arrested by Ukraine authorities on an array of fraud and money laundering charges, at a sensitive moment the government is trying to show the world it can tackle deeply rooted corruption.
A Saturday statement from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that the billionaire, referred to as the “de facto owner of a large financial and industrial group” – had allegedly tried to launder over 500 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($13.5 million) by “transferring it abroad, while using the infrastructure of banking institutions controlled by him.”
Asylum Applications to Germany up 77 Per Cent Over 2022
Initial asylum claims in Germany are soaring, both month-on-month over the summer but also compared to the same period last year, with the nation experiencing a considerable 77.2 per cent rise in arrivals.
There have been almost 205,000 initial applications from would-be asylum seekers in Germany this year between January and August, the latest periods for which the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) has published figures.
The total of 204,461 to date in this period in 2023 is a 77.2 per cent increase over the 115,402 recorded in January to August 2022, reports Die Welt. A University of Vienna academic has told Germany’s Tagespiegel that while it is hard to accurately predict migration numbers — especially as any number of foreign wars or revolutions could begin in the next five months, adding extra pressure on global northward migration — she believes it is conceivable there would be 300,000 applications this year
‘Sleeping giant’ drought threatens more disasters after record Canada wildfires
Unprecedented drought in British Columbia could usher in a fresh set of natural disasters, including devastating floods
Top French Court Approves Ban on Arab Headscarf in Schools After Challenge by Muslim Group
France has banned abayas and qamis, its highest administrative court confirms, the order of the nation’s education minister that the rule should be in force for the new school term having been thrown into question by a last-minute challenge from a Muslim-interest pressure group.
Hong Kong paralyzed by flash flooding after heaviest rainfall since 1884
Record-breaking rainfall paralyzed much of Hong Kong on Friday, with flash flooding submerging metro stations and trapping drivers on roads, as authorities suspended schools and urged the public to seek safe shelter.
Photos and videos showed residents wading through murky brown floodwaters as heavy rain continued to inundate the densely populated city of 7.5 million. In some low-lying areas, streets were transformed into surging torrents, with authorities forced to rescue motorists stuck in their vehicles.
Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion across country
Abortion has been decriminalized nationwide in Mexico following a ruling from the country’s Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The decision comes two years after the court ruled to decriminalize abortion in the northern state of Coahuila, fueling a state-by-state movement for decriminalization.
“The First Chamber of the Supreme Court ruled that the legal system that penalizes abortion in the Federal Criminal Code is unconstitutional, since it violates the human rights of women and people with the capacity to gestate,” the court posted on social media.
Laws regarding abortion were previously left to the states in Mexico, where the procedure had already been decriminalized in 12 of the country’s 32 states. The jurisdiction of Mexico City was the first to decriminalize it 15 years ago. The state of Aguascalientes was the most recent, decriminalizing the procedure last week.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
In case you missed it … because we didn’t get to it … the argument over jurisdiction …
Innocent Gun Dealer Harassed by ATF for Exercising His Rights!
Mayor Eric Adams (D) has declared illegal immigration, at its current pace, “will destroy New York City — warning New Yorkers “every service in this city” will have to be cut and that migrants will “come to your neighborhoods.”
During a townhall on the Upper West Side on Wednesday, a visibly frustrated Adams said the arrival of 110,000 border crossers and illegal aliens since the spring of last year will lead to the destruction of New York City as waves of illegal immigration have continued unabated under President Joe Biden’s watch.
And in the GOP realm of political tit-for-tat …
These Republican Candidates Qualified for the Second Debate
In three weeks, GOP presidential candidates will take the stage for the second primary debate in the 2024 cycle.
The Sept. 27 debate, hosted by Fox Business at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, has stricter requirements than the first debate. The debate will be moderated by Fox News anchor Dana Perino and Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney.
Politico first reported the requirements. The Epoch Times has reached out to the Republican National Committee (RNC) for comment.
Trump’s event with Kristi Noem fuels 2024 VP pick speculation
Noem’s expected to endorse Trump on Friday; tells Fox News ‘I’d have to consider it’ if Trump were to ask her to serve as his running mate in 2024
It’s billed as a fundraiser for the South Dakota GOP, but a Friday rally with former President Donald Trump and the deep red state’s conservative two-term Gov. Kristi Noem could signal much more.
Trump, the commanding front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is headlining the sold-out political gathering in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Noem, a longtime Trump supporter and ally, will appear with him on stage and is expected to endorse the former president. And just as important, the appearance of the two politicians joining forces is sparking speculation that the former president may be eyeing the governor as a potential running mate in 2024.
“We have not discussed it at all,” Noem said Thursday during an appearance on “Fox and Friends.”
Ted Cruz Predicts Most ‘Deadly’ Coronavirus Variant Ahead of Election: The ‘Election Variant’
Coronavirus restrictions could come roaring back as Election Day draws closer, as Sen. Ted Cruz warned the most “deadly” coronavirus variant could emerge a year from now, ahead of the election: The “election variant.”
“Look, this is utterly absurd, mask mandates are wrong and for the left this has become, it’s a combination of a number of things,” Cruz said during an episode of his podcast, Verdict.
California Assembly Passes Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelic Drugs
The Democrat-controlled California state assembly passed a bill that will decriminalize psychedelic drugs for personal use.
“The measure cleared the lower house of the Democratic-controlled state legislature Wednesday, with 42 members voting yes, 13 opposed and 25 not voting. Five of the Assembly’s 13 Republican members joined their Democratic colleagues to vote for the bill,” noted the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Car Crashes Increased After Marijuana Legalized
Emergency room visits for injuries related to driving under the influence of cannabis skyrocketed in Canada after the drug was legalized there, a new study reports.
In October 2018, Canada became the second country to nationally legalize recreational or nonmedical cannabis for adult use.
While known cannabis-involved emergency department (ED) visits for traffic injuries were still rare, they grew by 475% over 13 years, with a sharper rise in accidents after legalization, the researchers found.
2ND AMENDMENT
Sen. Barrasso and 24 GOP Cosponsors Move to Save School Archery, Firearm Safety Programs
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and 24 of his GOP colleagues introduced legislation Thursday to end President Biden’s attacks on firearm and archery safety programs in elementary and secondary schools around the country.
On July 28, 2023, Breitbart News reported that Biden was blocking funds from schools that had hunting and/or archery programs. The Biden administration claims the gun control passed in the summer of 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, gives them the authority to deny the funds for schools with hunting and/or archery courses.
11 Percent Tax on Guns, Ammo, Passes in California Senate
A proposed 11 percent tax on guns and ammunition passed the California Senate on Thursday and returns to the state’s assembly for one more vote before going to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) desk.
Breitbart News reported the on the proposed tax August 23, noting that it was sponsored by California Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D).
Report: Liberty Safe Parent Company Donated Nearly Half a Million Dollars to Gun-Control Democrats
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk used a post on X to report that FEC filings show Liberty Safe’s parent company donated over $400,000 to gun-control Democrats.
Kirk posted:
Liberty Safe was sold to Monomoy Capital Partners in 2021, a liberal East Coast investment firm. I pulled the FEC reports on the company and found approximately $400,000 over the last 10 cycles of max donations to Democrats like: Raphael Warnock in GA John Fetterman in PA Mandela Barnes in WI Mark Kelly in AZ.
He added, “Liberty Safe’s current CEO, Justin Hillenbrand, was a founding partner of Monomoy and donated $4,600 to Obama for America.”
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Nasdaq tumbles for a fourth day as fears of higher interest rates pressure markets: Live updates
The Nasdaq Composite
fell for a fourth session Thursday as concerns resurfaced over the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy path, and whether policymakers will enact another hike this year.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq sold off 0.89% to end at 13,748.83, while the S&P 500
slipped 0.32% to finish at 4,451.14. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
added 57.54 points, or 0.17%, to settle at 34,500.73.
Apple shares plummet on China bans
Beijing has reportedly barred government officials from using iPhones or any other foreign-brand devices
Apple’s market value has fallen by nearly $200 billion after reports that China has banned government workers from using iPhones or any other foreign devices for work purposes, or bringing them into the office.
Shares in Apple fell almost 3% on Thursday and are down 6.4% over the last two days. Several major suppliers of the US tech giant have also seen their stocks plummet. Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker and a major Apple supplier, has lost over 2%, while shares in ASE Technology Holding, one of the world’s largest semiconductor testing and packaging companies, slid 2%, and camera lens-maker Largan Precision saw a decline of more than 3%.
China, the largest foreign market for Apple products, could further expand its curbs on officials’ use of iPhones, according to Allen Huang, executive director of Mega International Investment Services Corp in Taipei, as cited by Reuters.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
If Elon Musk can turn off Starlink in Crimea, imagine where else he can turn it off …
Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet, according to an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled “Elon Musk.”
As Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,” Isaacson writes.
Musk’s decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, a fear driven home by Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials, according to Isaacson, whose new book is set to be released by Simon & Schuster on September 12.
Your Car is Spying on You MORE than Smart Home Devices and Cell Phones
Reviewers at the Mozilla Foundation published a Privacy Report yesterday (9/6/2023) on cars, and they concluded:
All 25 car brands we researched earned our *Privacy Not Included warning label — making cars the official worst category of products for privacy that we have ever reviewed.
They stated in their review that car companies have many more data-collecting opportunities than other products and apps people use, more than even smart devices in homes or the cell phones people take wherever they go.
The ways that car companies collect and share your data are so vast and complicated that we wrote an entire piece on how that works. The gist is: they can collect super intimate information about you — from your medical information, your genetic information, to your “sex life” (seriously), to how fast you drive, where you drive, and what songs you play in your car — in huge quantities. They then use it to invent more data about you through “inferences” about things like your intelligence, abilities, and interests.
It is getting more and more difficult to look up useful information on Internet searches about when older vehicles from these car companies began to be connected to the Internet and have GPS tracking capabilities.
I researched this about a year ago when I recommended to someone which year to purchase a certain model to avoid Internet connections and tracking, but that information today is much more difficult to find now.
Some of the older models started out by only connecting to the Internet through one’s cell phone, but today almost all vehicles connect to the Internet directly, and even if you choose to turn it “off”, it will still connect in certain situations, like updating new software, so the vehicles are ALWAYS connected.
If anyone has this kind of information collected about what year older models still were completely unconnected to the Internet and had no GPS , either contact me directly or share in the comments of this article.
Here is the review:
It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy
by Jen Caltrider, Misha Rykov and Zoë MacDonald
Foundation.mozilla.org
Ah, the wind in your hair, the open road ahead, and not a care in the world… except all the trackers, cameras, microphones, and sensors capturing your every move. Ugh. Modern cars are a privacy nightmare.
Car makers have been bragging about their cars being “computers on wheels” for years to promote their advanced features. However, the conversation about what driving a computer means for its occupants’ privacy hasn’t really caught up. While we worried that our doorbells and watches that connect to the internet might be spying on us, car brands quietly entered the data business by turning their vehicles into powerful data-gobbling machines. Machines that, because of their all those brag-worthy bells and whistles, have an unmatched power to watch, listen, and collect information about what you do and where you go in your car.
All 25 car brands we researched earned our *Privacy Not Included warning label — making cars the official worst category of products for privacy that we have ever reviewed.
The car brands we researched are terrible at privacy and security
Why are cars we researched so bad at privacy? And how did they fall so far below our standards? Let us count the ways!
- They collect too much personal data (all of them)
- Most (84%) share or sell your data
- Most (92%) give drivers little to no control over their personal data
- We couldn’t confirm whether any of them meet our Minimum Security Standards
Some not-so-fun facts about these rankings:
- Tesla is only the second product we have ever reviewed to receive all of our privacy “dings.” (The first was an AI chatbot we reviewed earlier this year.) What set them apart was earning the “untrustworthy AI” ding. The brand’s AI-powered autopilot was reportedly involved in 17 deaths and 736 crashes and is currently the subject of multiple government investigations.
- Nissan earned its second-to-last spot for collecting some of the creepiest categories of data we have ever seen. It’s worth reading the review in full, but you should know it includes your “sexual activity.” Not to be out done, Kia also mentions they can collect information about your “sex life” in their privacy policy. Oh, and six car companies say they can collect your “genetic information” or “genetic characteristics.” Yes, reading car privacy policies is a scary endeavor.
- None of the car brands use language that meets Mozilla’s privacy standard about sharing information with the government or law enforcement, but Hyundai goes above and beyond. In their privacy policy, it says they will comply with “lawful requests, whether formal or informal.” That’s a serious red flag.
- All of the car brands on this list except for Tesla, Renault, and Dacia signed on to a list of Consumer Protection Principles from the US automotive industry group ALLIANCE FOR AUTOMOTIVE INNOVATION, INC. The list includes great privacy-preserving principles such as “data minimization,” “transparency,” and “choice.” But the number of car brands that follow these principles? Zero. It’s interesting if only because it means the car companies do clearly know what they should be doing to respect your privacy even though they absolutely don’t do it.
Read the full review at Foundation.mozilla.org.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
It’s hard to keep track of all the ways Americans are being spied on by private businesses and government entities while simultaneously being fried by their harmful electromagnetic radiation-emitting devices and infrastructure. Renewed efforts toward “smart” clothing will obviously make an already bad situation worse.
From Children’s Health Defense, The Defender:
U.S. Spy Agencies to Launch ‘Smart Clothing’ Under Guise of ‘Better Health Monitoring’
According to the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, “SMART ePANTS could revolutionize the Internet of Things by collecting data to help intelligence, medical and sports commmunities.”
The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) recently launched an effort to make computerized clothing a reality — a move critics say could result in massive biometric surveillance of citizens and an increase in people’s exposure to radiofrequency radiation.
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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Aug. 22 announced that the IC’s advanced research and development arm, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), would develop its computerized clothing program — Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems, or SMART ePANTS — over the next three-and-a-half years.
The government’s SMART ePANTS program works to create clothing with “integrated audio, video, and geolocation sensor systems that feature the same stretchability, bendability, washability, and comfort of regular textiles.”
Items slated for production include shirts, pants, socks and underwear.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Tropics Update: Hurricane Lee now a monster Category 4 storm
Hurricane Lee whirled through open waters on Thursday as forecasters warned it could become the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season. It strengthened into a major Category 4 with winds of 130 mph on Thursday evening.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Preventing the Top 5 Causes of Chicken Death
Did you know that the top five causes of mortality in chickens can be mostly prevented by management? That’s good news for those of us with chickens.
What’s the Difference Between Alfalfa and Grass Hay?
When I got started with goats I barely knew the difference between hay and straw. Although I quickly learned that hay is food and straw is bedding, I just assumed that all hay was the same. That is definitely not the case.
HEALTH
Researchers see surge in number of people under 50 diagnosed with cancer
Researchers are seeing a surge in the number of people under 50 diagnosed with cancer, according to a recent study.
Globally, new cancer cases among people younger than 50 increased by 79.1 percent from 1990 to 2019, according to a new study published in BMJ Oncology. The number of early-onset cancer deaths also increased by 27.7 percent from 1990 to 2019.
Early Concussion Tied to Memory Issues Later in Life
Your thinking and memory skills may take a hit decades after recovering from a concussion, a new study indicates.
Scientists who studied male twins, from an average age of 67, found that earlier concussions were tied to lower scores on tests of thinking and memory. These men also had a more rapid decline in their cognitive skills — skills needed for reasoning and the acquisition of knowledge.
Make This Swap At Breakfast To Fight Inflammation, New Study Says
We all have our breakfast of choice. Some prefer sweets in the morning; others go the savory route. Some are oatmeal fanatics; others are egg aficionados. Well, a new study just identified a breakfast tweak that could help all of us make our breakfasts just a little bit healthier—and it comes down to our choice of fat.
Switching up breakfast fats can decrease inflammation
A recent study published in Nutrients found that women who ate a breakfast high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) from olive oil had a significant decrease in inflammation markers1 when compared to those who ate breakfasts made with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from margarine and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) from butter.
To complete the study, researchers gathered 60 women in a controlled setting and modified their breakfast fat but kept their diet and lifestyle practices otherwise the same. This way, they could more confidently say that it was the fat influencing inflammation levels.
While MUFAs made the biggest difference in inflammation, it’s worth noting that PUFAs seemed to decrease epidermal growth factor (EGF) 2levels—potentially supporting heart health. When it comes to breakfasts made with SFAs from butter, no inflammation or EGF changes were recorded.
That’s not to say that butter and other SFAs are bad by any means, but they might not support a healthy inflammatory response as well as other fats.
What does this mean for me?
These findings suggest that changing the type of fat eaten at breakfast may be a solid strategy for managing inflammation. “Based on the data obtained, it can be affirmed that the optimal fat choice at breakfast would be a high-MUFA fat, primarily attributable to the noted decrease in the synthesis of pro-inflammatory factors,” researchers said.
Study: A sugary drink a day could increase your risks of chronic liver disease and liver cancer
Individuals who regularly consume sweetened drinks have an 85 percent higher risk of developing liver cancer and a 68 percent higher risk of dying from chronic liver disease than individuals who don’t. This is according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The researchers behind the study explained that consuming sweetened beverages could drive insulin resistance and inflammation, which are both strongly linked to the development of liver problems like liver cancer. This is the first study to report an association between regular intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and chronic liver disease mortality.
“If our findings are confirmed, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption might serve as a public health strategy to reduce liver disease burden,” said Dr. Xuehong Zhang, an associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
The impact of daily consumption of sugary drinks on your liver
The study included nearly 100,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative study from 1993 to 1998 at 40 clinical centers in the United States. The researchers monitored these women until March 1, 2020.
At the beginning of the study, the participants reported their usual consumption of soft drinks or fruit drinks except fruit juice. Three years later, they were asked how often they consumed artificially sweetened beverages.
On average, the women were followed for about 20 years, during which the researchers tracked self-reported liver cancer incidence and death due to chronic liver disease, such as fibrosis, cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis. Data was verified by medical records or the National Death Index.
During a median follow-up of 20.9 years, 207 women developed liver cancer and 148 died from chronic liver disease.
Compared with participants who consumed three or fewer servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per month, those who consumed one or more servings per day had significantly higher risks of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality.
Even after controlling for body mass index (BMI), the estimates remained largely unchanged, suggesting that the link between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and adverse liver outcomes may exist independent of obesity, noted Zhang.
COVID RELATED NEWS
Republicans introduce legislation to ban federal mask mandates in schools, on airplanes
Republicans are offering legislation to ban federal mask mandates in schools, airplanes and forms of public transportation amid a new surge of coronavirus cases that has led to the reinstatement of mask mandates in a handful of places.
Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are co-sponsoring the Senate bill, introduced Tuesday as the “Freedom to Breathe Act.”
Rep. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is listed as a sponsor for the legislation in the House.
The lawmakers said they were offering the bill to push back at the imposition of new mask mandates.
“Multiple entities within our government, within the public health bureaucracy, there are local schools in the D.C. area now reimposing mask mandates, this is coming back unless we stop it from happening,” Vance said in a statement.
“That’s why I introduced this legislation, and I’m going to force the Democrats to vote on it,” Vance continued. “If they say the mask mandates are not coming back, then come to the Senate floor, vote with us, and say ‘no more mask mandates.’ Let’s make it bipartisan.”
In reality, there’s little evidence any federal mask mandates are close to being imposed.
Megyn Kelly Drops Vaccine Injury Bombshell, Regrets Getting COVID Shot
Megyn Kelly, a veteran journalist and podcaster, said Wednesday that she deeply regrets getting the COVID-19 vaccine because she believes she has suffered a vaccine injury.
Ms. Kelly said that she regrets getting vaccinated and then boosted, saying she doesn’t think it was necessary—and that a doctor told her that an autoimmune condition she developed after getting the shot may be related to the vaccine.
“I regret getting the vaccine even though I’m a 52-year-old woman because I don’t think I needed it,” Ms. Kelly said during a Sept. 6 episode of her podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
The premier professional membership organization for obstetricians and gynecologists accepted $11.8 million from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promote COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women, despite the exclusion of pregnant women from clinical trials and regulatory data showing the vaccine had not been tested for safety during pregnancy.
To learn more about COVID-19 funding received by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) during the pandemic and what prompted the organization’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women, Maggie Thorp, JD, told The Epoch Times she made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in 2022 to HHS.
The request sought to obtain documents involving the three grants HHS/CDC made to ACOG during the pandemic, one of which was for $11.8 million, listed on a publicly accessible open data source for federal spending.
Documents obtained by Ms. Maggie Thorp show ACOG, on Feb. 1, 2021, was awarded the first of three cooperative agreement grants by HHS and the CDC. The receipt of COVID-19 grant money was contingent upon ACOG yielding substantial control over projects funded by the CDC to the agency and ACOG’s full compliance with CDC guidance on COVID-19 infection and control.
“This is a cooperative agreement, and CDC will have substantial programmatic involvement after the award is made. Substantial involvement is in addition to all post-award monitoring, technical assistance, and performance reviews undertaken in the normal course of stewardship of federal funds,” the documents state.
ACOG also agreed to allow the CDC program staff to “assist, coordinate, or participate in carrying out effort under the award.”
The contracts further provided for the return of funding to the HHS if ACOG did not adhere to the federal government’s messaging that COVID-19 vaccines were safe and effective for pregnant women and new mothers.
EXCLUSIVE: FDA Refuses to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Data to US Senator
U.S. officials are refusing to provide a U.S. senator with COVID-19 vaccine safety data.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the results of analyses on data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in January, after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that none of the safety signals it identified for the COVID-19 vaccines were “unexpected.”
The two agencies have run different types of analyses on the system’s reports, which are primarily made by health care professionals.
Pfizer study on COVID vaccine safety included 23 people
‘Represents our complete response’
The Food and Drug Administration is charged with making sure products, including medicines, delivered to American consumers have been tested for safety.
And a Pfizer booster shot that delivered in 2021 purportedly to help consumers fight off the COVID-19 pandemic was.
On 23 people.
That stunner comes from Judicial Watch, which reported on its access to 58 pages of records from the FDA.
They revealed “a Pfizer study surveyed 23 people in 2021 to gauge reactions to its COVID vaccine booster before asking the FDA to approve it.”
The FDA document showed the company confirmed that “represents our complete response to your request; no additional productions are anticipated.”
Judicial Watch said it accessed records after a lawsuit filed last year when the Department of Health and Human Services, now run by the radically pro-abortion Xavier Becerra, declined to respond to a 2021 Freedom of Information Act request.
The request was for documentation concerning the approval of that booster.
Involved in the process were Pfizer, BioNTech, a German drug company, and BARDA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Those newly obtained records “include a July study titled ‘Phase 1 Booster Safety and Immunogenicity Data up to 1 Month Post-Dose 3 of BNT162b2 30 µg [micrograms] in Study C4591001’ [that] provided ‘preliminary safety and immunogenicity data’ for a group that had received two vaccine shots and, seven to nine months later, a third (booster) shot.”
The drug companies’ documentation claimed, “This submission includes preliminary findings from a subset of younger (18 to 55 years of age) and older (65 to 85 years of age) participants in the Phase 1 part of Study C4591001 who completed the initial two-dose series of BNT162b2 30 µg, given approximately 3 weeks apart, and then received a third dose (booster) of BNT162b2 30 µg approximately 7 to 9 months after the second dose. Data were collected through the cutoff date of 13 May 2021.”
And Judicial Watch said the documents confirmed, “The participants included 11 people aged 18 to 55 and 12 people aged 65 to 85. Of the younger group, there were nine females and two males; eight of whom were white, one was black and two were Asian. Of the older group six were female, six were males, and all were white.”
It came at a time when Joe Biden’s White House announced it was “aggressively” pushing to roll out booster shots – even though no clearance had been given for them by the FDA.
Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch chief, noted that the public “would do well to examine these troubling documents” because of the “shotgun approach” to earlier boosters, in light of the Biden administration’s new push for more shots.
State Supreme Court Judge Ralph J. Porzio ruled Wednesday — the day before classes started Thursday in New York City — that 10 employees fired by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine must be reinstated and provided back pay, holding that denials of religious accommodation to the plaintiffs were unlawful, arbitrary and capricious.
The case, DiCapua v. City of New York, sponsored by Children’s Health Defense, is related to Kane v. de Blasio, a federal lawsuit currently pending in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. “This victory is a watershed moment in the teachers’ two-year fight for relief,” said Sujata Gibson, lead attorney in the two cases. “The Court’s decision not only grants relief to these ten teachers, but it also sets important precedent for all other teachers denied religious accommodation.”
The Court rejected the City’s claim of “undue hardship” as unsupported in the record and irrational, particularly since “being vaccinated does not prevent an individual from contracting or transmitting COVID-19”.
Though the Court granted relief for the majority of plaintiffs, it denied petitioners who had not initially applied under the DOE’s original religious accommodation policy, which the Second Circuit struck down in 2021 as unconstitutional. “The Court agreed that employees were not required to submit applications through the prior unlawful process but still declined to award relief to those plaintiffs on the grounds that there were contested issues of fact as to whether these plaintiffs submitted applications under the new process,” said Gibson. “This is an error, and we will be making a motion to reargue on their behalf.”
The court also denied the motion for class certification, filed on April 7 by the plaintiffs, stating that the proposed class was “overbroad.”
“The judge’s ruling yesterday, while not everything we wanted, is a precedent-setting victory,” said Gibson. “The court’s ruling in the class certification still leaves the door open to future relief for thousands of teachers negatively affected by the vaccine requirement. We intend to file a motion of reconsideration on a narrower basis. Rather than waste public resources clogging the courts with so many individual lawsuits, legal action that will remedy these discriminatory policies for all impacted workers only makes sense.”
A recent study on the immune effects of Pfizer’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine has scientists raising concerns over vaccine-acquired immune deficiencies.
Vaccine-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (VAIDS) is a new colloquial term coined by researchers and health practitioners since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Though not recognized as a medical condition, some experts believe the COVID-19 vaccines may impair or suppress immune responses.
While the new study does not use the term VAIDS, the researchers recognized “a general decrease in cytokine and chemokine responses” to bacteria, fungi, and non-COVID viruses in children after COVID-19 vaccination.
“Our findings suggest SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination could alter the immune response to other pathogens, which cause both vaccine-preventable and non-vaccine-preventable diseases,” the authors of the paper published in Frontiers in Immunology wrote.
“This is particularly relevant in children as they: have extensive exposure to microbes at daycare, school, and social occasions; are often encountering these microbes for the first time; and receive multiple vaccines as part of routine childhood vaccination schedules.”
Mask Mandates Will Not Come to These US States
Mask mandates will not be coming to Texas and Florida, based on posts published by the states’ governor and Surgeon General, respectively.
While Greg Abbott said in a brief post on X that “There will be NO mask mandates in Texas,” the Health Officer and Surgeon General of Florida, Joseph Ladapo, had a bit more to say: “What do you call re-imposing mask policies that have been proven ineffective or restarting lockdowns that are known to cause harm? You don’t call it sanity. These terrible policies only work with your cooperation. How about refusing to participate…”
Mandate discussions are gaining steam on online platforms and otherwise as institutions are gearing up to reintroduce the mask—part of the COVID restrictions brought about after the pandemic spread all over the world.
The Branch Covidians just can’t get away from demonstrating compliance, can they?
These Schools Across the US Have Brought Back Mask Mandates
Amid a small increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions in recent days, a handful of schools and colleges across the United States have re-imposed mask mandates—or at least started recommending them.
In the most recent example, a school in Montgomery County, Maryland, announced it would mandate masking for at least 10 days after three students tested positive for the virus in one classroom. The masking rule applies to students, teachers, and other staff in the classroom, it said.
A letter posted by the Rosemary Hills School online said that KN95 masks have been distributed to students and teachers in the classroom. At-home rapid testing kits were also sent home.
Huntington Beach Votes to Ban Mask and Vaccine Mandates
In response to lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 mandated by national, state, and local governments including mask wearing and vaccine mandates, the Huntington Beach City Council in Southern California voted 4 to 3 on Sept. 5 against imposing any future such mandates in the city, except for those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, who agendized the item, said during the council’s meeting that there have been reports of a possible COVID-19 resurgence, which could lead to more mandates.
“The City Council of Huntington Beach should take a stand against government imposing on individual liberties and broadly imposing response measures on individuals that have been proven to have little or no effectiveness,” Ms. Van Der Mark said while reading from the agenda item during the meeting.
CANCEL CULTURE
California WOKE State Assembly declares August 2024 and beyond, TG history month! California State Assembly Declares August ‘Transgender History Month’
The California State Assembly voted Wednesday to declare August “Transgender History Month,” the first of its kind in the nation.
Big time blowback against The Rock and Oprah!
Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson are facing backlash after urging the public to give money to help victims of the Maui wildfires, while they themselves jointly donated just $10 million — a tiny fraction of their enormous wealth.
Both Winfrey and Johnson recently appeared in a video posted to Instagram and other social media sites to announce the People’s Maui Fund, which is intended to raise money for those impacted by the recent wildfires. “We are honored to start the campaign with $10 million and ask for your help in donating to those who have lost their homes,” the post stated.
And you wonder why mainstream late night TV hosts have lost big time in the ratings: Jimmy Fallon Accused of Drinking at Work, Berating Employees and Overseeing Toxic Work Environment in Stunning ‘Tonight Show’ Exposé
Jimmy Fallon has been accused of presiding over a toxic work environment at The Tonight Show. Multiple current and former staffers spoke with Rolling Stone in an explosive report that alleges Fallon has shown up drunk at work, berated staffers and behaved erratically.
Fallon, who has led the show since 2014 and previously hosted Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, has become famous for his affable onscreen personality, but employees told Rolling Stone the comedian is much different behind the scenes. Anonymous Tonight Show employees told the magazine that Fallon’s ever-changing moods could ruin everyone’s day.
“It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is fucked,” a former employee said. “People wouldn’t joke around in the office, and they wouldn’t stand around and talk to each other. It was very much like, focus on whatever it is that you have to do because Jimmy’s in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off.”
Some even alleged that Fallon could be unpleasant if he seemed to have drank that night before; eight former employees told Rolling Stone that “Fallon’s behavior seemed to be dependent on if he appeared to be hungover from the night before.”
PET NEWS
2 Dogs Found Dead After Eating This From Their Yard
A few months ago, two family dogs died after eating a highly toxic mushroom growing in their own backyard, and their owner is sharing her story to warn other pet parents
The dogs ingested Amanita mushrooms, also called Death Caps, which cause liver failure
Signs of mushroom poisoning depend on the species of mushroom ingested, the specific toxin the mushroom contains and the individual animal’s susceptibility
Treatment depends on the animal’s symptoms; holistic veterinarians use homeopathic remedies, in conjunction with standard of care, to successfully decrease mushroom toxicosis
The same mushrooms that are poisonous to people are poisonous to animals, however, many mushrooms have wonderful medicinal properties, so it’s important to know the difference, as their health impact ranges from life-saving to lethal
How to Help Prevent Feline Kidney Disease
While it’s no guarantee your pet won’t get sick, these two things may help keep her from developing a disease that plagues more than half of kitties 10 years and older. If your cat already has chronic kidney disease, here’s the best way to treat it, regardless of what your vet may advise.
Over half of cats 10 years and older have chronic kidney disease (CKD); one common and preventable trigger for this epidemic is ultraprocessed dry food diets
Feline CKD may also be linked to repeated doses of FVRCP vaccine, which is why it’s so important to take a minimalist approach when vaccinating your indoor cat
It’s also important to understand that protein is not the enemy of cat kidneys, and that low-protein diets are not species-appropriate for felines
The prescription “renal diets” recommended by many veterinarians are dry ultraprocessed formulas that provide very little moisture and poor quality protein to CKD patients whose greatest need is food brimming with moisture and animal protein
Ideally, CKD cats should be fed excellent quality, fresh food diets formulated specifically to address renal disease; there are also natural supplements that can be very beneficial
GOOD NEWS
Clips Show Adorable Belgian Malinois’s Hilarious Response to Vegetables and Fruits She Doesn’t Like
Dogs are pure, furry love.
They show it in their every expressive slobbery kiss, tail wag, and look of total admiration, telling their owners, “You are the apple of my eye!”
One-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois Bella shows her owner, Sylvia Phommalinh, that love by helping out around the house. Bella not only loads up the dishwasher and laundry machine; she also dusts, mops, and takes on the role of sous chef, according to Ms. Phommalinh.
“We have the best bond, full of unconditional love,” Ms. Phommalinh told The Epoch Times. “She trusts me, which is important for teaching new tricks.”
Bella even throws empty toilet paper rolls in the trash, the owner added.
Ms. Phommalinh, a physician assistant who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, bought Bella when she was just 6 ½ weeks old. And, like many dog owners subdued by their canine’s “sad eyes,” the woman succumbed to relinquishing some of her meal to Bella’s eager chomps.
Now, Bella loves to gobble up celery with peanut butter, as well as cucumber, watermelon, bell peppers, strawberries, and more.
‘She Was His Angel’: Paralyzed Texas Man Pulled from Burning Car by Bystander
A brave woman pulled a paralyzed man out of a vehicle right before it was engulfed in flames in a Dallas, Texas, neighborhood.
Dennis Brown, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot with a gun when he was 22, was sitting in a rental vehicle that caught on fire, the New York Post reported.
“It’s kind of dawning on me the kind of danger I was in,” Brown told the Post. “If it wasn’t for Tammi, I don’t know how I possibly would’ve gotten out or how close I would’ve gotten burned or wouldn’t be here today if not for Tammi.”
Tammi Arrington, a resident of Mississippi, was sitting on her friend’s couch when she looked out the window and noticed flames coming from the vehicle.
She ran outside to the vehicle and, at first, did not notice Brown sitting in the driver’s seat.
“I just happened to see his head move just a little bit from the headrest, and then I realized there was someone in there,” Arrington told the Post.
Arrington opened the door, urging Brown to get out of the vehicle. However, Brown said he could not since he is paralyzed.
At first, Arrington grabbed Brown’s wheelchair but quickly realized she would not have enough time to assemble it.
Instead, she dragged him out of the vehicle just before it was engulfed in flames entirely.
Brown’s family members visited and thanked Arrington at her friend’s house, but neither Brown nor his loved ones got Arrington’s name.
Hoping to give Arrington a proper thank you, Brown interviewed with Fox 4 in the hopes that she would see it.
“I’d like to appreciate her for her heroic act,” he told the station. “She went into harm’s way to save me. Dragged me out. I’d like to thank her.”
Arrington heard from her friend about Brown’s desire to talk with her, and she contacted the news station to get his number.
Brown’s mother, Julia, has called Arrington her son’s angel.
“I almost lost my child in this burning car,” Julia said. “I cannot thank her enough. If she had not pulled him out, he would have burned in that car. She was his angel.”
Brown plans on taking Arrington out to dinner the next time she is in town.
Hero Neighbor Charges Into Lake to Save 4-Year-Old Boy With Autism
A Michigan woman is being hailed a hero after she rescued a 4-year-old autistic boy who jumped into a lake.
Drowning is the leading cause of death among autistic children, but the water would have to make do with frogs and fish after Jessica Bauer and the boy’s Grandma saw him fall in, and the former tossed her smartphone over her shoulder before jumping in.
Ring camera captured the youngster tumbling into a pond and Bauer’s rescue. The young woman has a three-year-old of her own, and said the sight of the little boy drowning was frightening, but nevertheless, she told Inside Edition that she didn’t think much at all as she was jumping in.
The mother of the 4-year-old later thanked her hero neighbor. Bauer says the boy she saved is doing fine and is excited to celebrate his 5th birthday.
ICYMI
‘That ’70s Show’ Star Danny Masterson Gets 30 Years to Life in Prison for Rape of Two Women
A judge sentenced “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down the sentence to the 47-year-old Masterson after hearing statements from the women about the trauma they experienced and the suffering caused by the disturbing memories in the years since.
Praying High School Football Coach J
Joe Kennedy, the famed high school football coach who was fired for praying on the field and took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won, has now resigned from his coaching position after only one game back on the field.
Kennedy was fired by his school district in 2015 over his practice of praying on the 50-yard line after games. He contested his firing, and by 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his firing was unjust and he had a right to his free religious expression
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