Dec 10

Today’s News 10th December 2023

  • Musk Asks Zelensky About Imprisoned American Journalist After Tucker Carlson Sounds Alarm
    Musk Asks Zelensky About Imprisoned American Journalist After Tucker Carlson Sounds Alarm

    In May, American YouTuber and columnist Gonzalo Lira was arrested in Ukraine because he “publicly justified” the Russian invasion, according to a press release by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

    The statement from Kiev said that Lira “has the citizenship of one of the countries of Latin America” but omitted that he is also California-born U.S. citizen, as ZeroHedge contributor Space Worm reported at the time.

    Following his release, Lira said he was tortured in a Ukrainian prison, explaining that “two thugs held my head and used a toothpick to scratch the whites of my left eye, while asking me if I could still read if I had just one.” Lira informed followers that he was making a mad-dash via motorcycle towards the Hungarian border:

    Grayzone reporter Liam Cosgrove pressed State Department spox Matthew Miller on the issue, asking how the Biden Administration has allowed an American to be tortued by a closely allied nation: 

    Even more damning about Miller’s non-answer is that 3 months prior, Miller admitted that the State Department was aware of Lira’s imprisonment and plead the Fifth when asked whether the administration planned to advocate for his release:

    Tucker and Elon sound the alarm

    In a Saturday post on X, Tucker Carlson highlighted Lira’s situation and spoke with the journalist’s father. Carlson asked why the Biden administration is allowing this, and questioned what kind of country Ukraine is for doing this to an American simply for criticizing the government.

    In response, Elon Musk asked: “An American citizen is in prison n Ukraine after we sent over a $100 billion?” adding, “Is there more to this story than simply criticizing Zelensky?”

    “If that’s all it is, then we have serious problem here.”

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    Musk then directly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to explain…

    Which reminds us, 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pointed out that Ukraine is an extremely corrupt country.

    Is the worm turning?

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 23:20

  • The Venezuela-Guyana Dispute Explained In 3 Charts
    The Venezuela-Guyana Dispute Explained In 3 Charts

    In a territorial dispute spanning nearly two centuries, tensions between Guyana and Venezuela have once again reached a boiling point.

    As Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti and Nick Routley detail below, the focal point of this dispute is the vast Essequibo region which encompasses around 70% of Guyana’s territory, and is roughly equivalent to the size of Florida.

    Venezuela claims historical rights dating back to the Spanish colonial period when Essequibo fell within its boundaries.

    In 1840, the British government drew the Schomburgk Line expanding the territory of British Guiana (now Guyana) far beyond the occupied area and to the strategically-located mouth of the Orinoco River.

    This line played a pivotal role in shaping the modern borders of the region by defining the territory claimed by the UK, and later, a decolonized Guyana, as the country gained independence in 1966. That same year, Venezuela and the UK signed an agreement aiming for a negotiated solution.

    In 2004, President Hugo Chávez eased border tensions under the advice of Fidel Castro, stating that he considered the dispute to be finished.

    Recent events, however, have reignited the dispute. Between 2015 and 2021, Guyana announced the discovery of about 8 billion barrels of oil, elevating a country with fewer than a million people to a prominent position among the top nations in terms of oil reserves. ExxonMobil, leading a consortium, operates three offshore projects in the country, earning nearly $6 billion in 2022 alone.

    Venezuela’s Referendum and New Map

    On December 1, 2023, the World Court ordered Venezuela to refrain from actions in the border dispute with Guyana. However, just two days later, on December 3, Venezuelans approved a referendum claiming sovereignty over Essequibo.

    President Maduro subsequently ordered the creation of a new state, Guayana Esequiba, within Venezuela’s borders, and released a new map of the country.

    Venezuela’s new territorial claims don’t stop on land, they extend far out into sea as well. Specifically, Venezuela is claiming a critical area called the Stabroek Oil Block, where ExxonMobil and others are already active.

    With a population of around 125,000 people, the disputed region is full of dense rainforest, making a military incursion from Venezuela feasible only by sea or through the Brazilian state of Roraima. Brazil, maintaining good diplomatic relationships with both countries, has already increased military personnel on the border. The U.S. announced joint military flight drills in Guyana on December 7.

    Despite increased military presence in the region, many experts believe that President Maduro has no intention of actually annexing Essequibo, and that this recent claim is a tactic to bolster his own image within Venezuela.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 22:45

  • Long-Term ADHD Medication Use May Increase Heart Disease Risk: Study
    Long-Term ADHD Medication Use May Increase Heart Disease Risk: Study

    Authored by Amie Dahnke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A new study indicates that long-term use of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and that the risk increases the longer the drug is used.

    (joel bubble ben/Shutterstock)

    The results of the study conducted in Sweden were published in JAMA Psychiatry, bringing to light the potential risks of long-term ADHD medication.

    About 6 million, or 1 in 10, children ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 8.7 million adults in the United States also have ADHD. Individuals with ADHD may have difficulty paying attention, find it hard to sit still, or act without thinking; the symptoms and specifics vary from person to person.

    Medication has been the standard treatment of care for decades, researchers wrote, adding that “the use of ADHD medication has increased greatly in both children and adults during the past decades.” Medication therapies include stimulant and non-stimulant therapies, with modalities being determined by the patient’s needs.

    Risk Grows With Duration of Use

    In the study, researchers looked at 13 years of records in the National Inpatient Register of over 278,000 individuals between the ages of 6 and 64 with ADHD. They found that the longer an individual used ADHD medication, the higher their risk was of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those who did not take ADHD medication. Additionally, each additional year an individual used ADHD medication increased their risk of heart disease by an average of 4 percent. Overall, the results suggest that heart disease risk was 23 percent higher for people who used ADHD medication for more than five years compared to those who never used it. The risk was stable among children and adults, both male and female.

    Cardiovascular diseases linked to ADHD medication include hypertension and artery disease. There was no increased risk for other associated conditions, such as heart failure, arrhythmias, thromboembolic disease, arterial disease, and other forms of heart disease.

    The study confirms previous research that indicated patients taking stimulant ADHD medication, such as Ritalin or Adderall, are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those taking non-stimulant ADHD medication. The reason for the development is likely because the stimulants in the drugs are known to elevate blood pressure, arouse the nervous system, and make the heart work harder.

    The study authors noted that clinicians should “be vigilant in monitoring patients … and consistently assess signs and symptoms of CVD (cardiovascular diseases),” especially in patients receiving high doses of stimulant medications.

    Those taking ADHD medication should monitor their heart health regularly. ADHD patients can rely on the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, a set of key health behaviors and factors that can alter one’s risk of heart disease. The Essential 8 include the following:

    • Eating healthily.
    • Being more active.
    • Quitting smoking.
    • Getting enough sleep.
    • Managing weight.
    • Controlling cholesterol.
    • Managing blood sugar.
    • Managing blood pressure.

    No Proof of Causation

    Researchers noted the limitations of the case-control study, including that it cannot prove that ADHD medication causes any cardiovascular disease problems.

    Additionally, the study’s sample was limited to one country, which could indicate the need for more diversity in the future.

    Of prominent note: Researchers did not look at the risk of cardiovascular disease in those who already had heart issues.

    The authors indicated that further research must be done that examines those with preexisting cardiovascular disease. “Evaluating the risk among them necessitates a different study design that carefully considers the potential impact of prior knowledge and periodic monitoring,” they wrote.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 22:10

  • Guess What Industry Dominates 2023's Top TV Advertisers
    Guess What Industry Dominates 2023’s Top TV Advertisers

    In 2023, advertising spend is projected to reach $61.3 billion on U.S. broadcast and cable TV.

    Despite declining viewership, traditional TV has been found to be an optimal platform for storytelling ads. Additionally, advertisers can target viewer segments on traditional TV—similar to digital marketing channels.

    Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld shows the top advertisers on traditional TV outlets in the chart below, based on data from Nielsen.

    Top 10 National TV Advertising Spenders

    Here are the top advertisers on national U.S. broadcast and cable TV for the month of June 2023:

    Procter & Gamble was the top TV advertising spender in the U.S., at $109.3 million. Home to Gillette, Crest, and Tide, the company spent a stunning $5.1 billion in overall advertising in 2022.

    Pharmaceutical companies Abbvie and GSK were the next biggest spenders, at $81.4 million and $52.8 million, respectively. Overall, pharmaceuticals accounted for the largest share of advertising across the top 10.

    Big tech companies Alphabet and Amazon also made the list, each spending over $30 million in June alone.

    Top 10 Local TV Advertising Spenders

    By contrast, the automotive sector made up seven of the top 10 local broadcast and cable TV advertisers, led by General Motors and Toyota:

    Meanwhile, communication giants Comcast and Charter were big spenders, and the nation’s largest personal injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan, ranked in seventh overall.

    U.S. Television Trends

    Today, live TV viewership in the U.S. is primarily made up of those aged 65 and over, which spend nearly five hours per day watching TV. In contrast, those aged 25-34 spend only about one hour and 12 minutes per day watching live TV.

    Furthermore, in 2022, fewer than half of U.S. viewers paid for traditional TV services for the first time. By year-end 2027, this proportion is projected to fall to just over a third of households.

    Yet due to its scale of available media inventory, traditional TV may continue to bring in the bulk of TV advertising spending over the near future. One reason is that advertising makes up 20% of time spent on traditional TV but just 3% on streaming platforms.

    However, as viewership declines, advertisers on live TV say that they are most likely to allocate their ad spend to streaming services. By year-end 2027, ad spend on streaming platforms is projected to jump to $40.9 billion, a 63% increase from 2023.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 21:35

  • How The Federal-Private Speech Police Operated In Election 2020: With Radar Highly Attuned To The Right
    How The Federal-Private Speech Police Operated In Election 2020: With Radar Highly Attuned To The Right

    Authored by Ben Weingarten via RealClear Wire,

    During the 2020 election, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) partnered with the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP), a consortium of groups led by the Stanford Internet Observatory, to track and counter what they considered mis- and dis-information.

    EIP surveilled hundreds of millions of social media posts and collected from the cooperating government and non-governmental entities that it calls its “stakeholders” potential violations of social media platforms’ policies concerning election speech.

    It coordinated its efforts primarily through a digital “ticketing” system. There, one of its as many as 120 analysts or an external partner could highlight a piece of offending social media content, or narrative consisting of many offending posts, by creating a “ticket,” and share it with other relevant participants by “tagging” them. Tagged participants could then communicate with each other, in something of a group chat, about the veracity of the flagged content, concerns about its spread, and what actions they might take to combat it.

    For social media companies this meant removing the content outright, reducing its spread, or “informing” users about dubious posts by slapping corrective or contextualizing labels on them.

    During the 2020 election cycle, EIP generated a total of 639 tickets, covering some 4,784 unique URLs – representing content shared millions of times – disproportionately related to the “delegitimization” of election results. Major platforms including Twitter, Google, and Facebook responded to tickets in which they were tagged at rates of 75% or higher. The platforms “labeled, removed, or soft blocked” 35% of the URLs shared via EIP.

    RealClearInvestigations has obtained data associated with nearly 400 EIP tickets, data produced for the House Homeland Security Committee in connection with its oversight efforts. The tickets come in the form of a series of spreadsheets. Each row represents one ticket. The Stanford group provided no key for the spreadsheets. Much of the information is redacted.

    Here are just a few examples of the tickets EIP produced:

    Ticket EIP-482 (created October 27, 2020) was originated by the CISA’s Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center (EI-ISAC). It concerns a tweet from then-President Trump indicating “most” states permit one to change one’s original vote after engaging in early voting, which EIP categorized as potential “Procedural Interference.”

    The analysts point to fact-checks from, among other sources, Buzzfeed and ABC News challenging the president’s claim. Following two redacted comments on the ticket, an unnamed commenter writes, “Twitter received and is reviewing.” A subsequent comment reads: “We heard back from Twitter through CISA with this response: Our team concluded that the Tweet was not in violation of our Civic Integrity Policy.”

    CISA-produced documentation shows the sub-agency’s chief counter-MDM (mis-, dis-, and malinformation) officer, Brian Scully, had also reported the tweet to Twitter, which responded to him directly about it. Therefore, EIP and its stakeholder, an executive agency, both forwarded the chief executive’s speech to a social media platform for potential censorship.

    Ticket EIP-257 (Sept. 29), originated by the EI-ISAC, concerns a social media post from an unnamed user, alleging an absentee ballot had been delivered by mail to his dead father. An EIP stakeholder “flagged the post to Facebook for removal and the link is no longer active which means it has either been taken down or made private to the individual’s Facebook.” A subsequent comment notes that “We also received confirmation from Facebook (by way of CISA) that Facebook took action on this case,” again showing EIP and CISA seemingly working as force multipliers in content moderation.

    Ticket EIP-301 (Oct. 2), originated by the EI-ISAC, concerns a “tweet regarding voting machines.” An elected official reported that the since-deleted and unavailable tweet “is false. Voting machines work the vast majority of the time. Old machines do have issues, but to phrase it like [this] vastly overstates the scope of the problem.” CISA inquired as to whether Twitter took the tweet down. It did.

    Ticket EIP-954 (Nov. 8), the origins of which are not discernible, concerns social media posts sharing an article from The Federalist, where I am a senior contributor, titled “America Won’t Trust Elections Until The Voter Fraud Is Investigated.” According to the ticket, the article “Misconstrues Disinformation as Evidence.” One tagged post comes from Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway. A stakeholder writes to Facebook and Twitter in connection with the ticket that “this seems to be the greatest hits from the past 3 days wrapped up in one article. The article links to several of the gateway pundit links which have received action since Tuesday.” Twitter indicates it was reviewing the tweet, though it appears not to have taken action on it. RCI asked Hemingway for comment on the flagging of her tweet and publication’s work. She replied:

    This unconscionable censorship of The Federalist and its reporters is sadly unsurprising. The censorship-industrial complex in this country clearly views free speech as its enemy and will do anything to shut it down, including spreading lies and using intimidation to coerce private companies to censor factual, legal speech on behalf of the regime.

    Hemingway concluded with a warning: “The censorship-industrial complex better buckle up, because the days of conservatives taking this lying down are over.”

    This article was adapted from a RealClearInvestigations article published Nov. 6.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 21:00

  • Number Of Attacks On US Bases In Iraq & Syria Pushes Past 80
    Number Of Attacks On US Bases In Iraq & Syria Pushes Past 80

    US military bases in the Middle East reportedly came under Fresh attack again on Friday, pushing the total number of attacks since mid-October past 80 incidents.

    “There were four additional attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since yesterday, according to a DOD official. Now 82 overall since Oct. 17,” Politico’s Pentagon correspondent Lara Seligman wrote. Some media sources have put the figure as high as 85.

    While the fresh attack hasn’t been widely reported in Western media, Iran’s Mehr News Agency is among those regional sources claiming that some four American bases in Syria were hit.

    And one regional monitor OSINTdefender said, “The Attacks on U.S. Forces in the Middle East today has been Never-ending, with at least 10 Rocket and Drones Attacks reported against 6 different Bases in both Iraq and Syria in the last 12 Hours.”

    In a Thursday briefing Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Sing had said this trend of attacks had lessened since the end of the weeklong Israel-Hamas truce, and that the US is hoping things stay calm in the region.

    “In terms of the attacks on our forces, I think it’s important to remember that it’s good that we have not seen attacks on our forces in the last 24 hours,” Singh said. “We would like to see that continue.”

    The Biden administration has long asserted that it “won’t hesitate” to defend American forces in the region; however, recent reporting in Politico has suggested the US is intentionally refraining from a response to Iran-backed Houthi aggression in the Red Sea, on fears of sparking a broader war.

    This week for the first time since Oct.7, the US Embassy in Baghdad came under multiple missile salvos. Damage was reported but no injuries.

    Likely, attacks will continue to intensify especially in Syria – given that both Syrian national and Iranian forces want to squeeze American forces out of the illegal occupation of the country’s oil and gas regions. There have been dozens of US troop injuries, with all of them reported as minor.

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    Washington has been intent on strangling Damascus and the Syrian population after Assad emerged victorious from the decade-long proxy war there. Turkey also wants to see the US presence end, given the Pentagon’s support to the Kurds.

    Just this week the Senate voted down a resolution that which have required a quick and full US troop drawdown from Syria, on the basis that there was never explicit Congressional authorization for the occupation in the first place.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 20:25

  • Gun Owners Of America Defeats Hidden Gun Control In Military Funding Bill
    Gun Owners Of America Defeats Hidden Gun Control In Military Funding Bill

    Submitted by Gun Owners of America,

    When laws are debated in Congress that are too controversial to pass on their own, oftentimes sneaky politicians will attempt to place similar language into must-pass bills.

    One of those must-pass bills is the National Defense Authorization Act, also known as the NDAA. The annual NDAA creates new programs, strategies, and authorizes the Department of Defense to procure new technologies.

    This year, thanks to Gun Owners of America and the support of our grassroots members, we are happy to report that the proposed gun control amendments to the NDAA have been defeated.

    So, you might ask, what gun control did the anti-gun politicians in Congress try to sneak into this year’s bill?

    The answer is a permanent reauthorization of the Undetectable Firearms Act.

    Gun Owners of America is the only pro-gun lobbying organization to historically oppose the Undetectable Firearms Act since its passage into law in 1988. 

    The act itself began as an attempt to ban handguns like the Glock 17 when they were first introduced to the market in the mid-80s. At this time, polymer-framed handguns were a very new idea, and a misunderstanding about the Glock’s polymer frame prompted an idea that even though the Glock had a metal slide, its polymer frame would somehow make it undetectable to metal detectors and, therefore, be the weapon of choice for criminals.

    When the act was finally passed through Congress, a compromise was made – so it did not affect any existing handguns.

    Nowadays, with the advent of 3D printing, the Undetectable Firearms Act stifles manufacturers from producing smaller, lighter, and higher-performing handguns because they must meet the UFA’s weight requirement. This issue is compounded for the consumer handgun market because of the massive demand for concealed carry firearms, especially in light of the recent landmark NYSRPA v. Bruen decision.

    In addition, security measures have come a long way since the 1980s. Metal detectors are quickly being replaced by AI detection technology and less invasive sensor-based body scanning. The Undetectable Firearms Act nowadays only serves as an arbitrary and capricious gun control statute masquerading as public safety.

    The UFA has been reauthorized four times. The original act had a ten-year sunset clause. It was renewed in 1988 for five years, in 2003 for ten years, and finally in 2013 for another ten years.

    Over these past 40 years, much has changed. More and more gun owners are starting to embrace the no-compromise mindset. As such, renewals of bills like the Undetectable Firearms Act will be harder and harder to pass. Because of the work of grassroots GOA members, members of Congress are starting to oppose gun control like the UFA, removing it from must-pass bills like the NDAA.

    While gun owners should enjoy the victory, we must remain vigilant until the UFA is laid to rest permanently.

    Gun Owners of America is urging our members to continue to call their elected representatives and let them know that they do not support the Undetectable Firearms Act.

    *   *   *  

    We’ll hold the line for you in Washington. We are No Compromise. Join the Fight Now.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 19:50

  • "Escape Liberal Hell": Oregon, Washington Republicans Flee PNW, Join California Conservatives In Idaho
    “Escape Liberal Hell”: Oregon, Washington Republicans Flee PNW, Join California Conservatives In Idaho

    America is witnessing a seismic shift in its demographic landscape. Recent data from Idaho reveals an unprecedented trend: people are migrating not just for jobs, schools, or lifestyle, but for political alignment. The movement is reshaping the country, according to the Seattle Times‘ Danny Westneat.

    The call to “Escape liberal hell,” as echoed by a Boise, Idaho real estate agent, is not just a catchy sales pitch but a sign of the times. Idaho’s voter database sheds light on this great political migration. Approximately 119,000 voters have moved to Idaho in recent years, with a staggering 65% registering as Republicans—a figure that overshadows the state’s already GOP-leaning demographic of 58%.

    And it’s not just a trickle of discontented conservatives – it’s a flood. The data also suggests that the narrative of liberals, untethered by remote work, turning red states purple, has been upended. Instead, a “Republican fever dream” (as the Idaho Capital Sun called it) is materializing.

    According to the data, among all Idaho voters who moved here from out of state:

    • 77,136, or 65% are registered Republicans.
    • 24,906, or 21% are unaffiliated.
    • 14,711, or 12% are registered Democrats.
    • 1,949, or 2% are a member of a third party, such as the Constitution Party or Libertarian Party.

    This political realignment has become known as the “big sort,” where America’s national stratification not just by vocation or socioeconomic status, but by political allegiance. As Westneat writes, Idaho’s dream of becoming a fortress against liberalism—a so-called “American redoubt”—is materializing.

    For states like Washington, Oregon, and California, this exodus of Republican voters is more than a demographic shift—it’s a political hemorrhage. According to the report, 75% of Californian expats in Idaho are registering as Republicans. This movement intensifies the political polarization, with red states becoming redder and blue states bluer.

    “Are you sick of living in a Blue State with high taxes, radical policies, and high crime?” reads an ad from one real estate company, Conservative Move (Motto: “Moving Families Right.”). “Find a new home in a state and community that reflects your values.”

    Parallel economy?

    This ‘big sort’ has birthed a cottage industry catering to political migration, particularly on the right. Companies like Conservative Move and GOP Agent aren’t just offering real estate services; they’re selling a lifestyle that aligns with political ideologies. It’s a trend that’s not slowing down, as evidenced by the over 150 attendees at a Seattle info session about moving to red states.

    “The interest in moving to red states is not slowing down,” according to Conservative Move’s Facebook page.

    As The Economist suggested in June, America might soon see parallel economies where partisanship dictates not just where people live, but what products they consume and services they use, like Patriot Mobile’s Christian conservative wireless network.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 19:15

  • New York Democrats Nominate Former Rep. Tom Suozzi To Fill Santos' Seat
    New York Democrats Nominate Former Rep. Tom Suozzi To Fill Santos’ Seat

    Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

    Democrat officials in New York’s 3rd Congressional District have put up former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) to succeed former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).

    Activist Joshua Wong (R) meet with Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and CECC Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) ahead of a hearing about the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 17, 2019. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

    The announcement, first reported by Jewish Insider, was made on Dec. 7.

    Instead of a primary, the local Republican and Democrat parties will pick a nominee to face off to serve the remainder of Mr. Santos’ term. The race is expected to be competitive as the district leans Democrat, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

    Mr. Suozzi, a moderate, served in the House between January 2017 and January 2023. He unsuccessfully ran in 2022 for governor of New York.

    “Tom Suozzi has a proven record of fighting for his constituents, fighting to safeguard our suburban way of life here on Long Island and Queens and always advocating for sensible solutions to the real challenges affecting everyday average Americans,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party, and Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Party, in a statement.

    In response, Mr. Suozzi vowed to serve again the constituents he represented in Congress. Previously, he was the county executive of Nassau County, which is on Long Island.

    “The folks from Massapequa and Levittown to the north shore of Nassau, to northeast Queens deserve better,” he said in a statement posted on X.

    “I will work day and night with both parties to deliver for the people, to make living here more affordable, safer and better,” continued Mr. Suozzi. “I delivered for this district before, and I will do it again by putting you ahead of partisanship. Let’s reject the nonsense and get back to work.”

    Return to Congress

    Mr. Suozzi is already running for the seat in the 2024 general election.

    Ms. Hochul has set the special election for Feb 13. Before the ouster, Mr. Santos had already announced that he would not seek reelection and predicted the votes were there for expulsion.

    On the GOP side, possible picks include state Sen. Jack Martins and Nassau County legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, a black Jewish woman who was rescued by Israel during their airlifts of Ethiopian Jews like herself in 1991.

    The House Democrat conference’s super PAC will “play a significant role in the NY-03 special election, and we will do whatever it takes to flip this district blue,” said the group’s president, Mike Smith.

    The special election will also be a test for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who won the gavel in October, as it pertains to his fundraising operation, the Johnson Leadership Fund.

    New York’s 3rd District went for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Were the Democrats to win back the seat, the GOP would have a six-seat majority and therefore only be able to lose two votes on measures if all Democrats vote in opposition.

    Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who served as speaker of the House between January and October, announced on Dec. 6 he will leave Congress at the end of the year.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 18:40

  • South American Gangs Target Dozens Of Mansions In Detroit
    South American Gangs Target Dozens Of Mansions In Detroit

    Violent crime is quickly spreading to suburbia. A new report shows gangs from South America have targeted mansions in wealthy neighborhoods across the Detroit metro area. This comes as the Biden administration’s disastrous open border policies have flooded the country with millions of illegal migrants, as well as progressive cities fail to enforce ‘common sense’ law and order. 

    WXYZ Detroit reported at least 30 to 40 homes in upscale neighborhoods across Detroit have been targeted by “highly functional and well-trained” gangs from South America this fall.

    Thieves are using high-tech “jammers” to disable WiFi home security systems. They’re primarily after cash, jewelry, and expensive handbags. 

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    Last week, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said thieves are part of “transnational gangs” operating across the country and are targeting multi-million dollar homes. 

    In recent months, we have shared an emerging theme of thieves across the country targeting wealthy households:

    This disturbing trend comes as illegal migrant encounters by the Customs and Border Protection on the southern border hit a record high. President Biden’s disastrous open southern border has flooded the country with 9 million illegals since he took office. Also, Democrat lawmakers, some of whom are Soros-backed, fail to enforce common sense law and order, transforming some metros into lawless, crime-ridden hellholes. 

    Democrats are turning this nation into a third-world-like state – and now criminals, emboldened by failed progressive policies, have the rich in their crosshairs in suburbia. 

    The only advice for law-abiding Americans who want to defend their families and homes in suburbia, where the average police could be upwards of ten minutes or more, is to get proper firearms training from a professional. 

     

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 18:05

  • He Who Must Not Be Named: The Hunter Biden Indictment is Itself a Model of Evasion
    He Who Must Not Be Named: The Hunter Biden Indictment is Itself a Model of Evasion

    Authored by Jonathan Turley,

    Below is my column in the New York Post on the second indictment of Hunter Biden. The tax evasion charges were brought in a type of Voldemort indictment, skillfully detailing millions acquired from influence peddling without mentioning “he who must not be named.” Indeed, it says nothing of how or why millions were sent to Hunter.

    Here is the column:

    The 56-page indictment of Hunter Biden for tax evasion makes for racy reading, with the special counsel describing a four-year criminal pattern directed at maintaining Biden’s “extravagant lifestyle.”

    That lifestyle included massive expenses for strippers, sex clubs, fast cars and other distractions.

    The steps taken by Hunter to evade taxes are impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the efforts of the Justice Department to evade any direct implications for his father, President Biden.

    In that sense, the indictment itself is a marvel of evasion.

    There are three glaring omissions in the indictment that tend to shield critical payments and conduct that implicate the president.

    The Burisma-Ukrainian money

    First, the special counsel only indicts tax evasion that occurred in recent years.

    That’s because the long “investigation” into Hunter inexplicably allowed the statute of limitations to expire on the most controversial payments starting around 2014 from Ukraine gas company Burisma.

    Recent testimony from IRS whistleblowers suggests that wasn’t an accident. Investigators were stonewalled, they claimed, and the Justice Department was previously moving to reject any charges against Hunter Biden.

    Exploring those earlier Ukrainian payments opens up questions about Hunter’s influence peddling and would have highlighted the conflict in his father’s extraordinary move to force the Ukrainians to fire a prosecutor investigating Burisma by holding back a billion dollars in aid for the country.

    There is still no explanation why special counsel David Weiss would allow the statute of limitations to run out.

    But this recent indictment keeps the focus squarely on taxes not paid, not how the money was “earned” in the first place.

    Hunter the foreign agent

    Also missing in the indictment is any charge against Hunter Biden as an unregistered foreign agent.

    Recently, the Justice Department added a charge to the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) that he ran afoul of FARA, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. FARA also was used to go after Donald Trump associates such as Paul Manafort.

    The problem with charging Hunter with FARA is obvious.

    It opens up questions about the millions of dollars going to the Biden family from foreign sources, a topic that Attorney General Merrick Garland has spent years avoiding.

    In the second indictment, Weiss spends more time detailing the salacious use of this money rather than how and why it was given to the Bidens.

    He just matter-of-factly describes millions flowing through these accounts from China, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and other countries.

    The unindicted co-conspirator

    By focusing on tax evasion alone, Weiss again avoids any direct reference to the focus of the influence-peddling used to raise these millions of dollars.

    Even without mentioning the president, the implications of the indictment are devastating for the narrative and denials of Joe Biden.

    The president has continued to maintain that he had no knowledge or interaction with these dealings. Those statements are clearly and knowingly false.

    The president also maintained that his son has “never done anything wrong” and never accepted any money from China.

    That is also untrue, according to the Justice Department and Hunter himself.

    Yet Weiss continues to avoid any need to address the person who was the selling point of the influence peddling.

    It was the same person who repeatedly called in to dinners and meetings, repeatedly attended events, and held meetings and photo shots for these clients.

    Instead, Weiss indicts the failure to pay taxes on the proceeds of these dealings without addressing that underlying corruption.

    It is akin to arresting a bank robber for speeding away from the crime scene without mentioning the reason for his flight.

    In a scandal with dozens of references to the presidents and millions sent for influence and access, it took a steady hand for Weiss to avoid ever touching on President Biden’s role.

    This was a truly Homeric feat — unseen since the Greek hero Odysseus won a competition by shooting an arrow through the tiny hole in a dozen ax heads.

    It takes perfect aim not to avoid any contact. It is itself the very model of evasion.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 17:30

  • Penn President Liz Magill Resigns After 'Genocide Requires Context' Comments
    Penn President Liz Magill Resigns After ‘Genocide Requires Context’ Comments

    …live by the sword, DEI by the sword!

    Amid exponentially mounting pressure following her disastrous testimony to Congress this week, Liz Magill has “voluntarily resigned” as the President of the University of Pennsylvania.

    Axios reports that the board of Penn’s Wharton business school on Friday sent a letter to the university’s board of trustees, after receiving no reply to a letter they sent on Thursday to Magill, in which they requested her resignation.

    The letter read, in part:

    “The Board will, of course, vote based upon each member’s beliefs and only the Board of Trustees, as the University’s fiduciaries, can determine the actions that are in the best interests of the University.

    However, University inaction cloaked in statements of intent and informational meetings has fostered the current climate of fear on campus and has resulted in Government inquiries, Title VI litigation, and declarations by numerous media outlets that our beloved university is ‘ground zero for antisemitism on college campuses.'”

    The letter comes after Magill rapidly backtracked on her congressional testimony in a video released Wednesday.

    “In that moment, I was focused on our university’s long-standing policies, aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which says that speech alone is not punishable,” she said.

    “I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. It’s evil, plain and simple.”

    But now, she’s gone…

    Here is the full letter: (emphasis ours)

    Dear Members of the Penn community,

    I write to share that President Liz Magill has voluntarily tendered her resignation as President of the University of Pennsylvania. She will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law.

    On behalf of the entire Penn community, I want to thank President Magill for her service to the University as President and wish her well.

    We will be in touch in the coming days to share plans for interim leadership of Penn. President Magill has agreed to stay on until an interim president is appointed.

    President Magill shared the following statement, which I include here:

    “It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.”

    Best,

    Scott L. Bok
    Chair, Penn Board of Trustees

    Her resignation comes a day after a bipartisan group of House lawmakers is demanding the governing board members of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) dismiss their presidents following their controversial responses at a campus anti-Semitism hearing.

    In a Dec. 5 letter, 72 lawmakers expressed their disappointment over the responses from the three college presidents during the hearing “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Anti-Semitism” held the same day.

    In the letter, the group, led by Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), noted that:

    “The university presidents’ responses to questions aimed at addressing the growing trend of anti-Semitism on college and university campuses were abhorrent.”

    “This should have been an easy and resounding ‘yes.'”

    “There is no context in which calls for the genocide of Jews are acceptable rhetoric. Their failure to unequivocally condemn calls for the systematic murder of Jews is deeply alarming. It stands in stark contrast to the principles we expect leaders of top academic institutions to uphold,” the letter wrote.

    “It is hard to imagine any Jewish or Israeli student, faculty, or staff feeling safe when presidents of your member institutions could not say that calls for the genocide of Jews would have clear consequences on your campus.”

    One down, two to go…

    (L-R) Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, Liz Magill, president of University of Pennsylvania, Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University, and Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on Dec. 5, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    The resignations won’t be enough though…

    On Dec. 7, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) of the House Education and Workforce Committee announced that the committee had launched an investigation of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn.

    The committee said it would review the schools’ policies and disciplinary records and examine “their seemingly deplorable record.” “The testimony we received earlier this week from Presidents Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth about the responses of Harvard, UPenn, and MIT to the rampant anti-Semitism displayed on their campuses by students and faculty was absolutely unacceptable,” Ms. Foxx said.

    …and remember, Marc Morial told us all that DEI departments aren’t responsible for the safety of Jews on campus.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 16:51

  • Disney's 'Democratic Political Operative' Bob Iger Fully Exposed After Musk Spat: Thacker
    Disney’s ‘Democratic Political Operative’ Bob Iger Fully Exposed After Musk Spat: Thacker

    Authored by Paul Thacker via The DisInformation Chronicle (subscribe here)

    Editors at the New York Post commissioned me to write a piece last weekend explaining how the Democratic Party has been targeting Elon Musk for buying Twitter and taking away their ability to censor critics and label them “disinformation.” The issue came to a head after Musk vented during an interview when asked about Disney and other companies pulling advertising over alleged antisemitism on his platform.

    “If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go fuck yourself,” Elon Musk said. Musk repeated the advice with a wave of his hand toward Disney’s Bob Iger, a Musk critic and Biden administration donor and functionary.

    “Go. Fuck. Yourself. Is that clear? Hey, Bob, if you’re in the audience.”

    Within hours of the intervew, dozens of parodies began appearing on X, including this one. But if you read about the exchange in any media outlet, you would think Musk was coming unhinged, attacking advertisers who support his own company.

    This is far from reality. Democratic operatives including Disney’s Bob Iger have been harassing Musk since he took over Twitter and released company documents showing the government and Democratic Party aligned organizations were censoring Americans. You can read some of my reporting on these Twitter Files here, here, here, here, and here.

    After the New York Post published my essay, I found that Musk had predicted a dirty tricks campaign over a year and a half ago.

    The tactics being used against Musk are quite simple to understand if you know the various figures involved, their backgrounds, and finances. First, Democratic Party attack groups like the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Media Matters for America gin up fake studies that accuse Musk of allowing hate, antisemitism, racism (whatever label they feel is effective) to flourish on social media. Second, Biden campaign donors like Disney’s Bob Iger express panic and flee X, complaining that they can’t be associated with hate.

    The media won’t report on this, but it’s a basic squeeze play once you know the characters involved.

    In recent months, Musk has sued both the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Media Matters for America for making false allegations of hate at X that have driven away advertisers. Both groups claim to be nonpartisan but actually work to attack opponents of Democratic Party policies.

    If you read any story in the press about the CCDH, you would think they’re some lefty nonprofit laboring away to keep the world safe from online hate. A couple headlines just to give you a flavor for this.

    But as I documented in an investigation for Tablet, political operatives with the conservative wing of the British Labour Party founded the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in 2018 to attack people on the Left and Right. The group’s leader, Imran Ahmed, now asserts that he is  “at the forefront of reporting on the hate proliferating on X/Twitter since Musk completed his takeover in late October 2022.”

    In reality, Ahmed is also a former Labour Party political operative who ran CCDH and another Labour Party front group to attack the left wing of his own party with vague accusation of hate. While in the UK, Ahmed’s groups helped to run Jeremy Corbyn out of Labour Party leadership and tanked the lefty news site Canary, after starting a boycott of their advertisers.

    Former Canary editor Kerry-Anne Mendoza described Ahmed’s war against her leftist news site as a scorched earth campaign that destroyed their advertising revenue and forced mass layoffs. “They accuse you of hate,” she told me. “Our regulator said the opposite, but that was irrelevant.”

    Targeting advertisers seems very similar to Ahmed’s current tactics against Musk, no?

    Since Ahmed moved the group to Washington, DC, in 2021 one of CCDH’s main targets, aside from X and Elon Musk, has been presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., who leads Biden among young voters, and is suing the administration over censorship. This should not surprise anyone as CCDH’s chairman is Simon Clark, a former senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank founded by John Podesta, who chaired Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign against Donald Trump.

    Ahmed does not disclose CCDH’s funding, but I found that 75% of it comes from dark money sources. Some of this money may be coming out of Hollywood—Bob Iger’s home base. One of the board members on CCDH’s tax records is talent agent Aleen Keshishian, who reps actor Mark Ruffalo, an Ahmed ally in his crusade against Musk.

    After I tweeted a series of Twitter Files on Imran Ahmed’s work with the old Twitter to censor people, Musk responded, “Anyone know who is supporting this rat?” A month later, Musk sued CCDH for “faulty reports” that were driving away advertisers. “CCDH’s scare campaign to global advertisers … is an attempt to stifle freedom of speech on the X platform.”

    Media Matters has a similar political history, but you won’t find many media outlets explaining this to readers. Instead, reporters often ignore Media Matters’ Democratic Party ties or choose to describe them as a “watchdog.”

    When CNN wrote a dismissive article on Musk’s lawsuit, they even described one of Media Mattes’ employees as a “senior investigative reporter.” One of the media experts CNN quoted to downplay the lawsuit is Joan Donovan, one of the many academic “misinformation researchers” who have popped up in recent years to argue in favor of social media censorship.

    Again, reality is rather different from what you might read.

    The New York Times reported in 2004 that Democratic political operative David Brock created the group in 2004 with help from the Center for American Progress. The paper later noted that Media Matters served as part of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election “outrage machine.”

    After Clinton’s loss, Brock freaked and released a 49-page memo marked “private and confidential” that explained how Media Matters was being retooled to move into the digital space and attack “misinformation.”

    But when Biden beat Trump, the Media Matters political machine pivoted to harangue Musk and Twitter, criticizing him, in one example, for helping Stanford Professor Jay Bhattacharya look into the Twitter Files to see why he had been placed on a “blacklist.”

    After I published Twitter Files showing that the company had provided privileged access to lefty reporter Taylor Lorenz, who had gotten Dr. Bhattacharya banned, Media Matters jumped to downplay the documents.

    Media Matters has also harangued Musk for retweeting news about immigration problems at the southern border, for example. But as border issues have overwhelmed the Biden administration, Media Matters has ceased raising this election issue as a preferred attack.

    After Media Matters published a flimsy report a few weeks back that alleged Nazi content ran on X alongside advertisements from major corporations—claims which caused multiple advertisers to freeze spending—Musk immediately sued the group. “As the most prominent online platform dedicated to hosting free speech, X and its predecessor Twitter have long been the target of Media Matters,” reads the lawsuit.

    In case you think Disney’s Bob Iger is absolved of political guilt, take a gander at his partisan bona fides.

    In the final months of the 2020 election, CNBC reported that Iger was one of Biden’s largest donors, giving $250K to his campaign. Even before Biden had been sworn in as President, Iger then began angling for a position in his administration—possibly as ambassador to China.

    This last summer Iger claimed that he did not want to get involved in “culture wars” before hiring a loyal Biden aide to run Disney’s crisis communications and deal with … culture wars.

    Iger remains a critical donor for Biden’s reelection, according to New York Magazine.

    Disney now faces renewed calls for a boycott by Musk’s legion of online supporters. But you don’t need to love, hate, or be indifferent about the guy to be concerned. I am, however, eternally grateful that Musk gave me and other reporters access to Twitter’s internal company documents, something no other CEO has ever done in the history of our democracy.

    And what worries me as I watch this unfold: if a political party—either Democrat or Republican—can target the richest, most powerful man in the country because he doesn’t support all their policies, who might be next? Isn’t that what’s important?

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 16:20

  • Trump Is Absolutely Smoking Biden In Yet Another Major Poll
    Trump Is Absolutely Smoking Biden In Yet Another Major Poll

    President Biden is in serious trouble, with his political standing now at the weakest point of his presidency, according to a new poll from the Wall Street Journal.

    The poll shows Biden trailing behind former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 showdown by 4 percentage points, a gap that widens with the inclusion of third-party candidates, signifying a potential upheaval in the traditional two-party dynamics.

    Dislike of Biden has become widespread – with just 23% of voters feeling they’ve been positively impacted by Biden’s policies, starkly contrasting with the nostalgic economic reminiscence of the Trump era. The term “Bidenomics,” once a banner of hope, now flounders with less than 30% approval, reflecting widespread disillusionment. No wonder the White House has stopped using the term.

    The Democrat president faces serious perception issues.

    Voters say Trump is the better bet than Biden to secure the border (by 30 percentage points), tame inflation (by 21 points) and build the economy (by 17 points). Biden leads on who can best deal with abortion policy, and voters say that he more than Trump respects democracy. But the president is viewed as no better than Trump on cutting medication costs—a key Democratic initiative.  –WSJ

    “If this race is about policy and performance, then Donald Trump has a significant advantage,” said Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, who conducted the Journal survey with Democrat Michael Bocian. “If this race is about temperament and character, things like that, then Biden has an advantage.”

    “Things were thriving under Trump. This country is a business and it needs to be run by a businessman,” said 53-year-old Aimee Kozlowski of Goffestown, NH, a Republican who plans to vote for Trump, and says that her competitive gymnastics facility has been hurt by inflation.

    The poll also uncovers a dissonance between public economic pessimism and recent positive economic indicators, such as a robust GDP and low unemployment.

    The president has been adjusting his messages on the economy to put more focus on taming inflation rather than on job creation. Creating high-paying jobs was a central goal of Democratic-backed legislation that funded new infrastructure and manufacturing, but voters see jobs as less of a concern than high prices. The White House recently unveiled a new supply-chain council aimed in part at stemming inflation, and Biden recently called on companies to “stop the price-gouging.” 

    The president and his campaign have also amplified their focus on Trump’s most contentious comments, such as his description of opponents as “vermin” and his statement last week that he would be a dictator on “Day 1”—specifically to close the border and open more land for oil drilling—both of which suggest an authoritarian approach to a potential second Trump term. Trump’s allies say Democrats are trying to distract from economic issues and problems at the southern border. -WSJ

    Of course, the Journal also found a never-Trump independent voter, Michelle Bannon, who says the former president is “not qualified at all,” adding “I don’t know that Biden can go another four years, but I’ll cross my fingers and vote for him. He’s the lesser of two evils.”

    From 10,000 feet, Trump is smoking Biden in most polls in general.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 15:45

  • US Tells Israel Not To Strike The Houthis In Yemen
    US Tells Israel Not To Strike The Houthis In Yemen

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

    The Biden administration has asked Israel not to respond to recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

    The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, have fired missiles and drones at Israel in response to the Israeli onslaught in Gaza and have targeted Israeli-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea. US warships have responded to the Houthi attacks and have downed several Houthi missiles and drones in recent weeks.

    According to the Journal, the US is concerned an Israeli response could spark a major regional war. US officials told Israel that the US would handle any potential response, although POLITICO reported that the administration is not planning on directly targeting the Houthis, at least for now.

    The POLITICO report said the Pentagon has drawn up plans to strike the Houthis, but they have not been presented or recommended to President Biden.

    The report said there is a “high-level consensus within the administration that it does not make sense for the US military to respond directly to the Houthis.”

    Saudi Arabia has also urged the US not to strike the Houthis over concerns that such an attack could jeopardize the Saudi-Houthi peace process. A ceasefire between the Saudis and the Houthis has held relatively well since April 2022, but a lasting peace deal has not yet been signed.

    The US announced sanctions targeting the Houthis on Thursday that target 13 people and firms allegedly involved in the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities. The Treasury Department claims the network has transferred tens of millions of dollars worth of foreign currency to the Houthis.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    The US has backed a Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis since 2015 in a brutal war that has killed at least 377,000 people. But it’s rare that the US and the Houthis directly exchange fire.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 15:10

  • "They Look Like America": Clip Of Kevin McCarthy Fluffing Democrats Goes Viral
    “They Look Like America”: Clip Of Kevin McCarthy Fluffing Democrats Goes Viral

    If political windsock Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wants to rehabilitate his image as a snake in the grass, he’s got his work cut out for him.

    A clip of an Oct. 28 address given at Oxford University in the UK has gone viral (oddly, or not, within a day of the former speaker’s endorsement of Donald Trump), in which the former speaker sings the praises of the Democratic party, while slamming Republicans just three weeks after his ouster as House Speaker.

    “When you look at the Democrats, they actually look like America. When I look at my party, we look like the most restrictive country club in America,” McCarthy said to laughter and applause.

    Watch:

    As The Blaze‘s Auron MacIntyre notes: “McCarthy is not some weird outlier, he is not a “RINO”, he held THE key leadership position in the party until a few weeks ago and was defended by “serious-minded people who wanted to get things done,”” adding “This is the Republican Party.”

    The clip resurfaced within a day or so of McCarthy announcing his support for Trump.

    “I will support the president. I will support President Trump,” McCarthy told CBS Sunday Morning in a preview of the interview released Friday, adding that he would gladly accept a position on Trump’s cabinet  if one were offered.

    “In the right position. Look, if I’m the best person for the job, yes,” McCarthy said. “I worked with President Trump on a lot of policies. We worked together to win the majority, but we also have a relationship where we’re very honest with one another.”

    The time to grow a political spine has long passed, Kevin.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 14:35

  • US Joins Over 60 Other Nations To Pledge Emissions Reduction From Air Conditioners And Refrigerators
    US Joins Over 60 Other Nations To Pledge Emissions Reduction From Air Conditioners And Refrigerators

    Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    U.S. climate envoy John Kerry made a pledge with over 60 other nations to slash emissions from refrigerators and air conditioners in a bid to tackle climate change.

    John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, speaks during the Energy Session at Al Waha Theater during day two of the high-level segment of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference at Expo City Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 2, 2023. (Stuart Wilson/COP28 via Getty Images)

    On Tuesday, 63 nations, including the United States, joined a pledge to cut down cooling-related emissions at the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Global Cooling Pledge requires countries to reduce such emissions by at least 68 percent by 2050 compared to 2022 levels. The focus of cooling-related emissions would be on appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators. The pledge also proposes setting up minimum energy performance standards for appliances by 2030.

    “We want to lay out a pathway to reduce cooling-related emissions across all sectors but increase access to sustainable cooling,” said Mr. Kerry, who joined representatives from other countries in the pledge, Reuters reported.

    Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) criticized the pledge in a Dec. 6 X post: “John Kerry lost his run for president & has been trying to assert his revenge on everyday Americans ever since. If he gets his way, our cars, our appliances, and food will be gone. All from a man who flies around on his wife’s private jet.”

    Mr. Kerry’s pledge comes as the Biden administration has proposed rules that could harm to the home appliance market. In July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule to slash the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 40 percent by 2028, calling the chemical a “climate super-pollutant.”

    HFCs are used as refrigerants in appliances like air conditioners, heat pumps, and refrigerators. Since January last year, the import and production of HFCs require special allowances. During this time, the costs of replacing refrigerants have spiked.

    In an August 2022 analysis, Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, noted, “Service technicians say that replacing refrigerant lost from a leak now costs upwards of $800, about double what it did a year ago.”

    “Moreover, EPA’s HFC quotas tighten in the years ahead, so the ratchet will keep turning, surely causing homeowners’ bills to increase further still.”

    Earlier in March, the Department of Energy proposed rules under which refrigerators would be subject to a stricter set of energy efficiency standards. The rule comes into effect in 2027.

    Cooling Concerns

    At present, cooling equipment accounts for 20 percent of total electricity consumption. The UN estimates this to more than double by 2050. Emissions from such cooling is projected to account for over 10 percent of global emissions by mid-century.

    According to the UN, as temperatures rise, demand for cooling equipment is also expected to increase. By 2050, installed cooling capacity is estimated to triple due to rising temperatures, increasing incomes, and a growing population.

    “The cooling sector must grow to protect everyone from rising temperatures, maintain food quality and safety, keep vaccines stable and economies productive,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of United National Environment Programme.

    “But this growth must not come at the cost of the energy transition and more intense climate impacts. Countries and the cooling sector must act now to ensure low-carbon cooling growth.”

    One of the proposed ways to cut down cooling emissions is through the use of passive cooling measures like insulation, ventilation, natural shading, and reflective surfaces. The UN estimates that passive cooling could curb the growth in demand for cooling capacity in 2050 by 24 percent.

    “Imagine a slum community, an informal settlement, the housing made of corrugated iron, and on the side an air conditioner … The aspiration of everyone as temperatures rise and incomes rise is that their wealth is measured by their cooling,” Freetown mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of Sierra Leone said during a COP28 news conference, per Reuters.

    Coal Pledge

    Mr. Kerry’s pledge follows another climate commitment he made last week that the United States would not construct any new coal-fired power plants and would get rid of existing ones entirely.

    “To meet our goal of 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035, we need to phase out unabated coal,” he said in a statement at the Dubai climate summit.

    “We will be working to accelerate unabated coal phase-out across the world, building stronger economies and more resilient communities. The first step is to stop making the problem worse: stop building new unabated coal power plants.”

    According to data from the Department of Energy, 19.7 percent of electricity generation in the United States last year came from coal.

    In 2022, coal-fired plants accounted for 36 percent of global electricity, more than half of which came from China, which is building new coal plants at a rapid pace, undeterred by various climate pledges and goals that the country’s own leadership has paid lip service to.

    According to a February report by the Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, coal power construction starts, new project announcements, and plant permissions “accelerated dramatically” in China in 2022—with two new coal power plants being permitted per week.

    “50 GW of coal power capacity started construction in China in 2022, a more than 50 percent increase from 2021. Many of these projects had their permits fast-tracked and moved to construction in a matter of months,” the report said.

    “A total of 106 GW of new coal power projects, the equivalent of two large coal power plants per week, were permitted. The amount of capacity permitted more than quadrupled from 23 GW in 2021.”

    Tom Ozimek and Reuters contributed to this report.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 14:00

  •  "Beyond Shocking": ACLU Will Represent NRA In Free Speech Supreme Court Case
     “Beyond Shocking”: ACLU Will Represent NRA In Free Speech Supreme Court Case

    The American Civil Liberties Union, a left-wing advocacy group, has returned to their roots in defense of an ideological enemy: the National Rifle Association. This move is part of their ongoing effort to remain relevant and defend Americans against First Amendment violations by an overreaching federal government. 

    “We’re representing the NRA at the Supreme Court in their case against New York’s Department of Financial Services for abusing its regulatory power to violate the NRA’s First Amendment rights. The government can’t blacklist an advocacy group because of its viewpoint,” the ACLU announced on ‘free speech’ platform X. 

    ACLU made it very clear that they “don’t support the NRA’s mission or its viewpoints on gun rights, and we don’t agree with their goals, strategies, or tactics. But we both know that government officials can’t punish organizations because they disapprove of their views.” 

    ACLU and NRA have joined forces as the Supreme Court agreed to hear the gun rights advocacy group’s free-speech challenge to what it alleges New York officials encouraged banks and insurance companies to blacklist it after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

    “The NRA might be thought of as the 800-pound gorilla on the Second Amendment,” NRA lawyer William A. Brewer III said, adding, “Clearly, the ACLU is the 800-pound gorilla on the First Amendment.”

    The civil liberties group’s national legal director, David Cole, said, “It’s never easy to defend those with whom you disagree. But the ACLU has long stood for the proposition that we may disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.”

    The question of when government advocacy violates the First Amendment is before the justices in another case this term. That one concerns the Biden administration’s efforts to persuade social media companies to delete what the government said is misinformation about topics like the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 election.

    In its petition seeking Supreme Court review, the N.R.A., represented by Mr. Brewer’s firm and Eugene Volokh, a prominent First Amendment scholar, said the appeals court’s ruling could have sweeping consequences. -NY Times

    Here’s what X users are saying: 

    ACLU continued on X: “If the Supreme Court doesn’t intervene, it will create a dangerous playbook for state regulatory agencies across the country to blacklist or punish any viewpoint-based organizations — from abortion rights groups to environmental groups or even ACLU affiliates.” 

    Read the NRA’s petition seeking Supreme Court review below:

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 13:25

  • New Rumble Channel Established For Release Of Jan. 6 Security Video By Congress
    New Rumble Channel Established For Release Of Jan. 6 Security Video By Congress

    Authored by Joseph M. Hanneman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The GOP-controlled Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight has established a Rumble channel and released the second batch of security video from Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol.

    New U.S. Capitol Police Jan. 6 security video released by House Republicans on a new Rumble channel. (CHA Subcommittee on Oversight/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

    The first few videos were posted to the Rumble channel on Dec. 5. By the next day, the collection grew to 135 clips—each about 10 minutes long. The channel had nearly 700 followers on Dec. 7.

    The committee released the first batch of 90 CCTV clips on Nov. 17 on its House of Representatives website. The two websites now contain nearly 40 hours of the more than 40,000 hours of video from Jan. 6 held by Capitol Police.

    “As promised, we’re releasing more U.S. Capitol Police CCTV video footage from January 6th to ensure full transparency and accountability,” said U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight. “Every American may access this and future footage on our new Rumble video page.”

    The new batch of videos all come from Camera 0908, housed high on the west dome of the Capitol. The aerial footage starts just after midnight and ends about 11:55 p.m. on Jan. 6.

    The video includes the flow of protesters from the Ellipse during and after former President Donald Trump’s speech, the breach of the first police line, and the violence on several levels of the west front of the Capitol.

    Capitol Police have a network of more than 1,700 security cameras inside the Capitol Building and across Capitol grounds. The agency has consistently opposed (pdf) public release of the CCTV footage.

    When he announced the release of up to 44,000 hours of Jan. 6 video, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pledged to regularly update the website with “thousands of hours of footage.”

    “To restore America’s trust and faith in their government, we must have transparency,” Mr. Johnson posted on X. “This is another step towards keeping the promises I made when I was elected to be your speaker.”

    Enthusiasm about the video rollout was tempered by the announcement that the subcommittee would blur any identifiable faces.

    “As you know, we have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ,” Mr. Johnson said during a press conference on Dec. 5.

    That decision drew fire from both sides of the aisle and media across the political spectrum.

    Former Rep. Lynn Cheney (R-Wyo.), onetime ranking member of the now-defunct Jan. 6 Select Committee, blasted the idea of blurring the video.

    “I think that we’re experiencing a situation where Speaker Johnson is somehow attempting to suggest that there is something in these tapes that would change the facts of what happened,” Ms. Cheney told CNN on Dec. 5.

    Defendants in Jan. 6 criminal cases have criticized both the rollout of video and the blurring of faces.

    “Johnson is flat-out lying about concerns people might be charged if the footage isn’t blurred,” defendant Will Pope, who writes as Free State Will on X, said on Dec. 5. “Congress already gave all the un-blurred video to the DOJ! Motion to vacate this Pinocchio.”

    Conservative social media influencer “Catturd” agreed in a post to his 2.1 million followers on X.

    “This is 100% to blur out all the feds,” wrote Catturd, whose real name is Phillip Buchanan. “Like the FBI doesn’t have copies of these. What a ridiculous lie.”

    A senior congressional aide defended the blurring in a statement to the Epoch Times.

    “Unfortunately, there are groups whose sole purpose is to ruin the lives of anyone who was at the Capitol on January 6, whether they have been charged with a crime or not,” the aide said. “To protect innocent individuals from groups like this, it makes sense to blur small portions of the footage where faces are identifiable as best as possible before posting footage online. And any American can set up an appointment to view the unedited, unaltered footage at the Subcommittee offices.”

    The Times-Picayune newspaper of New Orleans published an editorial cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning Walt Handelsman rapping its home-state representative.

    The three-panel cartoon, also posted on X, shows Mr. Johnson at a dais speaking about the facts and truth of Jan. 6. In the final frame, Mr. Johnson says he wants to be “crystal clear,” while his image is badly blurred.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/09/2023 – 12:50

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Dec 09

Today’s News 9th December 2023

  • Escobar: How Kiev Wanted To Expand The War To Belarus
    Escobar: How Kiev Wanted To Expand The War To Belarus

    Authored by Pepe Escobar,

    Well, Kiev – literally – never sleeps.

    This document – attached, and verified at the highest level, is a report on several recon operations on the Ukraine-Belarus border conducted four months ago.

    Several Ukrainian Special Ops groups had been engaged in deep recon previous to a possible Hail Mary-style plan: launching an offensive against the territory of Belarus, thus expanding the U.S. proxy war on Russia “multilaterally”.

    It’s not clear if this was a Kiev idea; a plan dictated by the NATO masters; or a mix of the two. Minsk, of course, was not exactly observing from a distance.

    Now let’s get to the meat of the matter.

    The document specifies “aerial reconnaissance 130 Rbpak crew MATRICE-30”, in an intel report dated July 21, 2023.

    “An aerial survey of the Republic of Belarus was conducted: two Matrice – 30 ascents were made.

    The flight altitude is 950 m. Electronic warfare system was not detected, communication with remote control was not lost, GPS signals were in Normal mode.

    Without crossing the DKU.

    During flights in the direction of KALININO-SK-42. x: 5727537; Y: 5583485 a video surveillance vehicle “Grenadier” was discovered – SK-42. x:5727404;

    Y:5583417. Designed for station monitoring of approaches to the border.

    Traces and signs of the passage of enemy DRGS, and the movement of enemy equipment in these directions are not detected.

    No changes were detected along the DKU.

    During the conducted aerial reconnaissance, no active actions related to the enemy’s offensive were detected.

    The area is wooded and impassable for enemy personnel and equipment.

    This section of the DKU is not in demand of additional aerial survey.”

    Watch those impassable swamps

    Now we switch to an intel report by the group “IRLANDETS” (“Irishman”), also dated July 21, 2023.

    “Reconnaissance was carried out by means of reconnaissance and military search in the direction of the ZABOLOTYE in the area of the border strip and adjacent areas.

    Copter take-off Point X:5719499; Y:5520355.

    Start of the route: X: 5719667; Y:5518682.

    End of Route: X: 5719641; Y:5522372.

    The area along the recreation center and roads leading to the recreation center were surveyed.

    No traces or signs of the passage of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group and enemy equipment were found.

    The terrain in the area of reconnaissance is impassable for enemy equipment, which is due to a natural barrier in the form of impassable swamps, dense forest stands, and a river flows along the border line in this square. However, this section is possible for the passage of personnel.

    Enemy’s composition, especially sabotage and reconnaissance group.

    Confirmed presence of minefields.

    Accumulation of military equipment, enemy personnel near the recreation center was not observed.

    Aerial intelligence conducted.

    We proceed to perform tasks for their intended purpose in another area, according to the intelligence agency’s action plan groups.”

    Let’s collect some berries

    Now for the RG (intel group) reconnaissance report “Partizan”, also dated July 21, 2023.

    “Exploration was carried out by searching and observing, interviewing the local population in the direction of the PEREBRODY district (X:5733040; Y:5499111) – ZHADEN (X:5732068; Y: 5488281) – BUDIMLYA (X:5726038; Y:5498176) in the area of the border strip and adjacent areas.

    Areas along the recreation center were examined, engineering and sapper barriers, forest and field roads leading to the recreation center were checked: presence of anti-tank ditches, rubble and obstacles from trees, minefields.

    No traces or signs of the passage of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group and enemy equipment were found. The area of exploration is conditionally passable for vehicles and personnel, which is due to a natural barrier, namely: reservoirs, swampy areas, engineering barriers.

    Confirmed presence of minefields(SK – 42: 1)X:5734692; Y;5495350; 2) X:5734724;

    Y:5495106; 3)X:5734899; Y:5494965; 4)X:5735543; Y:5497866; 5) X:5737721; Y:5501118).

    When conducting reconnaissance, optical means were used: binoculars.

    The situation along the DKU lines is calm. No sounds of movement or movement of enemy equipment were recorded.

    Due to the berry season, the local population massively collects berries in border forests, moving to the sites by quad bikes, road transport and scooters. So, during the period of conducting reconnaissance, these vehicles and collectors were recorded up to and including the borderline.

    We proceed to perform tasks according to the Action Plan of the Partizan intel group.”

    There you go. This was the situation four months ago.

    Much has happened since: the massive drying up of funds and weapons to Kiev; the war limelight stolen by Israel; and the Zelensky-Zaluzhny dogfight.

    Still, there are no guarantees that plans to set fire to Belarus have been permanently shelved.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 23:40

  • "Filthy Air": India Overtakes China As Country With Most Polluting Cities
    “Filthy Air”: India Overtakes China As Country With Most Polluting Cities

    While China is often the topic of discussing when bringing up bad examples of air quality, India has actually surpassed China in the poor quality of its air – especially at the onset of winter – Bloomberg notes in a new article.

    During winter, the air quality gets worse because of the cold weather, lack of wind, and farmers burning their fields, the article notes. 

    A study found that in a 30-day period, New Delhi in India had air pollution levels 14 times higher than Beijing. Last year, out of the 100 most polluted cities in the world, 65 were in India and only 16 were in China. This is a big change from 2017 when China had most of the world’s most polluted cities.

    India’s government hasn’t focused much on this pollution problem, even though it’s important for the country’s environment and health. Air pollution in India is causing a lot of deaths each year and is also hurting the country’s economy. The World Bank says that pollution is slowing down India’s economic growth because it affects how well people can work and how businesses grow, the report says.

    Bloomberg also notes that a 2021 report by the Clean Air Fund highlights that air pollution in India impacts various business resources. It hampers the efficiency of solar panels by blocking sunlight, damages electronic components, and lowers the yield of crops.

    Karthik Ganesan, a fellow and director of research coordination at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a Delhi think tank, told BBG: “This is the biggest challenge that urban India faces today. Effectively, it’s turning the demographic dividend into a big bane because I’m left having to care for all these people who in their 50s or 60s are down and out.”

    India’s problem is contrasted by China – another well known polluter – who has made some progress in recent years.

    Ten years ago, China’s big cities faced serious air pollution problems due to rapid growth and high emissions from vehicles, industries, and coal plants. The US Embassy in Beijing, one of the few places providing reliable air quality data, reported extremely high pollution levels. This issue led to protests in various parts of China.

    Initially, China resisted international concerns and didn’t want foreign embassies to share air pollution data. However, as pollution worsened, the government acknowledged the issue. In 2014, President Xi Jinping recognized air pollution as Beijing’s biggest problem and launched a national plan with $270 billion to tackle it.

    Since then, China has taken several steps to reduce pollution. They limited the number of cars in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. They also reduced the production in industries that cause a lot of emissions, like iron and steel, and stopped building new coal plants in some areas. According to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), China’s air pollution dropped by 42.3% from 2013 to 2021, and these efforts were the main reason for a slight decrease in global pollution levels during that time.

    India has made some progress in slowing smog, the report noted:

    According to data collected by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi research group, the level of PM 2.5 — microscopic, cancer-causing pollutants that travel deep into lungs — averaged 98 during the three years through 2023, down 28% from the three-year period ending in 2017.

    But the pace of improvement has slowed over the last few years and measures like ‘smog towers’ do little to help, the report says. One 50 year old rickshaw driver commented: “It’s just constant. When I go home, there’s a layer of dirt on my face.”

    “We might live five years, 10 years, who knows? You don’t know anything about tomorrow, so why think about it,” he added. 

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 23:20

  • America's Best Strategy For Cold War II Is 200 Years Old
    America’s Best Strategy For Cold War II Is 200 Years Old

    Authored by Hal Brands, op-ed via Bloomberg.com,

    The Monroe Doctrine is disparaged in Washington and Latin America, but it remains the foundation of the liberal international order the US leads today…

    “I believe strictly in the Monroe Doctrine, in our Constitution and in the laws of God,” one American religious leader declared in 1923. That same year, 10 million American schoolchildren were subjected to a centennial recitation of President James Monroe’s famous doctrine in class.

    “The American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers,” Monroe said in December 1823. For generations thereafter, that statement was a cardinal principle of US policy. It fused America’s founding ethos of anti-imperialism to the fierce nationalism and outrageous ambition that ultimately allowed the country to surpass every empire on Earth. It even became central to the America’s understanding of itself.

    There have been no such celebrations this weekend to mark the 200th birthday. Most Latin American observers consider the Monroe Doctrine an imperial imposition. Even US officials now see it as an embarrassing anachronism. “The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over,” said Secretary of State John Kerry in 2013. Yet two centuries after it was issued, that policy remains more relevant than many might like to admit.

    The Monroe Doctrine is a reminder that America’s strategic interests have always been intertwined with its revolutionary values. It represents the regional foundation of the liberal international order the US leads today. And although American policymakers often say the Monroe Doctrine is dead, they don’t — or shouldn’t — really mean it.

    The Western Hemisphere was once an imperial battleground. At the start of the 1820s, Spain’s empire stretched from California to the Tierra del Fuego. Britain had territories and interests from Canada to Chile. France was clinging to imperial fragments around the Caribbean; Portugal was trying, vainly, to keep Brazil. Russia’s holdings included Alaska and outposts farther south. Powerful empires sought advantage in the Americas — and tried to keep a subversive republican newcomer well contained.

    In 1823, America’s strategic landscape was menacing. The collapse of Spanish and Portuguese empires in Latin America was birthing new nations. But a coalition of European monarchies — the Holy Alliance of Austria, Prussia and Russia — was considering intervention to recolonize those countries; just two years earlier Russia had threatened a push down North America’s Pacific Coast. The Western Hemisphere was potentially facing a two-pronged absolutist assault. The US would then be surrounded by hostile, antidemocratic empires, foreclosing its future expansion and perhaps threatening its survival.

    Monroe’s answer, drafted by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, combined self-assertion with self-denial. Monroe warned European powers not to seek new colonies in the Western Hemisphere (implicitly counting on Britain, which also opposed its rivals’ expansion, to enforce that ban), pledging that America, in return, would steer clear of Old World conflicts. After a slow start, Washington ultimately honored the first part of the doctrine more faithfully than the second.

    By the mid-19th century, the US had foreclosed European expansion in North America by taking much of the continent itself. Washington then began pushing European powers out of its neighborhood, forcibly evicting Spain from the Caribbean in 1898. During the early 20th century, the US intervened in unstable nations from Nicaragua to Haiti, primarily to deprive prowling Europeans of chances to meddle. Over the subsequent decades, Washington beat back challenges from countries — Imperial Germany, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union — that sought Latin American footholds amid the epic global clashes that defined the age.

    No other country in the modern era has dominated its surrounding region so thoroughly, and for so long, as the US. In this sense, America denied imperial prerogatives to its rivals, only to claim them for itself. But it is ironic that the doctrine is now considered a historical relic — because it continues to influence the long arc of US statecraft around the globe.

    First, the Monroe Doctrine asserted an enduring principle of US strategy — that America requires a balance of power that favors liberalism. “It is impossible,” Monroe declared, “that the allied powers should extend their political system” — monarchy — to the Western Hemisphere “without endangering our peace and happiness.”

    This wasn’t some rhetorical flourish. America’s founding struggle had been a revolt against monarchy. Its republican government cast it, immediately, into sharp ideological conflict against Europe’s absolutist regimes. So Monroe was simply explaining that the US could not flourish in an environment ruled by regimes that were inherently, even existentially, hostile to its liberal experiment. Nearly a century later, President Woodrow Wilson argued more or less the same thing in calling on his country to make a “world safe for democracy” in World War I.

    The Monroe Doctrine also enshrined a related American tradition — hostility to rival spheres of interest. The modern era has seen the astounding growth of a US sphere of interest that began in North America and now reaches around the globe. Yet American leaders have never been as comfortable with other powers, especially autocratic powers, carving out their own domains.

    Such arrangements, Monroe said, could be established only by coercion: Free peoples would never accept them “of their own accord.” Autocratic empires, whether in the Americas or elsewhere, would serve as platforms for subversion, intimidation and aggression against the world beyond. Since the early 20th century, America has fought hot wars and cold wars to keep Eurasian autocracies from establishing globe-threatening spheres of interest in their own regions — an extension of Monroe’s doctrine, but one he and Adams would have understood.

    Finally, the Monroe Doctrine established the regional primacy that underpins America’s global power. If the US faced serious threats close to home, it would have to deploy vast armies to defend its long land borders. But if America faced no major threats within the Western Hemisphere, it would be free, eventually, to roam the world. Which means that the quasi-imperialistic Monroe Doctrine was vital to the liberal order the US eventually built.

    A country plagued by nearby challenges could not have intervened three times, in the two world wars and the Cold War, to prevent autocratic powers from dominating Eurasia. It could not have secured overseas regions through globe-spanning alliances after 1945. It could not have anchored a thriving international economy and helped democracy spread more broadly than ever before.

    America’s enemies understood this: Imperial Germany, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union all meddled in the Western Hemisphere because they knew that keeping the US preoccupied was essential to imposing their own, darker visions on the world.

    The Monroe Doctrine cast its share of darkness, of course. The tools of US primacy included military interventions in Central America and the Caribbean; coups, covert action and aid for ugly counterinsurgencies in countries throughout the region; and land grabs in strategic points like Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal Zone. Hegemony is a messy business. No country can dominate a vast region while keeping its hands entirely clean.

    When other powers pursued regional empires, in fact, they invoked US policy as their guide. Japan portrayed its aggression in China in the 1930s as a sort of Asian Monroe Doctrine. Today, when Chinese expansionists advocate “Asia for Asians,” or call Central Asia “China’s Latin America,” they are making, explicitly or implicitly, a similar claim. The truth is a bit more complicated.

    Whatever its failings, the Monroe Doctrine did — with tacit support from the British Royal Navy — gradually curtail formal European colonialism in Latin America, an achievement of real value to the independent countries of the region. In the 20th century, moreover, a hemisphere free of US imperialism might well have been more susceptible to fascist or communist influence.

    True, during the Cold War especially, the US protected its regional position through cooperation with friendly dictators. But preventing countries from going communist at least preserved the possibility they would later evolve toward democracy — as many eventually did, once their economies matured and the politics stabilized, in the 1970s and 1980s. The US placed itself firmly behind this democratic movement: Which of America’s great-power rivals would have done that?

    American primacy has had other benefits. The fact that Latin America — a region suffused, sadly, with internal violence — has seen so little interstate conflict in the past century might, perhaps, testify to the role of US power in enforcing a hegemonic peace. Not least, insofar as Latin America has benefitted from the larger liberal order — one in which trade has surged, living standards have increased and global wars have been avoided for the last 80 years — it has also benefitted from the US regional supremacy that has enabled a degree of global progress.

    Whatever the costs and benefits, the Monroe Doctrine long ago came to look like an imperial remnant in a post-imperial age. US officials mostly stopped publicly invoking the doctrine after a regionally polarizing CIA intervention in Guatemala in 1954. When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson mentioned the doctrine favorably in 2018, his comments were mostly treated as a costly gaffe. A policy Americans had once venerated now seemed painfully out of date.

    True, after the Cold War, it had certainly seemed unnecessary. With US power unchallenged, with markets and democracy sweeping the region, everything was going Washington’s way. That’s no longer the case.

    For years, the region’s politics have been deteriorating.

    In Venezuela, Nicaragua and other countries, illiberal populists have set about destroying democratic norms and institutions. Democracy is fragile and political instability is rising across much of the region.

    Peru is on its fourth president in the last three years; Argentina has elected a Donald Trump acolyte who promises to take a chainsaw to the political system. Mexico, which not long ago was moving toward stronger democracy and better ties with Washington, has regressed in both dimensions under Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Economic challenges often exacerbate political problems: Covid battered societies that were already suffering from high levels of economic insecurity.

    Meanwhile, the US — which, since the 1990s, has seen the region primarily through the lens of illegal drugs and immigration — has been bleeding influence. And given that every great-power rivalry of the modern era has ensnared the Western Hemisphere, the bill for that strategic neglect is coming due.

    One US antagonist, Russia, is forging anti-American alliances by making common cause with the region’s most thuggish leaders. When, in 2019, there was talk of US intervention in Venezuela to end the humanitarian catastrophe of Nicolas Maduro’s repressive rule, Russian military contractors raced to the country to protect his regime.

    Russian weapons and intelligence support have bolstered another anti-American dictator, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega. Russian sniper rifles were used to kill pro-democracy protestors in 2018; Moscow and Managua have pursued cyber-cooperation to surveil and suppress Nicaragua’s opposition. Russian propaganda and disinformation fuel anti-US sentiment in Latin America and around the globe.

    Russia’s presence in Latin America remains modest in comparison to the Cold War. But it is supporting states that brutalize their people and oppose US influence as part of a larger “raiding strategy” meant to keep Washington off balance by making it play defense around the globe.

    There is also a Chinese challenge. Beijing is building influence for the long term by inserting itself into Latin American economies, infrastructure and communications networks. Through its Digital Silk Road strategy, China is proliferating surveillance technology that bolsters illiberal governments. Its larger Belt and Road Initiative features investments in nuclear power plants, space stations and other significant projects. Under its Global Security Initiative, Beijing is expanding internal security and intelligence programs in the region, as well.

    There’s also a military component to Chinese policy, one that has, so far, remained somewhat disguised. From Cuba to Argentina, Beijing has been seeking — and sometimes acquiring — access to “dual-use” facilities with potential military uses. US officials reportedly worry that these facilities, such as the Amachuma Ground Station in Bolivia, could enhance China’s global military surveillance network, or eventually lay the basis for power projection in the Western Hemisphere.

    Today’s autocracies aren’t recolonizing Latin America or supporting communist insurgencies. But the strategic implications of their behavior are real.

    In the 20th century, Eurasian powers stirred the pot of political instability and anti-Americanism in Latin America in hopes of putting Washington on the defensive in its own backyard. Present-day US rivals know that playbook well.

    America’s regional immunity underpins its global influence: A US fending off enemies in its own region will struggle to confront them in Eastern Europe or the Western Pacific. And if Russia or, more likely, China someday dominates its own region, it will have greater leeway to reach into the Western Hemisphere. If anything, the premium on preserving US sway may be higher today than it was in the past, given that pervasive Chinese economic influence in Latin America could spoil plans to nearshore critical supply chains.

    The core of the Monroe Doctrine is as important as ever; another epoch of competition foretells another struggle for influence in the region to America’s south.

    That’s not to say US officials should start waxing nostalgic about James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. There’s no profit in rhetoric that reminds even generally sympathetic Latin American observers of the region’s sometimes-humiliating experience with US power. The best way of obtaining a negative objective — denying America’s rivals strategic advantage in the Western Hemisphere — is through a positive program of regional cooperation.

    The US will fare best at countering Chinese economic influence if it pursues a deeper regionalization of trade, manufacturing and financial relationships in the Western Hemisphere. If Washington wishes to turn countries away from Chinese digital and physical infrastructure deals that entrench debt, repression and corruption, it must find ways — whether alone or with democratic allies — of financing less-corrosive alternatives.

    Alerting Latin American populations to the downsides of engagement with Moscow or Beijing requires helping governments and private citizens shine greater light on the role of Russian disinformation or China’s tightening grip on some of the region’s most vital resources. Investments in democratic institutions and civil society are good value amid political backsliding; so are efforts to rebuild long-atrophied relationships with the region’s militaries.

    Containing hostile states, in the region and beyond it, entails consolidating relationships with friendly ones. The tighter the bonds of integration within the Americas, the better positioned the US will be within a fragmenting world.

    That’s admittedly a tall order right now. Rather than sensibly discussing strategic challenges in Latin America, Republican presidential candidates are fantasizing about fighting the drug war by bombing Mexico. Neither major US political party has the courage to promote trade deals that might meaningfully increase economic integration with Latin America. Generating resources for the region has been a challenge for decades.

    The problem, alas, goes well beyond Washington: From Mexico to South America, many once-reliable partners have been replaced by leaders who view the US with ambivalence at best. But the effort is worth making, because the more America struggles to secure its hemispheric position through positive policies, the more it may eventually rely on harder-edged measures instead.

    Would the US really be more tolerant of its adversaries establishing military bases in Latin America today than it was during the Cold War? If it seems unthinkable that Washington might engage in covert meddling against an authoritarian strongman inviting America’s enemies into the region, or try to sway the outcome of a pivotal election in a pivotal state, that’s only because a generation of easy post-Cold War primacy left the US less reliant than it once was on such distasteful remedies.

    As the longer history of US involvement in Latin America reminds us, even relatively respectable democracies will — when their strategic vitals are sufficiently threatened — do some dirty things.

    Two centuries ago, the Monroe Doctrine asserted that the US must keep its rivals at bay within its own hemisphere. In the present era of rivalry, America will need to pursue the same policy, by one means or another.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 23:00

  • Judge Grants Texas Woman With Abnormal Fetus An Exception To Abortion Law
    Judge Grants Texas Woman With Abnormal Fetus An Exception To Abortion Law

    In an exception to the state’s restrictive abortion law, a Texas judge on Thursday granted permission for a woman to abort the abnormal fetus she has been carrying for 20 weeks. 

    Kate Cox’s unborn baby has been diagnosed with trisomy 18, a chromosomal disorder that almost universally results in miscarriage, stillbirth, or death within a year of birth. Also called Edwards’ syndrome, the condition causes a variety of abnormalities, affecting the skull, heart and other organs. Of those who make it to birth, less than 10% survive a year, and frequently have major intellectual impairments. Cox’s lawyers say she’s had to make four emergency room visits to address pain and discharge. 

    “It is not a matter of if I will have to say goodbye to my baby, but when,” said Cox in a statement. “I’m trying to do what is best for my baby and myself, but the state of Texas is making us both suffer.” 

    In Thursday’s hearing conducted via video, Kate Cox weeps as the judge grants her an exemption to Texas abortion law 

    Her lawyers argued that an abortion is needed to protect Cox — who’s had two prior C-sections — from a dangerous birth that could damage her fertility. “Continuing the pregnancy puts her at high risk for severe complications threatening her life and future fertility, including uterine rupture and hysterectomy,” they said in filing the suit. 

    “The idea that Ms. Cox wants desperately to be pregnant, and this law might actually cause her to lose that ability, is shocking, and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice,” said Judge Maya Guerra Gamble as she ruled in Cox’s favor. 

    In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade and rightfully returned abortion governance to the individual states, many conservative state legislatures raced to impose restrictions. Texas has banned nearly all abortions, with exceptions limited to situations where it’s needed to save the mother’s life or safeguard her from “substantial impairment of major bodily function.”

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton doubled down on enforcing the law, immediately firing off a letter to three Houston hospitals warning that the judge’s order would “not insulate hospitals, doctors, or anyone else, from civil and criminal liability for violating Texas’ abortion laws.” The hospitals are the ones where a doctor who has committed to performing the abortion for Cox has admitting privileges.

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    The letter also spelled out Paxton’s reasoning for concluding that the restraining order was wrongly granted. His office, which may appeal the ruling to a higher court, warned the hospitals that the temporary restraining order “will expire long before the statute of limitations for violating Texas’ abortion laws expires.” 

    Doctors performing illegal abortions in Texas face sentences of up to life in prison, and the law also requires the state attorney general to pursue a civil penalty of at least $100,000. Critics say the abortion law’s language regarding medical exceptions is so vague as to leave doctors fearful of suffering severe consequences even where they’re confident of the medical necessity.  

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    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 22:40

  • Bah Humbug: The Police State Wants Us To Be A Nation Of Snowflakes
    Bah Humbug: The Police State Wants Us To Be A Nation Of Snowflakes

    Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,

    “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”

    – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

    What a year.

    It feels as if government Grinches and corporate Scrooges have been working overtime to drain every last drop of joy, kindness and liberty from the world.

    After endless months of being mired in political gloom and doom, we could all use a little Christmas cheer right now.

    Unfortunately, Christmas has become embattled in recent years, co-opted by rampant commercialism, straight-jacketed by political correctness, and denuded of so much of its loveliness, holiness and mystery.

    Indeed, the season for giving has turned into the season for getting…and for getting offended.

    To a nation of snowflakes, Christmas has become yet another trigger word.

    When I was a child in the 1950s, the magic of Christmas was promoted in the schools. We sang Christmas carols in the classroom. There were cutouts of the Nativity scene on the bulletin board, along with the smiling, chubby face of Santa and Rudolph. We were all acutely aware that Christmas was magic.

    Fast forward to the present day, and Christmas has become fodder for the politically correct culture wars.

    Over the years, Christmas casualties in the campaign to create one large national safe space have ranged from the beloved animated classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (denounced for promoting bullying and homophobia) to the Oscar-winning tune “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (accused of being a date rape anthem) crooned by everyone from Dean Martin to Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel in the movie Elf.

    Also on the endangered species Christmas list are such songs as “Deck the Halls,” “Santa Baby,” and “White Christmas.”

    One publishing company even re-issued their own redacted version of Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem “Twas the night before Christmas” in order to be more health conscious: the company edited out Moore’s mention of Santa smoking a pipe (“The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, / And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.”)

    In the politically correct quest to avoid causing offense, Christmas keeps getting axed.

    Examples abound.

    Schools across the country now avoid anything that alludes to the true meaning of Christmas such as angels, the baby Jesus, stables and shepherds.

    In many of the nation’s schools, Christmas carols, Christmas trees, wreaths and candy canes have also been banned as part of the effort to avoid any reference to Christmas, Christ or God. One school even outlawed the colors red and green, saying they were Christmas colors and, thus, illegal. 
    Students asked to send seasonal cards to military troops have been told to make them “holiday cards” and instructed not to use the words “Merry Christmas” on their cards.

    Many schools have redubbed their Christmas concerts as “winter holiday programs” and refer to Christmas as a “winter festival.” Some schools have cancelled holiday celebrations altogether to avoid offending those who do not celebrate the various holidays.

    In Minnesota, a charter school banned the display of a poster prepared to promote the school’s yearbook as a holiday gift because the poster included Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and other secular Christmas icons, not to mention the word “Christmas.”

    In New Jersey, one school district banned traditional Christmas songs such as “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” from its holiday concerts.  A New Jersey middle school cancelled a field trip to attend a performance of a play based on Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” because some might have found it “offensive.”

    In Texas, a teacher in Texas who decorated her door with a scene from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” including a scrawny tree and Linus, was forced to take it down lest students be offended or feel uncomfortable.

    In Connecticut, teachers were instructed to change the wording of the classic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to “Twas the Night Before a Holiday.”

    In Virginia, a high school principal debated about whether he could mention Santa or distribute candy canes given that they were symbols of Christmas.

    In Massachusetts, a fourth-grade class was asked to list 25 things that reminded them of Christmas. When one young student asked if she could include “Jesus,” her teacher replied that she could get fired if Christmas’ namesake appeared on the list.

    Things have not been much better outside the schools, muddled by those who subscribe to the misguided notion that the Constitution requires that anything religious in nature be banned from public places.

    In one West Virginia town, although the manger scene (one of 350 light exhibits in the town’s annual Festival of Lights) included shepherds, camels and a guiding star, the main attractions—Jesus, Mary and Joseph—were nowhere to be found due to concerns about the separation of church and state.

    In Chicago, organizers of a German Christkindlmarket were informed that the public Christmas festival was no place for the Christmas story. Officials were concerned that clips of the film “The Nativity Story,” which were to be played at the festival, might cause offense.

    In Delaware, a Girl Scout troop was prohibited from carrying signs reading “Merry Christmas” in their town’s annual holiday parade.

    Clearly, Christmas has become one of many casualties in the misguided dispute over the so-called “separation of church and state,” a controversy that has given rise to a disconcerting and unconstitutional attempt to sanitize public places of any reference to God or religion.

    Yet there’s a really simple solution to this annual angst of whether students and teachers can display Christmas-related posters, wear Christmas colors of red and green or sing Christmas songs, and that is for government officials to stop being such Humbugs and create a vibrant, open environment where all expression can flourish.

    While the First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing religion on people or endorsing one particular religion over another, there is no legitimate legal reason why people should not be able to celebrate the season freely or wish each other a Merry Christmas or even mention the word Christmas.

    After all, the First Amendment affirms the right to freedom for religion, not freedom from religion.

    Hoping to clear up the legal misunderstanding over the do’s and don’ts of celebrating Christmas, The Rutherford Institute’s Constitutional Q&A on “Twelve Rules of Christmas” provides basic guidelines for lawfully celebrating Christmas in schools, workplaces and elsewhere.

    Yet while Christmas may be the “trigger” for purging Christmas from public places, government forums and speech—except when it profits Corporate America—it is part and parcel of the greater trend in recent years to whittle away at free speech and trample the First Amendment underfoot.

    Anything that might raise the specter of controversy is avoided at all costs.

    We are witnessing the emergence of an unstated yet court-sanctioned right, one that makes no appearance in the Constitution and yet seems to trump the First Amendment at every turn: the right to not be offended.

    In this way, emboldened by phrases such as “hate crimes,” “bullying,” “extremism” and “microaggressions,” free speech has been confined to carefully constructed “free speech zones,” criminalized when it skates too close to challenging the status quo, shamed when it butts up against politically correct ideals, and muzzled when it appears dangerous.

    At the slightest hint of trouble, government officials (and corporations) are inclined to chuck anything that might be objectionable.

    Yet when all is said and done, what the police state really wants is a nation of snowflakes, snitches and book burners: a legalistic, intolerant, elitist, squealing bystander nation willing to turn on each other and turn each other in for the slightest offense, while being incapable of presenting a united front against the threats posed by the government and its cabal of Constitution-destroying agencies and corporate partners.

    You want to know why this country is in the state it’s in?

    The answer is the same no matter what the problem might be, whether it’s the economy, government corruption, police brutality, endless wars, censorship, falling literacy rates, etc.: every one of these problems can be sourced back to the fact that “we the people” have stopped thinking for ourselves and relinquished responsibility for our lives and well-being to a government entity that sees us only as useful idiots.

    The Greek philosopher Socrates believed in teaching people to think for themselves and in the free exchange of ideas. For his efforts, he was accused of corrupting the youth and was put to death. However, his legacy lived on in the Socratic method of teaching: posing questions that help young and old discover the answers by learning to think for themselves.

    Now even the ability to think for oneself is in danger of extinction.

    As Rod Serling, creator of the classic sci-fi series Twilight Zone and one of the most insightful commentators on human nature, once observed, “We’re developing a new citizenry. One that will be very selective about cereals and automobiles, but won’t be able to think.”

    We face an immense threat in our society from this drive to obliterate our history and traditions in order to erect a saccharine view of reality. In the process, we are creating a schizophrenic world for our children to grow up in, and it is neither healthy nor will it produce the kind of people who will be able to face the challenges of a future ruled by a totalitarian regime.

    As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, you can’t sanitize reality. You can’t scrub out of existence every unpleasant thought or idea. You can’t legislate tolerance. You can’t create enough safe spaces to avoid the ugliness that lurks in the hearts of men and women. You can’t fight ignorance with the weapons of a police state.

    What you can do, however, is step up your game.

    Opt for kindness over curtness, and civility over censorship. Choose peace over politics, and freedom over fascism. Find common ground with those whose politics or opinions or lifestyles may not jive with your own. 

    Do your part to make the world a little brighter and a little lighter, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a chance of digging our way out of this hole.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 22:20

  • Multiple Rockets Target US Embassy In Baghdad In First Since Gaza War
    Multiple Rockets Target US Embassy In Baghdad In First Since Gaza War

    There’s been a rare attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad at a moment the Gaza War has continued escalating in the southern half of the Strip. 

    A Pentagon official told Reuters Friday that about seven mortar rounds landed in the sprawling embassy compound in the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone during the early morning hours, resulting in minor damage but no injuries. Other sources say there were multiple rockets launched near the gate.

    Front of US Embassy in Baghdad, Getty Images

    “The reported attack is the first time the embassy has been targeted in more than a year,” Reuters notes. “It comes as bases housing US personnel have been targeted in Iraq and Syria dozens of times since the war in Gaza began.”

    While no claim of responsibility was immediately forthcoming, prior sporadic attacks on the US Embassy in recent years were blamed on Iran-backed militant groups. These same groups are believed to be connected with ongoing attacks on American outposts throughout the region, and in Syria.

    According to a description in the Associated Press:

    An Iraqi security official said 14 Katyusha rockets were fired Friday, of which some struck near one of the U.S. Embassy’s gates while others fell in the river. The official said the rocket attack caused material damage but no casualties.

    A US official said in the aftermath, “We again call on the government of Iraq, as we have done on many occasions, to do all in its power to protect diplomatic and Coalition partner personnel and facilities.” The statement added: “We reiterate that we reserve the right to self-defense and to protect our personnel anywhere in the world.”

    Likely the US Embassy’s powerful C-RAM systems, which protects aerial threats against the Green Zone, were on alert or activated during the attack.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Prior attacks on the embassy stretching back to 2020 and beyond were seen as pro-Iranian militants’ attempts to pressure American and NATO troops out of the country. There are still thousands of Western personnel that remain throughout the country, with the biggest presence being in the north – in the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s Erbil. 

    During the recent weeklong Israel-Hamas truce which saw hostages and prisoners exchanged, attacks on US personnel in Syria and Iraq temporarily ceased; however, with fighting raging once again in Gaza, and the death toll among Palestinians soaring, this fresh rocket attack on the embassy is a sign things are about to deteriorate further in the region.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 22:00

  • We All Have PTSD
    We All Have PTSD

    Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,

    Two years ago, reports started appearing that compared the effects of lockdowns with post-traumatic stress disorder. As it turns out, one of the symptoms of PTSD is forgetting what happened. It’s an evolved trait that helps the human mind cope with terrible things. Our brains are good at blocking it out. I will explain the neuroscience behind this in a bit but first an anecdote from this morning.

    I was speaking to the director of a childrens’ choir and he was speaking about an age gap in his singers. The lead singer just graduated high school, and the next oldest singer is 14, which creates huge problems for the choral competence. I hesitated to do it but I finally just observed that this 3-year gap fits exactly with the lockdown period, child masking, and Zoom school.

    He began to speak about what it was like to train a choir on Zoom and then conduct masked singers outdoors on winter nights. He recalled the attacks and the difficulties, and then his voice trailed off.

    “Actually I’ve blocked out that whole period of life from my memory. I won’t think about it anymore. Anyway, I need to circulate a bit here but good seeing you.”

    That was that.

    It got me curious about the relationship between selective memory and trauma. For a long time now I’ve noticed that when this subject comes up, the response is either to quickly change the subject, which is common, or dig deeper into what seems like a bit of catharsis. Some people have so much to share, so many painful memories, so much shock and abuse to report, that once they start they cannot stop talking.

    This one comment from this one choir director got me suspecting that vast numbers of people might be trying to forget it all. This is how the political debates manage to pretend like this never happened, how the major media gets away with never bringing it up, and how people like Fauci still get high speaking fees, and so on. It’s not just that they are no-good liars; too often it’s because people really do want to forget.

    This is how the number one most shared trauma of our lives is fading so fast into the national and global consciousness.

    It’s a well-known feature of child or spousal abuse. The memories are so terrible and grim that the human mind develops the capacity for pretending like it never happened if only so that life functioning can continue. This is fine but actually the trauma is still there and feeds other forms of pathologies like substance abuse and attachment disorders and so on. The point of therapy is to come to terms with the reality itself in the process of healing.

    Some years ago, a theory developed to explain this and it was tested on mice. I’m going to quote directly:

    “Two amino acids, glutamate and GABA, are the yin and yang of the brain, directing its emotional tides and controlling whether nerve cells are excited or inhibited (calm). Under normal conditions the system is balanced. But when we are hyper-aroused and vigilant, glutamate surges. Glutamate is also the primary chemical that helps store memories in our neuronal networks in a way that they are easy to remember.

    “GABA, on the other hand, calms us and helps us sleep, blocking the action of the excitable glutamate. The most commonly used tranquilizing drug, benzodiazepine, activates GABA receptors in our brains. There are two kinds of GABA receptors. One kind, synaptic GABA receptors, works in tandem with glutamate receptors to balance the excitation of the brain in response to external events such as stress.

    “The other population, extra-synaptic GABA receptors, are independent agents. They ignore the peppy glutamate. Instead, their job is internally focused, adjusting brain waves and mental states according to the levels of internal chemicals, such as GABA, sex hormones and micro RNAs. Extra-synaptic GABA receptors change the brain’s state to make us aroused, sleepy, alert, sedated, inebriated or even psychotic. However, Northwestern scientists discovered another critical role; these receptors also help encode memories of a fear-inducing event and then store them away, hidden from consciousness.”

    To test the theory, researchers infused the hippocampus of mice with gaboxadol, a drug that stimulates extra-synaptic GABA receptors. The mice were put in a box and given an electric shock. When the mice were returned to the same box the next day, they played with no memory of what happened the last time they were there. However, when scientists put the mice back on the drug and returned them to the box, they froze, fearfully anticipating another shock.

    The lesson here is that “in response to traumatic stress, some individuals, instead of activating the glutamate system to store memories, activate the extra-synaptic GABA system and form inaccessible traumatic memories.”

    Is this what has happened to humanity on a global scale, some kind of activation of our extra-synaptic GABA systems to permit the formation of huge barriers around our trauma to make our memory inaccessible? Perhaps.

    At the time of Fauci’s strange deposition, I suspect that there was some brilliant madness behind the claim that he could not remember. He said it hundreds of times, again and again on every subject. It was strange, almost like he was training the rest of us to do the same, like some mad scientist modeling the correct way to think about what happened to us. In his view, we shouldn’t think about it at all.

    We know we’ve been made the subject of some insane medical and political experiments. It’s perhaps also true that we’ve been made the subject of some malicious psychological experiments, like mice injected with drugs, put in a box, and then shocked. It’s like perhaps the ordering was different: we were put in a box, shocked, and then given drugs.

    In any case, it all does indeed feel like PTSD, and it affected no population cohort as traumatically as it did the children. They are owed the truth about the trauma, however, and now. We must have honesty about this. The lies have to stop. We should not tolerate them at all. And the professional liars all need to be removed from their jobs immediately.

    In our own lives, we really do need therapy that comes in the form of friendships, community, and physical fellowship with each other. Sadly, the people who need it the most are least likely to get it. I’m thinking of the many people who are still walking around masked up, fearing getting next to others, and otherwise hiding out in their homes in a sense of terror that something bad from the microbial kingdom is going to attack at any time.

    The only people who benefit from our mass amnesia are the people who did this to us. We must remember. We must discuss. We must seek justice.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 21:40

  • Woman Who Threw Hot Chipotle Bowl At Employee Sentenced To Work 2 Months In Fast Food Industry
    Woman Who Threw Hot Chipotle Bowl At Employee Sentenced To Work 2 Months In Fast Food Industry

    A woman who went berzerk and threw a bowl of hot food into the face of a Chipotle worker has been sentenced by a judge not only to a month in jail, but also two months working in a fast food job. 

    Rosemary Hayne was caught on video screaming at Chipotle worker Emily Russell on September 5 of this year. She threw food at the worker’s face from close range and the 39-year-old mother of four subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges. 

    Judge Timothy Gilligan in Parma, Ohio gave her “the choice of a 90-day jail sentence or a 30-day sentence on top of 60 days working in a fast food job,” according to a report from ABC News’ local affiliate. 

    The judge commented about the hearing: “Every time you watch the video, it makes you more and more upset. I was thinking, ‘What else can I do rather than just have her sit in jail.'”

    “You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you like it, and this is how you respond?” he asked. 

    Gilligan asked her at the hearing: “Do you want to walk in her shoes for two months and learn how people should treat people, or do you want to do your jail time?”

    Hayne

    To which Hayne responded: “I’d like to walk in her shoes.”

    Judge Gilligan, who has been on the bench for three decades, expressed his displeasure at frequently coming across such cases. He recalled a similar incident where a customer assaulted a McDonald’s employee over a missing cookie in a Happy Meal, resulting in a 90-day jail sentence for the assailant.

    Chipotle, commenting on the case, emphasized their commitment to employee safety and expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.

    The victim, Russell, reported ongoing stress and trauma from the incident, leading her to quit her job at Chipotle and seek another position. She is considering counseling to cope with the aftermath of the attack. 

    “Let’s give her the opportunity to not let this one day define the rest of her life,” Hayne’s attorney, Joseph O’Malley, commented to CNN. “I don’t see her as any greater risk than anyone who walks in off the street. I looked at it as someone who lost her cool.”

    Russell concluded: “She’s going to get what she deserves. She didn’t get a slap on the wrist. She’s going to learn to work in fast food, and hopefully it will be good.”

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 21:20

  • The Pentagon's Rush To Deploy AI-Enabled Weapons Is Going To Kill Us All
    The Pentagon’s Rush To Deploy AI-Enabled Weapons Is Going To Kill Us All

    Authored by Michael T. Klare via The Nation,

    While experts warn about the risk of human extinction, the Department of Defense plows full speed ahead…

    The recent boardroom drama over the leadership of OpenAI—the San Francisco–based tech startup behind the immensely popular ChatGPT computer program—has been described as a corporate power struggle, an ego-driven personality clash, and a strategic dispute over the release of more capable ChatGPT variants. It was all that and more, but at heart represented an unusually bitter fight between those company officials who favor unrestricted research on advanced forms of artificial intelligence (AI) and those who, fearing the potentially catastrophic outcomes of such endeavors, sought to slow the pace of AI development.

    At approximately the same time as this epochal battle was getting under way, a similar struggle was unfolding at the United Nations in New York and government offices in Washington, D.C., over the development of autonomous weapons systems—drone ships, planes, and tanks operated by AI rather than humans. In this contest, a broad coalition of diplomats and human rights activists have sought to impose a legally binding ban on such devices—called “killer robots” by opponents—while officials at the Departments of State and Defense have argued for their rapid development.

    At issue in both sets of disputes are competing views over the trustworthiness of advanced forms of AI, especially the “large language models” used in “generative AI” systems like ChatGPT. (Programs like these are called “generative” because they can create human-quality text or images based on a statistical analysis of data culled from the Internet). Those who favor the development and application of advanced AI—whether in the private sector or the military—claim that such systems can be developed safely; those who caution against such action, say it cannot, at least not without substantial safeguards.

    Without going into the specifics of the OpenAI drama—which ended, for the time being, on November 21 with the appointment of new board members and the return of AI whiz Sam Altman as chief executive after being fired five days earlier—it is evident that the crisis was triggered by concerns among members of the original board of directors that Altman and his staff were veering too far in the direction of rapid AI development, despite pledges to exercise greater caution.

    As Altman and many of his colleagues see things, humans technicians are on the verge of creating “general AI” or “superintelligence”—AI programs so powerful they can duplicate all aspects of human cognition and program themselves, making human programming unnecessary. Such systems, it is claimed, will be able to cure most human diseases and perform other beneficial miracles—but also, detractors warn, will eliminate most human jobs and may, eventually, choose to eliminate humans altogether.

    “In terms of both potential upsides and downsides, superintelligence will be more powerful than other technologies humanity has had to contend with in the past,” Altman and his top lieutenants wrote in May. “We can have a dramatically more prosperous future; but we have to manage risk to get there.”

    For Altman, as for many others in the AI field, that risk has an “existential” dimension, entailing the possible collapse of human civilization—and, at the extreme, human extinction. “I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong,” he told a Senate hearing on May 16. Altman also signed an open letter released by the Center for AI Safety on May 30 warning of the possible “risk of extinction from AI.” Mitigating that risk, the letter avowed, “should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks, such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

    Nevertheless, Altman and other top AI officials believe that superintelligence can, and should be pursued, so long as adequate safeguards are installed along the way. “We believe that the benefits of the tools we have deployed so far vastly outweigh the risks, but ensuring their safety is vital to our work,” he told the Senate subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law.

    Washington Promotes the “Responsible” Use of AI in Warfare

    A similar calculus regarding the exploitation of advanced AI governs the outlook of senior officials at the Departments of State and Defense, who argue that artificial intelligence can and should be used to operate future weapons systems—so long as it is done so in a “responsible” manner.

    “We cannot predict how AI technologies will evolve or what they might be capable of in a year or five years,” Amb. Bonnie Jenkins, under secretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation, declared at a Nov. 13 UN presentation. Nevertheless, she noted, the United States was determined to “put in place the necessary policies and to build the technical capacities to enable responsible development and use [of AI by the military], no matter the technological advancements.”\

    Jenkins was at the UN that day to unveil a “Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy,” a US-inspired call for voluntary restraints on the development and deployment of AI-enabled autonomous weapons. The declaration avows, among other things, that “States should ensure that the safety, security, and effectiveness of military AI capabilities are subject to appropriate and rigorous testing,” and that “States should implement appropriate safeguards to mitigate risks of failures in military AI capabilities, such as the ability to… deactivat[e] deployed systems, when such systems demonstrate unintended behavior.”

    None of this, however, constitutes a legally binding obligation of states that sign the declaration; rather, it simply entails a promise to abide by a set of best practices, with no requirement to demonstrate compliance with those measures or risk of punishment if found to be in non-compliance.

    Although several dozen countries—mostly close allies of the United States—have signed the declaration, many other nations, including Austria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, and Spain, insist that voluntary compliance with a set of US-designed standards is insufficient to protect against the dangers posed by the deployment of AI-enabled weapons. Instead, they seek a legally binding instrument setting strict limits on the use of such systems or banning them altogether. For these actors, the risks of such weapons “going rogue,” and conducting unauthorized attacks on civilians, is simply too great to allow their use in combat.

    “Humanity is about to cross a major threshold of profound importance when the decision over life and death is no longer taken by humans but made on the basis of pre-programmed algorithms. This raises fundamental ethical issues,” Amb. Alexander Kmentt, Austria’s chief negotiator for disarmament, arms control, and nonproliferation, told The Nation.

    For years, Austria and a slew of Latin American countries have sought to impose a ban on such weapons under the aegis of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), a 1980 UN treaty that aims to restrict or prohibit weapons deemed to cause unnecessary suffering to combatants or to affect civilians indiscriminately. These countries, along with the International Committee of the Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations, claim that fully autonomous weapons fall under this category as they will prove incapable of distinguishing between combatants and civilians in the heat of battle, as required by international law. Although a majority of parties to the CCW appear to share this view and favor tough controls on autonomous weapons, decisions by signatory states is made by consensus and a handful of countries, including Israel, Russia, and the United States, have used their veto power to block adoption of any such measure. This, in turn, has led advocates of regulation to turn to the UN General Assembly—where decisions are made by majority vote rather than consensus—as an arena for future progress on the issue.

    On October 12, for the first time ever, the General Assembly’s First Committee—responsible for peace, international security, and disarmament—addressed the dangers posed by autonomous weapons, voting by a wide majority—164 to 5 (with 8 abstentions)—to instruct the secretary-general to conduct a comprehensive study of the matter. The study, to be completed in time for the next session of the General Assembly (in fall 2024), is to examine the “challenges and concerns” such weapons raise “from humanitarian, legal, security, technological, and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force.”

    Although the UN measure does not impose any binding limitations on the development or use of autonomous weapons systems, it lays the groundwork for the future adoption of such measures, by identifying a range of concerns over their deployment and by insisting that the secretary-general, when conducting the required report, investigate those dangers in detail, including by seeking the views and expertise of scientists and civil society organizations.

    “The objective is obviously to move forward on regulating autonomous weapons systems,” Ambassador Kmentt indicated. “The resolution makes it clear that the overwhelming majority of states want to address this issue with urgency.”

    What will occur at next year’s General Assembly meeting cannot be foretold, but if Kmentt is right, we can expect a much more spirited international debate over the advisability of allowing the deployment of AI-enabled weapons systems—whether or not participants have agreed to the voluntary measures being championed by the United States.

    At the Pentagon, It’s Full Speed Ahead

    For officials at the Department of Defense, however, the matter is largely settled: the United States will proceed with the rapid development and deployment of numerous types of AI-enabled autonomous weapons systems. This was made evident on August 28, with the announcement of the “Replicator” initiative by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

    Noting that the United States must prepare for a possible war with China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in the not-too-distant future, and that US forces cannot match the PLA’s weapons inventories on an item-by-item basis (tank-for-tank, ship-for-ship, etc.), Hicks argued that the US must be prepared to overcome China’s superiority in conventional measures of power—its military “mass”—by deploying “multitude thousands” of autonomous weapons.

    “To stay ahead, we’re going to create a new state of the art—just as America has before—leveraging attritable [i.e., disposable], autonomous systems in all domains,” she told corporate executives at a National Defense Industrial Association meeting in Washington. “We’ll counter the PLA’s mass with mass of our own, but ours will be harder to plan for, harder to hit, harder to beat.”

    In a follow-up speech, delivered on September 6, Hicks provided (slightly) more detail on what she called all-domain attritable autonomous (ADA2) weapons systems. “Imagine distributed pods of self-propelled ADA2 systems afloat…packed with sensors aplenty…. Imagine fleets of ground-based ADA2 systems delivering novel logistics support, scouting ahead to keep troops safe…. Imagine flocks of [aerial] ADA2 systems, flying at all sorts of altitudes, doing a range of missions, building on what we’ve seen in Ukraine.”

    As per official guidance, Hicks assured her audience that all these systems “will be developed and fielded in line with our responsible and ethical approach to AI and autonomous systems.” But except for that one-line one nod to safety, all the emphasis in her talks was on smashing bureaucratic bottlenecks in order to speed the development and deployment of autonomous weapons. “If [these bottlenecks] aren’t tackled,” she declared on August 28, “our gears will still grind too slowly, and our innovation engines still won’t run at the speed and scale we need. And that, we cannot abide.”

    And so, the powers that be—in both Silicon Valley and Washington—have made the decision to proceed with the development and utilization of even more advanced versions of artificial intelligence despite warnings from scientists and diplomats that the safety of these programs cannot be assured and that their misuse could have catastrophic consequences. Unless greater effort is made to slow these endeavors, we may well discover what those consequences might entail.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 21:00

  • Goldman Says China Politburo "Less Dovish" As Policymakers Gear Up For 2024 Fiscal Support
    Goldman Says China Politburo “Less Dovish” As Policymakers Gear Up For 2024 Fiscal Support

    The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party held its monthly meeting on Friday. According to the statement, policymakers want to stabilize the economy and boost growth with more fiscal measures in 2024. 

    State-run media Xinhua News Agency reported Politburo, which includes the ruling Communist Party’s top 24 officials and chaired by President Xi Jinping, plans to ramp up fiscal policy “appropriately” amid the souring backdrop of a real estate crisis, increasing local government debt risks, slowing global growth, and rising tensions with the West. 

    According to Bloomberg, the Politburo said monetary policy should be flexible, appropriate, targeted, and effective, with the previous wording “forceful” dropped from the statement. 

    Economists who reviewed the statement said the change indicates Beijing might be less focused on a monetary cannon and instead utilize targeted tools. 

    Xing Zhaopeng, a senior strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, said the statement indicates the size of interest rate cuts and bank reserve requirements might be smaller in 2024 compared to 2023. 

    Goldman Sachs said, “The overall tone appears less dovish compared with the July Politburo meeting statement.”

    “In particular, policymakers pledged to step up fiscal policy support “at an appropriate pace” in today’s readout, and vowed to enhance consistency in macro policies. These statements appear consistent with our expectation that fiscal policy will do the heavy lifting of supporting growth next year,” Goldman continued. 

    They added: “Today’s readout mainly aims to provide the broad guidance of policy tone for next year. The CEWC may offer more discussion around fiscal, monetary, property and local government implicit debt resolution plans, in our view.” 

    Here’s Goldman biggest takeaways from the Politburo meeting:

    1. As the December Politburo meeting is the preparation meeting for the Central Economic Work Conference, today’s readout only aims to set the broad tone for policy stance, rather than offering detailed discussions on various policy measures for next year. The statement continued to send pro-growth signals, but appears less dovish compared with the July Politburo meeting statement.

    • When assessing the recent economic developments, the authority shifted to a less cautious tone in today’s readout compared with the July Politburo meeting (Exhibit 1) by only highlighting the economic recovery this year after the end of pandemic. This is likely because Q3 real GDP growth picked up from 0.5%qoq in Q2 to 1.3% in Q3.
    • Policymakers pledged to conduct “both countercyclical and cross-cycle policy adjustments” next year according to today’s statement, in comparison with only the “countercyclical policy adjustment” in the July statement. Specifically, the authority required stepping up fiscal policy easing “at an appropriate pace” and claim that prudent monetary policy should be precise and effective. Policymakers also vowed to enhance consistency in macro policies, and acknowledged the importance of managing expectations around economic growth. 
    • The authority softened the tone on significant reforms by stating that economic policies should be supportive first before being reformative (“先立后破”). This phrase was previously used in 2021 when policymakers tried to correct for the aggressive decarbonization efforts which contributed to coal shortages and power outages in many parts of the country. 
    • Besides the broad stance, the authority reiterated promoting technology and innovation, enhancing resilience and security of supply chains, pushing forward opening-up, and effectively containing and reducing risks. Policymakers will also better coordinate deepening supply-side reforms and expanding domestic demand, urbanization and rural revitalization, high-quality growth and high-level of security.

    2. The December Politburo meeting statement continued to send pro-growth signals. The statement around fiscal policy is consistent with our expectation that fiscal policy easing will do the heavy lifting of supporting growth next year. However, the discussion around high-quality growth and emphasis of “appropriate pace of easing” imply policy support will likely still be measured rather than being aggressive. The CEWC, which will likely be held over the next few days, should offer more discussions around fiscal, monetary, property and local government implicit debt resolution plans.

    Exhibit 1: The December Poliburo meeting continued to highlight measured policy easing

    The key message from the meeting is that growth is crucial to policymakers. And the days policymakers flooded the system with credit are over as Moody’s Investors Service warned earlier this week that China risks a sovereign credit rating outlook downgrade. 

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 20:40

  • The Deep State Agenda Is "Controlled Demolition Of America": Alex Newman
    The Deep State Agenda Is “Controlled Demolition Of America”: Alex Newman

    Via Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com,

    Award-winning journalist Alex Newman, author of the popular book “Deep State,” says there is a not-so-secret plan to destroy everything in America and everything it stands for. 

    Newman contends it is the only way for evil globalists to have the tyrannical New World Order they dream of. 

    The evil destroyers of freedom and liberty around the world will be talking about the demise of America at the globalist COP28 conference in Dubai, UAE this week.  Newman explains,

    “This is all part of the agenda.  What we are watching now is the deliberate destruction of the American middle-class and the deliberate destruction of the American economy.  

    Ultimately, if these evil doers get their way, it will result in the deliberate destruction of the United States of America.  We are talking about the controlled demolition of our economy, our military might and everything we hold dear.  This has been known at the highest levels of government for a long time…

    During the Trump Administration, they had Rich Higgens on the National Security Counsel, and he put together the ‘Higgens Memo.’  People should read this.  

    He talked about the global alliance of globalists, communists, socialists and Islamists who are all working in unison for the goal of destroying the United States of America.

    This is not just as a nation, says Higgens, but even as an ideal. 

    They want to shift global power over to China and over to the United Nations to gradually and then suddenly destroy the United States.  

    They don’t just want to destroy this country, they also want to destroy the ideas and principles it is founded upon because it is simply not compatible with this one world system they want. 

    George Soros told us what the New World Order was going to look like 10 years ago.  He told the Financial Times that China needed to own the New World Order in the same way the United States owns the current one.”

    Newman says Donald Trump is not part of the New World Order, and he dismantled much of it during his Presidency. 

    Newman says,

    “Donald Trump is the first President in a century who did not go to this weird club of elitists such as Bohemian Grove.  He never went to Bilderberg.  He was never involved with the Council on Foreign Relations.  Trump did not participate in the Trilateral Commission.  He was not recruited in the ‘Scull and Bones’ at Yale like John Kerry, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. 

    He was just not part of the club… Trump was not controlled by these people. 

    They were able to manipulate him on some key things like the CV19 shots and the MCA, but ultimately, they did not feel like they could control him. 

    He was an outsider.  This is why they are absolutely petrified of him coming back now.”

    The news is not all bad as Newman says he is seeing a huge backlash from all sectors to the New World Order agenda.  Newman explains,

    “There is an enormous backlash building.  Just go out and talk to regular people.  Turn off the boob tube, and this is not even propaganda, it is psychological terrorism. 

    Turn it off and talk to real people…

    What you will find is normal people who can’t tell you about the Bohemian Grove, the Council on Foreign Relations or the climate scam, but they can tell you ‘we are being lied to.’ 

    Life is getting increasingly difficult.  My spouse and I are both working with two jobs, and we still can’t make ends meet.  We can’t pay the mortgage.  Food costs are going up.  They know that this is not normal. 

    They know that we have a uniparty with Kevin McCarthy who showed up at the Bohemian Grove just before he was ousted as Speaker of the House. 

    You have an incredible awareness from people that we are being looted, robbed, deceived and that our country is being betrayed. 

    You don’t have to watch the fake media to be aware of all those things. 

    I am encouraged by the awareness of people and the polling data that virtually nobody believes the media.”

    There is much more in the 40-minute interview.

    Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he goes One-on-One with hard-hitting journalist Alex Newman, founder of LibertySentinel.org and author of the book “Deep State” that explains it all for 12.02.23.

    *  *  *

    To Donate to USAWatchdog.com Click Here

    Newman’s website is called LibertySentinel.org.  There is lots of free information and articles. For a copy of Alex Newman’s popular book “Deep State,” click here,

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 20:20

  • 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker Runs Aground Near Singapore
    ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Runs Aground Near Singapore

    A petroleum tanker, part of a global “shadow fleet” of vessels, hauled upwards of a million barrels of Venezuelan oil and ran aground near Singapore. Blomberg reported that this incident occurred shortly after the tanker falsified its location to avoid detection.

    The 23- year-old oil tanker, “Liberty,” was sailing under the Cameroon flag and ran aground on Sunday. An Indonesian navy spokesman said an investigation into Liberty is underway. 

    Satellite research from TankerTrackers said the vessel was ‘spoofing’ its location in October, making it appear as if the ship was off the coast of West Africa while actually filling up on sanctioned oil in Venezuela. 

    TankerTrackers said this is the second time a shadow fleet tanker has “run aground west of the Singapore Strait” in 14 months. 

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    Bloomberg pointed out that hundreds of tankers are part of the shadow fleet that allows Venezuela, Iran, and Russia to ship their US-sanctioned crude and crude products around the world.

    The International Maritime Organization recently warned about shadow fleets operating outside international regulation, usually with no insurance, calling it a “grave concern” to the environmental safety and welfare of crews and countries that reside on coastlines. 

    The dangers posed by the dark fleet were realized earlier this year when a tanker called “Pablo,” which was thought to be transporting Iranian oil, caught fire off the coast of Malaysia. 

    This could be the tip of the iceberg as the growth in the shadow fleet soars, mainly because the US has been on a sanctioning spree against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.  

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 20:00

  • Bitcoin: The Gold Standard For A Digital Age
    Bitcoin: The Gold Standard For A Digital Age

    Authored by Michael Matulef via BitcoinMagazine.com,

    The nature of money is tragically one of the most unexamined and vital questions in modern society. Over the course of history, different monetary systems have risen and fallen as technology progressed and new forms of money emerged that were superior to what came before.

    To help us understand money, we must examine the question: “who controls the ledger?” As we explore the technological history of money and its various incarnations, from informal social credit to commodity-backed systems, we can gain insight into how control over the monetary ledger impacts individual liberty, economic prosperity, and human flourishing.

    In the Austrian tradition, figures like Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises, and many others have written extensively about the function of money. At its core, money enables indirect exchange as a medium to facilitate transactions. In small communities, social credit systems can adequately regulate resources through direct exchange. However, as these communities grow, indirect exchange through money becomes essential. Expanding the division of labor and specialization requires more complex economic calculations. The increasing sophistication of wants necessitates indirect transactions between distant parties. Most crucially, direct exchange relies on trust and familiarity between counterparties, which erodes with scale. Money arose to enable growing communities to reap the benefits of economic expansion through indirect exchange. Without sound money, rising productivity and specialization cannot be effectively coordinated. The Austrian tradition recognizes how critical the monetary framework is in an evolving economy.

    Naturally, certain commodities are selected as monies within the market economy due to their optimal monetary properties as a monetary technology. Said differently, The most salable good, which has the lowest rate of declining marginal utility will be chosen to facilitate indirect trade. The primary monetary properties of scarcity, durability, portability, divisibility, fungibility, and verifiability give way to the salability of goods across time and space. Sea shells, beads, silver, and gold are all examples of different commodities that have historically been used as different mediums of exchange for their respective strengths in these monetary properties.

    Lyn Alden, in her recent book, Broken Money: Why Our Financial System is Failing Us and How We Can Make it Better reexamines the question of what money is through her ledger theory of money. She writes:

    “A ledger theory of money observes that most forms of exchange are improved by having a salable unit of account that can be held and transferred over both time and space, and that this unit of account implies the existence of a ledger, either literally or in the abstract. These monetary units and the ledger that defines them rely either on human administrators or on natural laws to maintain their stability across time and space.”

    Through this lens, we can come to a better understanding of What Has Government Done to Our Money? The cumbersome nature of physical gold as a medium of exchange ultimately led to the adoption of paper currency, and eventually fiat money no longer backed by commodities. Storing, transporting, and verifying pure gold for transactions became increasingly impractical as economies grew and developed technologically. Gold’s weight and risk of theft made storage expensive. Assaying gold to verify purity was difficult for everyday commerce. And transporting adequate gold for large transactions was hazardous. Paper currency provided a lighter, more portable proxy for gold that was more practical for exchange. However, it still depended on central authorities securing adequate gold reserves to maintain convertibility. This constrained monetary policy, as the expansion of currency was limited by gold supplies. Over time, the constraints of gold convertibility frustrated governments and central banks. Suspending convertibility in 1971 allowed greater control over money supply and interest rates, providing more policy flexibility. But without commodity backing, fiat currency carries greater risks of inflation, hyperinflation, and other negative externalities. Alden continues:

    “The technology of banking systems and paper banknotes in various denominations backed by gold improved gold’s effective divisibility. And then, in addition to exchanging paper, people could eventually “send” money over telecommunication lines to other parts of the world, using banks and their ledgers as custodial intermediaries. This was the gold standard – the backing of paper currencies and financial communication systems with gold.”

    “For a gold-backed banking system, the only part of the ledger that individual users have control of is the precious metal coins that they retain in their own custody, and for that they rely on the properties of nature to maintain the integrity of the ledger. Once they surrender coins over to the banking system, they have begun to rely on a hierarchy of other people to control their money.”

    In the context of Alden’s ledger theory, the supply of gold is controlled by nature and natural laws. Fiat, in contrast, is controlled by human administration and unequivocally by the State. This explanation is the simple answer to what the government has done to our money. The State has taken control of the monetary ledger away from natural law and used that power to facilitate its metastatic growth. Moreover, it has exerted this control as one of its exclusive monopoly privileges. As advocates for free markets, individual property rights, and the right to self-determination nothing is more imperative in our time than separating money from State. The great Friedrich A. Hayek, who advocated for the Denationalisation of Money, famously stated:

    “I don’t believe we shall ever have a good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, that is, we can’t take it violently out of the hands of government, all we can do is by some sly roundabout way introduce something that they can’t stop”

    For the past 15 years, Bitcoin has emerged and continued to develop into a possible sly roundabout way that Hayek hypothesized. Initially and abstractly, Bitcoin was conceived of as a Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. A decentralized ledger system utilizing cryptographic digital signatures to enforce the concept of perfect digital scarcity. Bitcoin, as a monetary unit, represents a digitally native bearer commodity asset, a truly revolutionary concept. In the context of Alden’s ledger theory of money, she writes:

    “Gold has long been turned to as a form of defense and savings, but it’s not a useful transactional money in the digital age. The Bitcoin network presents a newer and faster alternative, where nobody can create bitcoin for free, and thus nobody has the power of seigniorage”

    Bitcoin closes the speed gap between transactions and settlements. Ever since the invention and deployment of intercontinental telecommunication systems in the second half of the 19th century, transactions have been able to move around the world at the speed of light, while scarce, self-custodial bearer asset money (e.g., gold) could only be transported and verified at the speed of matter. This speed gap opened a massive arbitrage opportunity for banks and governments to use, because it gave them custodial monopolies over fast long-distance payments. Bitcoin represents the first significant way to settle scarce value at the speed of light.

    While politics can impact how we interact with money locally and temporarily, it’s technology that impacts how we interact with money globally and permanently. As new technologies come into existence, certain types of ledgers become obsolete and go extinct while new types of ledgers are born and become necessary. That’s why new forms of money tend to be adopted everywhere rather than just locally. As the world became increasingly industrialized, gold won out over every other commodity. And then as the world became increasingly connected by telecommunication systems, fiat currencies displaced gold in every country. Now that digital scarcity and digital settlement exist as new forms of technology, there is an opening for a new monetary era yet again.”

    Today Bitcoin’s usage is primarily that of a store of value asset. One possible explanation for this is Gresham’s Law, which states that when two forms of currency have equal face value, the one perceived as less valuable will circulate more widely while the more valuable one will be hoarded. This helps explain Bitcoin’s current role – its capped supply and volatile valuation make it “good money” for holding as an asset, while fiat currencies with less perceived worth remain the common medium of exchange. However, Bitcoin’s monetary status could evolve if adoption increases.

    CONCLUSION:

    Studying monetary history reveals that the evolution of money reflects advancements in technology. Societies have selected different monetary mediums based on the strength of their monetary properties – their salability across both time and space. Examining who controls the ledger for each monetary system also provides useful insight. Natural laws governed the ledger of commodities like gold. However, the advent of telecommunications enabled financial transactions to occur much faster than settling payments in physical gold. This highlighted the limitations of using physical gold as money in the modern digital era. As a result, societies adopted credit-based paper and digital monies with ledgers controlled by human administration rather than natural laws.

    Unfortunately, over time, the State captured control of these ledgers, expanding its authority by manipulating fiat currencies, removing their tether from gold entirely.

    To counter the unchecked growth of state power, we must return to sound money anchored to a reliable store of value, with a ledger that cannot be manipulated by the State.

    Using physical gold as a medium of exchange is no longer practical in an increasingly digital world. Therefore, an inventive, censorship-resistant monetary alternative must be developed to separate control of money from the State. Over the past 15 years, Bitcoin’s globally distributed public ledger has proven a fascinating experiment in decentralized digital money.

    Unlike traditional currencies, Bitcoin’s ledger is not controlled by any single entity. Rather, it relies on a network of individuals voluntarily running Bitcoin software to reach a consensus on the protocol. This decentralized approach allows the market to decide on the properties of the network and monetary units. Ultimately, the market will determine if Bitcoin is best suited as a medium of exchange for humanity in the digital world.

    One question we should ask ourselves is this:

    “What would it seem like if it did seem like a global, digital, sound, open, programmable money was monetizing from absolute zero?”

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 19:40

  • Putin Formally Announces 2024 Election Bid
    Putin Formally Announces 2024 Election Bid

    As was long anticipated, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a formal announcement saying he’s seeking re-election in 2024 – a vote that will be held between March 15 and March 17, 2024. The winner will be inaugurated in early May. Assuming a Putin victory, it would be his fifth term as head of state, and this would put him in office until 2030, after already approaching nearly a quarter-century in power.

    Interestingly, the Kremlin cast Putin’s declaration as part of “spontaneous” remarks which followed an award ceremony honoring war veterans…

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    “I won’t hide it from you — I had various thoughts about it over time, but now, you’re right, it’s necessary to make a decision,” Putin said in a video released following the event. “I will run for president of the Russian Federation.”

    Russian state media is already previewing that newly annexed territories of the Donbas would vote in the election:

    The Russian leader made his remarks at a ceremony where he awarded Hero of Russia medals to servicemen who had taken part in the special military operation against Ukraine. Hero of the Donetsk People’s Republic Artyom Zhoga, who was recently named speaker of the Russian federal subject’s parliament, asked if he would run in 2024 and he replied in the affirmative.

    The footage from the ceremony shows Zhoga shaking hands with Putin and telling him that the entire Donbass would like him to participate in the election. “Thanks to your actions… we became free, we got the opportunity to choose… You are our president… We are your team, we need you, Russia needs you,” he said.

    The legal path was paved for this expected fifth term when in 2020 the Russian population voted to overwhelmingly approve an overhaul to the national constitution. Assuming he would again win by a landslide, this means that 71-year old Putin could theoretically stay in power until even 2036 if he wanted to go that far (assuming two more back-to-back terms). He would be 83-years old that year.

    In power since 2000, those prior changes to the law allow him to run for two more terms in the Kremlin once his current term ends in 2024. The law now in effect basically “resets” his number of terms already served, which considerably stretch all the way back to 2000 (excepting Dmitry Medvedev’s stint as president, 2008-2012). 

    One early indicator of Putin’s intentions was on display all the way back in 2020, when he told reporters while discussing at that time the proposed constitutional changes, “I do not rule out the possibility of running for office, if this comes up in the Constitution. We’ll see.” He has also said at the time, “I have not decided anything for myself yet,” according to the prior state television interview statements.

    Via AP

    Very likely, the Russian population will rally around desiring a ‘strong’ and ‘proven’ leader that can stand up to the West, and to Washington and NATO in particular, again especially given the proxy war nature of what’s happening in Ukraine, and given it remains clear that the Russian side is ‘winning’. But it remains that among some sectors, the war is unpopular given reports of a huge Russian death toll. The numbers of young men coming back either in coffins or severely maimed from war has certainly had an impact among many common Russian families.

    It’s been many years since Putin actually had any significant challengers who had major name recognition in Russia (even during Medvedev’s rule, Putin was seen as the ‘real power’ while in the prime minister’s role). The West would chalk this up to the Kremlin oppressing or locking up any political rivals or oppositionists (like Navalny, who never actually polled very high regardless) – while many Russians would see in Putin national unity and strength. Following last summer’s Wagner armed rebellion, his power is consolidated now more than ever.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 19:20

  • Senate Votes Down Resolution To Withdraw Troops From Syria: "Another Regional War Without Debate"
    Senate Votes Down Resolution To Withdraw Troops From Syria: “Another Regional War Without Debate”

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

    The Senate on Thursday voted down a resolution that would have directed President Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria, where US forces have come under frequent attack in response to President Biden’s support for Israel’s Gaza onslaught.

    The bill failed in a vote of 13-84 and received support from seven Democrats, five Republicans, and one Independent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT). The resolution was introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who argued the US occupation of eastern Syria risks a major regional war.

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    “Keeping 900 US troops in Syria does nothing to advance American security. Rather, our intervention puts those servicemembers at grave risk by providing an enticing target for Iranian-backed militias,” Paul said.

    “Our continued presence risks the United States getting dragged into yet another regional war in the Middle East without debate or a vote by the people’s representatives in Congress. Congress must cease abdicating its constitutional war powers to the executive branch,” he added.

    Paul’s bill would have given the president 30 days to withdraw from Syria unless he was able to get authorization from Congress. The resolution received support from Robert Ford, who was the US ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014 when the US first threw its weight behind the regime change effort against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    “We owe our soldiers serving there in harm’s way a serious debate about whether their mission is, in fact, achievable. Absent a debate and authorization of such a mission, our troops should be removed. Consideration of S.J. Res. 51 is an important opportunity for the Senate to take a step towards that necessary outcome,” Ford said.

    The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes against Shia militias in Syria and Iraq in response to the rocket and drone attacks that have targeted US bases since October 17. The US bombings, which have killed dozens of militia members, have not deterred further attacks, and the region has turned into a powder keg.

    Via Artishok Interactive/EA Worldview

    The US maintains that its presence in eastern Syria is about fighting ISIS remnants, but the occupation is part of a broader campaign against Damascus and its allies, which includes Iran. The US maintains crippling economic sanctions on Syria that are designed to prevent the country’s reconstruction, and the area the US occupies is where most of Syria’s oil and gas fields are located.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 19:00

  • Vivek Vivisects Van Jones Over 'Great Replacement' Hypocrisy
    Vivek Vivisects Van Jones Over ‘Great Replacement’ Hypocrisy

    Vivek Ramaswamy has seriously kicked the hornets’ nest – drawing harsh rebuke from MSM over his fiery debate performance on Wednesday, where he;

    • Called Nikki Haley a ‘fascist’ for thinking “the government should identify every one of those individuals with an ID”

    • Slammed Haley and Biden for being two of the last “neocons” supporting “pointless war” in Ukraine

    • Fat shamed Chris Christie

    • Said he was the “only candidate” who would raise questions regarding the Jan. 6 riot, Saudi Arabia’s involvement in 9/11 and more

    • Suggested the 2020 election was stolen

    • Said that the “Great Replacement Theory is not some grand, right-wing conspiracy theory,” but rather a “basic statement of the Democratic Party’s platform” and that the 2020 was “stolen by Big Tech.”

    Watch:

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    It was the “great replacement theory” that really got the hornets buzzing – with the NY Times writing that it was a “racist idea that minorities, sometimes manipulated by Jews, want to replace white Americans,” none of which Ramaswamy articulated.

    The “great replacement theory” has been creeping into the conservative mainstream, popularized by hosts like Tucker Carlson, and has been referenced by several mass shooters. -NY Times

    CNN host Van Jones got in on the feeding frenzy, calling Ramaswamy a “demagogue” for discussing said great replacement theory.

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    Except, Jones himself is a big fan of it, which Vivek fired back in Jones’ face with a 2021 video of the race hustler saying “The request from the racial justice left: we want the white majority to go from being a majority to being a minority and like it. That’s a tough request, and change is hard.”

    Watch:

    The replies were priceless…

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    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 18:40

  • "A Constant State Of Sticker Shock" – Here Is Proof That Inflation In The US Is Wildly Out Of Control
    “A Constant State Of Sticker Shock” – Here Is Proof That Inflation In The US Is Wildly Out Of Control

    Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

    Do you believe the politicians in Washington or do you believe your own eyes? 

    The politicians keep telling us that “inflation is low”, but everyone can see that everything sure does cost a lot more than it once did.  Our standard of living just keeps going down, and even JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is admitting that “inflation is hurting people”.  But how can inflation be “hurting people” if it is under control?  Of course the truth is that it isn’t under control.  If the official rate of inflation was still measured using the formula that was in place in 1980, it would be well into double digit territory right now.  Prices have been rising much faster than paychecks have, and that is putting an extraordinary amount of financial stress on the more than 60 percent of U.S. adults that currently live paycheck to paycheck.

    Vox is a website that leans very far to the left, and even they are complaining about inflation.

    In fact, a recent article posted on Vox boldly declared that life in 2023 “means being in a constant state of sticker shock”…

    Life in 2023 means being in a constant state of sticker shock.

    You walk out of the grocery store feeling like you’re not really sure what happened, but somehow, your normal fare ran you $50 more than you swear it should have. Did Diet Coke always cost that much? Or eggs? Maybe you’ve been putting off buying that new car in the hope prices go back to where they were pre-pandemic, but you’re starting to feel like the wait is awfully long. Or, the morning after a post-work happy hour, you’re left scratching your head. You swear you had two glasses of wine, but the size of your credit card receipt makes you wonder if it wasn’t four. “How expensive everything is today” is a top theme of conversation. The whole situation can be infuriating.

    I don’t care for Vox much, but those two paragraphs are quite accurate.

    Prices have reached absurd heights, and most of us really are “in a constant state of sticker shock” these days.

    And the cold, hard numbers back this up.

    According to a report from Republican members of the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee, the typical household in this country “must spend an additional $11,434 annually” in order to have the same standard of living that it did when Joe Biden entered the White House…

    The typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in January of 2021, right before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data.

    So let me ask you a question.

    Has your household income gone up by $11,434 a year since January 2021?

    If you are like most Americans, your income has barely moved.

    As I discussed last week, half of all American workers made less than $40,847.18 last year.

    If you are one of those workers, life is not easy in 2023.

    Even really basic things just cost so much at this point.  For example, a Big Mac value meal will now set you back 18 dollars in some parts of the country…

    A Big Mac burger, a medium beverage, and a medium fry meal now costs 18 dollars in some locations, up $10 from 2018 when former President Donald Trump was president.

    Visiting McDonald’s has become something that only wealthy people can afford to do on a regular basis.

    Of course it isn’t just fast food that has become painfully expensive…

    • A pound of ground beef now costs $5.23 on average, up from $3.89 in January 2020.

    • Coffee is up some $2 a pound. Prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are nearly 14% higher.

    • At one point, the price of a carton of eggs was triple its pre-pandemic price.

    When I was growing up, my mother would feed us ground beef all the time.

    Now it is considered to be a luxury item.

    Let me give you another example of how inflation is killing us financially.

    The cost of auto insurance and the cost of home insurance are both going through the roof…

    The skyrocketing cost of auto and home insurance is increasingly weighing on cash-strapped Americans.

    In 2022, the average price of both types of insurance saw its biggest spike in more than five years.

    And this year rates are projected to grow by an even greater amount, according to analysis from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Within the first seven months, both had already jumped by double-digit amounts.

    When you combine both expenses, the average American household is now spending over $3,700 a year…

    According to the latest analysis from Forbes Advisor, the average cost of home insurance is $1,582 a year for a policy with $350,000 coverage. And typical motorist pays $2,150 a year for full coverage car insurance.

    That means on car and home insurance alone a household can expect to spend more than $3,700 a year.

    How can anyone afford that?

    And don’t get me started on health insurance.

    Our system is so broken that only those with lots of money can afford a decent health insurance policy that actually has adequate coverage.

    Needless to say, Joe Biden doesn’t want to take the blame for any of this.  Last week, he was accusing large corporations of “price gouging”…

    President Joe Biden delivered remarks from the White House on Monday to announce the new council’s creation. He touted the lower inflation rate and falling grocery prices but admonished American companies for, in his view, not going far enough.

    “Let me be clear: To any corporation that has not brought their prices back down—even as inflation has come down, even as supply chains have been rebuilt—it’s time to stop the price gouging,” Biden warned, imploring them to “giv[e] the American consumer a break.”

    Seriously?

    Other liberals are actually blaming you for inflation…

    People hate inflation, just not enough to spend less: This is one of the central tensions of today’s economy, in which things are going great yet everyone is miserable. And in some ways, Americans have nobody to blame but themselves.

    No matter how high prices go, most of us still have to pay the bills and put food on the table.

    So there is only so much that we can “cut back” on our spending.

    However, one recent survey did find that approximately a quarter of the U.S. population has been engaged in “doom spending”…

    Nearly all Americans, 96%, are concerned about the current state of the economy, according to a recent report by Intuit Credit Karma.

    Still, more than a quarter are “doom spending,” or spending money despite economic and geopolitical concerns, the report found.

    A lot of people figure that if everything is about to fall apart they may as well enjoy things while they still can.

    But I think that a much wiser approach would be to use the resources that you have to get prepared for the tremendous chaos that is ahead of us.

    Economic conditions are going to get a whole lot rougher from here.

    So enjoy these relatively stable times while you still can, because they will not last indefinitely…

    *  *  *

    Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 18:20

  • US Mulls Military Action Against Houthis After Officials Angered At Lack Of Response
    US Mulls Military Action Against Houthis After Officials Angered At Lack Of Response

    The US says it is in talks with regional allies to establish a joint naval task force to protect commercial vessels traversing the Red Sea, following several attacks on commercial ships and even the hijacking of one Israeli-linked ship.

    The White House has said it’s in “active conversations” with allies about setting up such escorts. “We are in talks with other countries about a maritime task force of sorts involving the ships from partner nations alongside the United States in ensuring safe passage,” US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said earlier this week.

    Via AFP

    The US position is that even though Houthi rebels out of Yemen had “their finger on the trigger” – also after declaring war on Israel – it remains that the Shia Muslim group’s Iranian sponsors are ultimately responsible.

    By the end of the week, fresh Bloomberg reporting confirmed the following on Friday:

    The US has been consulting with Gulf allies about potential military action against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in response to their increasingly brazen attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to several people with knowledge of the discussions.

    The talks are at a preliminary stage and both the US and partners still favor diplomacy over direct confrontation, said the people, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. That said, the fact the discussions are taking place at all underscores how seriously the US takes the threat, the people added.

    This follows several Pentagon officials complaining to US media outlets over the lack of response from President Biden over the increased attacks from the Houthis.

    Defense leaders are said to be “frustrated” and handcuffed by US political leadership’s lack of action at a moment US warships are under direct threat in the region. Politico described the growing anger and pushback from the Pentagon this week as follows: 

    Senior Biden administration officials agree that striking Houthis in Yemen is the wrong course of action for now, per three U.S. officials, even though some military officers have proposed more forceful responses to the militants’ attacks in the Red Sea.

    There’s high-level consensus within the administration that it does not make sense for the U.S. military to respond directly to the Houthis, the officials said. Although the missile and drone attacks on three civilian vessels on Sunday drew a U.S. Navy warship into an hours-long firefight, U.S. intelligence officials have not determined that the warship was the target.

    The Biden White House has further been accused of “downplaying” the threat:

    Some current and former military officials were frustrated by the administration’s initial response to the Houthis’ Sunday attacks on the ships. The Houthis launched four drone and missile attacks on three ships; the destroyer USS Carney, responding to the distress calls, shot down three drones in its vicinity. Those current and former officials say the Iran-backed group’s increasingly aggressive behavior poses a significant risk to American forces in the region, and took issue with the administration’s public statements on Monday, which they say downplayed that threat.

    Via BBC

    The dissenters worry that lack of meaningful response could only embolden Iran-backed forces in the region, which also includes militia groups across Syria and Iraq, where Americans have also been coming under fire.

    All of this serves to highlight that positioning Americans in the region – which includes the now years long occupation of Syria to put pressure on Assad – leaves troops incredibly vulnerable. Indeed Iran might see them as ‘easy targets’ – and with little to no strategic advance for Washington whatsoever.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 18:00

  • Elon Musk Appeals SEC Case To US Supreme Court, Alleges Violation Of Free Speech Rights
    Elon Musk Appeals SEC Case To US Supreme Court, Alleges Violation Of Free Speech Rights

    Authored by Gary Bai via The Epoch Times,

    Elon Musk asked the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a part of a deal he made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that required vetting of his online posts, alleging that the deal violates his free speech rights, Mr. Musk’s lawyer, Ellyde Thompson, confirmed with The Epoch Times on Thursday.

    The billionaire businessman asked the high court in a Dec. 7 petition to hear his appeal of a lower court’s decision in May that upheld a 2018 consent decree that he negotiated with the SEC, escalating a years-long feud between the industrialist and the powerful regulatory agency to the nation’s highest court.

    The consent decree resulted from settlement negotiations of a 2018 lawsuit brought by the federal agency against Mr. Musk, which alleged that Mr. Musk made “false and misleading” statements to investors when he posted on Twitter (now X) in August of that year that he had “funding secured” to take private his electric car company, Tesla.

    The terms of the consent decree, to which Mr. Musk agreed, stipulate that Mr. Musk steps down as the then-chairman of Tesla; Mr. Musk and Tesla each pay a civil penalty of $20 million; and that Mr. Musk obtain pre-approval from a securities lawyer before publishing written statements about Tesla or its shareholders.

    In February 2019, the SEC alleged that Mr. Musk violated that deal when he posted on Twitter, “Tesla made 0 cars in 2011, but will make around 500k in 2019,” and sought contempt sanctions, which included fines and potential imprisonment.

    After a few court proceedings, the two parties resolved the contempt sanctions, but Mr. Musk sought to quash the SEC’s consent decree, arguing that the SEC had exploited the decree to “punish protected speech” because Mr. Musk is an “outspoken and much-followed critic of the government generally, and the SEC specifically.”

    A Manhattan-based federal district court and later a federal appeals court both ruled in favor of the SEC, on the rationale that Mr. Musk could not revisit the speech-vetting deal because he previously agreed to the deal in the settlement with the SEC.

    “Parties entering into consent decrees may voluntarily waive their First Amendment and other rights,” wrote a three-judge panel in the Manhattan-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in an August decision. “Had Musk wished to preserve his right to tweet without even limited internal oversight concerning certain Tesla-related topics, he had ‘the right to litigate and defend against the [SEC’s] charges’ or to negotiate a different agreement—but he chose not to do so.”

    Mr. Musk’s Thursday filing takes issue with this point of law, contending that despite having agreed to the consent decree after negotiations with the SEC, the agency had no right to impose, as a condition of settling, a “gag rule” that they contend violated the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment constraints on governmental limits on free speech.

    The petition asks the court to rule that “government settlements are not immune from constitutional scrutiny,” a decision Mr. Musk’s lawyer says would benefit “the hundreds of defendants who settle cases with the SEC each year” because they cannot afford to litigate.

    The SEC consent decree “restricts Mr. Musk’s speech even when truthful and accurate,” Mr. Musk’s lawyers wrote in the petition to the Supreme Court. “It extends to speech not covered by the securities laws and with no relation to the conduct underlying the SEC’s civil action against Mr. Musk. And it chills Mr. Musk’s speech through the never-ending threat of contempt, fines, or even imprisonment for otherwise protected speech if not pre-approved to the SEC’s or a court’s satisfaction.”

    The district and appeal courts’ ruling “squarely conflicts” with past U.S. Supreme Court decisions,” they added, “and it vests administrative agencies with intolerable power to coerce private parties into relinquishing their constitutional rights.”

    Four of nine U.S. Supreme Court justices would need to agree to hear the case for it to advance to oral arguments.

    Separately, the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to reconsider its March decision that Musk violated federal labor law by posting on Twitter in May 2018 that Tesla employees would lose stock options if they joined a union. The Fifth Circuit is set to hear arguments in the case in January 2024.

    The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/08/2023 – 17:40

Digest powered by RSS Digest

Dec 08

Today’s News 8th December 2023

  • The "Why" Is Now Obvious
    The “Why” Is Now Obvious

    Authored by Albin Sadar via American Greatness,

    The release of more video and cell phone tapes from January 6 by new House Speaker Mike Johnson shows further evidence of a setup by the Feds that their so-called insurrection was staged.

    All sides will acknowledge the fact that then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to have extra security on January 6.

    However, there is a bigger question that no one, Left, Right or Center, seems to be asking:

    Why?

    Why wouldn’t Pelosi want to be sure that “Democracy was secure” so that Vice President Mike Pence could certify the Electoral College vote? Making sure that the Capitol was safe and sound would mean that Joe Biden’s presidency would be assured. After all, the election of 2020 was “the most secure in American history,” so why wouldn’t you want that obvious fact certified and rubber-stamped by Congress?

    The only obvious answer to why Pelosi wanted to guarantee a riotous breach of the Capitol was what she knew would be the actual results of the Electoral College vote if the process were allowed to run its course. Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, among others, had previously made noise about challenging election results in several swing states. And despite what many have debated, there was tangible potential for Pence to delay the certification for a couple of weeks to look into the evidence of significant vote-tampering and fraud.

    How do we know that the vice president had the authority to stop the certification? Well, because the ability for the position of vice president to do just that was changed by a vote of Congress relatively recently after the events of January 6. Why would you change something that did not need to be changed?

    So, at the time, Pelosi knew that a halt in the proceedings would lead to an investigation. And an investigation would lead to those questions being covered, albeit reluctantly, by the entire mainstream media. What actually transpired over the three additional days of counting in the 2020 Election would be exposed. And the narrative of the most secure election in American history would crumble in front of the eyes of everybody in this country and across the globe.

    To this day, then, as the new Speaker takes a serious look at the events of January 6 and as America and the world itself can see exposed in the recently-released video evidence, we must address what happened that particular day – specifically, the reason that the crowds of tens of thousands had gathered. The patriots in Washington, D.C. showed up to highlight one very important message: “Stop the Steal.”

    Pelosi’s action – as well as inaction – diverted attention from that message; she refocused our sights on the word “insurrection” in order to keep President Donald Trump from returning to the White House as a result of the true, states’ election totals of 2020. And the Left continues nonstop that charade in order to keep Trump from the White House in 2024.

    With each passing day, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the two biggest blemishes recently on America as a great and free nation are the stolen presidential election of 2020, and the subsequent incarceration of those patriots who exercised their guaranteed First Amendment right to free speech to contest it. The election tampering advanced the Left’s directive of “fundamental transformation” of the country, which included imprisonment without bail or trial of those with whom the tyrannical administration disagreed.

    So, what next?

    Unless the country itself can see that the narrative presented by the Left regarding January 6, 2021, was a smoke screen for the real insurrection of November 3, 2020, America will need to brace itself for a repeat performance of that nefarious action on November 5, 2024.

    *  *  *

    Albin Sadar is author of Obvious: Seeing the Evil That’s in Plain Sight and Doing Something About It, as well as the children’s book collection, Hamster Holmes: Box of Mysteries.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 23:40

  • What Are The Best Selling Video Game Franchises In The US?
    What Are The Best Selling Video Game Franchises In The US?

    Fortnite, Minecraft, Call of Duty, Super Mario or Grand Theft Auto: Even many non-gamers recognize at least some of these highly successful titles and franchises, be it by name or their cultural impact.

    As Statista’s Florian Zandt details below, when viewed through an economic lens, there are two game series that have dominated the sales charts in the United States for the past decade.

    The first and overall leader in terms of total entries in the top 10 selling games in the U.S. between 2013 and 2022 according to market analysts at NPD Group is Call of Duty. The franchise has been present among the top sellers with 11 individual games since 2013, snagging the top spot every single year apart from two instances.

    Infographic: What Are The Best Selling Video Game Franchises In the U.S.? | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    In 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 trumped Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, while Grand Theft Auto V rushed to the top in 2013, followed by Call of Duty: Ghosts.

    It’s worth noting that while Call of Duty turned out to be a cash cow for its parent company, this success can’t overshadow that Activision Blizzard, which is now owned by Microsoft, was at the center of several scandals surrounding alleged toxic workplace culture and sexual harassment over the past years.

    The second and third spots are indicative of U.S. Americans’ love for all things sports.

    The American Football simulation Madden was represented in the top 10 every single year, while Take-Two’s NBA 2K series dropped out of the ranking of the best-selling games in the U.S. starting with NBA 2K21.

    Grand Theft Auto V remains a singularity in this ranking, though. While most other games managed to enter the top 10 with new franchise installments, Rockstar Games achieved this feat for five years with a single game.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 23:20

  • Arizona Sheriff: Illegal Immigrants Being Handed $5,000 Visa Gift Cards, Cell Phones, And Plane Tickets
    Arizona Sheriff: Illegal Immigrants Being Handed $5,000 Visa Gift Cards, Cell Phones, And Plane Tickets

    Authored by Matthew Lysiak via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Immigrants who illegally cross the border into Arizona are being handed $5,000 in good-as-cash gift cards, along with cell phones and costly plane tickets, all of which are being paid for by the American taxpayer, according to Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb.

    Mr. Lamb, sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, told The Epoch Times that he had been informed of the lucrative hand-out through his close sources working at the United States border.

    “I was absolutely in shock when these agents came forward,” said Mr. Lamb. “I had known we handed out free cell phones and plane tickets, but to give out $5,000 Visa gift cards to people who break our laws and come into our country illegally when the average American is struggling to pay their bills is just tough to swallow.”

    “People need to know the truth and let their representative lawmakers hear about it. This needs to end,” added Mr. Lamb.

    Mr. Lamb, who in April became the first Republican to announce his candidacy to challenge Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) for the United States Senate, says that the high-end gift cards, in addition to the plane tickets and cell phones, are paid through American tax dollars funneled from government agencies.

    “We know they’ve been giving illegal immigrants money for a long time,” said Mr. Lamb, who worked in the position of sheriff of Pinal County for seven years. “The government can make the claim that they aren’t directly paying for it, because each dollar first goes from the government to a non-government institution like a charity before it is used to pay for the illegals.”

    “They are just moving the money around, but it all comes from the same place,” he added.

    The Epoch Times reached out to a representative from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who was not immediately available for comment.

    Surge in Crossings

    In recent years the nation has seen a large surge in illegal border crossings.

    In October, CBP reported the highest number of illegal immigrant encounters for any October on record, with 240,988 encounters at the southern border. The agency also reported that 13 of the arrests it made during the month were of people on the FBI terror watchlist (12 from the southern border and one from the northern border). It is expected that the fiscal year total for 2023 will exceed 2.4 million, surpassing 2022’s record of 2.3 million, once the figures are finalized.

    In Arizona, a record high of 17,500 illegal immigrants were arrested for unlawfully entering the southeast region of the state from Mexico between Nov. 24 and Nov. 30—up from approximately 15,650 the previous week.

    On Monday, the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border into Arizona had grown so large that the federal government shut down a port of entry in Lukeville, Arizona to pull those federal customs officers to manage the crisis.

    In Tucson, Arizona, the surge has spiraled so far that there is no longer room to hold new arrivals, according to an email obtained by the Washington Examiner.

    “As you are aware, Tucson Sector is experiencing an unprecedented surge of illegal entries in our [area of responsibility],” Tucson, Arizona, leadership wrote in an email to agents this afternoon, according to the Washington Examiner on Nov. 27. “This morning we had more than 5,000 people in custody—far more than our holding capacity.”

    As the chaos at the border continues to spiral into an unmanageable crisis, the government needs to prioritize the growing number of struggling American families, according to Mr. Lamb.

    “We got Christmas coming up,” said Mr. Lamb. “Families are finding it difficult to keep lights on and find a way to buy their kids a few presents for under the tree, and now the American taxpayer has to watch as their hard-earned money is being taken from them and handed to people who have broken the law?”

    “It is infuriating. I know a lot of hard-working Americans who could use that money,” he added.

    Mr. Lamb says in his role as sheriff—where he is tasked with enforcing existing law—his hands are tied. However, securing the border has become one of the main platforms, and reasons, for his current run for Senate.

    The race to represent the GOP in the upcoming Senate race continues to be tight. Currently, Mr. Lamb is polling second in the GOP primary behind former television anchor and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, according to a Noble Predictive Insights poll conducted between Oct. 25 and Oct. 31.

    However, if he does go on to represent the people of Arizona in the Senate, Mr. Lamb says he will do “whatever it takes” to close the border and end the taxpayer-funded gifts being handed to those who come into the country illegally.

    “The border is our greatest national security threat,” said Mr. Lamb. “I’m the guy who has the experience and knows how to finally do what it takes to secure it.”

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 23:00

  • The CIA Sure Looks Busy
    The CIA Sure Looks Busy

    The rise of generative AI applications like ChatGPT, Midjourney or Bard already leads to increased demand in the world’s data center network due to its sometimes hefty requirements for the underlying large language models.

    This computing demand will only increase in the upcoming years, necessitating the building of new data centers and expanding the capacities of existing ones.

    As Statista’s Florian Zandt shows in the following chart, based on 2022 data collected by commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield, the race between the global superpowers China and the United States also extends to data centers.

    Infographic: Which Regions Have the Biggest Data Centers? | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    The highest concentration of data center power capacity in the world can be found in Northern Virginia, particularly the counties of Loudoun and Prince William.

    According to an interview with the vice chairman of real estate service provider CBRE, Rob Faktorow, with radio broadcaster WTOP in 2022, the main reasons are tax incentives, superior connectivity and infrastructure well suited to the resource needs of big server farms.

    “It is true Northern Virginia is the data center capital of the world, the largest market in the world, by three times,” said Faktorow.

    “It encompasses almost 50% of the data centers in the United States.”

    We couldn’t help but notice that both those Northern Virginia counties border The CIA’s ‘Langley’ HQ in Fairfax County…

    Coming in second is Beijing with a capacity of 1,800 megawatts, followed by London (1,000 megawatts) and Singapore (876 megawatts).

    While the Greater Tokyo area only ranks fifth for current capacity, the island nation is on an accelerationist path in terms of future projects, especially compared to its competitors in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Cushman & Wakefield, Beijing’s capacity will likely increase by around 300 megawatts in the next three to five years, owed partly to investors shifting funds due to rising U.S.-China tensions. The traditionally Western-aligned Japan might see its data power capacity double to almost 2,000 megawatts in the same period, in part due to pledges by big players like TSMC and Nvidia to build chip fabrication plants and establish a network of, as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang put it, “AI factories” across the country.

    Another relevant aspect in evaluating the growth potential of data centers in a specific region is their vacancy rate.

    As CBRE notes, capacity vacancy in Singapore stood at less than one percent in Q1 of 2023. Northern Virginia had a vacancy rate of about two percent, and Tokyo stood at 11.2 percent.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 22:40

  • Japan's First-Ever Conviction For Illegal Organ Trafficking Shines Light On Forced Organ Harvesting
    Japan’s First-Ever Conviction For Illegal Organ Trafficking Shines Light On Forced Organ Harvesting

    Authored by Bin Zhao and Sean Tseng via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    In a landmark ruling, a Japanese court has convicted a non-profit executive of facilitating illegal overseas organ transplants for Japanese citizens.

    Doctors carrying organs for transplant surgery at a hospital in Henan Province, China, on Aug. 16, 2012. (Screenshot/Sohu.com)

    On Nov. 28, the Tokyo District Court sentenced 63-year-old Hiromichi Kikuchi, chairman of the Association for Patients of Intractable Diseases, a non-profit organization. Kikuchi received an eight-month prison term and a fine of 1 million yen (around $6,800) for arranging organ transplants abroad for two Japanese citizens without government approval. His organization, which has been working with transplant patients for over fifteen years, is now under scrutiny.

    The case, the first of its kind in Japan, has prompted widespread media coverage and heightened concerns over illegal organ transplants.

    Mr. Kikuchi’s conviction shows Japan’s efforts to crack down on organ trafficking and forced organ harvesting. The transplants that led to his arrest took place in Belarus in 2022. However, the case has drawn attention to the grim reality of forced organ harvesting in China, as Mr. Kikuchi admitted that the vast majority of the transplants he has orchestrated since 2007 involved organs from China.

    This verdict has sparked intense public debate in Japan, where organ harvesting is already a hotly contested topic because of widespread ethical reservations about the source of organs for transplant.

    Forced Organ Harvesting

    For years, investigations and reports have highlighted the practice of forced organ harvesting in China’s major hospitals, with substantial evidence supporting the claims.

    On June 25, 2022, The Epoch Times Japanese edition published an exclusive interview with Ushio Sugawara, a former member of Japan’s largest “Yakuza” crime syndicate, Yamaguchi-gumi.

    Mr. Sugawara, who left the underworld in 2015 to become an economic commentator, recalled an incident from 2007. At that time, he was involved in a liver transplant for a friend’s brother, arranged through an intermediary, and costing about $220,000. The liver transplant took place at Beijing’s Armed Police General Hospital.

    After arriving in China, Mr. Sugawara visited his friend’s brother at the hospital the day before the scheduled surgery.

    He described seeing the donor, a 21-year-old Falun Gong practitioner labeled a “terrorist” and sentenced to death, unconscious and medicated, with bandages on his hands and feet. The hospital staff explained that the severing of tendons in the donor’s hands and feet was to prevent escape and ensure the quality of the organs.

    The transplant ultimately failed, resulting in the deaths of both the recipient and the donor.

    After the report on forced organ harvesting practices by The Epoch Times Japan, several prominent Japanese media outlets, including Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper, launched investigations into Japanese intermediaries in overseas organ transplants and found evidence against the Association for Patients of Intractable Diseases and Mr. Kikuchi.

    The non-profit, according to its website, has been connecting Japanese patients with overseas hospitals, primarily in China, for organ transplants since 2003.

    This timeline coincides with when Chinese hospitals began aggressively marketing organ transplants to foreign nationals.

    Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas and the late David Kilgour, a former Canadian cabinet minister, have long investigated the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) organ transplant practices. Their 2006 report, which was expanded into the book “Bloody Harvest,” raised suspicions that the CCP was illicitly harvesting organs and particularly targeting Falun Gong practitioners.

    In 2016, Mr. Matas, together with Kilgour and London-based investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann, published “Bloody Harvest/The Slaughter: An Update.” The 680-page report estimated that China was conducting 60,000 to 100,000 transplant surgeries annually.

    ‘Organ Extractions for Profit’

    On Oct. 10, the Tokyo District Court conducted its first hearing in the widely-publicized Kikuchi case. The defendant was charged with brokering organ transplant operations without government permission for two patients, in violation of Japan’s organ transplant law.

    Presiding Judge Baba Yoshiro said Mr. Kikuchi recruited patients for overseas organ transplants and expedited organ transplant surgeries within a matter of a few months. Japan’s organ transplant law outlaws the sale of human organs and profiting through intermediaries.

    In a startling admission, Mr. Kikuchi revealed that over the past two decades, his organization had facilitated about 170 transplants, with 90 percent of patients receiving transplants in Chinese hospitals. He highlighted the cost-effectiveness of the operations, noting that prices in China were significantly lower than in the United States. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions, Mr. Kikuchi shifted his focus to Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

    Mr. Kikuchi also outlined the costs involved: 20 million yen (approximately $136,000) for a kidney, 30 million yen (around $204,000) for a liver, 30–40 million yen ($204,000–$272,000) for a heart, and 40–50 million yen ($272,000–$340,000) for lungs. These figures included surgery, travel, and intermediary fees.

    On Nov. 28, the court handed down its final verdict: Mr. Kikuchi was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined 1 million yen (about $6,778).

    The decision was widely discussed online, with some Japanese netizens expressing outrage: “This group’s inhumane acts, forcibly extracting organs from young individuals in China, are utterly deplorable,” read one post.

    Another post criticized the leniency of the sentence: “Kikuchi is essentially an accomplice to murder; this punishment is insufficient.”

    Initially, Mr. Kikuchi had maintained his innocence, claiming his actions “saved hundreds of lives.” However, Hiroaki Maruyama, a representative for the Stop Medical Genocide (SMG) Network, vehemently disagreed with this perspective.

    In an interview with The Epoch Times, Mr. Maruyama said the “Chinese hospitals’ organ extractions from living persons for profit” contrasted with the principles of medical ethics.  Mr. Kikuchi, by engaging in these activities, not only abetted them but also implicated many Japanese patients unaware of the truth, he said.

    Mr. Maruyama emphasized that Mr. Kikuchi’s arrest and conviction, along with the media coverage surrounding it, shed light on a network of illegal intermediaries tied to the global organ black market, particularly CCP’s large-scale forced organ harvesting.

    These revelations represent just the surface of a much darker reality, he stressed. He called for legislation preventing Japanese citizens from seeking organ transplants in countries like China, which are known for human rights violations.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 22:20

  • Illinois Bill Would Require Blood Donors To Disclose COVID Vaccination Status
    Illinois Bill Would Require Blood Donors To Disclose COVID Vaccination Status

    Authored by Megan Redshaw via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    New legislation in Illinois would allow individuals receiving blood donations to know whether they’re receiving blood from an individual vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine or another messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine.

    (hxdbzxy/Shutterstock)

    Bill HB4243, introduced on Nov. 29 by Illinois state Rep. Jed Davis, amends the Illinois Clinical Laboratory and Blood Bank Act and would require blood banks to test donated blood for evidence of COVID-19 vaccines and other mRNA components, including lipid nanoparticles and spike protein—and requires a blood donor to disclose during each donor screening process whether they have received a COVID-19 vaccine or any other mRNA vaccine during their lifetime.

    Additionally, the bill imposes labeling requirements for blood or blood components that test positive for evidence of a COVID-19 vaccine or other mRNA vaccine component or were obtained from a donor who received a COVID-19 vaccine or other mRNA vaccine.

    “A constituent approached me concerned about her son’s upcoming surgery. What if he needed a blood transfusion with the long-term impacts concerning mRNA vaccines unknown? As a parent myself, her concern and corresponding question feel warranted,” Mr. Davis told The Epoch Times in an email.

    “This conversation was the catalyst for my bill delineating blood donations and mRNA vaccines. We disclose medical information all the time with providers, so why not our vaccine history? It’s an easy ask, and I’m proud to sponsor this bill.”

    Once a bill is introduced in Illinois, it is read and referred to the Rules Committee and will then be assigned to a substantive committee. For elected officials like Mr. Davis, he believes that part of his job is to translate the concerns or ideas of constituents into legislation when applicable—and that every bill, including HB4243, originated from someone walking through his office door. “Without hesitation, helping people is such a blessing and honor,” he said.

    Concerned about blood transfusions from people vaccinated against COVID-19, a Republican lawmaker in Montana introduced a bill earlier this year that would have made it a misdemeanor offense for anyone who received a COVID-19 vaccine to donate tissue or blood. However, the bill was tabled quickly in a 19 to 1 vote.

    Unlike the bill introduced in Montana, HB4243 does not criminalize individuals who donate blood if they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine. It merely allows people receiving blood products to know whether the blood they’re receiving came from a vaccinated individual and requires blood blanks to add this information to product labels so that patients can make informed decisions.

    According to the Red Cross, there is no waiting period for those who received a COVID-19 vaccine—as long as they are symptom-free and feel well at the time of donation. If an individual doesn’t know which vaccine they received, they must wait two weeks to donate blood.

    The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, America’s Blood Centers, and the American Red Cross do not believe COVID-19 vaccines pose a risk to patients receiving blood transfusions.

    In a joint statement issued on Jan. 26, the three organizations said there is no “scientific evidence that demonstrates adverse outcomes from the transfusions of blood products collected from vaccinated donors and, therefore, no medical reason to distinguish or separate blood donations from individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccination.”

    The statement further reads that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on multiple occasions, has confirmed that there is no evidence to support concerns about the safety of blood donated by vaccinated individuals. However, the FDA has not provided data showing it is safe to receive blood donated from vaccinated individuals, and many studies have found mRNA from COVID-19 vaccines circulating in the blood or plasma of recently vaccinated individuals.

    A 2022 study published in Biomedicines found synthetic mRNA in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine persists in the blood of vaccinated individuals for at least two weeks post-vaccination.

    A January study published in the Journal of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology found full-length or traces of SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA vaccine sequences from both Pfizer and Moderna in the blood of some vaccinated individuals up to 28 days after COVID-19 vaccination.

    “We expect that vaccine mRNA detected in plasma is contained within LNPs [lipid nanoparticles] and that the LNPs in plasma have been slowly released from the injection site either directly to the blood or through the lymph system,” the authors wrote.

    In a January study in Circulation, researchers found persistently elevated circulating levels of full-length spike protein in the blood of adolescents and young adults who developed myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination.

    A 2022 study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found circulating S1 antigens from the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the plasma of participants vaccinated with Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Antigens are the weakened or inactive parts of a particular organism—in this case, the spike protein—that triggers an immune response within the body. Researchers also confirmed that the detected S1 antigens resulted from vaccination and not natural infection.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 21:40

  • House Votes To Overturn Biden's EV Mandate
    House Votes To Overturn Biden’s EV Mandate

    Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The House of Representatives on Dec. 6 voted to pass a bill that will block a proposed rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to effectively mandate that most cars produced in the United States be fully electric by 2032.

    The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Nov. 13, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) 

    The bill, H.R. 4468, dubbed the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023, passed the House by a 221–197 vote. That included total GOP support; Democrats, meanwhile, sought to have the bill sent back to committee.

    The bill would block an EPA rule that would require roughly 68 percent of cars manufactured in the United States be fully electric by 2032. The rule has won the support of President Joe Biden’s administration.

    Republicans have rallied against the proposed standards, which they say are unrealistic and threaten to undermine consumer freedom—as well as to increase U.S. dependence on China.

    Around 90 percent of the rare earth minerals used to create electric vehicles (EVs) are sourced from the top U.S. adversary.

    The broad support among Republicans for blocking the rule was on full display in November, when over 200 House and Senate Republicans signed onto a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urging opposition to the rule (pdf).

    “While we are supportive of the free market producing electric vehicles to satisfy a market need, this misguided EPA mandate would have an immediate, detrimental impact on the choices and affordability of cars, trucks, and SUVs available to our constituents,” the Republican signatories said. “It also increases America’s dependence on China.”

    Specifically, those who signed the letter pushed for the inclusion of a reversal of the EV standards to be included in the final draft of 2024 government funding.

    “Not only would the EPA’s proposed regulation hurt America’s national security, but it would severely limit consumer choice for affordable vehicles that fit the needs of the average American,” they wrote. “At a time of inflation, high interest rates, and rising costs, the last thing Americans need is to find both new and used vehicles unaffordable because of an EPA mandate.”

    The National Automobile Dealers Association has also criticized the EPA rule, which they called “too far, too fast.”

    In a Dec. 5 press conference the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and other House Republicans spoke in support of the measure to overturn the rule prior to its vote on the floor.

    “This standard … is unattainable, it’s unaffordable, and in fact it’s unrealistic,” Mr. Walberg said.

    Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) agreed, saying that the notion that most vehicles should be fully electric by 2032 is “ridiculous.”

    She said, “If we force automakers to do this, they will bleed money, which will mean layoffs for employees of families who are already struggling under this administration, and manufacturing will move outside of the United States.

    “That is not good for our taxpayers.”

    Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), another enthusiastic supporter of the proposal, raised a series of concerns about the potential effects of a mandate.

    Specifically, he pointed to the instability of the U.S. electric grid, which is currently unable to support a large-scale move toward EVs.

    As proof of this, he pointed to a case in California a few years ago when Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Californians not to charge their EVs between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. due to strains on the electric grid.

    “What do you do when you’re stuck? What do you do when your wife is pregnant in the hospital?” Mr. Roy said. “These questions are existential threats to the well being of American families.”

    Despite its passage by the House, the legislation seems unlikely to pass muster in the Senate, where Democrats hold the majority.

    And even if it did pass the Senate, President Biden has promised to veto the bill.

    The White House has defended the rule, saying it’s “projected to save Americans $12,000 over the lifetime of a new light-duty vehicle by accelerating adoption of technologies that reduce fuel and maintenance costs alongside pollution.”

    However, Republicans are unusually united behind the effort to overturn the rule, and this issue could become a key point of negotiations over spending next year.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 21:20

  • Hunter Biden Indicted On Multiple Felony Tax Charges Including 'Office Expense' Deductions For 'Over-The-Hill Strippers'
    Hunter Biden Indicted On Multiple Felony Tax Charges Including ‘Office Expense’ Deductions For ‘Over-The-Hill Strippers’

    On the same day as House Republicans formalize the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, the special counsel investigating Hunter Biden charged the president’s son late Thursday on nine counts stemming from his failure to pay his federal taxes on time on millions in income from foreign businesses.

    A grand jury in the Central District of California (yes California!) charged Mr. Biden with three counts each of evasion of a tax assessment, failure to file and pay taxes, and filing a false or fraudulent tax return, according to the 56-page indictment (see below).

    The situation is more serious now as the charges include three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanors.

    “At times relevant to this Indictment, the Defendant served on the board of a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate and a Chinese private equity fund. He negotiated and executed contracts and agreements for business and legal services that paid millions of dollars of compensation to him and/or his domestic corporations, Owasco, PC and Owasco, LLC,” the indictment reads.

    “The Defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020,” the indictment adds.

    As TechnoFog details on his Substack, the indictment is exacting and detailed, discussing Hunter’s various business entities, the millions he received from foreign nationals and/or foreign business entities (such as those in China, Romania, and Ukraine), as well as the income and support Hunter has received from his entertainment lawyer, who happens to have paid “over $1.2 million to third parties for [Hunter’s] benefit” in 2020.

    It also makes the case – a case known to the public for this last year or so – that Hunter willingly engaged in this tax scheme. The indictment is replete with examples: he did not report his Burisma income in 2014; he was informed by accountants that he owed taxes; his ex-wife told him that his tax returns were not filed; and there are multiple times where he is discussing his outstanding tax obligations in various communications.

    Despite all this, Hunter’s spent like a man who thought he operated under a different set of rules.

    He had $1,664,004 in “ATM/Cash Withdrawals”, spent $683,212 in payments to “various women” (a new euphemism for hookers, apparently) and $188,960 on “adult entertainment”.

    Ironically, Hunter’s own words from his memoir, for which he was paid a handsome sum, are coming back to haunt him. As his tax-avoidance scheme went on, he surrounded himself with, and paid for the company of:

    thieves, junkies, petty dealers, over-the-hill strippers, con artists, and assorted hangers-on, who then invited their friends and associates and most recent hookups. They latched on to me and didn’t let go, all with my approval. I never slept. There was no clock. Day bled into night and night into day.

    The indictment also details the “office expenses” or other deductions he used to lessen his tax burden, which included a $1,500 Venmo payment to an exotic dancer; $11,500 paid to an escort for two nights; and a $30,000 payment for his daughter’s law school tuition; $1,248 to fly an exotic dancer from Los Angeles to New York.

    As you can read below, the indictment has many other juicy details regarding Hunter’s “deductions”.

    This is the second indictment against him this year – the first of which related to alleged gun possession and false statements.

    He has pleaded not guilty in the gun charges case.

    As a reminder, the previous indictment culminated in a plea deal, which ultimately fell apart amid whistleblower allegations that Biden-appointed officials had worked to stifle the case.

    Don Jr offered his perspective on the matter…

    The case was assigned to Judge Mark Scarsi, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

    Well, all those 87,000 new IRS agents was money well-spent right?

    Instead of going after the ‘billionaires’, they are clearly just trying to keep the poor-but-talented painters of America down.

    Thanks Joe!

    ….and that’s how Gavin Newsom becomes the Democratic Party nominee.

    *  *  *

    Read the full docket below:

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 21:01

  • Starlink Completes "Successful" Military Test Deep In Arctic  
    Starlink Completes “Successful” Military Test Deep In Arctic  

    The one thing progressive corporate media and the radical left in the White House cannot stand is Elon Musk deepening his ties with the Department of Defense from rocket launches to providing the military with high-speed internet beamed from low-Earth orbit. 

    According to Bloomberg, Musk’s satellite internet service called “Starlink” successfully completed a nine-month pilot test in the harsh, snowy environment in the Arctic.

    Brian Beal, principal engineer with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Integrated Capabilities Directorate, stated that StarLink was a “reliable and high-performance communications system in the Arctic, including on-the-move applications.” 

    Beal said the test ended in June and evaluated Starlink’s usefulness for high-speed internet in remote areas that can be set up in minutes.

    “We tested in some very high winds and very cold temperatures,” he said, adding, “That all went smoothly though. Once we got the terminals mounted securely to withstand high winds, they worked great with no issues.”

    Musk has seen months of success with Starlink. The Pentagon granted Starlink a contract to support Ukraine in June and, in late September, awarded Starlink an additional $70 million contract for the Starshield project. 

    Reports indicate Starlink is preparing for an IPO in 2024. Musk recently announced, “Excited to announce that @SpaceX @Starlink has achieved breakeven cash flow!” 

    In September, Tesla blogger Sawyer Merritt posted a graph on X showing Starlink’s onboarding of new customers has been parabolic since June 2022. The service now has more than 2 million users worldwide. 

    Meanwhile, SpaceX currently has a $175 billion valuation. It has delivered 80% of all Earth’s payload mass to orbit this year. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Even Jeff Bezos hired Musk for rocket launches as his space company, Blue Origin, has been hit with ‘frustrating delays’ including a rocket engine explosion during a routine test earlier this year. 

    Democrats are furious with Musk’s success and have attempted to weaponize federal agencies to hinder the latest Starship launch. 

    Musk is becoming the ‘uncancellable billionaire.’ 

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 20:40

  • FDA Approved, Controversial Lab-Grown Meat Becomes A Reality
    FDA Approved, Controversial Lab-Grown Meat Becomes A Reality

    Authored by Patricia Tolson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    In an effort to protect its farming industry, its economy, and the health of its citizens, Italy recently became the first country to officially ban cultivated meat.

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock, Freepik)

    Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat, is created in a lab through a five-step process in which stem cells from an animal are replicated and grown in a series of bioreactors before being blended with additives to create a more realistic texture. The meat cells are then drained in a centrifuge, formed, and packaged for distribution, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

    In a Nov. 16 Facebook post, Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida said, “In defense of health, of the Italian production system, of thousands of jobs, of our culture and tradition, with the law approved today, Italy is the first nation in the world to be safe from the social and economic risks of synthetic food,” according to an English translation.

    The bill passed the Italian Senate by a measure of 159–53 and was supported by the country’s agricultural groups, which worked to protect Italy’s $10.1 billion meat-processing industry.

    Cultivated chicken is made in tanks at Eat Just in Alameda, Calif., on July 27, 2023. Cell-cultivated or lab-grown meat is made by feeding nutrients to animal cells in stainless steel tanks. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    Efforts in the United States to block lab-grown meat, or to ensure that consumers know what they’re buying, include a 2018 law in Missouri that prohibits plant-based and lab-grown food from being labeled as “meat.”

    “​​This act also prohibits misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry,” the law states.

    On Nov. 13, Florida state Rep. Tyler Sirois filed a bill that aims to prohibit the “manufacturing, sale, holding, or distribution of cultivated meat” in the state.

    “Farming and cattle are incredibly important industries to Florida,” the Republican legislator told Politico. “So I think this is a very relevant discussion for our state to have.”

    Should the bill, HB 435, become law, restaurants and stores in violation could be fined up to $5,000, and manufacturers, processors, packers, or distributors who misrepresent or mislabel the food could be fined up to $10,000 per violation.

    Wilton Simpson, commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is fully on board with Mr. Sirois’s effort.

    “Without this legislation, untested, potentially unsafe, and nearly unregulated laboratory-produced meat could be made available in Florida,” Mr. Simpson said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

    “One of my top responsibilities is ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of our food supply and protecting Florida’s consumers, and this proposal does just that.”

    On Nov. 22, the measure moved to the Agriculture, Conservation, and Resiliency Subcommittee.

    Wilson Castro restocks the shelves in the meat department at the Presidente Supermarket in Miami on April 13, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

    Cultivated Meat Market

    So far, only two countries—the United States and Singapore—have approved cultivated meat for human consumption.

    Research and Markets predicts that the global lab-grown meat market will reach nearly $2 billion by 2035. It lists 16 cultivated meat companies, five of which are based in the United States, three in Israel, two in the Netherlands, two in Singapore, and one each in China, India, the UK, and Switzerland.

    “In 2025, the nuggets segment is expected to account for the largest share of the lab-grown meat market,” Research and Markets states in its January analysis.

    “The large market share of this segment is attributed to the increasing adoption of on-the-go lifestyles, the growing demand for snacking products, and the increasing demand for frozen products.”

    However, lab-grown burger patties are projected to register the highest compound annual growth rate from 2025 through 2035, according to the company.

    Chef Zach Tyndall brushes sauce on a piece of Good Meat’s cultivated chicken as it’s grilled at the Eat Just office in Alameda, Calif., on July 27, 2023. In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized two California-based companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, to sell chicken grown from cells in a lab. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    In November 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had “completed its first pre-market consultation for a human food made from cultured animal cells.”

    On June 21, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted its first-ever approval to produce cell-cultured meat to two companies in the United States, Good Meat and Upside Food.

    Good Meat—the cultivated meat brand of the food technology company Eat Just, Inc.—has manufacturing facilities in the United States and Singapore.

    According to the company, the USDA approval allows for its first lab-grown chicken product to be produced and sold in the United States. Four months earlier, the company had received its “No Questions” letter from the FDA, which meant it passed a food safety review.

    “Our first product is cultivated chicken that is prepared and served in multiple formats and was approved for sale in Singapore in 2020 and the United States in 2023,” the company states on its website.

    “We’re also working on other types of meat, including cultivated beef using cells from California pasture-raised cattle and Wagyu from the Toriyama farm in Japan.”

    Washington-based restaurant China Chilcano added a dish using Good Meat cultivated chicken to its menu in July.

    Major investors in Good Meat are UBS O’Connor, a hedge fund management firm within UBS Asset Management, and the venture capital firms of Graphene Ventures and Singapore-based K3 Ventures.

    Bill Gates has been a major investor in Upside Foods since its launch in 2017.

    Bill Gates speaks at an event called “Transforming Food Systems in the face of Climate Change” during the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference in Dubai on Dec. 1, 2023. (Christophe Viseux/COP28 via Getty Images)

    Upside Foods said its USDA approval clears the company to produce and sell its cultivated chicken. The company says it takes about three weeks to produce its chicken filet product.

    “Not to get bogged down in semantics, but we can’t overstate this: We’re making meat!” the company states on its website. 

    “Cultivated meat is a brand-new product category, so we understand that there’s a lot of confusion out there about what it is and what it isn’t. For one thing, cultivated meat is not vegan or vegetarian.”

    According to the company, its cell-cultivated chicken is made up of “more than 99 percent chicken cells.”

    The FDA approved Upside Foods to make its products in November 2022, based on a self-assessment by Upside of its processes and risk management practices.

    Read more here…

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 20:20

  • Moody's Told Staff In China To Work From Home Ahead Of Downgrade To Country's Credit Outlook
    Moody’s Told Staff In China To Work From Home Ahead Of Downgrade To Country’s Credit Outlook

    It’s not just the US that retaliates against credit agency downgrades: China – which is almost as authoritarian as the US but at least does not pretend to be some beacon of democracy or virtue – does too, only in China’s case Moody’s, which on Tuesday downgraded the outlook for China’s A1 long-term local and foreign-currency issuer rating to negative from stable, had a pretty good idea what would happen after its action became public and advised staff in China to work from home ahead of its cut to the outlook for the country’s sovereign credit rating.

    According to the FT, some Moody’s department heads in the country told associates on Friday that non-administrative staff in Beijing and Shanghai should not go into the office this week, they said.

    “They didn’t give us the reason . . . but everyone knows why,” said one China-based Moody’s employee, referring to the request to work from home. “We are afraid of government inspections.”

    The staff member said Moody’s also advised analysts in Hong Kong to temporarily avoid travel to the Chinese mainland ahead of the cut; he also said working from home might prevent Chinese authorities from questioning many employees in one place if they decided to raid the agency but added that such a raid was still considered to be unlikely.

    The move by the US rating agency highlights the unease of many foreign companies doing business in the world’s second-largest economy, where some have suffered police raids, exit bans for staff and arrests amid tensions between China and the US and its allies. Similar forceful responses are heaped upon companies that operate in the US as well, only the ruling regime’s fascist tactics are somewhat more subtle, which is why the White House has weaponized the DOJ to do anything and everything Biden’s handlers want it to do.

    A Moody’s spokesperson said: “Our commitment to maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of the ratings process is paramount and therefore, we cannot comment on internal discussions, if any, related to specific credit ratings or issuers.”

    In the past year, Chinese authorities have raided the offices of several US-based consultancies and detained local employees of due diligence group Mintz over what Beijing said were national security concerns.

    “We’ve seen crackdowns on due diligence companies and other firms, but those have been motivated by issues beyond just negative commentary,” said Michael Hirson, a China analyst at 22V Research in New York.

    “I would be surprised if Moody’s rating action, which is based on just an argument about the outlook, generates anything remotely like an overt crackdown on the company,” Hirson said. “But clearly how the authorities handle this will be a test that investors and the business community are watching.”

    Naturally, Moody’s latest rating action has already triggered a spate of criticism from Chinese officials and on social media. In a statement on Wednesday, the National Development and Reform Commission, an economic planning body, accused the rating agency of “bias and misunderstanding of China’s economic outlook”.

    A popular WeChat social media account operated by state broadcaster China Central Television on Wednesday dismissed Moody’s concerns about a slower growth outlook and soaring government debt, claiming that Chinese authorities had “always been working on annual projects, looking at five-year plans while thinking about the long term”.

    “A misjudgement by [Moody’s] will not cause too much harm for the Chinese economy,” said the post. “It may cause the company to lose its credibility.”

    Another Moody’s staff member said some of the points raised by Chinese authorities made sense and that the agency was concerned about regulatory risks following the rating action.

    “The Chinese authorities can make trouble for you if they want to,” the person said.

    It is unclear if fears of retaliation were behind the apparent leak of the news: according to Reuters, hours before the Tuesday downgrade, speculation that such a move was imminent was circulating on Chinese social media platform WeChat.

    “It is said that Moody’s will downgrade China’s sovereign credit rating, and an announcement will be made in the afternoon,” according to one WeChat post in Chinese translated by Reuters, in a chat group with several hundred people.

    Ratings leaks are quite common but can be difficult to pin down since they can come from different sources, said Alexander Michaelides, professor of finance at Imperial College London, who has researched and published academic papers on the systematic leakage ahead of official sovereign debt rating announcements.

    “It is quite common, but it is difficult to show that it has happened. And it happens in many countries around the world – even in countries with very high institutional quality,” Michaelides said.

    * * *

    Despite concerns, the rating agency on Wednesday also lowered its outlook for Hong Kong, Macau and 18 Chinese state-owned and private companies, including tech groups Tencent and Alibaba, from stable to negative.

    In a statement, the rating agency said the rating action was “primarily” driven by the change in outlook for China’s government credit ratings and reflected increased risks “related to structurally and persistently lower medium-term economic growth”.

     

     

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 20:00

  • Biden Funding Woke Theater Arts Groups Under Counterterrorism Grants
    Biden Funding Woke Theater Arts Groups Under Counterterrorism Grants

    Authored by James Varney via RealClear Wire,

    Founded in 2020 in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, the Black Legacy Project describes itself as “a musical celebration of black history to advance racial solidarity, equity and belonging.” It brings together artists of all backgrounds “to record present day interpretations of songs central to the Black American experience and compose originals relevant to the pressing calls for change of our time.”

    A similar arts group, Nu Art Education Inc., an offshoot of the NorCal School for the Arts, says it is “following the theory of change that utilizing theater arts” can be “a tool to teach and practice conflict resolution in the classroom.”

    While both outfits share a mission of using the arts to inspire social change, they have something else in common: counterterrorism. Or rather, both have received taxpayer grants through the Department of Homeland Security’s “Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention” (TVTP) program. Together, the two groups have received more than $1.4 million since the Biden administration doubled the program’s annual budget, to some $20 million per year.

    Grants to arts cooperatives and educational initiatives strike some as odd for a department charged with protecting the United States — including its southern border, now viewed by many as virtually open to illegal migrants. Against that backdrop, FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned Congress of the heightened threat of terror in the U.S. at a time of wars raging on two continents with America involved on the sidelines.

    On Tuesday, Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee the “threat matrix” is “blinking red lights everywhere.”

    “The threat level has gone to a whole other level since Oct. 7,” he said.

    Given such concerns, Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies, a critic of Biden policies, said the DHS grants are misplaced. “It’s kind of hard to see how all that is going to help stop terrorism,” he told RealClearInvestigations.

    DHS declined to discuss the TVTP program, or answer questions about how competitive the grant process is or who makes final decisions on where the money will go.

    The program has its roots in the Obama administration under the concept of “countering violent extremism” and has drawn criticism ever since from both left and right – albeit for different reasons. During the Trump administration, the leftist Brennan Center for Justice faulted the “anti-Muslim and xenophobic rhetoric and policies” in such programs, which “also target refugees, asylum seekers, and Black Lives Matter activists.”

    The Brennan Center said “the reality is that these programs, which are based on junk science, have proven to be ineffective, discriminatory and divisive.”

    That was then. Now, having doubled the program’s budget, the Biden administration is using the money to advance parts of its agenda not directly related to terrorism. Increasingly the DHS grants, like much larger ones at other departments, are part of the administration’s “whole of government” effort to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion” and quash what it considers misinformation.

    While proclaiming that that the grants are designed for “local communities across the country to develop targeted violence and terrorism prevention programming in their communities,” the Department of Homeland Security also stresses its focus on DEI.

    “Ensuring equity is a key priority of the TVTP Grant Program and 41 percent of this year’s grant recipients are devoted to underserved populations, compared to 25 percent last year,” the DHS website says, noting grants have gone to historically black colleges and universities, seven “Minority Serving Institutions (MSI),” a Native American group and another serving the LGBTQIA+ community.

    The program uses keywords to note favored characteristics of approved grants. Ones used often include “raising societal awareness,” “bystander training,” and what advocates call “media literacy.”

    “Media literacy involves the critical evaluation of media messages, as well as their authors and audiences, and it includes the ability to differentiate between original, evidence-based reporting and commentary or propaganda,” said Seth Ashley, a communications professor at Boise State University, which has received nearly $400,000.

    But such anodyne-sounding definitions come at a time when censorship by government in tandem with news outlets and social media has stirred controversy and court challenges. Experts have sprouted in the fields of “misinformation” or “disinformation,” and their power to control what is published and shared on various tech platforms has grown.

    One of the recipients of DHS funding for media literacy is the University of Rhode Island, which received $700,000 in TVTP grants in 2022. The money has helped pay for “Courageous Rhode Island” initiatives that involve online seminars and work with K-12 schools.

    In one of Courageous R.I.’s starter seminars, URI professors Renee Hobbs and Pam Steager discuss warning signs for media consumers. The flags include sources that “attract audience attention by finding and promoting unexplained phenomena or coincidence that seems at odds with official narratives.”

    In another, the professors warn of “contrarian ‘experts’ [that] increase visibility and status by exploiting journalistic norms of balance and neutrality to present a controversy that counters widely-accepted beliefs.”

    The COVID-19 pandemic is often used as a case study in media literacy. Ashley co-authored an op-ed in the Idaho Capital Sun in 2021 warning of COVID “disinformation.” But the co-authors offered no concrete examples of what would earn that classification, and many of the doubts health officials and Big Tech worked diligently to erase then – on masks, lockdowns, the origin of the virus – have been vindicated by subsequent reporting and revelations.

    “Doing your own research is fine, but it’s no substitute for the meticulous work of experts who are doing their best to learn everything they can about Covid-19 and are updating us when their knowledge grows and as situations change,” Ashley wrote.

    Asked by RealClearInvestigations about the sort of collaboration between government actors and Big Tech companies exposed in the “Twitter Files” and other revelations, Ashley replied, “I don’t think recent events have changed the need to be vigilant about where or how we get information, but I do think the digital age has made that more difficult than ever.”

    Some conservative critics see in the nebulous language of media literacy a clear agenda against outlets that could counter the message of Washington Democrats. They see the government using taxpayer money to get around First Amendment protections by paying third party groups to censor views it doesn’t approve.

    “They are very careful in the words they use, and you rarely see them offer concrete examples of ‘misinformation,’” said Dan Schneider, vice president of the conservative Media Research Center. “But what the project is trying to do is get into the schools and divert people from conservative outlets and direct them to liberal outlets.”

    Schneider has looked closely at the work being done in Rhode Island, as well as by other media watchdogs such as NewsGuard.

    One of Courageous R.I.’s goals is combating “fear and hate that leads to violence,” but one participant in the group’s online workshops said that is a tenuous thesis. Nicole Solas, a Rhode Island parent who became a prominent critic of what she regarded as a leftward drift in public education there, took some Courageous R.I. courses online and clashed with Hobbs. Like critics at the Brennan Center, Solas said she saw no proof that “words in media cause people to commit violent acts,” and she said it was clear Courageous R.I. had conservative news in its crosshairs.

    “They themselves are media – they write blogs,” Solas said. “They are promoting their own propaganda by saying someone or something else is propaganda so it’s not a real ‘conversation.’”

    Hobbs disputed that characterization, insisting “listening” is a key component of the “Courageous Conversations” that Courageous R.I. seeks.

    The “media literacy” advanced by TVTP grants also warns against outlets that do not perform “public interest journalism.” Ashley defines that as “journalism that aims to serve citizens by addressing issues of social importance and holding powerful actors accountable. It can be produced by anyone but usually comes from organizations with the resources and expertise necessary to gather and synthesize large amounts of information.”

    Using preferred groups to set such parameters has been a hallmark of government grants like TVTP since the Obama administration, according to several people familiar with the process. The grants are not confined to DHS – the State Department, FEMA, the EPA, and other branches have similar programs – and critics agree the overall goal of such policies is to corral speech into preferred spaces and proscribe it from countering preferred narratives.

    “They are using targeted funding to promote a buy-in to toeing the government line,” said Brian Cavanaugh, a former White House national security staffer in the Trump and Biden administrations who is now a senior vice president of American Global Strategies. “And here these have nothing to do with DHS’s core mission.”

    Some of the grants appear to go to traditional organizations engaged in fighting terrorist threats. But most of the $70 million in grants issued since 2020 – $60 million of which flowed since Biden took office – reflect the administration’s approach to DEI initiatives more than any clear attempt to tackle potential threats, according to Mike Howell, director of the Oversight Program at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Howell said he has tracked federal “countering violent extremism” measures for almost a decade.

    “This goes back to Obama where we saw the government shower these credentialed liberal outfits with a crap-ton of money,” he said. “Trump redirected it a bit, but not enough to kill it in its roots, so now it has cropped back up and gone full-woke under Biden.”

    These include $878,000 to Michigan State University social workers who are running a project with the Drama Club on Rikers Island; nearly $1 million on esports (electronic sports or gaming); more than $500,000 to the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League; and three grants to Columbia University Teachers’ College totaling more than $2.3 million, including classwork “to slow the manifestation of domestic radicalization and extremism that contributed to the Jan. 6 insurrection on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.”

    “The project will involve researching, developing and presenting stories,” one Teachers’ College grant says. “It also will include curating and co-creating educator stories of adapting to challenging situations, supporting the storytelling of educators who bring unifying narratives from their local communities, and leading the sharing of these stories.”

    Teachers’ College officials did not respond to RCI’s request for comment.

    In earlier iterations, much of the grant money would fund pet congressional projects, budget log-rolling that helped keep it popular on a bipartisan basis. But under Biden, Howell said, the grants have been folded into the “whole of society” philosophy that animates the administration’s efforts.

    “These grants fund the left but it’s not harmless – they use these grants to predicate their own initiatives,” he said. “What they are doing is outsourcing research to groups they like, who reach the conclusions they want, and then the administration claims it is ‘acting on the belief of experts.’ This growth and maturation of outsourcing is one of the less noticed trends that got us into the mess we’re in now.”

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 19:40

  • "If People Think Things Are Bad Now…" Tucker And Alex Jones Talk Deplatforming, Depopulation, & The NWO
    “If People Think Things Are Bad Now…” Tucker And Alex Jones Talk Deplatforming, Depopulation, & The NWO

    In a deep-dive on everything from ‘deplatforming’ to ‘depopulation’, Tucker Carlson sat down with Alex Jones.

    Elon Musk said it best…

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    Dubbed “the most censored man in the world”, Jones began by discussing his (correct) prediction about 9/11.

    As Tucker points out, “the 9/11 thing, you called it in public.”

    But Jones says his most accurate prediction was around a decade ago when he read the “Rockefeller Foundation Operation Lockstep report,” which he says:

    “described using a virus to bring in world government, a world medical ID, which they would then build a social credit score off of…

    …that they would make people wear masks for fear, shut down sporting events and things like that… and basically phase in this new tyranny.“

    These warnings, among other things, were the reason, Carlson argues, why Jones was so widely deplatformed.

    “Fundamentally, Alex Jones is right about a lot of things. And in fact, that’s why they don’t like him.”

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    Deplatforming

    “To this day, nobody has been more aggressively censored, I don’t think, than you… I read about it, and I felt that it was a major moment in the history of American media. I don’t think anybody defended you when that happened. Anybody, with any kind of audience,”

    To which Jones replied:

    “When Tim Cook admitted that he met on the weekend in August of 2017 with the other big tech heads, and they made the decision to “curate” like it’s a museum – and take me off, it was hundreds of platforms. It wasn’t just the big ones. Everything from LinkedIn, to our bank accounts being taken away, to everything ensuing over the next week and that month. And I knew I was a test case.”

    “It was the questioning the school shooting thing that came later. They kind of dredged that up from my past, blew that up after I’d been deplatformed, and said I’d been deplatformed for that.

    “Once they deplatformed me, it made the show in ways only get bigger… So then they panicked and said ‘okay, let’s look at his record and create more of a reason,’ so they took things out of context from 5-6 years before, blew em up as a current thing out of context, and deceptively reported on what I said to create a strawman argument to then facilitate the reason.”

    The discussion turns to the current state of America with Jones laying the blame for the growing division of the nation by race squarely at the feet of China.

    “The CCP, along with the SPLC and ADL, see America’s weakness and they are literally coming in and saying ‘white people are inherently bad because of the color of their skin…

    …and then they organize all them into race-based groups under the Democratic party flag to attack who is left… which tends to be more conservative.”

    Jones warns however that “they are panicking” because “more and more blacks and hispanics are voting Republican,” which, he explains is why the open border policy is being allowed.

    “They are bringing in all these totally disenfranchised people from around the world… putting them in camps where they indoctrinated into a subdued political under-class… that’s then going to be turned loose on America.”

    This is why Democrats are giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses, the right to vote in some cities, allowing them to become police officers “so they are importing a new enforcemen t class against the American people.”

    The new class will allow them to bring home a New World Order.

    NWO

    Jones and Carlson also discussed the New World Order after Carlson noted that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is an idiot.

    “That’s it,” Jones replied. “We’re in a beautiful ball. It’s prom night. Everybody’s dressed great. There’s wonderful food, big delicious punch bowl, and then they say ‘what can we do?’ – well, just have Brian Stelter take a dump right in that. And then he’s there, laughing at you – they’re all there laughing at you, to make you feel small. To make you question reality – why is everything so ugly?“

    Jones then explained that the elites demonize rural Americans in order to blame them for the ills of society.

    “The reason you’re doing bad is not blackrock and the WEF and Bill Gates. It’s all those evil people in the countryside. They’re all white supremacists, terrorists and racists. Let’s go get ’em! Cause the last group they don’t control is rural people that are self-sufficient. And so I get going to the countryside, protecting your children. That’s the holy grail. The problem is, you gotta have one foot in each – you gotta go back and fight in the city for the infrastructure, for the government.”

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    “You gotta give people hope, while also building a backup operation of farming and ranching and self-sufficiency,” Jones continues.

    “So that’s why the WEF and the UN are coming in in Ireland and in areas of Asia, and in the Netherlands, and saying ‘by 2030, 80% of your cows gotta be dead,’ and they just banned like 30% this year in the Netherlands.”

    “They’re all WEF globalist alumni that the big banks, on record, brag – they’ve ‘penetrated the cabinets,’ to quote Klaus Schwab, they’ve put their operatives in to cut off our energy, demoralize us, release the hardened criminals, put the political activists in prison, continue to cut off the resources, to make an angrier world…

    Klaus Schwab says, ‘we’re gonna make the world collapse, we’re gonna have everybody turn against each other, we’re going to blame the political classes that we own and control, and then when we’re done we’ll bring in our new solution. But first thing they have to demolish the cultures of societies that we had before, with the fentanyl, with the open borders, with the demoralization, and then they bring in their next phase, which is a high-tech cashless society. Robot drone-controlled nightmare. More than half of the US in their official UN maps, that they’ve had for more than 25 years, show half the US off-limits to humans.

    All cars will have to have GPS, everyone by law will have to have a cell phone at all times…

    And that’s the admitted global UN standardized plan, where you don’t leave your house without a cell phone.”

    “So if people think things are bad now,” Jones continued, “the straight-jacket, the ball-and-chain is going on, and it’s all being militarily run. Our military is great men and women, but at the top, our military has been globalist Ukraine, New World Order people for at least 30-40 years.”

    Jones also says that the NWO is pushing for:

    • 15-minute cities

    • Central bank digital currencies

    • All of these systems that track and trace everything you do with the social credit scores

    • The plan for the 99% is 250 square-foot coffin-apartments

    • 5G bathing you

    • Literally eating bug protein

    Depopulation

    The New World Order discussion leads Jones on to discuss the controversial topic of depopulation that seems at the end of every globalist policy delivered from on high.

    “The Globalists have gone from testing-phase to fully operational now,” he warns, noting that “they say – read their writings – we are going to have a post-industrial world by 2030… and we will start the depopulation of 90% of the people by 2045.”

    That, Jones explains is the official WEF/UN/Club of Rome plan.

    A stunned Carlson asked “what do you mean ‘depopulation’?”

    Jones replies: “they want to bring the world population down to 500 million.”

    “We are told ‘do not have children, because it is bad for the earth’,” and points out that Elon Musk is a hero for pointing out that we need to have kids to save the world, “otherwise, society collapses.”

    Carlson takes a moment to reflect on what he has heard and says poignantly, “I feel a little bit innervated and downbeat just hearing your dot-connecting… what’s that like to live with?”

    Brian Stelter Prank

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    2024 election, WW3

    The two also discussed the upcoming US election next year. According to Jones, both Biden and Trump are ‘liabilities’ for the deep state, so the plan is :

    “They have a right winger, they’ll claim, assassinate Biden, and they’ll have a left-winger assassinate Trump…

    …That then gets the country even in more of a fight against each other, and then they put in Gavin Newsom and, you know, somebody like Mike Pence or who knows. But I really think the next 13 months is the most critical time – not just in American history, but world history,” Jones continued.

    Biden “doesn’t know who he is.”

    Alex Jones says sources in the White House have told him that Biden “wanders around naked” and is on a constant cocktail of amphetamines and benzos.  

    Tucker says he knows someone who witnessed Biden taking amphetamines in 2020.

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    “Because if they can bring down America, they’re going to bring down the world. Then you’ve got the escalation,” he warns.

    “Remember a year ago, Biden said, you can’t give F-16s and Abrams tanks and cruise missiles to the Ukrainians, that’s WW3. Now they’re doing it. So as Russia wins that war as Col. McGregor documented a few months ago with you, NATO is escalating. Well, that leads right to nuclear war.“

    “Since when do Democrats love war?” Jones asked.

    “Since when did Democrats love the intelligence agencies. They love them now. And so really, the Democrats, just like the Republican party is the beachhead for sanity and populism – it’s not perfect, but it’s a beachhead. The Democrat party is totally turned over to evil.”

    Finally, Jones says he doesn’t expect Elon Musk to reinstate him on X:

    “I understand that if he did that, the ADL and others would really be able to shut down Twitter”

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    Watch the full interview below:

    • 2:46 Alex Jones predictions
    • 15:07 Deplatforming
    • 21:59 Dividing us on race
    • 25:37 The border
    • 28:09 Austin
    • 32:12 New World Order
    • 42:09 Brian Stelter demon video
    • 50:57 Depopulation
    • 1:07:51 Food
    • 1:13:51 Whiskey
    • 1:16:22 Presidential election

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    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 19:20

  • San Francisco Facing Deadliest Year Ever For Overdoses
    San Francisco Facing Deadliest Year Ever For Overdoses

    Authored by Eric Lundrum via American Greatness,

    The far-left city of San Francisco is set to have its deadliest year on record in terms of drug overdoses, further emphasizing the coastal city’s struggles with rising crime, homelessness, and drug abuse.

    According to the Washington Free Beacon, the California city recorded 692 accidental overdose deaths from January to October of 2023, as reported by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner last month.

    By the end of the year, that total is expected to top 800, surpassing the previous record of 720 deaths in 2020.

    The primary cause of overdose deaths in the city is fentanyl, which was responsible for 83% of drug-related deaths in the first 10 months of 2023.

    Methamphetamine and cocaine were responsible for 51% and 46% of drug overdose deaths, respectively, in the same time period. To a lesser extent, some who overdoses have also used medicinal opioids and heroin.

    The drug problem is just one of many crises facing San Francisco, many of which are driven by the city’s soft-on-crime approach.

    Many prominent companies, from restaurants to retailers, have shut down locations in the city due to concerns of robbery, vandalism, and violence against employees which largely go unpunished. Many of the stores that have remained in the city have resorted to locking down their merchandise, including putting them behind locked glass cases, and even chaining doors shut to prevent shoplifting.

    In September, San Francisco recorded a record-high office vacancy rate of 34%. In another survey of 74 restaurants throughout the city, just 3% reported that they did not suffer from any vandalism in that same month.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 19:00

  • "Why No Advertiser Boycott?" Musk Nails Disney's Iger After Facebook Child Sexual Abuse Bombshell
    “Why No Advertiser Boycott?” Musk Nails Disney’s Iger After Facebook Child Sexual Abuse Bombshell

    Elon Musk took another shot at Disney CEO Bob Iger Thursday, after the state of New Mexico sued Meta for allegedly enabling child sexual abuse and trafficking – yet Disney and other woke advertisers, who paused advertising on X in a kneejerk reaction to claims of antisemitism – apparently have no problem when it comes to the sexual exploitation of minors.

    “Why no advertiser boycott, Bob Eiger? [sic]” Musk posted on X. “You are endorsing this material!”

    “He should be fired immediately,” Musk continued in a response to a question over why Disney hasn’t canned Bob.

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    In response, people have been revisiting reports that Disney was offering snorkeling trips to Jeffrey Epstein’s “Little Saint James” island.

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    The fact check on this is beyond hilarious… with Snopes suggesting that it’s false because ” the claim is based on the incorrect assumption that snorkeling in the waters around a private island is the same as physically standing on that island,” and “Second, the trip advertised is not one that is, or was, led by Disney. It was, instead, what is known as a “Port Adventure.” These are activities recommended by Disney that can be found, for extra cost, when  docked at various ports of call on Disney Cruises.”

    In short, Disney only recommended the trip to Epstein’s pedo island, and it doesn’t count if it’s just snorkeling.

    Meta Sued

    On Tuesday, New Mexico sued Meta for “knowingly” exposing children to ‘sexual exploitation and mental health harm.’

    In a Tuesday court filing, New Mexico’s Attorney General’s (NMAG) Office revealed that it had conducted an undercover investigation, creating fake accounts of minors which were then used to fish for offending content, according to a press release reported by the Daily Caller.

    “Meta and its CEO tell the public that Meta’s social media platforms are safe and good for kids,” reads the lawsuit. “The reality is far different. Meta knowingly exposes children to the twin dangers of sexual exploitation and mental health harm. Meta’s conduct has turned New Mexico children who are on its platforms into victims. Meta’s motive for doing so is profit.”

    And crickets from Disney…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsTo recap the spat, Disney and other advertisers signaled maximum virtue in response to Musk’s endorsement of a post on X which clumsily attempted to explain that Jews who support woke ideology, which includes anti-occupation rhetoric, are reaping what they’ve sewn in regards to the Hamas attack on Gaza and the ensuing pro-Palestinian protests. Musk later apologized, but it was just the ‘antisemitism’ needed for establishment advertisers to leave the platform amid broader concerns over ‘hate speech.’

    Iger went on the NYT Dealbook Summit on Nov. 29, where he explained that “By him taking the position that he took in quite a public manner, we just felt that the association with that position, and with Elon Musk, and X, was not necessarily a positive one for us and we decided we would pull our advertising.”

    To which Musk infamously said hours later, “Go… Fuck… Yourself…” calling out Iger by name. 

    Days later, Musk called Disney the “world’s biggest example of go woke, go broke.”

    Fast forward to today…

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    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 18:45

  • Federal Tax Filers Beware: Underpayment Penalty Has More Than Doubled
    Federal Tax Filers Beware: Underpayment Penalty Has More Than Doubled

    One of the Internal Revenue Service’s fangs has quietly grown much sharper, as the interest rate charged on the underpayment of federal income taxes has soared from 3% to 8% in less than two years. If you’re not sure if you’re hitting the right pace, it’s time to double-check your situation to make sure you don’t throw any more money into Uncle Sam’s rathole than you must. 

    While many taxpayers focus on the annual April deadline, the federal income tax actually works on a “pay as you go” basis, in which the government demands recurring bites out of your income, with those bites rising and and falling in proportion to what you’re earning over the course of the tax year. If the math comes out wrong enough when you file, the IRS will penalize you by demanding you pay interest on money you were supposed to have forked out earlier.   

    Gig employees, the self-employed, people with big bonuses and those with substantial investment income are among those at higher risk of an underpayment penalty surprise (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio)

    In August, the IRS announced that the interest penalty charged against underpayments was rising to 8% for the calendar quarter that started Oct. 1. The rate isn’t set on a bureaucrat’s whim — per the Internal Revenue Code, it’s calculated each quarter by adding 3% to the “federal short-term rate.” Thus, the higher rate is a reflection of the surge in interest rates. As recently as the first quarter of 2022 — when the Fed’s zero interest rate policy was still in place — the rate was just 3%.  For the first three quarters of 2023, it was 7%.  

    Most people whose income is almost entirely derived from regular employment satisfy the pay-as-you-go system through the income tax that employers withhold from each paycheck. Assuming they’ve filled out their IRS W-4 forms correctly, those workers typically don’t run afoul of underpayment penalties. However, regular employees who receive big bonuses or equity compensation might find the regular withholding formula doesn’t cough up enough money to please the IRS. If you want to play with the numbers on your own, you might check out the IRS’s online Tax Withholding Estimator — though ZeroHedge sure isn’t guaranteeing its accuracy. 

    For many people, avoiding underpayment penalties requires making quarterly estimated tax payments directly to the IRS, or significantly adjusting their employee withholding. That’s true of anyone with significant income from anything other than regular employment, including the self-employed, gig economy workers, and people with substantial investment income from things like interest, dividends and capital gains. Note: The 2023 surge in yields on money market funds and some bank accounts may cause a surprise underpayment penalty for those who’d grown accustomed to earning near-zero on their cash. 

    Using the IRS safe harbor can help free you from worrying about an underpayment penalty (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio)

    Federal tax rules provide for a “safe harbor” that generally guarantees you from facing underpayment penalties on personal tax returns. You won’t have to pay the penalty if your withholding and/or timely estimated taxes add up to at least 90% of your 2023 tax bill or 100% of what you owed in 2022. However, if your adjusted gross income is more than $150,000 (or $75,000 for married couples filing separately), the safe harbor linked with your 2022 tax bill rises from 100% to 110%.  

    The IRS is notorious for complicating taxes at every turn, and estimated tax is no exception. Here, the IRS assigns four due dates that don’t come every three months. Instead, payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. (This year, the payment for the fourth quarter instead is due Jan. 16, 2024.) There are several methods for making payments, including mail or through on online portal. 

    In fiscal 2022, the IRS hit individual taxpayers for more than $1.8 billion in underpayment penalties — a number that’s likely to soar alongside the rising penalty interest rate. Here’s hoping ZeroHedge readers aren’t victims of the Feds’ upcoming feeding frenzy. 

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 18:40

  • California Attorney General Accused Of Misleading Voters On Transgender Issue With 'Biased' Ballot Info
    California Attorney General Accused Of Misleading Voters On Transgender Issue With ‘Biased’ Ballot Info

    Authored by Brad Jones via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a news conference in San Francisco on Nov. 15, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    A coalition of parental rights and child advocacy groups have accused California Attorney General Rob Bonta of attempting to mislead voters over a ballot initiative title and summary they say is skewed in favor of his political stance on “gender affirmation.”

    The ballot initiative would require schools to notify parents if their child changes his or her gender identity, protect the integrity of girls’ sports by prohibiting boys who claim to be girls from competing in them, and ban the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgery on minors.

    However, the state attorney general wrote the ballot initiative title as “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth,” and the summary is “overtly biased,” “completely absurd,” and “wrong,” said Jonathan Zachreson, spokesman of Protect Kids California, the coalition of parental rights groups that launched the initiative.

    “It’s so bad it’s laughable,” he said. “Our initiative protects kids. It doesn’t restrict rights.”

    The coalition opposes any kind of medical intervention, including “chemical sterilization” and “genital mutilation” to treat gender dysphoria that could affect the future reproductive health of children, he said.

    In late August, the coalition launched three separate initiatives, which have since been consolidated into a single initiative known as the “Protect Kids of California Act of 2024.”

    The coalition received the ballot title and summary on Nov. 29 and now has less than 180 days to collect the 546,651 qualified signatures needed for the statewide initiative to be placed on the Nov. 5, 2024, general election ballot.

    The ballot summary from the attorney general’s office reads:

    • Requires public and private schools and colleges to: restrict gender-segregated facilities like bathrooms to persons assigned that gender at birth; prohibit transgender female students (grades 7+) from participating in female sports. Repeals law allowing students to participate in activities and use facilities consistent with their gender identity.
    • Requires schools to notify parents whenever a student under 18 asks to be treated as a gender differing from school records without exception for student safety.
    • Prohibits gender-affirming health care for transgender patients under 18, even if parents consent or treatment is medically recommended.

    It continues: “Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and, local governments: Potentially minor savings in state and local health care costs of up to millions of dollars annually from no longer paying for prohibited services for individuals under the age of 18. These savings could be affected by many other impacts, such as individuals seeking treatment later in life. Minor administrative and workload costs to schools, colleges, and universities, up to several millions of dollars initially. Potential, but unknown, cost pressures to state and local governments related to federal fiscal penalties if the measure results in federally funded schools, colleges, universities, or health care providers being deemed out of compliance with federal law.”

    Summary ‘Confusing’

    The attorney general’s assertion that the ballot initiative aims to “prohibit transgender female students (grades 7+) from participating in female sports” is “tricky” and “confusing,” while the wording submitted by Protect Kids California clearly defines what male and female mean based on biology, Mr. Zachreson said.

    Erin Friday, an attorney and western U.S. regional leader for Our Duty, a group that opposes social, medical, and surgical interventions on minors, told The Epoch Times the ballot title and summary were predictable.

    The attorney general, she said, has already shown his “disdain for parental rights,” most recently with his lawsuit against Chino Valley Unified School District’s parental notification policy regarding gender transitions at school.

    “We knew that Bonta would do everything in his power to undermine the initiative to mislead the voters,” she said. “We are disgusted, but not surprised.”

    The lawsuit against Chino Valley “is designed to permit schools to continue the unconstitutional practice of deceiving parents when their students are experiencing gender dysphoria,” she said.

    Erin Friday gathers with “Our Duty” supporters at the California state capital building in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 28, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

    Both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mr. Bonta have pushed for too much state control over parental authority, Ms. Friday said.

    While the summary states the initiative would “prohibit transgender female students” from participating in female sports, it doesn’t define what ‘transgender female’ means, deliberately misleading voters unfamiliar with the nomenclature of gender ideology to think it means “girls who believe they are boys” when actually it means physical males, she said.

    In addition, the language of “gender-affirming health care” refers to a model that means any child, of any age, regardless of mental health issues, ability to consent, or “absurdity of gender identity” must be affirmed and be given any intervention they request, she said. However, not all professionals agree with this model.

    The summary also underestimates the potential cost-savings to taxpayers by “tens of millions” of dollars, because children who undergo sex-change interventions face the “grim and predictable future” of becoming life-long medical patients with a host of side effects, including increased occurrences of cancer, osteoporosis, atrophy of sex organs, heart issues, and other life-altering, perpetual ailments, she said.

    Detransitioners, including Layla Jane and Chloe Cole who had double mastectomies as minors—at 13 and 15 respectively—have talked about their ongoing discomfort from the surgeries, she said.

    The Attorney General’s press office stated via email in response to a request for comment that the Attorney General’s Office is responsible for issuing official titles and summaries “describing the chief purpose and points of every proposed initiative submitted in compliance with procedural requirements,” but did not respond to questions about the alleged bias and ambiguity in the title and summary including, “What defines a ‘transgender female?’”

    “We take this responsibility seriously,” the press office stated. “However, we cannot comment on any particular initiative,” the press office stated.

    Workers process California ballots at a Los Angeles Registrar site at the Los Angeles Fair Grounds in Pomona, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

    Bigger Picture Unfolds

    Before almost every election in California, the wording of ballot measure titles, summaries, text, and rebuttals is enough to leave even the most politically astute voters feeling confused—even duped, according to two former state legislators.

    Lawsuits over allegedly twisted ballot titles and summaries are nothing new to California, and the controversy is well-documented in news reports by several media outlets.

    Former Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), now a congressman, and former state Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) told The Epoch Times preceding the 2020 election that state ballot measure texts and summaries are so skewed, many voters have no idea what they are truly voting for or against come election time.

    The problem, they said, is that in California, the authority and responsibility to write fair and impartial ballot titles and summaries rests with the attorney general—a partisan political office—who crafts the wording in a way that leads voters in his or her desired direction.

    Mr. Kiley called the practice “terrible” and said it amounts to “election fraud,” because it manipulates the language “in a way that likely changes the whole outcome of the vote.”

    “It’s time we finally protect the integrity of our elections by putting a neutral nonpartisan official in charge of writing the ballot language,” Mr. Kiley said in August 2020.

    Mr. Kiley and Ms. Melendez said at the time they wanted to avoid further lawsuits and hand over the authority for wording ballot measure titles and summaries to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), and they even proposed legislation, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 7, or ACA 7, to do just that. However, the proposed amendment was killed in committee and never put to a vote.

    In 2020, several lawsuits were filed against then Attorney General Xavier Becerra or his wording of ballot titles and summaries, but his office denied they were biased.

    “The elections code is very clear. … It says you have to give a true and impartial statement on the purpose of the measure, and it’s not supposed to be used as an argument or to create prejudice for or against a measure,” Ms. Melendez said.

    On Nov. 4, 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47, a referendum that proponents touted as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, and opponents such as the California Police Chiefs Association called the ballot title and summary misleading.

    At the time, voters were told Prop. 47 was intended to keep nonviolent criminals out of state prison by downgrading some crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, thus saving money on housing inmates. The saved money would then go into a fund to support schools as well as rehabilitation programs, including providing offenders with counseling, therapy, housing, and job opportunities.

    Critics, including a county supervisor who originally supported the measure, say the law has instead resulted in an increase in shoplifting and property theft crimes in the state.

    Potential Lawsuit

    Mr. Zachreson told The Epoch Times it’s not worth suing over the misleading ballot title and summary and risk a potential drawn-out court battle that could prevent the initiative from being on the 2024 ballot.

    If there is a court battle, it will come after the state prints the ballot title and summary in its official voter guide, he said.

    Meanwhile, the “biased” language could backfire on Mr. Bonta, he said.

    “It’s so wrong and absurd that in some ways, I don’t know if it even does the other side a favor, because it’s going get more people to turn their heads and look at what we’re actually trying to accomplish,” Mr. Zachreson said.

    The state law that puts the attorney general in charge of ballot titles and summaries is a “direct conflict of interest,” he said. “It should be nonpartisan, impartial, and I think the Legislative Analyst’s Office is a good starting point.”

    A Worldwide Stop the War Against Children Rally to protest the sexualization of children, secret gender transitions of minors, and pornographic books at schools, and other issues in Sacramento, Calif., on Oct. 21, 2023. (Courtesy of Julius Giles)

    Politics and Polls

    A Rasmussen poll published in June, found that 71 percent of American adults believe there are only two genders, and the majority “support laws against transgender treatment for minors.”

    Another Rasmussen survey in December 2021 showed 68 percent of Americans don’t believe schools and teachers should be allowed to counsel students on their sexual and gender identities without parental knowledge or consent, and that only 19 percent believe schools should be allowed to engage in such counseling without parental consent.

    “Voters are in such strong support, we know that we can win, so the hardest part is just to get on the ballot,” Mr. Zachreson said. “That’s where we’re at now and we feel we can do it.”

    But because most Democratic politicians in California are “vehemently against” the tenets of the ballot initiative, and Democrats hold a super majority in the state, “there is no way that we’re going to be able to persuade the legislature,” he said.

    And, although litigation has worked to some extent to fight against gender ideology in schools, he said the ballot initiative is a more direct route to democracy.

    Even if the state loses its legal battle against Chino Valley and the district is allowed to enforce its parental notification policy, parental rights groups would still have to convince nearly 1,000 other school districts to adopt similar policies, whereas a successful ballot measure would make parental notification policies a statewide law, he said.

    The Petition

    Protect Kids California has set a goal of 850,000 signatures to make sure it has ample qualified signatures to make the 2024 ballot, Mr. Zachreson said.

    The 546,651 qualified signatures needed are based on five percent of the number of voters in the last gubernatorial election.

    “We’ll also do our own signature verification to minimize any issues there,” he said.

    Mr. Zachreson said petition forms for the ballot initiative will soon be available for download from the Protect Kids California website.

    Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, a National Collegiate Athletic Association record setter who testified before Congress in support of Title IX on Dec. 5, urged more than 300 people at a California Family Council event in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Nov. 30 to support all aspects of the ballot initiative.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 18:20

  • Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, By Country
    Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, By Country

    How do investors’ return expectations differ from those of advisors? How does this expectation gap shift across countries?

    Despite 2022 being the worst year for stock markets in over a decade, investors around the world appear confident about the long-term performance of their portfolios. These convictions point towards resilience across global economies, driven by strong labor markets and moderating inflation.

    While advisors are optimistic, their expectations are more conservative overall.

    In the following graphic, Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld shows the return expectation gap by country between investors and financial professionals in 2023, based on data from Natixis.

    Expectation Gap by Country

    Below, we show the return expectation gap by country, based on a survey of 8,550 investors and 2,700 financial professionals:

    Investors in the U.S. have the highest long-term annual return expectations, at 15.6%. The U.S. also has the highest expectations gap across countries, with investors’ expectations more than double that of advisors.

    Likely influencing investor convictions are the outsized returns seen in the last decade, led by big tech. This year is no exception, as a handful of tech giants are seeing soaring returns, lifting the overall market.

    From a broader perspective, the S&P 500 has returned 11.5% on average annually since 1928.

    Following next in line were investors in Chile and Mexico with return expectations of 15.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Unlike many global markets, the MSCI Chile Index posted double-digit returns in 2022.

    Global financial hub, Singapore, has the lowest expectations gap across countries.

    Investors in the UK and Europe, have the most moderate return expectations overall. Confidence has been weighed down by geopolitical tensions, high interest rates, and dismal economic data.

    Return Expectations Across Asset Classes

    What are the expected returns for different asset classes over the next decade?

    A separate report by Vanguard used a quantitative model to forecast returns through to 2033. For U.S. equities, it projects 4.1-6.1% in annualized returns. Global equities are forecast to have 6.4-8.4% returns, outperforming U.S. stocks over the next decade.

    Bonds, meanwhile, are forecast to see 3.6-4.6% annualized returns for the U.S. aggregate market, while U.S. Treasuries are projected to average 3.3-4.3% annually.

    While it’s impossible to predict the future, we can see a clear expectation gap not only between countries, but between advisors, clients, and other models. Factors such as inflation, interest rates, and the ability for countries to weather economic headwinds will likely have a significant influence on future portfolio returns.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 18:00

  • Trump Witness Says He Valued Mar-a-Lago At More Than $1 Billion
    Trump Witness Says He Valued Mar-a-Lago At More Than $1 Billion

    Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A Florida real estate agent this week testified in former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York that his Mar-a-Lago property is worth at least $1 billion.

    Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower the day after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York City on Aug. 9, 2022. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters)

    Lawrence Moens, who was called as a witness by the defense, testified that the Florida property could be sold as a home, saying he would value it at over $1 billion as of 2021.

    “It’s something breathtaking. It’s something amazing to see,” he said of Mar-a-Lago, adding that he had valued it at over $1.2 billion in 2021. He also told the court that President Trump’s company had actually undervalued Mar-a-Lago by about half.

    Mr. Moens’s valuation assumes that Mar-a-Lago is a personal residence, a premise that a judge already has rejected in the ongoing civil fraud trial.

    “I work very hard to sell rich people property in Palm Beach,” testified Mr. Moens. “I’m on the front lines every day of selling properties, and I have a pretty good handle on what’s happening in the market.”

    Spanning 17 acres with waterfront on two sides, the Trump estate and social club is his home, a place where the former president and current Republican 2024 front-runner has conducted high-profile meetings while in and out of office, and the spot where federal special counsel Jack Smith alleges he improperly stashed classified documents, which President Trump denies.

    Mar-a-Lago also is a key element of the current New York civil case. State Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit claims that the ex-president and his company deceived lenders and others by giving them financial statements that greatly overstated the values of some of his prime assets, including Mar-a-Lago.

    Testifying for Trump’s defense, a Florida real estate attorney said the property could be sold as a home, notwithstanding decades-old legal documents in which Trump said he intended to forswear its use as anything but a club. Then a Palm Beach luxury real estate broker testified that he’d value the historic estate at over $1 billion as of 2021.

    Judge Arthur Engoron, in a pretrial ruling declaring that Trump and his company engaged in fraud, found that he exaggerated Mar-a-Lago’s worth by as much as 2,300 percent, compared to the Palm Beach County tax appraiser’s valuations. They ranged from $18 million to $28 million.

    However, some real estate professionals who aren’t involved in the case expressed concern about the judge’s ruling several months ago, suggesting that he made an error by relying solely on the tax appraiser’s valuations.

    Some Palm Beach luxury real estate agents have told The Associated Press that the property would sell for $300 million to $600 million, and possibly $1 billion or more if it sparked a bidding war among uber-wealthy contenders.

    During a short cross-examination Tuesday, state attorney Kevin Wallace asked whether he was a member of the Mar-a-Lago club. “I am,” Mr. Moens said, saying that he joined in 1995 or 1996. “I don’t go too often. I don’t like clubs,” he added.

    “You’re not running a process that is re-creatable … is that fair?” Mr. Wallace asked about his valuations of Mar-a-Lago. “That’s fair,” Mr. Moens said.

    In a pre-trial deposition over the summer, Mr. Moens had said that he “could dream up anyone from Elon Musk to Bill Gates and everyone in between” to purchase Mar-a-Lago. “Kings, emperors, heads of state.” “If they want the best house in the country, that would be one of the top two or three that would be available if they were for sale,” he added.

    “I wish he’d let me sell it, but it’s not for sale,” he said.

    Another defense witness, Miami-based real estate attorney John Shubin, also testified that “there is absolutely no prohibition on the use of Mar-a-Lago as a single-family residence.”

    He noted that the property is simultaneously a club and President Trump’s residence. Mr. Shubin also pointed to a 1993 agreement between the former president and the city that said Mar-a-Lago would revert to private residential use if the club were “abandoned.”

    This week, President Trump confirmed that he’ll return to the witness stand on Monday in the New York case.

    “I will be testifying Monday in this shameful, NO JURY ALLOWED ‘TRIAL,’” he wrote Tuesday in a Truth Social post. Court was not in session Wednesday, and his son, Eric Trump, won’t be testifying.

    “I told my wonderful son, Eric, not to testify tomorrow at the RIGGED TRIAL … Eric has already testified, PERFECTLY,” President Trump wrote Tuesday. “So there is no reason to waste any more of this Crooked Court’s time on having him say the same thing, over and over again.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 12/07/2023 – 17:40

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Dec 07

Today’s News 7th December 2023

  • The Navy: Dead In The Water?
    The Navy: Dead In The Water?

    Authored by Brent Ramsey via RealClear Wire,

    “Mission:  The United States is a maritime nation, and the U.S. Navy protects America at sea. Alongside our allies and partners, we defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free. Our nation is engaged in long-term competition. To defend American interests around the globe, the U.S. Navy must remain prepared to execute our timeless role, as directed by Congress and the President.” 

    The preceding statement is from the U. S. Navy’s website.

    There are many indicators that the Navy is at increasing risk of mission failure.

    1. Missing recruiting goals by thousands for two years in a row, missing its goal for FY 2023 by over 7000 new recruits. The impact of missing recruiting goals is cumulative. Its impact does not subside if in subsequent years deficits are not made up. Lack of manpower adds to the strain of a Navy struggling to meet its national priorities overseas. Failing to recruit enough people to man the Navy is a result of many factors. Since the Afghanistan debacle, the public’s faith in the military has plummeted to new lows. With relatively low unemployment, the competition for young people is high. American youth are less fit, less capable of serving in the military than at any time in our history. Fewer young people want to serve as the political left teaches them to hate our country, academia promotes socialism, and race hustlers malign our country for its supposed racism and white supremacy. Divisive ideologies like Critical Race Theory and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are now promoted vigorously up and down the chain of command in the Navy. These ideologies alienate the youth of what for generations was the most fertile recruiting grounds, white, southern, Christian Americans. This demographic is now increasingly averse to serving in our new politically correct Navy of DEI, Pride month, correct pronouns, drag queens, and transgender people. If the Navy cannot recruit now for the existing numbers of ships we have, we have no hope whatsoever of filling out the ranks of a Navy with much higher numbers of ships.

    2. Recently, due to the international wars simultaneously in Ukraine and Israel, and high tension in the Taiwan strait/South China Sea, the U.S. Navy had an almost unprecedented 8 Carriers at sea at the same time. The only three not at sea were unavailable due to long-term maintenance. Normally, the Navy might have three or four carriers at sea at one time. Navy ships and crews continually operating wear out rapidly. Typical deployments last 6 months. The USS Ford has been deployed for 7 months and SECDEF just extended its deployment in the eastern Med for the second time. The longer the deployment the more worn out the crew and the higher rates of equipment failures become. As deployments go on for longer and longer, the size of the crew shrinks due to illness, pregnancy, injury, and suicides. Typically ships returning to home port after a lengthy deployment are missing a substantial number of the deploying crew. This puts much more stress and strain on the remaining crewmen. The international situation with multiple wars demanding our attention simultaneously is eroding our Navy’s readiness at a high rate. When the ships and their crews wear out, there will be no alternative but to return them to port for re-fit and rest for the crews regardless of whatever pressing mission the ship is on. That the Navy does not have enough ships is now obvious to even the most casual observer when multiple hot spots in distant seas occur. When the proverbial stuff hits the fan, the very first question everyone, including the President asks is, “Where is the nearest carrier?”

    3. The Navy’s high suicide rate over a lengthy period demonstrates the leadership’s tragically being unable to ameliorate the problem. The higher the OP tempo, the longer the deployments, the more arduous the maintenance periods are, the more inadequate berthing arrangements are for ships in long term overhaul, aggravate already high stress environments and seemingly make things unbearable for too many of our sailors. The Navy seems content to muddle along with scores of sailors killing themselves year after year and the heart-rending loss of life continuing as an unsolved problem. We Navy folk like to call ourselves warriors and most of us fit the description of selflessly putting ourselves in harm’s way for the benefit of others, for the benefit of our nation. But what does it say about our culture to have so many warriors who end their own lives because somehow our organization does not recognize their despair until it is too late, and they have taken the irreversible step and ended their own life? Considering how extremely selective the Navy is at screening those who volunteer to serve, why do such high numbers of exceptional citizens, with all that the Navy has to offer, choose to end their own lives? Are our leaders so overwhelmed by the work the Navy has them do that they cannot be close enough to their sailors to recognize those who are in extremis in time to help them?

    4. Notable institutional leadership failures in multiple major program areas and multiple high profile operational failures are now far too common. Examples include well documented cases such as the LCS and Zumwalt ship classes, the USS Ford class’s cost overruns, lateness, and multiple of its ship systems not being fully operational (EMALS, ammo elevators, arresting gear, etc.) even years after being in commission. An egregious example of a mammoth leadership failure was the loss of the USS Bonhomme Richard, a multi-billion-dollar capital ship that due to negligence was allowed to burn at the side of a pier, a $3B loss with no replacement. A total of 45 Navy leaders were disciplined due to this one incident. The grounding of the USS Connecticut with this vital attack submarine being out of commission for years for repairs. The USS Gettysburg has been out of commission for over 8 years undergoing modernization. Four of the seven cruisers selected for modernization will instead be de-commissioned after the Navy has spent billions on upgrades. The collisions of the USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald with commercial shipping were failures of leadership that led to the deaths of 17 sailors.

    5. In the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act the Congress established the size of the Navy to be 355 battle force ships. According to the United States Naval Institute as of 6 November 2023 there are currently 291 battle force ships in the Navy. The predictions from the Congressional Research Service are that the size of the Navy will stay relatively the same for the rest of this decade before it slowly starts to increase in size in the 2030’s. In 2022, then CNO Gilday announced that the requirement is actually much higher, in excess of 500 battle force ships. Multiple other experts’ analyses confirm those higher numbers. The PRC’s PLAN is already at 350 combatants and building at a rate at least four times that of the U.S..

    6. In the FY 2023 NDAA there was a provision to establish a Commission to study the Navy and its requirements. The report of the Commission is due to the Congress by July 1, 2024. As of this writing, the commission has not even been formed. The Secretary of the Navy and the CNO should be urgently pressing Congress to get this Commission up and running. Furthermore, the Navy should be proactive in suggesting Navy advocates serve on the Commission or serve on the staff of the Commission. It is vital for the defense of the nation to have the definitive knowledge of what the Navy’s true requirements are in 2023 in the face of multiplying threats all over the world.

    Conclusion:  All of these factors outlined above make it clear that our Navy is in extremis. There are not enough ships to do the mission nor enough manpower to man the ships optimally. Deployments are too long, and our people and ships are wearing out. Recruiting is stagnant. Too few ships, not enough people, not enough shipbuilding, or repair capacity have us on the brink of mission failure. To put the size of the Navy in perspective, when this officer went aboard ship in 1970 to conduct anti-submarine patrols looking for Soviet ballistic missile submarines, the Navy had 792 battle force ships in commission. We now have 291. Then we had a cold war against one adversary, the old Soviet Union. Today we have adversaries all over the world and are trying to perform the mission quoted above with a tiny fraction of the ships we had decades ago. As a maritime nation with treaty allies all over the world coupled with our dependence upon the sea for 90% of the commerce that keeps our economy running, it is a travesty that such neglect of the Navy has occurred. Who is at fault for this neglect? Congress is ultimately at fault as it holds the power of the purse. However, it is incumbent upon senior Navy leaders to make the case for the right size Navy. The CNO and every other Navy flag who testifies before Congress should be sounding the alarm about the imminent failure of the Navy to perform its mission now in “peacetime” with multiple hots spots in Europe, the Middle East, and in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, and even more importantly in the next actual fighting war. Someone long since should have laid his stars on the table to make the point to politicians that we need more ships and more manpower for the survival of our nation. Our way of life and our very lives are at stake if we do not rebuild our Navy to an adequate size to perform its vital worldwide mission.

    CAPT Brent Ramsey, (USN, ret.) is a writer on Defense matters. He has been featured in Washington Examiner, Real Clear Defense, Armed Forces Press, CD Media, American Thinker, and Patriot Post. He is a  Vice President with the Calvert Group, a Board of Advisors member for the Center for Military Readiness and STARRS, and a member of the Military Advisory Group for Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11).

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 23:40

  • "A Marketplace For Predators": New Mexico Sues Meta, Mark Zuckerberg Over Child Exploitation Following Investigation
    “A Marketplace For Predators”: New Mexico Sues Meta, Mark Zuckerberg Over Child Exploitation Following Investigation

    The state of New Mexico has sued social media giant Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg for “knowingly” exposing children to ‘sexual exploitation and mental health harm.’

    In a Tuesday court filing, New Mexico’s Attorney General’s (NMAG) Office revealed that it had conducted an undercover investigation, creating fake accounts of minors which were then used to fish for offending content, according to a press release reported by the Daily Caller.

    “Meta and its CEO tell the public that Meta’s social media platforms are safe and good for kids,” reads the lawsuit. “The reality is far different. Meta knowingly exposes children to the twin dangers of sexual exploitation and mental health harm. Meta’s conduct has turned New Mexico children who are on its platforms into victims. Meta’s motive for doing so is profit.”

    Meta is accused of  allowing Facebook and Instagram to become “a marketplace for predators in search of children upon whom to prey.”

    “Our investigation into Meta’s social media platforms demonstrates that they are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex,” said Democratic New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez in the press release. “As a career prosecutor who specialized in internet crimes against children, I am committed to using every available tool to put an end to these horrific practices and I will hold companies — and their executives — accountable whenever they put profits ahead of children’s safety.”

    A total of 33 state attorneys general launched a joint lawsuit against Meta related to its platforms’ alleged harmful effects on children, according to a court filing in October. Eight other states and Washington, D.C., launched distinct lawsuits against Meta the same day, according to The Washington Post.

    Zuckerberg and other Big Tech CEOs are scheduled to testify about child exploitation in January, according to The Verge. -Daily Caller

    “Mark Zuckerberg and Meta … have misled the public and failed to make changes to Meta’s platforms that would protect children and teens,” Torrez told the Caller. “In addition to seeking civil penalties to deter Meta from continuing to jeopardize children’s safety, the NMAG is petitioning the court to permanently stop Meta’s harmful practices and demand a change.”

    The lawsuit comes approximately one week after Meta-owned Instagram allowed pedophiles to search for content with explicit hashtags such as #pedowhore and #preteensex, which were then used to connect them to accounts that advertise child-sex material for sale from users going under names such as “little slut for you.” And according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Meta accounted for more than 85% of child pornography reports, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 23:20

  • Dodgy Dick: Top Democrat Won't Commit To Subpoenaing Jeffrey Epstein Flight Logs
    Dodgy Dick: Top Democrat Won’t Commit To Subpoenaing Jeffrey Epstein Flight Logs

    Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A powerful Democrat is refusing to commit to issuing a subpoena for more transparent versions of Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs.

    U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in Washington on April 18, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, declined to tell a reporter or Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who wants the subpoena issued, that he would support the effort.

    Ms. Blackburn, in late November, tried bringing forth an amendment for a vote that would authorize the subpoena but was blocked by GOP colleagues, who invoked a rule that led to the hearing ending after about two hours.

    When Mr. Durbin was asked on Dec. 5 whether he’d issue the subpoena, he demurred.

    “I don’t know anything about his flight logs. I know who Epstein was but I certainly don’t know anything about the issue,” he told a Fox News reporter in Washington.

    Mr. Durbin also falsely said that the matter “has never been raised by anyone.”

    After entering a committee hearing in which members questioned the FBI’s director on various topics, Mr. Durbin told Ms. Blackburn that he was not aware that one of her amendments was a subpoena for Mr. Epstein’s flight logs.

    “I do not know anything about this request,” he said.

    An aide for Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month acknowledged that Ms. Blackburn’s attempt to issue the subpoena was blocked during the Nov. 30 committee hearing before noting that Republicans, led by Ranking Member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) invoked a rule that ended discussion on amendments for the subpoenas that were ultimately approved for a billionaire and conservative activist linked to Supreme Court justices.

    Mr. Graham’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

    Mr. Durbin “falsely claimed he was not aware of Senator Marsha Blackburn’s amendment to subpoena Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs,” Ms. Blackburn’s office said in a statement.

    Ms. Blackburn was prevented from speaking in the November hearing by Republicans after Mr. Durbin asked her to kick off the amendment process. But in an earlier hearing in November, she said she’d filed for a subpoena for Mr. Epstein’s flight logs.

    “Given the numerous allegations of human trafficking and abuse surrounding Mr. Epstein, we’ve got to identify everyone who could have participated in his horrific conduct,” she said at the time.

    Ms. Blackburn blamed Mr. Durbin and other Democrats for there not being a vote yet on the proposal.

    “It’s perplexing why Chairman Durbin blocked Senator Blackburn’s amendment request to subpoena Jeffrey Epstein’s estate,” a spokesperson for Ms. Blackburn told The Epoch Times via email.

    “I think you are fully aware that I had two amendments, one dealing with Epstein,” Ms. Blackburn said on Tuesday. Mr. Durbin said he was not aware. “I brought it up previously,” Ms. Blackburn said. Mr. Durbin said she did not.

    The subpoena “should be at the top of this committee’s to-do list,” she also said.

    A request for comment to a spokesperson for Mr. Durbin was not returned.

    “I did not know that you offered that amendment. I want a point on the record you and I have never personally discussed this, have we?” Mr. Durbin said.

    Ms. Blackburn said they spoke briefly after the abrupt end to the late November hearing.

    “You never mentioned what subject matter your amendment was,” Mr. Durbin said.

    “In committee, I brought up the subject matter of my amendment three weeks prior,” Ms. Blackburn said.

    “Not in my presence,” Mr. Durbin said.

    “I will pull the transcript for you,” Ms. Blackburn said.

    Then-President Bill Clinton welcomes Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the White House in a 1993 file image. (William J. Clinton Presidential Library)

    FBI Director Questioned

    Ms. Blackburn also told Christopher Wray, the FBI’s director, that she wanted more information from the bureau regarding Mr. Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

    “There are disturbing allegations that the FBI failed to investigate the sex trafficking allegations,” Ms. Blackburn said, noting that one woman who said she was sexually abused by Mr. Epstein has said she took evidence to the FBI, but the bureau refused to investigate.

    Mr. Wray said the FBI worked together with prosecutors to bring the sex trafficking charges and that it has been a while since he looked at the case.

    “What we need from you is a complete investigation. Why the FBI did not take this on, and then getting to the bottom of what is an enormous sex trafficking ring and listening to the survivors,” Ms. Blackburn said.

    While the flight logs have been released before, that version was heavily redacted. Ms. Blackburn wondered whether a more transparent version could be released.

    “Let me offer to get with my team and figure out if there is more information we can provide,” Mr. Wray said.

    The FBI’s national press office told The Epoch Times in an email on Dec. 6 that it did not have anything to add, after being asked what Mr. Wray and his team had figured out.

    RFK Jr. on Flights

    Some of the most powerful people in the world flew on Mr. Epstein’s private plane, according to the logs and witness testimony, including former President Bill Clinton and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent in the 2024 race, said this week he was on the plane twice.

    Mr. Kennedy said on Fox that his now-former wife had “some kind of relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell,” an associate of Mr. Epstein who has been convicted of sex trafficking of minors.

    Mr. Kennedy said one of the flights took place in 1993 and that he flew to Florida with his wife and some of his children.

    “I went then, and another occasion, I flew again with my family with, I think, four of my children,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I have been very open about this from the beginning. This was in ’93, so it was 30 years ago. It was before anybody knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s, you know nefarious issues. And I agree with you that all of this information should be released. We should get real answers on what happened to Jeffrey Epstein and any of the high-level political people that he was involved with. All of that should be open to the public.”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 23:00

  • 'Dark Gina' Elicits Blistering Rebuke From China, Which Vows To Circumvent Tech Curbs
    ‘Dark Gina’ Elicits Blistering Rebuke From China, Which Vows To Circumvent Tech Curbs

    So much for the ‘stabilizing ties’ narrative… China is blistering angry after weekend remarks by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who labeled Beijing “the biggest threat we’ve ever had” while lauding efforts that seek to block it from cutting-edge semiconductors.

    China’s response was swift at the start of this week: “The US should stick to the right perception and work with China to deliver on the common understandings reached in the San Francisco meeting,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had said Monday. America must “stop seeing China as a hypothetical enemy and saying one thing but doing another,” the spokesman continued. 

    AP file image

    Raimondo called for tighter export controls on advanced tech at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in California.

    “On matters of national security, we got to be eyes wide open about the threat. This is the biggest threat we’ve ever had,” she said. “We can’t let China get these chips. Period,” she said at one point.

    She agreed with the Biden administration line about cooperation and managing competition in certain spheres but ultimately concluded, “Make no mistake about it, China’s not our friend.”

    But China says its ability to circumvent the US tech curbs is a sure thing: 

    Wang, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said that stance exposed the “Cold War mentality” of the US and its desire for hegemony. He also indicated that his nation would get around the tech curbs eventually.

    “The violation of the rules and regulations of the free-trade market is just like building a dam with a sieve,” he said. “No matter how hard you try, the water will just flow through it.”

    See more of Raimondo’s remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum below…

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    Some highlights from Raimondo’s remarks:

    * * *

    Host: “Huawei released their new smartphone…” Raimondo: “[China’s] capable of doing very bad things, and we’re gonna deny the entire country this class of equipment. We can’t let China get these chips. Period.”

    “Listen, America leads the world in artificial intelligence. Period. Full stop. We’re a couple years ahead of China. No way are we going to let them catch up. We cannot let them catch up. So we’re going to deny them our most cutting edge technology.”

    She’s fed up with semiconductor firms whining: “newsflash: democracy is good for your business. Rule of law, here and around the world, is good for your businesses. It might make for a tough quarterly shareholder call, but in the long run, it’s worth you working for us to defend our national security.” More export controls are coming…

    “Host: Are there other U.S. origin products or types of technologies that you are looking at in a similar fashion right now. Raimondo: Absolutely, in biotechnology, AI models, AI products, cloud computing, supercomputing. So short answer is yes.”

    On US-China dialogue: “I would say communication is a good thing but don’t confuse communication with weakness or softness. On matters of national security, we’ve got to be eyes wide open about the threat. This is the biggest threat we’ve ever had, and we need to meet the moment. The world needs us to manage our relationship with China responsibly. To avoid escalation, we’ve got to do all that, but make no mistake about it, China’s not our friend, and we need to be eyes wide open about the extent of that threat.

    “I am ready to win, and I’m ready to do that with all of you, but it’s time to open our aperture and challenge the way we’ve done business in every way if we’re going to meet the threat China poses. And if we’re going to do what needs to be done with this technology.”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 22:40

  • Micro- And Nanoplastics Linked To Parkinson’s And Dementia
    Micro- And Nanoplastics Linked To Parkinson’s And Dementia

    Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    That plastic water bottle you regularly drink from could one day decompose into tiny particles that wreak havoc in your brain.

    (Andrzej Rostek/Shutterstock)

    New research shows that nanoplastics—microscopic particles broken down from everyday plastic items—bind to proteins associated with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

    These stealthy nanoparticles have already infiltrated our soil, water, and food supply. Now, they may pose the next great toxin threat, fueling a wave of neurodegenerative disease.

    Plastic Cups and Utensils Identified as Risk Factors

    Polystyrene nanoparticles, commonly found in plastic cups and utensils, bind to alpha-synuclein, a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, the new study from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and the Department of Chemistry at Trinity College of Arts and Sciences found. The plastic-protein accumulation was seen in test tubes, cultured neurons, and mouse models.

    The most surprising finding was the tight bonds formed between the plastic and protein within neuron lysosomes, according to Andrew West, the study’s principal investigator. Lysosomes are digestive organelles within cells that use enzymes to break down waste materials and cellular debris.

    “Our study suggests that the emergence of micro and nanoplastics in the environment might represent a new toxin challenge with respect to Parkinson’s disease risk and progression,” Mr. West said in a press statement. This is especially concerning given the expected increase of these contaminants in our water and food, he added.

    Growing evidence indicates that nanoplastics circulate in the air, especially indoors. When inhaled, they can travel from the respiratory tract directly to the blood and brain, increasing cancer risk.

    Change Environment Now to Prevent Disease Later: Expert

    Our health today is largely a function of our environment in the past, Dr. Ray Dorsey, a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester in New York and an author of “Ending Parkinson’s Disease,” told The Epoch Times.

    “For example, the risk of lung cancer is a function of our past smoking habits,” he said. “If we want to live lives free of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer in the future, we should pay attention to our environment today.”

    The Duke study adds to evidence that common toxic pollutants may contribute to Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Dorsey said. More research is needed, but evidence from both laboratory and epidemiological studies suggests our environments are fueling Parkinson’s incidence increase.

    “Much, if not most” of Parkinson’s cases may be preventable, he added.

    Besides reducing our use of plastic, there are other effective precautions we can take to limit our exposure to this environmental toxin, Dr. Dorsey pointed out. These include the following:

    • Using carbon filters to protect ourselves from chemicals in the water.
    • Purchasing organic food.
    • Thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables.
    • Using air purifiers if you live in areas with high air pollution.

    Parkinson’s-Linked Pollutants, Pesticides Still Legal Despite Risks

    Besides nanoplastics, other toxins like organic pollutants known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), banned since 1979 yet still found in 30 percent of U.S. schools, have been linked to Parkinson’s. Researchers have found high concentrations of this pollutant in the brains of deceased people who had Parkinson’s.

    “We need to know the full extent of this toxic threat in our classrooms so that we can test for PCBs, remediate it and inform families that their students may be at risk of exposure to these dangerous chemicals,” Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said in a press statement.

    Other toxins linked to Parkinson’s in our environment have yet to be removed from use. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed bans on dry cleaning chemicals and pesticides associated with a 500 percent increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, but there has been no action yet.

    Toxic Pesticides Harming Health but ‘Political Will’ Lacking

    The EPA banned the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) in 2021, but a court reversed that decision in November 2022. Research identifies CPF as a likely Parkinson’s disease risk factor.

    Another pesticide, paraquat, has allegedly been linked to Parkinson’s by its manufacturer Syngenta’s own research, per The Guardian’s report. Syngenta reportedly created a “paraquat SWAT team” to criticize evidence and shift focus to other environmental factors.

    “We increasingly know that environmental toxicants from plastics from pesticides are harming our health,” Dr. Dorsey said. “Almost all of these are addressable; the only question is whether we have the political will to do so.”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 22:20

  • Chinese Stocks Are Trading Near A Record Discount To Peers
    Chinese Stocks Are Trading Near A Record Discount To Peers

    By Ye Xie, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist

    While stocks in India make new all-time highs, investors in Chinese stocks are staring down a dismal year of losses. In fact, equities from the world’s No. 2 economy have hardly ever traded at such a deep discount to emerging-market peers.

    There’s no shortage of negative headlines in China these days. Moody’s Investors Service’s downgrade of China’s credit outlook this week is just another example, underlying the nation’s structural problems of a heady debt load, an aging population and a decline in the potential growth rate.

    These structural issues are manifested in the stock market. The MSCI China Index has lost 15% this year, compared with a 2% increase in the gauge for emerging-market shares and a 15% gain in the MSCI India Index and  In fact, the MSCI India Index has outperformed the China gauge by 100% since the beginning of 2021.

    It may not be just a flash in the pan. According to Morgan Stanley, China’s underperformance versus India could be just “the beginning of a new long-run trend.”

    The MSCI China Index is trading at 8.9 times of earnings over the next 12 months, compared with 11.4 of MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Apart from a brief period at the onset of the pandemic, the 22% discount marks the biggest since Bloomberg started to compare the data in 2006.

    The stocks are trading cheaply for a reason. Chinese companies’ return on equity has been persistently declined since 2011, reflecting deteriorating investment opportunities.

    They have missed earnings estimates for nine consecutive quarters, and bottoming isn’t likely in the first quarter, according to Morgan Stanley’s strategists including Laura Wang. The strategists expect the MSCI China to return 7% next year, with an upside potential of 25%, and a downside risk of 34%.

    Investors are turning to the upcoming Central Economic Work Conference for clues on how Beijing will set the economic agendas for next year. So far, China hasn’t done enough to boost confidence. And “Incremental and baby-step support are not enough to turning around the sentiment,” said Jason Hsu, chief investment officer at Rayliant Global Advisors.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 21:40

  • Hunter Biden Threatened With Contempt Of Congress If He Bails On Testimony
    Hunter Biden Threatened With Contempt Of Congress If He Bails On Testimony

    Hunter Biden will be slapped with contempt of congress if he skips out on his Dec. 13 closed-door deposition, according to a Wednesday letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to Hunter’s defense attorney, Abbe D. Lowell.

    “Contrary to the assertions in your letter, there is no ‘choice’ for Mr. Biden to make; the subpoenas compel him to appear for a deposition on December 13. If Mr. Biden does not appear for his deposition on December 13, 2023, the Committees will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings,” reads the letter, issued a week after Lowell suggested that Hunter should instead be allowed to testify publicly.

    Hunter was subpoenaed on Nov. 8 to appear for a deposition before the committee. In response, Comer said: “Hunter Biden is trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else,” adding “Our lawfully issued subpoena to Hunter Biden requires him to appear for a deposition on December 13.”

    Comer and Jordan are investigating extensive evidence that the Biden family was running an international influence peddling scheme, raking in tens of millions of dollars from foreign business partners despite no obvious product or service in exchange.

    House lawmakers are also seeking testimony from Hunter’s uncle James Biden, as well as multiple former business associates.

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    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 21:20

  • Here's The 'Jan. 6 Jurisprudence' About To Be Unleashed On Trump: Julie Kelly
    Here’s The ‘Jan. 6 Jurisprudence’ About To Be Unleashed On Trump: Julie Kelly

    Authored by Julie Kelly via RealClear Wire,

    Defense attorneys have coined the term “January 6 Jurisprudence” to describe the treatment received by the more than 1,200 defendants arrested so far in connection with the events of Jan. 6, 2021. This carve-out legal system involves the unprecedented and possibly unlawful use of a corporate evidence-tampering statute; excessive prison sentences and indefinite periods of pretrial incarceration; and the designation of nonviolent offenses as federal crimes of terrorism.

    A universal feature is the requirement that a Jan. 6 defendant, usually a supporter of Donald Trump, face trial in Washington, D.C., a city overwhelmingly populated by Democrats. Federal judges have denied every change of venue motion filed in Jan. 6 cases, arguing those who protested at the Capitol can get a fair trial in the nation’s capital.

    The results so far appear to contradict the court’s collective conclusion. Court records show the jury selection process has repeatedly revealed a strong degree of bias against anyone tied to Jan. 6. At least 130 defendants have been convicted at trial – not one has been acquitted by a jury – and hundreds have been sentenced to prison time ranging from seven days to 22 years. Defense lawyers say this track record helps explain why the vast majority of defendants have opted for a plea deal rather than go to trial.

    This is the same environment that now awaits the former president as he prepares to stand trial in Washington on March 4, 2024 for election interference, in addition to an array of criminal and civil cases against him elsewhere.

    While Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team and Trump’s counsel spar over a number of issues, perhaps the biggest dispute will concern whether it will be possible to seat an impartial jury for the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee in a city that voted 92% for Joe Biden in 2020.

    After Smith indicted Trump in August, a Jan. 6 defense attorney who is not representing the former president, J. Daniel Hull, told the New York Times that Washington “is the worst possible place for any Jan. 6 defendant, but especially Donald Trump, to have a trial.”

    U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan recently set a jury selection schedule for Smith’s four-count indictment against Trump for the events of Jan. 6. She ordered both parties to begin developing a questionnaire, due Jan. 9, 2024, that hundreds of D.C. residents will be asked to complete so the court can begin the initial step of weeding out unqualified jurors.

    Stakes are high for both sides. Trump’s lawyers must navigate constraints on how many jurors can be stricken from consideration to ensure their client gets a fair trial. The Department of Justice must convince the American people that a case brought by a Democratic administration and handled by a Democratic-appointed judge with a record of inflammatory statements about the former president will be heard by unbiased jurors.

    The Sixth Amendment guarantees, among other rights, “the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” In extreme cases, criminal defendants can petition to move their trial out of the prosecuting jurisdiction for a number of reasons, not the least of which is sustained, negative press coverage that taints the jury pool.

    Trump’s lawyers are not discussing their strategy publicly, but sources have indicated to RealClearInvestigations that the defense will file a change of venue motion in the next month or two. Given the partisan composition of Washington, saturation coverage of the former president’s ongoing legal woes, and the city’s relatively small population, Trump will have a strong argument in favor of moving the trial outside of the nation’s capital.

    Yet a review of Jan. 6 cases to date suggests the odds are against that. Not a single judge on the D.C. District Court has granted a change of venue motion even for high-profile trials such as those for members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, the so-called “militia” groups involved in the Capitol protest.

    Despite nonstop local news coverage and nationally televised proceedings of the Democrat-run January 6 Select Committee that, in some instances, mentioned the defendants by name, Judge Timothy J. Kelly repeatedly rejected motions to move the Proud Boys’ seditious conspiracy trial out of Washington. 

    One month before jury selection began, Kelly acknowledged in a November 2022 order that the five defendants “have been the subject of more particularized and extensive media coverage than most January 6th defendants, in part because of the House Select Committee’s hearings this summer.” Nonetheless, Kelly, a Trump appointee, denied the defendants’ last-minute attempt to seek relief in another venue by noting, “the brighter spotlight on Defendants does not support transfer, mainly because the pretrial publicity here is national in scope, available to anyone across the country with access to a television or the internet.”

    Jury selection lasted several days, an anomaly for Jan. 6 trials. Despite the lengthy process, the panel still included several D.C. residents who disclosed participation in Democratic protests, including Black Lives Matter and the Women’s March, according to one court observer’s report.

    After a four-month trial and six days of deliberation, the jury convicted the defendants in May on multiple charges while returning not-guilty verdicts on a handful of other offenses, including impeding police officers. One juror told Vice News that he and his cohorts unanimously concluded in less than a day that four of the five defendants were guilty of seditious conspiracy, an exceedingly rare charge traditionally reserved for individuals tied to foreign terror groups.

    “[The jury] hated us with a passion,” Joseph Biggs, one of the Proud Boys found guilty of seditious conspiracy and other charges, told RCI in an interview from his jail cell in September. “They wanted to see us die. One of them said he wanted to see us buried under the jail.” Despite the individual’s stated desire to see the defendants dead, he was seated on the panel. 

    Judge Chutkan’s handling of her first jury trial for a Jan. 6 defendant, Russell Alford, also indicates how Trump might fare. Alford was charged in March 2021 with four misdemeanors for his 11-minute nonviolent walk through the Capitol.

    In rejecting Alford’s bid to move his trial, Chutkan downplayed the partisanship of D.C. residents and surveys that indicated higher-than-average prejudice against Capitol protesters. In her April 2022 order, Chutkan insisted that “jurors’ political leaning are not, by themselves, evidence that those jurors cannot fairly and impartially consider the evidence presented and apply the law as instructed by the court.” She also claimed an “expanded examination will effectively screen for prejudice among potential jurors in this case.” 

    A review of court transcripts, however, raises questions as to whether Chutkan fulfilled her promise. A jury questionnaire exposed a bias so strong against Jan. 6 protesters that half the respondents were automatically eliminated from consideration. Many who remained were also problematic.

    After one day of voir dire, which is the direct questioning of potential jurors, Chutkan still allowed individuals who expressed critical views about anyone involved in Jan. 6 to serve on the panel. One juror said people who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 “were probably guilty.” Another who worked as an investigator for federal agencies, including DHS and TSA, admitted he had “strong feelings about the individuals who gathered at the Capitol on January 6.” 

    Chutkan rejected a defense attorney’s request to remove that juror from consideration. “I’m going to deny it because he said he has training; he’s by nature trained to be skeptical. He has an opinion, but it appears that he is willing to confine his verdict to the evidence presented in the case.”

    Did People Lie to Get on Jan. 6 Juries?

    A staffer for Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico, also got the nod, despite telling Chutkan he knew many Capitol police officers – several of whom are routinely called as government witnesses in Jan. 6 trials – and his confession that the day was “pretty impactful” on him.

    On several occasions, Chutkan reassured the skeptical defense team that the selected jurors would set aside personal feelings to objectively weigh the evidence.

    The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts in less than four hours.

    Alford now wonders whether jurors were being honest. “They told us what we wanted to hear so they could get on the panel,” Alford told RCI by phone from a halfway house last month. He had just finished serving 176 days of a 12-month prison sentence imposed by Chutkan. “In any other jurisdiction, we would have won. We thought we could get a fair shake, but they all were connected to the government.”

    Alford’s experience is not an outlier. Post-trial interviews with jurors have often revealed bias. In a lengthy discussion with C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb following her service on an Oath Keepers’ trial earlier this year, a woman named Ellen, a former co-worker of Lamb, described how she desperately tried to get selected as a juror. When she finally was selected, Ellen admitted she “was shocked beyond belief.”

    Over the course of several days of deliberations, Ellen said she successfully persuaded reluctant jurors to render guilty verdicts against the six defendants, including a 72-year-old who didn’t enter the Capitol and an autistic young man. She worked in tandem with a juror who had worked as a lawyer for the Department of Justice, the same government agency prosecuting the defendants. “How that was allowed, I’ll never know,” Ellen told Lamb. “He couldn’t believe it.”

    Ellen also expressed disdain for the people on trial. “They weren’t even from big cities. These were people from, living, on farms in rural places, most of them had no concept of Washington, D.C.,” she told Lamb.

    Democrat Mosby’s Change of Venue 

    The situation was quite different, however, for a former Democratic elected official recently on trial in neighboring Maryland. A grand jury indicted Marilyn Mosby, the former state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore, in 2022 on four counts of perjury related to COVID fraud. Her lawyers asked the judge to move the trial, set to begin on Oct. 31, 2023, out of the Baltimore area to the southern district of Maryland based on studies that uncovered higher levels of bias among prospective jurors in the northern district, the location where the trial was set to take place.

    The analysis, conducted by Trial Innovations, Inc., evaluated “relevant newsprint, television, and social media coverage” and determined that “the Northern Division jury pool has been saturated with prejudicial coverage surrounding the Defendant.” Telephone interviews of eligible residents in the two districts also revealed distinct disparities. For example, 62% of respondents in the northern district had read, seen, or heard of Mosby compared to 42% in the southern district.

    Nearly half of the respondents in the northern district considered Mosby “somewhat” or “very” corrupt compared to roughly one-quarter who had the same response in the southern district.

    In granting Mosby’s motion in September, Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby concluded that “pre-trial publicity about this case has, to a degree, negatively impacted the views held about the Defendant by potential jurors residing in the Court’s Northern Division more so than their counterparts in the Southern Division.” (Mosby was convicted on all counts on Nov. 9.)

    Defense surveys in Jan. 6 cases point to the same, if not higher, level of prejudice among D.C. residents. A May 2022 survey compared attitudes between Washington residents and those living in areas of Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. While 85% of D.C. residents consider Jan. 6 an “insurrection, attack, or riot,” only 41% of Florida residents agreed with the description. Seventy-two percent of D.C. respondents were more likely than not to find a Jan. 6 defendant guilty, as opposed to 48% of respondents in Virginia and North Carolina and 37% of Florida respondents.

    Forty percent of D.C. residents believe the events of Jan. 6 were racially motivated, while less than 20% of the respondents in the three other states believed so.

    Unlike the judge overseeing the Mosby matter, D.C. judges are unmoved by such disparities.

    While overall public interest in Jan. 6 has waned nearly three years later, it remains a campaign issue for Democrats and a top news story in the nation’s capital. The Washington Post maintains a “January 6 Insurrection” portal on its website, providing updates on Trump’s trial and other proceedings related to the Capitol protest. CBS News’ Washington affiliate has a full-time reporter assigned only to cover the events of Jan. 6.

    Jury selection for a November 2023 trial indicated little change in prospective jurors’ intensely negative views about Jan. 6. Voir dire for the trial of Taylor Johnatakis, a man from Washington state charged with multiple offenses for his participation in the Capitol protest, showed a sustained level of prejudice against Jan. 6 defendants. Five of the first 10 individuals were excused after confessing they could not fairly assess the evidence or follow the judge’s instructions to set aside their opinion to reach a verdict.

    One man, a historian for the American Historical Association, admitted he had written columns describing Jan. 6 as an “insurrection.” A public school teacher told the judge she uses Jan. 6 as a “teachable moment” for her special needs students and that she still discusses the issue with her fellow educators. Another woman works for a provider that offered mental health services for who she described as “traumatized” police officers who were “victims” of Jan. 6. (All were struck for cause.)

    Some seated jurors recalled their emotional reaction to that day. One woman, who has been on disability for 13 years, said she “burst out crying” when she watched events unfold at the Capitol. (Johnatakis, who represented himself, was convicted on all counts after just a few hours of deliberation.)

    Court watchers say such attitudes will make it especially hard to seat a fair jury for the most controversial figure in America, Donald Trump.

    It is difficult to contemplate how the government and Chutkan will get around years of hyper-critical coverage of Trump – not just related to Jan. 6 but stretching back to claims Trump illegally colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 election and every investigation in between.

    Still, it is highly unlikely that Chutkan will consent to Trump’s request to move the trial to another jurisdiction. She will, as she did in Alford’s case, note that court-ordered venue changes are rare, even in trials of wide public interest. (She compared Alford’s trial to that of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, where the judge refused to move his trial out of the city.)

    There are, however, exceptions. In 1996, a federal judge moved the trial of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols to Denver. After considering intense news coverage of the deadly attack and its impact on the community, Judge Richard Matsch concluded: “There is so great a prejudice against these two defendants in the State of Oklahoma that they cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial at any place fixed by law for holding court in that state.”

    The change of venue request was not opposed by the lead prosecutor in that case – Merrick Garland, who now oversees the DOJ as Attorney General of the United States.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 21:00

  • Citi Sees Senate Flipping, Ponders 'Red Wave' In 2024
    Citi Sees Senate Flipping, Ponders ‘Red Wave’ In 2024

    As the 2024 U.S. election cycle kicks into gear, Citigroup ponders the potential fiscal implications under different election outcomes.

    Perhaps most interesting is their prediction of a high likelihood of Republicans gaining control of the Senate, although falling short of a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority​​. This, however, does not guarantee smooth sailing for the GOP. With the Democrats’ current grip on the Senate (51-49), Republicans would need to not only retain competitive seats but also snatch at least one from key states like Florida or Texas​​.

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    House Dynamics: Democrats’ Favorable Map

    According to the report, Democrats are in a favorable position when it comes to regaining control of the House – needing to net just five seats. This contrasts with the 16 Republican districts classified as “toss-ups,” implying yet another shakeup which would cast all sorts of GOP investigations into disarray.

    Presidential Race: Trump’s Lead and Third-Party Wildcards

    Donald Trump’s enormous lead over the GOP field means he’s almost guaranteed the Republican nomination, absent​. That said, the presence of a third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could throw a wrench in the works (theories on just who RFK Jr.’s run will most negatively affect vary). Although his current impact seems neutral, pulling votes from both Trump and Biden, his influence cannot be ignored​.

    Trump is currently smoking the entire GOP lineup, and has recently overtaken President Biden in hypothetical match-ups.

    Fiscal Policy: A Divided Government’s Dilemma

    According to Citi, under two of the three most likely election outcomes, the U.S. would see a split legislature. This division would mean further gridlock, with bipartisan cooperation required to pass any fiscal legislation – a feat that has proven challenging in recent times​​. Potential areas of agreement could include defense and infrastructure spending, as well as industrial policy through legislated subsidies, similar to those in the bipartisan CHIPS Act​.

    “Red Wave” Scenario: Tax Cuts and Deficit Concerns

    Should a “red wave” occur, giving Republicans control of both the presidency and the legislature, Citi believes that the reconciliation process to brute-force policy could be a game-changer. It would allow the GOP to pass legislation on taxes, spending, and the debt limit with just a simple Senate majority.

    Another likely outcome of a red wave would be the likely renewal of Trump-era individual tax cuts, which could significantly increase the deficit​.

    According to the Congressional Budget Office, if Trump’s 2017 Tax Act provisions are extended, it would increase the deficit by $134 billion in 2026 and $346 billion in 2027.

    Even in a divided government, some of the Trump tax cuts could be extended, which Congress did in 2011 in a bipartisan vote to extend Bush-era tax policies.

    Fiscal Restraint Amid Growing Deficits

    Citi’s analysis also emphasizes an increased focus on fiscal restraint due to growing deficits, which could be larger than anticipated in 2023. According to the report, “The 2024 deficit is boosted in part because of automatic stabilizers that would kick in during a recession.”

    With deficits projected to remain elevated in 2024 and 2025, there will likely be a reduced appetite for additional fiscal stimulus, especially in an election year with ongoing concerns about inflation​

    The key takeaway? Brace for uncertainty and keep a close eye on the evolving political landscape.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 20:40

  • Americans 'Should Be Worried' About Potential Chinese Invasion Of Taiwan: Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman
    Americans ‘Should Be Worried’ About Potential Chinese Invasion Of Taiwan: Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman

    Authored by Aaron Pan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., expressed concern about the potential invasion of Taiwan by communist China, stating that Americans “should be worried.”

    J15 fighter jets on China’s sole operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during a drill at sea on April 24, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

    When asked about the possibility of such an invasion during an interview at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Dec. 2, Gen. Brown pointed to Hong Kong as an example, stating: “Just think about what happened in Hong Kong. … We all should be worried whether it’s going to happen or not. And part of the reason why deterrence is so important is so that conflict does not occur.”

    Since Beijing enacted the national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, the city has seen a significant erosion of the freedoms promised by the Chinese communist regime when the former British territory was handed over to the mainland in 1997. Authorities have suppressed protests, imprisoned pro-democracy activists, and banned gatherings, including the annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil.

    Gen. Brown also said that Beijing is putting pressure on Taiwan and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region for “their own gain.”

    His remarks align with the recent findings of the Reagan National Defense Survey that host Shannon Bream presented during the interview, in which 73 percent of respondents said they were somewhat concerned about a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

    The survey found that a growing number of Americans support Taiwan, with 46 percent in favor of sending U.S. forces to defend the self-ruled democratic island if invaded, up from 39 percent in 2019. To deter the possibility of Chinese invasion, 60 percent of Americans supported increasing the presence of U.S. troops near the island.

    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has ramped up pressure against Taiwan in recent years, consistently deploying military aircraft and vessels close to the island on an almost daily basis, aiming to erode Taipei’s defenses.

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to achieve the “reunification” of Taiwan, which the CCP has never ruled. He has explicitly stated his willingness to use force to achieve this goal.

    China’s ‘Internal Challenges’

    Earlier this year, CIA Director William Burns said that U.S. intelligence was aware that Xi directed the Chinese military to be ready for an invasion by 2027. While the timeline may not represent an actual invasion, it shows Xi’s determination to achieve this goal. Last year, top Pentagon officials warned a possible war across the Taiwan Strait could happen by 2024.

    However, China’s economic slowdown could make it difficult for the regime to launch an attack on Taiwan, and the timeline may be delayed further. In September, during a visit to Vietnam, President Joe Biden said that China’s “difficult economic problem” makes it unlikely for the regime “to invade Taiwan. And [as a] matter of fact, the opposite—it probably doesn’t have the same capacity that it had before.”

    Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed the same views during an interview with The New York Times that was broadcast at the DealBook Summit on Nov. 29. “I think the Chinese leadership at this juncture is overwhelmed by its internal challenges,” she said. “And my thought is that perhaps this is not a time for them to consider a major invasion of Taiwan.”

    In an interview with Bloomberg in September, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that due to the Russian economy being hit by sanctions from the West for its invasion of Ukraine, China’s timetable for a war with Taiwan might be pushed back. She said that before the Russia–Ukraine war, Xi had wanted to invade the island within two or three years.

    In September, two senior officials from the Defense Department told Congress that the Chinese regime would likely fail if its military attempted to blockade Taiwan. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph McGee noted at the hearing that it would be “absolutely nothing easy” for the regime to invade Taiwan. He said that a frontal attack, a surprise attack, or a combined amphibious and air attack would all be very challenging for the Chinese military due to the long distance across the strait, the terrain of Taiwan, and the large numbers of troops needed to deploy for such a large-scale attack.

    According to a wargame report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) earlier this year, China would be defeated in a conventional amphibious invasion of Taiwan. However, the victory would come at a cost to the U.S. Navy and Taiwan’s economy.

    CSIS noted that the Chinese regime lost the hypothetical war heavily, which “might destabilize Chinese Communist Party rule.”

    Even in winning the battle, “the United States and its allies lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of service members. Taiwan saw its economy devastated. Further, the high losses damaged the U.S. global position for many years,” the report said.

    CCP Could Be Preparing for War

    In an event hosted by the Hudson Institute in July, Kyle Bass, a hedge fund manager and a China expert, warned that the Chinese regime is ramping up its preparation for an upcoming war.

    Mr. Bass, founder and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, said he noticed many indicators are “headed in one direction,” indicating that Xi will likely invade Taiwan soon.

    These indicators include Xi having made multiple key orders and speeches calling for war preparation and “struggle” against “hostile forces.”

    Mr. Bass noted a series of financial measures made by Xi to prevent China’s economy from being hit by U.S. sanctions. These include ordering Chinese banks to assess the risk of “severe U.S. sanctions,” letting offshore dollar bond defaults, and increasing gold holdings while reducing U.S. treasuries, among others.

    “U.S. capital markets are the deepest, most liquid markets in the world and also currently have the highest interest rates in the developed world. China would be expected to be buying U.S. Treasury bills and bonds with said surpluses,” Mr. Bass said. “Instead, they have been selling.”

    Furthermore, he pointed out that China has accelerated its purchase of natural resources and energy, which has increased significantly. This has positioned China as the world’s leading importer of crude oil, accompanied by a substantial increase in grain stockpile reserves.

    Mr. Bass said that the CCP is going to seize Taiwan because it believes China is “strong enough now to withstand U.S. sanctions.”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 20:20

  • Biden Tells Israel To Wrap Up War By January As An Estimated 80% Of Gazans Displaced
    Biden Tells Israel To Wrap Up War By January As An Estimated 80% Of Gazans Displaced

    With a ground war now raging in the Gaza Strip’s second largest city of Khan Younis in the south, civilians have nowhere left to go. The Strip’s southern half was initially declared a ‘safe zone’ by Israel’s military, but it now says top Hamas commanders are hiding out there.

    The United Nations has issued a fresh statement estimating that more than 80% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The UN issued a figure of 1.87 million people who have been driven from their homes.

    Further the AP cited that UN as saying “fighting is now preventing distribution of food, water and medicine outside a tiny sliver of southern Gaza” and that the latest military evacuation orders are “squeezing people into ever-smaller areas of the south.”

    Via CNN/Getty Images

    And the ground war and aerial bombardment is expected to continue with great intensity through at least January. “We are in a high-intensity operation in the coming weeks, then probably moving to a low-intensity mode,” an Israeli official told CNN.

    The Biden administration last week reportedly warned Israel that the clock is ticking on its military operation, and that it’s unlikely to have even “months” to fight given domestic and international pressure is ratcheting in response to the soaring death toll (which according to Palestinian sources has surpassed 16,000 killed in Gaza).

    According to details of the message delivered to Israeli leaders:

    Officials from the Biden administration have marked the start of 2024 as the target date for ending Israel’s massive military campaign against terror group Hamas.

    Officials have told their Israeli counterparts that this is not a deadline but a target. According to the administration, Israel is close to exhausting the extensive ground invasion it launched in late October in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre and should switch to more focused efforts to bring down Hamas.

    “The gap between us and the Americans is around three weeks to a month — nothing that cannot be resolved,” an Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

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    Israel reportedly wants a timeline of at least till the end of January and not the month’s start. Some observers have warned it could in reality take “years” to fully dismantle Hamas.

    According to analysis in The Washington Post, Hamas is still intact and its numbers have been barely dented. “At least 5,000 Hamas militants have been killed, according to three Israeli security officials, leaving the majority of the group’s estimated 30,000-strong military wing intact,” the report says based on Israeli defense sources.

    Scenes of Rashid Street west of Gaza City show an entire large area obliterated…

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    “This is going to be a long haul,” a spokesman for the Israeli military, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, told the Post. “We need the time,” he said while acknowledging the growing international pressure.

    But as WaPo underscores, “The cost has already been devastating, with nearly 16,000 Palestinians killed, including more than 5,000 children, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.” By comparison there hasn’t been this many civilian deaths in all of the Ukraine war, which is approaching two years of fighting.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 20:00

  • Gun Business Challenges Arizona City's Refusal To Renew Advertising Contract
    Gun Business Challenges Arizona City’s Refusal To Renew Advertising Contract

    Authored by Michael Clements via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The owner of a Flagstaff, Arizona, firing range and gun store says the city is violating his First Amendment rights by refusing to renew an advertising contract he’s had since 2019.

    A recreational shooter fires his gun at the Lynchburg Arms & Indoor Shooting Range in Lynchburg, Va., on Oct. 20, 2017. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

    City officials did not respond to emails and telephone messages seeking comment for this story before press time.

    During a recent city council meeting, a deputy city attorney said city leaders are reviewing advertising policies. He took issue with how the dispute was portrayed in news reports.

    “The city is not abusing its power to advance an anti-gun agenda,” deputy city attorney Kevin Fincel told the council.

    Rob Wilson owns Timberline Firearms and Training. He purchased ad time on the video monitors over the baggage carousels in the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, along with other Flagstaff businesses, in 2019.

    He decided to advertise in the airport while traveling for his other job as a consultant with the U.S. Navy when he saw how many tourists pass through the airport.

    Mr. Wilson contacted Clear Channel, the company that handled advertising at the airport at the time. Clear Channel presented the ad to the city, which approved it, and it ran during tourist season.

    According to Mr. Wilson, last April, he applied to run the ad again this year, hoping for a post-pandemic boost to his business. Instead, he was told the ad was no longer acceptable. He was told the city had a policy against promoting violent or anti-social messages.

    The Timberline ad shows a photo of people holding semi-automatic rifles and a short video of a firearms instructor working with a person who appears to be firing a fully automatic rifle on an indoor range. He was not told which part of the 10-second spot violated the policy.

    He also pointed out that an ad for a laser-tag business in which people chase and shoot at one another with toy pistols was apparently deemed acceptable.

    Mr. Wilson said he protested the decision and asked how he could appeal.

    “I was told that there was no appeal process and, oh by the way, they were going to instead rewrite their entire advertising policy, and that was going to take all summer,” he told The Epoch Times.

    So, Timberline’s advertisement was effectively shut out of the ad rotation at the airport, Mr. Wilson said.

    According to Mr. Wilson, since 2019, Clear Channel has stopped handling advertising for the city, and there has been an almost complete turnover in the airport and city staff involved in the process.

    The council held a working meeting on Sept. 12 to discuss a draft policy. During that meeting, Heidi Hansen, the economic vitality director, who oversees the promotion of the city’s businesses, said the policy is meant to promote tourism.

    “Keep in mind that we want to have a welcoming and comfortable environment for our visitors,” she told the council.

    The policy she outlined included prohibitions on tobacco and vaping, nudity, political ads, and firearms and ammunition, among others. Mr. Wilson pointed out that the firearms language included gun rentals.

    He said this is proof that his business was being singled out since he is the only business in Flagstaff that offers gun rentals.

    He said that was not the only issue with the proposed policy. He pointed out that the policy also prohibits “false and deceptive” ads.

    Who Is The Arbiter?

    “Who’s the arbiter of false and deceptive?” he asked.

    A lobbyist for the Arizona Citizen’s Defense League warned the council this is not the first time this issue has come up in Arizona.

    Michael Infanzon reminded the council of the 2013 case of Korwin vs. Phoenix. In that case, the Arizona Court of Appeals held that a firearms business in the City of Phoenix had the same First Amendment right to advertise on city bus shelters as any other business. Like the Phoenix case, Mr. Infanzon said the Timberland case has nothing to do with guns or violence.

    “This is strictly a free speech issue,” Mr. Infanzon said. “This policy change imposes a viewpoint-based restriction on speech in a public forum which implicitly violates not only the First Amendment but Article 2 Section 6 of our state constitution.”

    Mr. Wilson has turned to the Goldwater Institute, which was involved in the Phoenix case, for help. On its webpage the Goldwater Institute describes itself as “a free-market public policy research and litigation organization dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government, economic freedom, and individual liberty.”

    John Thorpe, an attorney from the Goldwater Institute, warned Flagstaff City attorney Sterling Solomon in a letter dated Oct. 24, that the policy could result in litigation.

    “The new policy currently under consideration is unconstitutional, both as applied to Mr. Wilson … and on its face (as it bans broad, poorly-defined categories of speech and discriminates based on content and viewpoint),” Mr. Thorpe wrote.

    Legal Fight Could Be Costly

    At a Nov. 14 City Council meeting, Mr. Fincel denied any attempt to violate Mr. Wilson’s First Amendment rights. He said the city has a responsibility to oversee advertising on city property. And, under the law, it has the authority to do so.

    He said the First Amendment doesn’t “allow all speech anywhere.” For example, he pointed out that the city can close certain areas to advertising altogether.

    “We have to follow certain rules when we regulate content,” Mr. Fincel said.

    Mr. Wilson told The Epoch Times the dispute has had a severe impact on his bottom line.

    “It absolutely has injured us as a business,” Mr. Wilson said. “We lost a significant portion of our potential customers throughout the summer when we weren’t able to advertise.”

    During the Nov. 14 meeting, City Manager Greg Clifton recommended ending the advertising program. He said the ads don’t generate enough revenue to make a legal battle worth the effort and expense.

    In his letter to the city attorney, Mr. Thorpe indicated that may be true.

    “If we do not receive written assurance from the City that Mr. Wilson may continue to run his ads at the Airport, we will seek legal remedy,” Mr. Thorpe wrote.

    “If we are forced to obtain relief in court, we will also seek costs and attorneys’ fees.”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 19:40

  • Tiger Woods Past The Peak? Reports Say Longtime Nike Partnership May End
    Tiger Woods Past The Peak? Reports Say Longtime Nike Partnership May End

    A major shakeup might hit the golf world as early as next week, with reports suggesting that Tiger Woods’ nearly 30-year sponsorship deal with Nike may end following the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida.

    Since 1996, Woods has been the face of Nike’s golf business. Over the years, he has made hundreds of millions of dollars from the lucrative partnership. 

    But as the 47-year-old golfer has likely peaked, sports news website Front Office Sports, citing the No Laying Up golf podcast – which tends to provide early insight into significant developments in pro golf – reveals he “could split with Nike as early as this month.” 

    On Monday, the No Laying Up podcast said next week’s PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club could be Woods’s last tournament wearing the Nike Swoosh logo. 

    Front Office Sports said, “Woods leaving Nike would be a major brand shift.” However, they noted this might not be uncharted territory in the sports world, considering these prior shifts:

    • Messi left Nike for Adidas in 2005
    • Kobe Bryant switching from Adidas to have his own line with Nike
    • Simone Biles moving from Nike to new-age brand Athleta

    In recent years, Woods has worn FootJoy shoes and used TaylorMade clubs.  

    Nike has supported Woods during both his victories, such as winning five Masters Championships, and dark times, including marital problems, substance abuse issues, and car accidents.

    It remains uncertain whether Nike is ending its relationship with Woods or if the decision to part ways is mutual.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 19:20

  • Moms For America Endorses 'Proven Leader' Trump For 2024 Presidency
    Moms For America Endorses ‘Proven Leader’ Trump For 2024 Presidency

    Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Conservative family advocacy Moms for America announced support for former President Donald Trump in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, citing the need for “leaders who are not afraid to fight for what’s right.”

    Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a commit to caucus campaign event at the Whiskey River bar in Ankeny, Iowa, on Dec. 2, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    “We are in the midst of a cultural crisis, and the American family has never been at greater risk. Our God-given rights are under attack, and our children are being taught to disdain the very values that have always made America the freest, most prosperous nation on Earth,” Kimberly Fletcher, the president of Moms for America, said in a Nov. 28 announcement.

    “What we need most right now are leaders who will protect our nation and the United States Constitution, defend the family, and stand for truth and common sense, even when it isn’t popular to do so. We need leaders who are not afraid to fight for what’s right and who will put America first.”

    “That is why Moms for America Action is endorsing Donald Trump for President.”

    Moms for America listed the following steps President Trump had taken during his presidency for the betterment of the country:

    • In his first week, President Trump took action to protect American children in schools “by rescinding Barack Obama’s dangerous bathroom policy that allowed boys to use girls’ bathrooms.”
    • He kept his 2016 “campaign promise” to stop Common Core academic standards and blocked efforts to nationalize the K-12 curriculum.
    • “President Trump also took executive action to keep critical race theory out of the federal government, and he opposed left-wing efforts to radicalize civics education.”
    • He established the 1776 Commission, which published a report calling for a “renewed commitment to our country’s founding principles of liberty and equality and genuine appreciation for our country’s heroes as the only true path for us as a people to unify.”
    • In his first year, President Trump cut taxes and regulations to ease the burden on hard-working Americans.
    • Under his presidency, mothers “were not forced to choose between a gallon of milk and a gallon of gas because his policies made both affordable.” He instituted policies that enabled the United States to achieve “true energy independence” for the first time in half a century.
    • “President Trump has also been a dependable ally of the courageous men and women in law enforcement and worked tirelessly to keep crime off our streets and our families out of harm’s way.”
    • The Trump administration took a “bold stand” on the border crisis, taking “decisive action” to secure the southern border while refusing to ignore threats posed by sex trafficking and the fentanyl crisis. “That is the kind of committed leadership we need now more than ever.”
    • He was the first sitting president ever to attend the March for Life, an annual pro-life rally against abortion.

    “In all these ways, President Trump is a warrior, both for American Moms and for the American Dream, and he will continue to be as the 47th President of the United States,” Ms. Fletcher said.

    “He is a proven leader who has already demonstrated that he will stand up for freedom and fight for American values, even as he is viciously attacked for doing so.”

    Leader of Polls

    Moms for America’s endorsement of President Trump comes as he also received endorsement from the Ohio Republican Party for the upcoming 2024 election.

    Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Ohio GOP, praised President Trump’s accomplishments, citing his efforts to make America energy independent, renegotiate trade policies, and broker peace deals. The former president’s track record demonstrated his ability to “get things done,” he said while encouraging Republicans to unite behind the presidential candidate.

    “President Trump has proven time and again that despite the unhinged and relentless attacks from the radical left, he will never give up on fighting for Ohio’s workers, businesses, and families,” Mr. Triantafilou stated.

    “His unapologetic leadership and commitment to putting America First is exactly what we need to reverse course from the failed policies of Joe Biden and Sherrod Brown.”

    President Trump currently has a significant lead in the GOP primary polls. According to Morning Consult, the former president has the support of 64 percent of potential Republican primary voters, which is far higher than the second-place candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has only 14 percent support.

    The former president also has a lead over President Biden, based on a recent Emerson College Polling. While President Trump received the support of 47 percent of voters, President Biden was only supported by 43 percent of voters.

    “Last November, Biden led Trump by four points, whereas this November, he trails Trump by four. Several key groups have shifted in the past year: Biden led at this time last year among women by seven points, which has reduced to a point this year,” said Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling.

    A Nov. 28 update from Morning Consult shows President Trump trailing President Biden by one percentage point overall. However, the former president had a four percentage point lead among Independent voters.

    “For much of the past year, Biden has maintained a consistent edge in popularity over Trump, but that’s changed recently,” Morning Consult said.

    “Over the past four surveys, Trump’s net favorability rating—the share of voters with a favorable view minus the share with an unfavorable view—has been higher than Biden’s.”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 19:00

  • "Let Me Be Clear": Harvard Backpedals After Donors Slam 'Insane' Protections For Pro-Genocide Students
    “Let Me Be Clear”: Harvard Backpedals After Donors Slam ‘Insane’ Protections For Pro-Genocide Students

    Harvard University has issued a statement on Wednesday in a furious attempt at damage control, after President Claudine Gay refused to condemn students calling for the genocide of Jews.

    During Tuesday testimony in front of the US House Education and the Workforce Committee, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a Harvard grad, asked the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” violates their schools’ code of conduct or constitutes bullying or harassment, referring to calls for “intifada” chanted during several school protests.

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    In response, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said that they would be “investigated as harassment if pervasive and severe,” while Penn’s Liz Magill said “it is a context-dependent decision” that could be considered harassment “if the speech becomes conduct.”

    Harvard’s Gay echoed Magill, saying that it depends on context, such as being “targeted at an individual.”

    Major donors rage

    In response to the comments, activist investor and Harvard alum Bill Ackman said “They must all resign in disgrace,” adding “if a CEO of one of our companies gave a similar answer, he or she would be toast within the hour.”

    “There’s certain speech that is certainly permissible under the First Amendment,” Ackman later told The David Rubenstein Show on Bloomberg TV. “People can be critical of Israel, the Israeli government. But, sadly, there are kids who have been spat on or been roughed up, or have been harassed, or antisemitic statements have been put on Slack message boards on campus.”

    Billionaire Dan Loeb also weighed in – saying in reply to Ackman: “The cowardly and unprincipled responses show them each to be unfit to lead.”

    Meanwhile, Penn alumnus and founder of AQR Capital Management Clif Asness said “I wish I could quit giving twice,” in a post on X, adding “This is just insane. Insane.”

    “Let me be clear”

    In response to the outrage, Gay said that “There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students,” adding “Let me be clear (as if it’s our fault for understanding her galaxy brain statements on Tuesday): Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.”

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    Why not just say that during testimony, Gay?

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    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 18:40

  • House Passes Resolution Stating 'Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism'
    House Passes Resolution Stating ‘Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism’

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

    The House on Tuesday passed a resolution that says “anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” the chamber’s latest piece of legislation conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

    The resolution, which is presented as a resolution condemning antisemitism, passed in a vote of 314-14-92. Only thirteen Democrats and one Republican voted against the legislation, while 92 Democrats voted “present” in protest of a line buried in the bill that explicitly claims anti-Zionism is antisemitism.

    Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews protest outside U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Manhattan offices, Getty Images

    The Republican-drafted resolution declares that the House of Representatives “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”

    Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the most senior Jewish member of the House, criticized the language of the bill ahead of the vote. “The resolution suggests that ALL anti-Zionism is antisemitism. That is either intellectually disingenuous or just factually wrong. And it unfairly implicates many of my orthodox former constituents in Brooklyn, many of whose families rose from the ashes of the Holocaust,” he said.

    Nadler claimed that “most anti-Zionism is antisemitism” but added that if authors of the bill “were at all familiar with Jewish history and culture, should know about Jewish anti-Zionism that was, and is, expressly NOT antisemitic.”

    “This resolution ignores the fact that even today, certain orthodox Hasidic Jewish communities—the Satmars in New York and others—as well as adherents of the pre-state Jewish labor movement have held views that are at odds with the modern Zionist conception,” he said.

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    While coming out strongly against the language, Nadler voted “present” instead of “no.” The thirteen Democrats who voted against the bill include Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Jesús García (D-IL), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Summer Lee (D-PA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

    Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against the bill. Last week, he was the lone member of Congress to vote against a resolution that claimed “denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism.”

    Massie and Schumer sparred on X in the aftermath…

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    Schumer accused the rep. from Kentucky of posting an “antisemitic” meme and demanded that he remove it…

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    Explaining his opposition, Massie said the resolution also equated anti-Zionism with antisemitism, although not as explicitly as the bill passed on Tuesday.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 18:20

  • Senate Republicans Block Biden Ukraine Aid Despite Warning Over 'Direct Conflict With Russia'
    Senate Republicans Block Biden Ukraine Aid Despite Warning Over ‘Direct Conflict With Russia’

    Update (1810ET): Nope…

    On Wednesday President Joe Biden suggested that if Congress doesn’t send Ukraine more money, now, it may ’embolden’ Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade a NATO ally, which would precipitate “American troops fighting Russian troops.”

    The threat was not persuasive.

    In response, Senate Republicans channeled Elon Musk (G…F…Y…), blocking Biden’s $111 emergency supplemental package that would also include aid for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and a smattering of border funding.

    The Senate voted 49-51, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold required to allow the proposal to come up for consideration. Notably, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) voted against the measure, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) flipped his vote to ‘no’ to preserve the option of revisiting the bill at a later date.

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    *  *  *

    President Joe Biden has raised the possibility of “American troops fighting Russian troops” in a speech urging Congress to put aside “petty, partisan, angry politics” which is holding up his multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine. He said that he’s willing to make “significant compromises” with Republicans but that it’s they who’ve been unwilling to back down from their “extreme” demands. 

    “This cannot wait,” Biden stressed in the televised remarks from the White House. “Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess. Simple as that. Frankly, I think it’s stunning that we’ve gotten to this point in the first place. Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he can hope for and abandon our global leadership.”

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    “I’m willing to make significant compromises on the border. We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken. And thus far I’ve gotten no response,” Biden pleaded. He made the speech after speaking with G7 leaders, who are reportedly alarmed that US funding to Ukraine is set to run dry in a mere three weeks.

    “If we walk away, how many of our European friends are going to continue to fund and at what rates are they going to continue to fund?” he posed.

    And that’s when the fear-mongering really kicked into overdrive. He went so far as to say that if Ukraine’s defense isn’t funded, this will lead to the country being steamrolled by the Russian military machine, and an emboldened Putin will then seek to gobble up more territory. Here’s what the US president said, as reported in The New York Times: 

    The president even raised the prospect that an emboldened Mr. Putin would pose a threat to NATO allies, requiring the United States to come to their assistance with troops on the group. “If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s important to see the long run here. He’s going to keep going. He’s made their pretty clear.”

    “If he keeps going and then he attacks a NATO ally” to which the United States is bound by treaty to help, “then we’ll have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today — American troops fighting Russian troops,” Mr. Biden said.

    “Make no mistake,” he added. “Today’s vote is going to be long remembered and history’s going to judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom’s cause. We can’t let Putin win. I’ll say it again, we can’t let Putin win.”

    Of course, this shaky “logic” is the opposite of reality. It is the nearly two years of ‘blank check’ spending which has only served to ever-deepen American military involvement in the war, and this is what has gotten Washington into yet another foreign quagmire. 

    The soon to emerge narrative will also inevitably be that these hold-out Republicans “lost” the Ukraine war, as Biden’s Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has already been saying. The MSM will also help the administration float this as a key 2024 election talking point… wait for it to be on an endless CNN/NPR loop headed into next November.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 18:10

  • Putin Trots Around Middle East, All Smiles With MbS, While US Can't Secure Ukraine Funding
    Putin Trots Around Middle East, All Smiles With MbS, While US Can’t Secure Ukraine Funding

    It was no mere awkward fist bump, but instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reception in Riyadh Wednesday was clearly very warm and enthusiastic.

    From the moment Putin walked out onto a royal purple carpet-bedecked airport tarmac to later being officially greeted by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), it was chummy handshakes, back slaps and smiles all the way around. 

    Mohammed bin Salman welcomes Vladimir Putin to Riyadh on Wednesday, AFP via Getty Images

    “Nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations,” Putin told MbS, and invited him to visit Moscow in return.

    “It is very important for all of us to exchange information and assessments with you on what is happening in the region. Our meeting is certainly timely,” Putin said.

    Below is the moment of Putin’s being received and welcomed by a glowing MbS, ironically at the very moment President Biden gave a White House speech bemoaning the inability of Congress to pass Ukraine defense funding, which runs out in three weeks…

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    As Deutsche Welle reviews, the discussions likely centered on the planned OPEC+ output cuts and the Gaza War and regional crisis in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas attack:

    The Kremlin said talks in Saudi Arabia would involve discussions on energy cooperation, including as part of OPEC+, whose members pump more than 40% of the world’s oil.

    Other items on the agenda include Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the situation in Syria and Yemen, and broader issues of stability in the Gulf, as well as the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

    Prior to his arrival in Saudi Arabia, Putin’s visit to neighboring UAE also had much fanfare. This is a man still under a Hague-based ICC warrant — but you would never guess it based on the below impressive state reception…

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    He had met with the President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan—with the Israel-Hamas war high on the agenda. Of course, neither Gulf leaders have signed the founding ICC treaty, and their warm embrace of Putin is sure to greatly annoy Washington and European leaders.

    Meanwhile, to make matters worse from the West’s perspective and its apparently failed and blunted sanctions on Moscow…

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    Was Wednesday’s very brief Middle East tour by Putin for the purpose of doing a victory lap? Biden might be able to console himself with the current state of cheaper oil markets for the time being, but one wonders how long that will last.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 18:00

  • Texas, The Daily Wire, & The Federalist Sue US State Dept For Conspiring With Newsguard To Censor American Media Companies
    Texas, The Daily Wire, & The Federalist Sue US State Dept For Conspiring With Newsguard To Censor American Media Companies

    Following bombshell censorship revelations exposed over the last year, beginning with the Twitter Files, the state of Texas, The Daily Wire, and The Federalist have filed a lawsuit against the US State Department on Tuesday, alleging that the government agency funded censorship technology designed to bankrupt domestic media outlets which have disfavored political opinions.  Read the 67-page complaint here.

    According to the Daily Wire‘s Luke Rosiak;

    The State Department is tasked with foreign relations and has no authority over domestic affairs, yet it took a government office designed for countering foreign terrorist propaganda, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), and unleashed it against Americans engaged in what it claimed was “disinformation,” according to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas on Tuesday night by the New Civil Liberties Alliance.

    It was “one of the most audacious, manipulative, secretive, and gravest abuses of power and infringements of First Amendment rights by the federal government in American history,” said the suit, which also names Secretary of State Antony Blinken and five other officials as defendants.

    Of note, the GEC, founded in 2011 under a different name to combat foreign propaganda in a counterterrorism capacity. In establishing the entity, Congress made clear that “none of the funds authorized” for the program “shall be used for purposes other than countering foreign propaganda.”

    They of course ignored all that, and turned its focus on Americans according to the complaint, using taxpayer funds to finance and promote censorship shops such as NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), which target conservative outlets – ZeroHege included – with the stated goal of killing ad revenue.

    “Through its Global Engagement Center, the State Department actively intervened in the news-media market to limit the reach and business viability of domestic news organizations by funding censorship technology and private censorship enterprises,” reads a Wednesday press release from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

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    “The State Department’s mission to obliterate the First Amendment is completely un-American. This agency will not get away with their illegal campaign to silence citizens and publications they disagree with.”

    As the lawsuit explains, The Daily Wire, The Federalist, and other conservative news organizations were “branded ‘unreliable’ or ‘risky’ by the government-funded and government-promoted censorship enterprises… starving them of advertising revenue and reducing the circulation of their reporting and speech—all as a direct result of [the State Department’s] unlawful censorship scheme.”

    The outlets are being represented by The New Civil Liberties Alliance’s Mark Chenoweth, who said that “the federal government cannot do indirectly what the First Amendment forbids it from doing directly.“

    As Rosiak notes in the Wire, GDI’s primary product is a “Dynamic Exclusion List” of media outlets that it warns presents a “high risk for disinformation.” For example:

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    It then licenses that list to advertisers, who use it to avoid boycotts from the left.

    That playbook was deployed last month against Elon Musk, when blue-chip advertisers were persuaded to stop advertising on the platform because the Left-wing Media Matters group claimed that big companies’ ads occasionally appeared near objectionable content.

    GDI says it aims to destroy “the incentive to create [disinformation] for the purpose of garnering advertising revenues.”

    GDI keeps its main blacklist secret, but publicly published its top 10 “riskiest” outlets, which was essentially a list of America’s most prominent and mainstream conservative media publications, including both The Daily Wire and The Federalist, as well as the New York Post, and Reason Magazine. -Daily Caller

    According to the lawsuit, GDI “was funded and promoted by State Department Defendants,” which adds that the “State Department Defendants’ active intervention in the news media market to make disfavored media unprofitable thus had devastating consequences to Media Plaintiffs.”

    NewsGuard

    The State Department also funded the for-profit entity NewsGuard, which says its goals is to “cut off revenues to fake news sites” via a whitelist that purports to promote only ‘legitimate’ news outlets. NewsGuard ranks The Federalist as “unreliable,” and the Daily Wire as “credible with significant exceptions.”

    Last month, journalist Lee Fang uncovered that NewsGuard’s largest investor is a Pfizer partner.

    As Fang writes;

    Founded in 2018 by Crovitz and his co-CEO Steven Brill, a lawyer, journalist and entrepreneur, NewsGuard seeks to monetize the work of reshaping the Internet. The potential market for such speech policing, NewsGuard’s pitch to Twitter noted, was $1.74 billion, an industry it hoped to capture.

    Instead of merely suggesting rebuttals to untrustworthy information, as many other existing anti-misinformation groups provide, NewsGuard has built a business model out of broad labels that classify entire news sites as safe or untrustworthy, using an individual grading system producing what it calls “nutrition labels.” The ratings – which appear next to a website’s name on the Microsoft Edge browser and other systems that deploy the plug-in – use a scale of zero to 100 based on what NewsGuard calls “nine apolitical criteria,” including “gathers and presents information responsibly” (worth 18 points), “avoids deceptive headlines” (10 points), and “does not repeatedly publish false or egregiously misleading content” (22 points), etc. 

    Critics note that such ratings are entirely subjective – the New York Times, for example, which repeatedly carried false and partisan information from anonymous sources during the Russiagate hoax, gets a 100% rating. RealClearInvestigations, which took heat in 2019 for unmasking the “whistleblower” of the first Trump impeachment (while many other outlets including the Times still have not), has an 80% rating. (Verbatim: the NewsGuard-RCI exchange over the whistleblower.) Independent news outlets with an anti-establishment bent receive particularly low ratings from NewsGuard, such as the libertarian news site Antiwar.com, with a 49.5% rating, and conservative site The Federalist, with a 12.5% rating.

    …

    Publicis Groupe, NewsGuard’s largest investor and the biggest conglomerate of marketing agencies in the world, which has integrated NewsGuard’s technology into its fleet of subsidiaries that place online advertising. The question of conflicts arises because Publicis represents a range of corporate and government clients, including Pfizer – whose COVID vaccine has been questioned by some news outlets that have received low scores. Other investors include Bruce Mehlman, a D.C. lobbyist with a lengthy list of clients, including United Airlines and ByteDance, the parent company of much-criticized Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok.

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    NewsGuard was sued in October by Consortium news.

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    Read more here via the Daily Wire. We will be following this closely.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 17:55

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Dec 06

Today’s News 6th December 2023

  • Bloodbaths Change The World – 9/11
    Bloodbaths Change The World – 9/11

    Authored by Peter Hanseler via VoiceFromRussia.ch,

    Before writing about Israel, an analysis of facts about 9/11 – a web of lies changed the world, enabled by abuse of emotions…

    Introduction

    Israel dominates the global media to an almost unseen extent. Only almost, because one event 22 years ago surpassed everything else in terms of media hype: 9/11. What both events have in common is that politicians and the media ruthlessly exploit people’s shock to achieve their goals or to generate clicks and thus rake in money. Most articles have one thing in common: they are based on emotions. We write about geopolitics. Geopolitical analyses must be based on facts. If the basis is emotionally charged, the analysis is worthless, regularly leads to false results and gives culprits and masterminds tools to work with, which they should not have under any circumstances.

    In this second part of our series, we discuss this and more based on the most publicized terrorist attack of the 21st century.

    In Part 1, we established that President Truman lied through the teeth not only to his own people but to the entire world by dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki not as claimed to save hundreds of thousands of American soldiers’ lives, but to show the world and Stalin who would be the master of the house after World War 2. 

    For this marketing stunt, Truman cold-bloodedly sacrificed 200,000 Japanese, most of them civilians. His own people were emotionally well prepared for this atrocity. Since the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the American government and the media poisoned the soul of the Americans with the most vicious racist propaganda. This hate speech against everything Japanese allowed the American state, among other things, to put hundreds of thousands of American citizens with Japanese roots into concentration camps: American citizens, mind you.

    Everyone should therefore be aware, even today, that the so-called “fundamental constitutional rights”, which seem beyond reproach, rights that a constitution grants to its citizens, have no more value than a membership in a tennis club: they can be taken away at any time. This happened and still happens after 1945.

    In 1945, the majority of us were not yet born. However, our generation was swept away by an event in September 2001 that changed the world forever.

    We will highlight four aspects in this article: First, what life was like before 9/11, using my own personal memories and perceptions as an example. Second, we highlight social changes that 9/11 brought us. Third, we discuss the geopolitical consequences.

    Finally, in the third part, which will be published shortly, we will highlight a few facts that make you doubt that the attack happened as claimed.

    Life before 9/11

    I was born in Zurich in 1964 and was in kindergarten when the moon landing happened. The Americans were the absolute heroes in my youth. They won the Second World War, every technical innovation came from America, the coolest TV series were American, the big movies like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. came from the USA and we hillbillies had to wait for months until we could enjoy these adventures in Europe. The bad guys were the Russians, the weak lived in Africa. China and India had many inhabitants, who all lived in the dirt and could hardly feed themselves. If the Americans waged war somewhere, the opponents of the war were some left-wing nutcases: “ Moscow, no return!”. – If they didn’t like it, they should simply emigrate to Russia. When I did my military service after school, the enemy always came from the East and wore the color red. A simple, comfortable view of the world in which you knew exactly whose side you were on.

    After my law studies in Zurich, it was almost obligatory to complete a master’s degree in the USA if you wanted to work for a top law firm. I did so and studied American law in Washington, D.C. and then worked in New York before returning to Zurich.

    I visited my dream destination more than 50 times between 1982 and 2006, on vacation and business. I worked so much that I limited myself to reading a few “excellent” newspapers, such as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and the Financial Times (FT). I felt informed and trusted the media, as many did. Were there people who were questioning a lot of things? – Yes, but I was not one of them at that time.

    The day of the event

    There are few events in the life of an adult that were as formative: Everyone still today – after more than 22 years – can remember exactly where he was when this news reached him. I remember it clearly. Only the assassination of President Kennedy is said to have evoked similar emotions; however, that event took place a little less than a year before I was born.

    How 9/11 changed society

    The culprit is found the same day

    How the world changed after 9/11 was breathtaking. The consequences of 9/11 were more than dramatic. Nothing else mattered anymore. The entire world looked to New York and thirsted for explanations and thus also for the names of the culprits. These were presented within hours. People breathed a sigh of relief that the culprits could be identified so quickly. A human, purely emotional reaction that was not questioned. If you know the culprits, you know what to do. Solutions to the problem were presented in such a short period of time that one should have asked oneself how this was possible. This was not done.

    Within days the USA becomes a surveillance state

    A glaring example of how “solutions” were quickly found is the so-called Patriot Act. The USA Patriot Act of 2001 allowed unprecedented surveillance of American citizens and individuals around the world without having to respect traditional guarantees of civil liberties. This massive 342-page piece of legislation was submitted to the U.S. Congress within a week of the attack. Cynically, the title of the Patriot Act reads “Preserving Life & Liberty“; exactly the opposite was the case. Again, basic rights were taken away within days for a “higher purpose” with the stroke of a pen.

    Anyone who has even an inkling of law-making is aware that this law lay fully drafted in a drawer even before the attack. A clear indication that there were people who were a little too well “prepared”.

    Hate propaganda against all things “Arabic”

    Anyone who wore a dark beard, looked “Arab” or had a Muslim first name was declared a suspect, not only in the U.S. but throughout the West – including Switzerland. A good friend of mine with Moroccan roots – beardless – told me that he had been treated like a criminal for years, especially when traveling, and also had the greatest problems finding housing and work in Zurich. He is Swiss and speaks Swiss German like me.

    People in the West could not escape this racist propaganda. In every TV series or movie the bad guys looked the same and were extremists. The “Arabic” or the “Muslim” was demonized. For a few years now, this tendency has subsided: Nowadays, Russians are the bad guys. Beards can be worn again.

    Geopolitical consequences – warmongering

    Epic speech by President Bush

    On September 20, 2001, President Bush gave an incendiary speech in preparation for the coming wars. This speech was not addressed to the American people, but to the whole world.

    Bush demanded that every country support the fight against terrorists and that every suspect be handed over to the USA, that all means be used to destroy terrorists – worldwide. He was referring not only to the suspected Al Qaeda, which, by the way, never claimed responsibility for the attack, but to all terrorist organizations in the world in every country.

    I recommend everyone to watch this speech again.

    At minute 18:44 Bush makes the following statement:

    «Either you’re with us – or you are with the terrorists.»

    PRESIDENT BUSH – SEPTEMBER 20, 2001

    With this, he said nothing else than that every country, which would not support the total war of the USA against everyone, whom the USA considered as terrorists, would become terrorists themselves and thus a target of the USA.

    With this speech the Bush administration got the “carte blanche” to cover the world with wars. Congress applauded frenetically. Bush’s speech was constantly interrupted by standing ovations. One has to browse back to Adolf Hitler’s speeches to observe such an undignified spectacle. Undignified because, on the one hand, thousands of people had perished two weeks earlier and, on the other, nothing less than a bloodbath was announced around the world.

    Terror as a pretext for expansion

    Crumbling power of the USA as early as 2001

    In a world where most people are in a state of shock, few question the rationale if they are presented with a solution that promises to relieve the state of shock and show a route back to normalcy.

    In 2001, the West considered the US to be all-powerful and strong. The truth was different. The hegemon’s power base was already crumbling badly and crying out for a liberation blow.

    The Pillars of American Power

    The most important pillar for the status as hegemon of the USA is the Petrodollar. We have already discussed its functioning and importance in detail several times, most recently in our article “BRICS will change the world – slowly“.

    The Middle East is the cradle of the Petrodollar. Without power in the Middle East, the Petrodollar does not work, and without the Petrodollar, the U.S. cannot maintain its status as a Hegemon.

    President Bush was given carte blanche by most of the Western population to do as he saw fit because he succeeded in fooling the world’s population into believing that the war on terror was vital to the world’s survival. The facts paint a different picture.

    Roadmap for the reconstruction of power was created in 2000

    In September 2000, exactly one year before 9/11, the neoconservative think tank Project for the New American Century wrote a detailed guide on how the U.S. could reassert its power around the world and in the Middle East. The authors were Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby, all neoconservative hawks who would hold leadership positions in 2001. The title of the paper was Rebuilding America’s Defense: Strategy, Forces, and Resources for a New Century.

    The Roadmap to a Global Bloodbath – Rebuilding America’s Defense: Strategy, Forces, and Resources for a New Century

    The document is eye-opening and worth reading. In one sentence, however, the authors make a peculiar statement when it comes to the search for the originators of the attacks.

    “[…] even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.”

    REBUILDING AMERICA’S DEFENSES: STRATEGY, FORCES AND RESOURCES FOR A NEW CENTURY, PAGE 51

    This Pearl Harbor moment came in the form of 9/11 like a godsend to the authors of the study. The authors, by the way, operated many levers of power at the moment of the attack. Dick Cheney was merely vice president of the United States. Yet he completely dominated, controlled and manipulated George Bush, the President. Paul Wolfowitz was Deputy to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and Lewis Libby was Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. All were at the center of power, ready to put the roadmap into action.

    The real plan of the USA was revealed in 2006

    General Wesley Clark is a highly decorated U.S. general, Vietnam veteran with personal frontline experience, and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe. In 2006, after his retirement from the Army, he gave an interview that revealed the entire, real intentions and plans of the US after 9/11.

    The entire interview in English can be found here.

    I don’t know why General Clark made statements that so clearly and transparently show the intentions of the USA after 9/11. He is probably – besides Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg – the most important whistleblower who showed the USA from its most unsavory side. He was not prosecuted and most people do not know this interview.

    I could not find any circumstantial evidence that would make Clark’s statements unreliable. His source comes from the top of the Pentagon and the fact that these statements did not lead to any discussions in the West makes them all the more credible. Finally, he described exactly what Dick Cheney and his colleagues wrote down already in 2000.

    Reality, plans and failure in pictures

    Introduction

    The following maps show the United States’ (red) power influence in the Middle East and parts of Africa at various points in time. Influence defined as direct or indirect control. The intent is to provide only a graphic impression, and the degree of influence may vary.

    1979

    Until the overthrow of the Shah of Persia in 1979, the United States dominated the Middle East directly or indirectly through various means. In 1953, for example, the CIA overthrew the democratically elected President Mossadegh together with the British MI6 (Operation AJAX) in order to place the Shah on the throne. We wrote about this in our article “War without Peace“. Furthermore, the USA supported and courted Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in order to consolidate its influence. 

    US influence in the Middle East until the overthrow of the Shah of Persia – Source: VoicefromRussia.com

    2001

    Between 1979 and 2001, the U.S. lost much influence over the Middle East. With the aim of overthrowing the government of Iran, the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein with weapons and money to induce Iraq to attack Iran. This succeeded. The Iran-Iraq War (First Gulf War), which lasted between 1980 and 1988, cost the lives of close to one million people. Iran remained victorious. The Americans did not give up, but changed their target: Iraq went from being an ally to an enemy.

    The invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, of which the USA knew, was apparently approved by the USA eight days before the invasion by the American ambassador April Glaspie, in order to then attack Iraq in 1991 as a liberator (Second Gulf War). Today, the U.S. vehemently denies having known about Saddam Hussein’s plan and having condoned it. However, the invasion was called off when the U.S. had conquered about half of Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of victims had to be mourned.

    Situation am 11. September 2001 – Quelle: VoicefromRussia.com

    The Pentagon’s plan revealed by General Clark

    This map shows the influence of the USA on September 11, 2001 (red) as well as the planned and partly realized war plans of the USA (yellow). Had this plan been successfully implemented, the U.S. would today exercise unprecedented influence over the Middle East. However, things turned out differently.

    The media reports exclusively about the disgraceful withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan, but the entire plan from 2001 failed miserably.

    All war campaigns led to disaster for the USA. Nevertheless, the Americans either completely or significantly destroyed the following countries: Afghanistan (U.S. withdrawal), Iraq (U.S. withdrawal), Libya (no [official] ground forces), Syria (lost, but still some ground forces in the oil-rich part to this day), Sudan (no control), Somalia (no control).

    Millions of people lost their lives in the last 22 years for armed conflicts that led nowhere. The financial resources that the USA spent in these military failures are about 8’000 billion US dollars.

    Influence of the United States in September 2001: (red) – the plan: (yellow) – Source: VoicefromRussia.com

    Situation today

    It did not stay with the military defeats. The influence of the U.S. in the Middle East has shrunk to a level even smaller than it was in 2001. Thus, the campaigns have not only failed to increase influence, but have effectively forced the U.S. out of the Middle East.

    Influence of the US in 2023: (red) – Source: VoicefromRussia.com

    Two major diplomatic events this year are responsible for this.

    The first major event was the peace agreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and Syria on the other, as well as Syria’s readmission to the Arab League, all of which happened this year. We reported in detail about the Arab Spring without blood in the article “Peace breaks out – Arab Spring without blood” in May this year.

    The second major event was the BRICS summit in South Africa in August. Of the countries colored green on the map below, the following three Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, will join the BRICS organization on Jan. 1, 2024. Egypt and Ethiopia will join from Africa.

    On the map section we have shown alone, the following additional countries have formally or informally applied to join BRICS: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Gabon, Pakistan, Tunisia, and Turkey. For detailed facts and figures on BRICS and other organizations of the Global South, please refer to our article “BRICS – Series – Part 1“.

    This summer we devoted a series of four articles to the development of BRICS: Part 1 (Facts and Figures), Part 2 (Today’s Financial System and Reasons that Led to BRICS), Part 3 (Our Predictions for the August BRICS Summit), and as Part 4, a comprehensive summary with outlook. Part 4 of the article series was also published on the paywalled Gloom Boom & Doom Report by financial expert Dr. Marc Faber, in Weltwoche and on ZeroHedge.

    Although we described these major events as tectonic shifts in geopolitics, they passed completely unnoticed by most of the Western media or were only mentioned in passing and discussed dismissively.

    Conclusion

    First, we described how the majority in the West – myself included – perceived America before 9/11 and how the events of 9/11 led to a collective shock in the West. We then showed how this shock was first abused by the U.S. against its own people. It began by once again stripping American citizens of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, without voices being raised to be heard.

    Then we showed that already one year before the attack war plans were worked out by a group of neoconservative hawks and in the study in question it was written that an early implementation of these plans would only be possible if a “Pearl Harbor Moment” would occur. That moment occurred just one year after the study was published in the form of 9/11 – a godsend for the hawks.

    Further, based on the very credible statements of General Clark, we proved that the U.S., under the guise of the ” War on Terror,” was attempting to conquer seven other countries in the Middle East and parts of Africa, in addition to Afghanistan, in order to regain and secure its supremacy in the Middle East.

    Further, we showed with some maps and facts how the USA once again chose a bloody strategy to achieve its goals and how these campaigns ended in an unprecedented geopolitical disaster for USA. All military operations and wars failed, millions of people lost their lives and thousands of billions were wasted. All for nothing.

    Finally, we showed that the U.S. has virtually no influence left in the Middle East. The Middle East is now dominated by the Middle Eastern countries themselves, joining a multipolar organization called BRICS. This result was achieved with diplomacy and peace deals – without bloodshed.

    This blog has warned several times that the U.S. will not simply accept emancipation from the U.S. dollar and exclusion from the Middle East:

    In July, we wrote:

    “This will seal the downfall of the American empire. One would be naive to think that the Americans are not willing to set the world on fire to prevent their own demise..”

    BRICS – THE WEST IS SILENT AND AFRAID – AND RIGHTLY SO

    If we look at the mendacity that the USA has displayed since 2001 by exploiting people’s paralysis and the brutality with which it has killed millions of people over more than two decades in order to achieve its geopolitical goals, we think it is justified to question everything.

    Thus, the authorship of the September 11, 2001 attacks is also up for debate. We will discuss a few facts about this in the third and final part of this series.

    After reading this article, we would like to advise our readers regarding the recent ” Powder Keg Middle East” already now not to believe any statements of politicians and media. Follow our motto: “Question everything!”

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 12/06/2023 – 00:05

  • Billionaire Palmer Luckey Unveils Jet-Powered VTOL Kamikaze Drone 
    Billionaire Palmer Luckey Unveils Jet-Powered VTOL Kamikaze Drone 

    Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, is positioning Anduril Industries, his Southern California startup defense firm, to challenge military-industrial complex giants such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics. 

    Luckey revealed on X that Anduril Industries has developed an affordable vertical takeoff and landing drone that can be reused on surveillance or kamikaze missions.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Anduril told Forbes that the US Special Operations Command signed a $12.5 million contract last year for the autonomous jet-powered drone called “Roadrunner. “

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    “Roadrunner-M is a variant model equipped with a high explosive warhead and Anduril seeker capable of intercepting, surveilling, and destroying fast-moving threats. It is effective against a wide range of threats, including full-size aircraft that cost 100x more,” Palmer wrote on X. 

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    The company said Roadrunner can travel at speeds upwards of 700 mph. It’s launched from a climate-controlled box called a “Nest.” 

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    Luckey is leveraging his Silicon Valley background to disrupt the defense sector. By establishing new facilities, factories, and manufacturing lines, his company aims to gain a competitive advantage over traditional defense contractors, which are often burdened with older factories and cost overruns. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 23:45

  • The Colonialism Slander In The State Department And Beyond
    The Colonialism Slander In The State Department And Beyond

    Authored by Peter Berkowitz via RealClear Wire,

    Left-wing intellectuals have transformed the complex history of “colonialism” into an all-encompassing slander against the West. A practice dating back to the ancient world, colonialism involves a nation’s transferring a portion of its population into a foreign land and assuming responsibility for administering it. In the United Kingdom and the United States, professors of literature, history, political theory, and international relations routinely teach that the subjugation of non-Western peoples belongs to the essence of the West – they primarily mean the British Empire, America, and Israel. The anti-colonialists further contend that the perpetration of heinous crimes – including genocide, the systematic effort to wipe out a people – belongs to the essence of the West’s colonialism.

    So successful have the professors been in promulgating the belief that the West has engaged in centuries of relentlessly brutal conquest and malevolent domination that the colonialism slander has found its way into the U.S. State Department bureaucracy. In a Nov. 3 scoop, Axios reporters Hans Nichols and Barak Ravid revealed that “A junior State Department employee who is organizing a dissent cable on the White House’s policy on Israel has used social media to publicly accuse President Biden of being ‘complicit in genocide’ toward the people of Gaza.” The dissent cable, which involves classified communications to the secretary of state, has been leaked.

    An organizer of the dissent cable and author of the accusation that the president whom she serves is complicit in genocide, Sylvia Yacoub is “a foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of Middle East Affairs for more than two years.” The obscene abuse of the term “genocide” to characterize Israel’s exercise of its right of self-defense is a tell-tale sign that Yacoub subscribes to the colonialism slander. Had she described the jubilantly executed atrocities and proudly proclaimed goal of the Hamas jihadists as genocide, she would have employed the term correctly.

    The colonialism slander blinds its adherents to basic facts and crucial distinctions. On Oct. 7, in grotesque violation of the laws of war, the terrorists massacred some 1,200, mostly civilians, and abducted 240, mostly civilians, in furtherance of their oft-repeated aim to destroy the Jewish state. In contrast, and in compliance with the laws of war, Israel has targeted Hamas combatants and their military infrastructure. Before attacking Hamas strongholds, which the terrorists illegally built inside and under Gaza’s cities, Israel has warned Palestinian civilians to leave and has directed them to safe areas. The tragic loss of civilian life in Gaza has resulted from Hamas’ callous conversion of civilian areas into war zones.

    It turns out, according to Eitan Fischberger, that Yacoub, a 2023 graduate of Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), “wrote her thesis paper about colonialism and its role in international relations.” In “The Georgetown Effect,” Fischberger explained that Yacoub’s thesis reflected her school’s priorities: “SFS’s curriculum, faculty viewpoints, and campus activities” revolve around colonialism and “decolonization.” Josh Paul, the only State Department official to resign in opposition to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas, graduated from SFS in 2002.

    In the 2023 British Sunday Times bestseller “Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning,” Nigel Biggar provides a meticulous accounting of colonialism and the West. A professor emeritus of moral and pastoral theology at the University of Oxford, Biggar writes that in late 2017, he was “plunged into the ‘culture war’ over colonialism.” Shortly after publishing an exploration in The Times of London of colonialism’s contributions as well as its costs, “all hell broke loose.” Critics targeted for termination his scholarly project “Ethics and Empire,” his distinguished partner resigned from the enterprise, and nearly 200 scholars from around the world denounced him in one online statement, as did 58 Oxford colleagues in another. Biggar responded in exemplary fashion by producing an incisive scholarly study – some 300 pages of closely argued text and 130 pages of learned endnotes – examining “the complicated, morally ambiguous truth” about the British Empire’s colonialism.

    Biggar emphasizes that the “unscrupulous indifference to truth” displayed by the anti-colonialists – for whom the late Edward Said, a Columbia University professor of literature, is a quasi-prophet and his “Orientalism” a quasi-bible – reveals that their slanders serve a political function: the diminution of the West. “One important way of corroding faith in the West is to denigrate its record, a major part of which is the history of European empires,” observes Biggar. “And of all those empires, the primary target is the British one, which was by far the largest and gave birth to the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.”

    Biggar’s “moral assessment” of the British Empire’s colonialism – which stretches from before 1600 and the creation of the East India Company to the empire’s post-World War II dissolution – is informed by a species of Christian realism. He believes that basic moral principles are real and knowable; human beings are equal in dignity because they are “accountable for the spending of their lives to a God who looks with compassion upon their limitations and burdens”; cultures may be unequal in many respects; government, which is indispensable, rightly pursues the national interest despite its inevitable unjust acts; war can be necessary and just; and, “History contains an ocean of injustice, most of it unremedied and now lying beyond correction in this world.”

    In one long sentence, Biggar summarizes the evils – these encompass “not only culpable wrongdoing or injustice, but also unintended harms,” but do not include genocide – perpetrated by British colonialism. The debit side of the ledger comprises “brutal slavery; the epidemic spread of devastating disease; economic and social disruption; the unjust displacement of natives by settlers; failures of colonial government to prevent settler abuse and famine; elements of racial alienation and racist contempt; policies of needlessly wholesale cultural suppression; miscarriages of justice; instances of unjustifiable military aggression and the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force; and the failure to admit native talent to the higher echelons of colonial government on terms of equality quickly enough to forestall the build-up of nationalist resentment.”

    In two sentences – one comparatively short and one extraordinarily long – Biggar distills the steps Britain undertook to mitigate colonialism’s shameful dimensions and the contributions of which it can be proud. “If the empire initially presided over the slave trade and slavery, it renounced both in the name of basic human equality and then led endeavors to suppress them worldwide for 150 years,” he maintains on the ledger’s positive side.

    The empire also: moderated the disruptive impact of Western modernity upon very unmodern societies; promoted a worldwide free market that gave native producers and entrepreneurs new economic opportunities; created regional peace by imposing an overarching imperial authority on multiple, warring peoples; perforce involved representatives of native peoples in the lower levels of government; sought to relieve the plight of the rural poor and protect them against rapacious landlords; provided a civil service and judiciary that was generally and extraordinarily incorrupt; developed public infrastructure, albeit usually through private investment; made foreign investment attractive by reducing the risks through establishing political stability and the rule of law; disseminated modern agricultural methods and medicine; stood against German aggression – first militarist, then Nazi – and for international law and order in the two world wars, helping to save both the Western and the non-Western world for liberal democracy; brought up three of the most prosperous and liberal states now on earth – Canada, Australia and New Zealand; gave birth to two more – the United States and Israel; evolved into a loose, consensual, multi-racial, international organization, the (British) Commonwealth of Nations, which some states that never belonged to the British Empire have opted to join – Mozambique (1995) and Rwanda (2009); inspired by the ideal of the Commonwealth, helped to plan and realize first the League of Nations and then the United Nations; through the Commonwealth applied moral pressure to South Africa to abandon its policy of apartheid; through the wartime anti-fascist alliance of 1939–45, evolved into an important part of the post-war Western alliance against Soviet and Chinese communism; and still has a significant afterlife in the Western military alliance of NATO, the intelligence alliance of the “Five Eyes,” and influential economic development agencies such as the UK’s British International Investment and Department for International Development.

    An admirable scholarly achievement, Biggar’s rigorous assessment invites critical engagement. However, the very idea of carefully considering colonialism’s contributions as well as its costs is anathema to the anti-colonialists. Their postmodern progressivism leaves little room for dissent from the dogma that colonialism was implacably racist and rapacious. For the anti-colonialists, the appeal to historical evidence and reasoned argument amounts to one more noxious feature of the colonial mindset. As Biggar observes in his epilogue, anti-colonialists embrace “the ideas that ‘truth’ is whatever the anti-colonialist revolution requires and that revolutionary vitality should be preferred to bourgeois reason.”

    The widespread colonialism slander undercuts U.S. diplomacy and enfeebles democracy in America. A crucial part of the remedy consists in cultivating professors who will engage in reasoned scholarship rather than partisan posturing and will reorient classrooms around education in, rather than indoctrination against, the West.

    Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. From 2019 to 2021, he served as director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department. His writings are posted at PeterBerkowitz.com and he can be followed on Twitter @BerkowitzPeter.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 23:25

  • Visualizing US GDP By Industry In 2023
    Visualizing US GDP By Industry In 2023

    The US economy is complex, and comprised of many different industries that power the world’s largest GDP.

    Breaking it down is Visual Capitalist‘s Govind Bhutada, who used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to visualize a breakdown of US GDP by industry in 2023. He showed this by measuring dollar value added by industry, which reflects the difference between gross output and the cost of intermediate inputs.

    The Top 10 U.S. Industries by GDP

    As of Q1 2023, the annualized GDP of the U.S. sits at $26.5 trillion.

    Of this, 88% or $23.5 trillion comes from private industries. The remaining $3 trillion is government spending at the federal, state, and local levels.

    Here’s a look at the largest private industries by economic contribution in the United States:

    Like most other developed nations, the U.S. economy is largely based on services.

    Service-based industries, including professional and business services, real estate, finance, and health care, make up the bulk (70%) of U.S. GDP. In comparison, goods-producing industries like agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and construction play a smaller role.

    Professional and business services is the largest industry with $3.5 trillion in value added. It comprises establishments providing legal, consulting, design, administration, and other services. This is followed by real estate at $3.3 trillion, which has consistently been an integral part of the economy.

    Due to outsourcing and other factors, the manufacturing industry’s share of GDP has been declining for decades, but it still remains a significant part of the economy. Manufacturing of durable goods (metals, machines, computers) accounts for $1.6 trillion in value added, alongside nondurable goods (food, petroleum, chemicals) at $1.3 trillion.

    The Government’s Contribution to GDP

    Just like private industries, the government’s value added to GDP consists of compensation of employees, taxes collected (less subsidies), and gross operating surplus.

    State and local government spending, largely focused on the education and public welfare sectors, accounts for the bulk of value added. The Federal contribution to GDP amounts to roughly $948 billion, with 52% of it attributed to national defense.

    The Fastest Growing Industries (2022–2032P)

    In the next 10 years, services-producing industries are projected to see the fastest growth in output.

    The table below shows the five fastest-growing industries in the U.S. from 2022–2032 in terms of total output, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

    Three of the fastest-growing industries are in the information sector, underscoring the growing role of technology and digital infrastructure. Meanwhile, the projected growth of the oil and gas extraction industry highlights the enduring demand for traditional energy sources, despite the energy transition.

    Overall, the development of these industries suggests that the U.S. will continue its shift toward a services-oriented economy. But today, it’s also worth noticing how services- and goods-producing industries are increasingly tied together. For example, it’s now common for tech companies to produce devices, and for manufacturers to use software in their operations.

    Therefore, the oncoming tide of growth in service-based industries could potentially lift other interconnected sectors of the diverse U.S. economy.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 23:05

  • US Officials Accuse Biden Admin Of Downplaying Attacks From Iran-Backed Houthis
    US Officials Accuse Biden Admin Of Downplaying Attacks From Iran-Backed Houthis

    Via The Cradle

    Some US officials are criticizing the Biden administration for deliberately downplaying the threat from Yemen’s Houthis on US naval forces, Politico reported Tuesday. The criticism follows an attack on Sunday on several commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which forced a US Navy warship to scramble to respond.

    The Yemeni resistance movement launched missiles and drones against three separate commercial vessels. The USS Carney fired back, taking down three unmanned aerial drones. It is unclear whether the US Navy ship was also a target of the attack or was simply coming to the aid of the commercial vessels. 

    Defense Department and Biden administration officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, have said the US “cannot assess” whether the USS Carney was the target of the attacks. 

    Via AP

    After previous Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping vessels, the Pentagon said officials did not believe the group was targeting the warships.

    But four other officials with knowledge of the discussions said in interviews with Politico that Biden administration officials are playing down the threat to avoid an escalation amid Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

    The Houthis have made clear it is targeting commercial ships with ties to Israel, and has launched missiles toward the Israeli port city of Eilat in support of the Palestinians.

    “If our ships see something is coming near them or toward them, they are going to assess it as a threat and shoot it down,” said one Pentagon official. “You’d be hard-pressed to find another time” US ships have been this challenged in the region.

    A separate US official argued that not only Israeli, but also US ships are indeed threatened. “People are thinking this is an Israel thing, and because they are heavy-handed in Gaza no one is saying anything,” the official said. “The world should be condemning this.”

    A second US official acknowledged that the US has deliberately avoided acknowledging its warships are a target because they are “trying to avoid unnecessary escalation.” But the official also pointed out that the administration has not said definitively that its warship was not targeted. “We are not hesitating to take action against forces or militia groups that could be a threat to our forces,” the official said.

    Some Pentagon officials argue that attacks on commercial shipping already constitute an escalation. Admiral Christopher Grady, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated the attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea are “a big deal,” while blaming them on Iran, which supports the Houthis.

    “There’s undoubtedly an Iranian hand in this. So this looks a little bit like horizontal escalation,” he claimed.

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    National Security Advisor Sullivan also blamed Iran, stating “We have every reason to believe these attacks, while they were launched by [Ansarallah] in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”

    Some current US officials did not rule out the possibility that the administration will respond to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, while some former US officials are calling specifically for it. “If we make the assessment or feel the need to respond, we will always make that decision at a time or place of our choosing. That is a decision that the [defense secretary] will also make in conjunction with the president,” said a second Pentagon official.

    “Near to immediate term, where are the strikes on [Houthi] targets?” wrote Marc Polymeropoulos, former CIA official, on X. “Need to see this ASAP.” Retired Vice Adm. John Miller, the former commander of US 5th Fleet, said that “We are not taking this seriously.” Miller said, “We’re not deterring anybody right now.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 22:45

  • The Potemkin Presidency Of Joe Biden
    The Potemkin Presidency Of Joe Biden

    Authored by Frank Miele via RealClear Wire,

    Have you heard about Joe Biden’s historic presidency? Or about the historic accomplishments of Joe Biden’s first term?

    I have. Repeatedly. Of course, I force myself to watch “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, Jake Tapper on CNN, and Jonathan Karl on ABC, so I’m well-informed about the thinking of left-wing elites and their game plan for keeping Donald Trump out of office. Apparently, part of the plan is to convince the American public that Joe Biden has been a great president, mostly when you weren’t looking.

    In a sense, this is the political equivalent of the recent cleanup of San Francisco by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to make the dangerous and dirty city look better for the arrival of the Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping. I’m not sure who Newsom thought he was fooling. The residents surely know that the city is an open sewer, and a two-week makeover wasn’t going to change that. Xi Jinping himself was also not fooled. He probably reads the papers or has someone else read them for him, and he probably got a chuckle out of the governor’s groveling.

    But Newsom apparently didn’t care that he was fooling no one. It’s politics, after all. No one has any expectation that there is any honesty or legitimacy to anything a politician does. They simply do what is convenient and then deny having done it if it turns out wrong.

    In a sense, Newsom turned San Francisco into a real-life Potemkin city. According to Britannica, a Potemkin village, in its original meaning, referred to “any of a number of fake villages designed [by her lover Grigory Potemkin] to impress the Russian empress Catherine the Great.”

    Legend has it that Potemkin arranged for fake pasteboard villages – complete with waving, happy peasants who had been moved in from central Russia, herds of farm animals, and fireworks – to be set up along the river. As Catherine’s boat arrived she was greeted by throngs of grateful subjects; when her boat had passed, the “towns” were quickly dismantled and moved, along with the livestock and throngs of peasants, to a location farther downriver to await her sailing by.

    Historians now think that Potemkin never really pulled off this stunt, probably because he worried that Catherine would get wise. Nonetheless, the term has come to be used to describe an elaborate façade that is intended to mislead people into believing a fantasy instead of harsh reality.

    So, back to Biden.

    Vox magazine in April said that Biden’s presidency had “an exceptionally productive first few years.” The Atlantic magazine likewise declared the first two years of Biden’s presidency as “among the most productive of any president in the past half century.” Jonathan Lemire of Politico said on “Morning Joe” that “Joe Biden’s first years in office were extraordinarily successful.”

    Those glowing media assessments, and many more like them, are the foundation of the Potemkin presidency of Joe Biden. I read them eagerly to find out just why Biden is supposed to be such a great leader, and I have come up with the following list:

    – Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which included massive spending for COVID-19 relief, just when the COVID pandemic was ending.

    – Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included massive spending, perhaps as much as $1 trillion, for so-called clean energy and health care, on the premise that pouring more money into the economy will somehow magically reduce inflation.

    – Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $1.2 trillion in spending for so-called infrastructure, but which turned out to be funding not so much for roads and bridges but for left-wing agenda items like green energy and climate change.

    If these really are accomplishments, the credit should go to Congress, not Biden, but they aren’t accomplishments at all. Not for everyday people. These bills all had the same ultimate purpose: spending money to benefit Democratic donors, not Democrat voters, and certainly not the vast range of the American citizenry. So far, the Biden administration has increased the national debt by approximately $5 trillion, with no end in sight, thus fueling an inflationary spiral that has taken its toll on the rest of us.

    Not convinced of Biden’s success yet? Vox points out that among Biden’s other accomplishments, “he’s used executive action in an attempt to cancel student debt, pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession, and appointed a new wave of judges at a rapid pace.” Notice that the Supreme Court rejected his unconstitutional executive order on student debt (although he’s trying again), and only the most rabid supporters of drug abuse would consider his pardon of a few thousand drug users to be a major accomplishment. Gotta give him credit for the judicial appointments, but let’s remember that those judges never would have been approved without the help of Republican senators, so maybe it’s their turncoat accomplishment, not his.

    And let’s not forget Biden’s masterful exit from Afghanistan. But Joe is the only one who thinks it was masterful. Because of his incompetence, 13 U.S. service members lost their lives, the Chinese gained a world-class air force base at Bagram, and the Afghans became the owners of $87 billion worth of the world’s best munitions – ours.

    But perhaps the most illusory accomplishment of the Biden presidency is “securing the border.” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeated that claim for three years now, despite the fact that our lying eyes have watched hours of video of illegal immigrants crossing the border and being flown or bused to cities across the country. According to the New York Post in September, “a jaw-dropping 3.8 million people have entered the United States through its borders since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.”

    Unbelievably, Biden was getting away with this scam of a “secure border” until hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants started congregating in Democrat-run cities, which house them for free in hotels, provide food and health care, and generally treat them like welcome visitors instead of lawbreakers.

    Yet despite all this, the national media is selling the idea that Biden is the best president since Reagan. Then why is he trailing Donald Trump by approximately 2 points in the RealClearPolitics Average of polls for the November 2024 general election? Why is Biden’s approval rating hovering around 40% despite the Potemkin presidency being sold to the American public?

    If you want an explanation for why the media thinks that Joe Biden is a great president and the rest of us think he is an addlepated place keeper, consider this assessment from Jonathan Freedland, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper:

    The bigger story … is that his has been a truly consequential presidency, even a transformational one. In less than three years, he has built a record that should unify U.S. progressives, including those on the radical left, and devised an economic model to inspire social democratic parties the world over.

    Whoa! Finally, a Democrat lackey journalist telling the truth! The reason Americans aren’t that into Joe Biden is because he’s governing as a radical leftist instead of as the principled moderate he claimed to be in 2020. His record “should unify U.S. progressives,” which means about 5-10% of the population, and meanwhile, it should alienate mainstream voters who just want to pay less for eggs, gasoline, and housing.

    That’s because voters don’t care about legislative victories; they care about their own families. And despite the best efforts of the left-wing media, American voters will see through the Potemkin presidency of Joe Biden just as surely as Xi Jinping saw through Gavin Newsom’s Disneyland version of San Francisco.

    That’s why I’m confident Joe Biden is going to be a one-term president.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 22:05

  • Miss Universe Alleged To Be At Center Of Plot To Overthrow Nicaraguan Government
    Miss Universe Alleged To Be At Center Of Plot To Overthrow Nicaraguan Government

    How many of you had “beauty pageant contestant at center of allegations to overthrow an authoritarian government” on your 2024 bingo card? We sure didn’t.

    But if you did, looks like you can mark your square thanks to Nicaraguan Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios. Palacios was the first from her country to win the competition last month, but focus quickly turned to her life outside of the pageant world.

    According to the Telegraph, she was quickly scrutinized for photos of her at “mass anti-government protests in 2018”. And now, the director of the country’s national beauty pageant has been charged with putting together a “foreign-backed plot” due to Palacios’ pro-democracy stance.

    Pageant director Karen Celebertti now finds herself wanted by police on conspiracy charges, the report says. She’s facing charges of allegedly rigging the competition to ensure that anti-government contestants won. 

    Five years ago, over 300 individuals lost their lives when state forces suppressed demonstrations that lasted three months, targeting President Ortega’s regime. Public demonstrations were then prohibited by the authorities, but, following Ms. Palacios’s victory in November, numerous people chose to disregard the ban and openly celebrate in the streets.

    “In these days of a new victory, we are seeing the evil, terrorist commentators making a clumsy and insulting attempt to turn what should be a beautiful and well-deserved moment of pride into destructive coup-mongering,” Ortega’s wife commented. 

    Celebertti hasn’t been let back into the country and is said to be in Mexico. Her husband and son have been detained on conspiracy charges that date back 5 years, The Telegraph writes. 

    Police accused her of using “spaces supposedly dedicated to promoting ‘innocent’ beauty pageants, in a conspiracy orchestrated to convert the contests into traps and political ambushes financed by foreign agents”.

    Celebertti, her husband, and son have not publicly addressed the accusations. Palacios was not mentioned in the police report.

    Meanwhile, if you’re in New York, keep your eyes peeled: Palacios has moved to the state to tend to her “Miss Universe duties” (whatever that means) and has stayed quiet about the issue. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 21:45

  • White House Sanctions Israeli Settlers For 1st Time Since Clinton Administration
    White House Sanctions Israeli Settlers For 1st Time Since Clinton Administration

    The Biden administration is moving to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians, which will involve banning them from traveling to the United States.

    Fresh Axios reporting on Tuesday has cited government officials who specify that multiple dozens of known Israeli settlers will be impacted by the visa ban, expected to be implemented by the State Department.

    Israeli settlers file image

    The US government has not sanctioned Israeli settlers going all the way back to the Clinton administration, but Washington has consistently condemned settler expansion in the West Bank, at least as far as public policy and rhetoric goes.

    Gaza sources have said the death toll in the Strip has reportedly surpassed 15,200. Meanwhile the White House has come under increased international pressure to impose limits on Israel’s military operations as well as usage of US-supplied bombs.

    The conflict centered on Gaza has received by far most international media attention, but there’s been a parallel war happening in the West Bank. Nablus, for example, last week was declared a closed military zone, and is under blockade by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for 55 days.

    Regional sources say that since Oct.7 more than 250 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank – mostly in army raids and clashes with Israeli security forces, but also as a result of settler violence. 

    Axios has noted that since the conflict’s start there’s been “a spike in the number of attacks by settlers against Palestinians.”

    Two weeks ago the Biden administration circulated a memo to top State Department and other officials asking them to prepare action “against individuals or entities who directly or indirectly engaged in actions that threaten security or stability in the West Bank or take actions that intimidate civilians in the West Bank or actions that significantly obstruct, disrupt or prevent efforts to achieve a two-state solution.”

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    European countries like France are also said to be readying sanctions against settlers. European leaders have long been more vocal in highlighting the problem.

    Since the Hamas terror raids which kicked off the Gaza war, individual Israeli citizens have sought to obtain assault rifles in droves. This has sparked concerns over US small arms being used by hardline Jewish settlers to attack Palestinians. Often it’s for the sake of removing entire West Bank families from their land or olive groves. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 21:05

  • 6 Things We Need To Do To Start Fixing Youth Crime
    6 Things We Need To Do To Start Fixing Youth Crime

    Authored by Eric Abetz via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    “Youth crime is out of control” is the refrain heard on many lips around Australia and the Western world.

    Another common phrase is “The youth are our future.”

    Put those two phrases together and we are left contemplating, indeed fearing for, the future well-being of our society.

    The statistics on youth crime regularly adorn newspapers and lead electronic media bulletins. Youth crime is a scourge.

    So how did we get here? What can we do about it?

    Like with any ingrained social problem, there is no quick fix. Something that took a generation or two may well take a similar time to repair. It takes a lot less time to crash a car than it does to repair it. So it is with society.

    1. Start With the Family

    The social data is relatively clear. A good home life with a mother and a father who are married in a loving long-term relationship is an important influencer on a child’s positive social behaviour.

    Broken homes with a lack of an authority figure tend to produce the opposite. Explore the background of a youth offender there will nearly always be the scars of trauma.

    As with all things social data, the statistics deal in generalities and there are exceptions, indeed many exceptions.

    Nevertheless, a stable home life with mum and dad is the best start in life a young person can be given. Pro-family policies help to keep families together and reduce cost of living pressures. And the real choice of having a parent stay at home, especially in the formative years, is urgently needed.

    2. Bring Back Education on Traditional Values

    To back up the home influence, we need a school system that teaches genuine respect for others and parents.

    Too often we hear how the education system, which should be complementing the parental role, is undermining it. Rather than emphasising the nuclear family it is denigrated for not being “diverse.”

    While parents hope and strive to get their children job-ready, we have a schooling system teaching every “right” imaginable forgetting that “responsibility” comes before “rights” and not only in the dictionary—a book which one suspects the children have not been told about.

    While students are encouraged to defy authorities by leaving classes to demonstrate all manner of things, including supporting the terrorist group Hamas rather than learning basic skills, we witness an abhorrent indoctrination of our young.

    A reformed education system focusing on virtues, values, service, and equipping our young with real-life skills would be another essential policy change.

    Students walk up the stairs of the overpass at the Sydney Light Rail Moore Park stop on their way to school in Sydney, Australia, on May 25, 2020. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

    3. A Better Media

    The media and entertainment houses have a social responsibility to present role models for young people to whom they can look up.

    Social chaos and lack of morals, combined with denigrating parents and vital social institutions, serve to unsettle children and their direction in life.

    The idea that a life is best served by asking, “What is expected of me” rather than “What is in it for me” is now totally absent.

    A responsible media analysing its duty for partnering to develop a healthy social consciousness is yet another step.

    4. Don’t Fear the Preacher

    We all need hope and purpose in life. Hope is largely provided through the religious/spiritual institutions.

    Individual faith today is ridiculed and besmirched by the education system and the media, even though it is often the religious-based organisations that provide support and offer an alternate pathway.

     

    Closely linked to religious belief, which provides hope, is the need for purpose.

    Without it, the young will fall into a life of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.

    5. Power to Law Enforcement

    To help counter this trend, law enforcement agencies must be fully empowered to protect the community rather than the perpetrator.

    With the vast majority of young perpetrators being released on immediate bail and portrayed as victims (of society), their interaction with the legal system is hardly a deterrent.

    To make matters worse we have a justice system more interested in the immediate happiness of the perpetrator than in providing a punishment to drive home the seriousness, and consequences on others, of their unacceptable behaviour.

    6. It’s About Personal Responsibility

    Rehabilitation has to be the societal goal for those who have offended. However, the desire to rehabilitate is only activated by the recognition that the individual has a problem.

    Reinforcing that the issues faced are not really the perpetrator’s fault, and they don’t really possess the agency and capacity to reform, hardly encourages self-reflection.

    The future of our society and the well-being of our young requires a wholesale acceptance that the current methodologies are not working.

    We need focused pro-family policies, a recognition that agency and responsibility are required of us all, irrespective of our background, together with the strong acceptance that there will be felt consequences for those disregarding their fellow’s rights to safety and protection of property.

    The individual well-being of our young demands such changes as does the well-being of society as a whole and our collective future.

    Let’s get started.

    Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 20:45

  • Philadelphia Macy's Security Guard Fatally Stabbed By Shoplifter With Over A Dozen Prior Arrests
    Philadelphia Macy’s Security Guard Fatally Stabbed By Shoplifter With Over A Dozen Prior Arrests

    Still wondering why your favorite retailer is in a rush to move its city locations out to the suburbs?

    A security guard was stabbed to death and another guard was injured at the Center City Philadelphia Macy’s on Monday morning this week, after an attempted shoplifting that went wrong. 

    30 year old Tyrone Tunnell “was attempting to steal several hats when he was stopped by security”, according to 6ABC Philadelphia. Guards were able to get the store’s merchandise back, but a confrontation ensued when Tunnell came back to the store 15 minutes after he was caught. 

    When he returned he was carrying a knife and stabbed one of the security guards. A second guard then came over to help and was stabbed several times. 

    The first guard was pronounced dead shortly after due to stab wounds in the neck. The second guard, a 23 year old man, is listed as stable condition and is being held in a Philadelphia hospital. 

    Tunnell “has been arrested more than a dozen times for retail theft, robbery and drug offenses across the region, including Philadelphia and Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery counties,” according to ABC. 

    Philadelphia Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said: “There was a scuffle with the second security guard trying to save the first guard that’s stabbed and that security guard sustained several slash wounds as well.” 

    “Things are just getting worse. People don’t care. They have no heart,” a woman on the scene told 6ABC. Another woman commented: “These young people are just trying to do a job, secure the store, make the customers feel safe and secure and it’s just awful.”

    The suspect left the premises and fled on SEPTA, but was eventually found and arrested at the Somerset station.

    “It’s just so sad and heartbreaking for the families to have to go through this,” one South Philadelphia resident said. Another resident told 6ABC: “I’m scared right now. It’s like you can’t go to the stores anymore to do your own shopping now.”

    Macy’s released a statement saying:

    We are heartbroken about the incident that took place today at Macy’s Center City. The store will temporarily remain closed as we work with law enforcement on this investigation and defer any further comments about the case to them. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority.

    We’re sure it won’t be long until yet another retailer picks up shop and moves out of yet another major U.S. city…

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 20:25

  • Don’t Let Government Get Away With Poisoning Americans: Hawley
    Don’t Let Government Get Away With Poisoning Americans: Hawley

    Authored by Josh Hawley via RealClear Wire,

    This year, Americans had the opportunity to revisit the origins of our nation’s nuclear program with the blockbuster film “Oppenheimer.” But there’s one story line that didn’t make the big screen: those Americans who are still paying the price. 

    For decades, the federal government poisoned an untold number of its citizens through our atomic program. It happened everywhere, impacting uranium mine workers in Texas, Native Americans living downwind from nuclear tests in the Mountain West, and communities exposed to Manhattan Project waste in Missouri. And that’s just a small sample. Thousands more were poisoned, sickened, and died. Lives were broken – all because our government was careless, and then covered it up.

    Now, the law that delivers some justice and compensation to these victims is about to expire. Congress must include a reauthorization of this life-changing program as part of the annual defense bill. It’s our chance to give justice to victims who have been silenced and forgotten for years. 

    This widespread government-caused poisoning ranks among the worst environmental disasters in our nation’s history. The United States conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear tests from the 1940s until the 1960s. Residents living near or downwind from these test areas were exposed to the fallout – often without any warning of exposure. The radiation fell on their homes, their farms, and their families. And it wasn’t just the testing. Tens of thousands of American workers across the country helped to mine and process uranium and worked in facilities that built our atomic weapons, and they breathed in the toxic substances every day.  

    These workers answered the call to serve America during a consequential time in our nation’s history. They were a backbone to our national defense from World War II through the end of the Cold War – but many developed cancers as a result. Families and communities suffered.

    In 1990, Congress finally acknowledged the government’s egregious neglect and passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to compensate victims who were sickened with cancer from nuclear tests. Championed by then-Sen. Orrin Hatch and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, the program was reauthorized and strengthened by President Bill Clinton in 2000. President Joe Biden signed a short extension in 2022 with unanimous approval from Congress. Few programs have enjoyed more bipartisan support. As George H.W. Bush said upon signing the law, this will “fairly resolve the claims of persons present at the test site and of downwind residents, as well as claims of uranium miners.”

    But in just a few months, funding for the program will be cut off. This cannot be allowed to happen. Since its creation, RECA has helped tens of thousands of Americans and assisted those exposed to radiation rebuild and renew their lives. How can we turn our back on them?

    Many more communities still need access to this program before it runs out. In my home state of Missouri, mismanaged nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project era sat exposed for years and contaminated communities in the St. Louis region – and now these areas have elevated cancer rates. In multiple other states, “downwinders” still need compensation. The late Sen. Orrin Hatch wrote in 2020 that updating RECA was “a moral imperative” and “if we let it expire, we leave hundreds of Navajo men and women unable to pay their medical bills for issues directly related to radiation poisoning.” He was right.

    Back in July, Congress took the first step to getting this done when the Senate adopted, as part of the defense bill, my amendment with Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico to extend and strengthen the RECA program. I was proud to see that amendment pass with a bipartisan supermajority, reflecting the broad support among both parties for obtaining justice for victims. President Biden has since supported it as well.

    House and Senate leadership must not strip this life-changing program from the final defense bill. It would amount to a slap in the face to victims everywhere if our leaders in Congress decide to kneecap the Americans who suffered from these nuclear programs and instead ship billions and billions to defense contractors or foreign wars. There’s no excuse for forgetting about the people we serve.

    When the government poisons its own people, it must make it right. We have no other choice.

    Josh Hawley is the senior U.S. senator from Missouri.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 20:05

  • Putin's Saudi Visit To Talk OPEC+ Cuts & Gaza War Highlights US Failure To Isolate Russia
    Putin’s Saudi Visit To Talk OPEC+ Cuts & Gaza War Highlights US Failure To Isolate Russia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t embarked on a lot of international travel since the Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for him back in March, related to the Ukraine war. His most significant trip came in October to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

    Wednesday will see the Russian leader make his first visit to the Middle East in a long time, and since the ICC warrant was issued. By it, he’ll seek to demonstrate that Western sanctions have not isolated him and that Russia can still assert its influence in the Middle East and elsewhere. 

    File image of a past Putin visit to KSA

    He’s expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan—with the Israel-Hamas war high on the agenda. Of course, neither Gulf leaders have signed the founding ICC treaty, and their meeting with Putin is sure to greatly annoy Washington and European leaders.

    Oil market cooperation related to OPEC+ will also be a focus, coming on the heels of the group controversially announcing new voluntary supply cuts last week:

    Oil output cuts agreed by OPEC+ will take time to kick in, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, as it confirmed that Putin would visit the UAE and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

    A Kremlin statement said Putin and crown prince MbS will discuss “issues of bilateral cooperation in trade, economy and investments, as well as various aspects of cooperation in multilateral formats.”

    Putin’s Mideast and Gaza-related diplomacy will continue when he returns home to Moscow, as on Thursday he’ll host Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi. Iran is seen in the West as a big supporter of Hamas and terror groups throughout the region, and especially Lebanese Hezbollah. Both Hezbollah and Russia have for years cooperated inside Syria, in defense of the Assad government.

    The Kremlin has of late presented the US as having fueled the Gaza crisis by its blank check support to Israel. Criticism has focused on Washington’s failure to create a Palestinian state, instead opting to merely issue economic “handouts” to the Palestinians while allowing conflict to simmer for years.

    Putin alongside China has led global criticism of the soaring civilian death toll on the Gaza Strip. But there’s been increasing dissent within Biden’s own administration…

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    Putin has instead said of Russia that “no one could suspect us of playing up to one party” and thus it’s able to be a more legitimate mediator for peace.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 19:45

  • FBI Arrests Conservative Actor For Taking Part In Jan. 6 Protests
    FBI Arrests Conservative Actor For Taking Part In Jan. 6 Protests

    Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Conservative actor Siaka Massaquoi was arrested by the FBI on Nov. 30 and charged with misdemeanors in connection with his presence during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.

    Siaka Massaquoi attends the DailyWire+ premiere of “Lady Ballers” in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 29, 2023. (Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bentkey Ventures)

    The FBI arrested Mr. Massaquoi as he arrived home from a movie premiere, according to a legal defense fundraising effort set up in his name. At the time, he was with his pregnant wife, Charlotte Massaquoi. The FBI separated them and took him to jail.

    “Charlotte was told the charges had to do with January 6th; however, she was not presented with any arrest warrant,” a description provided with the fundraising account on GiveSendGo reads. “Siaka was taken to Monterey Park Jail, where he stayed overnight and was told that he was being charged for four misdemeanors pertaining to his presence outside of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on January 6th.”

    The FBI raided his home in 2021.

    The couple are expecting their first child in March.

    “This family has been through so many ups and downs,” the fundraising account description reads. “A circus would be a more appropriate term for the turmoil and unnecessary display of government overreach that they have had to endure.”

    The fundraiser, which has a goal of raising $115,000 to cover Mr. Massaquoi’s legal expenses, had raised $42,581 from hundreds of donors as of Dec. 3. Mr. Massaquoi has acted in hit TV shows such as “S.W.A.T,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “Lethal Weapon.”

    According to podcast host Lori Mills, Mr. Massaquoi was arraigned on Dec. 1 and was released with conditions.

    “This judge was fair. Preliminary trial next week. We are praying it gets thrown out as D.C. wants the case,” she wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

    Activist group StopHate posted video footage from the Jan. 6 incident in a Dec. 3 post on X, showing Mr. Massaquoi inside the Capitol building.

    “He was at the threshold of the door for maybe a minute, & even helping the police direct the flow of foot traffic out the door. Crime?” the group wrote.

    Mr. Massaquoi posted a link to this video post on his X account.

    “Witness why I was raided 2 years ago and recently arrested and charged Nov 30th 2023 almost 3 years later,” he wrote.

    Criticism of the Arrest

    Multiple celebrities and political commentators have spoken in support of Mr. Massaquoi. Actress Gina Carano called the arrest “political persecution.”

    “[Siaka Massaquoi] is an incredible human being, what is happening to him is disturbing and WRONG. Enough already, we shouldn’t be having to try this hard to defend ourselves from our own government! It’s sickening,” she wrote in a Dec. 3 post on X.

    “Like they don’t have enough pedophiles, sex traffickers, rapists, and murderers to go after but what do they choose to spend their time doing? What are their priorities?? Harassing a peaceful protester on Jan 6th.”

    Seth Dillon, the founder of the Babylon Bee, also called the arrest a political persecution that “can’t be allowed to continue.”

    “He isn’t just a talented actor and friend of the Babylon Bee; he also happens to be a Trump supporter,” Mr. Dillon wrote in a Dec. 3 post on X. “And he’s being punished for it by our government.”

    Commenting on the arrest, X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said “this has gone too far.”

    Podcast host Kelly John Walker wrote that the arrest is a sign that the United States is nearing a “tipping point, beyond which we will be a completely subject people.”

    “The Rule of Law has been replaced by something no American must tolerate: Rule BY law,” he wrote.

    On the day of his arrest, Mr. Massaquoi and his wife had attended the premiere of the Daily Wire movie “Lady Ballers” in Nashville, Tennessee. The comedy mocks the phenomenon of allowing men to compete in women’s sports.

    Lawsuit Against FBI

    The FBI’s arrest of Mr. Massaquoi comes a couple of months after he was part of a group that filed a lawsuit against the FBI, agency director Christopher Wray, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and Attorney General Merrick Garland.

    The lawsuit, filed in a district court in Florida on Sept. 20, requested certification as a class action lawsuit on behalf of people “who were peacefully protesting in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, but who did not commit any felonies or engage in any violence, but have been subjected to unconstitutional, illegal surveillance by Defendant Wray and his agents in the aftermath.”

    Plaintiffs insisted that Mr. Wray and Mr. Garland have turned the FBI into their personal “Gestapo” to “target, arrest, and wrongfully prosecute” people who protested on Jan. 6.

    “While there were a few people who chose to enter and engage in acts of violence in the U.S. Capitol, Plaintiffs were not among those involved in any such conduct,” the lawsuit said. “All Plaintiffs did was exercise their right to peacefully assemble and protest under the Constitution.”

    Mr. Wray and Mr. Garland also engaged in “pressuring, and coercing family and friends of protestors to turn them in,” the complaint states, comparing the events to Germans’ being directed by the Nazi government to turn over Jewish people during the Holocaust.

    “On information and belief, Defendant Wray, at the direction of and in concert with Defendant Garland, their agents and assigns, are doing so at the direction of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and his administration, in an effort to save their own employment as the Directors of the FBI and DOJ, as well as for other improper and nefarious reasons,” the lawsuit said.

    According to an Oct. 3 update from the DOJ, more than 1,069 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 breach. They have been charged in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

    FBI officials didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 19:25

  • Biden Impeachment Inquiry Vote To Come Next Week: Speaker Johnson
    Biden Impeachment Inquiry Vote To Come Next Week: Speaker Johnson

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced on Tuesday that a vote to authorize the inquiry will take place next week.

    “The House has no choice if it’s going to follow its constitutional responsibility to formally adopt an impeachment inquiry on the floor so that when the subpoenas are challenged in court, it will be at the apex of our constitutional authority,” Johnson said during a press conference.

    But remember folks, this isn’t an impeachment just yet!

    “This vote is not a vote to impeach President Biden. This is a vote to continue the inquiry of impeachment, and that’s a necessary constitutional step,” said Johnson.

    News of the possible impeachment comes as more evidence of Biden family corruption rolls in – most recently that Hunter Biden’s company was sending ‘direct monthly payments’ to Joe Biden.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAccording to top Republicans, an impeachment inquiry will help further the investigation by granting GOP lawmakers subpoena power and access to additional materials.

    The first impeachment inquiry hearing was held on Sept. 28, with experts testifying that there were signs of misconduct but more evidence was needed.

    On Monday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told reporters that an impeachment inquiry could proceed the way Republicans have already been conducting it, but a vote to cement its official nature was better. –Epoch Times

    “According to the Constitution, you don’t need it, you can start an impeachment inquiry the way we’re doing it,” said Jordan, adding “[Former] Speaker of the House [Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)] said it three months ago, but we think it always helps if the full House of Representatives on the record, a majority of that body, has said this is an official impeachment inquiry.”

    On Saturday, Johnson told “Fox & Friends Weekend” that he’d already held discussions with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) regarding a vote, and noted that Democrats had not ‘followed the facts’ when impeaching Trump.

    “Elise and I both served on the impeachment defense team of Donald Trump twice when the Democrats used it for brazen, partisan political purposes. We decried that use of it. This is very different. Remember, we are the rule-of-law team. We have to do it very methodically,” he said.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 19:05

  • Transgender Bathroom Battle Heating Up State By State
    Transgender Bathroom Battle Heating Up State By State

    Authored by Jackson Elliott via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Octogenarian Julie Jaman was in the shower at a YMCA-managed pool in Port Townsend, Washington, when she suddenly heard a man’s voice.

    “There stands a man in a woman’s bathing suit, looking at, watching, and touching little girls who were taking down their bathing suits,” she told The Epoch Times.

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock)

    She was shocked. At the time of the July 2022 incident, she had been using the pool for 34 years and had never seen a man in the women’s changing area.

    The man is a YMCA child care worker who identifies as a woman. He was supervising the girls in the changing area as part of his job, as previously reported.

    After Ms. Jaman asked an employee to make sure he left the locker room, she was banned from the facility. Permanently.

    Many states don’t have laws addressing whether men who identify as women, and vice versa, can or cannot use women’s restrooms and changing rooms.

    That means federal law guides what is and isn’t legal in those locales.

    A hand-washing sign hangs in a girls bathroom at a school in Stamford, Conn., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

    Under the Biden administration, the Department of Education has interpreted federal law to allow people who identify as transgender to use restrooms and locker rooms that don’t align with their biological sex, if they choose.

    Several states have affirmed that ruling, creating legislation allowing people who identify as transgender to use the restroom that aligns with their declared gender, rather than requiring them to use spaces set aside for their biological sex, according to a review of state laws by The Epoch Times.

    More than a dozen states prohibit people from using restrooms and locker rooms that don’t correspond with their biological sex, no matter how they identify.

    Ms. Jaman said she was horrified to peek out into the changing area to see a man in a one-piece ladies’ swimsuit interacting with little girls.

    Her first reaction, she said, was to ask, “Do you have a penis?”

    She said the man replied, “That’s none of your business.”

    Then, a YMCA staff member who was already in the locker room intervened.

    When Ms. Jaman asked the pool staffer to remove the man, she said the worker retorted: “That’s discrimination! And you’re out of here. For life!”

    The staff member, Ms. Jaman said, announced she would call the police, and then hugged the man.

    Stunned, Ms. Jaman left and immediately reported the incident to the Port Townsend Police Department. But they didn’t file a report at the time, she said.

    The police department later spoke to YMCA staff members and filed a report, reviewed by The Epoch Times, that listed Ms. Jaman as a “suspect.”

    The report said Ms. Jaman was “screaming,” “calling names,” and “refusing to leave.” The report also said that the man wasn’t “assisting” the little girls, but was “watching” them.

    “I don’t talk like that,” Ms. Jaman said, disputing the YMCA staff account recorded in the report. “I know how to speak English. And that is not the way I speak to people.”

    Under Washington state law, all businesses that employ more than eight people must let transgender-identifying individuals enter opposite-sex restrooms.

    The law, which went into effect in December 2015, also states: “In a public accommodation situation, the rules apply to all places of public accommodation, including (but not limited to) schools, gyms, public facilities, stores, restaurants, and swimming pools, and the gender segregated facilities within those places of public accommodation.”

    In explaining the new state laws, the Washington State Human Rights Commission issued a Frequently Asked Questions document.

    One question asks: “Can men now go into women’s bathrooms or locker rooms?”

    The answer from the commission states, “No. Only females can go into women’s bathrooms or locker rooms in a gender segregated situation. This includes transgender females who identify as female,” referring to men who identify as female.

    The answer goes on to state that, “The rules do not protect persons who go into a restroom or locker room under false pretenses. For example, if a man declares himself to be transgender for the sole purpose of entering a women’s restroom or locker room, then the rule would not protect him.”

    Transgender rights activists face off against protesters rallying against Christynne Wood, who identifies as a transgender woman and was criticized for using the female locker room at the YMCA in Santee, a suburban city in San Diego County, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2023. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images)

    Who’s Allowed in Restrooms?

    State law on opposite-sex restroom use is still in its infancy, with many states not yet taking a side.

    Currently, the most important factor affecting whether men can enter women’s spaces is federal law, said Sarah Perry, a senior legal fellow for The Heritage Foundation.

    Federal rules that ban discrimination on the basis of sex have been repurposed to ban discrimination based on someone’s gender identity, Ms. Perry told The Epoch Times.

    Title IX, a provision of the Educational Amendments of 1972, was crafted to bring equality between men and women in most facets of education.

    However, the interpretation of the legislation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration is that the Title IX provides against discrimination related to “sexual orientation and gender identity.”

    “The Biden administration has interpreted civil rights law to include ‘sex’ as ‘gender identity,’ which is the most expansive definition we’ve ever seen,” Ms. Perry said.

    The Biden administration’s choice means that the default legal position is that anyone who announces transgender status can use opposite-sex bathrooms in schools, Ms. Perry said.

    Children move about in a hallway at Carter Traditional Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 24, 2022. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

    These Title IX anti-discrimination provisions don’t specifically apply to other facilities, and state laws can block this federal rule interpretation, she said.

    “If that particular state doesn’t have a protective law in place, they will be bound by the Biden administration’s interpretation of federal civil rights law, which is why we’re seeing so many of these challenges now come up in court,” Ms. Perry said.

    In the long run, legal battles will decide whether the current presidential administration can use civil rights laws to give men a right to enter women’s bathrooms, she said.

    Read the rest here…

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 18:45

  • Climate Grifters Want $2.4 Trillion Per Year, Much More Taxes To "Solve" Global Warming
    Climate Grifters Want $2.4 Trillion Per Year, Much More Taxes To “Solve” Global Warming

    Global warming grifters at the COP28 climate summit were focused on phasing out petrol vehicles and fossil fuel power plants. 

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    They were met with a differing perspective when Sultan Al Jaber, the president of COP28, said there was “no science” supporting the idea that eliminating fossil fuels will curb global warming. 

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    Jaber’s comment is a welcoming sign. However, that did not stop discussions from other attendees who discussed the need for billions of dollars, if not trillions, in ‘green’ tech investment by developed countries to defeat climate change. 

    Coinciding with COP28, Reuters said a new report was published that estimated developed and emerging countries would need a whopping $2.4 trillion a year to cap emissions. 

    “The world is not on track to realize the goals of the Paris Agreement. The reason for this failure is a lack of investment, particularly in emerging market and developing countries outside China,” said co-author Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

    Stern said, “The central challenge is to accelerate and implement the fostering and financing of this investment from a range of sources.”

    In a news conference, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, a leading figure in global discussions about mobilizing climate finance, urged countries to increase climate spending and even consider adding new green taxes to boost climate funding.  

    Mottley suggested that a worldwide 0.1% tax on financial services could generate $420 billion, while a 5% tax on the 2022 global oil and gas industry profits would have produced $200 billion.

    “The planet needs global governance not in a big stick way, but in a simple way of us cooperating with each other to be able to work with the institutions that we have,” she added.

    The climate change swindle is nothing new, as elites have ripped off taxpayers around the world for decades. 

    It comes as the latest green bubble is imploding under the weight of high interest rates, elevated inflation, and waning demand. 

    And how convenient COP28 is located in the Saharan Desert. Meanwhile, in Germany…

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    And Europe… 

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    Some elites who push climate doom fail to admit El Nino has been responsible for drought and heat worldwide this past summer. 

    In August, a total of 1,609 scientists and professionals from around the world signed the declaration dismissing the existence of a climate crisis and insisting that carbon dioxide is beneficial to Earth. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 18:25

  • Watch Live: Taibbi Discusses 'Hamilton 68' Link To Government's 'Cyber Threat League'
    Watch Live: Taibbi Discusses ‘Hamilton 68’ Link To Government’s ‘Cyber Threat League’

    Yesterday, journalist Alex Gutentag covered the “CITL Files,” which stands for Cyber Threat Intelligence League – a Department of Homeland Security partner which sought to implement something called “AMITT,” which stands for “Adversarial Misinformation and Influence Tactics and Techniques.”

    Far from simply protecting the public from falsehoods, both government and non-profit actors within Censorship Industrial Complex have followed CTIL’s exact playbook and have waged a full-fledged influence operation against Americans. -Public

    Today, Matt Taibbi drops another “CITL Files” report. In conjunction, he’s hosting a livestream to discuss “an odd little detail” which involves “connections between the group and Hamilton 68.

    Watch Live (and scroll down for more info):

    More via Gutentag’s report in Public regarding the CITL:

    But the CTIL Files, a trove of documents that a whistleblower provided to Public and Racket, reveal that US and UK military contractors developed and used advanced tactics — including demanding that social media platforms change their Terms of Service — to shape public opinion about Covid-19, and that getting content removed was just one strategy used by the Censorship Industrial Complex.

    The CTI League, which partnered with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), aimed to implement something called “AMITT,” which stood for “Adversarial Misinformation and Influence Tactics and Techniques.”

    AMITT was a disinformation framework that included many offensive actions, including working to influence government policy, discrediting alternative media, using bots and sock puppets, pre-bunking, and pushing counter-messaging.

    The specific “counters” to “disinformation” in AMITT and its successor framework, DISARM, include many we have observed in our study of the Censorship Industrial Complex: 

    • “Create policy that makes social media police disinformation”

    • “Strong dialogue between the federal government and private sector to encourage better reporting”

    • “Marginalize and discredit extremists”

    • “Name and Shame influencers”

    • “Simulate misinformation and disinformation campaigns, and responses to them, before campaigns happen”

    • “Use banking to cut off access”

    • “Inoculate populations through media literacy training”

    For issues like the Russiagate hoax to the Hunter Biden laptop to Covid-19, organizations within the Censorship Industrial Complex have used many of DISARM’s offensive methods like tabletop exercises, psychological inoculation, propaganda messaging, and punishment of dissent. Even its extreme proposal of debanking was used against Canada’s Freedom Convoy.

    Far from simply protecting the public from falsehoods, both government and non-profit actors within Censorship Industrial Complex have followed CTIL’s exact playbook and have waged a full-fledged influence operation against Americans.  

    This influence operation has deep ties to security and intelligence agencies, as is evidenced through many examples of collaboration. In one instance of such collaboration, supposedly independent “disinformation researchers” like Renée DiResta coordinated a 2020 election tabletop exercise with military officials.

    Defense and intelligence funding supports much of the Censorship Industrial Complex. For instance, Graphika, which was involved in both EIP and VP, receives grants from the Department of Defense, DARPA, and the Navy.

    Pentagon-affiliated entities are heavily involved in “anti-disinformation” work. Mitre, a major defense contractor, received funding to tackle “disinformation” about elections and Covid. The US government paid Mitre, an organization staffed by former intelligence and military personnel, to monitor and report what Americans said about the virus online, and to develop vaccine confidence messaging. This government-backed military research group, Public discovered, was present in the EIP and VP misinformation reporting system, and in election disinformation report emails to CISA.

    The AMITT framework also includes many counters we have yet to find concrete evidence for, but which we suspect may have been attempted:

    • “Infiltrate the in-group to discredit leaders”

    • “Honeypot with coordinated inauthentics”

    • “Co-opt a hashtag and drown it out (hijack it back)”

    • “Dilute the core narrative – create multiple permutations, target/amplify”

    • “Newsroom/Journalist training to counter influence moves”

    • “Educate high profile influencers on best practices”               

    • “Create fake website to issue counter narrative”

    Subscribers to Public can read the rest here…

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    Meanwhile, Taibbi wrote this earlier today: “Information Warfare” Comes Home

    In March of 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the New York Times published a curious story titled “Fact and Mythmaking Blend in Ukraine’s Information War.” It seemed much-hyped episodes celebrating Ukrainian mettle on the battlefield, like the exploits of the “Ghost of Kiev” ace pilot, “may be a myth,” as the Times put it euphemistically. The paper noted with seeming approval that platforms like Twitter chose not to remove that and other tales that turned out to be not-exactly-true, like the famed “Go Fuck Yourself” send-off of Ukrainian soldiers who reportedly chose to die rather than surrender to Russians on Snake Island.

    Who cared if that story sounded just a tad too much like an R-rated version of General Anthony McAuliffe’s “Nuts” reply to Nazis demanding American surrender at Bastogne? What if that was the point, the paper wondered?

    “Why can’t we just let people believe some things?” the Times quoted one “Twitter user” as saying. “If the Russians believe it, it brings fear. If the Ukrainians believe it, it gives them hope.” The sentiment was expressed in plainer terms later in the article by former Facebook executive Alex Stamos, head of the Stanford Internet Observatory, which piloted the controversial Election Integrity Partnership social-media-monitoring project:

    In exercising discretion over how unverified or false content is moderated, social media companies have decided to “pick a side,” said Alex Stamos, the director of the Stanford Internet Observatory and a former head of security at Facebook.

    The theme of the U.S. and its allies not only engaging in informational fakery but boasting about deceptions in public has been a constant since Russia’s invasion. NBC for instance did a story — before you check, yes, it was written by Ken Dilanian, lol — celebrating the Biden administration’s decision to “break with the past” and release “classified” intelligence even if it “wasn’t rock solid.” An example was an announcement that the Russians were considering the use of chemical weapons.

    That American officials engage in public deception is no surprise to anyone who remembers the runup to the Iraq War. Still, the eagerness of officials to admit this on TV, or in papers like the Times, and even embrace goofball terms like “false flag,” is a new development.

    It’s becoming clear that deploying fake news themes as “information warfare” is a tactic American government agencies are bringing home. Last week, in a story that first broke on Public, Michael Shellenberger, Alexandra Gutentag, and myself began publishing documents provided by a whistleblower about a group called the Cyber Threat Intelligence or (CTI) League, CTIL for short. CTIL, a supposed volunteer organization named as partner in April of 2020 by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency chief Chris Krebs, ostensibly had a narrow focus on Covid-19 “misinformation.” But the whistleblower’s documents revealed something far more ambitious, and unnerving.

    It was obvious right away that the #CTIFiles Michael and I testified about before congress last week were newsworthy, quickly filling gaps in the public’s understanding of the mechanics of state-aided censorship programs. However, as was the case with the Twitter Files, more troubling themes have emerged as we’ve had more time to read through the material. In a piece published on Public yesterday, for instance, Alex detailed the myriad guidelines in the #CTIFiles for “offensive” information operations.

    These include discrediting techniques, use of sock-puppet accounts for trolling and surveillance purposes, strategies to divide groups via infiltration, and a long list of tradecraft lunacies called “counter” actions described taxonomically in the AMITT framework pushed by CTI figures like British data scientist Sarah-Jayne Terp and Special Operations Command “technologist” Pablo Breuer.

    The punch line of the upcoming #CTIFiles #4 thread is that these documents don’t merely offer instructions in the use of sockpuppets and small-scale trolling operations. They show a through-line to the much larger frauds that spread like wildfire in the legacy news landscape between 2016 and the present, chief among them the Hamilton 68 scam exposed in the Twitter Files.

    Subscribers to Racket News can read the rest here…

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 18:00

  • Zelensky Abruptly Cancels Address To Senators, Lashes Out At Failure To Secure More Taxpayer Funds
    Zelensky Abruptly Cancels Address To Senators, Lashes Out At Failure To Secure More Taxpayer Funds

    On Tuesday Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly canceled at the last minute a planned appearance via video link before US Senators mulling an emergency aid package containing over $60 billion for Kiev.

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was the one to announce it to reporters: “Zelensky by the way could not make it to — something happened at the last minute — to our briefing,” Schumer said.

    Zelensky’s prior in-person visit to Capitol Hill, via CQ Roll Call

    With just weeks to go before Ukraine aid stops flowing, and amid a row in Congress which threatens to discontinue the war funding, Ukraine is now saying it will lose the war if it can’t access more US funds and weaponry.

    Zelensky’s chief of staff issued the words Tuesday: 

    If the United States postpones military aid to Ukraine, there is a “big risk” the country could lose its war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Tuesday. 

    Speaking at the U.S. Institute for Peace during a visit to Washington, Yermak said failure by Congress to approve more aid to Ukraine could make it “impossible” to liberate more territory captured by Russia and “give the big risk to lose this war.”

    “If the help which (is) now debating in Congress will be just postponed. … It gives the big risk that we can be in same position (where) we’re located now,” said Yermak, speaking in English.

    “That is why it is extremely critically important that this support will be voted and will be voted as soon as possible,” he said.

    But the reality is that Ukrainian forces were already losing the war, given top US officials have long acknowledged the counteroffensive has stalled and failed, even with all the weapons the US has already poured in.

    Thus Yermak’s statements seem more like an early blame-game: Ukraine seems to be saying it will be Washington’s fault when the war is lost and Kiev is forced to finally negotiate and cede territory.

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    Senate Republicans have tied Biden’s foreign defense funding to tackling the migrant crisis at the southern border, prolonging the Ukraine aid holdup further, and maybe indefinitely.

    Interestingly, the Senate forum that Zelensky was to address involved a classified briefing. Likely he realized he was not going to convince anyone, and his ‘star status’ has long since been in decline. At this moment, even the mayor of Kyiv is attacking him, calling Zelensky an “autocrat” and “corrupt” – and saying Ukraine is losing because of this.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 17:45

  • Democratic Senator Wants Illegal Immigrants To Join The Military
    Democratic Senator Wants Illegal Immigrants To Join The Military

    Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news,

    Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wants illegal immigrants to be given the opportunity to join the U.S. Military in return for citizenship.

    Durbin made the comments during a recent Senate speech.

    Noting how low enlistment levels represent a “grave threat to our national security,” Durbin and that these shortfalls could be met by recruiting illegal aliens.

    “Do you know what the recruiting numbers are at the Army, Navy, and the Air Force? They can’t reach their quotas each month. They can’t find enough people to join our military forces. And there are those who are undocumented who want the chance to serve and risk their lives for this country. Should we give them a chance? I think we should,” said Durbin.

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    Durbin says “undocumented” young people who can pass physical and background tests should be able to “serve in our military and if you do it honorably we will make you citizens of the United States.”

    Meanwhile, in related comments, commentator Gavin McInnes wondered if waves of illegal migrants were being allowed to enter the country so they could be used as part of a standing army for World War 3.

    “So you know immigration has been so weird recently, with all these men of fighting age and the intense variety. It’s not just Mexicans anymore, Somalians, it’s never families,” he said.

    “Are we staffing an army for World War 3?” asked McInnes. “Is that what these 4 million a year people doing here?”

    The talk show host noted that if Iran became embroiled in Israel’s war, the entire Muslim world would team up, with China and Russia’s support, against America.

    “You need a lot of dead bodies for World War 3, so is that the fucking globalist plan?” asked McInnes.

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    Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 12/05/2023 – 17:25

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Dec 05

Today’s News 5th December 2023

  • Weimar America: Are We Headed For A 1930s Nightmare?
    Weimar America: Are We Headed For A 1930s Nightmare?

    Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness,

    Something eerie, something creepy, is happening in the world—and now in America as well.

    The dark mood is brought on by elite universities, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion industry, and massive immigration from illiberal nations and anti-Enlightenment societies.

    At Hillcrest High School in Queens, New York, hundreds of students rioted on news that a single teacher in her private social media account had expressed support for Israel.

    Waving Palestinian flags, and screaming violent threats, the student mob rioted, destroyed school property, sought the teacher out and tried to crash into her classroom—before she was saved from violence by other teachers and an eventual police arrival.

    The subtext was that the overwhelmingly minority students (whose school is ranked academically near the bottom among New York City schools) were acculturated to the racist reality that as the “oppressed” they were exempt from any punishment for hunting down their own teacher. As a Jewish (and thus white) “oppressive” supporter of Israel, she was reduced to, in the words an enthusiastic commenter on a Tik Tok video of the riot, a “cracker ass bitch.” And so the student pack tracked her down as if they were hunting an animal. The old Nazi youth gangs tried to kill Jews because they were not considered “white;” our new Nazis hunt them down because they allege that they are. The common denominator between the 1930s and 2023 is an unhinged hatred of Jews.

    Hundreds of such incidents are now occurring on a daily basis—as the country is leaving its Weimar phase and heading at warp speed into normalizing Jew-hatred and worse. Instructors singled out Jewish students in classes at UC Davis and Stanford. Pro-Hamas students ripped down posters, swarmed public buildings, and disrupted traffic.

    A pro-Israeli demonstrator in Los Angeles was hit on the head and killed by a pro-Palestinian university professor.

    Jewish students were trapped in a Cooper Union university library surrounded by pro-Hamas demonstrators. At MIT, Jewish students were warned to keep away from particular areas of the campus deemed dangerous for them.

    What would happen to a university president who warned black or Latino students to keep clear of areas where she could not guarantee their safety from other students?

    A bankrupt media deserves much of the blame. They daily broadcast Hamas’s suspect casualty figures, as if that terrorist organization has ever been capable of speaking the truth.

    The Western news regurgitated “500 dead at a Gaza hospital,” due to a supposedly deliberate Israel bombing. In fact, the hospital parking lot was hit by an errant Islamic Jihad missile intended to kill civilians in Israel.

    No matter—few reporters apologized for spreading Hamas-fed misinformation, despite the previous Hamas lies that they never harmed civilians, that tunnels were not beneath hospital grounds, that they did not murder 1,200 Israelis; or their lies that Hamas gunmen do not rape, when they engaged in mass rape on October 7.

    The media normalizes Hamas’s atrocities by treating it as if it were an ordinary government, not a murderous terrorist clique that decapitates civilians, takes children as hostages, and mutilates those it slaughters. That the terrorist organization has kidnapped at least ten American citizens and killed perhaps another 31 is lost on the “journalists,” many of them Americans who could care less about the fate of their fellow citizens.

    The media fixates on the Israeli response to mass murder, but rarely the mass murder of 1,200 Israeli civilians that prompted the current war. During ceasefires do Israeli terrorists drive into Gaza cities, and shoot and kill innocent civilians—and then brag, as did Hamas recently, that such murdering will only increase?

    Sometimes the anti-Semitic hatred reaches Orwellian levels of absurdity. A British reporter asked an Israeli official whether his country valued life less than Hamas did because it had agreed to Hamas’s demand to release three convicted terrorists in exchange for one Israeli captive. The media fawned over a released disfigured Gazan terrorist – without mentioning that her injuries came from a car bomb she exploded in hopes of killing Jews.

    The media is further emboldened by the Biden administration. When asked about the outbreak of anti-Semitism across the U.S. – nearly 60 percent of hate crimes are committed against Jews, who make up 2.5 percent of the population – Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed them with the false claim that the White House “had not seen any credible threats” to Jews. And then she claimed that the real danger to American residents was Islamophobia and threats to Arab-Americans. Hate crime and interracial crime statistics do not support Jean-Pierre’s assertions, which prompts the question of why she made them in the first place.

    Note that almost all the violence in demonstrations over the current war comes from the pro-Hamas side that shouts “river to the sea” genocidal threats, swarms the Capitol rotunda and the White House wall, disrupts traffic, occupies bridges at peak traffic, defaces private and public property, shouts down speakers on campus, harasses passers-by, and often battles the police. One wonders whether, should the U.S. military be forced to try to rescue American captives, the demonstrators would cheer for the American troops or Hamas hostage-takers.

    Abroad, the world has gone even crazier.

    The United Nations has appointed Iran—a theocratic, terrorist-supporting government that kills dissidents and takes hostages—as the chair nation of the UN Human Rights Council Social Forum. What a cruel joke.

    But what would one expect from the UN when its secretary-general, António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, a former Portuguese socialist politician, condemns the Israeli response to October 7, but rarely, if ever, the Hamas mass killing of civilians that prompted it. Right after the mass killing Guterres opined, “The attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum.” According to the secretary-general’s logic, I suppose, Pearl Harbor, the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine did not happen in a vacuum either.

    When told that an Irish citizen hostage was freed by Hamas, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar declared that the “lost” child was finally “found.” In other words, he wished to hide the obvious fact that a terrorist organization had kidnapped an Irish citizen child, held her hostage for 50 days, and released her only when Israel gave up convicted terrorists to obtain her release.

    Our domestic political leadership is not helping the situation.

    Just days after October 7, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with the foreign minister of the now often hostile Turkish government, were calling for a cease-fire to prevent an Israeli response.

    When the Islamic Jihad rocket aimed at Israeli cities went off course and damaged a Gaza hospital (leading to the fake story that Israel bombed the hospital), President Biden joked, “You got to learn to shoot straight.” Did Biden mean that, had the terrorists only launched a successful terrorist rocket into Jewish neighborhoods, there would have been no ensuing controversies?

    Biden later apologized for doubting fatality figures provided by the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas—a terrorist organization that has lied about the hospital “bombing,” denied it had tunnels under hospitals, denied that it had engaged in mass rape in Israel, and has supplied no proof of its civilian casualty numbers. Has Hamas released figures of how many of its terrorists were killed, and does it separate those numbers from lost “civilians?” And so are there really vast new cemeteries in Gaza to handle the 15,000 graves for those who, Hamas asserts, were killed?

    What explains the collective madness?

    For the last 40 years, while Western leftists have naively supported Palestinian terrorists, their governments have appeased terrorist-supporting Middle Eastern governments for very practical reasons. The old subtext to such mollification was that 500-million irate Arab Muslims, and a Middle East with 40 percent of the world’s oil reserves, in realist terms, simply argued against the interests of 10 million Israelis.

    But now there are two new, venomous elements in the matrix.

    One is that the racist DEI industry assumes that all intersectional nonwhite communities are victims of white privilege and supremacy. Therefore, as permanently oppressed, they are declared incapable of being racist themselves. And so they can harass with impunity the supposed victimizers—in this case American Jews, who are declared culpable whites.

    So the oppressed, according to the DEI bible, cannot be anti-Semitic, though many certainly are. And they apparently cannot be held accountable for their hatred or frequent violence.

    Secondly, in the last two decades there has been an epidemic of immigration into Western nations from the Middle East. In often-divided democracies like ours, politicians seek to appease as many pressure groups as possible, whether citizen voters or merely resident demonstrators, to acquire and maintain power.

    Such pro-Hamas demonstrators, rah-rahing from a free, prosperous, and secure West, expect no rebuke for their obvious hypocrisy in cheering on an autocratic, dictatorial Hamas that has wrecked the economy of Gaza, shoots dissidents, and allows no free expression. And Middle Eastern guests and immigrants are never reminded that their very demonstrations are predicated on not being physically present in their homelands, where they might be shot for what they say and do freely in the West.

    We are on a trajectory similar to that of 1930s Germany.

    Every time a student is cornered, harassed, or threatened; a high school mob tries to swarm and harm a teacher; a government spokesperson dismisses such hatred; or American soldiers are targeted by Iranian-fed terrorist organizations; the madness, racism, and anti-Semitism will increase—until it reaches a saturation point of abject violence in our streets.

    Once a society mainstreams the values of thuggish brownshirts, and ignores their “from the river to the sea” eliminationist chants and screams of “beat the f—king Jew,” then the next emboldened step is foreordained.

    True, most Americans were appalled by October 7 and accept that every nation has the right to defend itself from terrorist killers. Most Americans deplore vicious demonstrators and their calls for violence on behalf of the Hamas death cult. And most Americans want their President to demand the release of American hostages and to deter Iranian-backed terrorists who attack U.S. military personnel in the region.

    But unless the public demands that their universities enforce on campus the Bill of Rights and the right to move freely in safety, that police enforce laws against mob violence on America’s streets and in our schools, and that the United States stops greenlighting mass immigration from anti-Western nations and extending student visas to residents of anti-American, terrorist-supporting, and autocratic Middle East regimes, then in suicidal fashion we are headed for a 1930s nightmare.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 23:40

  • CCP Deploys Cover-Up For Mysterious Pneumonia Outbreak In Children
    CCP Deploys Cover-Up For Mysterious Pneumonia Outbreak In Children

    Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The sense of helplessness that has gripped the Chinese people on and off since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago is again returning as the country grapples with an unidentified pneumonia outbreak that is sickening children and overwhelming hospitals.

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty images)

    In strollers, or carried by their parents, sick children have been filling hospital waiting rooms, hallways, and spilling outside the main gates. They wait for hours hoping for their number to be called on the loudspeaker before the day is over.

    Waiting up to 12 hours is not uncommon—if one can get in line at all. After staying past midnight in a hospital hallway teeming with people, a Beijing resident shared a photo while holding a ticket number in the 1800s—the placement in the day’s queue—reminding would-be visitors to bring a stool with them, because “there’s nowhere to sit if you need to get an IV drip.”

    From north to south, the spike in children’s respiratory hospitalizations is shutting classrooms and pushing health authorities to issue a flurry of announcements telling teachers and students who feel unwell to stay home.

    “Everyone in the class is coughing—you can’t even hear what the teacher is saying,” a man surnamed Chen told The Epoch Times, recounting what he heard from his school-aged daughter from Beijing.

    Just like three years ago, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears dismissive of the disease’s risk, telling a concerned World Health Organization that there are no “unusual or new pathogens” or clinical symptoms.

    The regime partially attributed the uptick to a mid-October upgrade in a respiratory surveillance mechanism, and asserted that the existing Chinese hospital capacities have been sufficient to handle the situation.

    Patients wait to see the doctors at a fever clinic of Dongguan People’s Hospital in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China, on Dec. 20, 2022. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

    Beijing’s explanation, which the international health agency as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have quoted verbatim, has convinced few in China or abroad.

    The acting director of WHO’s department of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, Maria Van Kerkhove, said in a Nov. 29 press briefing that the organization is “following up with the situation in China” and assessing “the health care capacities around the world” in dealing with these types of new infections.

    Sean Lin, microbiologist and former lab director at the viral diseases branch of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, expressed frustration over the WHO’s reliance on China’s regime for information.

    “How can you trust the Chinese government data?” he told The Epoch Times.

    Many lawmakers in Washington, especially Republicans, see the same thing happening in China now.

    “We have no ability to trust the Chinese,” Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), told The Epoch Times’ sister outlet NTD on Nov. 30, a day after signing a letter demanding that the CDC investigate the outbreak in China.

    “They’re not forthcoming, they don’t want to lose face, and as a result, people die.”

    Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), a practicing surgeon, similarly believes “China’s going to do everything possible so that they don’t look like they’re the genesis of another pandemic.”

    “I don’t trust anything the Chinese say—not a word,” he told NTD. “You get burned once, you don’t get burned again.”

    A medical staff member gestures inside an isolation ward at a Red Cross hospital in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei Province on March 10, 2020. Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on March 10 that Wuhan has turned the tide against the deadly coronavirus outbreak. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

    A Fast Spreading Pathogen

    Around this time last year, the regime abruptly abandoned its draconian zero-COVID restrictions after forcing the Chinese population to live for years in an on-again, off-again lockdown with food and other basic needs hanging in the balance.

    In the first 20 days of December 2022, an estimated hundreds of millions contracted the virus. The influx of infections and deaths overloaded hospitals and crematoriums.

    Children have been particularly hard hit during the current pneumonia outbreak. Major Chinese pediatric hospitals across China have reported receiving up to 10,000 patients each day in recent weeks.

    The Tianjin Children’s Hospital hit a daily record of 13,171 patients recently. The hospital’s director, Liu Wei, penned a letter pleading for understanding from the public, emphasizing that the medical workers are also parents, some with their own sick children.

    Other health workers from the northeastern megacity confirmed the same pattern is repeating throughout Tianjin if not elsewhere. Going to the doctor at a hospital, for many Chinese, means waiting in the wee hours of the morning in front of their computer screen to secure a placement number, which is limited daily.

    “Even when our children get sick, we also have trouble getting a number. We also have to keep refreshing the screen to see if a number becomes available,” one Beichen Hospital staff member told The Epoch Times. Further north, in Jilin Province, a staff member from the Second Hospital of Jilin University said the hospital was booked for the next seven days.

    Hearses are seen waiting to enter a crematorium in Beijing on Dec. 22, 2022. The Chinese regime suddenly decided to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines, and mass testing. (STF/AFP via Getty Images)

    In some hospitals, the waiting rooms were so packed that children and their families had to line up outside the hospital gate. Tents, camping beds, foldable chairs, and blankets were all put into use, while those needing intravenous treatment brought hangers and lifting hooks to self-administer an IV during the wait.

    Feeling the pressure, authorities in the northern Chinese city of Sanhe have dispatched workers in hazmat suits to sanitize campuses. A man from Beijing, Mr. Liu, told The Epoch Times that the hospital he was staying in had put out a mask mandate and limited family visits to a two-hour window each evening.

    People in the thick of it speak uneasily of how fast, and persistent, the disease has been taking hold.

    On Chinese social media site Weibo, an elementary school teacher from southern China’s Hunan Province shared how the entire class fell sick overnight and stayed home. The teacher also called in sick after a night of head-splitting high fever, hand tremors, ringing in ears, and a dry cough that brought sharp lung pain.

    A Beijing mother of two, whose entire family recently suffered from the disease, referred to a local school in which half of the students became afflicted despite all the precautionary measures.

    People wait to see a doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, the nation’s largest hospital by bed count, in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, on Jan. 30, 2023. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

    “There’s not much you can do,” she told The Epoch Times. “Mask up and cover yourself as much as you like, you get infected all the same.”

    It’s also hard to completely shake it, she added. Days after the coughing and sneezing ceased, a student believed to have recovered became feverish again.

    Read the rest here…

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 23:00

  • Hamas Rocket Struck Base Linked To Israel's (Not So Secret) Nuclear Missile Program
    Hamas Rocket Struck Base Linked To Israel’s (Not So Secret) Nuclear Missile Program

    It’s such an open secret and so much of a ‘given’ assumption that it can just be casually written straight into the New York Times headline at this point…

    Nuclear missile program you say? (What nuclear program—nothing to see here… or the country’s worst kept secret.) Militant Rocket Hit Base Linked to Israeli Nuclear Missile Program…

    “A rocket most likely fired by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel struck an Israeli military base where, experts say, many of the country’s nuclear-capable missiles are based, according to a visual analysis of the attack’s aftermath by The New York Times.”

    The report details the highly dangerous episode, noting that while no missiles or warheads were directly hit, a large fire was sparked and nearly spread to storage facilities that contained “sensitive weaponry” at the Sdot Micha military base in central Israel.

    One weapons expert was cited as saying there may be up to 25 to 50 nuclear-capable Jericho missiles at the base where the fire raged. However, the nuclear warheads themselves are likely stored at a separate base, according to the analyst. But clearly the base in central Israel was directly targeted by Hamas, or also possibly Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) – which worked in concert.

    The Times concludes that what happened on Oct.7 was even scarier in terms of the potential for a bigger catastrophic event than previously believed:

    “But the targeting of one of the most sensitive military locations in Israel shows that the scope of the Oct. 7 attacks may have been even greater than previously known — and that rockets can penetrate the airspace around Israel’s closely guarded strategic weapons.”

    Illustrative image via Times of Israel/Flickr

    This strongly suggests that on Oct.7 there was an ultra-risky moment that Israel’s strategic nuclear arsenal came under direct fire (again, the arsenal that’s not supposed to exist). 

    The dangerous near-miss seems akin to the highly volatile and long-running standoff between Russian and Ukraine forces at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

    But in the case of Hamas, it’s a ragtag low-tech group of Islamists that apparently came very close to devastating a highly sensitive facility.

    Below: the visual investigation compiled by the Times showing a large scorched area in the aftermath of the missile strike…

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    The fresh Monday report noted, “The Times first identified the fire caused by the attack on Sdot Micha using public NASA satellite imagery for detecting wildfires. There has not been a fire — from any cause — of similar magnitude at the base since at least 2004.”

    Now, about two months out from the devastating Hamas terror raids of Oct.7, more and more shocking details from that day have been revealed which increasingly confirms the significant planning and sophistication of the multi-pronged attack. More and more pressure and public outrage has been directed at the Netanyahu government and military establishment for the unprecedented intelligence failures.

    This has also included that revelation that “Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show,” as a separate NYT report detailed. “But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 22:40

  • Treasuries Face Acid Test As Traders Look Past Powell's Pushback
    Treasuries Face Acid Test As Traders Look Past Powell’s Pushback

    By Ven Ram, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist

    Front-end Treasuries have rallied big in the past month, but labor market data will pose a key test for traders this week.

    Yes, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell did reiterate on Friday that the central bank is prepared to tighten policy further, but was just jawboning against the recent loosening of financial conditions rather than a statement of real intent given the clear disinflationary momentum we have seen of late.

    The two-year Treasury yield, which was hovering around 5% before softer-than-inflation readings for October, has since shed some 40 basis points. While the decline has made the maturity look rather rich on the curve, some optimism is justified by comments from Governor Christopher Waller who became the first Fed official to explicitly open the door to rate cuts.

    As I see it, the two-year maturity has a subjective 60% probability of entrenching its richness, even if the security may only consolidate its gains between now and the year-end. A crucial first test will come as soon as this week, with ADP employment numbers due on Wednesday and non-farm payrolls data for November on Friday. Curiously, the median forecasts on both expect an improvement from prior numbers, but yet another print that shows employers expanded their payrolls for an umpteenth successive time in this cycle isn’t likely to tell the Fed anything that it doesn’t already know about the resilience of the labor market.

    Instead, look at the jobless rate, where the number is forecast to stay unchanged at 3.9%. A reading lower than that will puncture the current rally in rates, for that would pretty much rule out any enthusiasm for the sooner-rather-than-later rate cuts that traders have firmly positioned themselves for. The Fed reckons that a print higher than 4% will be required to bring the labor market back into balance. An acceleration in hourly earnings will also sully the bullish mood in the Treasury markets.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 22:20

  • All Four "Pillars Of Civilization" Are Under Attack By An "Anti-Human Death-Cult"; Shellenberger, Carlson Unload On Global Elites
    All Four “Pillars Of Civilization” Are Under Attack By An “Anti-Human Death-Cult”; Shellenberger, Carlson Unload On Global Elites

    As world leaders gathered over the weekend for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, they faced an uncomfortable reality check from the conference president Sultan Al Jaber, who stated, “there is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C,” warning that their fossil-fuel policies would “take the world back into caves.”

    Nevertheless, no lesser mind than Vice President Kamala Harris pledged another $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund at the summit, seeking to help developing countries adapt to the “climate crisis” as well as decreasing fossil fuel production, according to CNN.

    The cult-like worship of (and escalation of) these policies is what led to tonight’s discussion between Tucker Carlson and Michael Shellenberger, author of the must-read “Apocalypse Never”, highlighting the increasingly obvious disconnect between global elites and the general public – most specifically in the context of environmental policies.

    “We know that the pillars of civilization are cheap energy, meritocracy, Law and Order, and free speech and all four of those pillars are currently under attack,” warns Shellenberger in his typically erudite and fact-based manner.

    The hypocrisy is simply Orwellian.

    As Shellenberger recently wrote on his Public substack, flying on private jets to a climate conference to announce plans to make energy even more expensive for working people is bread-and-circuses, except there’s no bread, and the circus consists of rich people celebrating their wealth, morality, and superiority.

    Carlson begins by pointing out that the drastic climate change policies are “fundamentally nonsense,” asking Shellenberger just how long this “posturing” of environmentalism can go on:

    “We’re watching people push an Orthodoxy at increasing volume with increasing hysteria and with increasingly severe penalties for disagreeing…what is that?”

    Shellenberger replies:

    “Global Elites used to pretend to care about people but they’re not even pretending anymore…”

    Adding that that cheap energy was “currently under attack,” explaining how it directly affects “modern civilization”:

    “you start with cheap energy, but you can’t maintain modern civilization without cheap energy.”

    He argues that “environmentalism used to have a kind of utopian positive side – that’s all gone.”

    Sadly, but clearly, the two highlight the fact that financial interests are behind the push for renewable energy sources, claiming that oligarchs and political figures are promoting expensive and inefficient energy sources to control energy markets.

    This is particularly clear from the detrimental influence of the ESG movement on the oil and gas industry.

    Simply put, the current environmentalist movement has become nihilistic and anti-human.

    “So,” the journalist continues, “the attack on cheap energy is truly an attack on modern civilization and it should frighten us and we should be aware to, and alive to it.“

    Shellenberger concludes with perhaps the most poignant thought of the whole discussion:

    “What gives me hope is that I think it’s finally becoming obvious to people that it’s a scam…

    …and that the people that are pushing this really hate civilization, or at least they hate civilization for others.

    They want it only for themselves and that they’re in the grip of a really dogmatic cult philosophy.

    I mean, I think it’s fair to call it a death cult at this point, when you’re stifling energy supplies that are necessary to keep people alive…

    I don’t know what else to call it other than an anti-human death cult.”

    Carlson replies:

    “that’s right. It’s not environmentalism. It’s the snarling face of tyranny.”

    Watch the full interview below:

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    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 22:00

  • FDA Shuts Down Enquiries About DNA Contamination In COVID Vaccines
    FDA Shuts Down Enquiries About DNA Contamination In COVID Vaccines

    Authored by Maryanne Demasi via The Brownstone Institute,

    The recent findings of DNA fragments in the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines has led many to question why the FDA, which is responsible for monitoring the quality and safety of the vaccines, has failed to sound the alarm.

    For years, the FDA has known about the risk posed by residual DNA in vaccines. Its own guidance to industry states:

    “Residual DNA might be a risk to your final product because of oncogenic and/or infectivity potential. There are several potential mechanisms by which residual DNA could be oncogenic, including the integration and expression of encoded oncogenes or insertional mutagenesis following DNA integration.”

    Put simply, the FDA acknowledges the possibility that fragments of DNA left over by the manufacturing process can be incorporated into a patient’s own DNA, to potentially cause cancer.

    FDA and WHO guidelines consider the amount of residual DNA in a single dose of traditional vaccine should not exceed 10 ng (one billionth of a gram).

    But this limit – used for traditional vaccines – is unlikely to be relevant to the mRNA vaccines whose lipid nanoparticles can penetrate inside cells to deliver the mRNA efficiently.

    A recent preprint paper by Speicher et al analysed batches of the monovalent and bivalent mRNA vaccines in Canada.

    The authors found “the presence of billions to hundreds of billions of DNA molecules per dose in these vaccines. Using fluorometry all vaccines exceed the guidelines for residual DNA set by FDA and WHO of 10 ng/dose.”

    Speicher et al also reported finding fragments of DNA larger than 200 base pairs (a measure of the length of the DNA) which also exceeds FDA guidelines.

    Notably, the authors commented that for the Pfizer product, the higher the level of DNA fragments found in the vaccine, the higher the rate of serious adverse events.

    Some experts say the risk of genome integration in humans is very low, but a recent publication in Nature found that around 7 percent of cells are integrated when mixed with a transfection solution containing linear pieces of DNA.

    Is the FDA Concerned?

    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to insist that any residual DNA contamination in the Covid vaccines is not a problem and that it “stands behind its findings of quality, safety, and efficacy for the mRNA vaccines.”

    “While concerns have been raised previously as theoretical issues, available scientific evidence supports the conclusion that the minute amounts of residual DNA do not cause cancer, or changes to a person’s genetic code,” added the FDA.

    The FDA would not provide the “available scientific evidence” to support its claim, but it’s worth noting that the vaccines’ own product labels show that genotoxicity and carcinogenicity tests were not carried out prior to their use.

    David Wiseman, a research bioscientist involved in medical product development and co-author on the study by Speicher et al said the FDA’s claim that there is no evidence of a cancer link is becoming “untenable.”

    “The CDC’s own analysis on the vaccine’s safety signal in VAERS shows there could be a signal for some cancers,” said Wiseman pointing to a report he co-authored and sent to the National Academies.

    In the table (highlighted in yellow), a safety signal is considered to be significant, and worthy of further investigation, if the value in the column marked PRR exceeds 2 and the value in the Chi-Square column exceeds 4.

    The FDA would not confirm if it found levels of DNA that exceeded acceptable levels, nor if it was investigating further.

    Instead, after months of enquiries, the FDA sent boilerplate responses to me (and other media) saying, “With over a billion doses of the mRNA vaccines administered, no safety concerns related to residual DNA have been identified.”

    In response to a list of questions about its testing and oversight, the FDA said it “does not have any additional information to provide at this time.”

    Poor Manufacturing Oversight

    We now know that Pfizer’s vaccine used in the clinical trials (PROCESS 1) was manufactured differently to the vaccine that was injected into the wider population (PROCESS 2).

    This switch from PROCESS 1 to PROCESS 2 is what introduced the plasmid DNA impurities (see red circles), which could change the safety profile of the vaccine.

    I asked the FDA if it had any human data on the comparison of the two processes.

    The agency pointed me to the FDA’s EUA review memo dated 20 Nov 2020 which suggested that the testing was “ongoing.”

    The three-year old document stated that “A more comprehensive comparability assessment encompassing additional lots from multiple DP manufacturing nodes is ongoing and the results will be provided to the EUA upon completion of the study.”

    When I asked the FDA for access to the “ongoing” results, I was instructed to obtain the information from Pfizer, but the drug company did not respond to my enquiries.

    A Freedom of Information request by Nick Hunt of the Daily Sceptic may explain why.

    Pfizer promised the regulator that it would compare the safety and immunogenicity of the two processes in participants and report back by February 2021, but it seems those studies were never done.

    The FOI stated:

    …in October 2020 an exploratory objective was added in the C4591001 study to describe safety and immunogenicity of vaccines produced by manufacturing “Process 1” or “Process 2” in participants 16 to 55 years of age. This exploratory objective was removed and documented in protocol amendment 20 in September 2022 due to the extensive usage of vaccines manufactured via “Process 2”. Thus, this process comparison was not conducted as part of the formal documentation within the protocol amendment.[emphasis added]

    Wiseman said, “Given the magnitude of the process change, from my experience in medical product development, these sorts of biological comparability studies would certainly have been expected to be undertaken by Pfizer.”

    He added, “the fact that Pfizer was given a free pass indicates a significant lapse in regulatory oversight.”

    Kevin McKernan, the genomics expert who made the discovery of DNA fragments in the vaccines earlier this year, says there’s “no incentive” now for Pfizer to carry out this comparative testing. 

    “It’s speculation on my part, but I suspect they might’ve seen increased adverse events with the commercial batch and buried the data knowing the train had left the station at that point,” said McKernan.   

    “There was no political will to stop vaccinating, and Pfizer probably knew the regulators would let them get away with not testing the commercial batches for the population,” he added. 

    *  *  *

    Republished from the author’s Substack

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 21:40

  • "Particularly Risky" – BIS Reveals 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Use Is Soaring Among Working Poor Youngsters
    “Particularly Risky” – BIS Reveals ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Use Is Soaring Among Working Poor Youngsters

    A new report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) shows that buy now, pay later (BNPL) adoption among young adults, particularly those with low education, is soaring. This trend is becoming increasingly prevalent in countries experiencing high inflation and where households tend to have higher debt levels. 

    BNPL allows consumers to spend money they don’t have over a number of interest-free installments, which are generally unreported to credit bureaus. The overuse and poor understanding of BNPL terms can be disastrous for consumers and lead to overindebtedness. 

    A surge in BNPL use was seen during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. According to Adobe Analytics, BNPL use on Cyber Monday hit a record high, up 43% from a year ago. 

    While the White House celebrated record holiday sales, a closer look at the data revealed a concerning trend: an increasing number of consumers are resorting to BNPL services for big-ticket items and essential goods, such as groceries. The reliance on BNPL indicates debts could be stacking up on consumers, which could strain service debts immensely. 

    BIS provided a simple breakdown of how BNPL services differ from credit cards. 

    The volume of global BNPL transactions and daily active users of BNPL services continues to skyrocket. 

    BNPL is the most popular in Australia, then across the West and China:

    The popularity of BNPL varies widely around the globe (Graph 6). The countries with the highest adoption rates are Australia and Sweden. Other countries with significant BNPL uptake are China, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    BIS finds the average BNPL user is under 35, has a low income, and lacks education: 

    Younger and tech-savvy individuals, including “Millennials” and “Generation Z,” often do not possess credit cards (PYMTS (2023)) and are generally less financially literate than older generations (Lusardi and Mitchell (2023)). Consistent with this, a survey of US BNPL services reveals that they are more often used by individuals with low-income levels and less educational attainment. 

    “There is evidence from the United States that BNPL users are particularly risky,” BIS said. 

    BNPL-fueled record holiday sales are nothing to cheer about as it only shows working poor consumers are adding even more leverage and insurmountable debts as Bidenomics fails. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 21:20

  • Trump Can't Go On Trial If He's Elected In 2024, Lawyer Says
    Trump Can’t Go On Trial If He’s Elected In 2024, Lawyer Says

    Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers argued in the Georgia election case that the charges should be thrown out because it’s a violation of his “free speech” and also noted that if he wins the 2024 presidential election, the Fulton County trial cannot go through.

    Former President Donald Trump prepares to testify during his trial in New York State Supreme Court in New York City on Nov. 6, 2023. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

    During a roughly six-hour hearing in Fulton County on Dec. 1, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee asked Mr. Sadow what would happen if President Trump wins the 2024 election and if the trial hasn’t occurred yet.

    “Under the Supremacy Clause and its duty to the president of the United States, this trial would not take place at all until after he left his term of office,” the former president’s attorney said in response, according to a live stream posted on the judge’s YouTube page.

    It means that the former president wins the 2024 election and Judge McAfee agreed that he shouldn’t be tried until he leaves office, which would delay the trial date to at least January 20, 2029.

    Responding to the claims, Fulton County prosecutor Nathan Wade said Ms. Willis “has no interest in interfering or getting involved in this presidential election” and said she is trying “to move this case forward.” He added, “Our obvious goal is, and has been, to stick to our August trial date.”

    The judge did not issue any rulings from the bench during the Dec. 1 hearing. He also has not scheduled a new trial date for the case.

    In a recent court filing, Ms. Willis’ office said prosecutors expect the proceedings to run until early 2025, which would run in tandem with the ending months of the 2024 presidential campaign. National polls show that President Trump is overwhelmingly the Republican favorite for president, including in key primary states.

    The former president’s lawyers said the former president would prefer not to be on trial in August 2024, noting his status as the leading Republican presidential candidate.  State prosecutors previously have said they are seeking a trial date around that time, which would come about three months before the presidential election next November.

    “It’s very possible at that time, that my client will be running for election for president of the United States for the Republican Party,” Mr. Sadow told the judge, saying “the preference would be that he not be on trial during the time that he is campaigning,” according to reporters in the court.

    “Can you imagine the notion of the Republican nominee for president not being able to campaign for the presidency because he is, in some form or fashion, in a courtroom defending himself?” he asked.  “That would be the most effective election interference in the history of the United States.”

    But Mr. Wade disagreed with his assertion, telling the court: “This trial does not constitute election interference. This is moving forward with the business of Fulton County.“

    “I don’t think it in any way impedes defendant Trump’s ability to campaign,” Mr. Wade added.

    Also in the hearing, his attorneys argued that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ indictment also effectively criminalizes the right to engage in political activity under the the First Amendment.

    Mr. Sadow told a judge that “you take the facts as alleged in the indictment … as applied constitutionally with the First Amendment, you’ll find that it violates free speech, freedom of petitioning, all the expressions that the First Amendment is designed to protect, and therefore the indictment needs to be dismissed.”

    Over the summer, Ms. Willis’ office charged President Trump and 18 others, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, with conspiracy to allegedly overturn the 2020 election results. Several co-defendants—including attorneys Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis—have pleaded guilty in return for a plea deal with prosecutors.

    The remaining 15 defendants in the case, including President Trump, have pleaded not guilty. The former president, who faces charges in three other jurisdictions, has said it’s part of a wide-ranging campaign to denigrate his political chances.

    Steve Sadow, attorney for former President Donald Trump(R), speaks during a hearing in the 2020 Georgia election interference case at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Dec. 1, 2023. (John David Mercer/Pool via Getty Images)

    Ms. Willis had also asked the judge to set a final plea date of June 21, writing that prosecutors would consider plea deals up until that date and intend to recommend the maximum penalties at any sentencing hearings after that. Judge McAfee said Dec. 1 he wasn’t sure that was necessary, that the district attorney could independently set a date after which she wouldn’t consider plea deals.

    Attorney Buddy Parker, who represents lawyer and co-defendant John Eastman, told the judge his client is concerned about the possibility of a trial date being set in 2025, saying that would mean it was more than a year that his case would be pending.

    “There are a number of defendants, as noted, who are not running for the presidency of the United States,” Mr. Parker said, adding that his client would like to be tried separately from President Trump because of the complications involved and would even be in favor of going to trial before August.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 21:00

  • Former US Ambassador Charged With Spying For Cuba For Over 40 Years
    Former US Ambassador Charged With Spying For Cuba For Over 40 Years

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dropped a bombshell and almost unbelievable revelation, on Monday saying it has broken up a major Cuban spy operation that went on for decades at the highest levels of government.

    Former US ambassador to Bolivia Manuel Rocha has been arrested at his Miami home for secretly acting as a spy for Cuba “for more than 40 years” in a development which may be without precedent. The case is being called the “highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the US government by a foreign agent.”

    Bolivian President Hugo Banzer (L) with Manuel Rocha in 2000, via Sky News

    73-year old Rocha spent his career rising through the ranks of the State Dept and foreign service, having began as a desk officer for Honduras all the way back in November 1981, after attending Yale, Harvard, and Georgetown University.

    “For decades, Rocha allegedly worked as a covert agent for Cuba and abused his position of trust in the U.S. government to advance the interests of a foreign power,” a DOJ press release stated.

    The US government said he secretly represented Cuban interests while in high ranking diplomatic positions, thus he had the ability to manipulate American foreign policy toward that end.

    He was finally caught after such a long career serving dual purposes when he bragged to an undercover FBI agent that he had done “decades” of work on behalf of Cuba. The DOJ detailed this as follows in the wake of his being taken into custody last Friday:

    The complaint alleges that, in a series of meetings during 2022 and 2023, with an undercover agent from the FBI posing as a covert Cuban General Directorate of Intelligence representative, Rocha made repeated statements admitting his “decades” of work for Cuba, spanning “40 years.”

    When the undercover told Rocha he was “a covert representative here in Miami” whose mission was “to contact you, introduce myself as your new contact, and establish a new communication plan,” Rocha answered “Yes,” and proceeded to engage in a lengthy conversation during which he described and celebrated his activity as a Cuban intelligence agent.

    The DOJ has sought to make clear these activities went far beyond some mere lobbying relationship, given that in the secretly recorded conversation with Rocha, the retired ambassador referenced the US as “the enemy”: 

    Throughout the meetings, Rocha behaved as a Cuban agent, consistently referring to the United States as “the enemy,” and using the term “we” to describe himself and Cuba. Rocha additionally praised Fidel Castro as the “Comandante,” and referred to his contacts in Cuban intelligence as his “Compañeros” (comrades) and to the Cuban intelligence services as the “Dirección.” Rocha described his work as a Cuban agent as “a grand slam.”

    The case details also make clear that US authorities believe he was acting as an agent of Cuba from the very beginning of his service in the US State Dept in the early 1980s. If this is what Cuban intelligence could successfully do, what about Washington’s much bigger and powerful rivals?

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    Rocha reached his high ranking diplomatic positions by the late 1980s, which included the following successive roles through the 1990s and early 2000s:

    • First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico;
    • Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;
    • Department of State employee, as the Director of Inter-American Affairs on the U.S. National Security Council, with special responsibility for, among other things, Cuba;
    • Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba;
    • Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and
    • November 1999 until in or around August 2002: Ambassador to Bolivia at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia.

    It has not been revealed the precise ways or moments in which he benefitted Cuba or potentially influenced US policy. Interestingly, he was posted in Cuba at various times in which Washington did not have official relations with the Castro government, which has also long been under crippling sanctions. 

    One key question that will naturally arise: given the length and span of his being a Cuban spy at top echelons of the State Department, are there more foreign moles? It seems this is the likely scenario, especially given this period reaching back into the 1980s marked the tail end of the Cold War.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 20:40

  • Experts Predict Mind-Controlled Devices May Be Common By 2040s
    Experts Predict Mind-Controlled Devices May Be Common By 2040s

    Authored by Isabella Rayner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Experts predict that by 2040, people will control smart devices with their thoughts due to advancements in ‘smartbrain’ technology.

    (Life science/Shutterstock)

    A smartbrain, or Brain-Machine Interface (BMI), is a wearable or implanted device that directly links the human brain to smart devices like phones, computers, and robotic limbs.

    It would allow people to navigate the internet, send texts, and adjust thermostats by merely thinking, blurring boundaries between humans and machines.

    University of New South Wales (UNSW) biomedical engineering expert Mohit Shivdasani said scientists are “very close” to mind-controlled devices becoming an everyday reality rather than a science-fiction concept.

    “We’re not far off from seeing someone walking around with a brain-machine interface outside of a lab,” he said.

    “We have computers all around us. They are in our pockets and travelling everywhere we go, but to think of integrating that directly with the brain to use the technology … it’s pretty amazing.”

    He said disabled people would particularly benefit from mind-controlled devices after a successful test on two paralysed people.

    “One particular [paralysed] person was able to control a robotic arm just by thinking about it, while another person was able to move a cursor on a computer screen and read his email,” he said.

    He explained that the technology worked by unblocking signals from the brain to the limbs.

    “There are situations where the brain can send signals, but those signals can’t get to limbs for the person to be able to then walk for themselves. So what a brain-machine interface would do is read those thoughts and convert those thoughts to an action,” he said.

    Further, he is improving smart brain bionic eyes for blind people and devices for chronic pain and inflammatory bowel disease.

    He believes using smartbrains widely can significantly help people with different issues affecting their quality of life.

    “I’ve had a lot of chats with blind patients. When you ask them what they want from a bionic eye, they’ll say: ‘I want to see my family,'” he explained.

    “I remember one conversation with a lady, and she said: ‘I would love to be able to see the Target sign again, because when I go into the shopping centre, I want to be able to find Target really easily.”

    “As an engineer, I would never have thought about that, but that could be so important.”

    Future of Connected Health

    UNSW PhD candidate Claire Bridges weighed in on some other benefits.

    She mentioned that smartbrains help the future of connected health, like telehealth.

    “With COVID, we saw a big expansion in the need for and provision of telehealth, which has been incredibly beneficial. To further expand that and improve our ability to provide health care to people who might not be able to see a clinician or undergo a test in person, we can use wearable devices,” she explained.

    She said smartbrain watches, or implanted blood glucose monitors and sensors, would change how doctors communicate with patients.

    “Devices like these can collect huge amounts of data as they continuously monitor the person wearing them. AI could be a big help with this, analysing these big data sets to identify relevant health information and sending it to a patient’s treating clinician,” she added.

    She said doctors could then intervene in near-real time when people are unwell.

    “Whether it’s inflammatory markers in the blood or hormone secretion or neurotransmitter issues, we could catch things earlier and get that early diagnosis so that we can have more effective preventative health,” she explained.

    “On average, Australians spend about 11 years of their life in poor health, but with the advances we’re seeing in our biomedical technology, both in terms of physical, actual hands-on implanted treatment or drug delivery or other developing technology, we have a lot of opportunity to improve things.”

    Expert Warns of Risks

    However, biomedical researcher Christina Maher likened smartbrains to someone “speaking” for people, causing invasive ethical problems.

    “For example, a brain-computer interface (BCI) may generate the output “I’m good” when the user intended it to be “I’m great”. These are similar, but they aren’t the same. It’s easy enough for a non-disabled person to physically correct the mistake—but for people who can only communicate through BCIs, there’s a risk of being misinterpreted,” she said.

    Further, she said people can’t choose which brain signals to share with the smartbrain.

    “Brain data are arguably our most private data because of what can be inferred regarding our identity and mental state,” she said.

    “Yet private BCI companies may not need to inform users about what data are used to train algorithms.”

    She said ethical challenges raise questions about what is best for people and society.

    “For instance, should individuals in the military be equipped with neuroenhancing devices so they can better serve their country and protect themselves on the front lines, or would that compromise their individual identity and privacy? And which legislation should capture neurorights: data protection law, health law, consumer law, or criminal law?”

    Nevertheless, she said smartbrains are unlikely to launch people into a dystopian world, in part due to computer limits.

    “After all, there’s a leap between a BCI sending a short text and interpreting one’s entire stream of consciousness … making this leap largely comes down to how well we can train algorithms, which requires more data and computing power,” she explained.

    Neuroscientist Andrew Jackson added society has nothing to fear yet.

    “When it segues into talk of enhancement—the idea that we might be able to, for instance, write new memories into our brain or upload our memories onto a hard drive or into the cloud—we know a lot less about how those brain systems work,” he told ABC News.

    He explained the human body is still a lot more capable than machinery.

    At the moment, he said, the benefits of using a brain-machine interface are “still nothing like the sophistication of a normally functioning nervous system.”

    “I think we have to be realistic,” he said.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 20:20

  • "Our Munich": Israel Plans To Hunt Down Hamas Operatives Living Abroad
    “Our Munich”: Israel Plans To Hunt Down Hamas Operatives Living Abroad

    Israel has signaled it is prepared to take the war on Hamas far beyond the confines of Gaza and the West Bank. Fresh words by the country’s defense minister have invoked “our Munich” in relation to planned efforts to hunt down notable Hamas operatives abroad. 

    “The cabinet has set us a goal, in street talk, to eliminate Hamas. This is our Munich. We will do this everywhere, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar,” said Ronen Bar, who is the head of Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet. 

    Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security services, via Flash90.

    He emphasized, “It will take a few years but we will be there to do it.” Israel has long been known to conduct aggressive and high risk assassination campaigns abroad, especially in Iran of late.

    The words have outraged Turkey in particular, given it was named in Bar’s comments. On Monday Turkish Intelligence warned of “serious consequences” if Israeli agents try to seek Hamas members abroad, or especially on Turkish soil.

    The most famous targeted assassination covert op was in response to the 1972 killings of 11 Israeli Olympic team members. Terrorists belonging to the Palestinian Black September had launched an unprecedented attack on the Munich games. Some eight members of the radical group had breached the Olympic compound and entered the two apartments used by the Israeli team, after which they began executing athletes amid a hostage standoff.

    From there began a process on the part of Israeli intelligence to hunt down the Munich killers over a period of several years and spanning different countries. Israeli intelligence had dubbed the covert operation – details of which only became known decades later – as the “Wrath of God”.

    According to a recounting of how the risky Munich response came together…

    The clandestine programme was spearheaded by then Mossad chief Zvi Zamir, prime minister Golda Meir and her counterterrorism adviser Aharon Yariv, said historian Michael Bar-Zohar.

    Initially, “after Munich, Golda Meir didn’t know what to do”, Bar-Zohar said. The two security chiefs, both with “the air of university professors”, met Meir, the Israeli historian said. “They were timid, well-dressed, and said one thing: ‘Now we must destroy Black September’.”

    The trio, aware it would be nigh impossible to hunt down all members of Black September, instead devised a strategy of “smashing the head of the serpent” by killing the group’s leadership, said Bar-Zohar.

    “Golda really hesitated,” he said. “Should she authorize assassinations throughout Europe and the Middle East?

    “She said ‘yes’.”

    Over the next few months, the heads of Black September and their allies from the Palestine Liberation Organization began to die in mysterious circumstances in Rome, Paris and Cyprus.

    But Oct.7 was clearly many times worse that the Munich Olympic massacre, with some 1,200 Israelis – most of them civilians – killed. Around 240 hostages were taken, and currently 137 are still captive in Gaza, among them small children, after last week’s truce and prisoner swap deal collapsed.

    Much of Hamas’ political leadership lives abroad, making decisions for the militant group from afar – and often from within the safety of Muslim countries. One famous operation in the recent past was known as the “Dubai job”. A high-ranking and founding Hamas member had been killed at his hotel by a group of Mossad assassins dressed as if they were playing tennis.

    But the operation was somewhat of a fiasco given how widely the CCTV footage was publicized in the aftermath. Author Ronen Bergman has detailed this and other clandestine killings in his book Rise and Kill First: the Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations. Many targeted killings have also taken place against Iran, where Iranian nuclear scientists have especially been in the crosshairs of late.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 20:00

  • US Water Systems Targeted By Iran-Linked Cyberattacks In Multiple States
    US Water Systems Targeted By Iran-Linked Cyberattacks In Multiple States

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Multiple federal agencies are warning that Iran-linked hackers have been targeting U.S. water systems and other industries that use programmable-logic controllers (PLC) made by Israeli firm Unitronics, as the Israel–Hamas war simmers in the background.

    This photo provided by the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa shows the screen of a Unitronics device that was hacked in Aliquippa, Pa., on Nov. 25, 2023. (Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa via AP)

    Hackers affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have engaged in “malicious cyber activity” targeting PLC operational technology devices used in the U.S. water and wastewater systems sector, and in other industries including energy, food, and beverage manufacturing, since at least Nov. 22, the agencies said in a Dec. 1 alert.

    The agencies that issued the warning include the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the National Security Agency (NSA), with the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) joining in the advisory.

    This IRGC-linked cyberattack group (known variously as CyberAv3ngers, CyberAveng3rs, or Cyber Avengers) has been compromising default credentials in Unitronics devices since at least Nov. 22, the agencies said.

    After hacking the PLC devices in multiple states, CyberAv3ngers left the following defacement message: “You have been hacked, down with Israel. Every equipment ‘made in Israel’ is CyberAv3ngers legal target.”

    The cyber group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against critical infrastructure in Israel starting in 2020; it has recently turned its attention to targets in the United States, a key ally of Israel as it battles the Hamas terror group in response to the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel.

    One high-profile attack by CyberAv3ngers targeted a water authority near Pittsburgh on Nov. 25, prompting congressional lawmakers to demand an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and triggering the latest multi-agency warning that other water and sewage-treatment utilities, and other industries, may be vulnerable.

    The PLC devices regulate processes including pressure, temperature, and fluid flow, according to Unitronics.

    Pennsylvania Water Utility Attacked

    A cyberattack by the Iran-linked group on Nov. 25 targeted the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, forcing the utility to switch to manual operations; officials said water quality wasn’t compromised.

    “The affected municipality’s water authority immediately took the system offline and switched to manual operations—there is no known risk to the municipality’s drinking water or water supply,” the CISA said in a Nov. 28 notice.

    While water quality wasn’t affected this time, the agency said that such cyberattacks do have the potential to threaten the ability of water and wastewater systems to provide clean drinking water to residents and to effectively manage wastewater.

    The hackers accomplished their attack by exploiting cybersecurity weaknesses, including poor password security and exposure to the internet, according to the CISA. The agency urged water and wastewater facilities to take preventive measures including changing passwords and disconnecting the PLCs from the open internet.

    Several Pittsburgh-based cybersecurity firms said that utility companies are more vulnerable to cyberattacks targeting operational technology because many of these systems are dated and monitored infrequently.

    “Take a Fortune 500, or any type of large manufacturer or utility—instead of breaking in through their firewalls and trying to get to their data, [hackers have] the ability to try to go in and interfere with their systems,” David Kane, CEO of Pittsburgh-based Ethical Intruder, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

    “I think you’re gonna see a big rise in that because there’s just so few protections on it,” he said, adding that an attack on the operational technology side is “very alarming.”

    In its latest warning, the CISA and the other agencies shared a number of indicators of compromise (IOC), as well as tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) associated with the Iran-linked cyber group’s operations.

    Lawmakers Demand Probe

    The cyberattack prompted several congressional lawmakers from Pennsylvania to demand that the Department of Justice (DOJ) launch an investigation into how the foreign hacking group managed to breach a U.S.-based water facility.

    “Any attack on our critical infrastructure is unacceptable,” U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) said in a post on X. “It poses a threat not only to Western PA, but also the nation.”

    Mr. Deluzio, along with U.S. Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Nov. 28, saying that Americans need to be confident that their drinking water and other basic infrastructure is safe.

    “If a hack like this can happen here in western Pennsylvania, it can happen anywhere else in the United States,” the lawmakers wrote.

    The attack came less than a month after a federal appeals court decision prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind a rule that would have obliged U.S. public water systems to include cybersecurity testing in their regular federally mandated audits.

    The rollback was triggered by a federal appeals court decision in a case brought by Missouri, Arkansas, and Iowa, and joined by a water utility trade group.

    Unitronics didn’t respond by press time to queries as to whether other facilities with its equipment may have been hacked or could be vulnerable.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 19:40

  • Powerful Storm Could Cover Millions In US East With Snow 
    Powerful Storm Could Cover Millions In US East With Snow 

    Meteorologists are monitoring weather models that show a powerful storm might unleash thunderstorms, torrential rains, and snow across two dozen states in the central and eastern US this weekend. 

    AccuWeather meteorologists say a storm in the central Rockies will move into the southern and central Plains, developing a new area of low pressure on Friday. At the same time, cold air from the Rockies and northern Plains will collide, and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico will spark powerful thunderstorms. 

    Folks in eastern Texas into Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and western Tennessee should be on watch for dangerous thunderstorms on Saturday. 

    Focusing on what readers are most interested in: There’s a significant possibility of heavy snowfall across the Midwest to the interior Northeast. 

    “This storm will interact with cold air on the northwest side of the storm,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Bauer said.

    Bauer noted, “If the cold air can move in quickly enough, we could be looking at a zone of impactful snow from the Midwest and up through the Great Lakes Saturday into Sunday.”

    It’s still too early to determine the storm’s track and where the heaviest snow falls. However, AccuWeather meteorologists said to keep an eye on “places such as Chicago and Detroit.” 

    In a separate report, Ryan Maue, a meteorologist and former NOAA chief scientist, wrote in a post on X, “Next major winter storm dialed for Sun/Mon with narrow band of heavy snowfall … but uncertainly about where it lines up e.g. St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit? Who knows.” 

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    As for the East Coast cities, like Washington, DC, New York City, and Boston, meteorologists are convinced that temperatures will stay above freezing and any precipitation will be in the form of rain. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 19:20

  • Silver Looks Like A Real Bargain Right Now
    Silver Looks Like A Real Bargain Right Now

    Via SchiffGold.com,

    At the current price, silver is a real bargain.

    Gold went on a run late last week, setting an all-time record high last Friday and breaking the $2,100 level for a brief time in overseas trading Sunday night. Silver also rallied but continues to lag behind gold.

    In fact, silver looks significantly underpriced based on both its historical relationship with gold and the supply/demand dynamics.

    The silver-gold ratio is currently over 81-1. That means it takes more than 81 ounces of silver to buy one ounce of gold. To put the current ratio into perspective, in the modern era, the silver-gold ratio has averaged between 40:1 and 60:1.

    Historically, the ratio has always returned to that mean. And when it does, it does it with a vengeance. The ratio fell to 30-1 in 2011 and below 20-1 in 1979.

    When the spread gets this wide, silver doesn’t just outperform gold, it goes on a massive run in a short time. Since January 2000, this has happened four times. As this chart shows, the snapback is swift and strong.

    Here’s some historical perspective.

    Geologists estimate that there are approximately 19 ounces of silver for every ounce of gold in the earth’s crust, with a ratio of approximately 11.2 ounces of silver to each ounce of gold that has ever been mined. Interestingly, the silver-gold ratio in ancient Egypt was 1:1.

    In 1792, the gold/silver price ratio was fixed by law in the United States at 15:1. France mandated a ratio of 15.5:1 in 1803. Faced with the challenges of a bi-metallic monetary system with fixed exchange rates and the aftermath of a worldwide financial crisis, the US Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1873. Following the lead of other Western nations, including England, Portugal, Canada, and Germany, this act formally demonetized silver and established a gold standard for the United States.

    With silver playing a smaller role as a monetary metal, the silver-gold ratio gradually spread.

    Since the world went to a total fiat money system, there seems to be some correlation between the silver-gold ratio and central bank money creation. During periods of central bank money-printing, the gap tends to shrink. For instance, it plummeted in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis as the Fed engaged in extreme monetary policy.

    In a recent podcast, Peter Schiff noted that while gold set a record, silver is far below its record of just under $50 an ounce.

    I think silver is a particularly good buy right here because gold is at a record high and silver would have to double to hit its record high. That tells me that silver is very cheap.”

    SUPPLY AND DEMAND

    The price of silver also fails to reflect the current supply and demand dynamics.

    According to a recent forecast by Oxford Economics, silver demand for industrial applications, jewelry production, and silverware fabrication is expected to nearly double over the next 10 years.

    The use of silver in solar energy and electric vehicles will drive industrial offtake. According to a research paper by scientists at the University of New South Wales, solar manufacturers will likely require over 20% of the current annual silver supply by 2027, and by 2050, solar panel production will use approximately 85–98% of the current global silver reserves.

    Silver demand set records in every category in 2022. Meanwhile, supply was flat with mine output dropping by 0.6% to 822.4 million ounces.

    Record global silver demand and a lack of supply upside contributed to last year’s 237.7 million ounce market deficit. It was the second consecutive annual deficit in a row. The Silver Institute called it “possibly the most significant deficit on record.” It also noted that “the combined shortfalls of the previous two years comfortably offset the cumulative surpluses of the last 11 years.”

    The price of silver does not reflect future demand or the growing supply deficit.

    It’s important to keep in mind that while silver is an industrial metal, more fundamentally, it is money. Despite being more volatile in the short term, silver tends to track with gold over time. Historically, it has outperformed gold in a gold bull market.

    At some point, investors will have to reckon with the shrinking supply of silver coupled with rising demand, along with the Fed’s inability to bring inflation back to its 2% target. When that happens, the price of silver will likely take off. If it does, $25 silver will look like a real bargain.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 19:00

  • The Absolute State Of Joe Biden: Even Chris Cuomo 'Open' To Trump In 2024
    The Absolute State Of Joe Biden: Even Chris Cuomo ‘Open’ To Trump In 2024

    If one needs an indicator of just how terrible things are going for the Biden administration, former CNN host and Democrat darling, Chris Cuomo, says he’d be “open” to voting for Donald Trump over Biden.

    In a recent podcast, Cuomo was asked about whether the United States would “survive” another term with President Trump, to which Cuomo replied: “We survived a Trump administration. Would we survive another? Yes.”

    “And for people who are now going to attack me and say, what are you talking about? Trump is like this crazy man. Well, look, you know, as Patrick says, the data is the data. Nobody was trying to kill us when Trump was president in a way that they’re not now,” he told Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnik, Tom Ellsworth and Vincent Oshana.

    “So you’re open to a Trump vote?” asked one of the hosts.

    “I am always open. And I’ll tell you this. People say … ‘you’ve never voted for a Republican in your life.’ Wrong.”

    “The first vote I ever cast was for a Republican,” Cuomo continued.

    Watch the podcast discussion below:

    Cuomo, currently a host for NewsNation, was suspended indefinitely by CNN in 2021 over allegations that he helped cover up his brother’s sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo is suing the network for $125 million, claiming that his ouster was “unlawful.”

    “It should be obvious by now that Chris Cuomo did not lie to CNN about helping his brother,” said Cuomo’s lawyer earlier this month. “In fact, as the limited information released from Warner Media’s investigation makes clear, CNN’s highest-level executives not only knew about Chris’ involvement in helping his brother but also actively assisted the governor, both through Chris and directly themselves.”

     

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 18:40

  • Cuban President In Iran For First Time In Two Decades, Resisting 'Arrogant' US Sanctions
    Cuban President In Iran For First Time In Two Decades, Resisting ‘Arrogant’ US Sanctions

    Via The Cradle,

    Iran and Cuba signed seven cooperation documents and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) on Monday during a landmark visit to the Islamic Republic by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

    The fields in which the two nations will expand cooperation include science and technology, health, agriculture, energy and mining, communication, and medicine. Diaz Canel arrived in Tehran on Sunday marking the first official visit by a Cuban leader to Iran since Fidel Castro’s visit in 2001.  

    Image: Iranian Presidency/EFE

    “We seek to strengthen the historical relations between the two countries, which have been built on mutual respect for 40 years; my visit aims to confirm our friendship with Iran, and in this context comes the signing of 6 cooperation agreements,” the Cuban president said during a joint news conference with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

    For his part, Raisi stressed that both Iran and Cuba are resisting the “arrogant system” led by the US and warned the west of their “miscalculation” in sanctioning both nations.

    “The US and arrogant system think that sanctions can force countries to surrender, but this calculation is incorrect,” the Iranian president emphasized.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Cuba earlier this year, calling the Caribbean nation “a friend, brother, and strategic ally.” 

    Despite crushing economic sanctions from the west, over the past several years the Islamic Republic has significantly bolstered ties with nations in Latin America.

    The Iranian foreign minister visited Nicaragua earlier this year to discuss improving bilateral ties. During his visit, the top Iranian diplomat also met with Nicaraguan army commanders to discuss ways to “end” US hegemony in the region.

    The Cuban president’s official military welcoming ceremony:

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    In June, Bolivian Defense Ministers Edmundo Novillo and Iran’s Mohamad Reza Ashtiani inked an MoU on defense and security affairs. Iran had also previously agreed to help Bolivia combat drug trafficking along its borders. 

    Tehran has also proved essential in helping Venezuela overcome US sanctions, allowing the South American nation to rebuild its battered oil refineries and providing oil dilutants and technical help to boost oil trade with countries like Russia and China.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 18:20

  • Muslim Americans In Key Swing States Declare They'll Ditch Biden In 2024 Over Gaza Policy
    Muslim Americans In Key Swing States Declare They’ll Ditch Biden In 2024 Over Gaza Policy

    Democrats in Michigan have put the White House on notice, warning that his policies on Gaza have turned the Arab American community against him to the point of possibly being able sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

    What’s more is that Biden’s supporters are quicky turning on him in some key swing states. “Increasingly, they have amplified their warnings, telling Biden’s team that frustrations among Arab Americans and Muslims could hurt him in the presidential race next year,” Politico has highlighted. “While those voters make up a small portion of the electorate, they can be a key bloc in tightly contested battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. Exit polls show a clear majority of Muslims voted for Biden in 2020.”

    Saturday Arab American rally attendees, via AP.

    Dearborn, Michigan in particular has a huge Arab American community, with many of these being Muslims as well as Palestinian Christians. The broader Detroit area is home to many Palestinian-Americans. They have become outraged over Biden’s refusal to impose conditions on military aid given to Israel, as the civilian death toll soars.

    Minneapolis-based activist Jaylani Hussein has said, “Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” and emphasized “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.”

    This growing anger is leading to greater political organizing, as the AP has pointed out in describing, “Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania gathered behind a lectern that read Abandon Biden, ceasefire now in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.”

    The aforementioned Hussein said the following words to the weekend conference to resounding applause:

    “We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself.”

    “The anger in our community is beyond belief. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden,” he highlighted to the AP. “I even had one incident where a religious leader asked me, ‘How do I get my 2020 ballot so I can destroy it?’“

    Saturday “Abandon Biden” conference, via AP.

    According to more from the AP:

    Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were critical components of the “blue wall” of states that Biden returned to the Democratic column, helping him win the White House in 2020. About 3.45 million Americans identify as Muslim, or 1.1% of the country’s population, and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to Pew Research Center.

    But leaders said Saturday that the community’s support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza.

    Activists at the conference were further quoted as saying their rejection of Biden doesn’t necessarily translate into support for Republican front-runner Donald Trump, but they intend to make Biden pay as long as he persists on his current Israel policy track.

    On Sunday National Security Council spokesman John Kirby made appearances on the major Sunday shows, and tried to explain that the US received ‘assurances’ from Israel that its military is not targeting Palestinian civilians. These repeat attempts to address growing international and domestic pressure will likely be seen as weak and ‘too little, too late’ among Muslim Americans.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 18:00

  • Is This Gold Breakout For Real? De-Dollarization May Be The Key Factor…
    Is This Gold Breakout For Real? De-Dollarization May Be The Key Factor…

    Authored by Mark Jeftovic via DollarCollapse.com,

    Historically, fresh all-time-highs portend drawdowns for gold… Why this time may be different.

    Gold finally did what many of us have been waiting on for a long time, and notched up a new all-time-high while closing strong into the weekend.

    It’s been over three years in the making, and had some gut wrenching pullbacks in the interim.

    The problem with gold over the course of The Fiat Era – is that with  notable exceptions, new all-time-highs were usually an intermediate top signal that portended an imminent, significant pullback, followed by lengthy sideways grinds that could drag out for years.

    To be sure,  since The Nixon Shock in 1971, when dollar convertibility into gold was suspended temporarily  – gold has for the most part been solidly “up and to the right”, as the Bitcoiners like to say.

    Via Macrotrends.net

    But that’s over a multi-decade timeframe. The intermediate cyclical and counter-cyclical moves, especially the bearish ones, could last longer than a typical trader’s career. Or  least his patience…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    After the 1980 all-time-high, it took 28 years for gold to put in another one, in nominal terms. In inflation adjusted terms, gold still hasn’t surpassed the 1980 top:

    Via Macrotrends.net – Inflation adjusted

    When it finally did put in another ATH as the world was heading into the Global Financial Crisis, the expectations were that it would soar. After all, it seemed as if the financial system was literally imploding, and that was supposed to be the entire point of gold.

    But that isn’t what happened, gold came off hard, along with everything else – turns out that in a liquidity crisis, the “best” assets get sold off too…

    After a 25% decline from the 2008 high to the GFC lows, gold reversed hard and took off, about six months sooner than the rest of the stock market did – and finally went on a bull run of successive higher highs through until the 2011 high a bit shy of that fabled $2000 mark ($1,825) – before a vicious five year decline took it down over 40%. It was brutal.

    Since then, the brief high during COVID (still shy of the $2K handle) and the failed retest of that high in 2022 were both followed by double-digit pull backs.

    During the fiat currency era, while the nominal price of gold has generally been steadily increasing, there have only been three periods when it was in a solid bull run of putting up successively higher highs:

    1971 – 1975 and 1976 – 1980, which many regard as one bull market, then 2009 – 2011.

    The 2008 and 2020 all-time-highs marked “tops” that took three years to regain and surpass.

    So, the obvious question is, which is it now?

    The 4-Dimensional Base Case for Gold (a.k.a “Why this time may be different”)

    As you can probably tell, I’m not really a chartist or much for technical analysis. While many look at these prior cycles for gold and try to derive meaning from the patterns using Elliot Waves and Fibonacci retracements, whatever, I just look at what actually happens and try to understand the fundamental investment logic of why people allocate to gold. General people, normies – not goldbugs.

    If the normies think that either the currency, or the financial system itself, could go down the crapper, they’ll buy gold.

    If they think the crisis is over and everything will be fine, they’ll sell it.

    The 1980 gold bull ended because Paul Volcker “saved the USD” by hiking interest rates to 20%.

    The 2011 bull run ended because QE and ZIRP “saved the financial system”.

    Since the advent of the Fiat Era, the bull thesis for gold has been driven by “3-D’s”:

    Debasement, Deficits, Debt…

    This is nothing new, we don’t need to rehash it here. They’ve all been out of control, and accelerating, for decades. Far beyond what anybody paying attention could have thought was possible.

    So far, the Three D’s haven’t been able to do it, but lately, another “D”… The Fourth “D” has been added to the mix:

    …and De-Dollarization

    Talking about the end of USD hegemony used make you look nutty. It was a weirdo talking point exclusive to preppers and doomers.

    Then a few things happened, all within a very short time frame:

    1. COVID hit – and suddenly the doomers and preppers didn’t look so weird anymore. Even though the pandemic turned out to be less deadly than the experts thought, the policy response of lockdowns and stimulus still blew the first three D’s out to even more absurd proportions.

    2. The weaponization of the financial system toward foreign adversaries – Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, changed the calculus of holding USD foreign reserves (notwithstanding whether these governments had it coming or not).

    3. Exorbitant Privilege becoming more conspicuous and overt: It was long known that the US enjoyed a peculiar advantage in the global financial system – able to conjure value ex-nihilo and use it to import resources and boost domestic living standards – but combined with the other catalysts, it suddenly appeared to be more asymmetric than previously.

    Now, “de-dollarization” isn’t some unthinkable scenario, it’s a thing. The BRICs are already planning an alternative system and we’re seeing more transactions that were previously settled exclusively in USD, being settled in alternative currencies – including gold.

    Something else that is different this time is that Central Banks are buying up gold in record quantities, China’s PBOC reportedly scarfed up ____ tonnes this year , over 12% of annual production. This is believed to be in anticipation of even more oil purchases from GCC countries in Chinese Yuan, not USD.

    As I finish this article out on Monday morning, gold is off a bit from the Asian opening last night, where it spiked over $50/oz out of the gate, only to give it all back. Peter Schiff is freaking out, because Bitcoin is outperforming gold, even as the former put up that new all-time-high.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    But these short term gyrations from one trading session to the next are meaningless. I find it almost cringey that a figure like Schiff would be fixating on it.

    Bitcoin and gold are being impelled by the same motivation to protect purchasing power and defend against the coming era of capital controls – they each bring different types of optionality to the portfolio (which is why I find the “gold vs Bitcoin” argument beyond tedious).

    However, when it comes to gold, especially – 5,000 years as a monetary metal as we like to remind people – we have to look at the longer waves. Gold’s moves play out over months and years, what between trading sessions is noise.

    In my mind the key level to watch whether this gold move is real, is when it surpasses the 1980 high in inflation adjusted terms: which is around $2,590/oz

    Once gold cracks $2,600/oz in USD terms, we’ll know for sure we’re into one mother of a long-wave super-cycle for the yellow metal.

    (Which also means, btw, that the time to allocate a portion of your portfolio to gold is before it breaks out to successive all time highs, not after. You can put some of your retirement savings into a gold ira, pick up some physical, and we’re finishing up report on the best options for vaulted gold – join the mailing list to get that when it drops).

    *  *  *

    Sign up to the DollarCollapse mailing list and receive the simplest, most actionable guide to contrarian investing Nobody Knows Anything, free. Follow us on Twitter here, or like us on Facebook here.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 17:40

  • Sam Altman's 'Engagement' In Other Startups Possibly Led To Initial Firing By OpenAI Board
    Sam Altman’s ‘Engagement’ In Other Startups Possibly Led To Initial Firing By OpenAI Board

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s wheeling and dealing in other tech startups could have been one of the major factors pressuring the ChatGPT-maker’s board of directors to fire Altman last month. After his firing, OpenAI’s staff threatened to quit, forcing the board of directors to reinstate the founder days later. 

    Wired published a report about Altman’s ventures, including a startup named “Rain AI.” He personally invested upwards of a million in the company, which develops neuromorphic processing units, or NPUs. These chips are designed to replicate the human brain. In 2019, OpenAI entered into a nonbinding agreement with Rain to purchase $51 million in NPUs once they became available. 

    “OpenAI’s letter of intent with Rain shows how Altman’s web of personal investments can entangle with his duties as OpenAI CEO,” Wired wrote in the report. 

    The report pointed out Altman’s prior role at startup incubator Y Combinator helped him as a top Silicon Valley dealmaker, “investing in dozens of startups and acting as a broker between entrepreneurs and the world’s biggest companies. But the distraction and intermingling of his myriad pursuits played some role in his recent firing by OpenAI’s board for uncandid communications, according to people involved in the situation but not authorized to discuss it.” 

    According to a blog post about closed-door meetings with developers, Altman recently explained the need for advanced chips and more robust supply chains to further AI progress. 

    Meanwhile, at Rain, co-founder and former CEO Gordon Wilson posted last week that he has “stepped down from my position as CEO of Rain AI” after leading the startup for six years.

    “I will also continue to share my own thoughts on AI and semiconductors, as these industries are central to the greatest transformations we are witnessing (and will continue to witness) across the world in this century,” Wilson wrote.

    Bloomberg also noted that the US government forced Saudi Aramco’s investment vehicle Prosperity7 to sell its $25 million stake in the startup over national security concerns. 

    Other rumors show that the board might have fired Altman over working on a new chip venture to rival NVDA. Another rumor was that Altman did not inform the board about a breakthrough in artificial general intelligence. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 17:20

Digest powered by RSS Digest

Dec 04

Today’s News 4th December 2023

  • TikTok Part Of CCP's 'Cognitive Warfare' Strategy Against US: Rep. Gallagher
    TikTok Part Of CCP’s ‘Cognitive Warfare’ Strategy Against US: Rep. Gallagher

    Authored by Andrew Thornebrooke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    TikTok is a key tool in communist China’s strategy to manipulate Americans and undermine the United States’s ability to respond to crises, according to experts and lawmakers.

    Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), speaks during a press conference unveiling the results of the committee’s investigation into the biolab discovered in Reedley, Calif., in Washington on Nov. 15, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, will likely use TikTok in its effort to wage “cognitive warfare” against the United States, said Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.).

    “The CCP calls it ‘cognitive domain warfare,’ part of their larger political warfare strategy,” Mr. Gallagher said in prepared comments for a Nov. 30 hearing of the House Select Committee on the CCP.

    Mr. Gallagher, who chairs the committee, said that the United States was struggling to respond to the threat, as the nation had no grand strategy or apparatus for confronting propaganda from authoritarian powers.

    “Cognitive warfare is not something we tend to think about here in the West. Sure, we have ideas like soft power, but they’re not a national strategy,” Mr. Gallagher said.

    “On the ‘smokeless battlefield’ of people’s minds, we don’t have a standing military at all.”

    CCP Seeks ‘Mind Dominance’

    The Pentagon’s 2022 China Military Power Report (pdf), which distills the Defense Department’s most authoritative assessments of China’s strategy and capabilities, highlighted the development of the CCP’s new method of psychological warfare.

    It said that the CCP and its military wing, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), were developing and deploying methods for conducting cognitive warfare to win military advantage.

    “As the PLA seeks to expand the reach of its influence operations around the world and to seize information dominance on the battlefield, it is researching and developing the next evolution of psychological warfare called cognitive domain operation[s] (CDO) that leverages subliminal messaging, deep fakes, overt propaganda, and public sentiment analysis,” the report stated.

    “The goal of CDO is to achieve what the PLA refers to as ‘mind dominance,’ defined as the use of propaganda as a weapon to influence public opinion to effect change in a nation’s social system, likely to create an environment favorable to China and reduce civilian and military resistance to PLA actions.”

    The report described CDO as “a more aggressive form of psychological warfare” intended to “affect a target’s cognition, decision making, and behavior.”

    Mr. Gallagher said that CCP leader Xi Jinping considered CDO as a vital weapon in the regime’s arsenal that could be used to manipulate the American people at key moments, such as during an election cycle.

    “In Xi Jinping’s view, the war has already started on the most important battlefield: your mind,” Mr. Gallagher said.

    Data Suggests TikTok Taking Direction From CCP

    Mr. Gallagher pointed to TikTok as the regime’s most powerful tool for conducting cognitive warfare.

    People walk past the headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, in Beijing on Sept. 16, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

    Though the company denies that it takes direction from China-based parent company ByteDance, executives have previously acknowledged its censoring and “heating” of content at the request of the CCP.

    To that end, Mr. Gallagher shared several slides suggesting that TikTok is still taking orders from Chinese communist authorities.

    The slides demonstrated that posts about “viral topics” in politics and pop culture were proportionately represented on TikTok and Instagram in relation to the number of monthly users that both apps had.

    Thus, there were about twice as many posts about Democrats, former President Donald Trump, Taylor Swift, and the “Barbie” movie on Instagram because Instagram has about twice as many monthly users as TikTok.

    That proportionality changes, however, when one looks at topics heavily criticized or censored by the CCP.

    There were about nine times fewer posts about the Uyghurs on TikTok than on Instagram, for example. And there were 30 times fewer posts about Tibet.

    Moreover, there were 153 times fewer posts on TikTok about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, a topic heavily censored by Beijing in the mainland.

    “In the best-case scenario, TikTok is CCP spyware—that’s why so many state and national governments have banned it on official phones,” Mr. Gallagher said.

    “In the worst-case scenario, TikTok is perhaps the largest scale malign influence operation ever conducted.”

    TikTok Could Cause ‘Absolute Chaos’ in 2024 Elections

    What’s more, Chinese state-owned media outlets have explicitly cited TikTok as a tool for advancing the regime’s goals, testified John Garnaut, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank.

    Mr. Garnaut noted that the CCP Central Committee’s official paper described TikTok as a key component in its effort to “allow short video platforms to become ‘megaphones’ for telling Chinese stories well and spreading Chinese voices well.”

    Another story in the same paper said that the concepts of freedom, democracy, and human rights were invented to “compete with us [the CCP] for positions, hearts, and masses, and ultimately overthrow the leadership of the Communist Party of China and our country’s socialist system.”

    To that end, Mr. Garnaut said that TikTok was “a project of total ideological control” by the CCP, with “enormous” potential to radically shape the information that Americans receive.

    “The ability of this platform to manipulate public opinion at crucial moments … I think that’s the issue for deep concern,” Mr. Garnaut said.

    Mr. Gallagher said earlier in the week that the CCP could exploit the app to cause “absolute chaos” in the U.S. 2024 presidential election.

    Mr. Garnaut agreed with that sentiment, saying that the presence of any CCP disinformation could have detrimental effects regardless of whether it was believed. He pointed to the 2016 elections as evidence for such a phenomenon.

    “Mueller found no evidence that Russia caused the election of Trump or that Trump had colluded with Russia,” Mr. Garnault said. “Nevertheless, Russia’s interference fed perceptions that bitterly divided Americans and wounded the faith of many that the election had been free and fair.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 12/04/2023 – 00:00

  • These Are The Critical Minerals To China, EU, & US National Security
    These Are The Critical Minerals To China, EU, & US National Security

    Governments formulate lists of critical minerals according to their industrial requirements and strategic evaluations of supply risks.

    Over the last decade, minerals like nickel, copper, and lithium have been on these lists and deemed essential for clean technologies like EV batteries and solar and wind power.

    Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti and Zach Aboulazm created the following graphic, using data from  IRENA and the U.S. Department of Energy, to identify which minerals are essential to China, the United States, and the European Union.

    What are Critical Minerals?

    There is no universally accepted definition of critical minerals. Countries and regions maintain lists that mirror current technology requirements and supply and demand dynamics, among other factors.

    These lists are also constantly changing. For example, the EU’s first critical minerals list in 2011 featured only 14 raw materials. In contrast, the 2023 version identified 34 raw materials as critical.

    One thing countries share, however, is the concern that a lack of minerals could slow down the energy transition.

    With most countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the total mineral demand from clean energy technologies is expected to double by 2040.

    U.S. and EU Seek to Reduce Import Reliance on Critical Minerals

    Ten materials feature on critical material lists of both the U.S., the EU, and China, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, and rare earths.

    Mineral / Considered Critical 🇺🇸 U.S. 🇪🇺 EU 🇨🇳 China
    Aluminum/ bauxite Yes Yes Yes
    Antimony Yes Yes Yes
    Cobalt Yes Yes Yes
    Copper Yes Yes Yes
    Fluorspar Yes Yes Yes
    Graphite Yes Yes Yes
    Lithium Yes Yes Yes
    Nickel Yes Yes Yes
    Rare earths Yes Yes Yes
    Tungsten Yes Yes Yes
    Arsenic Yes Yes No
    Barite Yes Yes No
    Beryllium Yes Yes No
    Bismuth Yes Yes No
    Germanium Yes Yes No
    Hafnium Yes Yes No
    Magnesium Yes Yes No
    Manganese Yes Yes No
    Niobium Yes Yes No
    Platinum Yes Yes No
    Tantalum Yes Yes No
    Titanium Yes Yes No
    Vanadium Yes Yes No
    Tin Yes No Yes
    Zirconium Yes No Yes
    Phosphorus No Yes Yes
    Cesium Yes No No
    Chromium Yes No No
    Indium Yes No No
    Rubidium Yes No No
    Samarium Yes No No
    Tellurium Yes No No
    Zinc Yes No No
    Boron No Yes No
    Coking Coal No Yes No
    Feldspar No Yes No
    Gallium No Yes No
    Helium No Yes No
    Phosphate Rock No Yes No
    Scandium No Yes No
    Silicon No Yes No
    Strontium No Yes No
    Gold No No Yes
    Iron ore No No Yes
    Molybdenum No No Yes
    Potash No No Yes
    Uranium No No Yes

    Despite having most of the same materials found in the U.S. or China’s list, the European list is the only one to include phosphate rock. The region has limited phosphate resources (only produced in Finland) and largely depends on imports of the material essential for manufacturing fertilizers.

    Coking coal is also only on the EU list. The material is used in the manufacture of pig iron and steel. Production is currently dominated by China (58%), followed by Australia (17%), Russia (7%), and the U.S. (7%).

    The U.S. has also sought to reduce its reliance on imports. Today, the country is 100% import-dependent on manganese and graphite and 76% on cobalt.

    After decades of sourcing materials from other countries, the U.S. local production of raw materials has become extremely limited. For instance, there is only one operating nickel mine (primary) in the country, the Eagle Mine in Michigan. Likewise, the country only hosts one lithium source in Nevada, the Silver Peak Mine.

    China’s Dominance

    Despite being the world’s biggest carbon polluter, China is the largest producer of most of the world’s critical minerals for the green revolution.

    China produces 60% of all rare earth elements used as components in high-technology devices, including smartphones and computers. The country also has a 13% share of the lithium production market. In addition, it refines around 35% of the world’s nickel, 58% of lithium, and 70% of cobalt.

    Among some of the unique materials on China’s list is gold. Although gold is used on a smaller scale in technology, China has sought gold for economic and geopolitical factors, mainly to diversify its foreign exchange reserves, which rely heavily on the U.S. dollar.

    ADVERTISEMENT

     

    Analysts estimate China has bought a record 400 tonnes of gold in recent years.

    China has also slated uranium as a critical mineral. The Chinese government has stated it intends to become self-sufficient in nuclear power plant capacity and fuel production for those plants.

    According to the World Nuclear Association, China aims to produce one-third of its uranium domestically.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 23:30

  • Melatonin Use And Poisoning Reports Surging In Children, Revealing Concerning Problem
    Melatonin Use And Poisoning Reports Surging In Children, Revealing Concerning Problem

    Authored by Marina Zhang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    But recent survey findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics suggest that melatonin consumption in U.S. children and adolescents is “exceedingly common.”

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock)

    Around one-fifth of American children use melatonin for sleep, with some parents beginning administration to their children at the early age of 1, the authors wrote.

    The United States has seen a rapid rise in pediatric melatonin use due to sleep problems. Some clinicians attribute these sleep problems to an increase in mental illness and screen use.

    According to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) survey findings, between 2017 and 2018, around 1 percent of children and adolescents under the age of 19 consumed melatonin in the past 30 days.

    The JAMA Pediatrics study authors compared this finding to their own research results, reporting that the current data indicate a rise in use of about 20 percent. Parents surveyed also reported that their children take the supplement on average two to five days per week, and many take it daily.

    Up to 20 percent of children have taken melatonin in the past 30 days, and two to five days per week on average. (Illustration by The Epoch Times)

    The common use of melatonin has also contributed to melatonin poisoning. Between 2012 and 2021, poison control centers in the United States have seen a 530 percent increase in melatonin ingestion reports among children, some of which resulted in hospitalization and death, according to research published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) publication.

    Between 2012 and 2021, poison control centers in the United States have seen a massive increase in melatonin ingestion reports among children, some of which resulted in hospitalization and death. (Illustration by The Epoch Times)

    Insufficient Sleep Is Common Among Children

    “A lot of people think that kids don’t have sleeping problems, and that is absolutely not true,” sleep medicine pediatrician Dr. Gayln Perry, CEO of the Perry Center for Pediatric & Adult Sleep Care, told The Epoch Times.

    Kids have always had sleeping problems, and these don’t differ much from those of adults.

    COVID has also escalated problems. Around 25 percent of children suffered from disrupted sleep prior to the pandemic, and this jumped to nearly 46 percent in 2020.

    Just as stress, anxiety, and depression can cause insomnia in adults, the same can occur in children who have different worries from day to day. These may include schoolwork, pressure from peers, and social media interactions.

    Many teenagers are also over-committed in their school activities, which impacts their ability to get to bed on time.

    Additionally, homeschooling during the pandemic increased children’s screen time. Screens are highly stimulating; their light can suppress and disrupt the sleep cycle.

    There is a significant problem with electronics in general, “to the point that some parents really have lost control,” Dr. Perry said. Kids may get up in the middle of the night or early in the morning before school to get on their tablets or phones or to play video games.

    Pediatrician Dr. Derek Husmann said he believes screen use is the main problem causing disordered sleeping in children.

    Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactive disorders, whose rates have been growing among children, are also associated with poor sleep and difficulty falling asleep.

    A Cheap and Accessible Sleep Aid

    Parents and caretakers have, therefore, turned to melatonin.

    Supplements for children are accessible, unregulated, and can be bought without a prescription. Available in the form of gummies and liquids, they are also appealing to young children.

    “The majority of parents that come into my clinic have at least tried melatonin, or the child is already on melatonin—either per recommendation from a general pediatrician or on their own,” Dr. Perry said.

    Between 2016 and 2020, sales of melatonin supplements increased by around 150 percent, according to the MMWR. Beyond sleep, people also supplement melatonin for its antioxidizing, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and neuroprotective effects.

    Sleep aids, some of which are melatonin gummies, are displayed for sale in a store on April 26, 2023, in Miami, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

    Melatonin is a natural hormone the body produces to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Light suppresses, while darkness stimulates the release of melatonin from the pineal gland.

    Generally, melatonin supplements are advised to be taken one to two hours before bedtime to mimic the natural cycle.

    “If taken later, it might be that the ‘window of opportunity’ has been missed,” Henriette Edemann Callesen, a neuropsychiatry consultant for the Danish Health Authority, wrote to The Epoch Times via email.

    Melatonin’s effects only last about two hours. “It’s going to facilitate falling asleep quicker, but it’s not going to be around long enough to impact sleep quality,” said Dr. Perry. While parents typically report a short-term benefit when administering melatonin, as time passes, the supplements may not work as well, and the dose may need to be increased.

    Dr. Husmann has seen this in his patients.

    “It used to bother me a lot when I came across those patients that have been on it for months and months. I asked them to try to wean their kids off … but there are some cases where they try, and it’s not particularly successful,” he said.

    Whether prolonged melatonin use leads to tolerance, like other sleeping pills, remains up for debate. Studies have shown conflicting evidence. However, long-term supplementation is typically not advised.

    The Dangers

    Doctors also generally do not recommend melatonin supplementation for healthy children under age 3 since difficulties falling and staying asleep in these children are almost always behavioral in nature. Yet there have been numerous cases of melatonin use in infants and toddlers.

    High melatonin levels have also been detected in deceased children.

    “I suspect the biggest issue is easy access to melatonin and its ill-perceived safety,” sleep medicine pediatrician Dr. Muhammad A. Rishi at Indiana University Health wrote to The Epoch Times via email. 

    A North Carolina autopsy report detailed seven cases of suspected melatonin involvement in pediatric deaths.

    One case was of a 3-month-old girl routinely given eight to 10 daily doses of 5 milligrams of melatonin supplements as a sleep aid. Such a dosage is well above what’s recommended for a child of any age. The child’s cause of death was inconclusive.

    Doctors still do not know why melatonin supplementation may be associated with death, given its assumed high safety profile. It should also be noted that deaths from melatonin supplements make up only a very small percentage of all melatonin poisoning reports.

    Dr. Perry said she has never had a patient die from melatonin and expects that since melatonin is an endogenous hormone—meaning it naturally occurs in the body—it should have a wide safety margin.

    “I don’t see a lot of downsides other than I wish so many kids didn’t need it in the first place,” Dr. Husmann agreed.

    However, Dr. Rishi argued that melatonin is a drug, meaning that it changes a person’s mental or physical state and, therefore, should be treated as such.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 23:00

  • The Drag From China's Property Crisis Will Only Become Bigger
    The Drag From China’s Property Crisis Will Only Become Bigger

    By Charlie Zhu and Helen Sun, Bloomberg markets live reporter and strategists

    Three things we learned last week:

    1. A protracted slump in China’s property market is hampering the broader economy’s recovery. Official data showed manufacturing activities contracted in November, while the services sector also lost momentum. A surprise pickup in a private manufacturing gauge was met with skepticism.

    The latest data show there’s no end in sight for the crisis, with the decline in China’s home sales worsening. Homebuyer sentiment remained weak amid uncertain employment and income prospects, according to Fitch Ratings. Concerns over developers’ home delivery weighed on the market as more firms faced liquidity issues, analysts led by Karl Shen wrote in a report.

    Neither infrastructure construction nor high-end manufacturing can fill the missing demand from a lack of home purchases, Wu Ge, chief economist at Changjiang Securities Co., wrote in a note. Wu previously worked at the central bank’s monetary policy department.

    What’s worse, policy push to have banks offer a lifeline to developers is adding more pain to the financial sector. Lenders, which have already been suffering from soaring bad loans and record low net interest margins, face the prospect of big losses and job cuts.

    2. China was left out in the everything rally that lifted global assets in November, underscoring the depth of pessimism. The CSI 300 benchmark closed near its weakest level of the year on Friday, even after a report that a state entity has purchased ETFs lifted stocks off their session lows.

    Efforts at one of China’s largest investment banks to silence bearish commentary deepened investor worries about a lack of access to transparent data and research. A rally in equities traded on the Beijing Stock Exchange, which has been an outlier in the sluggish market, also lost steam.

    Still, some investors are spotting opportunities. Fidelity International is timing a re-entrance into the market as Beijing prioritizes growth, while Franklin Templeton sees valuations as too attractive to ignore.

    3. Amid all the gloom, the emergence of a new technology giant suggests the country is still a dynamic market. Shares of PDD Holdings Inc., an eight-year-old e-commerce platform, surged after reporting a near doubling in revenue. Its market cap outstripped Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. last week in a landmark shift for the country’s tech industry.

    More of those valuable startups originating from China may become available for public investment. Fast-fashion retailer Shein is said to have filed confidentially with US regulators for an initial public offering that could take place next year.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 22:00

  • Pentagon Confirms US Warship, Commercial Ships Under Attack In Red Sea
    Pentagon Confirms US Warship, Commercial Ships Under Attack In Red Sea

    Update (1800ET):

    US Central Command provided a detailed summary of the four maritime attacks carried out by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, targeting commercial vessels on Sunday:

    Today, there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea. These three vessels are connected to 14 separate nations. The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance.

    At approximately 9:15 a.m. Sanaa time, the CARNEY detected an anti-ship ballistic missile attack fired from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward the M/V UNITY EXPLORER, impacting in the vicinity of the vessel. UNITY EXPLORER is a Bahamas flagged, U.K. owned and operated, bulk cargo ship crewed by sailors from two nations. The CARNEY was conducting a patrol in the Red Sea and detected the attack on the UNITY EXPLORER.

    At approximately 12 p.m., and while in international waters, CARNEY engaged and shot down a UAV launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. The drone was headed toward CARNEY although its specific target is not clear. We cannot assess at this time whether the Carney was a target of the UAVs. There was no damage to the U.S. vessel or injuries to personnel.

    In a separate attack at approximately 12:35 p.m., UNITY EXPLORER reported they were struck by a missile fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. CARNEY responded to the distress call. While assisting with the damage assessment, CARNEY detected another inbound UAV, destroying the drone with no damage or injuries on the CARNEY or UNITY EXPLORER. UNITY EXPLORER reports minor damage from the missile strike.

    At approximately 3:30 p.m. the M/V NUMBER 9 was struck by a missile fired from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen while operating international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The Panamanian flagged, Bermuda and U.K. owned and operated, bulk carrier reported damage and no casualties.

    At approximately 4:30 p.m., the M/V SOPHIE II, sent a distress call stating they were struck by a missile. CARNEY again responded to the distress call and reported no significant damage. While en route to render support, CARNEY shot down a UAV headed in its direction. SOPHIE II is a Panamanian flagged bulk carrier, crewed by sailors from eight countries.

    These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security. They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world. We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran. The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners.

    *   *   *

    Update (1409ET):

    A reporter from the Israeli public broadcasting corporation shared on X that a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces reported a UK commercial ship was targeted in the Houthi attack.

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    *   *   *

    Update (1305ET):

    CNN’s Pentagon reporter Haley Britzky reports that the US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Carney shot down two drones belonging to Yemen’s Iran-supported Houthi rebels.

    The destroy then received a “distress call from the civilian commercial vessel M/V Unity Explorer, after the Carney saw at least one ballistic missile fired at the Unity Explorer & land in its vicinity.” 

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    According to Bloomberg data, Unity Explorer is a bulk carrier and recently transited the Suez Canal. The ship’s last known position was last Tuesday, in the middle part of the Red Sea. 

    Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack. 

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    *   *   *

    In a significant development, AP News has reported that a US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and two commercial vessels were targeted in the Red Sea. This incident is part of a growing trend of maritime attacks in the waters of the Middle East, which have been linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

    “We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said.

    Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official told AP that the attack was around Sanaa, Yemen, and said Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, repelled at least one drone during the attack.

    Despite no confirmation from the Pentagon on who exactly were the attackers, one might suspect Yemen’s Iran-supported Houthi rebels, who have frequently attacked ships in the Red Sea, could be responsible. The terror group has also launched drones and missiles at Israel. 

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    Let’s remember the Red Sea is one of the world’s most heavily traveled commercial shipping lanes. 

    Meanwhile, “Gulf of Tonkin” is trending on X in the US. 

    The latest data from intelligence firm Stratfor shows two US aircraft carriers are in the region:

    • CVN 69: The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is underway in the Persian Gulf. 
    • CVN 78: The USS Gerald R. Ford is underway in the Mediterranean Sea. 

    With an amphibious group in the Red Sea

    • LHD 5: The USS Bataan is underway.

    This comes weeks after the “Galaxy Leader,” a vehicle carrier vessel, was hijacked in the Red Sea. 

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    *Developing… 

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 21:45

  • Yale Awards 80 Percent Of Grades In The A Range
    Yale Awards 80 Percent Of Grades In The A Range

    Authored by Jonathan Turley via jonathanturley.org,

    We recently discussed the runaway grade inflation at Harvard where roughly 80 percent of grades were As. Now the Yale Daily News is reporting the same percentage of As. Indeed, the percentage is virtually identical. Harvard is handing out 79 percent agrees where Yale is apparently more rigorous at 78.9.The report is apparently an embarrassment to the university since the dean of Yale College said that professors are not adhering to guidelines for grading.Yet, this could hardly be a surprise to the dean since these grades are reported and issued by the records office.

    Indeed, this average is reportedly down from the prior year where 81.97 percent of students were given As. So not getting an A at Yale meant that you were in the bottom 20 percent of the class.

    That means that for virtually all of the students at Yale there was a three-grade system that runs from A+, A, and A-.

    The percentage was higher in the African American Studies department at 82.21 percent. However, it was the Gender Students department that showed that 92.6 percent of grades were in the A range. So only 7 % of students did not receive an A in gender studies.

    For employers and other universities, it renders the grades from Yale meaningless in judging the capabilities and record of students.

    They are not apparently alone.

    At Spellman College, economics professor Kendrick Morales was fired after objecting to the school raising his grades without his consent, even after massively increasing the grades.

    Morales worked for two years at Spellman and taught two upper-level courses. In one class, he added a 28-point grade bump for one test at the request of his department chair.

    When students overall bombed the final, Morales  “pre-emptively” raised them 36 points so that a student receiving a 57 would receive an A.  Yet, even with that increase, 44 percent of that class would still fail. Indeed, they had failed, but Morales says that Undergraduate Studies Dean Desiree Pedescleaux bumped up the students’ grades again without his approval.

    He was later fired.

    The allegations not only raise questions over the academic standards at Spellman, but the violation of academic freedom.

    Grade inflation is only the latest sign of how school administrators have lost control of universities and colleges. It also reflects a growing expectation of students in terms of higher GPAs.

    It is easy to say that this is the byproduct of the “trophy generation,” but this is not their fault. Years ago, I had an interesting conversation with one of my classes over this negative image and one student said that they never wanted participation trophies. She noted it was my generation that wanted them to have them, not the kids. Another student said that she would routinely throw away trophies as meaningless and insulting.

    The same could well prove true for grades that they will become worthless and discarded if this trend continues. That will undermine a critical role of universities in evaluating the performance of students. That role not only helps future employers. It is even more important in offering students a true appraisal of their work. Often students will pursue degrees for the wrong reasons and not consider other fields that may be better suited to their talents and interests. If you are getting nothing but As in your economics or gender studies course, there is little reason to consider alternatives.

    When John F. Kennedy was given an honorary degree at Yale, he quipped “it might be said now that I have the best of both worlds. A Harvard education and a Yale degree.” It turns out that both now come with the same 80 percent likelihood of receiving an A. The question is not the degree but the education at either school with such grade inflation.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 21:00

  • How Much Do Americans Trust The Media?
    How Much Do Americans Trust The Media?

    Media trust among Americans has reached its lowest point in six years.

    Gallup began its survey on media trust in 1972, repeating it in 1974 and 1976. After a long period, the public opinion firm restarted the polls in 1997 and has asked Americans about their confidence level in the mass media – newspapers, TV, and radio – almost every year since then.

    Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti and Sam Parker illustrates Gallup’s latest poll results, conducted in September 2023, in the graphic below:

    Americans’ Trust in Mass Media, 1972-2023

    Americans’ confidence in the mass media has sharply declined over the last few decades.

    Trust in the mass media % Great deal/Fair amount % Not very much % None at all
    1972 68 24 6
    1974 69 21 8
    1976 72 22 4
    1997 53 31 15
    1998 55 35 9
    1999 55 34 11
    2000 51 37 12
    2001 53 33 14
    2002 54 35 11
    2003 54 35 11
    2004 44 39 16
    2005 50 37 12
    2007 47 35 17
    2008 43 35 21
    2009 45 37 18
    2010 43 36 21
    2011 44 36 19
    2012 40 39 21
    2013 44 33 22
    2014 40 36 24
    2015 40 36 24
    2016 32 41 27
    2017 41 29 29
    2018 45 30 24
    2019 41 30 28
    2020 40 27 33
    2021 36 29 34
    2022 34 28 38
    2023 32 29 39

    In 2016, the number of respondents trusting media outlets fell below the tally of those who didn’t trust the media at all. This is the first time that has happened in the poll’s history.

    That year was marked by sharp criticism of the media from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

    In 2017, the use of the term ‘fake news’ rose by 365% on social media, and the term was named the word of the year by dictionary publisher Collins.

    The Lack of Faith in Institutions and Social Media

    Although there’s no single reason to explain the decline of trust in the traditional media, some studies point to potential drivers.

    According to Michael Schudson, a sociologist and historian of the news media and a professor at the Columbia Journalism School, in the 1970s, faith in institutions like the White House or Congress began to decline, consequently impacting confidence in the media.

    “That may have been a necessary corrective to a sense of complacency that had been creeping in—among the public and the news media—that allowed perhaps too much trust: we accepted President Eisenhower’s lies about the U-2 spy plane, President Kennedy’s lies about the ‘missile gap,’ President Johnson’s lies about the war in Vietnam, President Nixon’s lies about Watergate,”

    MICHAEL SCHUDSON – COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL

    More recently, the internet and social media have significantly changed how people consume media. The rise of platforms such as X/Twitter and Facebook have also disrupted the traditional media status quo.

    Partisans’ Trust in Mass Media

    Historically, Democrats have expressed more confidence in the media than Republicans.

    Democrats’ trust, however, has fallen 12 points over the past year to 58%, compared with 11% among Republicans and 29% among independents.

    According to Gallup, Republicans’ low confidence in the media has little room to worsen, but Democrat confidence could still deteriorate and bring the overall national reading down further.

    The poll also shows that young Democrats have less confidence in the media than older Democrats, while Republicans are less varied in their views by age group.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 20:30

  • US Signs New Climate Pact To Shut Down All Coal Plants
    US Signs New Climate Pact To Shut Down All Coal Plants

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

    John Kerry, special presidential envoy on climate matters, announced Saturday that the United States has “proudly” committed to not to build any new coal plants and to get rid of existing ones entirely.

    “To meet our goal of 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035, we need to phase out unabated coal,” Mr. Kerry said in a Dec. 2 statement, in which he announced that the United States had officially joined a coalition of 56 other countries who all plan to ditch coal in the name of climate change.

    “We will be working to accelerate unabated coal phase-out across the world, building stronger economies and more resilient communities,” Mr. Kerry said in his statement.

    “The first step is to stop making the problem worse: stop building new unabated coal power plants.”

    While no specific date was given for when the Biden administration plans to nix America’s existing coal plants, other regulatory actions by the administration zero in on 2035 as the year when coal ends.

    Just under 20 percent of U.S. electricity was powered by coal as of October 2023, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).

    Anti-Coal Alliance

    The anti-coal pact that Mr. Kerry said Washington had just joined is called the Power Past Coal Alliance, which was started six years ago and had 50 members until Saturday, when the United States, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Kosovo, and Norway joined bringing the total to 56.

    Citing IEA’s Net Zero Roadmap, the Power Past Coal Alliance said in a Dec. 2 statement that, in order to “keep the 1.5°C goal within reach,” advanced economies like the United States need to immediately end the construction of new coal power plants and phase out existing plants by 2030, and by 2040 in the rest of the world.

    The 1.5°C threshold, first established in the Paris Agreement in 2015, aims to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2100.

    In 2022, coal-fired plants generated 36 percent of global electricity, outstripping all other sources. Over half of this output was in China, which is building new coal plants at a fast pace, undeterred by various climate pledges and goals that the country’s leadership has paid lip service to.

    The next three largest contributors to global coal-fired electricity are India, the United States, and Japan, which jointly account for around 25 percent of the total.

    Coal Use In China, Elsewhere

    China saw coal power projects jump in 2022 despite the country’s pledge to cut down coal consumption by the end of the decade.

    In 2022, coal power construction starts, new project announcements, and plant permissions “accelerated dramatically” in China, according to a February report (pdf) by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which noted that roughly two new coal power plants were being permitted per week in China.

    “50 GW of coal power capacity started construction in China in 2022, a more than 50 percent increase from 2021. Many of these projects had their permits fast-tracked and moved to construction in a matter of months,” the report said.

    “A total of 106 GW of new coal power projects were permitted, the equivalent of two large coal power plants per week,” the report continued.

    “The amount of capacity permitted more than quadrupled from 23 GW in 2021.”

    The second-largest consumer of coal, India, has also seen its coal consumption rise. According to the “Coal 2022” report  by the International Energy Agency (IEA), coal demand in India rose by 14 percent in 2021.

    Meanwhile, coal demand in the United States saw a growth of 15 percent in 2021, per the IEA report.

    Meanwhile, a recent report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) found that roughly a million coal jobs could be lost by 2050 as mines retire—even without any climate policies being implemented.

    The vast majority of job losses would be in Asia, with China and India taking the brunt.

    As for the United States, the GEM report estimates more than 15,000 jobs in the coal sector will be lost per decade in the 2030s and 40s, and less than 15,000 jobs to be lost in the 2050s.

    For the current decade, the report estimates a U.S. coal job loss of below 15,000.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 20:00

  • Will China Really Invade Taiwan
    Will China Really Invade Taiwan

    By Eric Peters, CIO of One River Asset Management

    “I think the Chinese leadership at this juncture is overwhelmed by its internal challenges,” said Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

    “My thought is perhaps this is not a time for them to consider a major invasion of Taiwan,” she continued, and reasonable people across the planet prayed she’s right.

    “This is largely because of the economic, financial and political challenges, but also because the international community has made it loud and clear that war is not an option, and that peace and stability serves everyone’s interest.”

    War, of course, is always an option.

    And peace and stability do not serve everyone’s interest, they serve almost everyone’s interest.

    For the few, war is lucrative. Which is why conflict features so prominently in human history. After a brief respite in hostilities, the war in Gaza resumed. Fighting continues unabated in Ukraine. And mankind’s enduring struggle to tame nature showed no sign of material advance. That said, the UAE announced a $30bln climate fund in partnership with Blackrock, Brookfield, and TPG. The hope is to leverage this sum to attract $250bln in investment by 2030, with an increasing focus on the Global South, which stands to suffer most profoundly in this war.

    And if you squint your eyes and gaze at the horizon, you can almost see a world where China becomes more focused on internal growth than its Taiwan ambitions. With the West increasingly intent to disengage economically and with over 20% youth unemployment, sluggish growth, and a stock market at 4-year lows, it would be in Beijing’s interest to seek peace and stability.

    The prosperous nations of the Middle East seek peace and stability as they determinedly drive to diversify their economies away from oil and gas. And it’s not inconceivable that we are approaching an end to the conflict in Ukraine, having accomplished little more than untold suffering.

    Take those three conflicts off the table, focus humanity’s efforts on our battle with nature, perhaps throw in some productivity gains due to AI, and you have the makings for an increasingly prosperous world. Let’s hope this is what the market in its infinite wisdom sees, rather than the recent rise in asset prices being little more than hopes for a Fed pivot.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 19:30

  • Gold Spikes To Record High Over $2,130, Bitcoin Soars Above $40,000 As Market Calls Powell's Bluff
    Gold Spikes To Record High Over $2,130, Bitcoin Soars Above $40,000 As Market Calls Powell’s Bluff

    On Friday, shortly after Powell failed to hammer the hawkish case in his “fireside” chat with stocks eager to take out 2023 highs, we said that Powell has a big problem on his hands not so much because if the market was indeed correct about imminent easing that only assures that inflation will come back with a vengeance and Powell would indeed be the “second coming” of a former Fed Chair – only Burns not Vlcker  – but because the kneejerk surge higher in gold (and digital gold) meant that the once again deathwatch for the dollar – and fiat in general – had resumed.

    Well, with futures having opened for trading on Sunday night, what we joked about on Friday, namely that Powell – having seemingly once again lost control of the hawkish narrative – may be leaking emergency rate hikes though Nick Timiraos on Dec 12, ahead of the December FOMC (now that the Fed is in blackout mode)…

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    … is all too real because suddenly everything that is non printable is soaring, starting with gold, which has exploded as much as $60, spiking to a new all time high of $2,135…

    … while bitcoin, and the entire crypto sector following closely, spiking above $40,000 for the first time since May 2022.

    The bitcoin move was to be expected after what we reported yesterday, namely that cryptos had just seen their largest inflows in two years… and Friday’s comments by Powell only guaranteed even more capital would flow into the largely illiquid asset class.

    “Bitcoin continues to be supported by optimism around SEC approval for an ETF and Fed rate cuts in 2024,” Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG Australia Pty, wrote in a note. Technical chart patterns point to $42,330 as the next level to watch for, he added.

    As for gold, everything is suddenly going in its favor, and not only the violent resumption of the Israel-Hamas war (which now includes attacks on US warships in the Gulf)…

    … as well as the relentless buying out of China which we discussed last week in “Behind The Mysterious Explosion In Gold Prices: China’s “Massive Accumulation Of Gold” which noted the staggering divergence between Shanghai and London gold prices, a clear proxy for outsized demand for physical gold on the mainland…

    … but also years of market reflexes which prompt algos to buy gold any time the Fed is set to ease, something which markets assigned 80% odds on Friday could happen as soon as March.

    And so, going back to square one, Powell is once again boxed in: either he pushes back on the market’s sudden dovish euphoria which could well send dollar sparling lower, and in turn send commodities exploding higher guaranteeing that all the worst aspects of Burns Fed make a triumphant return, or he does nothing, and we see gold go parabolic.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 19:26

  • Hundreds Of Illegal Chinese-Owned Marijuana Operations Taking Over Maine
    Hundreds Of Illegal Chinese-Owned Marijuana Operations Taking Over Maine

    Authored by Jana J. Pruet via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Hundreds of illegal Chinese-owned marijuana growing operations have been popping up across Maine over the past three years.

    A criminal marijuana growing operation in Henryetta, Oklahoma. Illegal grow operations are a nationwide problem, responsible for billions in revenue. (Picture courtesy Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics)

    On Tuesday, Nov. 28, local law enforcement shut down an illegal marijuana grow that was being operated in a building located behind a licensed marijuana cultivation facility in Franklin County.

    Officers from the Wilton Police Department were assisting investigators from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) during a routine follow-up inspection of a licensed facility in Wilton when they raided the illegal operation, authorities said in a press release posted on social media.

    “It’s a place that has been on the radar,” State Rep. Mike Sobeleski (R) told The Epoch Times, adding that he had visited the facility previously. The Republican lawmaker said he had learned about the raid just minutes before Tuesday’s interview with The Epoch Times to discuss the illegal marijuana operations being run by Chinese nationals throughout the state.

    Earlier this month, a man identifying himself as the property manager told the Maine Wire that the building was being used to grow marijuana and that operators paid about $30,000 per month in rent.

    He also reportedly told the news outlet that the facility was being run by four Asian men who claimed they were from New York, California, Washington, and Massachusetts.

    The property owner “has no connection to the internal operations of either the licensed or unlicensed marijuana cultivation facility,” according to authorities. The building is the former Bass Shoe Factory and is currently on the market for $6 million.

    The facility had been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for possible ties to Asian transnational organized crime, the Maine Wire reported.

    Marijuana is legal for recreational use for adults 21 and over in Maine. State law also allows adult residents to grow up to three mature plants and 12 immature plants for personal use.

    OCP is responsible for the licensing, compliance, and general oversight of legalized cannabis for medical and adult use in the state.

    In July, state law enforcement had identified 270 suspected illegal marijuana operations with an estimated revenue of $4.37 billion, according to an internal federal law enforcement document that was being circulated among Border Patrol agents. The Daily Caller originally reported the information after it obtained a copy of the memo.

    In response to the reports, lawmakers in Maine sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting information about the alleged illegal Chinese marijuana growing operations.

    “These illegal growing operations are detrimental to Maine businesses that comply with State laws, and we urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) to shut them down,” Republican Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins, along with Democratic Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree wrote in their letter dated Aug. 24.

    They posed a series of questions regarding the agency’s knowledge of the alleged Chinese connection to the illegal growing operations and what actions the DOJ is taking to shut them down across the state.

    “What is the DOJ doing to address illegal operations, including illegal operations that are run by foreign governments or entities?” they asked.

    They further inquired, “How are the profits from these illegal operations being returned to the country of origin?”

    It is unclear whether the attorney general has responded to the August inquiry.

    Ms. Collins’ office did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for more information.

    Vague Enforcement Laws in Maine

    Mr. Sobeleski said the state’s enforcement laws make it difficult for state and local authorities to shut down illegal operations until the feds get involved.

    “They’re not sure who’s going to be the responsible [agency] to go in there based on the fact that this is a legal person on the property, and there are guidelines you have to go by on that,” he explained. “So, there’s no clarity in who enforces the law.“

    Through an investigation, the Maine Wire located over 100 illegal marijuana facilities that are allegedly operated by Chinese nationals. Many of them are operating in homes that are often near schools and childcare facilities.

    Joe Turcotte, a spokesperson for Mr. Sobeleski, said residents become frustrated when they file multiple complaints with local authorities who refuse to help.

    Mr. Soboleski said he had visited many of the houses where the illegal operations occur. He said the operators have boarded up the windows and doors to cover up the illegal activity inside. Neighbors complain of the constant smell of marijuana coming from the houses and trash litters the lawns and roadways.

    There is also a safety issue when home-cultivating operations illegally run 400 amps of electricity into buildings housing grow operations, posing a fire hazard.

    “We’ve actually had houses burn from the heat and electricity from these grow operations,” Mr. Turcotte explained.

    Another concern is that the houses are being used for other illegal activities.

    “They could be used for trafficking other harder narcotics,” Mr. Soboleski said, adding that illegal immigrants could also be staying in the homes.

    The Maine Wire reported that law enforcement has raided only two other properties in the state.

    A raid in the town of Carmel led to the seizure of over 3,000 marijuana plants. Four Chinese men were arrested in connection with that operation and are facing felony charges.

    Nearly 1,000 plants were seized in another raid in Dexter. However, no arrests were made.

    Mr. Soboleski recently sponsored legislation that would provide state and local law enforcement agencies with the authority to enforce laws against illegal marijuana operations.

    His bill, known as “An Act to Provide Investigative Authority to the Maine State Police, Sheriffs, and Local Police Regarding Maine’s Recreational Cannabis Laws and Ordinances to Ensure Proper Enforcement,” was “shut down” by the legislative council earlier this month, he said.

    “We have the mechanisms to take these [illegal marijuana operations] out, but it’s a matter of the political will to do it,” Mr. Turcotte said.

    A National Problem

    Illegal marijuana grows are being operated in numerous states across the country.

    The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) seized more than 72,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in Wagoner County and another 250 pounds in Lincoln County on Nov. 9.

    “Our state has been overrun with criminals who are trafficking drugs in our local communities and throughout the country,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a press release on Nov. 14. “I will not tolerate this serious threat to public safety. I am proud of the work of the Organized Crime Task Force and our law enforcement partners for their efforts to eliminate this blight on our communities.”

    The Wagoner County seizure was among the largest in state history.

    A week later, OCTF, along with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, served search warrants on six medical marijuana grow operations in Pottawatomie County, where they seized 77,236 untraceable and untagged plants, nearly 2,000 pounds of untraceable marijuana, and several firearms, according to a separate press release Nov. 17.

    “We are sending a clear message to Mexican drug cartels, Chinese crime syndicates, and all others who are endangering public safety through these heinous operations,” Mr. Drummond said in a statement. “And that message is to get the hell out of Oklahoma.”

    Oklahoma voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2018. Earlier this year, voters rejected a state initiative to allow for the recreational use of the drug.

    In California, the Unified Cannibas Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) seized more than $101 million in illegal marijuana during the third quarter of 2023, the agency announced in October.

    “Many of these illegal cannabis operations are linked to organized crime, and in addition to threatening the environment and communities, the products [from] these operations pose a direct threat to consumer health and the stability of the legal cannabis market.”

    Since the task force’s formation in 2022 through the third quarter of 2023, UCETF served more than 200 search warrants and seized nearly $300 million in unlicensed marijuana.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 19:00

  • "Two Words… Tucker Carlson": Greg Gutfeld Gores Fox After Musk Blasts Activist Advertisers
    “Two Words… Tucker Carlson”: Greg Gutfeld Gores Fox After Musk Blasts Activist Advertisers

    Greg Gutfeld just took a major shot at his employer, Fox News, saying what we all knew: Tucker Carlson, the highest-rated on-air host in television history, was fired due to pressure from special interest groups.

    While discussing Elon Musk’s “fuck you” moment over advertiser attempts to blackmail the billionaire, Gutfeld joked that it would be like “extorting Jerry Nadler with salad, or blackmailing sports fans by threatening to cancel PBS.”

    He then said that Musk was the last man standing against “the censorship-industrial complex, which is made up of government, media and tech forces.”

    Then, Gutfeld stated what we’ve all suspected since it happened…

    “He [Musk] realizes that advertisers have no spine and can be easily cowed by special interest groups in cahoots with political allies – if you don’t believe me I got two words for ya – Tucker Carlson.“

    Watch (h/t Modernity.news):

    Carlson says ‘global freedom hinges on Musk and X’

    Meanwhile, in an interview with VC David Sacks, Tucker Carlson says he thinks that the fate of free speech hinges on X.

    “I’m worried about the pressure being brought to bear on X because it’s the only huge international free speech platform with hundreds of millions of people,” said Carlson, adding “The existence of X where anyone around the world can get for free a whole range of opinions that aren’t controlled — that changes everything.“

    Watch the full interview below:

     

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 18:25

  • Democrats Unveil What NRA Calls 'Most Sweeping Gun Prohibition Bill Of The 21st Century'
    Democrats Unveil What NRA Calls ‘Most Sweeping Gun Prohibition Bill Of The 21st Century’

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The latest push to curb Second Amendment rights comes in the form of a Democrat-led bill that seeks to impose a sweeping firearms ban with exceptions that gun rights groups say are so fuzzy that the prohibition could prohibit nearly all semi-automatic handguns.

    Firearms on display at Gun Effects in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 2023. (Christina Corona/NTD)

    The bill, dubbed the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion Act (GOSAFE) that a gun rights group panned as “perhaps the most sweeping gun prohibition bill of the 21st Century,” was introduced on Nov. 29 by a number of Democrat senators, along with an Independent—with no Republicans joining.

    Generally, the key idea of the bill is to ban firearms that can be fired quickly (along with accessories that increase firing speed) and have the ability to accept magazines with a capacity of 10 rounds or more, all in a bid to limit “a firearm’s ability to inflict maximum harm in a short amount of time.”

    Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the bill’s co-sponsor, said in a statement that the measure seeks to keep “those firearms that are inherently dangerous and unusually lethal, designed for maximum harm, out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others.”

    Gun control group Everytown hailed the measure as “innovative,” while the National Rifle Association (NRA) called it “perhaps the most sweeping gun prohibition bill of the 21st Century” and a violation of Americans’ constitutional rights.

    A gun store employee shows the differences between high-capacity magazines for a handgun (L), an AK-style rifle (2L), and AR-style rifles at Lawful Defense in Gainesville, Fla., on April 19, 2023. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

    What’s in the Bill?

    The GOSAFE Act seeks to impose a series of new regulations on the sale, transfer, and manufacture of many types of semi-automatic firearms.

    For instance, it would require that all semi-automatic rifles above .22 caliber have a permanently fixed magazine capacity of 10 bullets or fewer while imposing an outright federal-level ban on all such magazines.

    The bill also has a requirement for the capacity of gas-operated semi-automatic rifles above .22 caliber to be “permanently fixed,” meaning that any such firearm capable of taking a larger capacity magazine would be banned.

    Another provision prohibits any modifications—such as installing bump stocks or Glock switches—while also banning build-it-yourself ghost gun kits.

    The bill would also require government approval of any future semi-automatic firearm designs before manufacture, and it would establish a list of prohibited firearms.

    There are exemptions to the bill’s sweeping scope, including bolt action rifles, semi-automatic and recoil-operated shotguns, any rifle or shotgun with a permanently fixed magazine of 10 rounds or less, and any handgun with a permanently fixed magazine of 15 rounds or less.

    GOSAFE Act regulation flow chart. (Office of Sen. Martin Heinrich)

    The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), and Angul King (I-Maine).

    No Republicans have expressed support for the measure.

    Susan Collins (R-Maine) issued a statement to media outlets reacting to the bill, saying that she “will carefully consider it” but that she’ll continue to focus on measures to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and people with mental illness.

    Reactions

    The bill drew praise from gun control groups and critical reactions from gun rights defenders.

    Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy group, hailed the new bill while decrying what it called the widespread availability in the United States of what it called “weapons of war.”

    “We applaud Senator Heinrich for introducing innovative legislation that would regulate assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, which are capable of creating devastating destruction in an instant,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “We urge Senator Heinrich’s colleagues to pass this bill before yet another community is forever scarred by someone filled with hate and armed with an AR-15.”

    By contrast, the NRA’s legislative arm, the NRA-ILA, called the measure “perhaps the most sweeping gun prohibition bill of the 21st Century” that targets law-abiding gun owners “while leaving armed criminals unperturbed.”

    The NRA-ILA warned that the exemptions in the bill are unclearly drafted and so risk banning all semi-automatic handguns.

    “The exemption in the bill for semi-automatic handguns is so poorly written that it wouldn’t apply to many popular self-defense handguns, and, depending on its interpretation, may not apply to any handguns,” the NRA-ILA wrote in a note. “Meaning the bill could ban all semi-automatic handguns.”

    For example, the bill’s handgun exception applies to “a handgun that . . . is a single or double action semi-automatic handgun that uses recoil to cycle the action of the handgun,” which the NRA-ILA says could be interpreted to “exclude the popular Browning short recoil operating system that is used by essentially all modern handguns of 9MM or larger caliber.”

    The bill’s provisions banning devices that “materially increase the rate of fire” of semi-automatic firearms also drew objections from the NRA-ILA.

    “This would likely ban things such as bump stocks and binary triggers, but what about more subtle upgrades that make a firearm operate more smoothly or efficiently for competitive or disabled shooters?” the group asked. “As usual, the law’s reach is impossible to determine based on its bare text.”

    In general, the NRA-ILA said it believes the bill “aims to demoralize and intimidate as many people as possible into giving up their right to own firearms” and that the measure “clearly violates the Second Amendment.”

    “We have said it many times before when it comes to ‘assault weapons’ bans, but it bears repeating: the guns targeted by this bill are primarily owned by law-abiding people who keep them for defensive and other lawful purposes,” the group said.

    “They are, in fact, the most popular guns sold in America today. And, semi-automatic rifles are actually underrepresented in murders, behind not just other guns but other types of weapons, including knives and even hands and feet.”

    Mr. King, the bill’s co-sponsor, defended the measure, claiming it’s narrowly focused on restricting firearms that have shown to be particularly lethal—meaning ones that are effective at what firearms are meant to do.

    “For years, I have said that rather than using the appearance of these guns to restrict them, we should instead focus on how these weapons actually work and the features that make them especially dangerous,” Mr. King said in a statement.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 18:00

  • San Francisco 'Poop Map' Has Been Updated, And Things Are Sh**tier Than Ever
    San Francisco ‘Poop Map’ Has Been Updated, And Things Are Sh**tier Than Ever

    During Thursday night’s debate between Gavin Newsom (D) and Ron DeSantis (R), the Florida governor busted out the San Francisco ‘poop map’ created by OpenTheBooks.

    The map, created in 2019, plotted nearly 120,000 case reports of human feces on the streets of San Francisco between 2011 and 2019 using the city’s open records portal and 311 call information posted by city officials.

    The problem is so bad that San Francisco has been employing so-called ‘poop patrollers’ making upwards of $185,000 per annum to clean up their mess. (And of course, the guy in charge of it was arrested on felony fraud charges and sentenced to seven years in prison).

    It’s been updated…

    According to Adam Andrzejwski of OpenTheBooks, here it is in all it’s brown glory – only now it’s got an additional 125,506 cases in just three years – more than double the amount reported in the initial eight-year period.

    You can even interact with the map below:

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 17:30

  • The Failure Of Western Feminism When It's Most Needed
    The Failure Of Western Feminism When It’s Most Needed

    Authored by Phyllis Chesler via RealClear Wire,

    On Nov. 25, the United Nations initiated its annual Sixteen Days of Global Activism Against Gender-Based Violence against women and girls. This will continue until Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day.

    My people are the feminists at the UN. They also head NGOs, occupy chairs at foundations, human rights organizations, national women’s organizations, and Women’s Studies/Gender Studies departments, and are prominent Talking Heads in the media. For eight whole weeks, they have remained silent about the genocidal rapes of Israeli women on Oct. 7.

    Some of these women once waged brave and determined battles against rape, incest, and domestic violence; supported the #MeToo Movement; and at least issued statements condemning the rapes of women in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, and the Yazidi women who were kidnapped by ISIS.

    They also supported the idea that rape is a war crime, at least in a battle zone.

    However, these once visionary feminists have not only betrayed Israeli women – they have also betrayed women of color who live under Sharia law.

    Most have remained relatively silent about the normalized mistreatment of Muslim women in Muslim countries and communities. They have not organized campaigns to end forced face veiling, polygamy, child marriage, routine girl- and woman-battering, or honor killing (femicide), either in foreign countries or in the West.

    Why? Even though the victims of such injustices are primarily women of color, Western feminists have been very cautious about accusing men of color, especially men whose countries may once have been colonized, of crimes. They fear doing so might be seen as “racist.” Or “Islamophobic.”

    Worse, some feminists in the West have actually glorified the forced wearing of the Islamic veil as a form of anti-colonial resistance. During the Women’s March in Washington, some women fashioned hijab out of American flags. Many anti-Israel rallies and marches feature both women and men, leftists and Muslims, sporting Palestinian keffiyehs as a way to signal their support – for the oppression of women.

    They do so even as the brave girls and women in Afghanistan and Iran are risking death for the right not to be forced by the state, the mullahs, or their families to wear hijab, niqab, or burqas. These women and their male allies have led demonstrations for which they have been beaten, arrested, raped, and murdered.

    I have conducted and published four academic studies about honor killing. Most academic feminists in the West, including our icons, have never acknowledged this work about femicide. I delivered some of my initial findings at a G8 conference in Rome in 2008 and at the New York Supreme Court in 2010. This work also qualified me as an expert witness in cases in which women in flight from the threat of honor killings are applying for political asylum in America.

    My strongest supporters, and those who actually read, cite, and use this work are, of course, women and men of color who live in the Arab Middle East and in central Asia (Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, India, etc.).

    I was once held captive in Kabul long ago. I’d gone there willingly but unwisely as a bride, and I found myself trapped in the 10th century without a passport back to the future.

    Therefore, when my friend and colleague, Mandy Sanghera – the British-Indian human rights activist –called to ask whether I wanted to co-lead a grassroots team to rescue women from Afghanistan, I said, “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for decades.”

    Together, our team rescued 400 Afghan women in 2021. I’ve taken personal responsibility for a brilliant young Afghan woman who is now flourishing in graduate school in America.

    Talk about sisterhood! When Mandy learned that my presentation about my honor killing studies had been canceled by an American law school, she swiftly convened a panel on the subject at University College London so that I could present my findings. At the time, she said that she could “not accept that such important work had been so dishonored.”

    The good news: Feminism exists among communities of color, including Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh anti-Islamists both in the West and abroad.

    In fact, it is mainly anti-Islamist Muslim feminists, both women and men, who have been raising the alarm on behalf of Muslim women.

    Like the Israeli women, they are also frustrated and puzzled by the Western feminist silence about Islamic gender apartheid. I have been privileged to know and work with many of these heroes.

    In 2008, in Rome, I presented my preliminary findings at a G8 conference. I had the honor of bonding with a group of Muslim feminists, both religious and secular, over our many shared concerns. They told me that they had felt “abandoned” by Western feminists who refused to take a stand on issues such as honor killing, forced veiling, and the subordination of women – lest they be considered “racists” or “Islamophobes.” Many of these women were wearing hijab (headscarves) and they were all fearless, energized, and fabulously feminist.

    That is where I first met Turkish-German feminist lawyer and now imam, Seyran Ates.

    Seyran’s work on behalf of Muslim women has earned her the hatred of Muslim male (and female) Islamists. In 1984, she was shot three times for providing legal counsel to abused Muslim girls; her client, a 15-year-old, was murdered. Seyran expressed her dismay that, in addition to being preyed upon by Muslim fundamentalists, Western leftists and feminists had discredited her work. “They call me a racist and an Islamophobe, too,” she said, “and I am a religious Muslim.”

    Seyran is not alone. I am also talking about Qanta Ahmed, Dalia Al-Aquidi, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Soraya Deen, Manda Ervin, Yasmine Mohammed, Asra Nomani, and Raheel Raza.

    There are also Muslim and ex-Muslim men who are standing for women’s rights in the Muslim world such as Ali Alyami, Bassem Eid, Zhudi Jasser, Khaled Abu Tomeh, and Ibn Warraq.

    They all write articles, they publish books, they appear in the media. Please follow them. I am honored to be among them as one of the founding members of the Clarity Coalition – Champions for Liberty Against The Reality of Islamist Tyranny.

    This coalition has publicly condemned Jihad as well as Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel. They are all defending Western civilization and universal, post-Enlightenment values.

    I stand with them. These are the feminists whom I recognize as such.

    Today’s world needs real feminism as never before. A politically correct, identity-obsessed version of Marxism will not do.

    Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., is an emerita professor of psychology at City University of New York. She is a bestselling author, legendary feminist leader, and retired psychotherapist. She has lectured and organized political, legal, religious, and human rights campaigns in the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, Central Asia, and the Far East.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 17:00

  • Jeff Bezos Hires Elon Musk For Rocket Launches 
    Jeff Bezos Hires Elon Musk For Rocket Launches 

    Jeff Bezos’s space efforts at Amazon and his space company, Blue Origin, have been hit with ‘frustrating delays’ including a rocket engine explosion during a routine test earlier this year. With mounting delays, Amazon was forced to sign a deal with rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX for future rocket launches.

    In a press release on Friday, Amazon announced that it had “signed a contract with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches to support deployment plans for Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network.” 

    Project Kuiper has only a handful of satellites in orbit compared with SpaceX’s Starlink, which has over 4,000 satellites in service. Amazon’s earlier procurement of 77 heavy-lift rockets was from Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance. However, Blue Origin’s delays forced Amazon to tap SpaceX for more launch capacity. 

    “Project Kuiper has contracted three Falcon 9 launches, and these missions are targeted to lift off beginning in mid-2025,” Amazon said. 

    This is the first time Bezos has turned to Musk for help in its space endeavors, and a sign that all is not well with Blue Origin. 

    In August, Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Fund, or CB&T, sued Amazon’s Board of Directors for breach of duty by not considering SpaceX for Project Kuiper launches. 

    “By completely abdicating its fiduciary duties, the Board has already exposed Amazon to substantial harm and placed the Company’s entire Kuiper program at needless risk. And with each passing day, as Amazon’s chosen launch partners (Blue Origin in particular) continue to struggle and SpaceX continues to prove itself, this Board-inflicted harm continues to grow,” CB&T wrote.

    CB&T continued, “Bezos, it must be assumed, could not swallow his pride to seek his bitter rival’s help to launch Amazon’s satellites.” 

    Bezos has finally done that… Also, maybe the billionaire should not have bought a half-billion dollar yacht that emits 447 times the entire annual carbon footprint of the average US household and spent that money more wisely on progressing rocket engine technology. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 16:30

  • "No One Cares About Your Dividends"
    “No One Cares About Your Dividends”

    Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

    One of my favorite investors that I love reading and following, Harris Kupperman, has offered up his thoughts on dividends versus buybacks this week.

    Harris is the founder of Praetorian Capital, a hedge fund focused on using macro trends to guide stock selection.

    Harris is one of my favorite follows and I find his opinions – especially on macro and commodities – to be extremely resourceful. I’m certain my readers will find the same. I was excited when he offered up his latest thoughts, published below. Content has been edited slightly for grammar.

    Please be sure to read both my and Harris’ disclaimers, located at the bottom of this post.

    Just Smash the Buybacks

    Great! Another E&P that raised the quarterly dividend by two cents. Who F*cking Cares!?

    The debate about buybacks vs. dividends has been going on for over a century. I’m not here to try and change your mind. I can see the relative merits of both, especially as many buybacks have been undertaken at insane valuations, leading to value-destruction.

    However, I’m going to make a special point when it comes to my “basket of deplorables,” or those companies that trade at mind-numbingly cheap valuations as they don’t quite check the ESG box. Look, I think if you trade at less than five times full-cycle cash flow, you should first make sure that you’re de-levered, with a rainy-day fund as well—trust me, no one is coming to save you when things go bad.

    After that, you should probably plow every last cent into buybacks. M&A and growth initiatives always sound sexy, but they are never as sexy as buybacks. Buybacks are the value creator. For that matter, while I’m sympathetic to trying to time the buyback to coincide with pullbacks in the equity price, most management teams are terrible at trading their shares. Besides, the consistency of the buying is what creates the value. Just turn on the VWAP machine and forget about it. Every quarter, tell the world that you bought back a few percent of the shares outstanding. Give all the value investors hope that when they need to sell, there’s going to be a bid in there, because we know that no one else will be deploying capital into the “deplorables.”

    Here we are, a few years into this ESG cycle, and the outcomes delivered by various capital allocation strategies cannot be starker. Some companies “rewarded” shareholders with dividends and their shares have gone nowhere. Arguably, their performance has been made worse as value funds sold at a loss, following the underperformance caused by these companies’ shares not appreciating, and the redemptions that they engendered. Other companies have been multi-baggers as they consistently applied almost all the cash flow to buybacks.

    💥 50% OFF FOR LIFE: For those that aren’t paid subscribers yet, you can take 50% off an annual plan, for life: Get 50% off forever

    Just think about how accretive it is to buy back your shares at a low-single-digit multiple of cash flow and a fraction of replacement cost of your assets. Especially as there are now constraints on ever adding more capacity in many of these industries. The accretion is just insane, and shareholders are starting to wake up to this fact when they decide which “deplorable” to invest in. It makes me wonder why anyone would ever issue a dividend, yet these management teams keep doing it.

    Look, no one cares about your dividends, and no one cares when you increase the dividend as no one ever believes that the dividend is sustainable. You aren’t a REIT that’s supposed to grow the dividend each quarter, you’re a cyclical business with volatile quarterly earnings. You’re a clunky business that even your shareholders probably wish they weren’t invested in. They only own you because you’re too cheap to ignore. Their biggest worry is that the shares stay cheap indefinitely and their clients yank their money to buy MAG7, since that actually goes up.

    Dividends won’t fix this. There are already hundreds of companies with low-teen yield that everyone has forgotten about. Yield investors won’t be attracted as they know you’ll cut the dividend during the down-cycle, generalist investors still cannot own you, and that yield isn’t enough to overcome the undertow of value investors getting redeemed for underperformance. Besides, it’s not even tax efficient to pay dividends.

    It’s time that we hold these management teams accountable and tell them to just smash the buyback button. If someone will sell the shares cheap, then take advantage of those idiots. Look at some of the coal companies that have bought back huge percentages of the shares outstanding over the past few years. Despite that, they still trade at between two and four times cash flow! Imagine how much worse the share-price performance would have been without the buybacks?

    Guys aren’t selling these coal companies because they’re no longer cheap—they’re the same cash flow multiples that they were a few years ago. Rather, guys are selling because they have redemptions. Just keep taking advantage of this fact, until the situation changes. Smash the buyback button…

    QTR’s Disclaimer: I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. These positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important.

    Harris’ Disclosure: Funds that I control are long companies with dividends instead of buybacks. (I intend to have words with these management teams). More: FULL DISCLAIMER

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 16:00

  • Leftist Hatred Of Kyle Rittenhouse Is Boundless As He Announces New Book
    Leftist Hatred Of Kyle Rittenhouse Is Boundless As He Announces New Book

    There is a long list of evils that are associated with the concept of “cancel culture,” but perhaps the worst is the reality that cancel culture mobs never admit they are wrong. They cannot be wrong, for if they admit that cancel culture makes mistakes then they must also admit that the mob is not qualified to arbitrate what is correct for society. Cancel culture is about power – the power to influence public perception, but also the power to influence politics and even legal outcomes.  It’s the power to influence judges, lawyers and juries.  It’s the power to destroy people, even if they are innocent.

    The political left and the media lied incessantly about Kyle Rittenhouse and his encounter with violent rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020. They called him a racist, a white supremacist, they claimed he broke federal and state gun laws and that he came to Kenosha with plans to murder people. They claimed that he attacked first and that he invoked a reaction from protesters.  They lied about the criminal status of the people Rittenhouse shot, lied about them being unarmed and even lied about them being black.  

    They were wrong about everything, and yet, many activists to this day still believe all of the above is true. Either they are ignorant of the facts, or, they don’t want to hear the facts. Why do they hate Rittenhouse so much?  Because for them, Rittenhouse became a symbol of conservative rebellion against the mob. He faced down the full might of cancel culture  and he survived. The problem is, the pettiness of cancel culture never really dies.  

    Leftists are determined to make Rittenhouse pay.  He shot three criminals in self defense, including a convicted pedophile, but those criminals were in Kenosha representing woke interests and that is all that matters to the left.  In cancel culture you aren’t even guilty until proven innocent, you are just guilty, forever.  

    This helps explain the online rage on display after it was announced the Rittenhouse will be releasing a book about his experiences in Kenosha, the facts behind what happened, the trial and his life since being acquitted. The book, titled ‘Acquitted’, (digital download here, pre-order soft cover here, and signed pre-order here), and in reaction to the promotional campaign, woke activists have renewed their efforts to smear the 20-year-old with the same false claims made during his trial.

    They have also latched onto a statement by his lawyer, Mark Richards, in a discussion with Court TV in which he debunked the notion that Rittenhouse became wealthy during the trial.  In fact, Rittenhouse’s legal funds have dried up and he supports himself with a regular job, the lawyer noted.  Leftist spin doctors conflated the statement to mean that Rittenhouse is “broke” and some claimed he could not hold down a job.  Activists cheered the false news on social media and declared it to be karmic punishment for Kyle’s “misdeeds.” 

    Rittenhouse is not broke, he’s just not wealthy or sitting on a vast legal fund.  And like most 20-year-olds, he’s working to make ends meet.  But the joy leftists displayed when they thought he was broke reveals a lot.  

    It shows them to be dangerously obsessive.  The young man was judged and a jury found him to be innocent, but leftists still want him to pay for what they perceive to be crimes against their cult.  The American legal system means nothing to them unless it happens to decide in their favor.  When it doesn’t they think they should have the final say.

    Rittenhouse told Piers Morgan this week: “Well I’m not writing the book to make money, I’m writing the book to tell the story of what happened,” adding “I’m trying to change the narrative that media keeps putting out there that I’m some type of white [supremacist], racist person when that’s just not true. I’m a 20-year-old kid who was put in a situation to where I was forced to defend myself, and I wrote a story and put that in a book so I could share that with everybody so they can understand what I went through, how my childhood was growing up, and the difficulties I deal with today.”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Rittenhouse has stated in interviews that he deals with PTSD from the day of the shooting and that he regularly receives death threats.  And perhaps this is the ultimate purpose of cancel culture – To make people not want to stand up, not want to defend themselves.  If the price is a life of perpetual threats and targeted harassment, some might be convinced to think that it’s better to keep their head down, stay quiet, and never oppose the woke in any capacity.  The goal is to make examples out of the brave, and make everyone else fearfully complacent.   

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 15:30

  • The Dublin Riots & BLM – A Comparison Of Reactions
    The Dublin Riots & BLM – A Comparison Of Reactions

    Authored by Gavin O’Reilly via The Ron Paul Institute,

    Last Thursday afternoon, news would spread throughout Ireland of a horrific knife attack on three young schoolchildren and their teacher outside a Gaelscoil (Irish-language school) in Dublin city center. At the time of writing, the youngest of the victims, a five year old girl, remains gravely ill in hospital.

    With it soon emerging that the suspect was an immigrant who had previously been served a deportation order in 2003, tensions that had been building across the country over the past year in response to the immigration policy of Leinster House, which has seen large amounts of male migrants placed into wildly unsuitable locations such as an inner city office block and a children’s school, would come to a head. Calls for a protest in Dublin later that night would rapidly spread throughout social media.

    Such protests have become a mainstay across Ireland over the past year, with the government of WEF ‘Young Global Leader’ Leo Varadkar labelling protesters as ‘’far-right’’ and carrying out surveillance of organizers in response, a strategy that has served only to exacerbate tensions even further.

    Last year in Canada, under the rule of fellow WEF ‘Young Global Leader’ Justin Trudeau, a similar response would take place to the Freedom Convoy, a protest movement launched by Canadian truckers following the decision to mandate jab passports for drivers returning from the US, the largest land-border in the world and a key component of the Canadian economy.

    Just as open borders policies serve the interests of the global elites that the WEF represents, via the undermining of national sovereignty and the devaluing of labor, jab passports served their interests by acting as conditioning for the introduction of an eventual mandatory digital ID, which in line with the Great Reset initiative would allow the government-corporate alliance to have an unprecedented level of control over its citizens’ finances in a cashless society.

    The fraught tensions that had spurred on Thursday’s planned protest however, would seemingly attract an opportunistic element, one that had engaged in looting and the burning of vehicles in Dublin on the night. Unsavory scenes, though it cannot be understated that, in terms of magnitude, they are a universe apart from the stabbing of children.

    The establishment media however, did not hold the same view; with the unrest that swept Dublin dominating newspaper headlines alongside accusations that it had been ‘’organized by the far-right’’, the brutal attack on the children and their teacher being consigned to a mere afterthought.

    Security Minister for the southern Irish state, Helen McEntee announced that legislation would be fast tracked to introduce Facial Recognition Technology – another key component of the Great Reset – in response to the riots, and it was announced that MMA star Conor McGregor was being investigated for ‘’inciting hate’’ over a post on X that he had sent the night BEFORE the stabbings.

    A lockstep response of condemnation, though one that lies in stark contrast to the response towards the riots that swept the United States following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, for which a minutes silence was held in the southern Irish Parliament, something that has so far not occurred for the victims of last Thursday’s mass-stabbing.

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    To understand why, one must look at the wider political context at the time of George Floyd’s death.

    Four days prior to the footage of Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck going viral, Joe Biden, the then-Democrat candidate for that years US Presidential election, infamously declared that whoever voted for the incumbent Donald Trump over him ‘’Ain’t black’’ in an attempt to garner support amongst the black community of the United States for his Presidential campaign. A PR disaster, and one that confirmed he was in need of the black vote in order to guarantee an electoral victory.

    Thus, the death of George Floyd was weaponized to guarantee such a result, with violent riots sweeping the United States in the aftermath. In contrast to the one night of looting and arson that took place in Dublin however, the mainstream media would provide cover for the months-long unrest in the US, with corporate outlet CNN notoriously describing it as ‘’fiery but mostly peaceful’’ at one stage.

    Key to this was the involvement of George Soros, a significant donor to both the Democrat Party and the Black Lives Matter organization via his Open Society Foundations, a globalist support-network that has sponsored color revolutions from as far afield as Ukraine and China.

    It is also why last week’s night of unrest in Dublin, carried out amidst a wider political context of opposition to globalist policies in Ireland, came in for far more media condemnation than the months of BLM-led riots that took place in the United States in 2020.

    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 12/03/2023 – 15:00

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Dec 03

Today’s News 3rd December 2023

  • Kissinger: America's Most Prolific War Criminal
    Kissinger: America’s Most Prolific War Criminal

    Authored by Techno Fog via The Reactionary,

    Henry Kissinger is dead at 100.

    He rose to power from humble beginnings. His middle-class Jewish family escaped Germany for the United States in 1938. After graduating high school and attending one year of college (studying accounting, of all things), Kissinger would enlist in the Army and serve in Germany until 1947.

    Upon his return to the States, and through the advice of a mentor, he would gain admission to Harvard, where he excelled as an undergraduate and graduate student. His academic career at Harvard, starting in 1951, was also the beginning of his professional trajectory. Kissinger would establish himself as an important foreign policy theorist and a “recognized expert on the role of nuclear weapons in American foreign policy.” At the same time, by way of his position at Harvard, he would forge relationships with prominent American and foreign political figures. Kissinger’s network, and really his scope of influence, would further grow after his 1955 appointment to the Council of Foreign Relations, where he was brought in contact with “many of the most powerful men in the nation” including the Rockefellers.

    Through the later 1950s and into the 1960s, Kissinger would cement himself as a best-selling author (Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy in 1957) and prolific writer. For all the talk of Kissinger’s genius (then and now), many of his ideas at that time were unoriginal, illogical, and near-delusional. For example, in Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, Kissinger argued in favor of limited nuclear war (as opposed to all-out nuclear war). To avoid the escalation from limited nuclear war to all-out nuclear war – a very real and obvious danger – Kissinger proposed conditions by which such a war could take place, such as using “diplomacy to convey to our opponent what we understand by limited nuclear war, or at least what limitations we are willing to observe.” He argued that “a war which began as a limited nuclear war would have the advantage that its limitations could have been established” in advance of hostilities. These ideas were as ludicrous then as they are now, and were criticized as such after publication. As one writer more recently observed, “Kissinger’s limited nuclear war had to be conceived and waged as an Ivy League fencing match.”

    Kissinger would eventually obtain a tenured professorship at Harvard in 1962. Yet he was not destined for academia; his appetite was for high-stakes policymaking. He was the foreign policy advisor for Nelson Rockefeller’s failed presidential campaigns and in 1968, when Nixon won the Republican nomination, Kissinger made it clear that he wanted to be part of the potential Nixon Administration. (Kissinger was adept enough to leave open the possibility of a position in the Humphrey administration, had he defeated Nixon.)

    The lengths Kissinger might go to assist then-candidate Nixon – and thus ensure Kissinger’s ascent – were revealed in 1968, as President Lyndon B. Johnson sought to begin peace negotiations and bring about an end to the Vietnam War. This would undoubtedly benefit Democrat candidate Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Nixon learned of that peace effort via leaks from Kissinger, who was serving as an advisor to President Johnson and attended the Paris Peace talks with the North Vietnamese. Nixon then instructed his closest advisor, H.R. Haldeman, to “monkey wrench” the negotiations. The South Vietnamese were pressured to “hold firm” by Nixon’s allies. With the understanding that Nixon could deliver better terms, the South Vietnamese boycotted the talks. Nixon would win the election. Over 25,000 more Americans would die in Vietnam before the war eventually concluded.

    Kissinger’s duplicity was rewarded with his appointment of National Security Advisor after Nixon took office in 1969. Seizing on Nixon’s distrust of the State Department, Kissinger executed a “quiet coup” to exclude other agencies and officials from the foreign policy decision-making process (an idea Nixon liked), effectively guaranteeing his “position as the foreign policy czar.”

    This structure allowed for streamlined decisions, Executive control, a reduction in bureaucratic meddling, and secrecy. Beginning in the Spring of 1969 through 1973, the Nixon and Kissinger conducted a secret and illegal and extensive bombing operation (codenamed MENU) of purported North Vietnamese routes and alleged headquarters in Cambodia. The architect and overseer of this plan was Kissinger. In fact, Kissinger maneuvered to ensure Nixon’s approval of the plan after the Secretary of State objected.

    In the first 14 months of the operation (codenamed MENU), there would be a total of 3,630 flights dropping 110,000 tons of bombs. In total, U.S. planes “dropped 500,000 or more tons of munitions.” Gunships would rake children. The Nixon Administration and Kissinger conspired to keep the carpet bombings secret while Kissinger oversaw its execution and “approved each of the 3,875 Cambodia bombing raids” with “full knowledge of it effect on civilians.” Kissinger’s instructions for strikes (following Nixon’s demands) weren’t to hit military targets, but “anything that moves.” Many times, innocent Cambodian villages would be “hit with dozens of payloads over the course of several hours. The result was near-total destruction.”

    Sites bombed in Cambodia (source: Yale).

    Interviews of Cambodian victims by The Intercept reveal the first-person horror. One woman described what she experienced as a young girl, stating “At around 10 a.m., an airplane dropped a bomb on my home. My parents and four siblings were all killed.” Thousands of others had similar stories: “I lost my mother, father, sisters, brothers, everyone.” It is estimated that as many as 150,000 civilians were killed – all at the direction of Henry Kissinger.  

    Subscribers to The Reactionary can read the rest here…

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 23:20

  • TEXIT Progress: Secession Question Expected To Appear on 2024 Texas Primary Ballot
    TEXIT Progress: Secession Question Expected To Appear on 2024 Texas Primary Ballot

    As the US government hurtles toward insolvency while political and cultural divisions intensify across the country, Texans are poised to take their long-simmering flirtation with secession to the next level, as a non-binding proposition is expected to appear on the statewide GOP primary ballot in March 2024.  

    On Friday, the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) announced that it had obtained the number of signatures required to compel the Republican Party of Texas to include this question on the primary ballot: “Should the State of Texas reassert its status as an independent nation?”

    The party’s State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) is meeting this weekend to finalize the list of ballot propositions. According to TNM, the SREC’s wishes are not relevent, as the Texas Election Code empowers voters to place a proposition on a ballot by collecting the signatures of 97,709 Texans who want the question to appear. TNM says it has more than 102,000. 

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    “We could actually bypass the SREC’s ballot proposition process and compel the party to place the question on the ballot,” said TNM President Daniel Miller in a Friday letter submitted to the SREC in support of the proposition. He emphasized that including the proposition doesn’t equate to a Texas GOP endorsement of secession. Rather, he wrote, ballot propositions serve as a means of pursuing clarity as to the “greatest concerns of Republican voters.”

    The drive for statewide votes on secession has spanned several years. While the SREC’s resolutions committee added it to a preliminary list in 2015, the SREC struck it. At the party’s 2016 convention, a plank calling for a statewide referendum of all voters was forwarded for inclusion in the Texas GOP platform, only for it to be struck down by the Permanent Platform Committee.

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    Later Republican plank attempts were successful. The SREC will be under greater pressure to green-light the primary ballot proposition on Saturday, given presence of two planks in the current Texas GOP platform: 

    • Plank 33, addressing “state sovereignty,” asserts that “Texas retains the right to secede from the United States, and the Texas Legislature should be called upon to pass a referendum consistent thereto.”
    • Plank 225, “Texas Independence,” urges the legislature to require a general election referendum “for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation.”

    “Whether you are for, against, or undecided TEXIT, we should all be able to agree that the platform matters, the Texas Bill of Rights matters, and the Republican voters matter,” said TNM’s Miller in his letter to the SREC.

    A “TEXIT” sticker on a pickup truck (via Texas Nationalist Movement store)

    The GOP primary proposition won’t have any power of law, but is sure to intensify discussion of the idea inside Texas and out. Secessionists in other states are keeping a close eye on the Texas secession movement, seeing it as a flagship that, if successful, will accelerate the trend elsewhere.

    Covering the latest development in Texas, the anonymous, non-Texan author of the Red-State Secession Substack newsletter argues…

    If Texas eventually withdraws from the Union, other red states will suddenly realize they need to follow. If Texas announces a future independence date, red states will have a choice to make: stay in a Union dominated by blue states, or follow Texas’ lead.

    Since a Republican can’t win a presidential election without Texas’ electoral votes, the red states will have to follow Texas to avoid the tyranny, perversion, and bankruptcy that incompetent Democrat rule will bring to the remainder of the US… even if these states hadn’t favored secession until presented with this dilemma.

    After seceding from Mexico, Texas was an independent country from 1836 to 1845 and, economically, is extraordinarily well-suited for independence today. It’s by far the largest oil producer of any US state, accounting for a whopping 42% of American production, with no other state exceeding even 10%. It has deep-water ports, abundant agriculture, and is a major high-tech hub. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 22:45

  • Congressional Commission Urges US To Expand Nuclear Arsenal Amid China, Russia Threat
    Congressional Commission Urges US To Expand Nuclear Arsenal Amid China, Russia Threat

    Authored by Andre Thornebrooke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

    U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Nov. 8, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

    The United States must expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal beyond planned improvements to deter combined aggression from communist China and Russia, according to a new congressional report.

    Planned nuclear capacity “limits” the United States’ ability to effectively prevent a war with China and Russia, says the report (pdf) by the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States.

    “Given current threat trajectories, our nation will soon encounter a fundamentally different global setting than it has ever experienced: we will face a world where two nations possess nuclear arsenals on par with our own,” the report says.

    “The size and composition of the nuclear force must account for the possibility of combined aggression from Russia and China.”

    The report emphasizes that a new conflict with either or both of the powers could realistically result in nuclear catastrophe and would need to be deterred.

    “There is a growing risk of confrontation with China, Russia, or both. This includes the risk of military conflict,” the report says.

    “Unlike World Wars I and II, a major power conflict in the 21st century has the potential to escalate into a large-scale nuclear war.”

    US Nuclear Forces ‘Not Sufficient’ for Deterrence

    In all, the report says that current plans for modernization of the nation’s nuclear forces are “necessary, but not sufficient,” given the increasing capability of China and Russia to jointly threaten the United States with their nuclear arsenals.

    “Deployed strategic nuclear force requirements will increase for the United States in such a threat environment,” the report says.

    Hudson Institute senior fellow Marshall Billingslea, who co-authored the report, said a key factor in the commission’s decision-making was the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

    “They’re on pace to either rival or perhaps surpass the number of fielded nuclear weapons that we ourselves possess,” Mr. Billingslea said during a Nov. 30 talk at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

    “Let’s be clear, when you have a China that has gone from, let’s say, around 250 nuclear weapons to … around 700 by 2027 … that’s a fundamental game changer.”

    Mr. Billingslea’s comments referred to the Pentagon’s most recent China Military Power Report, which found that the regime likely already has 500 deployed nuclear warheads and will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

    Moreover, because of China’s size and economic power, he said the nation cannot rely on coercive economic methods to bring China to the nonproliferation table.

    “When you’re talking about China, which has an economy nearly as large as ours … some of the tools that we traditionally have relied upon to deal with the Russias and the Irans and the Venezuelas and the North Koreas, are simply not available in a Chinese context.”

    As such, he said the commission recommended the United States increase the number of its “shorter and medium-range” missiles and invest in “hypersonics” to deploy both nuclear and conventional weapons.

    “The sheer increase in the number of targets implied by this Chinese buildup … [suggests] that the program of record that was foreseen back in 2010 is not sufficient,” he said.

    Similarly, Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs, also a co-author of the report, said the new posture was necessary to counter a united China and Russia, which have entered an unprecedented comprehensive strategic partnership.

    “What the report finds is that the United States must be able to deter both Russia and China simultaneously,” Ms. Heinrichs said.

    “That’s obviously going to change the United States’ strategic posture.”

    Selling the idea of supplemental spending for nuclear weapons may not be an easy task. Concerns about war profiteering are growing amid unprecedented defense spending by the Biden administration.

    Additionally, the Hudson Institute’s close financial relationship with key defense corporations may diminish its credibility with some in Congress. According to the organization’s financials (pdf), defense contractors gave the think tank more than half a million dollars last year.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 22:10

  • Cryptos Soar After Largest Inflows In Two Years
    Cryptos Soar After Largest Inflows In Two Years

    Anticipation of an eventual US spot Bitcoin ETF – which Bloomberg’s analysts assign a 90% probability of being approved by the SEC in January…

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    … as well as surging prices, have helped to spur inflows into digital-asset investment products for a ninth consecutive week, the largest run since the crypto bull market in late 2021.

    According to a recent report from CoinShares, these products which include trusts and exchange-traded products, saw inflows of $346 million last week, with Canada and Germany contributing to 87% of the total. Only $30 million came from the US, a sign of continued low participation from the country, the asset-management firm said. Of course, that will change as soon as investors start seeing double digit percentage weekly gains, and reallocating their money into crypto in droves, just like they did in 2020 and 2021.

    Since early October, the crypto market has surged as traditional asset managers like BlackRock prepared for spot Bitcoin ETFs, potentially bringing in many more investors into the asset and resulting in inflows of tens of billions in fresh capital.

    “The combination of price rises and inflows have now pushed up total assets under management to $45.3 billion, the highest in over one and half years,” the report said.

    Bitcoin products raked in $312 million last week, pushing inflows to over $1.5 billion since the start of the year. Ether products saw $34 million in inflows last week, almost negating outflows all of 2023.

    Amid the surging inflows, and amid expectations for imminent ETF approval by the SEC and a surge in March rate cuts odds, bitcoin and ethereum have continued their furious ascent, with the former now trading just shy of $40,

     

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 21:35

  • Megyn Kelly's New Media Moment
    Megyn Kelly’s New Media Moment

    Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClear Wire,

    Megyn Kelly was worried. And more recently, indignant. Righteously, of course.

    She craved another chance and felt confident, while watching from home, that she could deliver in a way that was a hell of a lot better than the competition, harboring the sort of personal ambition and professional jealousy that develop as a matter of course in all who have fought for survival in prime time.

    Talent and earned experience and the trust of a large audience. She has had all of it. The only thing she needed now was a television network. And so, she will borrow one.

    She is set to return as a debate moderator next week to referee the fourth Republican presidential debate, this one in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and this time on NewsNation as part of a partnership with that network, Sirius XM, and the Free Beacon. It is a noteworthy milestone; she had a front-row seat eight years ago to the rise of populism. It is also a test of the new media; she bridled a similar kind of populism to continue her career.

    And that’s why, for just a while, she worried. Independent journalists don’t often get to call marquee prize fights. But Megyn Kelly does.

    “Malpractice, absolute journalistic malpractice!” That’s how Kelly describes the most explosive exchange from the Miami debate moderated by NBC News anchors Lester Holt and Kristen Welker. Nikki Haley had called Vivek Ramaswamy “scum” after the businessman took a shot at her adult daughter. Reliving the moment in an interview with RealClearPolitics, Kelly was incredulous: “And the moderator did not stop to say, ‘Wait, did you just call him scum? Mr. Ramaswamy. Do you care to respond?’”

    “How did that not happen?” she asks before immediately offering an answer. “Because these moderators are too tied to their written questions. They’re not nimble. They are afraid to deviate from what their producers put in front of them. That isn’t good television!”

    “There’s a reason why they call it broadcast journalism. It’s not just about journalism. It’s also about seizing the moment,” she explains. “You feel the moment, go with the moment.”

    Kelly could have just as easily been describing her own career. A trial lawyer before entering journalism, Kelly jumped from the courtroom to cable news to network television over the last two decades.

    And then the wilderness. Veteran journalists who go it alone hardly ever regain prominence. Some decamp to college campuses. Others write books. Most generally fade. Kelly, instead, seized the digital moment.

    Three years ago, after an unsuccessful stint at NBC News, she launched “The Megyn Kelly Show,” a daily podcast that was later picked up on Sirius XM and that posts on YouTube, where her interviews regularly attract millions of viewers. Professional indifference, as much as independence, was an advertised feature of the new venture. The name of her production company: “Devil May Care Media.”

    “Fourth or fifth acts in broadcast media are rare,” explains Brian Stelter, “and she is pulling it off.” Hardly a conservative fanboy, the veteran media reporter and former host of CNN’s Reliable Sources occasionally tunes in to the show during his commute, programming he described as “a hard-right, anti-woke rage fest.” But Stelter admits the Kelly renaissance “is a pretty rare success story.”  

    A seat at the desk of a presidential debate, though, the crown jewel of any career in political journalism? Even Kelly felt that would be out of reach “this time around.” Those gigs traditionally go to legacy media, and for good reason. Deep pockets, not to mention a wealth of experience, are needed to pull off a prize fight in prime time. All the same, Kelly says she “wound up with three different offers to co-moderate a debate.” But even with NewsNation handling all the technical logistics, would the ordeal be worth the fuss?

    Former President Donald Trump has walked away from the stage, leaving his primary challengers to cannibalize each other as they trail by more than 45 points. “Does it matter at all?” she asked herself when deciding whether to moderate an undercard debate without the biggest name in politics. Sequels often fall flat, and her first debate had catapulted her to the journalism equivalent of superstardom.

    It has now been eight years since Trump and Kelly, then of Fox News, clashed at the first Republican presidential debate. A stampede of magazine writers followed.

    “Blowhards, Beware,” declared Vanity Fair in 2016, “Megyn Kelly Will Slay You Now.” And later Vogue dubbed her “Megyn Unbound” as she prepared to decamp Fox for NBC the next year, speculating that, once split from the conservative news juggernaut, she could finally be “a force for good.” Eventually, the names of the magazines that profiled her said as much about her career as the interviews: Variety, then Success, and finally More.

    The quotes changed. The formula for each glossy cover story stayed the same. An elegant photo shoot, a couple thousand words complete with anecdotes about unscripted off-air moments, deviations on one common theme. One gushing headline summed up the shared sentiment: “Megyn Kelly Always Wins.”

    She chuckles at that past coverage, and then the new queen of independent journalism returns to a no-brainer for anyone else with a byline. “In the end, I concluded, yes,” Kelly says of her reason for reprising her role as debate moderator, noting that “Trump is vulnerable in some unique ways” – from the frontrunner’s legal jeopardy to, “with all due respect,” the septuagenarian’s health. Between the Thanksgiving holiday and debate prep sessions, she insists “there are all sorts of reasons” for the GOP to consider “at least the next best option.” One of the candidates not named Trump “could pull an inside straight,” she muses. “It’s not likely,” Kelly concludes, “but who am I to rule it out?”

    Haley, Ramaswamy, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have qualified for that contest. None would likely appreciate her analysis of their chances. All of them know her already, however, and there is a level of comfort with Kelly inside party headquarters and among the grassroots. She may not be a dyed-in-the-wool conservative. She can at least speak their language.

    “This does get to an interesting tension point about the debates,” Stelter mused. “Who should be asking the questions: Should it be Hugh Hewitt and Megyn Kelly, or Lester Holt and Bret Baier?” In his estimation, since going independent, the woman once crowned “the First Lady of Fox,” someone who cultivated a brand as “unpredictable,” has become reliably “more Rush Limbaugh than Brit Hume.”

    It was Hume who first spotted Kelly and passed her demo tape along to Fox News brass, who eagerly recruited her to be a reporter. The rest is history, including a cautionary tale about cultivating talent. According to talk show host Erick Erickson, NBC drafted Kelly without an adequate plan to leverage her conservative celebrity. “They could have built a credible brand around Megyn,” he says, “but chose not to because she did not have enough of a left-wing orthodoxy.”

    Erickson, like many others on the right, was quick to celebrate her return to the moderator role. “She can speak the language of the people from whom she came,” he explains, “even though she’s been elevated into this New York world of the media.”

    Conservatives have long loved to hate the media, and moderators are no exception. Ramaswamy delighted the right with his modest proposal at the last debate that Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, and Tucker Carlson should be calling the contest. Kelly arguably has more mainstream appeal, less baggage, and better hair than all of them. And according to Erickson, a unique kind of credibility. “You don’t have to be a card-carrying member of the vast right-wing conspiracy to be taken seriously by conservatives,” he insisted. “You just have to be willing to treat them as humans with valid opinions.”

    Kelly won’t sign any party membership card. “I’m a registered independent,” she says to almost preempt her admission in the next breath that “my sensibilities are center-right.” And so, when she takes her seat behind the desk in Alabama and looks out over the field of candidates, she won’t bother with a view from nowhere. On the eve of that contest, Kelly advertises “complete fluency” in the ideological concerns of conservatives. And then she offers up a professional disclaimer directed at the politicians she will square up with: “I’m never going to share a jersey with these people.”

    “Am I willing to vote for a Democrat over a Republican at the presidential level these days? I’ll be honest, probably not. I have voted for plenty of Democrats in the past, but the world is so insane right now, and I’ve become almost a single-issue voter on what we’re doing to children in the trans lane,” she admits.

    “But my point is even though I’m probably rooting for these guys over a Democrat, you won’t be able to tell that on debate night, and that’s all you can ask of a good moderator. They don’t have to have no politics. They don’t have to have no ideology. They have to be able to check it. They go out there such that both sides are satisfied that this person was tough but fair,” she continues.

    Each of the candidates who will walk on stage next week has sat for in-depth interviews with her already, and even Trump made peace with her. Of course, it was only temporary. That segment included a lengthy cross-examination about his handling of classified documents, and days after it aired, hostilities resumed. “She was pretty nasty,” the former president complained to an Iowa crowd, “didn’t you think?” Kelly could care less.

    She already got the interview. Now she’s about to get her debate, a contest she playfully likens to “a dinner party” where her role is that of the “bad host” who chooses chaos. “Instead of introducing fun topics on which guests might agree, you’re introducing the thorny ones,” Kelly says, laying out in broad strokes her plans for the evening. Should any of the candidates arrive low energy, she warns, well, “Maybe you take out the cattle prod.”

    She plans to invite arguments and doesn’t expect “a hug” from anyone on stage afterward. “As soon as you declare yourself a presidential candidate, we’re not friends,” Kelly explains. The biggest bully in politics helped solidify that fact in her mind: “The nature of the relationship becomes adversarial. And as much as Trump came after me and made my life unpleasant after the 2015 debate, he wasn’t wrong.”

    “I threw a punch at him that was considerable, and he threw many, many punches back. You could argue it was excessive. I certainly think it was. But my point is simply that part of it is accepting your role as someone who these guys are not going to like that much. If you’re doing it right, they shouldn’t,” she says, recalling her first big brush with the populist who went on to the presidency.

    She talks in calculated, almost cold-blooded, terms but her inviting tone never loses its warmth. Such is the duality of Megyn Kelly: She is as disarming and kind as any suburban mom anywhere, and yet she has a plan to end the career of any unprepared politician she meets.

    Scott Walker has tangled with Kelly before, and the former Wisconsin governor, who now serves as president of the Young America’s Foundation, has blunt advice for any 2024 candidates who might be tempted to underestimate the blonde brawler: Don’t.

    “Just because she articulates conservative views doesn’t mean any of the candidates will get a pass from her,” Walker cautions. “They’d better be bringing their A-game to the debate stage.”

    While her confrontation of Trump eight years ago dominates the memory of that contest, her questions to the rest of the field were no less aggressive. For instance, she didn’t lob a softball and invite Walker to explain why he opposed abortion. She threw high and inside. “Would you really let a mother die rather than have an abortion?” Kelly asked. The governor kept his balance, defended his position, and answered that his pro-life position was “in line with everyday America.”

    Others weren’t so lucky that night, as Kelly weaved right as quickly as she bobbed left. One moment, she asked former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who had leaned on Scripture to justify his expansion of Medicaid, why conservative voters, “who generally want to shrink government” should “believe you won’t use your Saint Peter analogy to expand all government?” The next, she hit him with this question: “If you had a son or daughter who was gay or lesbian, how would you explain to them your opposition to same-sex marriage?”

    The left-right routine was enough to win Kelly praise from all corners. Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, declared Kelly “the toughest person on the debate stage,” while Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of the eventual Democratic nominee the next year, said the moderators had raised “the quality of the debate.”

    Campaigns are rewatching that debate and pulling clips from her show to prepare. “They should review my show,” she laughs. “It’s full of interesting content. They won’t find clues in there, though.” Kelly stubbornly refuses to talk outside of school. She says only that she and her co-moderators, Elizabeth Vargas of NewsNation and Eliana Johnson of the Washington Free Beacon, will be “unsparing.” The trio has binders full of “A+ level questions” designed to shove candidates off their talking points and into real moments of conflict.

    “If the three of us could shrink into obscurity that night, it would be a total win. If it’s just all about the three of them, or four of them, and not at all about the three of us, that would be great,” Kelly says.

    The four of them? “I know Trump loves Alabama. I do know this,” she says of a perhaps hoped-for surprise appearance. “He loves Alabama. So, there’s some possibility he’d decide to show up.” Should that happen, Kelly says the trio of moderators will be prepared. They’ve studied the candidates and the current moment.

    “This Republican Party is a far more dynamic, interesting, and complex one than what we had even six to eight years ago,” she reports, before suggesting “that’s probably actually good for the country” and then declaring, “that’s definitely good for a debate.”

    Take foreign policy, for instance, the foundation of the previous debate. Kelly cuts the party roughly into thirds for the sake of example. There is “the populist, Trump MAGA wing,” she says, and “then you still have the neoconservatives.” The remainder, in her quick estimation, are “the war-weary” who are skeptical of foreign intervention, “but who aren’t MAGA and certainly aren’t pro-Trump.”

    Pick a different issue. Slice, dice, and repeat. “There are a bunch of factions right now in the Republican Party,” she says, in between debate prep sessions, “which for me, as somebody who has a show, a journalist, and as a debate moderator, spells opportunity.”

    Familiarity will not lead to fondness, though. The only class Kelly seems to dislike more than politicians are members of the media. So much of her current rise is a reaction to their coverage, or perhaps an antidote. She complains that “the liberals who dominate the news” fail to account for their own biases, let alone check them in any meaningful way. “They’re cheerleaders,” Kelly says, “and that’s why independent media has exploded.”

    “The populist rising that we’ve seen in our politics has tilted over to media,” she replies when asked how she fits into that phenomenon. “My own coverage, I wouldn’t describe it as populist, but it is definitely anti-elite and anti-institution because they’ve earned that disdain. And people have had it. They’ve come to understand that these institutions are not rooting for them.”

    Next week may be the biggest opportunity yet for independent media when Megyn Kelly returns to live television. She predicts that some of her questions will be objectionable to one wing of the party and acceptable to another. “You have the chance to both please and displease a large constituency,” she says, “which is a win.” 

    “No one should be feeling super warm and fuzzy when the debate is over, like they just want to give the debate moderator a hug,” she adds. “They should be feeling like, ‘I loved this stuff. I hated that stuff. Overall, I found it very informative.’”

    More than anything, though, Kelly stresses that she and her co-moderators will go with the moment. “We are going to make this entertaining,” she promises. “Trust me when I tell you, we know how. It’ll be fun to watch.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 21:00

  • Trump Is Not Immune From Lawsuits Over Jan. 6: Federal Court
    Trump Is Not Immune From Lawsuits Over Jan. 6: Federal Court

    Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Former President Donald Trump is not immune to lawsuits over the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, a federal appeals court ruled on Dec. 1.

    Former President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of supporters at the Fort Dodge Senior High School in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Nov. 18, 2023. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

    President Trump has not proven that he has presidential immunity from suits regarding his actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, the court said.

    The ruling was largely based on the determination that President Trump’s campaign for another term was not an official presidential act, so did not fall under presidential immunity.

    “In arguing that he is entitled to official-act immunity in the cases before us, President Trump does not dispute that he engaged in his alleged actions up to and on January 6 in his capacity as a candidate. But he thinks that does not matter. Rather, in his view, a president’s speech on matters of public concern is invariably an official function, and he was engaged in that function when he spoke at the January 6 rally and in the leadup to that day. We cannot accept that rationale,” U.S. Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan, appointed under former President Barack Obama, wrote in the ruling.

    “While presidents are often exercising official responsibilities when they speak on matters of public concern, that is not always the case. When a sitting president running for re-election speaks in a campaign ad or in accepting his political party’s nomination at the party convention, he typically speaks on matters of public concern. Yet he does so in an unofficial, private capacity as office-seeker, not an official capacity as office-holder. And actions taken in an unofficial capacity cannot qualify for official-act immunity,” Judge Srinivasan added.

    Judge Gregory Katsas, appointed by President Trump, concurred, while Judge Judith Rogers, appointed under President Bill Clinton, concurred in part.

    The panel ruled on an appeal lodged by President Trump after U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta, appointed under President Obama, ruled in 2022 that President Trump was not protected by presidential immunity for his speech on Jan. 6.

    “To deny a president immunity from civil damages is no small step,” Judge Mehta wrote at the time. “The court well understands the gravity of its decision. But the alleged facts of this case are without precedent, and the court believes that its decision is consistent with the purposes behind such immunity.”

    The ruling is not final, Judge Srinivasan emphasized.

    The rejection of President Trump’s appeal “is necessarily tied to the need to assume the truth of the plaintiffs’ factual allegations at this point in the proceedings,” he wrote. “President Trump has not had a chance to counter those allegations with facts of his own. When these cases move forward in the district court, he must be afforded the opportunity to develop his own facts on the immunity question if he desires to show that he took the actions alleged in the complaints in his official capacity as President rather than in his unofficial capacity as a candidate. At the appropriate time, he can move for summary judgment on his claim of official-act immunity.”

    The Dec. 1 decision “is not necessarily even the final word on the issue of presidential immunity,” he added, so “we of course express no view on the ultimate merits of the claims against President Trump.”

    Lawyers for President Trump and the other parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    President Donald Trump speaks at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jenny Jing/The Epoch Times)

    Positions

    The decision came nearly a year after the parties argued in front of the appeals court panel. The appeals court normally issues decisions in about a third of the time.

    The ruling came after President Trump was sued by Democrats and law enforcement officers over his actions on Jan. 6.

    Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, for instance, accused President Trump of conspiring to prevent them from their duty in approving the 2020 electoral results because of his speech, in which the president called on supporters to march to the Capitol.

    President Trump, who is the Republican frontrunner for 2024, has argued that the speech consisted of “political statements and discourse by a sitting president during his term of office” and should thus be covered by presidential immunity.

    The immunity protects presidents from civil lawsuits over official acts, or acts taken with the “outer perimeter” of his official responsibilities, under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling.

    “In the run-up to January 6th and on the day itself, President Trump was acting well within the scope of ordinary presidential action when he engaged in open discussion and debate about the integrity of the 2020 election,” lawyers for the former president wrote in one filing.

    Lawyers for the other parties had told the appeals court that Judge Mehta ruled correctly.

    President Trump “was acting far beyond the “outer perimeter” of his office when he conspired to use violence and intimidation to prevent members of Congress from carrying out their constitutional duty to count Electoral College votes and certify the results of the 2020 presidential election,” they said.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 19:50

  • Pickup Trucks Dominate US Auto Sales
    Pickup Trucks Dominate US Auto Sales

    Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the Ford F-Series is no less than an American icon.

    Ford’s immensely popular line of pickup trucks has been the best-selling truck for 46 consecutive years and the country’s best-selling vehicle for the last 41 years. And since it’s very hard to overtake an F-Series truck, both literally and figuratively, the F-Series will once again be America’s number 1 vehicle this year.

    As Statista’s Felix Richter reports, according to Car and Driver, Ford sold 573,370 units of its heavyweight truck in the first nine months of 2023, including 12,260 electric F-150 Lightning trucks. In a testament to America’s love of pickup trucks, the F-Series is trailed by the Chevy Silverado and the Ram Pickup in second and third place, before the Toyota RAV4 is the first non-heavy-duty vehicle in this year’s ranking of best-selling cars and trucks.

    Infographic: Big & Bold: Pickup Trucks Dominate U.S. Auto Sales | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    The enduring love affair between Americans and pickup trucks is deeply ingrained in the nation’s automotive culture. Rooted in the early 20th century, when trucks were primarily tools of trade, their evolution over time saw them transition from workhorses to versatile, multipurpose vehicles catering to a diverse range of lifestyles. Capable of seamlessly transitioning from hauling heavy loads at a worksite to serving as a family vehicle for weekend adventures, the spacious cabins, towing capacity and off-road capabilities of modern pickup trucks cater to a wide spectrum of consumer needs.

    Moreover, the ‘American Dream’ narrative has often been intertwined with these trucks. The very essence of the pickup truck embodies the spirit of the country itself – bold, ambitious and unyielding. In recent years, the market for pickup trucks has expanded beyond traditional demographics. Their appeal now extends to urban dwellers, outdoor enthusiasts and even environmentally conscious consumers with the introduction of electric pickup trucks.

    Tesla’s Cybertruck is just the latest such example, and when looking at Tesla’s track record combined with America’s love of heavy-duty trucks, it looks like a surefire hit.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 19:15

  • 'Disturbing Gibberish': New Trans Textbook For Psychiatrists Could Harm Millions Of Kids, Critics Say
    ‘Disturbing Gibberish’: New Trans Textbook For Psychiatrists Could Harm Millions Of Kids, Critics Say

    Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A new “cutting-edge” textbook on transgenderism written with the help of activists will be used to train psychiatrists and could harm millions of children in the future, some experts have warned.

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock)

    “Gender-Affirming Psychiatric Care,” just released on Amazon at $58, is a textbook printed by American Psychiatric Association (APA) Publishing.

    The textbook signals early on that it’s more subjective than objective, quoting a feminist studies professor saying, “Scientific neutrality is a fallacy.”

    The content has prompted some critics to question the textbook’s reliance on a mix of transgender-identifying professionals writing about their experiences, limited scientific studies, and neo-Marxist critical theories.

    “This is a huge issue; millions more kids will be harmed,” said Dr. Lauren Schwartz, a psychiatrist in Oklahoma speaking out against the rush to “transition” children.

    The textbook’s introduction says the book is based on an “evidence-informed approach” instead of an evidence-based approach, which is more scientific, she told The Epoch Times.

    The 26 chapters are written by 56 authors, 50 of whom are in the transgender community, according to the textbook’s foreword.

    Chapters include affirming “two-spirit people,” a term used to refer to someone who believes he or she is both sexes, and one about “double queer” people—or people who identify as transgender and have a mental disability.

    The book’s editors are listed as an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and investigator at the National LGBT Health Education Center; and a transgender-identifying psychiatry resident at the University of Pennsylvania, whose work is influenced by her background as a “non-binary/trans, queer, neurodivergent, chronically ill, Jewish person.”

    Dr. Schwartz noted that the authors were chosen by “prioritizing lived experience, diversity of perspectives, and community impact of prior work over academic titles.”

    ‘Disturbing Gibberish’

    The problem is the textbook will be perceived as authoritative because it was printed by the APA’s publishing arm, she said.

    “Anyone wanting to practice gender-affirming care, any attorney wanting to defend it, and any legislator who wants to protect it, now they have a new peer-reviewed textbook, not just ‘evidence’ in a journal or a study,” she said.

    Alan Hopewell, a prescribing neuropsychologist in Texas who saw transgender-identifying patients decades ago, called the textbook “disturbing.”

    “This is nonsensical gibberish which has no foundation whatsoever in science,” he told The Epoch Times.

    Hospitals could demand doctors go by the textbook because the APA put it out, or it could even be used to remove the license of doctors who don’t go along with it, he said.

    Abigail Martinez (R), the mother of a transgender teen who committed suicide, sheds tears as Erin Friday comforts her and transgender activists block TV cameras from capturing her story in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 8, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

    “This reminds me of brain-damaged hippies free-associating at a commune,” Mr. Hopewell said.

    The book foreword says that most of the contributing authors recognize they are “obscenely privileged” as English-speaking doctors with access to elite schools.

    It asserts that the psychiatric field was built on “the work [and assumptions] of European, white, cisgender men, including their colonial, Anglo-centric, cis-heteropatriarchal worldview and pathologization of experiences that did not fit their own ‘norm.'”

    “For millennia, outside of European colonial influences, gender diversity has flourished to varying degrees among hundreds of indigenous communities around the world,” the foreword reads.

    The idea that Western countries were colonizing land stolen from indigenous people is part of critical race theory (CRT), which critics say is rooted in neo-Marxism.

    Straight White Bias

    CRT and gender theories see white people and heterosexuals in Western civilization as “oppressors” of minority identity groups, who are viewed as victims.

    Activists are encouraged to dismantle oppressive societies in order to right discrimination of the past, according to ideology architects such as Ibram X. Kendi, who wrote “How to Be an Antiracist.”

    Detransition advocates meet outside of the annual Pediatric Endocrine Society conference held in San Diego, Calif., on May 6, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

    Proponents of CRT and gender theories contend that discrimination against identity groups such as white people and heterosexuals is needed to right the wrongs against racial and sexual minorities.

    “The entire document is predicated on an uncritical acceptance of queer theory, which is more accurately queer Marxism,” conservative author James Lindsay told The Epoch Times.

    Queer theory is a gender ideology advocating the destruction of traditional sexual norms; some queer theorists support sexual acts such as pedophilia and bestiality that aren’t accepted by society.

    The textbook describes heterosexuals as cisgender people who are part of a “cultural and systemic marginalization” of LGBT people who don’t align with societal norms.

    To prove the point, the authors object to the idea that only women can have babies.

    “For example, naming an obstetrics and gynecology practice a women’s health center is cis-normative because it assumes the practice will only serve patients with one gender,” the foreword reads.

    Mr. Lindsay, author of “The Marxification of Education,” said the idea of “treating” gender dysphoria with hormones or surgery is akin to performing lobotomies on the mentally ill decades ago.

    History teaches that communist theories applied to the real world have deadly results, he said.

    Mr. Lindsay pointed to the forced application of Trofim Lysenko’s Soviet agriculture program based on pseudo-science as an example of a communist idea gone bad.

    The program caused millions of innocent people in the former Soviet Union to starve by forcing them to plant seeds close together in the belief that plants from the same class never compete with each other. The theory contributed to widespread famine.

    Read the rest here…

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 18:40

  • Recession Risk: Which Sectors Are Least Vulnerable?
    Recession Risk: Which Sectors Are Least Vulnerable?

    If, and when, a recession ever occurs again in any of our lifetimes – certainly not in the golden age of Bidonomics, pain will be felt disproportionately as usual.

    Sectors which fare better will typically exhibit;

    • Less cyclical exposure
    • Lower rate sensitivity
    • Higher cash levels
    • Lower capital expenditures

    As such, Visual Capitalist‘s Dorothy Neufeld takes a look at the sectors most resilient to recession risk and rising costs, using data from Allianz Trade. 

    Recession Risk, by Sector

    As slower growth and rising rates put pressure on corporate margins and the cost of capital, we can see in the table below that this has impacted some sectors more than others in the last year:

    Generally speaking, the retail sector has been shielded from recession risk and higher prices. In 2023, accelerated consumer spending and a strong labor market has supported retail sales, which have trended higher since 2021. Consumer spending makes up roughly two-thirds of the U.S. economy.

    Sectors including chemicals and pharmaceuticals have traditionally been more resistant to market turbulence, but have fared worse than others more recently.

    In theory, sectors including construction, metals, and automotives are often rate-sensitive and have high capital expenditures. Yet, what we have seen in the last year is that many of these sectors have been able to withstand margin pressures fairly well in spite of tightening credit conditions as seen in the table above.

    What to Watch: Corporate Margins in Perspective

    One salient feature of the current market environment is that corporate profit margins have approached historic highs.

    As the above chart shows, after-tax profit margins for non-financial corporations hovered over 14% in 2022, the highest post-WWII. In fact, this trend has been increasing over the past two decades.

    According to a recent paper, firms have used their market power to increase prices. As a result, this offset margin pressures, even as sales volume declined.

    Overall, we can see that corporate profit margins are higher than pre-pandemic levels. Sectors focused on essential goods to the consumer were able to make price hikes as consumers purchased familiar brands and products.

    Adding to stronger margins were demand shocks that stemmed from supply chain disruptions. The auto sector, for example, saw companies raise prices without the fear of diminishing market share. All of these factors have likely built up a buffer to help reduce future recession risk.

    Sector Fundamentals Looking Ahead

    How are corporate metrics looking in 2023?

    In the first quarter of 2023, S&P 500 earnings fell almost 4%. It was the second consecutive quarter of declining earnings for the index. Despite slower growth, the S&P 500 is up roughly 15% from lows seen in October.

    Yet according to an April survey from the Bank of America, global fund managers are overwhelmingly bearish, highlighting contradictions in the market.

    For health care and utilities sectors, the vast majority of companies in the index are beating revenue estimates in 2023. Over the last 30 years, these defensive sectors have also tended to outperform other sectors during a downturn, along with consumer staples. Investors seek them out due to their strong balance sheets and profitability during market stress.

    Cyclical sectors, such as financials and industrials tend to perform worse. We can see this today with turmoil in the banking system, as bank stocks remain sensitive to interest rate hikes. Making matters worse, the spillover from rising rates may still take time to materialize.

    Defensive sectors like health care, staples, and utilities could be less vulnerable to recession risk. Lower correlation to economic cycles, lower rate-sensitivity, higher cash buffers, and lower capital expenditures are all key factors that support their resilience.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 18:05

  • House Passes Bill To 'Permanently Freeze' $6BN In Iranian Funds
    House Passes Bill To ‘Permanently Freeze’ $6BN In Iranian Funds

    Via The Cradle,

    On Thursday the US House of Representatives in a 307-119 vote passed a bill that would force the White House to permanently freeze $6 billion in Iranian funds released back in September as part of a successful prisoner exchange deal.

    “Giving Iran access to these funds for any purpose frees up money for its malign activities, including its support to proxies, like we saw on 7 October, like Hamas,” Representative Michael McCaul – who introduced the bill – told reporters.

    House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) speaks in support of the “No Funding For Iranian Terror Act”. YouTube/House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans

    House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) speaks in support of the “No Funding For Iranian Terror Act” on the House floor on Nov. 30, 2023. Credit: YouTube/House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans.

    The US Senate has introduced similar legislation to freeze the Iranian funds but has yet to pass it out of committee.

    Despite the accusations from western officials, Iranian authorities maintain they had no previous knowledge of the plans by Hamas to launch Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and have repeatedly stressed Tehran has no interest in seeing the hostilities expand into a regional war.

    In September, Tehran and Washington completed a landmark prisoner exchange deal brokered by Qatar that also saw the transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds seized by South Korea due to US sanctions.

    The billions were transferred by Seoul to the Qatari accounts of several Iranian banks using the SWIFT system, thanks to a sanctions waiver provided by Washington.

    Despite US officials claiming in the wake of the deal that they would police the use of the funds, Iranian authorities stressed these would be used to acquire “whatever the Iranian people need.”

    At the time, Washington-based think tanks considered the deal a softball maneuver by the White House to publicly kickstart the easing of tensions with Tehran. This move was seen as a way to navigate around the resistance of congressional representatives and pressure from Israeli hawks against reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

    The Neocon wing of the Republicans have long sought to block the Biden move to free up the $6BN, but Thursday’s vote had bipartisan support…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Nonetheless, days after the start of the Gaza-Israel war on 7 October, the White House announced Iran “would not be getting the money for the time being.” At the time, State Secretary Anthony Blinken said Tehran had not “touched the money yet.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 17:30

  • Americans Couldn't Care Less About Christmas Markets
    Americans Couldn’t Care Less About Christmas Markets

    Even though most Western and many other countries around the world observe Christmas as a public or religious holiday, the traditions differ wildly not only from region to region but also from country to country.

    Statista’s Florian Zandt reports that their Consumer Insights Christmas Special shows that when it comes to Christmas markets, a long-held tradition in Western Europe, attitudes are divided by an ocean in the markets analyzed – literally and figuratively.

    Infographic: Americans Couldn't Care Less About Christmas Markets | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    While 58 percent of German survey respondents say that Christmas markets are essential and almost half of those looking forward to the holiday season are excited about mulled wine and gathering around wooden huts in festive cheer, not as many participants in the United Kingdom share these sentiments.

    When looking at the United States, most respondents could probably do entirely without Christmas markets, with only 13 percent each seeing it as an important tradition and looking forward to it.

    For U.S. survey participants, having a Christmas tree (55 percent) listening to Christmas music, and watching Christmas movies (50 percent each) are the top 3 essentials for the holiday season.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 16:55

  • New CDC Director Defends Vaccine Mandates, School Closures
    New CDC Director Defends Vaccine Mandates, School Closures

    Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 30 defended COVID-era policies like vaccine mandates in her first appearance before Congress.

    “I’m very proud of the work we did in North Carolina,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, the new director, told Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) after he asked if she regretted any of the policies put into place in North Carolina, such as school closures, when she was the state’s health secretary.

    “I feel like we did that in a way that was very inclusive,” she added.

    U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen testifies in Washington on Nov. 30, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

    When Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) noted that Dr. Cohen supported harsh measures as health secretary, including vaccine mandates, Dr. Cohen said it was time to “look forward” and start a “new chapter.”

    “You have to remember, at different moments in time, we needed different solutions,” she said in response to how Americans would know whether the new director will support the same measures at the federal level.

    “The good news is that we’re in a different place than we were before. We both have different tools and have different mechanisms to respond,” she said to another question, about whether she’d shut down schools if a pandemic happened again. “I can’t really address a hypothetical but I think we’ve learned a lot about how to approach things.”

    Did closing schools harm students?

    “We always knew in-person instruction was incredibly beneficial,” Dr. Cohen said.

    “You’d be great in the sales department,” Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) said, prompting a rare smile from the new director.

    Dr. Cohen replaced Dr. Rochelle Walensky, President Joe Biden’s first CDC director, over the summer. Dr. Walensky was an advocate for COVID-19 vaccines, masks, and school closures.

    Dr. Cohen also indicated she supports mask mandates, saying all masks, including cloth masks, worked as a “barrier” and protected against COVID-19. The CDC recommends wearing “well-fitting” masks for protection.

    Dr. Cohen’s answers sparked frustration from lawmakers of both parties.

    “My neighbor would say, should I wear a cloth mask? I don’t know from your answer what I should tell them,” Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) said.

    Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said that Dr. Cohen was in the perfect place to help the CDC reestablish credibility.

    “If the CDC wants its credibility back, you’ve got to have a mea culpa moment. You’re in the perfect position to do it, because you had nothing to do with their decisions at the time. So there’s no reason to defend it,” he said.

    “It’s ok to say ‘it didn’t make any sense to shut down schools.’ The data shows that now. ‘It didn’t make sense to do major lockdowns.’ The data shows that now. ‘It doesn’t make sense to mask kids.’ The data shows that now. It’s okay to say it. And the public will reward you for it,” he added later.

    But Dr. Cohen refused to say authorities in North Carolina or at the CDC did anything wrong, repeatedly steering the discussion back to the future, not the past.

    She did refer broadly several times to lessons learned during the pandemic, including being more transparent.

    Answers on Illness in China, Lab in California

    Dr. Cohen also answered questions about other topics, including a bout of illness in China.

    Dr. Cohen said that the CDC was in touch with counterparts in China, where the agency has an office, and that the surge in respiratory infections in China was not, based on current information, from “a new or novel pathogen.”

    The World Health Organization and Chinese officials have also said the illnesses are from existing illnesses such as influenza.

    “The Chinese officials have shared with us that there are no novel pathogens, and we were able to corroborate that information across other sources from our European Union partners and others to make sure that we’re getting a complete picture,” Dr. Cohen said.

    Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said the situation in China “brings us back, sadly, to the early days of COVID-19” when there was a “lack of reliable information coming out of China.”

    “We are hoping that you can put some pressure in an attempt to try to get China to not mislead the world as they did with COVID-19,” Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) said.

    Some lawmakers pressed Dr. Cohen on a laboratory in China that was operating without permission, after a House report said the CDC refused to speak for months to local officials who raised the alarm.

    Dr. Cohen said the CDC investigated quickly and found no indications the lab was experimenting with Ebola or other select agents.

    She echoed an earlier CDC statement that said the report “includes numerous inaccuracies, including both the charge that CDC did not respond to local requests for aid and the false implication that CDC had the authority to unilaterally investigate or seize samples from” the lab. The agency said it was actively engaged in the investigation into the facility.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 16:20

  • Inmate Who Shanked Derek Chauvin 22 Times Is Former FBI Informant Who Led Mexican Mafia Faction
    Inmate Who Shanked Derek Chauvin 22 Times Is Former FBI Informant Who Led Mexican Mafia Faction

    A 52-year-old man who stabbed former police officer Derek Chauvin with an “improvised knife” is a former FBI informant, according to court documents filed on Dec. 1.

    John Turscak stabbed Chauvin 22 times before being subdued by responding corrections officers. He later told them that he would have killed the man convicted for the murder of George Floyd (who had an elephant dose of fentanyl in his system and died ‘with’ Covid).

    The stabbing occurred on Nov. 24 around 12:30 p.m., the day after Thanksgiving known commonly as Black Friday. Turscak waived his Miranda rights and told FBI agents that he ‘did not want to kill Chauvin, but had been thinking about attacking him for a month,’ taking the opportunity when both of them were in the law library at the Federal Correctional Institution Tucson.

    “Turscak stated that his attack of [Mr. Chauvin] on Black Friday was symbolic with the Black Lives Matter Movement and the ‘black hand’ symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia criminal organization,” said prosecutors.

    As the Epoch Times notes, Turscak was charged with four counts, including assault with a dangerous weapon and assault with intent to commit murder. He was moved after the stabbing to an adjacent federal penitentiary in Tucson, where he remained in custody Friday, inmate records show.

    Mr. Turscak did not have a lawyer listed on the court docket.

    A lawyer for Mr. Chauvin did not return an inquiry about the charges.

    Federal officials have said an inmate at the Tuscon facility was stabbed on Nov. 24 and that the inmate was rushed to a hospital. They said they would not identify the inmate.

    “For privacy and safety reasons, we are not providing the name of the victim or their medical status,” a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

    Minnesota officials had said that Mr. Chauvin was the inmate and that he was expected to survive.

    Carolyn Pawlenty, Mr. Chauvin’s mother, wrote on Facebook on Friday that she is seeking answers regarding the stabbing.

    “The FBI and BOP are not giving me any answers other then [sic] ‘he is in stable condition and it is under investigation,'” she wrote.

    “Who did this, where were the guards, where is the video showing what happened?? How could you let this happen?” she wondered.

    Gregory Erickson, a lawyer who has represented Mr. Chauvin, told The Epoch Times via email a day after the attack that none of Mr. Chauvin’s family members nor his lawyers had been apprised of his condition or location. “I view this lack of communication with his attorneys and family members as completely outrageous. It appears to be indicative of a poorly run facility and indicates how Derek’s assault was allowed to happen,” he said.

    BOP declined to respond directly but a spokesperson said it “takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as maintain the safety of correctional employees and the community.”

    Sent to Federal Prison

    Mr. Chauvin, 47, was sent to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison in August 2022 to simultaneously serve a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder.

    Mr. Chauvin’s lawyer at the time had advocated for keeping him out of the general population and away from other inmates, anticipating he would be a target.

    In November, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s appeal of his murder conviction. Separately, Mr. Chauvin is trying to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he didn’t cause Mr. Floyd’s death.

    Mr. Floyd’s death was determined to be a homicide, with the man suffering a heart attack while being restrained by law enforcement officers on May 25, 2020.
    Mr. Chauvin while detaining Mr. Floyd knelt on Mr. Floyd’s back and neck, according to the medical examiner and expert testimony at his trial. But Mr. Floyd also had a fatal level of drugs in his system, his autopsy showed.

    Inmate’s History

    Mr. Turscak led a faction of the Mexican Mafia in the Los Angeles area in the late 1990s and went by the nickname “Stranger,” according to court records. He became an FBI informant in 1997, providing information about the gang and recordings of conversations he had with its members and associates.

    The investigation Mr. Turscak was aiding led to more than 40 indictments. But about midway through, the FBI dropped Mr. Turscak as an informant because he was still dealing drugs, extorting money, and authorizing assaults. According to court papers, Mr. Turscak plotted attacks on rival gang members and was accused of attempting to kill a leader of a rival Mexican Mafia faction while also being targeted himself.

    Mr. Turscak pleaded guilty in 2001 to racketeering and conspiring to kill a gang rival. He said he thought his cooperation with the FBI would have earned a lighter sentence.

    “I didn’t commit those crimes for kicks,” Mr. Turscak said, according to news reports about his sentencing. “I did them because I had to if I wanted to stay alive. I told that to the FBI agents and they just said, ‘Do what you have to do.”’

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 15:45

  • Watchdog To Probe FBI Headquarters Selection Process Amid Claims Of Political Bias
    Watchdog To Probe FBI Headquarters Selection Process Amid Claims Of Political Bias

    Authored by Samantha Flom via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the General Services Administration (GSA) will investigate whether politics influenced the agency’s selection process for the location of the FBI’s new headquarters.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters in Washington on Nov. 6, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

    The GSA announced on Nov. 9 that it had chosen Greenbelt, Maryland, over two other potential locations.

    The move sparked concern about a “political conflict of interest” from FBI Director Christopher Wray, who wrote in an internal email obtained by The Associated Press that the choice was made after a GSA executive overruled a board to pick land owned by a former employer.

    As one of the other sites in contention was in Springfield, Virginia, that news angered Virginia’s congressional delegation and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who claimed the process had been “tainted” by politics.

    “We are deeply disturbed to learn that a political appointee at the General Services Administration overruled the unanimous recommendation of a three-person panel comprised of career experts from the GSA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, concluding that Springfield, Virginia, is the site best suited for the new FBI headquarters,” the officials said in a joint statement.

    “We have repeatedly condemned political interference in the independent, agency-run site selection process for a new FBI headquarters. Any fair weighing of the criteria points to a selection of Virginia. It is clear that this process has been irrevocably undermined and tainted, and this decision must now be reversed.”

    Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) raised those concerns in a Nov. 15 letter to the GSA’s Acting Inspector General Robert Erickson. On Nov. 30, he received a reply confirming that an investigation would be launched.

    “My office is initiating an evaluation of GSA’s selection of the site,” Mr. Erickson wrote. “Our objective will be to assess the agency’s process and procedures for the site selection to relocate the FBI Headquarters. We intend to begin this work immediately and will share with you and the relevant committees a copy of any report which may result from this evaluation.”

    Technically independent, the GSA OIG is a watchdog dedicated to investigating internal matters at the GSA.

    Under Pressure

    According to the GSA, the Greenbelt location was selected because it presented “the lowest cost to taxpayers, provided the greatest transportation access to FBI employees and visitors, and gave the government the most certainty on project delivery schedule.”

    The agency added that the chosen location would also provide “the highest potential to advance sustainability and equity.”

    “GSA looks forward to building the FBI a state-of-the-art headquarters campus in Greenbelt to advance their critical mission for years to come,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement.

    The decision followed a sudden change to the selection criteria in July, when the agency announced that it was increasing the weight of cost and social equity in its decision-making process and reducing the importance of transportation and the location’s proximity to other FBI facilities, like its Quantico facility in Virginia.

    The changes were made after officials in Maryland argued that convenience had been weighted too heavily as a factor—a fact Virginia officials pointed to as evidence that the decision was “fouled by politics.”

    Praising Mr. Erickson’s decision to open an investigation, Virginia’s congressional delegation agreed it was the “appropriate next step.”

    “We applaud the inspector general for moving quickly and encourage him to move forward to complete a careful and thorough review,” they said in a joint statement. “In the meantime, the GSA must pause all activities related to the relocation until the IG’s investigation is complete.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 15:10

  • Boeing Drops Out Of USAF's 'Doomsday' Replacement Plane Competition
    Boeing Drops Out Of USAF’s ‘Doomsday’ Replacement Plane Competition

    The US Air Force (USAF) eliminated Boeing Co. from the replacement competition of a half-century-old “Doomsday” plane that can survive a nuclear war. This leaves Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) as the sole remaining known competitor. 

    Sources told Reuters that Boeing – the incumbent manufacturer of the E-4B Nightwatch – could not agree with the USAF on data rights and contract terms for the replacement plane that began flying in the 1970s. In other words, the planemaker did not want to sign a fixed-price agreement. 

    “We are approaching all new contract opportunities with added discipline to ensure we can meet our commitments and support the long-term health of our business. We remain confident our [E-4B replacement] approach is the most comprehensive, technically mature and lowest-risk solution for the customer and Boeing,” a Boeing spokesperson told the military blog Breaking Defense. 

    Boeing added, “Our proposal is based on 60 years of military commercial derivative aircraft knowledge and experience, including the design, development, and sustainment of the E-4B Nightwatch, which currently serves the national security command and control mission.” 

    A review of Boeing’s latest financials shows its defense unit lost a whopping $1.3 billion this year due to fixed-price development programs amid supply chain snarls, elevated inflation, and high interest rates. Since 2014, the planemaker has lost $16.3 billion on fixed-price programs. 

    “Rest assured, we haven’t signed any fixed-price development contracts nor (do we) intend to,” Brian West, Boeing’s chief financial officer, told investors in October. 

    The USAF’s four E-4B aircraft fleet dates back to the early 1970s and is used as a mobile command post for the National Command Authority, namely the US President.

    The Survivable Airborne Operations Center is spearheading the move for the new replacement aircraft. The contract is scheduled to be awarded in the second quarter of 2024. SNC is the only known competitor to provide the USAF with a new Doomsday plane. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 14:35

  • CBP Whistleblower Alleges "Problematic Practices" And "Substandard" Health Care For Migrants In Custody
    CBP Whistleblower Alleges “Problematic Practices” And “Substandard” Health Care For Migrants In Custody

    Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A senior Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee turned whistleblower is alleging years of “problematic practices” in the agency’s treatment of migrants under detention at the border.

    Illegal immigrants wait in along the border wall to board a bus after surrendering to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 12, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

    In a letter sent to Congress on Nov. 30 by the Government Accountability Project, an advocacy group, on behalf of Troy Hendrickson, the CBP employee detailed the alleged failures of the agency’s medical contractor, Loyal Source Government Services.

    Mr. Hendrickson, a 15-year CBP veteran, said the actions of the medical contractor—the sole provider of medical care for people under CBP custody—were “compounded by the unwillingness of the CBP contracting office” to hold it accountable for its alleged failures and ensure oversight.

    According to its official website, Loyal Source Government Services is a Florida-based company focusing on government health care, technical and support services, engineering, and travel health care.

    The letter to Congress states that Mr. Hendrickson was assigned to work with the CBP Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO) as a Contracting Officer Representative, beginning in August of 2021.

    During this time, he “immediately raised concerns internally regarding problematic practices he witnessed, including unfit medical providers, severe understaffing, privacy breaches, and a failure to report sexual harassment in a CBP medical facility,” according to the letter.

    The negligence, according to Mr. Hendrickson, resulted in “substandard” health care for migrants held in CBP custody.

    “Mr. Hendrickson’s complaints, made with the support of OCMO leadership, went largely ignored and unaddressed by the CBP Office of Acquisition, the entity with authority to hold Loyal Source to the terms of the Medical Services Contract,” the letter said.

    “Despite his multiple requests over several months to take corrective action, such as issuing mandated performance appraisals and sending a remedial notice known as a ‘cure letter’ instructing Loyal Source to fix their performance problems, the Contracting Office consistently refused to hold the contractor accountable,” the letter stated.

    Whistleblower Suffered Retaliation

    Mr. Hendrickson further states that officials from CBP retaliated against him for raising the alleged problems by removing him from his position and preventing him from working on any future CBP medical contracts.

    Nearly a year after Mr. Hendrickson allegedly raised his concerns, in May 2023, eight-year-old Anadith Reyes Alvarez, a Panamanian girl with sickle cell anemia and congenital heart disease, died at a CBP facility in Harlingen, Texas, after being detained by border officials.

    An independent report later found that the young girl’s death could have been prevented and that she was denied repeated requests for care.

    Mr. Hendrickson’s letter said the young girl’s death was due to “avoidable medical negligence” by Loyal Source Personnel.

    The whistleblower is urging Congress to ensure thorough and prompt oversight of Loyal Source’s alleged ongoing failures to comply with mandated medical care of migrants in CBP custody.

    He is also calling for increased oversight into the CBP contracting office’s “gross mismanagement, gross waste of taxpayer dollars, and abuse of authority in its refusal to hold Loyal Source accountable for the company’s contract performance failures.”

    Congress must also ensure that Mr. Hendrickson and any other current or former CBP or Loyal Source employees who turn whistleblower are not subjected to retaliation, the letter stated.

    “Today we and our client, Mr. Troy Hendrickson, demand accountability for the years of dangerous underperformance of the CBP medical contractor and the alarming lack of oversight of CBP’s critical mandate to provide medical services to noncitizens in the agency’s custody,” Government Accountability Project Immigration Counsel Andrea Meza said in a statement.

    Texas Army National Guard look on as illegal immigrants board a bus after surrendering to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents for immigration and asylum claim processing following the end of Title 42 on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 12, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

    Medical Contractor Received ‘Millions’ of Taxpayer Dollars

    “The CBP Office of Chief Medical Officer and the Medical Services Contract were created in direct response to an ongoing pattern of deaths of children in CBP custody. It is unconscionable that when the contractor, receiving millions of taxpayer dollars, failed to meet OCMO’s medical standards, contracting officials refused at every turn to hold the contractor to account and instead retaliated against Mr. Hendrickson,” Ms. Meza continued.

    Loyal Source Government Services received a $25 million-per-month contract from the CBP, according to The Washington Post.

    “Mr. Hendrickson has been sounding the alarm within CBP and to multiple oversight entities for years, and had his warnings been heeded, Anadith Reyes Alvarez might be alive today. It is long past time for Congress and federal oversight entities to take action so that no other family will suffer the loss of their child due to medical negligence in CBP custody,” the letter concluded.

    Responding to the letter, a CBP spokesperson told Forbes that the agency “takes its obligations to investigate whistleblower allegations seriously,” and “remains committed to ensuring that contract oversight—and the procurement process writ large—are conducted correctly.”

    The spokesperson added that the health and safety of migrants in CBP custody is “a top priority” and that the agency has taken a number of “significant steps” to improve care and decrease the amount of time migrants spend in CBP custody, including via new leadership into the Office of the Chief Medical Officer.

    Elsewhere, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a Nov. 30 statement that the whistleblower’s allegations raise “serious concerns.”

    “These systemic failures to conduct proper oversight of its contractor severely impacted the quality of medical care available to individuals in CBP’s custody, endangering vulnerable migrants such as Anadith Danay Reyes Álvarez,” the lawmaker said.

    The Democrat vowed to investigate the issue further and take steps as needed to better “protect migrants in government custody.”

    The Epoch Times has contacted Loyal Source Government Services for further comment.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 14:00

  • "Two Words… Tucker Carlson": Greg Gutfeld Gores Fox After Musk Blasts Activist Advertisers
    “Two Words… Tucker Carlson”: Greg Gutfeld Gores Fox After Musk Blasts Activist Advertisers

    Greg Gutfeld just took a major shot at his employer, Fox News, saying what we all knew: Tucker Carlson, the highest-rated on-air host in television history, was fired due to pressure from special interest groups.

    While discussing Elon Musk’s “fuck you” moment over advertiser attempts to blackmail the billionaire, Gutfeld joked that it would be like “extorting Jerry Nadler with salad, or blackmailing sports fans by threatening to cancel PBS.”

    He then said that Musk was the last man standing against “the censorship-industrial complex, which is made up of government, media and tech forces.”

    Then, Gutfeld stated what we’ve all suspected since it happened…

    “He [Musk] realizes that advertisers have no spine and can be easily cowed by special interest groups in cahoots with political allies – if you don’t believe me I got two words for ya – Tucker Carlson.“

    Watch (h/t Modernity.news):

    Carlson says ‘global freedom hinges on Musk and X’

    Meanwhile, in an interview with VC David Sacks, Tucker Carlson says he thinks that the fate of free speech hinges on X.

    “I’m worried about the pressure being brought to bear on X because it’s the only huge international free speech platform with hundreds of millions of people,” said Carlson, adding “The existence of X where anyone around the world can get for free a whole range of opinions that aren’t controlled — that changes everything.“

    Watch the full interview below:

     

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 13:25

  • Israeli AI 'Assassination Factory' Plays Central Role In Gaza War
    Israeli AI ‘Assassination Factory’ Plays Central Role In Gaza War

    Authored by Kyle Anzalone via AntiWar.com,

    Tel Aviv has been relying on an AI Program dubbed “the Gospel” to select targets in Gaza at a rapid pace. In past operations in Gaza, the IDF ran out of targets to strike in the besieged enclave.

    A statement on the IDF website says the Israeli military is using the Gospel to “produce targets at a fast pace.” It continues, “Through the rapid and automatic extraction of intelligence,” the Gospel produced targeting recommendations for its researchers “with the goal of a complete match between the recommendation of the machine and the identification carried out by a person.”

    Getty Images via Bloomberg

    Aviv Kochavi, former head of the IDF, said the system was first used in the May 2021 bombing campaign in Gaza.  “To put that into perspective, in the past we would produce 50 targets in Gaza per year,” he said. “Now, this machine produces 100 targets a single day, with 50% of them being attacked.”

    The IDF does not disclose what it inputs into the Gospel for the program to produce a list of targets.

    Thursday, the Israeli outlet +972 Magazine reported Tel Aviv was using AI to pick targets in Gaza. A former Israeli official told the +972 that the Gospel was being used as a “mass assassination factory.” The program is selecting the home of suspected low-level Hamas members for destruction. Sources told the outlet that strikes on homes can kill numerous civilians.

    One source was critical of the Gospel. “I remember thinking that it was like if [Palestinian militants] would bomb all the private residences of our families when [Israeli soldiers] go back to sleep at home on the weekend,” they said.

    On Friday, the Guardian expanded on the +972 article by reporting that the Gospel plays a central role in the Gaza military operations.

    A former senior Israeli military source told the Guardian that operatives use a “very accurate” calculation of the number or rate of civilians fleeing a building before an impending strike. However, other experts disputed that assertion. A lawyer who advises governments on AI and compliance with humanitarian law told the outlet there was “little empirical evidence” to support the claim.

    During the nearly two-month-long conflict, Israel has hit over 15,000 targets. According to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Israel has dropped more than 25,000 tonnes of explosives on the Gaza Strip. The IDF reports that it has only killed between 1,000 and 2,000 suspected Hamas members. At the same time, at least 15,000 civilians have reportedly been killed, including an estimated 6,000 children.

    Richard Moyes, a researcher who heads Article 36, said the images of Gaza prove the Israeli bombing of Gaza has not focused on accuracy. “Look at the physical landscape of Gaza,” he explained. “We’re seeing the widespread flattening of an urban area with heavy explosive weapons, so to claim there’s precision and narrowness of force being exerted is not borne out by the facts.” This week, the BBC reviewed drone and satellite images of Gaza and determined that over 100,000 buildings have sustained damage.

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    Israeli sources speaking with +972 also disputed the claim that the IDF has attempted to avoid civilian casualties. A senior intelligence officer told his officers after October 7 that the goal was to “kill as many Hamas operatives as possible,” for which the criteria around harming Palestinian civilians were significantly relaxed, the outlet reported.

    A second source said that the massive bombing campaign was due to the embarrassment the Israeli government suffered on October 7. “All of this is happening contrary to the protocol used by the IDF in the past,” they stated. “There is a feeling that senior officials in the army are aware of their failure on October 7, and are busy with the question of how to provide the Israeli public with an image [of victory] that will salvage their reputation.”

    On Thursday, the New York Times reported that the Israeli government had been aware of Hamas’s plans for October 7 for more than a year. The article explained that Israeli officials believe “Hamas lacked the capability to attack and would not dare to do so. That belief was so ingrained in the Israeli government, officials said, that they disregarded growing evidence to the contrary.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 12:50

  • Bidenomics Winning? 60% Of Americans Report Their Income Does Not Keep Up With Inflation
    Bidenomics Winning? 60% Of Americans Report Their Income Does Not Keep Up With Inflation

    The Biden Administration has been complaining about the American public’s negative views on the economy, arguing that people are operating on “false perceptions influenced by right-wing media.”  

    But is this really the case?

    Is the economy really booming under Bidenomics and the majority of the US populace is simply ignoring their good fortune?

    Never has there been a point in US history when financial conditions were good and everyone preferred they be bad. 

    In fact, government officials and the media have a well established habit of misrepresenting economic data as a means to convince the public that the system is healthier than it is, and Biden is no exception.  People know when their wallets are hurting, gaslighting them is not going to be effective.

    Yet another data point released this week supports the position of the public that the nation is not as prosperous the government would like us to believe.

    Consumer financial services company Bankrate has released a survey showing that the American jobs market is cooling, indicating that high interest rates are starting to puncture the inflationary consumer spending bonanza along with the explosion in retail hiring triggered by over $8 trillion in covid stimulus.  The effects of the helicopter money are fading.  

    More important, however, was the survey’s data on wages. 

    Over 60% of Americans reported that their wages were lagging well behind inflation. 

    Among workers who did get a raise or better-paying job, more than half (53 percent) say their earnings lost ground to inflation, up from 50 percent in 2022.  In other words, inflation is still eroding worker gains despite the much hyped decline in CPI the past few months.

    This information contradicts the claims made by Biden and Democrats that wages are accelerating and beating back inflation. 

    The situation is actually getting worse by the year.  While CPI might show a narrow window in time for inflation, it is diluted by hundreds of consumer categories and services instead of focusing on necessities, where the real price explosion has been.  Furthermore, CPI is not an indicator of accumulated inflation over the past few years, which amounts to 25%-30% on average. 

    A 30% increase in cost of living in the span of three years is a disaster; it’s not surprising that Biden and the establishment media would seek to hide it. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 12/02/2023 – 12:15

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Dec 02

Today’s News 2nd December 2023

  • North Korea & Eritrea Dominate The Global Hotspots Of Modern Slavery
    North Korea & Eritrea Dominate The Global Hotspots Of Modern Slavery

    Approximately 10.5 percent of North Korea‘s population, including migrant workers and human trafficking victims, are categorized as modern slaves, according to data by the Walk Free Foundation.

    While this only amounts to roughly five percent of the total of estimated modern slaves worldwide, Statista’s Florian Zandt shows in the chart below that only one other country comes close to this population share size.

    With 9.0 percent or an estimated number of 320,000 modern slaves, the African country of Eritrea comes in second on the ranking analyzing data from 2021.

    Infographic: The Hotspots of Modern Slavery | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    While the ranking shown in our infographic prioritizes the share of people subjected to forced labor or forced marriages in the respective country’s population, only two of the worst offenders in terms of total number of residents living in slave-like conditions make the cut, North Korea (third in terms of global estimated modern slaves) and Russia (fourth in terms of global estimated modern slaves).

    When looking at the issue from this angle, India and China are home to the most people living in slave-like circumstances, with 11 million and 5.8 million, respectively.

    Overall, 49.6 million are estimated to live in conditions defined as modern slavery, with the majority residing in the Asia-Pacific region.

    The Walk Free Foundation categorizes modern slaves as victims of workplace abuse, debt bondage, forced marriage and sex trafficking, among other factors. Since it’s nearly impossible to get concrete numbers, the non-profit modeled its analysis on data from 68 representative national surveys as well evaluations of individual- and country-level risk factors like armed conflicts, governance issues including labor laws, lack of basic needs, the state of disenfranchised groups like migrants and women as well as general inequality levels in the countries included in its report.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 23:30

  • Self-Amplifying RNA Shots Are Coming: The Untold Danger
    Self-Amplifying RNA Shots Are Coming: The Untold Danger

    Authored by Klaus Steger via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    (Christoph Burgstedt/Shutterstock)

    The next generation of RNA-based injections will contain self-amplifying RNA (saRNA). If the term “self-amplifying RNA” sounds frightening, it should. It likely brings to mind images of scientific experiments run amok.

    As discussed in a previous article, “mRNA vaccines” are not made with messenger RNA but with modified RNA (modRNA). These so-called vaccines are actually gene therapy products (GTPs), as modRNA hijacks our cells’ software. We have no possibility at all to gain influence on modRNA (or saRNA) after it has been injected.

    What Distinguishes saRNA From modRNA?

    The term “self-amplifying” is self-explanatory: saRNA replicates itself repeatedly, which is not natural, as natural mRNA is always (without exception) transcribed from DNA (this is called the “central dogma of molecular biology”).

    Compared to modRNA, a small amount of saRNA results in an increased amount of produced antigen; one shot of saRNA-based injection may be enough to generate sufficient antibodies against a virus.

    Both saRNA and modRNA represent the blueprint for a viral protein, which, after entering our cells, will be produced by our cell machinery (i.e., ribosomes).

    Scientists created the genetically modified modRNA sequence by replacing natural uridines with synthetic methyl-pseudouridines to generate a maximum amount of viral antigen. This modification is the basis of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 shots.

    Unlike modRNA, saRNA does not contain methyl-pseudouridines, but uridines. Why? Since saRNA self-replicates and synthetic methyl-pseudouridines are not available in our cells, saRNA must rely on natural uridines that exist in our cells. Our cells will produce foreign proteins using their own cell machinery and their own natural resources—the main reason these cells finally become exhausted.

    However, this causes a significant problem: mRNA is highly unstable and, therefore, has only a short lifespan—too short for our immune system to produce sufficient antibodies. The solution to this problem is the second difference between modRNA and saRNA.

    Unlike modRNA, saRNA contains an additional sequence for the replicase, as destroyed (by RNases) saRNA must be replaced by new saRNA.

    As natural mRNA will never self-replicate, saRNA definitely represents a genetically modified RNA (modRNA).

    Put simply, saRNA is just another type of modRNA.

    Why the Change to saRNA?

    saRNA is the political solution: the same amount (or even more) of antigen in only one shot! The public will likely be told that due to the regular mutations of the virus, yearly adapted boosters will continue to be necessary.

    Numerous preclinical and clinical studies applying saRNA technology have already been undertaken. A 2023 review in the journal Pathogens touts saRNA vaccines as “improved mRNA vaccines.” The journal Vaccines published a summary of five years of saRNA study findings. Once the requisite clinical studies are finished, these new vaccines can be approved for use. It can be expected that this process will be as quick as it was for the COVID-19 vaccines. The approval process will become simpler, as it could be argued that the technique (modRNA in lipid nanoparticles) is already approved and that only the modRNA sequence is different. Hence, these new saRNA vaccines could be injected into an unsuspecting public at any time.

    While BioNTech performed experiments with saRNA (BNT162c2) but finally focused on modRNA (BNT162b2), Arcturus Therapeutics was the first to announce (in 2022) that its COVID-19 saRNA vaccine candidate ARCT-154—now the most advanced saRNA vaccine in trials—meets the primary efficacy endpoint in a phase-3 study.

    In the Arcturus Therapeutics study, participants received two doses, each containing 5 micrograms of saRNA. This is far less than the modRNA concentrations used by Pfizer-BioNTech (30 micrograms/shot) and Moderna (100 micrograms/shot).

    saRNA Injections Will Not Solve the Problems With modRNA Injections

    As we discovered with modRNA, the spike protein is poisonous to our bodies. We know that modRNA results in the production of more spike protein than would be available during a natural infection, and we know that repeated boosters cause immune tolerance.

    Compared to modRNA, a small amount of saRNA results in an increased amount of produced antigen.

    The “dose” of viral antigen that current and future RNA-based vaccines bring about will show large fluctuations from one individual to the next, depending on the cell type producing the desired antigen, genetic predisposition, medical history, and other factors. This fact alone should prohibit the use of RNA-based injections as vaccines for healthy people.

    Another Dubious Step Forward: From Linear to Circular saRNA

    As RNA-degrading enzymes (RNases) are known to act from both ends of linear RNA, scientists tried to prevent these enzymes from doing their natural duty—degrading mRNAs that are no longer needed—and created circular RNA. This resulted in increased stability and translation efficiency, followed by the production of an increased amount of the desired antigen.

    But is this really another step forward? Consider the negative effect of long-lasting antigen presentation. Due to increased antigen levels, one injection of saRNA—whether linear or circular—may cause adverse events comparable with repeated (booster) injections of modRNA.

    Long-Term Presentation of an Antigen Is Known to Cause Immune Tolerance

    After getting vaccinated, our bodies generate antibodies, mostly immunoglobulin G (IgG), including IgG1 and IgG4.

    Vaccinated individuals show an antibody class switch starting with the third COVID-19 injection (the first booster). This is from inflammatory IgG1 antibodies (that fight the spike protein) to non-inflammatory IgG4 antibodies (that tolerate the spike protein). Elevated levels of IgG4 antibodies, in the long run, will exhaust the immune system, causing immune tolerance. This may explain COVID-19 “breakthrough” infections, reduced immune response to other viral and bacterial infections, and reactivation of latent viral infections. It may also cause autoimmune diseases and uncontrolled growth of cancer.

    Notably, long-term IgG4 responses have been significantly associated with RNA-based injections, while individuals with a COVID-19 infection prior to vaccination exhibited no increased IgG4 levels, even when they received a shot after the infection.

    This observation clearly discredits the World Health Organization’s policy that—assuming people have no immunity against novel viruses (completely ignoring the reality of cross-immunity)—people should be vaccinated before they come into contact with the virus.

    RNA-Based Injections Are Recognized as Gene Therapy Products

    Incomprehensibly, RNA-based injections for protecting against infectious diseases were named “vaccines,” which allowed exclusion from the strict regulations for gene therapy products (GTPs). Again, this happened without providing the public with any scientific justification.

    Details on the regulatory issues of RNA-based vaccines are reported in excellent and comprehensive reviews by Guerriaud & Kohli and Helene Banoun.

    In 2014, Uğur Şahin, already CEO of BioNTech, co-wrote an article published in Nature about developing a new class of drugs, “mRNA-based therapeutics.” The authors wrote, “One would expect the classification of an mRNA drug to be a biologic, gene therapy or somatic cell therapy.”

    In 2021, the author of correspondence printed in Genes & Immunity described RNA-based vaccines created by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech as “a breakthrough in the field of gene therapy” and “a great opportunity for the FDA and EMA to revise the drug development pipeline to make it more flexible and less time-consuming.”

    Two disturbing pieces of information have now come to light:

    • The contaminating DNA results from Pfizer-BioNTech’s change in the manufacturing process after finishing the BNT162b2 (Comirnaty) Clinical Trial C4591001. Initially (Process 1), Pfizer-BioNTech modRNA was produced by in-vitro transcription from synthetic DNA and amplified by PCR (polymerase chain reaction). However, to scale up manufacturing (see rapid responses to this BMJ study), modRNA encoding DNA was cloned into bacterial plasmids (Process 2). Put simply, the clinical trial was run on process-1 lots, but the world’s populations received process-2 lots.

    This means that individuals who gave consent to be vaccinated were injected with a substance different from the one approved by regulatory agencies and to which they had consented.

    • Detailed sequence analyses revealed that the plasmid-DNA in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 shots contain a 72-base pair sequence of the Simian Virus-40 (SV40) promoter, which is well-known to enhance transport of the plasmid DNA into the nucleus.

    It is now irrefutable that the RNA-based COVID-19 injections contain DNA.

    RNA-based technology—especially when applied as vaccines to healthy individuals—is unjustifiable and unethical. Independent from the tragic number of adverse events or excess mortality rates, it is the technique that is the issue, and the same problems will occur in all future RNA-based “vaccines.”

    1. RNA-based “vaccine” technology goes against the central idea of evolution over the past millions of years. While injected modRNA and saRNA produce antigens without stopping, in fact, the short lifespan of natural messenger RNA (mRNA) is a prerequisite for healthy and specific cell functions. (The short lifespan of mRNA allows our cells to adapt as quickly as possible to changing circumstances and avoid the production of unnecessary proteins.)
    2. A premise of RNA-based “vaccine” technology—that all of our body cells have to produce a foreign viral protein—goes against fundamental biological principles, like distinguishing between our own cells and foreign invaders, and will result in our immune system attacking our own cells.
    3. RNA can be reverse-transcribed into DNA even without the presence of (the enzyme) reverse transcriptase (i.e., by LINE1 elements present in our genome/DNA). Contaminating DNA (in RNA-based vaccines) is the rule rather than the exception. As both RNA and DNA can be integrated into the human genome, the so-called “vaccines” based on RNA technology are actually gene therapy products.

    It is in no way justifiable to subject RNA-based GTPs for medical use to strict controls but to exclude RNA-based GTPs, called vaccines, from these regulations even though they are intended for most of the human population. Even in an emergency, no one should be forced to be injected with any substance—least of all by politicians.

    What Did COVID-19 Teach Us About Science, Politics, and Society?

    For many years, scientists dreamed of manipulating human “software”—that is, DNA or RNA. Ethically, manipulating DNA has always been taboo. In retrospect, COVID-19 may represent the dawn of RNA-based “vaccines” and the end of the taboo against manipulating human DNA.

    In a 2023 commentary in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, the authors wrote that from the earliest days of the pandemic, it was obvious that some influential scientists and their political allies demonized dissenting scientific views and evidence offering a second opinion. Despite contradictory evidence, national politicians “assured the public that they were adopting COVID-19 policies by ‘following the science.’” However, scientific consent was achieved only by suppressing scientific debate.

    Remember: When questions are allowed, it is science; when they are not, it is propaganda.

    So-called “experts” selected by politicians told us that we must be vaccinated to be able to fight a new respiratory virus. This contradicts the science of the human immune system. Our immune systems are dynamic and can clear a virus they have never encountered; they can also develop cross-immunity to identify variants even if the virus mutates. However, since RNA-based vaccines will produce a single antigen, our immune system is deprived of the possibility of developing cross-immunity against virus variants. This applies, in particular, to respiratory viruses exhibiting a high mutation rate. In the long run, this will lead to an increase in both the frequency and the severity of infectious diseases. Thus, politicians interested in protecting the population against future infections would be well-advised to offer health programs that strengthen the immune system before seasonal infections.

    Scientists haven’t the faintest idea of how to direct modRNA or saRNA to a specific cell type or how to stop the translation of administered RNA. However, they continue to study how the stability of injected RNA and the amount of generated antigen can be further increased. The current development of RNA-based vaccine technology reminds one of the poem “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote over 200 years ago:

    “The spirits, whom I’ve careless raised, are spellbound to my power not.”

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 23:00

  • Iowa Lottery Mistakenly Posts Wrong Powerball Numbers For 7 Hours
    Iowa Lottery Mistakenly Posts Wrong Powerball Numbers For 7 Hours

    In what can only be described as a nightmare scenario, Powerball losers in the state of Iowa mistakenly thought they were winners for about seven hours this week.

    The anomaly took place after a “human reporting error” caused the wrong numbers to be posted for last Monday’s drawing. The Iowa Lottery’s website posted the wrong numbers at about 12:30am Tuesday.

    No one corrected the error until about 7:15am the next morning, a report from CBS News said.

    “We at the Iowa Lottery sincerely apologize for the interruption,” a lottery official commented, according to the New York Times.

    The Times wrote that following the lottery draw, two individuals at different sites input the winning numbers into the state’s lottery system. This system is linked to all lottery terminals and self-service kiosks across the state. However, officials noted that some of the numbers were mistakenly entered.

    The lottery said that the mistaken numbers would triggered payouts between $4 and $200, but didn’t specify how many winners there were. They also said that anyone who cashed their ticket within the 7 hour window will get to keep their money. 

    The total Powerball Jackpot for that Monday was estimated at $355 million.

    The Iowa Lottery worked until 3:30pm on Tuesday to fix the error by correcting its system, the report said. After the numbers were corrected, 3998 people had won prices ranging from $4 to $200. 

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 22:30

  • Campus Dysfunction Easy To Recognize, Difficult To Cure
    Campus Dysfunction Easy To Recognize, Difficult To Cure

    Authored by Peter Berkowitz via RealClear Wire,

    Machiavelli observes in “The Prince” that politics presents challenges akin to those physicians sometimes face: “… in the beginning of the illness it is easy to cure and difficult to recognize, but in the progress of time, when it has not been recognized and treated in the beginning, it becomes easy to recognize and difficult to cure.” So too for higher education in America: At this late date, our universities’ dysfunction – and the damage to the nation it has wrought – has become easy to recognize, but curing the dysfunction has become difficult.

    The Hamas jihadists’ Oct. 7 atrocities in southern Israel may have provoked a watershed moment for higher education in America. Student and faculty expressions of solidarity with the mass murderers, university administrators’ initial confusion and missteps, and the eruption of antisemitism on campus compelled many who have long averted their eyes to confront our universities’ role in fanning the flames of division and discord. However, since most university administrators, professors, wealthy donors, left-of-center commentators, and politicians of both parties have allowed the dysfunction to progress for decades without calling higher education to account or warning the public, only dramatic and costly interventions provide hope at this point of remedying the cluster of pathologies ravaging America’s universities.

    Evidence that it is now permissible to speak in polite society about the dire state of our universities comes from the New York Times opinion page. Since Oct. 7, the Times has published several pieces declaring that our universities have gone badly astray and proposing measures to repair them.

    These opinions are welcome, but tardy by several decades. They fail to identify the chief problem. They ignore the principal obstacles to reform. They propose reforms that provide the equivalent of band-aids for gaping wounds and shattered limbs. And they overlook the mainstream media’s complicity in largely ignoring, downplaying, or dismissing repeated warnings extending back a quarter century and more – largely, but not exclusively, from conservatives – that our universities undermine the public interest by attacking free speech, eviscerating due process, and hollowing out and politicizing the curriculum.

    On Oct. 16, in “The Moral Deficiencies of a Liberal Education,” Ezekiel Emanuel proclaimed, “We have failed.” As vice provost for global initiatives and professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, Emanuel sees the failure as personal and professional: The transformation of our universities into boot camps for inculcating progressive opinions about social justice and disdain for other views proceeded under his watch.

    Students blaming Israel for Hamas’ massacres and praising the terrorists “have revealed their moral obliviousness and the deficiency of their educations,” stated Emanuel. “But the deeper problem is not them. It is what they are being taught – or, more specifically, what they are not being taught.” Universities “have failed to give them the ethical foundation and moral compass to recognize the basics of humanity.”

    A bioethicist, Emanuel calls for a two-course ethics requirement, and, more generally, the restoration of a curriculum built around required courses (he doesn’t say which ones). Professors must cease their widespread dereliction of duty, he adds, which consists in refraining from challenging students’ opinions for fear of discomfiting or offending them. The aim is to rebuild undergraduate education “around honing critical thinking skills and moral and logical reasoning so students can emerge as engaged citizens.”

    Emanuel’s measures move in the right direction but are inadequate to the challenge because they overlook how a proper liberal education itself furnishes and refines minds and provides an ethical foundation and moral compass. The center of liberal education in America must consist in the study of the principles of freedom – moral, economic, and political – on which the nation is based and the constitutional structure and virtues of mind and character through which they are institutionalized and preserved. Since those principles and virtues have a history, the broader Western civilization of which they are a part must also be studied. And since Western civilization revolves around the tension between individuality and our shared humanity, liberal education includes study of other civilizations.

    On Nov. 8, in “How Are Students Expected to Live Like this on Campuses?” New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman observed that the numerous instances “of abhorrent speech by students and faculty members, mostly aimed at Israel, Jews and even Jewish students” raised pressing questions of free speech. “How should a university respond,” asked Wegman, “when members of its community express sentiments that are at odds with the values the school is trying to inculcate, not to mention with human decency?” His answer was good insofar as it goes. “Speech should be presumptively allowed, as a basic principle of free inquiry and academic debate,” he asserted, while drawing the line at expression that concretely threatens, harasses, or incites to violence.

    But are university administrators and faculty members disposed to vindicate free speech? Are they competent to draw the necessary lines? Are they prepared to face the mob? Wegman skirts these questions.

    He acknowledges that universities have eroded free speech on campus, not least by instituting speech codes and by affirming campus orthodoxies on controversial political questions. His principal recommendation is mandatory free-speech training for first-year students to build “a culture of basic respect and listening.” But who will educate the educators?

    Having undermined respect for others and the art of listening by presiding over – or silently acquiescing in – the curtailment of dissenting speech for more than a generation, the current crop of administrators and professors seems ill-suited to fashion and implement free-speech training. Moreover, free speech is best learned not by didactic lectures and seminars but by practicing it in the reasoned consideration of competing ideas with those capable of challenging one’s assumptions and arguments. But where are the professors who can lead such conversations? Which faculty members remain capable of understanding their side of the argument because they understand the other side?

    On Nov. 16, in “Universities are Failing at Inclusion,” Times columnist David Brooks also took grim, post-Oct. 7 realities as his point of departure: “Jewish students on America’s campuses have found themselves confronted with those who celebrate a terrorist operation that featured the mass murder and reportedly the rape of fellow Jews.” Brooks blamed higher education for betraying its mission. “Universities are supposed to be centers of inquiry and curiosity – places where people are tolerant of difference and learn about other points of view,” he wrote. “Instead, too many have become brutalizing ideological war zones.”

    “How on earth did this happen?” asked Brooks, who mentioned that he has “been teaching on college campuses off and on for 25 years.” He faulted “a hard-edged ideological framework that has been spreading in high school and college, on social media, in diversity training seminars and in popular culture.” Although he said the framework lacks a name, it reflects a postmodern progressivism. It holds that group identity is more important than shared humanity; the fundamental social and political distinction is between oppressors and oppressed; a person in one group cannot understand a person in another; racism and bigotry are endemic to America; principles of freedom – free speech, due process, meritocracy – are tools of oppression; and affirming these dogmas of postmodern progressivism takes precedence over acquiring knowledge and developing intellectual independence and integrity.

    It is not feasible, Brooks argued, to jettison the deeply entrenched campus diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracies that divide people into racial and ethnic groups, give preferential treatment based on group membership, and exclude dissenting views. Instead, he advocated the teaching of true diversity grounded in the remarkable achievements of American pluralism. To help students understand that they “live in one of the most diverse societies in history” and prepare them to cooperate with others from different backgrounds and with alternative perspectives, courses should “explore diversity, identity and history from a pluralistic framework” and assign “a range of books on the social and moral skills you need to see people across difference.”

    Brooks rightly espouses study of diversity in America and the means of preserving and enriching it, but he makes the same mistake as Emanuel and Wegman. All three suppose that special classes – on moral reasoning, free speech, and diversity – will provide an antidote to our universities’ ills.

    Liberal education is itself the best means available for cultivating toleration and civility, virtues conspicuously lacking on campus but essential to freedom and democracy. The sciences and the social sciences mustn’t be neglected. But serious study of literature, history, and philosophy – at once questioning and rigorous, patient and probing, and determined to understand before criticizing or extolling – provides an incomparable tutorial in the complexities and continuities of morality and politics, the competing conceptions of the good life, and the basic rights and fundamental freedoms that are inseparable from human dignity.

    That campus dysfunction is now easy to recognize but difficult to cure does not revoke the obligation to do what is in our power to repair America’s colleges and universities by providing students with the liberal education they need and deserve.

    Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. From 2019 to 2021, he served as director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department. His writings are posted at PeterBerkowitz.com and he can be followed on Twitter @BerkowitzPeter.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 22:00

  • Hate Crime Hoaxer Jussie Smollett Headed Back To Jail After Failed Appeal
    Hate Crime Hoaxer Jussie Smollett Headed Back To Jail After Failed Appeal

    Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett is headed back to prison after an appeals court on Friday upheld convictions for disorderly conduct after he staged a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019.

    Smollett’s legal team challenged the role of the special prosecutor, jury selection, various pieces of evidence, and other aspects of the case – which did not convince the 3-judge appellate panel in Illinois.

    The former “Empire” star was convicted in 2021 on five felony counts of disorderly conduct.

    And while most people who aren’t actors connected to the Obamas would probably end up doing serious time, Smollett will simply have to finish a 150-day stint in jail. Prior to his appeal, he spent just six days.

    Lawyers for Smollett, who is black and gay, have publicly claimed he was the target of a racist justice system and people playing politics.

    Appellate Judge Freddrenna Lyle said she would have thrown out Smollett’s convictions. Lyle said it was “fundamentally unfair” to appoint a special prosecutor and charge Smollett when he had already performed community service as part of a 2019 deal with Cook County prosecutors to drop the initial charges.

    “It was common sense that Smollett was bargaining for a complete resolution of the matter, not simply a temporary one,” Lyle said. -AP

    Smollet was originally slapped with a 16-count indictment for lying to the police, however the Cook County State Attorney’s office suddenly dropped the charges after  Michelle Obama’s former Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen, pressured Chicago’s top prosecutor, Kim Foxx, to transfer the case to the FBI. When that wasn’t done, Foxx’s office decided not to pursue the case. 

    And while Smollett had spent just six days in the Cook County jail, he was transferred to the psych ward after jail officials were concerned about self-harm.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 21:30

  • Latin America On Edge As Venezuela's Maduro Holds Referendum Whether To Invade Oil-Rich Neighbor Guyana
    Latin America On Edge As Venezuela’s Maduro Holds Referendum Whether To Invade Oil-Rich Neighbor Guyana

    In a move that has prompted many to wonder which is the bigger banana republic, Venezuela or the US, Joe Biden’s new BFF, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro (who has promised to export a few barrels of oil to the US president – now that draining the SPR is no longer an option – to keep gas prices low ahead of the 2024 presidential election in exchange for sanction relaxation and defacto recognition by the White House that Maduro is the dictatorially “democratically” elected president of Venezuela, making a mockery of a decade of Western virtue-signaling sanctions), on Sunday Caracas is set to hold a referendum among Venezuelans on annexing (i.e., invading and taking over) a whopping 160,000 sq km of extremely oil-rich land in neighbouring Guyana.

    Why now? Why only now when Caracas has for more than 200 years claimed rights over Essequibo, a vast swath of the territory Guyana? Simple: because as we said several days ago, it was only a few months ago that Maduro realized he has leverage over the US president of the “most powerful nation in the world” and get away with anything… even invading a sovereign nation.

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    Of course, (oil rich but extraction poor) Venezuela’s heightened interest at this expanse of Amazon jungle springs in part from its resource riches, including offshore oil deposits that have since 2019 made Guyana the world’s fastest-growing economy. Another reason lies closer to home for Venezuela’s strongman leader Nicolás Maduro: elections next year. But at the end of the day, had Biden not signed a smoky back-room deal with Maduro, admitting he needs the dictator’s oil in exchange for what appears to be a diplomatic blank check, none of this would have happened. Instead, we are now facing actual war between two nations which between them have some of the largest oil deposits in the world.

    As the FT notes, the potential for Venezuela, an ally of Russia, to follow the referendum with an incursion into western-leaning Guyana has raised concerns in the region. Brazil this week said it had increased the military presence in its northern areas, which border both countries.

    “On Sunday December 3, we will respond to the provocations of Exxon, the US Southern Command, and the president of Guyana with a people’s vote,” Maduro said during a broadcast of his weekly television program on November 20.

    Guyana correctly fears that the referendum is be a pretext for a land grab, and has appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt the referendum — a move that Caracas has rejected, though its claim to the land is largely internationally unrecognised.

    It isn’t: on Friday, judges at the World Court on Friday ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking any action that would alter the situation on the ground. The court did not expressly forbid Venezuela to hold a planned Dec. 3 referendum over its rights to the region around the Esequibo river, the subject of the long-running border dispute, as Guyana  has requested. However, judges at the International Court of Justice – as the World Court is formally known – made clear that any concrete action to alter the status quo should be stopped.

    “The court observes that the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute is that Guyana administers and exercises control over that area,” presiding judge Joan Donoghue said. “Venezuela must refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation,” she added

    “This is a textbook example of annexation,” Paul Reichler, a US lawyer representing Guyana before the ICJ, said in The Hague last month, claiming that Venezuela was preparing a military build-up in the Essequibo region in case it wished to enforce the outcome of the referendum.

    For its part, Caracas said that its troops were carrying out anti-illegal mining operations near the territory, a sparsely populated region that is home to about 200,000 Guyanese who speak English and indigenous languages, though little Spanish.

    Meanwhile in pro-Maduro Brazil, local media reported that a senator for the state of Roraima said the defense minister had agreed to his requests for military reinforcements in the municipality of Pacaraima, a strategic location for access to Essequibo. The defence ministry said: “Defence actions have been intensified in the northern border region of the country, promoting a greater military presence.” It wasn’t immediately clear if Brazil’s socialist leader Lula is planning on aiding his comrade Maduro in invading and pillaging Guyana’s oil, but it would be par for the socialist course, especially when the US president is implicitly approving your actions.

    That said, analysts question whether Venezuela will genuinely seek to annex the territory. They argue the referendum exercise is aimed at bolstering Maduro’s domestic support ahead of elections that Venezuela agreed to hold in exchange for relief from debilitating sanctions imposed by the US.

    “Political calculations are driving Maduro to escalate tensions in an attempt to stir up nationalist sentiment, but those same political calculations also limit his military options,” said Theodore Kahn, director for the Andean region at the consultancy Control Risks.

    “An actual invasion would shut the door to further negotiations with the US and force the Biden administration to reimpose oil sector sanctions.”

    Come to think of it, that’s a joke of a deterrent, considering Maduro had no problem living with sanctions for years. If Maduro were to get his grubby hands on some of the most state of the art oil facilities in the world – as a reminder, Guyana is where Exxon has invested billions to extract much of the country’s oil- he would do so in a heartbeat.

    Still, Maduro needs to mobilise party loyalists to defend two decades of socialist rule during which his party and its predecessors have turned Caracas into an international pariah, shattered its state-run oil industry, fueled mass emigration and empowered violent gangs.

    Luis Vicente León, who runs Caracas-based research company Datanálisis, said the government was using the referendum to reduce the perceived impact of a pre-election primary held by the opposition in October despite government disapproval. The primary drew 2.4mn voters to the polls, well above expectations.

    “It’s also a test of the government’s capacity to engage its political machinery and mobilise voters,” León said. “Alongside that, it pressures the opposition to take a position on a sensitive subject and gives [Maduro] a potential excuse to declare a state of emergency and avoid the election altogether.”

    Maduro, in office since his firebrand predecessor Hugo Chávez died of cancer in 2013, has yet to officially announce his candidacy in the upcoming elections. However, he is widely expected to run despite approval ratings of just 20 per cent, according to Datanálisis, amid an economic and humanitarian crisis.

    Hilarious, Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was regarded by the US and its allies as fraudulent, but so much has changed since then, well not that much: just Biden becoming president and folding to Maduro’s demands in exchange for oil. Seeking to entice him into allowing a “free and fair” election this time (please don’t laugh) the US last month relaxed sanctions on oil, gold and secondary financial markets for six months. The move followed a deal between Maduro and a US-backed faction of the opposition to resume political talks.

    Yet hopes of a political opening were tempered when just days later, the government-backed Supreme Justice Tribunal suspended the results of the opposition primary, which was convincingly won by María Corina Machado.

    Machado, a pro-market former lawmaker who once called for external military intervention in Venezuela, is banned from holding office at present, something she claims will not stop her from running.

    While the government and the fractious opposition agree that the Essequibo region is part of Venezuela’s territory, Machado has said the referendum is a “distraction” that must be suspended. She advocates settling the dispute at the ICJ.

    The referendum will put five questions to Venezuela’s public. One seeks approval for granting all residents of the Essequibo region Venezuelan citizenship and creating a new state within Venezuela, while another asks voters if they recognise the jurisdiction of the ICJ to rule on the matter. Both would likely lead to a military invasion.

    In April, the ICJ ruled that it had jurisdiction to decide on the territorial dispute, following a request from Guyana in 2018 to confirm the border that was drawn in arbitration in 1899 between Venezuela and what was then British Guiana, a colony. A final ruling could take years, however.

    “It is not an exaggeration to describe the current threat to Guyana as existential and the need for provisional measures as urgent,” Carl Greenidge, who leads Guyana’s delegation at the ICJ, told judges in The Hague with reference to the referendum.

    A specialised US army delegation visited Guyana this week, and discussed “processes to enhance both countries’ military readiness and capabilities to respond to security threats,” said the US embassy in Georgetown. Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana’s vice-president, said last week that “all the options available for us to defend our country will be pursued. Every option.”

    Caracas has long held that the Essequibo river to the region’s east is its natural border, as it was during Spanish rule before 1899. But Venezuela’s interest in pressing that claim has fluctuated. In 2004, while seeking international support for his Bolivarian revolution, Chávez said in Guyana that Georgetown had the right to grant concessions in the Essequibo territory.

    But since 2015, when ExxonMobil announced it had found oil beneath the waters off the Essequibo coast in the Stabroek Block, Caracas has adopted a more bellicose tone (well, of course).

    In October this year, the US major — which leads a consortium producing oil in the South American country — made another find in the waters claimed by Venezuela. Drilling bids were awarded to companies including Exxon, French major Total, and local company Sispro. Francisco Monaldi, a Latin America energy expert at Rice University in Houston, said: “So far Exxon’s wells and discoveries are in the area north of Guyana’s undisputed land territory, but the awarded oil blocks do go into the disputed waters.”

    Oil is transforming the Guyanese economy, which grew 62 per cent last year, according to the IMF, and is projected to expand another 37 per cent this year. With around 11bn barrels in reserves and a population of just 800,000, the country has the largest amount of oil per capita in the world.

    Meanwhile, Venezuela has the world’s largest proven reserves, and in its heyday at the turn of the century pumped about 3mn barrels per day, but mismanagement, corruption and sanctions led production to collapse. In September this year, it pumped 735,000 bpd.

    Exxon said that “border issues are for governments and appropriate international organisations to address”.

    Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if Darren Woods is quietly putting together a mercenary army to quietly take out Maduro. It should cost him at most 2-3 days worth of oil extraction revenues.

     

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 21:10

  • First Hospital In Nation To Require COVID-19 Vaccines Will End Mandate
    First Hospital In Nation To Require COVID-19 Vaccines Will End Mandate

    Authored by Matthew Lysiak via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A woman receives a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in a file photograph. (Johanna Geron/Reuters)

    Houston Methodist, which made national headlines after becoming the first hospital in the United States to mandate the COVID-19 vaccines, will no longer require its employees to receive the controversial shots after a new law passed by the Texas legislature outlawed the practice of denying vaccine choice to workers in the private sector.

    The hospital announced the change in policy in an internal email to employees, reviewed by The Epoch Times, that employees who choose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be prohibited from working at the institution, effective Dec. 1.

    “The Texas Legislature passed a law in the special session that prohibits private employers from requiring employees and contractors to get a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment,” the statement read. “We will continue to encourage everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but it will no longer be mandated at Houston Methodist. This means that getting the vaccine, or being approved for an exemption, will no longer be a condition of employment.”

    The statement added that the hospital “has always put the safety of our patients and employees first.”

    Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a practitioner in Texas and founder of Coalition of Health Freedom, told The Epoch Times that the hospital’s decision to play the role of trailblazer in becoming the first to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine was not only poorly conceived, but unleashed a series of negative ripple effects in terms of medical freedom that would quickly spread to other institutions throughout the nation.

    “Houston Methodist and their CEO Dr. Marc Boom coerced nearly 30,000 employees to get an experimental modified mRNA shot with no long-term safety data,” said Dr. Bowden. “Their mandate policy was the first in the country and paved the way for the government and other businesses to impose a highly unethical employment policy on millions of Americans.”

    On June 8, 2021, Houston Methodist became the nation’s first hospital system to require its private health care providers to get the shot. In a letter informing hospital staff of the policy, Houston Methodist Chief Physician Executive Dr. Rob Phillips justified the decision by claiming that forcing employees to take the vaccine was their moral obligation, writing,“It is our duty as health care professionals to do no harm and protect the safety of all of us — our colleagues, our patients and our society.”

    The hospital hadn’t returned a call for comment from The Epoch Times by the time of publication.

    Controversy on Vaccines

    The past two years have seen the COVID-19 vaccines become mired in controversy. The original COVID-19 vaccines were taken by more than 80 percent of Americans after officials pledged that the shots would be effective in both preventing contraction and stopping the spread of the virus. However, once it was revealed that the shots didn’t work as promised, interest in the subsequent booster shots decreased dramatically.

    Vaccines could also be attributed to widespread reports of negative health outcomes believed to have been caused by the shots. COVID-19 vaccines have been named the primary suspect in over 1.5 million adverse event reports, according to the FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database. The numbers could be even higher. An FDA-funded study out of Harvard (pdf) found that VAERS cases represent fewer than 1 percent of vaccine adverse events that actually occur.

    In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) V-safe website quietly stopped collecting adverse event reports with no reason or explanation. As of Wednesday morning, the V-safe website states: “Thank you for your participation. Data collection for COVID-19 vaccines concluded on June 30, 2023.”

    Consequently, in the past two years confidence in health officials has dropped 10 points from 44 percent to 34 percent, according to a Gallup tracking poll.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that nearly all Americans receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine. About 5 percent of Americans have received one of the new shots, according to the most recent available data.

    The Texas law prohibiting private businesses from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates was passed by the state legislature before being signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Nov. 10. The state House had approved the bill in a 91–54 vote, while the state Senate passed it 17–11.

    Mr. Abbott, a Republican, said as he signed the bill in Austin that it was necessary to protect the right of Texans “to make their own decisions about what health care they want to access and what health care they want to reject.”

    The legislation stated that an “employer may not adopt or enforce a mandate requiring an employee, contractor, applicant for employment, or applicant for a contract position to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment or a contract position.”

    Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison, who first introduced the legislation in 2021, voiced regret that the bill took so long to become law, posting on X, “This is great.  But… imagine how many careers would’ve been saved if the Texas COVID Vaccine Freedom Act had passed when I first introduced it… OVER TWO YEARS AGO.”

    Dr. Bowden says that while it is a positive step that choice has once again been restored to hospital employees, the administration’s decision to force its employees to choose between a shot they may not believe is safe and their ability to earn a living should have consequences.

    “The ramifications are immense and though I am happy they (the vaccine mandates) have been stopped, we still need to hold them accountable,” said Dr. Bowden.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 21:05

  • Floating Down De Nile: Goldman Declares Hunter Biden Laptop May Be A Fake
    Floating Down De Nile: Goldman Declares Hunter Biden Laptop May Be A Fake

    Authored by Jonathan Turley via jonathanturley.org,

    As Stuart Smiley said on SNL’s Daily Affirmation, “De Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.” Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman, a member of the House Weaponization of Government committee, caused yet another firestorm of controversy in declaring that the Hunter laptop may be a fake.

    That’s right. Despite media, American intelligence, and even other Democrats acknowledging the authenticity of the laptop, Goldman is still spreading denials . . . at a hearing on the weaponization of disinformation policies.

    Goldman has previously been criticized for making the case against President Joe Biden in disastrous efforts to discredit whistleblowers.

    As in past hearings, the Democrats opposed witnesses who tried to detail the growing evidence of a government-directed censorship system. Members like Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) continued to deny that there was any evidence of such censorship after spending years opposing the investigation of the program. Even with thousands of pages of evidence and a federal judge finding an “Orwellian” censorship system, Plaskett and her colleagues simply denied that such evidence exists.

    However, it was Goldman who stole the show in an exchange with  journalist Michael Shellenberger. Shellenberger referenced the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story before the election, a decision that Twitter and other companies now admit was wrong.

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    However, truth has never been a particularly appealing option for politicians, particularly when it must come with an acknowledgment of past culpability in spreading disinformation.

    Recently, we discussed how Leon Panetta also doubled down recently on the claim that the laptop may still be Russian disinformation.

    Goldman also opted for denial and distraction over honesty and transparency.

    He told Shellenberger: “You’ve talked about the Hunter Biden laptop, and how the FBI knew it existed. You are aware, of course, that the laptop, so to speak, … that was published in the New York Post, was actually a hard drive that the New York Post admitted here was not authenticated as real…It was not the laptop the FBI had. You’re aware of that right?”

    Shellenberger responded: “It was the same contents.”

    Goldman shot back: “How do you know? You would have to authenticate it to know it was the same contents.”

    Shellenger responded: “Are you suggesting the New York Post participated in a conspiracy to construct the contents of the Hunter Biden laptop?”

    Goldman: “No, sir, the problem is that hard drives can be manipulated by Rudy Giuliani or Russia.”

    Shellengberger: “But what’s the evidence that that happened?”

    Goldman: “Well, there is actual evidence of it. But the point is, it’s not the same thing.”

    Goldman then concluded with the bizarre claim that “I’m glad you agree with me, Mr. Shellenberger, that transparency is the most important thing.”

    Goldman has yet to produce the “actual evidence” that the hard drives were changed by Giuliani or Russia.

    Before the election, many of us noted that the files on the laptop were easily authenticated and were confirmed by the other parties involved in some of these exchanges.  Since then the most damaging emails and messages have been authenticated and are not being denied by the Bidens.

    There is of course a term for such conspiracy theories used by Democrats to justify censorship: disinformation. Indeed, the Biden Administration is seeking the censorship of true information deemed “malinformation.”

    As someone raised in a liberal, politically active Democratic family in Chicago, it is distressing to see the party continue the push for censorship and blacklisting. However, the effort to deny the authenticity of these emails is particularly chilling. The transfers of millions to the Biden family and related meetings have now been confirmed by witnesses, including some questioned by Goldman.

    The fact that Goldman used a hearing on the weaponization of disinformation policies to spread disinformation is crushingly ironic.

    This is why floating down “de Nile” remains one of the most treacherous paths in the world.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 20:55

  • Israel Pounds Southern Gaza As Officials Say 'Long War' Expected For A Year Or More
    Israel Pounds Southern Gaza As Officials Say ‘Long War’ Expected For A Year Or More

    Update(1405ET): All hell has broken loose on the first day of renewed fighting in Gaza post-truce. A UNICEF spokesperson said of the Friday bombardment, “This nightmare for people today just somehow got so much worse.” Already, Palestinian sources have said that over 100 have been killed in the last hours of IDF bombing of the Strip. Israeli media is reporting that at least 50 rockets have been launched from Gaza onto southern Israel.

    The aerial campaign has even expanded to include the southern half of the Strip, after throughout the early phase of the conflict Gazans were told to abandon their homes in the north and flee south for safety:

    Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows numerous plumes of smoke in the sky from Israeli army strikes on Khan Younis. …Khan Younis in southern Gaza is where thousands of Palestinians have fled from bombing farther north.

    Earlier in the day, the Israeli army dropped leaflets on the city, instructing Palestinians there to flee farther south to Rafah.

    The White House has said it supports Israel, and has blamed Hamas for the ceasefire’s collapse. Israeli officials have explained that Hamas refused to release ten more women captives. Israel says “This violated the terms of the agreement, which specified that Hamas would first release all women and children being held in Gaza in exchange for Israel agreeing to a truce for as long as nine days.”

    Perhaps the biggest and most ominous development in terms of what the future holds is seen in Israeli officials’ words to Financial Times. The Netanyahu is planning for a “long war” which could reach over the next year or more. FT writes in a new report:

    Israel is planning a campaign against Hamas that will stretch for a year or more, with the most intensive phase of the ground offensive continuing into early 2024, according to several people familiar with the preparations. The multi-phase strategy envisages Israeli forces, who are garrisoned inside north Gaza, making an imminent push deep into the south of the besieged Palestinian enclave.

    The goals include killing the three top Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa — while securing “a decisive” military victory against the group’s 24 battalions and underground tunnel network and destroying its “governing capability in Gaza”.

    “This will be a very long war . . . We’re currently not near halfway to achieving our objectives,” said one person familiar with the Israeli war plans. Israel’s overall strategy for Gaza is flexible, with timing dictated by multiple “clocks”, including operational progress on the ground, international pressure and opportunities to free Israeli hostages, the people said.

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    We’re only eight weeks in, and already there are signs this could easily spark a broader conflict. Another year of the bloodshed certainly opens the likelihood for a Mideast-wide conflagration involving possibly the US, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis. 

    Blinken’s meager “efforts” to achieve continued ceasefire… he packed up and left Israel as IDF warplanes went airborne.

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    * * *

    The Gaza truce has collapsed and Israel has resumed its bombing campaign of the Strip, following a full week of ceasefire and seven rounds of hostage/prisoner exchanges.

    Qatar and Egypt were reportedly pressing to extend the temporary pause in fighting for another two days, but Israel was not satisfied with the list of captives offered. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been looking into Hamas claims that the two young Bibas brothers were killed. “Israeli military has informed Bibas family members it is assessing a Hamas claim that the youngest Israeli hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his brother Ariel, 4, and their mother Shiri are no longer alive,” CNN reports.

    This grim and tragic revelation is likely what left Israel with less incentive to keep the ceasefire going, also as pressure has mounted from ultra-conservative circles within Netanyahu’s own ruling coalition to take the fight back to Hamas, and to see through the vow of eliminating the terror group. 

    Another big factor was Thursday’s terror attack involving a pair of Palestinian gunmen who unleashed M16 and pistol fire on a crowd waiting at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing three Israelis and injuring 16. Shortly after the attack, Hamas claimed responsibility.

    It’s likely that negotiators in Doha are still scrambling to get a ceasefire urgently back in place. After all, Israel says there are still 137 hostages in Hamas captivity, which also includes some Americans. In total 110 were returned home over the past week, with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released as part of the swap. The Times of Israel details of those who remain captive: 

    Among those still in captivity after the end of the truce Friday are 115 men, 20 women and two children, government spokesperson Eylon Levy says. Ten of the hostages are 75 and older, he says. The majority, or 126, are Israeli and 11 are foreign nationals, including eight from Thailand.

    Levy lists the youngest hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his 4-year-old brother Ariel and their mother Shiri as among the hostages. The military has said it is investigating a Hamas claim that the boys and their mother were killed.

    Dozens of Palestinians have been reported killed after airstrikes started again Friday morning…

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    Israel and mediators in Qatar were able to secure the release of most of the women and children hostages, as the last days have seen, but still 20 women remain along with the possibly still alive Bibas brothers, fate unknown. Israel as of Thursday welcomed eight more Israelis back from Hamas captivity.

    The IDF is meanwhile already dropping leaflets over parts of southern Israel telling civilians to leave their homes and leave the area. Prior to the truce, there were sporadic bombardments of parts of the south. But now it looks like the IDF will take the fight to the southern half too, even after Secretary of State Blinken’s urgings not to, conveyed to PM Netanyahu yesterday.

    Blinken flew out of Tel Aviv as IDF warplanes began the renewed bombing campaign…

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    Rockets have resumed being fired from Gaza, and Israel is again evacuating some southern communities, as both sides could once again be settling in for a ‘long war’. Rockets could also once again be coming from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is likely to rejoin the fight. On Thursday Blinken had urged Netanyahu to avoid killing civilians and that the soaring Gaza death toll is increasingly turning world opinion against Israel.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 20:55

  • The Biggest Lies Used By Gavin Newsom In His Debate With Ron DeSantis
    The Biggest Lies Used By Gavin Newsom In His Debate With Ron DeSantis

    Gavin Newsom is what one might call a rhetoric peddler more than a debater.  He has a talent for twisting cherry-picked statistics and offering them out of context to defend false claims, and anyone seeking to enter a discourse with him will be forced to keep a long list of data points on file in their brain in order to counter the lies.  The most difficult people to argue with are those that aggressively exaggerate or slant the truth every time they open their mouths.  They are not bound by the same rules as someone trying to argue logically; they have an edge, until they are exposed for what they really are.  

    The political left’s spin machine is out in force on social media suggesting that Newsom “wiped the floor” with Ron DeSantis during their recent and much hyped Fox News debate.  This is not really the case, though a same small set of clips will probably circulate for the next couple weeks showcasing Newsom’s habit of throwing out soundbites and stats without evidence.  And, unfortunately in this day and age two minute video clips are what most people consume for their news.     

    Some might say that neither DeSantis or Newsom are relevant because neither of them will be presidential candidates in 2024 (Newsom even made this assertion at the beginning of the debate).  Don’t be so sure.  Joe Biden is increasingly losing his faculties and there is always the chance that he will step aside in 2024; as his public approval ratings plummet it may even be in the best interests of the DNC to push for a different candidate.  Gavin Newsom, suspiciously, has been acting as if he is auditioning for a chance at a presidential or vice presidential run.

    It’s a good idea to keep an eye on him.  He is, at the very least, a good litmus test for the kinds or propaganda the political left will rely on in the coming months.  And speaking of propaganda, here are the top most dishonest claims made by Newsom during his debate with Ron DeSantis.

    Newsom Claim #1:  “The last two years, more Floridians went to California than Californians going to Florida.” 

    This is a strategy designed to deflect criticism of California’s oppressive policies against businesses as well as their recent draconian covid policies.  The claim is utterly false.  In 2021, 24,000 Floridians moved to California – while 37,000 Californians moved to Florida.  In 2022, 29,000 Floridians moved to California while 51,000 Californians moved to Florida.  Furthermore, California had an overall population loss of 800,000 people in only three years.  Florida gained a massive 600,000 people in that same time period.  

    Keep in mind that thousands of small business owners and a number of major corporations have also left CA.  Newsom has consistently and blatantly lied about his state’s population exodus for a reason – It’s embarrassing.

    Newsom Claim #2:  “Florida has more gun violence than California…”

    This is based on per-capita data, a common method Newsom uses to obscure the massive crime in his own state.  Multiple cities across the US are not reporting complete crime data to the federal government as they wait for the FBI to finish updating their statistical collection system by 2025.  This means we can only compare data from 2021 or before.  

    That said, in 2021, CDC info shows that California had 3576 gun related deaths in 2021, while Florida had 3142 (many of the deaths are suicides or accidental).  California had 2361 homicides that same year, while Florida had only 1462.  And what about mass shootings?  California is #3 on the list of states with the most mass shootings in 2023, with around 60% more incidents than Florida.  

    Per capita adjustments do not make California a safer state, and neither do stringent gun control laws, as the facts show.  

    Newsome Claim #3:  “The working class pays lower taxes in California than Florida…”

    False, and also a deflection to avoid the issue of cost of living.   Florida is among the top ten states with the lowest income tax burden. California has the third-highest cost of living in the country, along with a higher tax burden.  Surveys show that the average annual income needed to live comfortably in California is $80,000.  In Florida, it is 57,000.    

    Newsom Claim #4:  “Inflation down to 3.2%. Wages are up to 4.4%. The economy is booming. 5.2%. GDP growth in the last quarter…”

    Another use of cherry-picked data to paint a false picture of the economy.  CPI is not an indicator of overall inflation, it is merely a window in time showing where inflation growth is at for the month.  Since Joe Biden entered the White House prices on the majority of goods and services have risen by 25%-30% on average.  A falling CPI does not change this in the slightest.  Americans will likely be paying 30% more for the cost of living for many years to come.  

    Over 60% of US workers say that their wages are lagging well behind inflation, even those that received a pay increase this year.  Biden is overseeing the worst stagflationary crisis in America in over 40 years.

    GDP growth numbers include government spending in their calculations, meaning they are fraudulent.  States like California and the federal government learned a long time ago that they can boost their GDP stats by borrowing and spending more each year.  These numbers do not represent the true health of the US economy in any way.  Which is why California is able to brag about having the highest GDP in the country yet it also has one of the worst homeless epidemics in the country.  

    Newsom Claim #5:  “14 million jobs created under Joe Biden, that’s 10 times more than the previous 3 GOP presidents combined…”

    False, and this lie is getting old.  The vast majority of the jobs cited by Newsom were not created by Biden, they were jobs lost during the covid lockdowns which Biden and Newsom aggressively pushed and tried to prolong for years.  When the Democrats were forced to end the lockdowns, many of these jobs returned.  

    Also, the surge in consumer buying created by over $8 trillion+ in covid money dumped into the economy created a short term employment frenzy, which is now starting to fade.  The stimulus bought Biden a few years, but will it last until the end of 2024?

    Newsom Claim #6:  “1406 books banned by Florida so far…”

    Incorrect.  No books have been “banned” by DeSantis and the State of Florida.  Some books have been removed from public schools, either for pornographic content or for propaganda content with no educational value.  The real question is, why does Newsom defend the exposure of young children to the pornography in these books, which are often easily found in California schools?  If it’s related to LGBT issues does that make it okay in his mind?  

    Newsom’s strength is his ability to lie with a smile on his face, and this says a lot about him as well as the people who support him.  America is suffocating under the weight of spin doctors, we don’t need yet another. 

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 20:40

  • 8 Espionage Hacks To Outsmart The Masters Of Miscommunication
    8 Espionage Hacks To Outsmart The Masters Of Miscommunication

    Authored by Nicole James via The Epoch Times,

    In the era of pervasive surveillance reminiscent of Orwellian nightmares, old-school Cold War hacks have staged a comeback, offering a clandestine refuge for the exchange of information.

    As Big Brother looms large on every screen, the savvy practitioner must resurrect time-tested techniques to outsmart the puppeteers of miscommunication particularly in the face of impending legal consequences for government-designated purveyors of deceit.

    Here, in the spirit of cloak-and-dagger intrigue, are eight tried-and-true methods to outwit the masters of miscommunication:

    1. Auslan, Elvish, Klingon

    Elevate your discourse to heights beyond the reach of prying bureaucrats. There are many mythical languages you can learn that government agents and their goons are unlikely to master, such as conversational Klingon.

    Start with simple phrases but be careful as a seemingly anodyne statement such as “xɑb ʂoʂ.ˈlɪʔ q͡χut͡ʃ” which is pronounced “Hab SoSlI’ Quch” and means “Your mother has a smooth forehead” is, as Star Trek fans know, a grave insult.

    It may be worth memorising, “mIpHa’wI’ vIVumlaH?” (Where can I get a fake vaccine passport?) which is bound to be useful.

    Traditionalists might favour Elvish, while those with a penchant for hand movements could find sanctuary in the sign language Auslan’s silent eloquence when under surveillance of eavesdropping adversaries.

    2. Combustible Notepaper

    Add a combustible notebook to your shopping list.

    This was used in World War II and contained film that, when triggered by a pencil, would go up in smoke, disappearing in seconds.

    The CIA, masters of subterfuge, employed water-soluble paper for note-taking—an item easily disposed of, whether discreetly in a toilet sans flushing, or employed for the mundane task of nose-blowing (albeit with a potential mess).

    3. Cryptography

    In the realm of artful communication, classical codes emerge as the silent orchestrators of secrecy. The art of rearranging letters or substituting one for another stands as an age-old technique.

    Consider the transformation of “The solar panel is booby-trapped” into “Uif tpmbs qbofm jt cppcz usbqqfe,” achieved by a simple letter-by-letter shift.

    Julius Caesar used it with a shift of three to communicate with his generals, although messages such as “lchmy nby vfiix izz gs niau” or “rinse the blood off my toga” may have been meant for the local laundromat.

    Cryptographic history traces back to ancient Egypt, where the first known code was etched in stone around 1,900 BC. Even the ancient Israelites engaged in the art of Atbash, an early Hebrew code.

    For an added layer of protection in these trying times, consider translating conversational Klingon into Abash.

    The Enigma coding machine that was used by the Germans in WWII on display at Bletchley Park National Code Centre in Bletchley, England, on Nov. 25, 2004. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

    4. The Dead Drop

    The dead drop involves putting a message (usually in code) in seemingly innocuous items.

    Picture hollow coins or, for a touch of Dutch—or is it French?—bravery, a bottle of Bolly.

    Coins have limited space but can hold messages in microdots, a writing system developed during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War to lighten the load of carrier pigeons. Even the future Queen Elizabeth found solace in these pigeons for her missives.

    The most famous case of a hollow coin being intercepted was when a Russian spy accidentally gave his hollow coin to a newspaper boy.

    When the boy dropped the coin, the microdot photo fell out, but the secret message was still safe for four years because that’s how long it took the FBI to crack its code.

    5. Poetry

    Ever thought poetry could be a covert tool? The French Resistance certainly did. They turned verses into codes, using them not just to convey messages but also to spot fellow rebels.

    One standout piece was “The Life that I Have,” penned by Leo Marks.

    Chelsea Clinton even had it recited at her wedding to Marc Mezvinsky. Was it a subtle nod to some family secret? Maybe in Klingon? We’re not ruling anything out.

    6. Pyramid Power

    The French Resistance had another trick up its sleeve: the Pyramid structure. This furtive pyramid was built on the notion that members only engaged with one or two comrades.

    A shroud of secrecy enveloped the organization as no official records of membership were maintained, and messages traversed only through the sacred conduit of whispered exchanges.

    The brilliance lay in limiting exposure; enemy infiltrators, at best, could unmask merely two resistance members, leaving the remainder of the organization veiled in safety.

    It worked until it didn’t, with the Gestapo insinuating themselves into the command echelons of select resistance groups.

    Trust, a rare commodity in these precarious times, may find a shaky foundation, but discovering someone with a lifetime subscription to The Epoch Times could be a promising initiation.

    7. Tying Your Shoelaces

    Behold the mystique within the magicians’ code, where the simple act of tying shoelaces transcends its pedestrian facade.

    A boy ties his shoelace as he takes an evacuation train with her mother and sister in Pokrovsk amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2023. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images)

    Variations in knots carry a covert language, from the ominous “I am going to blow up the wind turbine” to the whimsically perplexing, “The woman standing next to you, I think she likes you.”

    Concealing messages in the mundane theatre of daily life remains a timeless strategy.

    Proceed with caution, however—tying both shoes together risks not only revealing your covert semaphore but also the perilous pratfall of a well-executed trip.

    8. Jack-in-the-Box

    In the arsenal of evasive tactics, the Jack-in-the-Box emerges as an unconventional ally, though not necessarily in the realm of communication.

    A Jack-in-a-Box was used in 1982 by a CIA agent to evade KGB surveillance.

    It is a suitcase that hides a dummy that looks like you from the shoulders up.

    If you’re in a car chase, just wait for a sharp turn, open the Jack-in-the-Box, and roll out the passenger door. (Once cars are banned, this may not work as well on a bicycle.)

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 20:15

  • Did Elon Musk's 'GFY' Tirade Accelerate Pivot In Advertising Strategy? 
    Did Elon Musk’s ‘GFY’ Tirade Accelerate Pivot In Advertising Strategy? 

    On Thursday we emphasized in a note titled “Time To Boycott Elon’s Boycotters” that when mega-corporations advertise on social media platforms or news websites, it’s often less about traditional advertising and more about supporting, promoting, and financially backing specific ideologies and party lines that align with their interests. 

    As we noted, “It’s why when Pfizer or Moderna spend tens of millions for advertising in the NYT, it is not so people are aware that Pfizer makes a covid booster shot – they know that from non-stop news coverage; it is to make sure that the NYT never questions the corporate party line. In other words, it is public relations in an advertising wrapper.” 

    Elon Musk is purging these mega-corporations from advertising on X, intentionally or unintentionally. 

    His remarks on Wednesday at the DealBook Conference, where he bluntly told the audience that advertisers who attempt to “blackmail him” can “go fuck themselves.”

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    Musk was referring to some of these advertisers: Disney, IBM, and Apple, which halted ad spending on the platform for the billionaire’s ‘antisemitic post.’  

    However, what is very interesting is that other social media channels, like Facebook and Instagram, have had way worse content on their feeds, but you don’t see corporate media and activist groups trying to pressure advertisers on those platforms. 

    Out with the old…

    To that end, Musk plans to attract small business advertising to plug the holes.

    “Small and medium businesses are a very significant engine that we have definitely underplayed for a long time,” X told the Financial Times. 

    X even said, “It [was] always part of the plan — now we will go even further with it.”

    Perhaps large corporate ad spend was always destined to evaporate. When Musk bought X, he fired 80% of the workforce and dismantled the FBI’s communication channels with the platform that suppressed non-approved government stories, such as Covid lab theory and Hunter Biden laptop stories. The “one big club,” as it were, does not like this.

    X told FT that it has ramped up ties with advertisers, such as JumpCrew, to which it will outsource some ad sales to target small and medium-sized businesses. 

    A former X senior sales executive said Musk would have to soon make a difficult decision in either keeping an in-house ads team or moving to outsource sales and adopting an automated “self-service small business platform.”

    Meanwhile, X CEO Linda Yaccarino responded to the controversy:

    Linda Yaccarino, X’s chief executive hired by Musk for her deep connections to the advertising world, was bombarded by calls from friends and associates last weekend during her daughter’s wedding, according to several people familiar with the matter. They urged her to quit to protect her reputation.

    On Thursday evening, Yaccarino instead sent a company-wide email cheering on X’s stance on fighting “censorship” and stating that Musk had shared an “unmatched and completely unvarnished perspective” and vision for the future. -FT

    “Our principles do not have a price tag, nor will they be compromised — ever,” wrote Yaccarino. “And no matter how hard they try, we will not be distracted by sideline critics who don’t understand our mission.”

    X’s switch in advertising strategy is necessary to mitigate corporate media and activist groups’ ‘blackmail” of ad spending for content that they do not like.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 19:50

  • Here Are The 38 Lawmakers Leaving Congress In 2024 (Twice As Many Democrats As Republicans)
    Here Are The 38 Lawmakers Leaving Congress In 2024 (Twice As Many Democrats As Republicans)

    Authored by Mark Tapscott via The Epoch Times,

    Nearly 40 Congressional lawmakers aren’t seeking reelection in 2024… and most of them are Democrats…

    Twenty-one House Democrats are opting out of another term compared to 11 Republicans. On the Senate side, six senators, four Democrat and two Republican, said they’re leaving public office, and one has opted to pursue a state governorship.

    In comparison to the 38 lawmakers departing Congress so far this cycle, only 24 lawmakers retired before the 2022 election. Twenty-seven had done so before the 2020 election and 31 in 2018, according to Ballotpedia.

    A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which serves the same purpose for House Democrats as the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) does for House Republicans, didn’t respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

    David Carlucci, a veteran New York state Democratic legislator and campaign consultant with a growing client list, described the wave of Democratic departures as partly attributable to “a normal confluence of events that happens where you have members leaving Congress.”

    “Usually, the party that is not in power, you find that there are resignations from Congress,” he said. “If you are in power and you have chairmanships, you stick it out.”

    Mr. Carlucci cautioned against ascribing too much significance to the retirement imbalance, noting that, for example, three of the 21 departing Democrats are members of the California delegation and are announced candidates for the Senate seat of the deceased former Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

    House Democrats rally on the East Steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 13, 2023. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    The three include Reps Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Ms. Porter is serving her third term in the House, while Mr. Schiff and Ms. Lee are long-serving veterans of 11 and 12 terms, respectively. Mr. Schiff and Ms. Lee represent safe Democratic districts, while Ms. Porter’s district is competitive, being targeted by both the NRCC and the DCCC in 2024.

    Republicans have a ready explanation for the imbalance of retirees that’s centered on Mr. Biden’s mounting problems with voters.

    “A civil war in their caucus over support for Israel, a historically unpopular president, and an inexperienced [House Minority] leader in Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) begs the question, why stay? Combine that with the climb out of the minority getting steeper by the day, House Democrats are smart to make a mad dash for the exits,” NRCC national press secretary Will Reinert told The Epoch Times.

    The NRCC is the command center of GOP efforts to defend and expand the party’s narrow four-seat majority in the November 2024 elections.

    Courtney Parella, communications director for the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), told The Epoch Times that Democrats are “looking for the exits,” thanks to “a historically unpopular president, a toxic and damaging agenda, and an unfavorable political environment.”

    Ms. Parella said that “as Democrats continue to lose some of their top fundraisers in the House, several now-open seats have quickly become even better pickup opportunities for Republicans and remain pivotal to growing the majority in 2024.”

     

    (L–R) Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Rep. Pete Aguilar, (D-Calif.), and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) arrive as the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its last public meeting in the Canon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 19, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images)

    The CLF is a political action committee that describes itself as “the only outside group to have the endorsement of the entire House Republican leadership.”

    “The CLF supports Republican candidates for the House of Representatives and counters the efforts of well-funded left-wing groups seeking to elect liberals to Congress,” it stated.

    Mr. Carlucci said the increasing partisan rancor in Congress specifically and more generally throughout American politics is a factor that’s motivating representatives to opt out of reelection bids.

    “I think there is something to the fact that politics is changing. It’s always changing but now more rapidly than ever. We have seen the decorum in Congress degraded, at least to us watching it through cable TV. I’m sure there have always been side comments and digs, but now it has spilled over to a former Speaker of the House elbowing a colleague or a sitting senator challenging a witness to fight in a Senate hearing,” he said.

    Mr. Carlucci referred to recent incidents in the Capitol in which former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was alleged to have elbowed Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) in the back and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) challenged a union leader during a Senate hearing to make good on his previously tweeted threats of physical violence.

    Mr. Carlucci also suggested that in the case of long-serving members, there’s a growing incentive “after a distinguished career to pack it in because the style of politics now is one where the electorate does not really reward results; it’s much more driven by the theater.”

    Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) talks to reporters inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 2, 2023. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    National Republican strategist Jimmy Keady said a significant factor in the retirement imbalance is that Democrats are having difficulty recruiting quality candidates.

    “Candidate quality matters for all levels of government. What we are seeing is a Democratic Party with a deficiency of quality candidates who can win in highly competitive races. Instead of recruiting from the outside, the Democratic Party is having to recruit from their own ranks, jeopardizing their control of competitive districts across the country,” Mr. Keady told The Epoch Times.

    “We just saw this in Virginia where Del. Kim Taylor was a key recruit for Virginia Republicans, and she won reelection in a Biden+11 district. Republicans are focused on pulling leaders outside of the beltway to run in these districts, and based on retirements so far, Democrats are going to have a hard time keeping up.”

    In addition to Mr. Schiff, Ms. Lee, and Ms. Porter, House Democrats leaving to pursue Senate seats include Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Colin Allred (D-Texas), David Trone (D-Md.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Andy Kim (D-N.J.).

    Other House Democrats who are retiring to pursue another political office include Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.), who hopes to be elected state attorney general; Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.); a Virginia gubernatorial candidate; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who’s running for mayor of Houston; and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) who’s seeking the presidency.

     

    Members-elect of the 118th Congress leave the House Chamber after three ballots failed to elect a new speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3, 2023. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    Retiring House Democrats who aren’t seeking other offices include California Reps. Anna Eshoo, Grace Napolitano, and Leo Cardenas; Michigan Rep. Dale Kildee; Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton; Washington Rep. Derek Kilmer; Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes; and Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

    House Republicans who are departing to seek a different political office include Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), both of whom are Senate candidates, and Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who’s a candidate for state attorney general.

    Retiring House Republicans include Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Rep. Debbie Lesko of Arizona, Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, Reps. Kay Granger and Michael Burgess of Texas, and Reps. Brad Wenstrup and Bill Johnson of Ohio. New York’s Rep. George Santos is expected to be expelled from Congress imminently as a result of a scathing House Ethics Committee report.

    Senate Democrat retirees include Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Tom Carper of Delaware, LaPhonza Butler of California, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

    Republican Senate retirees include Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Mike Braun of Indiana, who’s running for governor of the Hoosier state.




     

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 19:25

  • Why Are Searches For 'Trailer Park Near Me' Erupting? 
    Why Are Searches For ‘Trailer Park Near Me’ Erupting? 

    The eruption in Google searches for “RV lot near me” has hit a five-year high. The reason for the surge remains unclear but could be attributed to the worsening housing affordability crisis ushered in by the failure of ‘Bidenomics.’

    Earlier this year, we noticed in several RV Industry Association’s industry reports (read here) that new monthly shipments for “Park Model RVs,” otherwise known as trailers, were outpacing last year’s levels.

    None of this comes as a surprise, as the worst housing affordability crisis in a generation has killed the ‘American Dream’ for many folks. 

    The most vocal folks complaining about the era of unaffordability of everything have been Gen-Zers on the Chinese social media platform TikTok. These youngsters are experiencing voter regret after a president who could be their great-great-great grandfather pushed failed policies that have been nothing more than a financial disaster for them. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    They’re also mad about owning nothing: 

    “The thing about being in Gen Z is that, generally, we quite literally own nothing,” PJ Yancey told Bussiness Insider. He said, “We’re not homeowners; we don’t own a ranch, a vacation home, any kind of property at all. If we’re living on our own, it’s in someone else’s house or apartment.”

    So, the kid went out into the desert in California and bought a $200 plot of land. 

    @peejstead I love my dirt #offroad #crazy ♬ 3 Stars – Jair Archive

    https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js

    The lesson youngsters need to learn is the government and central bank are responsible for your financial woes. And the search data plus mobile home industry data only confirms that Gen-Zer’s standard of living has quickly deteriorated. Welcome to third-world style living. 

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 19:00

  • The Urgency Of Strengthening America’s Electric Grid Cybersecurity
    The Urgency Of Strengthening America’s Electric Grid Cybersecurity

    Authored by Paul Steidler via RealClear Wire,

    The U.S. electric grid continues to face a bevy of foreign and domestic cyberattack threats. Therefore, it makes more sense than ever before for utilities and transmission operators to aggressively fortify their cyber defenses. In fact, failure to do so is a classic case of being penny wise and pound foolish. 

    The evidence includes the following: 

    • On November 16, following two days of cybersecurity scenario testing by more than 250 organizations, Manny Cancel, Senior Vice President of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) said, “The threat landscape in which we are operating is unprecedented – we are facing challenges that are increasingly difficult to detect and protect against.”
    • NERC added that evolving cyber threats to the grid are “guided by geopolitical events, new vulnerabilities, changes in technologies, and increasingly bold cyber criminals and hackers.”
    • China, Russia, and other countries continue to impose cybersecurity threats to the U.S. electric grid, as discussed in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Annual Threat Assessment.
    • Cybersecurity insurance premiums continue to rise sharply, making preventative actions more compelling from a cost-benefit standpoint. 
    • The shift to renewable energy and distributed resources opens additional vulnerabilities for electric utilities. As Bruce Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure Security said in July 18 Congressional testimony, “Importantly, the risk associated with cyber is exacerbated by the rapid transformational changes happening in the electric sector. The transition away from a centralized generation and command and control model to a decentralized model, has increased the surface area for cyber penetration.  

    The grid’s Operational Technology (OT) vulnerabilities are particularly notable. OT refers to the remote monitoring and control of components in the electric system. This encompasses supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and industrial control systems (ICS) networks. 

    An October 2022 U.S. Department of Energy study found, “Another industry trend is increased attacker experimentation and exploitation targeting OT systems.” 

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued a similar warning: “Grid distribution systems – which carry electricity from transmission systems to consumers – have grown more vulnerable, in part because their operational technology increasingly allows remote access and connections to business networks.”

    One way to simplify critical infrastructure protection and keep OT secure is to place a device that only allows pre-defined, legitimate signals to be sent to the OT on a network. This reduces the costs of more holistic network changes. It also prevents non-specific commands from passing through a protected device. 

    One such system, Binary Armor, places an in-line barrier to cyber intrusion, while monitoring all communications to a piece of OT. The device is small, approximately five by three inches, and weighs less than a pound. It can be deployed throughout the distribution grid, including on main substation data lines and within substations. 

    Legitimate commands can pass through. Those that would cause the device to behave in dangerous, destructive ways are thwarted. 

    Binary Amor cannot be modified or reconfigured without physical access to the system, thereby providing robust security for remote facilities and critical infrastructure. The system allows the system operator to define the rules for SCADA/ICS traffic and to inspect every byte of information. 

    The scope of threats that the U.S. electric grid will continue to face are likely to rise in complexity and severity. Rather than waiting for dictates from regulators, utilities and transmission grid operators should identify important areas for cybersecurity protection, especially where there are efficient, cost-effective solutions. In this environment, OT protection is especially important and likely to be even more so soon. 

    This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 18:40

  • You Thought Murder Hornets Were Bad? The "Super Pig" Invasion Looms
    You Thought Murder Hornets Were Bad? The “Super Pig” Invasion Looms

    Fans of fearmongering classics such as “murder hornets” , “monkey pox” and “take this experimental vaccine or you’ll kill grandma” will love this one…

    According to new reports, a population of badass “super pigs” is about to descend on North America from Canada, prompting northern US states such as Montana, Minnesota and North Dakota to take measures against the invasion.

    The wild pigs, currently roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boars with the size and fertility of domestic swine to create so-called “super pigs” that one expert called “the most invasive animal on the planet,” and “an ecological train wreck,” according to CBS News.

    Via Reddit user /u/Kalicoa

    What caused this?

    According to the report, Canadian farmers just cut pigs loose after the market collapsed in 2001. The pigs persevered – with the strong surviving harsh Canadian winters, and the weak dying off. The result was highly destructive packs of pigs are roaming around, eating anything – including crops and wildlife.

    They tear up land when they root for bugs and crops. They can spread devastating diseases to hog farms like African swine fever. And they reproduce quickly. A sow can have six piglets in a litter and raise two litters in a year.

    That means 65% or more of a wild pig population could be killed every year and it will still increase, Brook said. Hunting just makes the problem worse, he said. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3% and several states have banned hunting because it makes the pigs more wary and nocturnal — tougher to track down and eradicate.

    Wild pigs already cause around $2.5 billion in damage to U.S. crops every year, mostly in southern states like Texas. And they can be aggressive toward humans. A woman in Texas was killed by wild pigs in 2019. -CBS News

    Feral pigs already in the United States have caused some $100 million in property damage in Texas, where lawmakers have authorized hot air balloon hunts to eradicate the porcine menace.

    Feral pigs roam near a Mertzon, Texas, ranch on Feb. 18, 2009.

    Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, has documented 62,000 wild pig sightings in Canada, and have seen them on both sides of the Canada-North Dakota border.

    “Nobody should be surprised when pigs start walking across that border if they haven’t already,” said Brook. “The question is: What will be done about it?”

    “The only path forward is you have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools in the toolbox,” Brook said.

    Murdalize em!

    Options for eradication include guns, traps such as the “BoarBuster,” and nets fired from helicopters.

    Looks like bacon is on the menu, boys!

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 18:20

  • Trump Claims 'Cheating' In Wisconsin Election Case: 'Republicans Must Do Something'
    Trump Claims ‘Cheating’ In Wisconsin Election Case: ‘Republicans Must Do Something’

    Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower the day after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York City, on Aug. 9, 2022. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters)

    Former President Donald Trump issued a response after the Wisconsin State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case targeting state election maps.

    Last week, Democrats urged the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn Republican-drawn legislative maps. The lawsuit was first brought by voters the day after the court flipped to what some say is a majority 4-3 liberal control in August. They want all 132 state lawmakers to stand for election under new, more favorable maps in 2024.

    The state Legislature’s district maps were first drawn under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, allowing the GOP to keep their majority in both chambers of the state Legislature.

    Earlier this week, the former president offered criticism of the challenge, condemning the Wisconsin Supreme Court for taking up the challenge. He also shared a Wall Street Journal editorial that raised questions about the timing of the lawsuit after Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who was backed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, started serving.

    “Tremendous cheating going on in a State that I love, Wisconsin. Republicans must do something to stop it!” President Trump said in a Truth Social post.

    The Wall Street Journal article, meanwhile, wrote that Democrats fought to get Judge Protasiewicz elected earlier this year so “she could help them retake control of the state Legislature through a rewrite of the state’s political maps. Now the court’s liberal majority is going through contortions to deliver on that anti-democratic judicial promissory note,” describing the scenario as a “looming judicial coup.”

    The fight comes ahead of the 2024 election in a battleground state where four of the six past presidential elections have been decided by fewer than 23,000 votes, and Republicans have built large majorities in the legislature under maps they drew over a decade ago.

    President Trump won Wisconsin in the 2016 vote, while the state was certified in favor of President Joe Biden in 2020. Analysts have said it remains a key battleground state in 2024, coming after Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) won his reelection bid last year.

    Motives

    Last week, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley most aggressively questioned the motives of Democrats and repeatedly referenced newly elected Judge Protasiewicz saying during her campaign that the current maps are “rigged.”

    “Everybody knows that the reason we’re here is because there was a change in the membership of the court,” Judge Bradley said. She said ordering elections for all 132 lawmakers, including half of the Senate midway through their current terms, was “absolutely extraordinary.”

    “I can’t imagine something less democratic than unseating most of the Legislature that was duly elected last year,” she added.

    During a candidate forum last year, Judge Protasiewicz said that the legislative “maps are rigged, bottom line. Absolutely, positively rigged. They do not reflect the people in this state.”

    “They do not reflect accurate representation, neither the state Assembly or the state Senate. They are rigged, period. Coming right out and saying that. I don’t think you could sell to any reasonable person that the maps are fair,” Judge Protasiewicz continued.

    Attorney Mark Gaber, from the Campaign Legal Center, said the timing of the lawsuit had nothing to do with the election result. He said the challenge over whether the districts are unconstitutionally not contiguous would have been filed, regardless of the makeup of the court. “I don’t see that as a partisan issue,” Mr. Gaber said.

    Taylor Meehan, attorney for the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature, said the lawsuit was meritless, brought too late, and that Democrats only filed it because control of the court flipped. “They are a wolf in sheep’s clothing designed to backdoor a political statewide remedy,” Mr. Meehan said.

    Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz attends her first hearing as a justice, in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 7, 2023. (Morry Gash/AP)

    Due to her comments on the “rigged” maps, Republicans in the Legislature have publicly floated impeaching the judge if she didn’t recuse herself from the case and other redistricting cases.

    On Tuesday, a judge dismissed a left-wing group’s lawsuit that claimed a panel researching the possible impeachment of the judge violated the state’s laws. Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington ruled that the group, American Oversight, filed its lawsuit too early, coming after Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos asked former state Supreme Court justices in September to advise on whether it’s legal to impeach the justice.

    The legal fight in Wisconsin comes after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state of Alabama’s bid to use a Republican-drawn congressional map. Months before that, the top U.S. court issued a ruling against the state that argued Alabama violated the Voting Rights Act, although Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the court erred in its decision.

    “It is now clear that none of the maps proposed by Republican supermajorities had any chance of success. Treating voters as individuals would not do. Instead, our elected representatives and our voters must apparently be reduced to skin color alone,” he said at the time.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 18:00

  • Hezbollah Rejoins Fight, Lebanese Civilians Killed, After Gaza Truce Ended
    Hezbollah Rejoins Fight, Lebanese Civilians Killed, After Gaza Truce Ended

    The resumption of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the truce ended Friday morning has quickly translated into rocket and artillery fire in Israel’s north, where emergency sirens have sent residents running for shelter across several towns. 

    Hezbollah, which over the past week has respected the Hamas truce during which time it by and large silenced its weapons, has rejoined the conflict. Already there have been deaths in Lebanon after Israel responded by shelling the town of Hula. Hezbollah-affiliated television channel al-Manar said that a mother and her son were killed in the attack.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Previously in the day Al Jazeera reported that “Hezbollah claimed a strike on Israeli soldiers in the first cross-border attack on Israel since the resumption of the fighting in Gaza.”

    Last weekend, the government of Iraq warned that if the Gaza ceasefire doesn’t become permanent, there’s a strong chance the conflict turns into broader regional war.

    The Pentagon has forces on high alert at US bases in Syrian and Iraq. Prior the truce of last Friday, American bases in the region had come under some 60 or more total drone and rocket attacks. The US responded with airstrikes several times against ‘Iran-backed militias’. 

    Whether these attacks will start up again is a big question the West will be watching closely. The Biden administration has repeatedly threatened to strike against Iran-linked targets and assets if Americans come under threat.

    Below: Israeli artillery shelling parts of southern Lebanon

    As for Hezbollah, despite that before the truce there were daily attacks on southern Israel, its role has been limited thus far after eight weeks of conflict. Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has previously stated that the group’s intent is to keep Israeli forces bogged down enough in the north to where the IDF can’t focus its entire arsenal and tanks on the Gaza theatre. 

    But a big fear in Tel Aviv and Washington remains the possibility that Hezbollah could launch a full war. Its rockets and manpower are considered much bigger than that of Hamas, and a scenario like the 2006 war is something Israeli military leaders likely hope to avoid.

    Tyler Durden
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 17:40

  • Our National Bankruptcy: Moral, Economic, And Political
    Our National Bankruptcy: Moral, Economic, And Political

    Authored by Mark Hendrickson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The National Debt Clock in Washington on Nov. 13, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

    Commentary

    Last month I got a call from a friend who works in Congress. He was distressed by the absurd condition of the federal finances. How could the wealthiest country in the world be almost $34 trillion in debt while charging ahead into ever-deeper debt? It seems like a horror movie come to life.

    Congress is gridlocked with the spigot of federal spending seemingly locked permanently into the wide-open position.

    The conversation with my friend touched on three points: how did this untenable situation come about, how can we reverse course, and what model of government would protect us from endless debt?

    How Did We Get Into This Untenable Predicament?

    What has brought the federal government of the United States of America to the edge of a fiscal abyss? It boils down to two main factors: the perverse incentives of electoral democracy accompanied by a gradual moral decay.

    The fundamental underlying cause of our catastrophic debt is a decay of morality. Over the decades, the traditional American respect for the sanctity of private property has eroded and diminished. Under the influence of progressive and socialist ideas and other sophistries, the American people came to believe that they were entitled to receive benefits that others would be made to pay for. This is the self-destructive nature of democracy. By popular demand as expressed at the ballot box, voluntary exchange and charity have been progressively replaced by compulsory government-mandated transfers of wealth (transfers of wealth that would be considered theft if done by non-government actors).

    In a democracy, politicians seeking elective office always need more votes. They have found that they can buy votes, not with their own money, but with money from the federal treasury, by conferring ever-larger benefits on ever-more beneficiaries. The political incentive is for Congress and presidents to spend, spend, spend. And since voters hate taxes, another political incentive is to not antagonize voters by raising taxes. Running up the national debt is the inevitable outcome of these incentives.

    Government over-spending is the Achilles’ heel of democracy. In words often attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler, “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship …”

    Twentieth-century American economist Howard Kershner put it less eloquently: “When a self-governing people confer upon their government the power to take from some and give to others, the process will not stop until the last bone of the last taxpayer is picked bare.”

    How Can We Pull Out of This Fiscal Tailspin?

    The short answer is: We can’t. Theoretically, it would be possible if a majority of voting Americans recognized the dangers inherent in national bankruptcy and elected presidents and a Congress that would undo the vast web of wealth-transfer programs, but this isn’t realistic. Few voters are willing to relinquish the particular government programs that benefit them, and so dismantling the welfare state voluntarily is a non-starter.

    Instead, the most likely scenario is to continue on our present self-destructive course until the point in time when there won’t be enough suckers who believe in “the full faith and credit of the federal government” to buy its debt, and the Federal Reserve is forced to create additional trillions of dollars, thereby torpedoing the purchasing power of the people and precipitating an economic cataclysm causing massive social upheaval and a likely political revolution.

    A Blueprint for a Fiscally Responsible Government

    Yes, and it’s a blueprint sitting in plain sight. It’s our Constitution.

    The Constitution enumerates a relatively small number of functions that the federal government is to perform. There’s no explicit authorization in the Constitution for the federal government to get involved in directing, influencing, or managing such areas of our economy as agriculture, housing, health care, energy, education, transportation, retirement, etc.

    It’s clear from the writings of the founding generation that they never expected the federal government to extend into the economic affairs of citizens.

    Thomas Jefferson (letter to Albert Gallatin, 1817): “Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”

    Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall (McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819): “This government is acknowledged by all, to be one of enumerated powers.”

    James Jackson (member of the First Congress): “We must confine ourselves to the powers described in the Constitution, and the moment we pass it, we take an arbitrary stride towards a despotic Government.”

    What happened to our founders’ vision of limited government? Again, the moral decay of “We, the people” bears the primary responsibility. President John Adams hit the nail on the head: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

    What President Adams understood is crucial. Any constitution—even one that expresses the most noble ideals and enlightened ideas—is little more than a piece of worthless paper if the people don’t value it enough to accept its authority and lack the commitment to consistently accept, uphold, and defend its strictures and rules.

    We need a blueprint like our original constitution. But more than that, we need a moral revival so that we can again live as free people under a federal government limited to the task of defending our lives, liberty, and property.

    Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times of ZeroHedge.

    ZeroPointNow
    Fri, 12/01/2023 – 17:00

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Dec 01

Today’s News 1st December 2023

  • How The Obama Admin Enabled The Nonstop Security Leaks Against Trump
    How The Obama Admin Enabled The Nonstop Security Leaks Against Trump

    Authored by Jeff Carlson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The Obama administration, just 17 days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, revised the guidelines of Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333, “Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency.”

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images, Shutterstock)

    Although widely overlooked, the implications were broad and far-reaching.

    Under the new procedure, agencies and individuals could request the National Security Agency (NSA) for access to specific surveillance simply by claiming the intercepts contain relevant information that’s useful to a particular mission.

    No privacy protection of the raw data was undertaken. Under the new rules, sharing of information was significantly easier–and the information being shared was raw and unfiltered.

    At the time I wondered about the timing of the order. But what I found particularly curious was that it was enacted so late. Allow me to explain.

    On Dec. 15, 2016, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, signed off on Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333. The order was finalized when Attorney General Loretta Lynch signed it on Jan. 3, 2017.

    (L–R) Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Marcell Lettre II, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and United States Cyber Command and National Security Agency Director Admiral Michael Rogers testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 5, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    Why the pressing need to rush this order during the final days of his office? An order which allowed for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence amongst agencies.

    Was it to enable dissemination of information gathered by those in the Obama administration amongst intelligence agencies? But if so, why was the order not put into place earlier?

    Why just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump officially took over the Oval Office?

    Crucially, privacy protection of the underlying raw data from the NSA was specifically bypassed by the order. As The New York Times noted at the time, “the new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations, which are largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws.”

    On its face, the rule was supposedly put in place in order to reduce the risk that “the N.S.A. will fail to recognize that a piece of information would be valuable to another agency,” but in reality, it dramatically expanded government officials’ access to the private information of American citizens.

    As noted by the NY Times, historically, “the N.S.A. filtered information before sharing intercepted communications with another agency, like the C.I.A. or the intelligence branches of the F.B.I. and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The N.S.A.’s analysts passed on only information they deemed pertinent, screening out the identities of innocent people and irrelevant personal information.”

    However, with the Jan. 3, 2017, approval of Section 2.3, and the associated expansion of sharing globally intercepted communications, other intelligence agencies would be able to search “directly through raw repositories of communications intercepted by the N.S.A. and then apply such rules for ‘minimizing’ privacy intrusions.”

    President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with commanders and members of the joint chiefs of staff in the White House in Washington on Jan. 4, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

    When Obama’s new NSA Data Sharing Order was signed, many wondered at the timing and questioned why there was a pressing need to rush an order that allowed for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence among agencies during the final days of his administration.

    But as I hinted at during the outset of our discussion, an equally valid question is, why was the order enacted so late? As it turns out, Section 2.3 was reported as being on “the verge” of finalization in late February 2016 as reported by the New York Times, which noted that “Robert S. Litt, the general counsel in the office of the Director of National Intelligence, said that the administration had developed and was fine-tuning what is now a 21-page draft set of procedures to permit the sharing.” It had been anticipated that the order would be finalized by early to mid-2016.

    Instead, for reasons that lack official explanations to this day, Section 2.3 was delayed until January 2017. Interestingly, the finalized version signed into effect by President Obama contains a provision relating to “Political Process” that hadn’t been in place in earlier versions.

    One of the items within this provision prohibited dissemination of information to the White House. Remember that this provision would not impact President Obama whose administration ended in two weeks. But it would most definitely impact the dissemination of information to the incoming Trump administration.

    If this new provision had been implemented in early 2016 as originally scheduled, dissemination of any raw intelligence on or relating to the Trump campaign to officials within the Obama White House would likely have been made more difficult or quite possibly prohibited.

    President-elect Donald Trump heads back into the elevator after shaking hands with Martin Luther King III after their meeting at Trump Tower in New York City on Jan. 16, 2017. Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

    In other words, prior to the January 2017 signing of Section 2.3, it appears that greater latitude existed for officials in the Obama administration to gain access to information. But once the order was signed into effect, Section 2.3 granted greater latitude to interagency sharing of that information.

    On July 27, 2017, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), then-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats regarding the ongoing leaks of classified information and the need for new unmasking legislation to address the problem.

    Mr. Nunes’s letter specifically pointed out officials within the Obama administration, stating that “We have found evidence that current and former government officials had easy access to U.S. person information and that it is possible that they used this information to achieve partisan political purposes, including the selective, anonymous leaking of such information.”

    Mr. Nunes noted that “one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence-related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama administration.”

    Read more here…

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 23:40

  • Princeton Is 'Best' But USC Is America's Most Expensive University
    Princeton Is ‘Best’ But USC Is America’s Most Expensive University

    The latest ranking of America’s best universities is here, perfectly timed for the approaching admissions season.

    “Best” is of course subjective, and U.S. News and World Report has compiled 19 metrics on which they evaluated more than 400 national universities. Some of them include:

    • Graduation rates & performance: A four-year rolling average of the proportion of each entering class earning a bachelor’s degree in six years or less. Performance is measured against predictions made by the publishers, and when beaten, the university gains a higher scoring.

    • Peer assessment: A two-year weighted average of ratings from top academics—presidents, provosts and deans of admissions—on academic quality of peer institutions with which they are familiar.

    • Financial resources: The average per student spend on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures in the 2021 fiscal year.

    • Debt: A school’s average accumulated federal loan debt among borrowers only.

    • Pell graduation rates & performance: the same calculation as stated above, but focused only on Pell Grant students, adjusted to give more credit to schools with larger Pell student proportions.

    The website’s methodology section details how they sourced their data, the weights assigned to each metric, and their changes over the years.

    And, as Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao and Niccolo Conte detail below, from the hundreds assessed come the nearly 50 best universities that offer a variety of undergraduate majors, post-graduate programs, emphasize research, or award professional practice doctorates.


    Which are the Best Universities in America?

    At the top of the list, Princeton University is the best university in the country, known for its physics, economics, and international relations departments. Notably, it’s a rare Ivy league university that does not have a law, medical, or business school.

    Here’s the full ranking of America’s best universities, along with annual tuition requirements.

    Rank School Name State Tuition
    1 Princeton University New Jersey $59,710
    2 Massachusetts
    Institute of
    Technology    		 Massachusetts $60,156
    3 Harvard University Massachusetts $59,076
    3 Stanford University California $62,484
    5 Yale University Connecticut $64,700
    6 University of
    Pennsylvania    		 Pennsylvania $66,104
    7 California Institute
    of Technology    		 California $63,255
    7 Duke University North Carolina $66,172
    9 Brown University Rhode Island $68,230
    9 Johns Hopkins
    University    		 Maryland $63,340
    9 Northwestern University Illinois $65,997
    12 Columbia University New York $65,524
    12 Cornell University New York $66,014
    12 University of Chicago Illinois $65,619
    15 University of
    California, Berkeley    		 California $48,465 (out-state)
    $15,891 (in-state)
    15 University of
    California, LA    		 California $46,326 (out-state)
    $13,752 (in-state)
    17 Rice University Texas $58,128
    18 Dartmouth College New Hampshire $65,511
    18 Vanderbilt University Tennessee $63,946
    20 University of Notre Dame Indiana $62,693
    21 University of
    Michigan, Ann Arbor    		 Michigan $57,273 (out-state)
    $17,786 (in-state)
    22 Georgetown University Washington, DC $65,082
    22 University of North
    Carolina at Chapel Hill    		 North Carolina $39,338 (out-state)
    $8,998 (in-state)
    24 Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania $63,829
    24 Emory University Georgia $60,774
    24 University of Virginia Virginia $58,950 (out-state)
    $22,323 (in-state)
    24 Washington
    University, St. Louis    		 Missouri $62,982
    28 University of
    California, Davis    		 California $46,043 (out-state)
    $15,266 (in-state)
    28 University of
    California, San Diego    		 California $48,630 (out-state)
    $16,056 (in-state)
    28 University of Florida Florida $28,658 (out-state)
    $6,381 (in-state)
    28 University of
    Southern California    		 California $68,237
    32 University of
    Texas, Austin    		 Texas $41,070 (out-state)
    $11,698 (in-state)
    33 Georgia Institute
    of Technology    		 Georgia $32,876 (out-state)
    $11,764 (in-state)
    33 University of
    California, Irvine    		 California $47,759 (out-state)
    $15,185 (in-state)
    35 New York University New York $60,438
    35 University of
    California, Santa
    Barbara    		 California $45,658 (out-state)
    $14,881 (in-state)
    35 University of Illinois
    Urbana-Champaign    		 Illinois $36,068 (out-state)
    $17,572 (in-state)
    35 University of
    Wisconsin, Madison    		 Wisconsin $40,603 (out-state)
    $11,205 (in-state)
    39 Boston College Massachusetts $67,680
    40 Rutgers University,
    New Brunswick    		 New Jersey $36,001 (out-state)
    $17,239 (in-state)
    40 Tufts University Massachusetts $67,844
    40 University of Washington Washington $41,997 (out-state)
    $12,643 (in-state)
    43 Boston University Massachusetts $65,168
    43 The Ohio State University Ohio $36,722 (out-state)
    $12,485 (in-state)
    43 Purdue University,
    Main Campus    		 Indiana $28,794 (out-state)
    $9,992 (in-state)
    46 University of
    Maryland, College
    Park    		 Maryland $40,306 (out-state)
    $11,505 (in-state)
    47 Lehigh University Pennsylvania $62,180
    47 Texas A&M University Texas $40,607 (out-state)
    $12,413 (in-state)
    47 University of Georgia Georgia $30,220 (out-state)
    $11,180 (in-state)
    47 University of Rochester New York $64,384
    47 Virginia Tech Virginia $36,090 (out-state)
    $15,478 (in-state)
    47 Wake Forest University North Carolina $64,758
    53 Case Western
    Reserve University    		 Ohio $62,234
    53 Florida State University Florida $21,683 (out-state)
    $6,517 (in-state)
    53 Northeastern University Massachusetts $63,141
    53 University of
    Minnesota, Twin
    Cities    		 Minnesota $36,402 (out-state)
    $16,488 (in-state)
    53 William & Mary Virginia $48,841 (out-state)
    $25,041 (in-state)

    MIT places second, and Harvard and Stanford tie for third. Yale rounds out the top five.

    Private universities, including seven Ivy League colleges, dominate the top of the rankings. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked public schools are tied at 15th, both state schools in California.

    For affordability, since the higher ranks are populated by private universities, there tends to be a broad correlation of better universities being more expensive. That said, the most expensive school in the top 50 ranks is actually the University of Southern California, tied at 28th, for $68,237/year.

    As it happens, also tied at 28th, the University of Florida is the most affordable public school for in-state students ($6,381/year) and Florida State University tied at 53rd, is the most affordable for out-of-staters at $21,683/year.

    However these costs are tuition-only, and don’t account for other necessary expenses: accommodation, food, and textbooks.

    Best University versus Best “Fit”

    Finding the best university for prospective students is more than just perusing a long ranking list.

    Aside from the numerous schools present within each university—which can often be the best for specific majors—factors like location, proximity to family, campus culture, the non-academic pursuits (sports, extracurriculars, internships) are also taken into consideration.

    In fact, research has found that just attaining a university degree improves future earnings potential and employability.

    Furthermore, individual engagement at college (irrespective of the rank of the school in question) plays a far bigger role in learning and general well-being than simply attending a highly-ranked school.

    However, for low income and minority students, attending a top-ranked school does improve future earnings considerably. For women, it also often results in delaying marriage and kids, which results in more work-hours and as a result, more pay.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 23:20

  • Iowa Democrats Deploy New Strategy After Bungling 2020 Caucus
    Iowa Democrats Deploy New Strategy After Bungling 2020 Caucus

    Authored by Beth Brelje via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Iowa Republicans will be the first in the nation to weigh in on the competitive Republican presidential race, as they continue their long-time Iowa Caucus tradition on Jan. 15 next year.

    (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images, Shutterstock)

    But Democrats—with a virtually noncompetitive race, a presidential call to ditch caucuses, and memories of the bungled 2020 caucus—are turning entirely to mail ballots for the 2024 caucuses in Iowa.

    If 2020 was the year of election anomalies, the first irregularity was the Democratic Iowa Caucus which was rife with technical flaws, offered no results on election night, and left the Associated Press unable to ever declare a winner.

    The Feb. 3, 2020, Democratic Iowa Caucus used a freshly developed smartphone app to communicate caucus results, but the app got glitchy, and a hotline to call in results was overwhelmed, preventing results from being available on caucus night. By the next day, just 62 percent of the Democratic results were counted. A week later, folks were losing patience.

    Precinct captain Carl Voss, of Des Moines, Iowa, holds his iPhone that shows the Iowa Democratic Party’s caucus reporting app, in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

    “The Iowa Democratic Party deserved better than what happened on caucus night,” state party chair Troy Price said in his Feb. 12 resignation letter. With results still not determined, he stepped down eight days after the caucus. By the time Mr. Price resigned, New Hampshire already had results from its Feb. 11, 2020, primary.

    The first three rounds of the 2024 primary season didn’t go well for then-candidate Joe Biden, who had terrible results in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. He didn’t see a win until March 1 in the South Carolina primary where he got 49 percent of the Democratic vote. The Iowa results were finally calculated two days before South Carolina’s primary, putting Mr. Biden in fourth place behind Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

    Right after South Carolina and before Super Tuesday, Mr. Buttigieg, Ms. Klobuchar and former candidate and Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke dropped out of the race and endorsed Mr. Biden. Mr. Sanders dropped out a month later and also endorsed Mr. Biden.

    Traditional Caucus Called ‘Anti-Worker’

    With the presumptive candidate chosen, the long-delayed result of the Democratic Iowa Caucus fell out of the national conversation. But it was not totally forgotten—nor was Mr. Biden’s poor performance in the early races.

    Using the racial makeup of voters as one reason, two years later, President Joe Biden wrote a letter calling for the end of caucuses and a change to the Democratic nominating calendar.

    “Our party should no longer allow caucuses as part of our nominating process,” he wrote in December 2022, saying caucuses take too long, require voters to choose their candidate in public, and because they are held at a set time, it is tough for hourly workers to attend.

    Caucuses are “Inherently anti-participatory. It should be our party’s goal to rid the nominating process of restrictive, anti-worker caucuses,” he said.

    And allowing Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada to go first makes the early votes too white, President Biden indicated. Too often, he said, candidates drop out or are marginalized by the press and pundits because of poor performances in small states early in the process before voters of color cast a vote.

    Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden greets supporters as he arrives for a campaign town hall on the campus of University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 27, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    “We must ensure that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window,” Mr. Biden said. “For decades, Black voters, in particular, have been the backbone of the Democratic Party but have been pushed to the back of the early primary process.”

    Iowa is 89 percent white, with 7 percent of the population Hispanic, and 4 percent black, according to the U.S. Census.

    New Hampshire is 92 percent white; 4 percent Hispanic; 2 percent black.

    Nevada is 45 percent white; 30 percent Hispanic; 10 percent black; 9 percent Asian; and 5 percent two or more races.

    South Carolina, where Mr. Biden’s 2020 campaign turned around, is 63 percent white; 7 percent Hispanic; 26 percent black; 2 percent Asian; and 2 percent two or more races.

    Mail-in Caucus

    The Democratic and Republican styles of running caucuses in Iowa are different. In addition to choosing candidates, both parties conduct the business of the party, choosing local party leadership and delegates, and discussing the party’s platform.

    Republicans gather, discuss, and then vote once. Those results are sent to Republican headquarters.

    Traditionally, Democrats gather, discuss, and then go stand in a corner of the room designated for their candidate. After heads are counted, supporters of the candidate with the lowest number of votes choose a different corner. This is repeated until one candidate is clearly the winner. It involves time and lots of conversations.

    But it will be different for Democrats in 2024 as the party tries to maintain its place as the first caucus in the nation and play by the new rules of the National Democratic Party, which in February honored President Biden’s request and reordered the presidential primary calendar. South Carolina will go first now, with a Feb. 24 primary.

    In Iowa, Democrats will request a presidential preference card through the mail or email. Presidential preference cards will be mailed out starting Jan. 12. The last day to request a presidential preference card is Feb. 19.

    Democrats will hold in-person precinct caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024, to conduct party business only. No presidential preference will be taken at the in-person precinct caucuses, according to information provided to The Epoch Times by the Iowa Democratic Party.

    The results of the mail-in presidential preference will be released on Super Tuesday, March 5, meaning that while Iowa Democrats will start collecting ballots first, results will not be first in the nation.

    Why First Matters

    The Iowa caucuses have been the first in the nation since 1972.

    Republicans, in 2024, have the more interesting, competitive race, and they will continue in their traditional style, holding the caucuses first. That is why many Republican candidates have spent time in Iowa.

    “Obviously, [being first] is very important to us,” Kush Desai, spokesman for the Iowa Republican Party, told The Epoch Times.

    “From the day of the 2020 caucus, our Republican chairman was fighting harder to defend how they handled their 2020 caucus—more than, I think, most Democrats were, because we should look to preserve the first-in-nation status … I think they are still kind of nursing the hope that this is just a temporary thing, and then Iowa will be put back [as] first on the Democratic calendar.”

    Many residents of small, rural towns across the United States may never meet a political candidate passing through the region, but candidates spend more time in Iowa.

    “Once the caucuses are done, we don’t see them anymore until the next election cycle,” Silver City, Iowa, Mayor Sharon McNutt told The Epoch Times.

    “We’ve learned to expect it, but that’s why we fight for first-in-the-nation. Because if it wasn’t for first-in-the-nation, we wouldn’t even have that. I think that the Iowa voice is a rich voice for the Midwest. So, we speak for not only Iowa, but a lot of surrounding states that are rural.

    People wait in line to participate in early voting in Greenville, S.C., on on Oct. 31, 2020. Election Day is Nov. 3, 2020. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 23:00

  • India Produced Record Amounts Of Electricity From Coal In October
    India Produced Record Amounts Of Electricity From Coal In October

    By John Kemp, Senior Market Analyst

    India produced a record amount of electricity from coal in October to make up for a shortfall in hydro generation following lower-than-normal monsoon rains.

    Coal remains fundamental to the country’s energy security, despite rapid deployment of wind and solar generation, underscoring the challenge of reducing emissions.

    Notwithstanding the ambitions expressed at the UN climate conference in Dubai, for the foreseeable future, India will depend on its mines and rail network to satisfy rapidly growing electricity demand and ensure reliability.

    Total electricity demand met increased by 24 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) (+21%) in October compared with the same month a year earlier.

    But hydroelectric generation fell by 5 billion kWh (-30%) as unusually low monsoon rainfall depleted water resources.

    Total precipitation across most of India, the Himalayas and Tibet has been less than 80% of the long-term average since the start of the rainy season in June.

    The volume of water stored in the 150 reservoirs monitored by India’s Central Water Commission was 20% below the level in 2022 and 7% below the average for 2013-2022 on November 23.

    Reservoirs are managed to provide a mix of hydroelectricity and irrigation; depletion would have been even more severe if hydro generation had not been curbed to save water for agriculture.

    Despite big increases in installed capacity, solar and wind generation were unable to make up the deficit. Wind increased by 0.3 billion kWh (+10%)…

    …. while solar was up 1.3 billion kWh (+16%).

    Instead the electricity system turned to extra gas (1.6 billion kWh, +103%) and especially coal (28 billion kWh, +33%) to meet demand.

    Coal-fired generators produced a seasonal record of 111 billion kWh in October 2023 up from 84 billion kWh in October 2022.

    Coal satisfied 80% of electricity demand up from 73% a year earlier, while the hydro share fell to 9% from more than 15%.

    COAL REMAINS KING

    India’s installed solar capacity has risen by almost 47 million kilowatts (+24% per year) while wind capacity is up by 9 million kilowatts (5% per year) since the start of 2018.

    Over the same period, coal generation capacity has increased by just 9 million kilowatts (1% per year) and gas-fired capacity has been essentially unchanged.

    But coal units have much higher utilization, and are particularly critical to meet load in the shoulder seasons of March-April and September-October, when renewable generation is lower but air-conditioning load is relatively high.

    In the final analysis, India’s electricity system remains overwhelmingly reliant on coal for baseload and ensuring reliability.

    To cope with rising electricity demand and poor hydrological conditions, India boosted mine production and the volume hauled by the railways to generators to record rates in October.

    Coal output was up by 13 million tonnes in October and by a total of 87 million tonnes since January compared with a year earlier.

    The volume dispatched to power producers was up 8 million tonnes in October and by 35 million tonnes in the first ten months.

    Even so, coal stocks at generators were severely depleted in September and October, and by the end of October had been reduced to just 7.5 days at the required level.

    Inventories had been reduced near to three-year lows and close to levels that sparked the fuel crisis and blackouts in September 2021.

    Coal production and dispatch will have to remain high throughout the winter, when consumption is lower, to rebuild stocks ahead of the next shoulder season.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 22:20

  • Hardline Minister Threatens To Collapse Israel's Coalition Govt If Gaza War Stops
    Hardline Minister Threatens To Collapse Israel’s Coalition Govt If Gaza War Stops

    Much of the international community has seen the ongoing temporary truce and accompanying hostage/prisoner swap in Gaza as a good and welcome development. The UN and even regional Arab countries have urged for the ceasefire to become permanent, but hardliners in the Israeli government are growing impatient concerning Israel’s stated aim of wiping out Hamas.

    National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is now demanding an end to the truce, which his ultra-conservative Otzma Yehudit party has opposed from the beginning.

    He’s even threatening to break apart the governing coalition under Prime Minister Netanyahu. Ben-Gvir posted to X this week in Hebrew: 

    “Stopping the war = breaking apart the government.”

    It’s being widely reported as a clear threat to collapse the unity ruling coalition government; however, it remains unclear whether his party’s exit would ultimately fragment the coalition at this moment of war and national emergency.

    Ministers Itamar Ben Gviir (right) and Bezalel Smotritz, Flash90/JPost

    On Thursday a pair of Palestinian gunmen unleashed M16 and pistol fire on a crowd waiting at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing three Israelis and injuring 16.

    Shortly after the attack, Hamas claimed responsibility.

    The Hamas statement said “the operation came as a natural response to unprecedented crimes conducted by the occupation” and further called for “an escalation of the resistance.”

    Ben Gvir quickly pointed out that this means Hamas has broken the truce, and that Israel should continue attacking Gaza: 

    National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued that Hamas had broken the truce, centered around fighting in Gaza, after the organization claimed responsibility for a Thursday terror attack in Jerusalem. Less than an hour after Thursday’s truce extension was finalized, the shooting attack killed three Israelis.

    “With one hand Hamas signs a ceasefire, with the other it sends terrorists to murder Jews in Jerusalem,” the police minister, who was against the pause in fighting to begin with, said in a Thursday statement released by his Otzma Yehudit party.

    “This is not a ceasefire but rather a continuation of the conception of containment [of terror attacks] and concession that brought us murdered people, which gives [Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya] Sinwar hope that he can exit this conflict with the upper hand,” he continued.

    Ben Gvir declared in his Thursday statement, “We have to stop deals with the devil, and return immediately to the fight, with rare strength.”

    PM Netanyahu’s words conveyed to US Secretary of State Blinken on the same day appeared geared toward assuaging these growing voices that are critical of the truce. “I told him we have sworn, and I have sworn, to destroy Hamas. Nothing will stop us,” he informed a post-meeting press conference.

    Netanyahu later in the day issued a statement specifically reacting to Ben-Gvir, insisting that the war against Hamas would continue until Hamas is eliminated: “There is no situation in which we do not go back to fighting until the end,” the prime minister stressed. “This is my policy. The entire Security Cabinet is behind it. The entire Government is behind it. The soldiers are behind it. The people are behind it — this is exactly what we will do.”

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 22:00

  • Gun Control Advocates Flood Comments Section In Support Of Proposed ATF Rule To Restrict Gun Sales
    Gun Control Advocates Flood Comments Section In Support Of Proposed ATF Rule To Restrict Gun Sales

    Authored by Michael Clements via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A rule to redefine what doing business as a gun dealer means—proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)—is supported by a majority of public commenters, with 10 days left in the comment period.

    Cindy Sparr shows a customer an AK-47 style rifle at Freddie Bear Sports sporting goods store in Tinley Park, Ill., on Dec. 17, 2012. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    On Nov. 27, more than 230,000 of the 280,098 comments supported the plan. This is an estimate based on a review by The Epoch Times.

    A search of the comments section revealed that 237,172 comments include the opening sentence about loopholes in federal law from a sample email posted on the Everytown for Gun Safety webpage.

    Everytown for Gun Safety (Everytown) did not respond to an email seeking comment for this report.

    On its webpage, Everytown claims that “loopholes” in the law allow the sale of guns to criminals through online sales, private transactions, and gun shows.

    “The regulation goes directly to the loopholes we have been trying to close for years by expanding background checks to guns offered for sale online or at gun shows, keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, and ultimately saving lives,” the webpage reads.

    “But for ATF to finish the job on this life-saving action, it needs to know that the public supports closing these dangerous loopholes. ATF needs to hear from us.”

    Many of the online comments use language similar to the Everytown email, with some posting the sample message word-for-word.

    This does not mean that all 237,172 support the rule. In at least one entry a commenter appears to support the rule but closes his comment with a vulgar expletive directed at the ATF.

    Still, it appears clear that a majority of the commenters support the redefinition and the expansion of background checks.

    One commenter who supported the redefinition claimed to have been involved in a school shooting in which the shooter’s parents reportedly purchased guns for him. The commenter also claimed the shooter stole guns from family members.

    Second Amendment advocates point out that the issues raised by Everytown are already addressed by the law. They say the comment section shows an organized anti-gun campaign, combined with cynicism among gun owners.

    “Frustrated citizens frequently disengage from the process of public comment periods for new and unconstitutional rules. They unfortunately feel like their voices aren’t heard by ATF and that the Biden Administration won’t take these comments seriously,” Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America (GOA), wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

    According to gun rights activists, the proposed rule would virtually eliminate private gun sales.

    Researcher Valerie Sargo simulates a check done for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System or NICS, at the FBI’s criminal justice center in Bridgeport, W.Va., on Nov. 18, 2014. NICS did about 58,000 checks on a typical day in 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Stroud)

    The ATF proposed the rule to bring gun regulations in line with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) passed by Congress in June 2022.

    The BSCA, touted by gun control activists as “the most significant gun safety legislation in 30 years,” changed the definition of a gun dealer from a business that buys and sells firearms with the objective of “livelihood and profit” to anyone who sells a gun for profit.

    This means that private individuals who sell a gun to a friend, neighbor, or family member would have to have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and run a background check on the prospective buyer.

    One Second Amendment advocate told a U.S. Senate Committee the ATF’s explanation of the new definition should raise concerns.

    Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at the Ed Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies for the Heritage Foundation, said the new definition is a “slight wording change” while the ATF’s explanation is 108 pages long.

    “That should be a red flag immediately,” she told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a Nov. 27 hearing on whether gun violence is a public health issue.

    A Houston, Texas-based lawyer who specializes in the Second Amendment agreed with The Epoch Times’s assessment of the comments.

    A salesman shows off weapons for sale at Coliseum Gun Traders Ltd. in Uniondale, N.Y. on Sept. 25, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

    According to Richard Hayes of Walker & Taylor, PLLC, and host of the Armed Attorneys YouTube channel, it’s clear that gun control groups have organized to support the rule. This is not the first time a group has spoken out in the comments section, he says. But, in his experience, it’s been Second Amendment supporters who have been the most outspoken.

    “It seems that the anti-gunners have taken a page from the Second Amendment playbook,” Mr. Hayes told The Epoch Times. “It appears that the gun grabbers have gotten wise to the importance of the public comments.”

    Mr. Pratt said his organization is encouraging its members to make their voices heard before the public comment period ends on Dec. 7.

    “We at GOA know that judges weighing challenges to agency actions like the Universal Registration Check Rule certainly look at and consider citizen comments,” Mr. Pratt wrote.

    Once the comment period has ended, the ATF will consider the public comments before deciding whether to adopt the rule, modify it, or drop it.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 21:40

  • Russia's Supreme Court Bans "International LGBT Movement" As An "Extremist" Organization
    Russia’s Supreme Court Bans “International LGBT Movement” As An “Extremist” Organization

    Russia has long faced widespread international condemnation for what outside countries have decried as a crackdown on sexual minorities. President Vladimir Putin has persisted in stressing that Russia must safeguard traditional family values, and that this means protecting children from the pervasive propaganda of the West which seeks to sexualize young people.

    Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday in an official ruling designated what it called the “international LGBT public movement” as a banned “extremist” organization. The new ban is expected to take full effect by early next year – but some reports have said it is effective immediately – and while specifics haven’t been forthcoming, the label would clearly give state authorities much broader powers to go after activist groups.

    Via AP: the poster reads “Marriage, Children, Security” from two gay rights protesters

    This follows on the heels of prior controversial legislation that extended the ban on “LGBT propaganda” even to adults. At first this was aimed at protecting children, but the law applies among adults as well, as of a year ago. This chiefly impacts media and publications, and activist organizations and public demonstrations.

    Additionally it’s aimed at NGOs. The Kremlin has long complained that well-funded NGOs from the West enter Russia and often spread counter-family values. 

    The Moscow Times has quoted the following activist in reaction to this latest planned expansion of the law: 

    “There are still some LGBT rights activists here in Russia. But they might well be the last ones,” Alexei Sergeyev, a St. Petersburg-based civil rights and LGBT activist, told The Moscow Times. 

    “As I always told myself, ‘I can handle the fines, but if there is a threat of imprisonment, I will leave’.”

    Individuals face a maximum of six years in prison if convicted of involvement in an “extremist” organization.

    Critics of the policy under Putin have claimed that such a thing as the “international LGBT movement” doesn’t exist.

    However, as CNN and other media outlets have long acknowledged, during Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State (under Obama), promotion of “LGBTQ” became “a core value of U.S. foreign policy”. This meant that any country seen as being resistant to this agenda was marked as a target for reform – and this has of course included Russia at top of the list.

    Recent years have witnessed US Embassies across the globe fly large rainbow flags. But many have pointed out glaring hypocrisy in the fact that while the biggest flags can be seen in places like Moscow or Belarus, the US doesn’t dare fly the ‘Pride’ flag in places like Saudi Arabia or other allied Muslim-dominant nations.

    Thus the Kremlin sees the cause of ‘gay rights’ as yet another public social domain that Washington has ‘weaponized’ to bring about political change in Russia. US officials have simultaneously publicly opined on overthrowing the “repressive” Putin “regime”. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Conservative pundits in America have at the same time highlighted the mythology of a supposedly unified LGBTQ “community”. In recent years the “T”/or Trans has been effectively at war against the “L” and the “G”. Most Lesbians and their allies are traditional feminists, but the transgender movement has sought to erase feminism altogether.

    This is further highlighted in the long-running smears and attacks on Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, given she maintains there is a uniqueness to womanhood that can’t be mimicked or duplicated by men wishing to change their sex. It could be the case too that Russia doesn’t want to see this internal LGBTQ split and ideological war come to its own society.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 21:20

  • Victor Davis Hanson: If Trump Wins Next Year, Will His Retribution Match (Or Exceed) The Injustices He's Endured?
    Victor Davis Hanson: If Trump Wins Next Year, Will His Retribution Match (Or Exceed) The Injustices He’s Endured?

    Authored by Victor Davis Hanson,

    Don’t Do Unto Others What We Would Have Done to Them?

    Once more, it gets even creepier how the projectionist Left is daily still shrieking about impending Trump “revenge” and “rage”, or about Trump’s purported enemies lists to come, or about his planned weaponization of the bureaucracies.

    The fear is in direct proportion to Biden cognitive decline, sinking polls, and walls-are-closing-in family corruption.

    Should we laugh or cry about the transparent hypocrisy?

    After all, who tried to wreck an administration with a 22-month-long Russian “collusion” fraud, suppressed a laptop with the lie it was Russian “disinformation”, or impeached a president for a phone call correctly identifying the Biden family’s operation in Ukraine as utterly corrupt and at the expense of U.S. interests?

    Do we recall that the Obama-Biden nexus—from 2009-17, and from 2021 until now—cemented the reputation of FBI as a partisan operation, rebooted the Pentagon as an agent of woke change ferreting out “white rage” and “white privilege”, reinvented the DOJ as a Biden family protection service, politicized the CIA so that it, along with the FBI, interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections, and warped the IRS by suppressing evidence of Biden family tax fraud?

    What Lois Lerner, Eric Holder (self-identified as Obama’s “wingman”), and Loretta Lynch left undone was taken up by Merrick Garland.

    Does the New York Times, or Joe Scarborough or any of these strange pundits raging about Trump rage to come remember how the “Logan Act” farce was used to destroy Michael Flynn?

    Or the Foreign Policy essay of Rosa Brooks, a former Obama-era Pentagon lawyer, about how to drive out Trump without waiting for the 2020 election, by either impeachment, the 25th Amendment – or a military coup?

    How about the “kill Trump” porn that saw celebrities, actors, and academics envisioning decapitating, stabbing, shooting, exploding, or incinerating the orange man?

    How about Anonymous’s confessions about how fellow bureaucrats were trying to undermine and sabotage the operations of the Trump administration from within? Or the Pentagon’s retired 4-stars calling for Trump to be removed the “sooner the better”, or labeling him a Mussolini or Nazi-like figure?

    Who paid Twitter millions to censor the news of political opponents?

    Who paid foreign national Christopher Steele to peddle a fake dossier to destroy the 2016 Republican candidate?

    Do we remember Biden’s Phantom-of-the-Opera harangue about his “ultra-MAGA” and “semi-fascists” political enemies?

    Were not the twin pillars of Biden’s current foreign policy team, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, once respectively knee-deep in the anti-Trump Alfa Bank-ping hoax and the “51 Intelligence Authorities” laptop scam?

    Again, the reason the media and politicians are terrified is that they are convinced Trump would do exactly what they would do in his place—and what they would do utterly suddenly horrifies them.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 21:00

  • In Last-Minute Optics Rescue, VP Harris To Attend COP28 Climate Summit In Dubai
    In Last-Minute Optics Rescue, VP Harris To Attend COP28 Climate Summit In Dubai

    Authored by Austin Alonzo via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to Dubai for the COP28 summit being held Nov. 30 through Dec. 12.

    Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on Sept. 20, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

    The White House announced on Nov. 29 that Ms. Harris, along with “dozens of senior U.S. officials representing more than 20 U.S. departments and agencies” will be headed to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP28, being held in the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

    In a Wednesday afternoon press call, Ike Irby, deputy domestic policy advisor to the vice president, said the visit builds on the administration’s “leadership on bold global action to address the climate crisis.“

    “Throughout her engagements in Dubai, Vice President Harris will highlight the administration’s historic investments to address the climate crisis at home and abroad and announce several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions support, adaptation, and boost climate resilience alongside global partners,” he said.

    Senior administration officials declined to share specific details of Ms. Harris’ expected visit but did say the vice president is expected to speak at multiple engagements on Dec. 2.

    Mr. Irby said Ms. Harris will have an opportunity to engage with global leaders assembled at COP28 and discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

    Ms. Harris is expected to speak during the World Climate Action Summit. More details are expected to be announced on Ms. Harris’ visit in the coming days.

    An overview schedule published by the UNFCCC said the World Climate Action Summit will take place on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2. It is scheduled to include high-level roundtables and events. The G77 and China Summit is expected to take place on Dec. 2.

    The overall objective of COP28, according to the UNFCCC, is to “address the climate crisis by agreeing on ways to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.” More than 70,000 delegates are expected to attend the event.

    “Countries are developing plans for a net-zero future, and the shift to clean energy is gathering speed, but … the transition is nowhere near fast enough yet to limit warming within the current ambitions,” the UNFCCC release said.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 20:40

  • Thacker: Congress Must Hold The CDC Accountable For Cozy Ties To Pharma
    Thacker: Congress Must Hold The CDC Accountable For Cozy Ties To Pharma

    Authored by Paul Thacker via The Disinformation Chronicle,

    Congressional leaders with the House Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee will question CDC Director Mandy Cohen tomorrow in what should be an interesting hearing on restoring public trust.

    The hearing “should” be interesting, because this committee has a long history of holding corporate and government leaders accountable.

    However, we have yet to see this committee get any actual explanation for a rash of mistakes and failures during the COVID pandemic.

    During her final appearance before Congress last summer, the prior CDC Director, Rochelle Walensky, gave false testimony about a study on masks. When two researchers pointed out Walensky’s mistake, a congressional staffer emailed them that the committee would correct the record. “We want the record to reflect the accurate facts for posterity,” the staffer with House Appropriations wrote, “And take this responsibility very seriously as the lack of trust in public health officials is becoming an enormous problem for many reasons.”

    Having run congressional investigations for several years, I’m confused why the Energy and Commerce committee has done so little peeking into COVID scandals at the CDC—many of which I have documented during the last couple of years. Congressional staff work long hours and often don’t have the time to look into every problem, but how can the CDC regain public trust when employees with the PR firm for Pfizer and Moderna staff the CDC’s Vaccine Center?

    Last October, I discovered that employees with the global PR firm Weber Shandwick are embedded at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), the CDC group that implements vaccine programs. Weber Shandwick won this multi-million dollar CDC contract back in September 2020, during COVID pandemic’s first year. 

    A few weeks after Weber Shandwick won the CDC contract, a senior vice president at the firm posted a company blog that disclosed Weber Shandwick clients working on COVID-19 vaccines included GSK, Sanofi, and Pfizer. A special investigation by PR Week reported that Weber Shandwick provided publicity for Moderna’s COVID vaccine.

    “So excited to be starting a new role today,” one Weber Shandwick employee wrote on her LinkedIn account. “I’m joining Weber Shandwick as an Account Director supporting a contract I know well, at CDC’s NCIRD!”

    Weber Shandwick employees staffing NCIRD help to run the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). After ACIP recommended recommended in late 2021 that everyone over 12 receive a “bivalent” Covid-19 vaccine as a booster dose, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, warned that ACIP’s advice was made without convincing data.

    Despite sending a slew of emails to the CDC—some directly to the CDC Director—I never got an explanation for this obvious conflict of interest. Senator Rand Paul later sent the CDC a letter, but the agency ignored him. Will the House Committee demand answers?

    Share

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 20:20

  • EVs Have 80% More Problems Than Traditional Gas Vehicles, Consumer Reports Finds
    EVs Have 80% More Problems Than Traditional Gas Vehicles, Consumer Reports Finds

    A new report from Consumer Reports found that electric vehicles have almost 80% more problems and are “generally less reliable” than conventional internal combustion engine cars. Good thing every major government around the world is subsidizing their use in the name of ‘climate change’, right?

    Even worse than electric vehicles were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which were found to have 150% more issues than traditional ICE vehicles, CBS reported. Ordinary hybrids are the best of the breed, with about 25% less problems than gas cars, the study found. 

    The study encompassed information from over 330,000 vehicles produced from 2000 to 2023, including a limited number of reports on brand-new 2024 models.

    The recent vehicle reliability report from Consumer Reports coincides with a time when car purchasers have the benefit of a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 when buying an electric vehicle. 

    But, as CBS noted in their summary, the adoption of EVs by consumers has been slower than initially anticipated. One contributing factor to this slower adoption is the higher maintenance costs associated with EVs compared to conventional vehicles, along with the necessity for additional equipment like home electric charging stations.

    EV owners most commonly reported issues related to the battery and charging systems, as well as issues with the fit and finish of the vehicle’s body panels and interior components. Consumer Reports observed that EV manufacturers are still in the process of mastering new power systems and suggested that as they gain expertise, the overall reliability of EVs would improve.

    Consumer Reports also pointed out that persistent concerns about reliability are likely to compound the challenges that deter many potential buyers from transitioning to EVs. These concerns join existing ones about higher costs, limited availability of charging infrastructure, and extended charging durations associated with EVs.

    CBS wrote:

    “PHEVs may have more problems than conventional cars and electric vehicles because they combine internal-combustion engines with an electric drive, which creates additional complexity, Consumer Reports said. That means there’s more than can go wrong.”

    “Consumer Reports rates vehicles on 20 problem areas, ranging from squeaky brakes to EV charging problems, and PHEVs can experience every one of them, it noted.”

    Not all PHEVs were horrible. According to Consumer Reports, the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Kia Sportage received reliability ratings that are above average. In addition, three plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – the BMW X5, Hyundai Tucson, and Ford Escape – achieved scores that were average. 

    Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports concluded: “This story is really one of growing pains. It’s a story of just working out the bugs and the kinks of new technology.”

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 20:00

  • Republican Lawmakers Call CDC Attention To "Suspicious" Virus Outbreak In China
    Republican Lawmakers Call CDC Attention To “Suspicious” Virus Outbreak In China

    Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times,

    Top Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are calling for attention from U.S. health authorities on the “suspicious” clusters of viral infections and reports of pneumonia affecting Chinese children, warning that it would be “an abdication” of their duty for allowing the Chinese regime to “repeat its misdeeds from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    In a Nov. 29 letter addressed to Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) director Mandy Cohen, who is set to testify before the committee’s oversight subcommittee on Thursday, the lawmakers underscored the Chinese regime’s repeated efforts to suppress information about the burgeoning COVID-19 crisis since it began to spread in China three years ago. Such actions by China have drawn criticism from international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which, the lawmakers noted, “has long been criticized for being overly accommodating to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”

    The infections of children with respiratory illness and pneumonia in China have overwhelmed hospitals and alarmed the WHO, which is urging China to share data about the outbreak. Anecdotal reports have also indicated that children are transmitting the illness to other members of their family, including adults.

    The Chinese authorities have responded by saying that they have detected no “unusual or novel pathogens or unusual clinical presentations,” and only a “general increase in respiratory illnesses due to multiple known pathogens,” according to a WHO statement on Nov. 23. It cited Chinese authorities as further stating that “the rise in respiratory illness has not resulted in patient loads exceeding hospital capacities.”

    The three Republican lawmakers—Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Brett Guthrie (R-Va.), and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.)—while expressing skepticism about WHO, are asking the CDC to step up.

    “The American people should not have to rely on the unaccountable and untrustworthy WHO to communicate information about Chinese public health threats. Further, we cannot allow the CCP to block the CDC from accessing the information it needs to protect Americans and assist in appropriate public health response efforts,” they wrote in the letter.

    They requested the CDC to brief the committee on a biweekly basis on the issue, and respond to a list of questions about the wave of respiratory illness in China by Dec. 13, including whether CDC has engaged with the Chinese counterparts regarding the outbreak issue, related details, and its plan of action.

    “There’s no question that we should be taking a hard look at it and not not counting on them to give us the real facts,” Mr. Griffith, chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told The Epoch Times’s sister media NTD.

    “We need to figure out what we need to do to protect ourselves from a disease that’s in China from coming here, if we can.”

    From the early days of the pandemic, the CDC had tried to offer assistance to China. Letters The Epoch Times obtained showed that Dr. Robert Redfield, who was head of the CDC at the time, had attempted to arrange for a team of experts to fly to China to help identify the virus. The United States and allies made nearly 100 requests to China asking to offer assistance in the health crisis, but the regime rejected them all, according to David Asher, a former lead COVID-19 investigator at the U.S. State Department.

    Now, concerns about overcrowded hospitals and long lines for seeing a doctor have led China’s top health body, the National Health Commission, to call for local clinics to increase their capacity.

    Chinese People on Front Line

    Chinese authorities haven’t provided any data on the current outbreak, but many schools are telling students to stay home because of the large number of sick children.

    A woman from Yunnan Province in southwestern China said that her four children are all experiencing fever. One of them has had a fever for half a month, with pimples appearing on the face and their throat swelling up and festering.

    “The doctor didn’t tell us much and prescribed us some drugs. We’ve been taking them, but there hasn’t been much effect,” she told The Epoch Times.

    Beijing resident Ms. Lin said that her two children had become infected first, before spreading the illness to her and her husband.

    At their school, parents have been asked to send digital requests for a leave of absence to a group chat monitored by teachers if their children become sick.

    “Every day, we would see some children explaining why they can’t come to school,” she told The Epoch Times.

    A majority of sick students are coughing. And even days after their symptoms go away, some of the children would start coughing again or develop fever soon after they returned to school, she said.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 19:40

  • Gen-Zers: Here's What You Can Afford 
    Gen-Zers: Here’s What You Can Afford 

    Gen-Zers have it rough: coming to age and entering the workforce in a period where ‘Bidenomics‘ has utterly failed and most everything is unaffordable. 

    It’s not us saying this, but the poor, broke generation taking to social media platforms, X, TikTok, and Facebook, complaining about “owning nothing,” inflation, and working. 

    Rabobank senior macro strategist Benjamin Picton recently explained, “Gen Z’s in developed countries can’t afford to buy a home no matter how much they save, so why not embrace nihilism and buy those Taylor Swift tickets?” 

    The current mood of Gen-Zers…

    But for the Gen-Zers who can afford homes. Don’t expect to be buying the suburban house featured in the 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone. 

    Because you won’t be able to afford it. 

    So, here you go – a tiny house community: Welcome to the tiny jail cell tiny house. 

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    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 19:20

  • 2024 Presidential Election Will Be Decided By "Double Haters"
    2024 Presidential Election Will Be Decided By “Double Haters”

    Authored by Louis Perron via RealClear Wire,

    Elections with an incumbent are foremost a referendum on the incumbent. As two-thirds of Americans think that their country is headed in the wrong direction and more than half of voters tell pollsters that they disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing, the 2024 election is the Republicans’ to lose.

    In my forthcoming book “Beat the Incumbent,” I, however, warn candidates not to rely solely on the weaknesses, failures, and even scandals of an incumbent government. They are often not enough to bring down an incumbent government. As a focus group respondent once eloquently said, “Voting for a challenger is like moving houses. Yes, you’re unhappy with the place you currently live in, but you want to know what the new house will look like.”

    And that’s the problem for Republicans. Their likely nominee, Donald Trump, is as disliked as Joe Biden, and worse, he’s not a new commodity as challengers otherwise often are. Most people have made up their minds about him, and it’s much more difficult to change public opinion than to define it in the first place.

    I always tell my clients that the best and only starting point for effective campaign planning is brutal honesty. The reality is that being out on bail in four jurisdictions, Donald Trump is a deeply flawed general election candidate.

    So, the election is down to the so-called double haters, those who have an unfavorable opinion about both Trump and Biden. The consequence of this is that if the focus will be on Joe Biden next year, Donald Trump will win. If the spotlight is on Donald Trump, however, Joe Biden has a chance to survive.

    For any challenger, the first imperative is, therefore, to keep the focus on the incumbent and lock him in. Voters are clearly unhappy with the status quo, which means Donald Trump and Republicans now need to make the case on why this is Joe Biden’s fault. Don’t let them get away with it the way Barack Obama and his team avoided blame for economic dissatisfaction in 2012 and skillfully passed it on to George W. Bush.

    The second imperative is to describe what the new house, a second Trump term, would look like. Swing voters don’t care or might even be turned off by personal vendetta. Unless the conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East turn into World War III, the deciding issue will be, as always, the economy. Voters used to credit Trump with economic competence, so there is something to work with. During the first three years of Donald Trump in the White House, the U.S. economy did remarkably well. Republicans should take this record as a basis to actively renew and update their credibility on the economy. There has to be more in store to get out and vote for than the usual hackneyed claims of lower taxes and less bureaucracy.

    In politics, the biggest strength of a candidate is often his biggest weakness. In that sense, the case of Donald Trump is nothing new, but it’s just more pronounced. As enthusiastic his base might be (and the campaign should work on making them more enthusiastic and especially on turning them out to vote), Republicans have to come to terms with the fact that the base is not enough to win a general election under normal circumstances. While there are certainly fewer independents and swing voters than 20 or 30 years ago, they’re still out there, and they are still the ones to decide a general election. This means that Republicans and Trump have to do something that has become somewhat unfashionable in U.S. politics, namely, to reach out in a meaningful way.

    In other words, Republicans have to offer voters the right amount of change and do so in the right tone. If he will be the nominee, a way to make voters comfortable with voting for Trump is also to explain to them that you can’t get what you like about Trump (his record on the economy) without what you dislike about him (his personality). As is commonly said, it takes a tough man to make tender chicken.

    In terms of organization, Donald Trump is somebody who has always done everything on his own. But this is not the way to win a presidential campaign, and it cannot be done by the family. Having orchestrated political campaigns around the globe for more than a decade, I have come to realize the importance of discipline to manage resources and win elections.

    I can only warn Republicans about polls showing Trump leading Biden in battleground states. In terms of predicting the outcome of the election, polls are meaningless at this point in time. In fact, an early lead in the polls is a sweet poison, putting candidates and their teams to sleep and keeping them from taking much-needed action. Republicans have homework to do, and if they don’t take drastic action now, they might blow it (again).

    Dr. Louis Perron is a political consultant who has orchestrated and won elections around the globe – from big city mayors to presidents. His forthcoming book Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections is a step-by-step guide for challengers to win elections at any level of government.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 19:00

  • Leftist Mobs Are Exploiting The Palestinian Issue As Vehicle For Cultural Revolution
    Leftist Mobs Are Exploiting The Palestinian Issue As Vehicle For Cultural Revolution

    In the early years of the Cultural Revolution Mao and the hard line communists were facing an increasing decline in their influence over Chinese society as their political opponents wanted more freedom in markets and changes in the CCP power structure.  In order to reestablish his dominance, Mao exploited the naivety and impulsiveness of college age children and used propaganda to appeal to their natural rebellious inclinations to conjure a rally cry of communist renewal.  Creating an ideological fervor, fear would be Mao’s ultimate weapon.

    Thus began the Cultural Revolution, a war against competing values and Mao’s political enemies disguised as “youthful activism.”  The mob became a roving army for the establishment, terrorizing the population as they targeted symbols of what they called the “Four Olds”:

    Old cultures, old ideas, old customs, and old habits.  In other words, anything that might sideline the communist cult in the mind of the public.  No ideas were allowed other than far-left ideas.    

    Museums were protested, ransacked and destroyed.  Centers of learning were shut down. Statues, art and symbols from China’s history were torn down.  Business owners and property owners were harassed, beaten or killed.  Struggle sessions were held regularly as the mobs dragged accused individuals into kangaroo courts and forced them to confess to the sin of not being communist enough.  

    Eventually, murder and genocide became a rationalized tactic to further the revolution.  As long as the activists were killing Mao’s potential enemies and keeping the populace in check, they were not interfered with.  The Red Guard was ordered to stand down and allow the activists to do whatever they pleased.  People singled out by the mob had no hope; no one was coming to save them.  One had to virtue signal their loyalty to the red  menace and to Mao daily, and even then they still might not be safe.

    If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because the exact same tactics are being used today by the establishment and the political left in America and Europe.  We haven’t quite reached the point of mass-murder in the name of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” but give it a little more time and that is likely where western civilization is headed.  

    Black Lives Matter hysteria is now in steep decline, the public is growing increasingly exhausted with militant gay and trans propaganda, the Jan. 6th hype is not turning the public against conservatives the way the media hoped it would and no one cares about climate change doom mongering anymore – The political left is facing a spiral into irrelevancy as all their favorite hot button issues fade into the background.  They need a new conflict to co-opt.

    Suddenly, the war between Hamas and Israel has become the defining concern of the leftists in the west.  Most of them have never traveled to the region, have no genetic or cultural ties to it, they have no education on the basic history of the divide and many of them actually believe that Muslim culture is compatible with progressive ideals.  

    It’s an odd thing to be sure.  Not long ago these same activists were rabidly defensive of Israel and organizations like the ADL, accusing conservative critics of “anti-semitism.”  Now, they are chanting slogans like “from the river to the sea,” a mantra calling for the erasure of Israel. 

       

    Why do leftists take sides in Israel at all?  Because it is politically convenient to do so.  They don’t care about the plight of Palestinians or Israelis, they only care about movements of social power and using those causes to get what they want.  For a time, the Israeli/Jewish cause was useful to them.  The ADL and similar organizations operated as an amplifier for woke activism and conservatives could be demonized as bigots for exposing ADL operations.  The two groups worked as a tag team.

    Now, Israel is more valuable to the left as a monster to be slain as they covet what they see as an untapped resource among Muslim migrants who also predominantly hate the west.  The call for “decolonization” is the running theme; whether in reference to Israel, the US or Europe, the end game is deconstruction of all ideas outside of the woke ideology.  Decolonization is merely an excuse – A way to hide a declaration of war behind the righteous mask of activism.  And much like the Cultural Revolution in China, law enforcement to contain the intimidation is noticeably absent or neutered.  It is as if they have been ordered to keep intervention to a minimum.

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    The purpose of the this revolution is to dismantle the “Four Olds” in the west, and leftists are hoping Muslim migrants will be a source of muscle to help them finish the job.

    They are attempting to consolidate a wide array of inconsistent causes into one framework that they can control and it’s hard to see how exactly the organization is going to work.  Can progressives mix feminism, socialism, atheism, and LGBT indoctrination with Muslim Sharia culture which seeks to remove all of these things?  It’s doubtful, but the two groups seem to see each other as mutually beneficial for now. 

    After Muslims have served their purpose progressives will cast them into the deplorable pit as well, just as they have turned on their old allies in Israel.  In the meantime, you’re going to continue seeing wave after wave of mob actions in the US and Europe, replete with Muslim and Hamas slogans right next to BLM, Antifa, feminist and LGBT protest signs.  It’s not supposed to make logical sense, it’s a cultural revolution; the point is to destroy the old culture by any means necessary and sort out the rest later.   

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 18:40

  • Sen. Rand Paul To Force Vote On Syria Withdrawal
    Sen. Rand Paul To Force Vote On Syria Withdrawal

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

    Sen. Rand Paul is planning to force a vote on a resolution he introduced to withdraw all US troops from Syria, as US bases in the country have come under frequent attack since mid-October, Responsible Statecraft reported on Wednesday.

    Paul introduced the resolution on November 15, and it would order the removal of the approximately 900 US troops stationed in Syria within 30 days unless President Biden receives authorization for war from Congress.

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    Sources told RS that the vote could happen as early as next week. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a similar resolution in the House earlier this year, which failed in a vote of 103-321.

    According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 73 attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria, including over 30 in Syria. The attacks started on October 17 in response to President Biden’s support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.

    The US has conducted several rounds of airstrikes in response, which have killed at least 15 people, according to US officials speaking to The New York Times. Strikes launched in Iraq targeted Kataib Hezbollah, a leading Iraqi Shia militia that’s aligned with Iran.

    There has been a lull in attacks since the Israel-Hamas truce went into effect on Friday, but Kataib Hezbollah and other Shia militias have signaled the attacks will resume once the pause in Gaza is over.

    The Iraqi government has warned without a durable ceasefire in Gaza, the war risks escalating into a major regional conflict. The US occupation of eastern Syria, which is strongly opposed by Damascus, has always been a possible trip wire for a broader war in the region due to Russia and Iran’s presence in the country.

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    On paper, the US is in the country to help fight ISIS remnants, but the occupation is part of the economic campaign against Syria, which also includes crippling sanctions, and is seen by hawks in Washington as a hedge against Iran.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 18:20

  • US Suicides Hit Record High In 2022, Life Expectancy Ticks Up
    US Suicides Hit Record High In 2022, Life Expectancy Ticks Up

    The number of suicides in the United States hit a record high in 2022 according to new provisional data from the federal government.

    An estimated 44,449 people committed suicide in 2022, which is 3% higher than the 48,183 people who did so in 2021 – the previous high, according to a Wednesday report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

    The suicide rate in 2022 was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people vs. 14.1 per 100,000 in 2021, marking the highest rate since 1941.

    The numbers will likely be higher in the final report due to lagging suicide reports, according to the authors.

    “Reporting of suicides in particular can be delayed due to investigations regarding the cause and circumstances surrounding the death.”

    Demographics

    By sex, the suicide rate for males were 1% higher in 2022 than in 2021 at 23.1 per 100,000 vs. 22.7. For women the rate was 4% higher vs. 2021.

    By age, the suicide rate declined for those aged 34 and under, and increased for those 35 and older. The rate for men aged 75 and older was the highest last year at nearly 44 per 100,000 people. While women have suicidal thoughts more frequently, men are four times as likely to actually do so.

    By race, Native Americans had the highest rate at 26.7 per 100,000 – though the rate was 5% lower in 2022 vs. 2021 and this was the only group to experience a decline in rates, ABC News reports. All other races had a 1-3% increase in suicide rates.

    Life Expectancy Rebounding

    On the bright side, the same report reveals that life expectancy has increased 1.1 years from 2021, a slight rebound from the depths of covid, but still not back to pre-covid levels.

    Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years an infant would live. The improvement was primarily driven by a drop in Covid deaths, but decreases in heart disease and cancer mortality also helped.

    There’s still more ground to recover to get back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, average life expectancy was 78.8 years. In the two years following the onset of the pandemic, life expectancy had the biggest back-to-back decline in a century.

    Life expectancy rose for all races in 2022. Asian and Hispanic people can both expect to live at least 80 years — longer than White, Black and American Indian and Alaska Native people. –Bloomberg

    The biggest gains by race were seen in the Native American and Hispanic populations.

    “In 2022, the number of deaths from COVID-19 was not insubstantial,” Elizabeth Arias, a researcher with the NCHS who was the lead author of the report, told CNN (via the Epoch Times) “Holding everything else constant, we’d need to see another large decline in COVID mortality for life expectancy to increase.”

    “We only made up close to half of the loss [in life expectancy], and for some groups, it’s even less,” Arias continued. “We would need the same pattern that we observed in 2022 again in 2023 and then, perhaps, the following year to completely make up the loss.”

     

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    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 18:00

  • China's Battered Banks Are Poised For More Pain
    China’s Battered Banks Are Poised For More Pain

    By John Cheng, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist

    China’s battered banking stocks will likely decline further as they are summoned by local authorities to support the country’s struggling property developers, analysts say.

    Latest policy moves to boost lending to developers — including via the use of unsecured loans — have only strengthened the conviction that lenders’ shares may weaken further. Even record-low valuations have not been enough to lure investors, with the CSI 300 Banks Index slumping to a one-year low amid worries over shrinking margins.

    “Unfortunately, we think banks may have to do more national service this time to stabilize the growth expectations,” said Xiadong Bao, a fund manager at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management in Paris. “We think those headwinds may persist given the challenging macro condition and weak consumer sentiment. It is difficult to have a positive view before the credit cycle comes back.”

    China’s banks face a conundrum of balancing support for the property sector and the economy with the need to manage their already depressed earnings. The sector’s net interest margins slumped to a record low of 1.73% as of September, below the 1.8% threshold seen as necessary to maintain reasonable profitability.

    In a readout last week, China’s parliament asked lenders to step up funding for developers to reduce the risk of additional defaults and ensure completion of housing projects, adding that the financial sector’s profits have room to fall as a share of the economy. Lenders are also being directed to refinance loans to local governments at lower rates.

    Still, banks could circumvent guidance to provide unsecured loans to developers “due to credit risk concerns,” JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts including Katherine Lei wrote in a note.

    While banks may stay selective on new property loans, “headwinds from rising system leverage, prolonged property stress, and a shifting policy environment are weighing on banks’ growth and profitability,” Fitch Ratings Inc. analysts including Lan Wang wrote in a note, adding that the impact on larger state banks will be more modest.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 17:40

  • Federal Judge Orders FBI To Finally Release Seth Rich's Laptop
    Federal Judge Orders FBI To Finally Release Seth Rich’s Laptop

    Submitted by ‘blueapples’,

    The murder of Seth Rich has long been one of the stones left unturned since the fall out following the 2016 presidential election. Rich, a 27-year old staffer for the Democratic National Committee was shot twice in the back on July 10th, 2016 while walking back to his home in Washington DC. He was not robbed, yet his death was ruled nothing more than a botched robbery.

    Although his murder would occur months before the election of Donald Trump, Rich’s name would become inextricably tied to the build up that culminated in that populist victory.

    Many suspect Rich was the source of the leaked DNC emails provided to WikiLeaks – a rumor which was fueled by the odd circumstances surrounding his death, the sudden retirement of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier five weeks after the murder, and an email John Podesta sent to Hillary’s inner circle about ‘making an example’ of a suspected leaker, written more than a year before Rich’s death.

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    Troves of emails were published by Wikileaks giving insight into the corrupt inner machination of the Democratic National Committee. While Rich was never officially revealed as the source of the leaked emails, it has been heavily suggested. Julian Assange was one key figure who made that suggestion when he highlighted Rich’s murder during a 2016 interview in which he was asked about the risks that come with operating WikiLeaks. Megavideo founder and entrepeneur Kim Dotcom said in May of 2017 that he worked with Rich to connect him with Assange.

    At one point, Assange heavily implied Rich was his source for the DNC emails. Meanwhile, WikiLeaks offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to the murderer of Rich. 

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    Following Rich’s murder, law enforcement took possession of the deceased staffer’s personal and work laptops in addition to other possessions found on his person at the scene of the crime. However, the information in that evidence has long been kept under lock and key, furthering speculation of a cover-up of his murder as a move for power consolidation by those with vested interests in the democratic establishment. After years, it finally appears that they will not remain a secret much longer.

    The emails pointed to evidence of of “Pay for Play” by Clinton Foundation donors who funded ISIS, the DNC cheating against Bernie Sanders, MSM collusion with the Clinton campaign, Hillary’s dreams of open borders, “unaware and compliant” citizens, ‘Spirit Cooking’ (email), Wet Works, and evidence of Aliens and Zero Point Energy.

    The FBI Must hand it over

    On Tuesday, Federal Judge Amose Mazzant of the United States District Court For The Eastern District of Texas issued a memorandum opinion and ordering the FBI to release the information contained in Rich’s laptops. The order comes from the lawsuit Huddleston v. Fed. Bureau of Investigation. Brian Huddleston, the plaintiff in the civil case, filed FOIA requests in 2017 and 2020 compelling the FBI and DOJ to release the information contained in Rich’s laptops.

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    After filing those FOIA requests, the FBI and DOJ spent years manipulating the legal system in order to avoid disclosing that evidence. It has repeatedly filed motions to stay the scheduling orders advancing Huddleston’s case in the aim of bringing the evidence to light. In 2022, the plaintiff achieved a major victory when Judge Mazzant ruled the FBI improperly withheld the evidence from Huddleston’s FOIA request. The order issued Tuesday dictates that the FBI finally must agree to a timeline for the disclosure of the information with Huddleston.

    Mazzant’s order to release the information in response to Huddleston’s FOIA request may prove to be a watershed moment in the pursuit of revealing what information Rich had that could have prove to be the motive behind his murder. To this day, no arrests have ever made following his shooting. Despite police characterizing the murder as an attempted robbery, Rich’s wallet, watch, and other valuables were not taken from him after being fatally shot twice in the back.

    Suspicions spawned by the nature of the supposed “robbery” have fueled speculation about the real motive behind Rich’s murder to this day. Like anything else that didn’t conform to the mainstream narrative surrounding the 2016 election, suggestions that Rich’s murder was politically motivated have since been “debunked” as conspiracy theories. However, with the forthcoming release of the information contained in Seth Rich’s laptops, it appears that a fact-checker who is actually determined to uncover the truth has finally emerged.

    Tyler Durden
    Thu, 11/30/2023 – 17:25

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