Jul 14

Today’s News 14th July 2024

  • Trump Gunman Reported To Be Thomas Matthew Crooks
    Trump Gunman Reported To Be Thomas Matthew Crooks

    Summary (footage below):

    • Shooter reported to be 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, NY Post. No official confirmation has been made.
    • Trump has responded, saying on Truth Social “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
    • Secret Service says one spectator was killed and two were critically injured.
    • Former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
    • Trump could be seen grabbing his ear and falling to the ground, before standing up and walking off stage.
    • Approximately nine shots rang out.
    • A member of the crowd, as well as the shooter, are dead following the assassination attempt.
    • One Trump supporter says he alerted Secret Service before the shooting and was ignored.
    • Trump’s team reportedly asked for ‘beefed up protection’ and was rebuffed over and over by Biden DHS.

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    Update (0013ET): The shooter has been identified by the NY Post as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel park, PA. According to sources, crooks was planted on the roof of a manufacturing plant over 130 yards away from the stage at Butler Farm Show Grounds.

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    Update (2350ET): Watch as the FBI, Secret Service and state police hold presser following the Trump assassination attempt.

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    Update (2126ET): President Trump has responded on Truth Social, writing: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

    Trump has been released from the hospital:

    The would-be assassin is allegedly pictured here:

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    The secret service, which reportedly ignored a warning about the shooter climbing a building (see below), has issued the following statement:

    During Former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased. U.S. Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and Former President Trump is safe. One spectator was killed, and two spectators were critically injured. This incident is currently under investigation. and the Secret Service has notified the FBI.

    Update (1918ET): Trump was grazed by a bullet and two people are dead, including the shooter, according to the Butler Country District Attorney.

    According to The Federalist‘s Sean Davis,

    “A source familiar with Trump’s security detail tells @FDRLST that the former and future president’s detail has been asking for beefed up protection and resources for weeks, but has been rebuffed time and again by Biden’s DHS.

    DHS, which oversees Secret Service protective detail “wasn’t responsive to those requests” for more resources, the source said.”

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    New audio has emerged from moments after the shooting.

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    Donald Trump appears to have been shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The former President could be seen grabbing his neck and then falling to the ground as the sound of shots rang out.

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    Longer clip with closer vantage (shooting at 21 seconds):

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    Trump was seen standing back up with blood on his face, and was led off stage by the Secret Service, who could be heard shouting “get down” during the incident.

    “I saw blood on his ear,” one rallygoer, Ron Moose, told the NYT.

    Nine shots were heard, including three before Trump grabbed his ear.

    Some reported seeing the military chase someone on the left hand side of the bleachers. The Times is also reporting that secret service is kicking out the press and has declared the venue a crime scene.

    Trump’s ear was visibly wounded.

    According to Secret Service spoksman, Anthony Guglielmi, Trump “is safe” after “an incident occurred” at the Pennsylvania rally.

    Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said that Trump is “fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility,” adding that Trump “thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act.”

    “Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is ok,” GOP Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) posted on X.

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    One Trump supporter told the BBC that he and others saw the shooter before the assassination attempt, alerted police and the secret service, and was ignored…

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    The incident comes days after Joe Biden and top Democrat donor Reid Hoffman make assassination comments.

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    Democrats are bummed…

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    And of course, the Washington Post goes with “Trump Rushed Offstage From Rally After Loud Pops.”

    Yes, ‘loud pops’ … ‘loud noises,’ really just an annoying sound is what we think they’re trying to convey.

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    And then there’s CNN…

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    Elon Musk, who recently donated to Trump, says he hopes for his ‘rapid recovery.’

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    Now, turning to PredictIt odds…

    Here’s a better view of Trump’s soaring odds. 

    Google searches for “donate to Trump” are surging nationwide. If the sham guilty verdict in NYC in May was any indication, then Trump’s campaign could pull in millions of dollars overnight into Sunday. 

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    Tyler Durden
    Sun, 07/14/2024 – 00:13

  • The Roots Of World War III
    The Roots Of World War III

    Authored by Francis P. Sempa via RealClearWire.com,

    The American diplomat and historian George F. Kennan called the First World War the “seminal catastrophe” of the 20th century, and he wrote two lengthy books on the events that led to the outbreak of that war: The Decline of Bismarck’s European Order and The Fateful Alliance. He also included one of his lectures on the First World War in his book American Diplomacy. Reading these works of history gives one a better sense of the root causes of that war, which included policies, decisions, and events that occurred decades before June-August 1914.

    When the war began in the Balkans after the assassination of the Austrian archduke and his wife in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, few foresaw that the conflict would eventually engulf most of Europe and parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and result in the toppling of four empires (Romanov, Hohenzollern, Hapsburg, and Ottoman), the deaths of more than 10 million combatants, the aerial bombing of cities, the use of poison gas, the carving-up of territories in the Middle East that would engender conflicts that continue to this day, the creation of revolutionary secular ideologies that led to an even more destructive war and a Cold War that followed it. When Kennan reviewed the major diplomatic and international events in the rest of the century, he remarked that “all the lines of inquiry” led back to World War I.

    Today, with wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and a gathering storm in the western Pacific, there is concern that the world is lurching toward another world war. All three conflicts involve at least one nuclear armed power. Some respected strategists and observers believe that an “axis” of autocracies (Russia, China, Iran, and perhaps North Korea) are collaborating to undermine the global order produced by the end of the Cold War, and are urging the United States and its allies to become more deeply involved in these conflicts. Some have even urged the formulation of a “grand strategy” for winning the Third World War. The “lessons of Munich” have been invoked along with Churchillian-like warnings about the need to confront aggressors now to deter future aggression. Those who counsel prudence or restraint, or who promote diplomatic solutions to these conflicts are often labeled “appeasers” or worse.

    In The Decline of Bismarck’s European Order, Kennan wrote that the origins of World War I could be traced to at least 1875, when the future Franco-Russian alliance first germinated in the minds of the statesmen of both countries. A hallmark of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s diplomacy was to prevent an alliance between France and Russia. When Bismarck left the scene in 1890–forced into retirement by the brash Kaiser Wilhelm II–his alliance structure gradually fell apart. During the next two decades, France and Russia grew closer, eventually entering into what Kennan called the “fateful alliance” in 1894. Germany, meanwhile, allowed the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia to lapse, grew closer to Austria-Hungary, while simultaneously scaring Great Britain by challenging it at sea. Yet, almost to the very day in August 1914, that Germany declared war on Russia, and the alliance system quickly brought other great powers into the war, few believed that the regional war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia would spread across Europe, into Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and draw into the maelstrom of conflict combatants from Australia, North America, and elsewhere.

    In The Fateful Alliance, Kennan explained what he characterized as a “whole series of . . . aberrations, misunderstandings, and bewilderments that have played so tragic and fateful a part in the development of Western civilization over the subsequent decades.” He continued:

    One sees how the unjustified assumption of war’s likelihood could become the cause of its final inevitability. One sees the growth of military-technological capabilities to levels that exceed man’s capacity for making any rational and intelligent use of them. One sees how the myopia induced by indulgence in the mass emotional compulsions of modern nationalism destroys the power to form any coherent, realistic view of true national interest. One sees, finally, the inability of otherwise intelligent men to perceive the inherent self-destructive quality of warfare among the great industrial powers of the modern age.

    Kennan worried that in the nuclear age, these developments could result in “a catastrophe from which there can be no recovery and no return.”

    In his seminal history of World War II, The Second World Wars, Victor Davis Hanson described how a series of smaller, regional wars–an Italian-Ethiopian war, a German/Soviet-Polish war, a German-Norwegian war, a German-Danish war, a German/Italian-French/British war, a German-Yugoslav war, a German-Greek war, a German-Soviet War, a Japanese-Chinese War, a U.S./Britain-Japan War–expanded into a global conflict of unprecedented proportions and destruction.

    Today, the wars between Russia-Ukraine/NATO/US, Israel/US-Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran, and the China-Taiwan/U.S. dispute are regional conflicts that if not limited and resolved may expand into a global conflict among nuclear powers–a Third World War, which, to paraphrase George Kennan, would be a catastrophe from which there would be no recovery and no return. Yet, the United States under the Biden administration seems intent on continuing and escalating its involvement in Ukraine, even as it sends mixed signals about our intentions in the Middle East and the western Pacific. Adding to the danger is a growing perception both here and abroad that the American president is cognitively unfit for the job of commander-in-chief and chief diplomat.

    Should, God forbid, World War III evolve out of these regional conflicts, historians of Kennan’s depth and insight may trace its roots to the early post-Cold War years when successive administrations expanded NATO and positioned the alliance on Russia’s European borders despite vigorous protests from successive Russian leaders (Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Putin), and prophetic warnings from Kennan and several other experts on Russia and international affairs (including Richard Pipes, Edward Luttwak, Jack Matlock, Jr, Paul Nitze, Fred Ikle, Sam Nunn, Marshall Shulman) that NATO enlargement would produce an aggressive Russian reaction. Those same historians may also cite the foolish and failed post-Cold War engagement of China which helped facilitate the rise of our next peer competitor even as it drove Russia into the arms of that peer competitor while we were distracted fighting peripheral wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and clearing the way for greater Iranian influence in the Middle East in our quest to remake that region in our own image (the so-called “Arab Spring”).

    Now, some in the West are calling on the U.S. and its allies to invite Ukraine to become a member of NATO even as Ukraine’s war with Russia gives no sign of ending. This caused more than 60 foreign policy specialists and scholars to pen an open letter to NATO leaders urging them not to invite Ukraine into the alliance. “Moving Ukraine toward membership in the alliance,” the letter states, “could make the problem worse, turning Ukraine into the site of a prolonged showdown between the world’s two leading nuclear powers and playing into Vladimir Putin’s narrative that he is fighting the west in Ukraine rather then the people of Ukraine.” Such a move, the signers contend, “would reduce the security of the United States and NATO allies, at considerable risk to all.”

    Let us hope that a future George Kennan will not describe a U.S.-NATO-Ukraine Treaty as a “fateful alliance.”

    Francis P. Sempa is a regular contributor to RealClearDefense and writes the Best Defense column each month.  Read his latest: “Rise and Fall of American Naval Mastery.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 23:20

  • Russian Plot To Assassinate CEO Of German Arms Giant Dismissed As 'Fake' Intel Story By Kremlin
    Russian Plot To Assassinate CEO Of German Arms Giant Dismissed As ‘Fake’ Intel Story By Kremlin

    Top German government and political figures have reacted with outrage to a CNN report alleging that Russian intelligence had plotted to assassinate Armin Papperger, who is the head of Germany’s biggest arms company Rheinmetall. The company is among the top European suppliers of 155mm artillery shells, tanks, armored vehicles, and other crucial military equipment to Kiev.

    The Kremlin is calling it fantasy and pointing to zero evidence being presented alongside the major accusation. Here’s how the bombshell CNN report published late this past week began: “US intelligence discovered earlier this year that the Russian government planned to assassinate the chief executive of a powerful German arms manufacturer that has been producing artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine, according to five US and western officials familiar with the episode.”

    Armin Papperger, via Bloomberg

    There have been widespread allegations for several months in Western media pointing to an irregular and covert Russian warfare campaign to conduct sabotage missions against European defense and manufacturing companies supplying Ukraine.

    The CNN report alluded to these prior stories: “The plot was one of a series of Russian plans to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe who were supporting Ukraine’s war effort, these sources said.” It detailed further that “The plan to kill Armin Papperger, a white-haired goliath who has led the German manufacturing charge in support of Kyiv, was the most mature.”

    In recent months, there have been several instances of fires engulfing weapons and ammo manufacturing sites in the UK and on the European continent, some of which we detailed previously. Simultaneously, Russia has been subject of similarly mysterious blazes at defense contractor buildings and companies.

    As for the alleged plot to take out the CEO of Rheinmetal, the CNN story is sourced entirely to anonymous intelligence officials, making it impossible to verify at this point, other than taking the word of US, German, and NATO officials. 

    According to more from the original CNN report, “When the Americans learned of the effort, they informed Germany, whose security services were then able to protect Papperger and foil the plot. A high-level German government official confirmed that Berlin was warned about the plot by the US.”

    But Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the allegations as ‘fake news’: “It’s all presented in the style of another fake story, so such reports cannot be taken seriously,” he said at the end of the week.

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    German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock belatedly appeared to confirm that the German government finds the warnings credible. “In view of latest reports on Rheinmetall, this is what we have actually been communicating more and more clearly in recent months: Russia is waging a hybrid war of aggression,” she had told a press briefing at the NATO summit in Washington.

    Papperger himself has since described to the Financial Times that German authorities had imposed a “great deal of security around my person” – and he’s now considered to be the most highly protected private citizen in all of Germany.

    Another interesting aspect to the story is the timing: the CNN revelation corresponded precisely to the close of the annual NATO summit in D.C. at a moment Western officials urged the alliance to stay the course on Ukraine, and commit to supplying more weapons for years to come.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 22:45

  • Scientists Find A Cause of Lupus And A Way To Potentially Reverse It
    Scientists Find A Cause of Lupus And A Way To Potentially Reverse It

    Authored by Marina Zhang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Patients with lupus have an imbalance in a crucial chemical pathway in their bodies, according to a Nature study published on Wednesday.

    (ART-ur/Shutterstock).

    Researchers found that this imbalance produces more disease-causing cells that promote lupus. If this chemical imbalance can be corrected, they believe lupus can be reversed.

    Current lupus treatments often target symptoms or broadly suppress the immune system, leading to side effects. The researchers believe targeting the specific chemical imbalance identified could more effectively treat lupus without systemic immunosuppression interventions.

    Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own tissues and organs, including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.  

    There is currently no cure for lupus.

    A Surprising ‘Molecular Switch’

    The chemical that researchers identified is the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR).

    AHR is a key protein involved in the imbalance of immune cells in lupus patients. It regulates the body’s response to environmental pollutants, bacteria, and metabolites. While AHR is present in all cells, it is not always active.

    Researchers found that lupus patients have reduced AHR activity. This reduction leads to an increase in follicular and peripheral T helper cells, which are involved in inflammation and autoimmunity.

    However, when AHR activity increases, these T-cells are reprogrammed to be T-cells that promote wound healing and barrier protection.

    Dr. Jaehyuk Choi, associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and the study’s senior author, explained to The Epoch Times that AHR can be compared to “a molecular switch” that determines the fate of immune cells.

    By developing therapeutics that target AHR in rogue T-cells, researchers believe they may be able to reverse lupus.

    Dr. Choi and Dr. Deepak Rao, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, expressed their surprise at discovering that AHR could be vital in reversing autoimmunity, given that the receptor had no known connection to it.

    Dr. Rao, who is also a senior author of the study, added that it was initially surprising to find that a T-cell involved in wound healing would be the opposite of an autoimmune T-cell.

    “Those two T-cell populations with those two functions are not obviously connected or related,” he said. He added that he could not have predicted that when wound-healing T-cells increased, autoimmune T-cells would decrease, and vice versa.

    T-Cells Drive Autoimmunity

    Follicular and peripheral T helper cells have long been known to play a major role in driving lupus, Dr. Rao told The Epoch Times.

    In lupus, the patient’s body produces autoantibodies, antibodies that attack self-tissues. B-cells generate these autoantibodies under the control of rogue autoimmune T-cells.

    Therefore, by converting these autoimmune T-cells into cells involved in wound healing, the production of autoantibodies is reduced, thereby decreasing autoimmunity.

    “It is almost like a cell streamline, where if you can block one part, then the downstream is blocked,” Dr. Choi explained.

    He highlighted the study’s findings demonstrating that adding AHR to rogue T-cells in cell culture transforms them into wound-healing cells. These reprogrammed cells can no longer help B-cells make autoantibodies.

    Dr. Rao added that these rogue T-cells are also present in other autoimmune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, raising the question of whether drug targets for these cells may apply to such conditions.

    Treatment Without Immunosuppression

    The study sampled 19 lupus patients and compared their immune cells to those of 19 healthy people.

    Despite the small initial sample size, the authors told The Epoch Times that they believe their findings apply to all patients because they have been corroborated through genetic studies.

    Dr. Choi explained that their findings were also validated in AstraZeneca’s TULIP clinical trials. These trials tested anifrolumab, a drug that interacts with the AHR pathway, and found it successfully controlled lupus symptoms.

    Current lupus treatments are prescribed to resolve symptoms or elicit broad immunosuppressive effects by reducing B- and T-cell activity.

    However, when rogue T-cells are targeted explicitly with AHR, patients may experience disease reversal without compromising their overall immunity.

    Additionally, the increase in cells involved in wound and barrier repair may help alleviate gastrointestinal problems in patients with lupus.

    “There have been a number of studies that have suggested abnormalities in barrier function or barrier integrity in patients with lupus, especially in the gut,” Dr. Rao said. “So one can imagine that there could be a beneficial effect of that.”

    Currently, Drs. Choi and Rao’s team are working to identify specific therapeutics that selectively target only rogue T-cells.

    Since AHR is present in all cells, broad administration of AHR-targeted treatments could cause systemic adverse effects, which the authors are trying to avoid.

    Currently, there are already drugs on the market that activate AHR, such as toparinof, a topical cream approved for treating psoriasis.

    Major Environmental Contributors to Lupus?

    Researchers do not know why AHR is involved in lupus progression. It is also currently unknown why some people get lupus and others don’t, though researchers believe it is a combination of genetic and environmental exposures to toxins and infections.

    Given AHR’s role in responding to environmental factors, Dr. Choi said their findings may suggest that major environmental factors contribute to lupus.

    Perhaps AHR, “which normally integrates information from the outside or the environment … has gone awry in patients with lupus,” and patients may be able to resolve their lupus through lifestyle changes alone, Dr. Choi speculated.

    “I think this needs more research, but it is an interesting idea that we can now think about,” he said.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 22:10

  • At Least 90 Dead In Israeli Strike On Gaza Tent Camp Targeting Hamas Oct.7 Mastermind
    At Least 90 Dead In Israeli Strike On Gaza Tent Camp Targeting Hamas Oct.7 Mastermind

    Another mass casualty strike has been reported on a refugee camp in southern Gaza, where the local health ministry says at least 90 have been killed, and 300 injured, after Israeli missiles slammed into Al-Mawasi camp, allegedly hitting tents where displaced persons were staying.

    Israel has said that most of the victims were likely Hamas, and that it was going after the leader of the group’s Qassam Brigades, Muhammad Deif, a mastermind behind the Oct.7 attacks. Throughout the day Saturday the military said it was still investigating whether Deif was killed, of which there’s as yet been no confirmation.

    Aftermath of Israeli attack on a tent camp in Al-Mawasi area near the coast in southern Gaza, via Reuters.

    Hamas responded by saying Israel’s “allegations about targeting leaders are false” and by design are “merely to cover up the scale of the horrific massacre.”

    According to some fresh updates in the NY Times:

    • The Israeli officials said the strikes had also targeted Rafah Salameh, the top Hamas commander in Khan Younis, who was with Mr. Deif at the time of the attack.

    • The Gazan authorities said that a second, smaller strike hit the center of Khan Younis, a nearby city to the east of Mawasi.

    • A senior American official said that Israel had told Washington that it targeted Mr. Deif, but the official said that neither Israel nor the United States could yet confirm his status.

    Saudi Arabia has been among the earliest countries to weigh in, condemning the Israeli attack on the refugee camp.

    “The Foreign Ministry condemns in strongest terms the continuation of genocidal massacres against the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli war machine, the latest of which was the targeting displaced people’s camps in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip,” the Saudi statement said.

    Hardliners in Netanyahu’s coalition government have praised the strike, saying it demonstrates the need to keep intensifying operations inside Gaza. “Congratulations to the prime minister, defense minister, the IDF, and Shin Bet. Now is not the time to take the foot off Sinwar’s neck,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.

    Despite the Biden White House claiming that there’s been tentative agreement on a new ceasefire deal mediated by Qatar and Egypt, the warring sides are still publicly blaming the other for lack of a finalized hostage deal.

    Meanwhile, Hamas is urging Palestinians in the West Bank to rise up against the Israeli occupiers en masse. Senior Hamas official Abdel Hakim Henini in a statement called on Palestinians to “take action against the onslaught on their compatriots in the besieged Strip, and to stand up to Israeli settlers wreaking havoc across the West Bank.”

    Initial graphic scenes of the camp strike aftermath via Palestinian media…

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    “We reiterate how important it is for Palestinian youth to stand up to the occupying forces,” Henini said. “A global war is being waged against the Palestinian people, their rights and their resistance forces. The US administration is a true partner in all the massacres being perpetrated against our people.”

    Simultaneously Hezbollah continues to bog down Israeli forces in the north, and it appears Hamas is hoping that a multi-front war more fully opens up. Hezbollah leadership has said that if Hamas agrees to a ceasefire deal, it too will halt its attacks from Lebanon.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 21:35

  • Army Base Taught Soldiers That Pro-Life Groups Are Terrorists; Watchdog
    Army Base Taught Soldiers That Pro-Life Groups Are Terrorists; Watchdog

    Via The College Fix,

    A U.S. Army base training presentation described two pro-life organizations as “terrorist groups,” according to a watchdog report confirmed by the military.

    The training material was part of an “anti-terrorism brief” at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, independent journalist Sam Shoemate reported on X. The report does not indicate when the presentation happened.

    According to the photo, a slide shown to soldiers described two pro-life organizations, National Right to Life and Operation Rescue, as “terrorist groups.”

    It also “falsely attribute[d] the bombing of abortion clinics to National Right to Life,” the report states.

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    The slide also showed an image of specialty pro-life license plates, which are available in many states. The proceeds fund pregnancy support services for families in need, according to Choose Life America, the organization that promotes them.

    However, the slide suggested the specialty plates are something soldiers should watch for as a potential sign of a terrorist, according to Shoemate’s report.

    Soldiers who attended the presentation said the slide was shown right after another one about ISIS, and the presentation never mentioned the group Antifa, the report states.

    Fort Liberty confirmed the veracity of the slide in a statement on social media late Thursday. It stated the slide will not be used anymore.

    A “local garrison employee” created the presentation “to train Soldiers manning access control points at Fort Liberty,” according to the statement.

    “After conducting a commander’s inquiry, we determined that the slides presented on social media were not vetted by the appropriate approval authorities, and do not reflect the views of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, the U.S. Army or the Department of Defense,” the military base stated. “… all future training products will be reviewed to ensure they align with the current DoD anti-terrorism guidance.”

    National Right to Life described the slide as “lazy scholarship” that promoted “outright lies” in a statement online. It noted the presentation misspelled the name of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 abortion decision Roe v. Wade.

    “The Biden Administration promotes the deaths of preborn babies and advocates for unlimited abortion, but peaceful pro-life Americans are labeled ‘terrorists,’” it stated.

    The national pro-life organization stated it “always, constantly, and unequivocally” condemns violence “against anyone.”

    Meanwhile, a University of Maryland center also listed two members of Students for Life of America in its terrorism database earlier this year, The College Fix reported. The university later removed them.

    Military academies also have been accused of going woke by embracing “diversity, equity,” and “inclusion” efforts and teaching cadets critical race theory.

    In 2022, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point began removing references to Confederate leaders, including General Robert E. Lee, a former superintendent of the school, The Fix reported at the time.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 21:00

  • Measles Detected At NYC Migrant Shelter As Biden's Border Crisis Morphs Into Public Health Crisis
    Measles Detected At NYC Migrant Shelter As Biden’s Border Crisis Morphs Into Public Health Crisis

    The Biden administration’s disastrous open southern border policies have sparked an illegal alien invasion, raising the risk of contagious diseases spreading across the US.

    For some context, several months ago, Trump vowed to deport ‘nearly 20 million’ illegal migrants after Biden shredded his Executive Orders on border security on his first day in office. In total, Customs data suggests that at least 10 million illegals have crossed into the US illegally during Biden’s first term.

    That said, the Biden admin has had zero problems facilitating the illegal alien invasion, many of whom are unvaxxed and unvetted folks from third-world countries, and likely bringing contagious diseases to migrant shelters in sanctuary cities.

    In early March, we pointed out in a viral post… 

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    … really who could’ve seen this coming. 

    A new report sheds light on spreading measle cases, this time in city-run migrant shelters in New York City.

    Here’s more from local media outlet ABC 7: 

    Two measles cases have been identified among people living at one of the city’s migrant shelters, New York City health officials said.

    …

    According to the health department, there are 11 cases of measles in New York City as of July 12.

    There was only 1 confirmed case in the city last year.

    The Hall Street migrant shelter has been a point of contention for Clinton Hill residents who have complained of an uptick in trash, noise and street homelessness under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

    The measles cases could add to those concerns because of how contagious it can be.

    Here’s what X users are saying about measle outbreaks thanks to unvaxxed and unvetted illegal aliens:

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    Claim: “In NYC there are over 200+ migrant shelters…” 

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    Americans are overwhelmingly not happy about Biden’s migrant crisis. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 20:25

  • New Hormone Discovery Unlocks Hope For Osteoporosis Treatment
    New Hormone Discovery Unlocks Hope For Osteoporosis Treatment

    Authored by Sheramy Tsai via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    (Crevis/Shutterstock)

    Researchers have identified a new hormone, CCN3, that significantly strengthens bones. This discovery, made while studying how breastfeeding women maintain bone density, could transform the treatment of osteoporosis and bone fractures.

    Published in Nature, the new study reveals that CCN3 promotes bone formation and repair in both male and female mice, offering new hope for millions suffering from bone-related conditions.

    About the Study

    Researchers at University of California (UC) San Francisco (UCSF) and UC Davis collaborated to solve a long-standing medical mystery: how breastfeeding women maintain strong bones despite the significant loss of calcium needed for milk production.

    In lactating mothers, the high demand for calcium needed for milk production can lead to significant bone loss. Normally, estrogen is protective for women, helping to counteract bone loss by promoting bone formation. However, its levels drop sharply during breastfeeding. Despite this drop, breastfeeding women seldom experience osteoporosis or bone fractures, suggesting another factor is at work to protect their bones.

    Previous research published in Nature found that blocking a specific estrogen receptor in certain brain neurons of female mice led to significant increases in bone mass. Suspecting a hormone in the blood was responsible, the study researchers conducted an exhaustive search and identified a hormone called Cellular Communication Network Factor 3, or CCN3, as the bone-building factor in these mutant females.

    Dubbed the “lactation-induced brain hormone,” CCN3 is found in the brains of lactating mice and plays a crucial role in maintaining bone strength during lactation.

    “One of the remarkable things about these findings is that if we hadn’t been studying female mice, which unfortunately is the norm in biomedical research, then we could have completely missed out on this finding,” Holly Ingraham, senior author of the new study and professor of cellular molecular pharmacology at UCSF, said in a press release.

    The researchers discovered that increased CCN3 levels in mice showed significant bone mass and strength improvements, even in older mice and those lacking estrogen. Tests demonstrated that mice with higher CCN3 levels had much stronger bones, as the CCN3 hormone stimulated skeletal stem cell activity. Without CCN3, these mice rapidly lost bone density, and their offspring also suffered.

    Dr. Sundeep Khosla, a Mayo Clinic physician who runs the Osteoporosis and Bone Biology Laboratory, explained the significance of CCN3, known as the “maternal brain hormone” to The Epoch Times. “Anytime you identify a completely new pathway to regulate bone from the brain, that’s scientifically very interesting.”

    Dr. Khosla noted that CCN3 prevents the skeleton from dissolving during lactation while stimulating bone formation for new calcium deposition. “It adds another piece to our understanding of what happens with lactation.”

    Impact on Osteoporosis

    Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weakened bones and an increased risk of fractures, is a significant global health issue. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, with women comprising 80 percent of those affected. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 44 million people have low bone mass, putting them at increased risk for osteoporosis.

    Globally, osteoporosis affects around 200 million people, leading to millions of fractures annually, primarily in the hip, spine, and wrist. These fractures can cause severe pain, disability, and increased mortality, underscoring the urgent need for effective treatments such as those potentially offered by CCN3.

    The financial burden of osteoporosis, estimated to cost $25 billion annually in the United States, could be significantly alleviated by treatments derived from CCN3.

    Dr. Khosla highlighted the potential of CCN3 in addressing osteoporosis, emphasizing its scientific promise and economic implications. While current drugs are effective when used correctly, they are often underutilized due to fears of side effects, he said. He stressed the need for better education for both physicians and patients to optimize the use of these cost-effective treatments.

    “New drugs that may result from CCN3 could be particularly beneficial for those with osteoporosis” he stated. Depending on the cost of the drug, it could potentially reduce the substantial financial burden of osteoporosis.

    Potential Benefits and Future Applications

    The discovery of CCN3’s role in bone health extends beyond understanding lactation. This hormone could have significant implications for accelerating fracture repair and treating osteoporosis.

    In a conversation with The Epoch Times, lead author Dr. Muriel Babey explained that researchers developed a hydrogel patch that slowly releases CCN3 at bone fracture sites, leading to faster and stronger healing in elderly mice. The treated fractures healed much quicker and were stronger than those without the hormone treatment.

    “We’ve never been able to achieve this kind of mineralization and healing outcome with any other strategy,” said Dr. Thomas Ambrosi, a co-author of the study from UC Davis in the press release.

    While the current study focuses on mice, the implications for human health are promising. The next steps include clinical trials to test CCN3’s effectiveness in humans and further exploration of its potential applications in bone health treatments.

    Dr. Khosla highlighted the limitations of current osteoporosis treatments. While drugs like bisphosphonates can prevent bone loss, the ability to reverse osteoporosis is still limited.

    “We need new approaches to build bone back up,” Dr. Khosla stated, noting that existing drugs often stop working over time. He expressed hope that CCN3 could offer more sustained and robust effects in stimulating bone formation, possibly in combination with other treatments.

    Dr. Babey explained that bone loss affects not only post-menopausal women but also breast cancer survivors taking hormone blockers, younger elite female athletes, and older men, who have a lower survival rate after hip fractures compared to women. If CCN3 could increase bone mass in all these groups, it would be a significant breakthrough.

    With clinical trials on the horizon, CCN3 holds promise for revolutionizing bone health treatment and improving the quality of life for millions worldwide.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 19:50

  • Tulsi Gabbard Gets Real About The Veepstakes, Demplosion, And America's Future
    Tulsi Gabbard Gets Real About The Veepstakes, Demplosion, And America’s Future

    Authored by Ben Sellers via Headline USA,

    If Tulsi Gabbard is the running mate whom presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is expected to unveil next week during the Republican National Convention, she had yet to be notified as of Friday night.

    Tulsi Gabbard / PHOTO: Ben Sellers, Headline USA

    Asked in an exclusive interview with Headline USA whether she was going to be traveling to the GOP convention in Milwaukee, she replied, “I don’t plan to at this time. We’ll see what happens.”

    Of this much, one can be certain: Gabbard was being her usual forthright self.

    “She will look you in the eye and she will tell you the truth,” said former Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., shortly thereafter, during the introduction of his former congressional colleague at a book-signing event and political fundraiser in Greensboro, N.C., which also featured state-level candidates including lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Hal Weatherman.

    In an era where gaslighting is the norm, Walker’s characterization of Gabbard would be a powerful testament to anyone. Although it may seem simple, underpinning those 14 words is a reputation that is very difficult to earn—and even more difficult to retain.

    More remarkable yet, however, is that Walker was making it of a one-time nemesis of sorts, none other than the former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

    If ever the Trump administration were taking a risk on letting a mole into its ranks, on paper at least, Gabbard, the red-pilled ex-representative from Hawaii, would be a likely candidate.

    Yet, time and again Gabbard has proven herself to be an anomaly who flouts expectations while following her own moral compass, most notably in her disavowal of the Democratic Party in October 2022.

    “Today’s Democratic Party is led by this elitist cabal of warmongers, and in my book, For Love of Country, I go into detail in my own personal experiences and the reasons why I could no longer call myself a Democrat,” she told Headline USA—a statement that closely tracked with her original blog post outlining those reasons.

    However, Gabbard is far from unique in that regard. In fact, she noted that she encountered ex-Democrats on an almost daily basis reaching out to her in solidarity.

    Much like Ronald Reagan famously quipped in 1962, they often feel that the party left them.

    “The Democratic Party of today is wholly unrecognizable to the party that I joined over 20 years ago,” Gabbard said.

    “And I hear from or meet Democrats from across the country, almost every day—whether people send me a DM on Instagram or send me an e-mail, or I run into them in the airport—who express the same thing,” she continued. “People who may have been lifelong Democrats or people who were raised in a Democrat family, just saying that they don’t recognize today’s Democrat party and they have no connection to the insane, woke, warmongering policies of today’s Democratic Party.”

    In a question-and-answer session with Walker, Gabbard offered a similar reflection, recalling how she was once berated by the Obama administration for daring to question its foreign policy.

    And she recalled her frustration with the Democratic mantra “vote blue, no matter who.”

    Gabbard told the packed house on Friday—many of whom paid $100 for entry to the event, which included a copy of the book to be signed by Gabbard, as well as catered refreshments from host venue the Painted Plate—that American freedoms currently faced what seemed to be an unparalleled threat in the nation’s history.

    “Growing up, I never would have imagined that we would be debating free speech in America and whether or not it should exist,” she said, referencing the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Murthy v. Missouri, which said the government did nothing wrong in colluding with social-media companies like Facebook and Twitter to suppress vital information about the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunter Biden laptop, 2020 election and more.

    As Walker noted in his introduction to Gabbard, she has done more than simply cultivate a sterling reputation as a truth-teller—she’s turned it into a veritable brand.

    Because of her candor, honesty, integrity and valor (serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and currently as an active military reservist), she has become the very antithesis of the modern leftist in the Biden era.

    Thus, it comes as no surprise that Gabbard has been called upon frequently to comment on the recent implosion of the Biden campaign following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate with Trump last month.

    Although she has every reason to feel vindicated by it, given her own tumultuous history with the Democrats, Gabbard said it was no cause for joy, even seeming to take pity on Biden—whom she said she has “known … for a long time”—despite his extensive track-record of corruption during his more lucid moments.

    “What we are seeing is the lies coming from the Democrat elite have been exposed,” Gabbard told Headline USA. 

    “We are seeing how, in broad daylight, it is not actually Joe Biden making the decisions and calling the shots—whether it be related to economic or foreign policy—it’s the Tony Blinkens and the Jake Sullivans and the Hillary Clintons and Lloyd Austins who are making these decisions, which should be troubling to every American because we didn’t vote for any of those people,” she added.

    On one hand, Gabbard seemed alarmed at the idea of having an empty vessel at the Resolution Desk, noting it was “a huge problem for us as Americans to have someone in that position who is incapable of fulfilling that responsibility.”

    She said she was particularly troubled that the commander in chief could not even recall during the debate the 13 service members whose lives were lost in Afghanistan and the three whose lives were lost in Jordan—among the known U.S. military casualties to occur on Biden’s watch, although others are likely to have fallen in America’s shadow war in Ukraine.

    “He couldn’t even remember a single one of their families,” Gabbard said.

    “He should not be in that position, but we also shouldn’t be under any kind of illusion that, should he be forced out or choose to leave, that anything will be different with a President Kamala Harris or anyone else that they choose to fill that position,” she continued. “The Deep State—the military industrial complex—they will continue calling the shots. They only care about power. They don’t care whose face—whose picture is hanging on the wall.”

    As for the prospects of her own service in the Trump administration, Gabbard didn’t rule out the possibility that she might yet have an outside shot at the running-mate offer, even though Trump’s campaign has floated several other names as finalists.

    “I think that is a question for one man and one man alone,” she said.

    “It’s not something I’m thinking about,” she added. “My goal—this is the most important election of of our lifetimes because it is our freedom, and our safety and security, that’s on the line.”

    Gabbard said that one position she would love to be offered was the role of secretary of State, citing her eight years of service in Congress on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees—as well as her more than two decades in uniform, including as a current battalion commander.

    “I could directly wrestle control away from the military–industrial complex and the neocons of Washington and actually be in a position to help effect the kind of policies President Trump talks about: to actually bring about peace, to walk us back from the brink of nuclear war—an issue he talks about quite strongly and with great concern—and to get our country back on track,” she said.

    In her interview with Walker, Gabbard said that wherever the years ahead may take her, and whatever may happen in the most important election of our lifetimes, she will continue to serve to the best of her ability.

    “Whatever role, whatever opportunity, whatever title or position I have, my goal is to try to be of the best service I can to our country,” she said.

    Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/realbensellers.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 18:40

  • Democratic Donors Freeze $90 Million In "Coordinated Rebellion" Against Biden
    Democratic Donors Freeze $90 Million In “Coordinated Rebellion” Against Biden

    Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

    The New York Times is reporting that the largest Democratic super PAC is freezing $90 million in pledged donations for as long as Joe Biden remains the nominee.

    “Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that roughly $90 million in pledged donations is now on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket, according to two people who have been briefed on the conversations,” The Times report states.

    The moves comes after another car crash appearance where Biden called Kamala Harris ‘Vice President Trump’ and introduced Zelensky as “President Putin.”

    The leftist media talking heads are also now bickering among each other about how brain damaged Biden is.

    There are some absolutely wild stories being bandied around.

    Will Biden jump or will he be pushed?

    Meanwhile, it has emerged that Elon Musk has donated a “sizable amount” of money to a pro-Trump super PAC called America PAC.

    Bloomberg reports “Musk has contributed to a low-profile group called America PAC, according to people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to detail his plans. It’s unclear how much Musk has given, but the people characterized the figure as a sizable amount. The PAC is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.”

    Musk has been outspoken in his opposition to the Biden Administration’s open border policy.

    *  *  *

    Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 17:30

  • Poland Authorizes Deadly Force On Border After Spear-Throwing Migrants Murder Guard
    Poland Authorizes Deadly Force On Border After Spear-Throwing Migrants Murder Guard

    The Poland-Belarus border crisis has intensified over the past month, following the death of a Polish border guard at the hands of a spear-throwing migrant. The death of 21-year-old border guard Sgt Mateusz Sitek on June 6th garnered national and international attention, after days prior to his succumbing to his wounds a sharp spear was hurled from the fence where he was on patrol. 

    The Telegraph has described that the mostly Middle East/North African (MENA) migrants on the Belarusian side are growing violent and more aggressive. “Dozens of illegal migrants on the Belarusian side of the border with Poland hurled a volley of makeshift spears at Polish border guards through the five-metre-high steel fence,” the report said.

    “Some fell short of their targets and as the security forces picked them up they saw what appeared to be a tree branch with a steel blade taped to the top.” In the attack, “Several were injured in the bombardment and one – Sgt Mateusz Sitek, a 21-year-old from the village of Nowy Lubiel – lost his life.” The stabbing happened on May 28, leaving the guard critically injured. Video of the immediate aftermath showed migrants trying to kill another soldier who was attempting to administer aid to Mateusz…

    The Telegraph concluded, “They may be incredibly crude, but the weapons show a new level of organization and intent from the waves of migrants arriving at the gates of the EU through Belarus.”

    Warsaw has long accused the government of Aleksandr Lukashenko of facilitating the border crisis by flying Middle East migrants into Minsk, and transporting them to the Polish border. The EU has also condemned the alleged ‘hybrid warfare’.

    Spokesman for Poland’s border patrol, Colonel Katarzyna Zdanowicz, has said, “We took an oath to defend our country with the sacrifice of our lives. But no one expected it to be like this. After the death of this young soldier, we understood how realistic our oath was.”

    Hundreds have continued to try and force their way across the border, authorities have described, in a situation which noticeably intensified starting in April this year (amid at least two years of border tensions). Some pundits are openly blaming Putin and say that it is all connected with the Ukraine war.

    There has been growing pressure on the Polish government to loosen up rules of engagement and the ability of troops to defend themselves on the border. Regional media is saying parliament has approved firing upon attacking migrants in self defense.

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    The bill amends existing laws to remove liability for “a crime committed by a soldier, police or border guard officer who, in violation of the rules on the use of direct coercive measures and firearms, issues an order to use them or uses them himself in specific cases – if the situation requires immediate action.”

    The new rules of engagement apply to four specific situations, summarized in the following:

    The first is in cases requiring an officer to “repel a direct and unlawful attack on the inviolability of the state border by a person who forces a crossing of the state border using a vehicle, firearm or other dangerous object”.

    The second is in cases of self-defence: “to repel a direct and unlawful attack on the life, health or freedom of a soldier, police or border guard officer or other person, undertaken in the event of a direct and unlawful attack on the inviolability of the state border.”

    The third relates to cases of pre-emptive self-defence in which there is a need to “prevent activities aimed directly at attacking the life, health or freedom of a soldier, police or border guard officer or other person, in the event of a direct and unlawful attack on the inviolability of the state border”.

    The fourth would cover situations in which “it is necessary to confront a person who does not comply with a request to immediately abandon a weapon, explosive or other dangerous item, the use of which may threaten the life, health or freedom of that soldier”.

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    All of this is in direct response to the border guard’s death in June, and the fact that migrants using deadly weapons is a phenomena clearly documented and on the rise.

    Below: Spears have been hurled at Polish troops, police, and border guards…

    Likely European Union leadership will push back against the new policies, as it is also expected to do with Finland, which has also given border troops more enforcement power.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 16:55

  • Google, Facebook 'Kool-Aid' Starting To Wear Off: CEO
    Google, Facebook ‘Kool-Aid’ Starting To Wear Off: CEO

    Authored by Daniel Y. Teng via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Kwik Kopy’s CEO Sonia Shwabsky says the ubiquity of the online world, powered by Google and Facebook, is compelling business owners and marketing managers to rethink how they connect with customers.

    Sonia Shwabsky, CEO of Kwik Kopy, one of Australia’s most well-known print and copier businesses with over 100 stores across the country. (Courtesy of Kwik Kopy)

    Instead, a renewed yearning for face-to-face interaction in the post-COVID years is galvanising the fortunes of one of Australia’s longest-running franchise brands.

    Unlike other businesses struggling or closing due to the cost of living crisis—and amid high inflation pushing up business costs—the printing company is looking at expanding.

    “I don’t think there’s a move away from [Google and Facebook’s online advertising]. I think people are just evaluating it more diligently than before,” she told The Epoch Times.

    “One of the things we’ve been seeing is digital advertising is costing a lot more. It’s having less effect than what it used to. I think the effectiveness of emails, and all of these electronic data-driven advertising or communication tools, I think they’ve kind of had their heyday,” Ms. Shwabsky said.

    The two tech giants are estimated to absorb 58 cents (US$0.39) of every dollar of digital advertising spent in Australia, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

    Their popularity has also driven up the unit price of advertising over the years.

    “I came over from being a [chief operating officer] in the U.S. at a digital marketing agency, and at the time, I was there drinking the Google Kool-Aid,” Ms. Shwabsky said.

    “Google and Facebook have really put a lot into this narrative, and I think other areas of marketing have just got to stand up and say, ‘Hang on.’”

    The CEO said there was a lot at play in the digital space, particularly with the advent of artificial intelligence, which could compel people to use the internet in different ways.

    A 3D-printed logo of Facebook’s parent company Meta is seen in front of the Google logo in an illustration on Nov. 2, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

    Kwik Kopy currently has 91 stores across Australia and is planning another 30. Its overall goal is to have 120 stores with 11 in regional areas, and 32 in suburban spots.

    Kwik Kopy provides design and printing for business cards, signage, and brochures.

    The management team also hopes to ramp up revenue by 10 percent from its pre-COVID performance. The brand currently pulls in $77 million per year.

    The business praises the performance of its franchise network, particularly local owners who are grounded in the social fabric of their regions, notably stores such as Penrith, North Sydney, and Perth.

    Interest in Physical Engagement

    CEO Ms. Shwabsky says on another front, her company is riding a wave of renewed interest in face-to-face events and customised physical products.

    “If you think about all the online businesses now, like e-commerce, the only physical touchpoint your brand has with a consumer is through that unboxing experience and what they receive in the mail,” said Ms. Shwabsky.

    She says the demand for personalisation has increased noticeably in the last five years and has driven Kwik Kopy’s short run packaging (small volume order) business.

    “Personalisation, as well as an increase in quality, while also making sure the experience is of the quality to represent your brand [has become important]—because it’s the only other touch point besides the computer.”

    The front entrance of a Kwik Kopy store in Hurstville, Sydney Australia on July 3, 2024. (A. Chiang/The Epoch Times)

    Kwik Kopy’s boss also said that in the post-pandemic era, the downsizing of commercial offices—as companies reorganise to facilitate working from home—has also been a boon.

    “What do you need to do when you move offices or change your office environment? You need more signage in your office, you need to make your office feel more welcoming to get people to return,” Ms. Shwabsky said.

    “The other area coming out of COVID that’s been reignited—and we’ve done a lot of studies with marketing buyers and where they’re spending their money—is they are investing at a greater rate in face-to-face events,” she added.

    The CEO said demand for events-related collateral means more sales of pull-up banners, paper handouts, or branded merchandise.

    “While there may be downturns and staff cuts, businesses still need to think about their marketing dollars,” she said. “You’ve just got to be more careful about what’s really going to have impact for your business.”

    Her comments come as a string of major brands in Australia cut back or downsize their operations amid a range of challenges engulfing the business sector.

    Business Environment Beset on All Sides

    Centre-right Liberal Party MP Casey Aaron Violi last month blamed the Fair Work Commission’s decision to raise the minimum wage on Labor government policy contributing to high inflation.

    “It is the equivalent of burning someone’s house down, taking them a casserole for dinner and saying: ‘Sorry I burnt your house down, here’s a casserole, please be thankful, please be grateful,’” he said in a criticism of the government.

    Higher wage bills are only one area the business sector is contending with, another is soaring electricity costs, worker shortages, and the ever-expanding regulatory burden.

    In early June, the Florida-based Carnival Corporation made the surprise decision to shelve 90-year-old Australian cruise brand, P&O Cruises, citing significant red tape eating into the company’s margins.

    A partial view of the Pacific Explorer cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises, departing from the Overseas Passenger Terminal on June 6, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

    “Given the strategic reality of the South Pacific’s small population and significantly higher operating and regulatory costs, we’re adjusting our approach to give us the efficiencies we need to continue delivering an incredible cruise experience year-round to our guests in the region,” Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein said.

    At the same time, a major Australian fruit processor, SPC, announced it would cut back its order of local peaches and pears by 40 percent, a move likely to ripple through the wider growing industry.

    The Victorian-based global exporter said sales had dropped because customers were shifting to cheaper Chinese and South African imports due to cost of living pressures.

    The company hopes the situation can normalise by 2026.

    Across the wider business sector, the picture is not optimistic either, with CreditorWatch finding insolvencies up 38 percent over the year to May 2024, and 41 percent above the pre-COVID period, according to ASIC data.

    Among the industries, utility businesses involved in electricity, gas, water, and waste were the hardest hit recording an 89 percent increase in insolvencies on the previous year.

    This was followed by education (87 percent), mining (72 percent), construction (46 percent), and retail trade (46 percent).

    “We have known for some time now that consumers have pulled back on spending quite dramatically as high interest rates and inflation smashed household budgets,” said CreditorWatch chief economist Anneke Thompson, in a statement.

    “This trend took some time to flow through to businesses but is now showing up in the data in the form of increasing late payment rates and rising court actions, as well as increased business failures and insolvencies.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 16:20

  • Biden's HHS Forces Foster Parents To Facilitate Sex Changes For Minors, Barring Christian Adoption
    Biden’s HHS Forces Foster Parents To Facilitate Sex Changes For Minors, Barring Christian Adoption

    Christians have long been the driving force behind adoption in America, continuing to run 65 percent of the 200,000 foster homes in the U.S. today. One particularly moving example inspired a new film from the makers of mega-hit film “Sound of Freedom”.

    “Sound of Hope” tells the story of Bishop W.C. Martin and his wife Donna Martin who inspired their entire congregation in East Texas to adopt every child in the county’s foster care system during the late ‘90s. The film is currently in theaters.

    Such uplifting stories may soon be scarce as basic Christian views are coming under fire from Biden admin health regulators.

    To wit, Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a new rule in April that — by the end of 2026 — required states forbid a percentage of their foster homes from adopting to parents who do not agree to affirm a trans child’s gender identity or refuse to assist the child’s sex change. The percentage is unspecified.

    Under the new rule governing designated foster homes:

    “First, the provider must commit to establishing an environment that supports the child’s LGBTQI+ status or identity. Second, the provider must be trained with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child related to the child’s self-identified sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Third, the provider must facilitate the child’s access to age- or developmentally appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being. HHS has concluded that these conditions are generally necessary to effectuate the statutory promise of a safe and appropriate placement for children who are LGBTQI+ because of the extensive evidence of the specific needs LGBTQI+ children have which require more specialized support,”

    The initial proposal put forth by HHS last fall suggested that all foster care facilities country-wise adhere to the above criteria, but its implementation was slightly tempered after the department received more than 13,000 public comments and backlash from some members of Congress. Still, in its current form — and assuming the 15 percent compliance rate suggested by HHS — as many as 30,000 foster homes will soon be forced to facilitate sex changes in minors.

    Roughly 78 percent of Americans do not support sex changes for minors, and are therefore unfit adopt children in the eyes of Biden’s HHS. The law will further alienate Christian foster parents — who are already being stonewalled in states with similar legislation already in place.

    Last year in Oregon, a Christian mom of five was barred from adopting two additional children due to her refusal to assist one in receiving cross-hormone injections. Her refusal did not adhere to Oregon’s law that foster parents must “support” a child’s “sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression.”

    Despite the overwhelming populist support against these initiatives, Hollywood remains in steadfast support of “gender affirming care” in minors. Singer Ariana Grande started a fund “advocating for the rights of trans youth” which has raised more than $3 million to date.

    Following an X post by conservative Matt Walsh praising her new film, Sound of Hope actress Letitia Wright — also the star of Disney’s Black Panther — attempted to distance herself from the film’s producers due to their conservative views, saying she “[does] not condone using this beautiful film for divisive political purposes.”

    Sound of Hope Pushing Back Against Hollywood

    President of Angel Studios (creator of Sound of Hope) Jordan Harmon responded to Wright’s backpedaling in a statement to ZeroHedge.

    “This powerful film takes a stand for vulnerable kids, and we’re pursuing partners who are passionate about this fight,” Harmon told ZeroHedge. “We encourage everyone concerned about the foster care and adoption crisis to get involved and see SOUND OF HOPE.”

    Major Hollywood studios dominate the movie industry, accounting for roughly 75% of total box office revenue. 

    Tickets for Sound of Hope can be purchased via this link. It’s currently in theaters across the country.

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 15:45

  • DOJ Filed Brief In Support Of Trans Inmate Who Sent Bomb To The DOJ
    DOJ Filed Brief In Support Of Trans Inmate Who Sent Bomb To The DOJ

    Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

    Headline USA has uncovered the identity of an anonymous Georgia prison inmate suing the state for a sex change, and can reveal that the plaintiff is a convicted violent sodomizer who was indicted in April on multiple federal charges for constructing and mailing bombs to federal facilities.

    David Cassady. PHOTO: Georgia DOC

    The plaintiff, David Cassady, 55, an inmate at Phillips State Prison in Georgia, is represented by the big law firm Baker Botts, as well as the Murell Law Firm and the Florida-based group Rights Behind Bars. Additionally, the ACLU and the Justice Department have filed amicus briefs in support of Cassady’s lawsuit.

    Ironically, the DOJ filed its brief in support of Cassady in January, while the inmate was presumably still under DOJ investigation for alleged bomb-making. Even more ironically, the inmate was under investigation for sending a bomb to 1400 New York Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.—a building that houses a DOJ office.

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    In other words, the DOJ filed an amicus brief in support of an inmate who apparently tried bombing the DOJ, according to the DOJ. To add a drop of stupidity, the DOJ refers to Cassady as a female in the sex-change litigation, but calls him a man in the bombing case.

    The DOJ declined to comment, while the non-profit groups didn’t respond to an email inquiry. Georgia’s Department of Corrections also declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

    As Headline USA reported in May, a U.S. district judge ordered the Georgia DOC to provide Cassady—who was still anonymous at the time—with “breast and buttock padding.” That judge did deny Cassady’s motion to be transferred to a female prison, noting that the inmate was transferred to Phillips State Prison—a “Special Mission Facility”—in 2022, specifically because that facility was “uniquely situated to manage Plaintiff, given her history of violence.”

    Headline USA was able to uncover Cassady’s identity thanks to a recent affidavit filed by attorney Thomas Vaseliou, one of the attorneys representing Georgia DOC.

    In his affidavit filed on Wednesday, Vaseliou referenced several exhibits still under seal, including a court record of Plaintiff’s conviction in 1988 for aggravated sodomy; court record of Plaintiff’s conviction in 2020 for violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; and an April 4, 2024, press release announcing the most recent indictment against the inmate. Headline USA found that April 4 press release, which identified Cassady.

    “Cassady was an inmate in the now-closed Georgia State Prison in Reidsville, Ga., in Tattnall County, when he constructed destructive devices and mailed two of them via U.S. Mail to the United States Courthouse and Federal Building in Anchorage, Alaska, and to a federal facility at 1400 New York Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.,” the DOJ’s press release said, identifying Cassady as a man.

    According to the DOJ’s website, 1400 New York Avenue NW is the Bond Building, where packages are sent for the DOJ’s “Fraud Section, Criminal Division.”

    “The indictment alleges the bombs were sent in an attempt ‘to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or explosive, a building in whole or in part owned or possessed by, or leased to, the United States,’ and ‘created substantial risk of injury to a person,’” the DOJ said in its press release.

    According to the DOJ’s indictment, Cassady’s bomb-making occurred from September 2019 to January 2020. He faces one count of making an unregistered destructive device, two counts of mailing a destructive device, and one count of attempted malicious use of an explosive.

    When the indictment was unsealed in April, WSB-TV in Atlanta revealed that Cassady sent a bomb to the widow of a man he sexually assaulted as a teenager.

    “How is somebody who is in prison for life, for horrific acts against the community, how is possible that he can still terrorize members of the community from behind bars?” the widow reportedly said. “And now somehow, he was able to access all of this and mail it out of prison. Somebody needs to look at the bigger picture of who he is.”

    Cassady has pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the court docket. The inmate is already serving a life sentence.

    Cassady isn’t the only trans bomber to receive DOJ support in a sex-change lawsuit. As Headline USA exclusively documented last year, former neo-Nazi bank robber Pete/Donna Langan, who has ties to the Oklahoma City bombing, reached a settlement with the DOJ to become the first federal inmate in history to receive a sex change.

    Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 15:10

  • EU Offered X Secret Censorship Deal To Avoid Fines For 'Deceptive Dark Patterns', Musk Says
    EU Offered X Secret Censorship Deal To Avoid Fines For ‘Deceptive Dark Patterns’, Musk Says

    EU officials have issued preliminary findings of an investigation into Elon Musk’s X Corp., accusing the social media giant of restricting data access for researchers, lack of advertising transparency, and the design of its “blue check” verified account system leaving users open to deception.

    The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, announced on July 12 that it believes X has violated the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping law whose stated aims include reining in illegal content on social media platforms and forcing tech companies to be more responsible and transparent in their content moderation and advertising practices.

    “In our view, X does not comply with the DSA in key transparency areas, by using dark patterns and thus misleading users, by failing to provide an adequate ad repository, and by blocking access to data for researchers,” Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said in a statement.

    This notice refers to an investigation opened in December 2023. Among the concerns raised at the time were X’s moderation practices, use of generative artificial intelligence, failure to provide required data to researchers and lack of transparency over its advertising practices

    As of July 12, Musk and X are on official notice that they’ve been found in violation of the DSA. However, as EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton recently wrote on X, these findings aren’t final and “X has now the right of defence.”

    In his usual pointed way, Musk responded:

    “How we know you’re real?”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAs Tom Ozimek reports via The Epoch Times, following an in-depth investigation into X’s compliance with the DSA, the European Commission said it identified three key problem areas.

    The first of these involves the use of “dark patterns,” which it explains as design elements that manipulate users into making choices that may not be in their best interest.

    The commission alleged that X’s “blue check” verification system is deceptively designed, fails to meet industry standards, and is being abused by malicious actors to deceive users.

    The European Commission alleged that allowing anyone to subscribe for verified status undermines users’ ability to make informed decisions about account authenticity and content.

    “Back in the day, Blue Checks used to mean trustworthy sources of information,” Thierry Breton, commissioner for Internal Market, said in a statement. “Now with X, our preliminary view is that they deceive users and infringe the DSA.”

    The second area of non-compliance claimed by the commission is that X allegedly lacks transparency in advertising by failing to provide a reliable, searchable ad repository, instead implementing design barriers that hinder supervision and research into online advertising risks.

    Third, the European Commission accused X of restricting researcher access to public data, discouraging research by prohibiting independent data scraping, and imposing high fees for application programming interface (API) access.

    The social media giant now has the opportunity to respond to the allegations and make changes so it’s in compliance with the DSA rules.

    If the company and its founder are ultimately declared in violation, they face fines in excess of $200 million dollars – 6% of the company’s turnover, which was approximately $3.4 billion for 2023.

    The company would also face a period of supervision, while it brings its products and services in line with the law.

    Repeat offenders may be banned from operating in the EU altogether.

    X’s press team replied to a request for comment with its customary “busy now, please check back later” automated message, while an inquiry sent to its EU-related team was not returned.

    However, Musk did have a response… and it’s very revealing as to the real drivers of the EU’s heavy handed ‘protectorate’.

    Musk alleged in a post on X that the EU commission had offered him a secret deal if they quietly censored speech (al la Twitter 1.0)

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    Mike Benz, a former Trump administration official, highlighted this to suggest the EU’s real motivation is to “use the DSA to force X to restaff the censorship squad fired when Elon took over.” 

    He further alleged that people who present themselves as researchers are actually “censorship activities & political operatives.”

    Musk reposted Benz’s analysis with just one word of comment: 

    “Exactly.”

    Does anyone doubt this?

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 14:35

  • Maryland "Can't Import Itself Out Of Energy Crisis" Amid Urgent Need To Boost In-State Power Generation
    Maryland “Can’t Import Itself Out Of Energy Crisis” Amid Urgent Need To Boost In-State Power Generation

    Authored by Stuart Kaplow and Nancy Hudes of ESG Legal Solutions, LLC.,

    Maryland consumes about 40% more electricity than it generates.

    The extra supply of more than 200 Trillion Btu of electricity, annually, is delivered to the state over the PJM regional grid. And the amount imported is growing dramatically. 

    While the percentage of imported electricity varies from day to day (depending upon weather conditions, costs of fuel sources, energy public policy, etc.), this is not a new situation, dating back approximately 40 years, and will increase in coming years.

    That in 2022 the two reactor 1970s era Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay accounted for about 39% of the state’s total in state electricity generation, is what saves the State’s broken publicly mandated utility system. Natural gas generation (.. which has more than tripled since 2015, as nearly 2,600 megawatts of new natural gas generating capacity came online) accounted for about 36% of in state electricity generation.

    Coal fired generating plants had historically supplied more than half the state’s generation, but coal’s share has been below 50% since 2012 and was at about 12% in 2022.

    However, of the 40% of electricity imported into Maryland for use in the state, in 2022 more than 22% was coal generated (which is a generic U.S. Energy Information Administration statistic, but PJM actual operational data shows that in that year more than 36% was coal generated). Also significant, PJM’s real time market (of locational marginal prices calculated on 5 minute intervals based on actual grip operations) shows that at its peak Maryland’s imported electricity is more than 70% coal generated.

    Not surprisingly, the use of electricity is not static.

    But neither is in state generation, including Maryland’s three remaining coal power plants (with a combined generating capacity of nearly 1,800 megawatts), the two largest power plants intend to shut down by 2025 and the smallest plant has given notice it will shut down later this year. Solar energy, wind, and biomass are increasing but will not at any reasonable time replace that capacity or energy density; so, the state will import more electricity. The largest renewable electricity source available on the grid (.. not including hydroelectric dams) is landfill gas, which is an inelastic supply. Since 2022 there is arguably more solar power generated, but nearly two thirds of Maryland’s solar generation came from small scale, customer sited solar, such as residential rooftop solar panels (.. and not contributing in any meaningful way to the grid).

    While it is popular to talk about the fact that Maryland had about 102,530 registered electric vehicles and about 1,667 electric charging stations, with both of those numbers increasing the amount of electricity used (i.e., replacing petroleum), such only exacerbates the already existing total energy imbalance.

    That is Maryland consumes about five times more energy than it produces (.. including but not limited to electricity). Around 90% of Maryland’s petroleum is consumed by the transportation sector, which accounts for 33% of the state’s total energy consumption, followed closely by the residential sector at 31% and the commercial sector at 29%. But the state public policy to increase electric vehicle use and electrify buildings (that are today using natural gas) will of course increase electricity use and that electricity will be imported with a significant portion of it generated from coal.   

    However, the real and dramatic increase in electricity use is elsewhere. Where businesses had in the recent past used electricity principally for lighting, heating and cooling, hot water, and office equipment including computers, ignoring for this discussion the power needs of data centers, many businesses will be utilizing computers with larger chip sets increasing electricity needs (.. think AI).

    In the politicization of a consultant study commissioned by the State government to justify the implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, which by its own admission only considers a subset of energy use that might be subject to that single state law, the spurious projection is that Maryland electric systems would see load growth rates in the range of 0.6 – 2.1% per year through 2031. The projection ignores the historical reality that Maryland’s total electricity load growth has been in excess of 4.9% per year. School buildings have been among the largest constants in increasing electricity use and are excluded from that law and State government spin. The study further underestimated growth by not including any of the public or private cogeneration plants in the plants which are growing all but exponentially in response to concerns about the future unreliability of Maryland’s electric grid.

    The political spin around Maryland’s future electric load growth is silent on the gerrymandered parameters discussed by the Maryland Department of the Environment when it by design excludes the largest private sector electricity customer in the state, Johns Hopkins (which has and is constructing large cogeneration plants) and the largest public sector electric user in the state, Fort Meade (which having maxed out electricity capacity of the grid as BGE’s largest customer, now not only has its own fossil fuel generation on base but also has deployed a series of 1.6 megawatt of solid oxide fuel cells, apparently to reliably power NSA facilities, eliminating the need for electrical transmission from the grid and costly backup infrastructure). Despite those efforts, in response to future needs for increasing amounts of electricity, the U.S. Department of Defense has publicly discussed relocating equipment from the Maryland base to states with better electricity capacity.

    From a conservation perspective, none of this makes much sense when Maryland ranks among the 10 states with both the lowest total per capita energy consumption and the lowest energy use to produce one dollar of GDP. MDE should take a win.

    An interesting factoid, the Port of Baltimore is the second largest coal exporting port in the country, so the State’s economy benefits hugely from shipping the fossil fuel to India for electricity generation although exports were temporarily halted on March 26 with the main channel blocked by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

    But MDE’s apocalyptic environmentalism, attempting to implement policies founded in the idea that unless humankind drastically reduces consumption the state’s population and appetite will overwhelm the ecosystems, were checked by the legislature this year when the Department’s plan to ration electricity (i.e., its proposed regulation of Energy Use Intensity in buildings) when the legislature cut off funding to implement EUI regulation.

    The Maryland economy does not produce much of anything but rather relies heavily on government services and pendant professional services, those that support government and will be big users of energy demanding AI computing. Out of concern about the grid becoming less reliable, including the state government’s aim to ration electricity, the top question by many prospective commercial tenants in Maryland has become backup electricity sources.

    Maryland, like many other similarly situated states, cannot import its way out of this predicament with ever increasing electricity demand, produced from coal or not. The State’s 20th century heavily government controlled utility model doesn’t encourage innovation, but the state needs to innovate in matters of energy. Maryland requires a techno optimism application of science and technology to resolve this dilemma of producing more electricity.

    *   *   *

    Maryland’s apocalyptic environmentalism pushed by progressives in Annapolis, who are quite honestly some of the worst managers this state has ever seen, have pushed disastrous green energy policies that prevent new fossil fuel power generators from being built. Hence, the state must increase power imports from surrounding states. 

    In return, utilities have to build massive transmission lines, seizing private property, to import power from other states. If the state actually allowed new fossil fuel plants, NatGas generators could be built down the street from new AI data centers. 

    Read more …

    Overall, the state is sliding into an energy crisis, with a critical need to boost in-state electricity generation as the ‘Next AI Trade’ theme gains momentum.

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 14:00

  • "Please Explain This": White House Press Association Prez Busted In Huge Biden Lie?
    “Please Explain This”: White House Press Association Prez Busted In Huge Biden Lie?

    The President of the White House Correspondents’ Association, NBC News‘ Kelly O’Donnell, has reignited controversy over whether President Biden receives press questions in advance.

    “To those who make the false charge, the WH press corps does not provide questions in advance,” O’Donnell posted on X, suggesting that at most – “The president has a list of media who are credentialed in advance,” and that “His team knows who will be in the room and chose reporters from news wires, TV, print, and radio including a Polish journalist. We did not know who would be selected in advance.”

    Anyone not in the leftist media echo chamber knew this was a lie. Journalist Stephen Miller seized and pounced on poor Kelly, pointing out that she’s a lying dog-faced pony soldier of the worst varietal, with a photo that went viral last year of a LA Times journalist’s questions in advance.

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    Edit: Of course, as ZH reader SDShack notes in the comments below

    “When she says the ‘WH Press staff doesn’t provide questions in advance to POTATUS, that could very well be true. What she DID NOT say was ‘POTATUS staff gave us the questions they want us to ask, and by who, and if we don’t agree, that person does not get called on…so naturally we agree to their wishes’. See how the game is played?“

    Kelly also seems to have missed a giant story from earlier this week – in which a Milwaukee radio host resigned after admitting that Biden aides gave her questions in advance of an interview. The same station admitted they edited Biden’s interview at the request of the Biden campaign.

    Live view of corporate media:

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 13:25

  • Take Away The Car Keys
    Take Away The Car Keys

    Authored by John Maxwell Hamilton via RealClearPolitics,

    One of the saddest moments of my life was the day I felt compelled to tell my father that he should give up his car and stop driving. He resisted, but only briefly. It was an example of the kind of man my father was.

    And it is an example for us today when we consider the peril our republic faces with President Biden clinging to his reelection bid.

    We all know the liberating feeling we had when we got our first driver’s license. The opposite feeling comes when it is time to turn it in. In my dad’s case, the problem was diminished eyesight. A resilient man, he had learned to live with many handicaps, including loss of a leg and use of an arm. He told me of a trick he successfully used at traffic intersections to compensate for his difficulty discerning red lights from green: He waited for other cars to move.

    Okay, I said, how will you feel if you end up hurting someone? That was all it took. He sold his car.

    Such a moment has come now to Joseph Biden. The chances of him winning in November are virtually non-existent. Yet, he continues to make statements that defy reason in order to keep the keys to the White House.

    The president’s performance in his recent debate with Donald Trump was a shock to anyone with eyes and ears. His handlers have limited his unscripted interactions with journalists for precisely this reason. Yet he and his staff insist he is as intellectually vigorous as ever and trot out ludicrous excuses for why he stumbled. One of the excuses, jetlag from recent trips abroad, showed the opposite of what was intended – that is, that it takes the president 11 days to recover from travel.

    They, argue that he is the best person to beat Donald Trump in November. After all, they say, he is the only one who has bested Trump at the ballot box. On close inspection, however, the statement is nearly meaningless. Trump has only been in two election races, and the one he won was fluky, to say the least. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, ran a poor campaign – and still won the popular vote. Several Democrats have a better chance than Biden of beating Trump this time round.

    It is sad to hear Biden claim he is intellectually up to the job at the same time he says the polls are not all that bad. As the RealClearPolitics Poll Average shows, Trump is decidedly ahead of Biden. Moreover, Biden probably needs around 52% of the popular vote to win, given how the Electoral College functions.

    It might be comforting to think that there is still time to turn things around. But anyone can see that Biden is losing voters, not gaining them. The best that can be said is that the battle lines have been fixed in Trump’s favor. Biden has been lagging for months and that shows no signs of changing.

    It is understandable that the president seeks supportive advice from staff as well as his wife, Jill, and his son, Hunter Biden. We all want reassurance. But we also need to seek out those who will give us a point of view that we do not want to hear.

    Contrary to what Biden is claiming, the elites are not out to get him. Taking on the mantle of victimhood only makes Biden seem unhinged – and more like Trump. Polls show that nearly three-quarters of Americans think Biden is not fit to serve, mainly as a result of the impacts of aging.

    The issue is not Biden’s age, per se. Donald Trump, 78, is not much younger than the president. The issue is that in recent years Biden’s acuity and physical presence have shown noticeable decline. Whatever one wants to say about Trump, he is vigorous.

    One of the great strengths of the Democrats in recent years is that they have a much better record of dealing with reality than Republicans, who have blindly followed a leader whose attachment to the truth is tenuous.

    Party leaders now face a test of their credibility.

    Some Democratic lawmakers have begun to speak out, urging the president to end his campaign. But more – many more – must step up. They must do what they have said the opposition has failed to do: speak truth to power. Otherwise, an important distinction between the parties disappears along with the possibility of winning the November election.  

    Like my father, Biden has faced personal hardship and prevailed. That courage is a sign of greatness. I stand with those who believe Biden has many accomplishments and should be proud of his presidency.

    But this moment may be his greatest test. True greatness lies in facing facts, not in wishful thinking, and in thinking of the consequences for others, not oneself.

    Biden needs to turn in the keys and let the party make a credible fight for the country. That’s what my father, a hardworking American who never pitied himself, would have done. I loved him for it.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 12:50

  • Russia Initiates Call With Pentagon After NATO Offered Ukraine 'Irreversible' Membership Path
    Russia Initiates Call With Pentagon After NATO Offered Ukraine ‘Irreversible’ Membership Path

    In a rare positive development, the heads of the US and Russian militaries have held a rare phone call in an effort to deescalate tensions. But Moscow is livid at certain recent developments and pledges from the West.

    Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday spoke by phone Russian Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov for the second time in less than a month. The call was initiated by Moscow just after the close of the NATO summit hosted by Biden in Washington this week.

    A Pentagon readout said Austin “emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told a briefing.

    The two sides had been quiet since a call in March 2023, but communications have been picking up, after a June 25th call which reestablished communications.

    But Russia likely registered its anger at the NATO summit committing to an “irreversible path” for Ukraine’s NATO membership. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg still admitted in will be a very long path, as much as ten years or more.

    He said in a CBS News interview days ago: “Well, no one has said exactly 10 years but- but- but it’s obvious that it is a very serious issue to bring in Ukraine. Because Ukraine is now a country at war.”

    “Ukraine has been attacked by- by Russia. So the most important thing we should do is to step up our support to Ukraine to ensure that Ukraine prevails,” he continued. “That’s a precondition for any future membership for Ukraine.”

    According to The Hill, another recent issue which has roiled Russia and was likely conveyed by Belousov to Austin, is seen in the following:

    What’s more, NATO has backed Ukraine’s push for more latitude in its use of Western-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, with the United Kingdom announcing it would allow Kyiv to hit targets over Russian borders with British-provided long-range missiles.

    There’s also the US decision to deploy long-range missiles to Europe in violation of the previously in place INF treaty, which the US pulled out of in 2019. The missiles are expected to be deployed to Germany soon.

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    Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned this could make Germany or other places in Europe a target: “There has always been a paradoxical situation: the United States has deployed a variety of missiles of different ranges in Europe, which are traditionally aimed at our country,” he said, and warned: “Accordingly, our country designated European locations as targets for our missiles.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 07/13/2024 – 12:15

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