Today’s News 15th December 2023

• 400,000 Ukrainians Killed In Action Explains A Whole Lot
  400,000 Ukrainians Killed In Action Explains A Whole Lot

  Authored by Mike Fredenburg via The Epoch Times,

  How many casualties has Ukraine suffered?

  How many causalities has Russia suffered?

  Answering these questions is critical to determining the best and most moral path forward for Ukraine and the United States.

  

  Estimates of Ukrainians killed in action (KIA) range from a low of just over 30,000 to a high of over 400,000.

  Obviously, these two estimates can’t be reconciled. And it really, really matters to the people of Ukraine which one is closer to the truth. While 30,000 deaths is tragic, anything approaching 400,000 KIA and the accompanying hundreds of thousands of causalities is a humanitarian catastrophe that makes talks of continuing offensive operations next year, or even believing in a stalemate, wishful thinking that will result in even more fruitless Ukrainian deaths.

  Unsurprisingly, since the war began, the United States and its allies have unswervingly pushed the narrative that Russia is incurring far more casualties than Ukraine. This casualty narrative was critical to maintaining any plausibility that Ukraine could defeat a country that has four to five times more men of military age and that was recently rated as having the world’s most powerful military. Hence, given the need to maintain the plausibility of a Ukrainian victory, it isn’t surprising that NATO intelligence asserted that the battle of Bakhmut saw Russia losing at least five soldiers KIA for every one of Ukraine’s.

  However, since the fall of Bakhmut to Russia, the failure of the much-hyped Ukrainian counteroffensive, and signs that Ukraine’s military is nearing collapse, we’re no longer hearing about five-to-one casualty rates. Still, the most recent estimates from United States and British officials claim that Russia has suffered 120,000 KIA while Ukraine has suffered “only” 70,000 KIA (more than the United States suffered in over 10 years of the Vietnam War).

  But not everyone agrees with U.S./British casualty estimates for an army that started the war by mobilizing early 1 million men in arms and, over the course of the war, mobilized another estimated 1 million. Among the growing number of those who don’t agree is the former director of the Joint Operations Center at Supreme Headquarters Europe and one of the key leaders in achieving the legendary victory in the mass tank battle of 73 Easting, retired U.S. Army Col. Douglas Macgregor.

  In a recent interview with myself, Col. Macgregor agreed that while estimates putting Russian KIA at as high as 50,000 to 60,000 are defensible, most estimates for Ukrainian KIAs are not.

  In what many will undoubtedly find shocking given the countless stories disparaging Russia’s military skills and capabilities while uncritically fawning over Ukraine’s military prowess, Col. Macgregor puts Ukrainian KIA at over 400,000 out of the 2 million Ukraine has mobilized.

  Col. Macgregor arrived at this shocking number using a wide variety of sources, including contacts within U.S. intelligence and contacts on the ground in Ukraine and Poland who have intimate knowledge of what’s really happening in Ukraine.

  In particular, he noted that his U.S. intelligence contacts have expressed shock as to just how far from reality the narrative being pushed by the Biden administration is from what’s happening in Ukraine and its real war losses.

  Likewise, Col. Macgregor’s Ukraine contacts relayed to him accounts of thousands of wounded Ukrainians being left to die on the battlefield, growing numbers of Ukrainian commanders and troops refusing orders to conduct suicide attacks against heavily fortified Russian positions, Ukrainian soldiers surrendering en masse to Russia, hospitals overflowing with Ukrainian wounded, and many other accounts that testify to horrendous casualty rates that contradict the narrative pushed by Western media.

  Additionally, Col. Macgregor’s contacts have analyzed satellite imagery showing a massive expansion of Ukrainian cemeteries and countless tens of thousands of fresh graves. Other open-source intelligence analysis has also documented in detail Ukraine’s massive expansion of cemeteries that will soon allow Ukraine to reportedly bury 1.5 million more people. And a Russian analyst using death notices and other open-source intelligence has come up with Ukrainian KIA estimates of over 300,000.

  But for Col. Macgregor, it’s the totality of the reports he has seen, his understanding of historical casualty rates, his personal military experience, and information from his sources that has brought him to the conclusion that Ukraine’s KIA is a magnitude greater than what’s commonly being reported.

  These numbers, coupled with the fact the war could have been avoided had President Volodymyr Zelenskyy been knowledgeable and wise enough to understand that U.S./NATO promises of victory were completely unrealistic and couldn’t be relied upon, have led Col. Macgregor, who has fond memories of growing up in a Ukrainian immigrant neighborhood, to believe that the war is an absolute disaster for Ukraine that could have and should have been avoided.

  “In humanitarian terms, this tragedy has resulted in the Ukrainian nation being destroyed in a war that never needed to be fought,” Col. Macgregor said.

  While Col. Macgregor isn’t alone in calling out the war as being a total disaster for Ukraine, he’s one of just a few Western military experts willing to buck a narrative whose zealotry has assumed religious overtones. But is there evidence we can look at that lends support to his assessment? In short, the answer is “Yes!”

  First and foremost, history tells us artillery-centric wars such as World War I and the Ukraine-Russia war produce massive amounts of casualties and KIA. Indeed, during the short period of time America fought the Germans in World War I, it suffered 318,000 casualties, including 53,000 KIA over a period of 120 days, and another 60,000 who died due to disease and accidents. Consequently, given the advances in real-time battlefield intelligence that have been made since World War I, very high casualty rates from artillery should be expected.

  And because Russia not only started the war with up to a 10 to 1 advantage in artillery power, but continues to maintain its artillery advantage while producing up to seven times more artillery shells than all other NATO nations combined, it’s Russia that one would expect to be far ahead in terms of casualty ratios. Russia’s advantage in long-range strike capability, drone warfare, and electronic warfare only add to its ability to inflict disproportionate casualties.

  While the above bespeaks of Russia’s potential to deal out disproportionate casualties, the average age of Ukrainian soldiers increasing over time from roughly 32.5 years to 43 years provides concrete evidence that Ukraine has suffered catastrophic casualties over the course of the war. From a statistical perspective, this huge increase in average age fits better with Col. Macgregor’s KIA numbers than those being commonly reported by Western media. Only with very large numbers of KIA or permanently wounded can you get such a large increase in the average age of active-duty Ukrainian soldiers.

  Another ominous trend highlighting the desperation of President Zelenskyy’s government is the plan to radically increase the number of women serving in the military, despite the fact that women are at a severe disadvantage to men when it comes to close combat.

  Then you have stories and anecdotes describing the life expectancy at the frontlines of Bakhmut being  hours and poorly trained Ukrainian troops being rushed into combat. These kinds of stories are legion, especially in independent or non-Western media. Combined with all the other signs, this makes a strong case that Col. Macgregor’s numbers aren’t only plausible, but also help explain why Ukrainian government actions are looking increasingly desperate.

  Of course, Col. Macgregor recognizes that coming up with accurate casualty numbers in the middle of a war is extremely tough, and that his estimates could be off by many thousands.

  Given the strong evidence that Ukraine is suffering country-destroying casualties, talk of a stalemate, much less of successful offensive territory-gaining operations, is more about face-saving than any realistic chance of Ukraine avoiding losing.

  Hence, the only moral path forward for the United States is to tell President Zelenskyy it’s well past the time to sue for peace and that he must accept neutrality and the loss of the regions that seceded from Ukraine in 2014.

  This is a bitter pill to swallow for Ukrainian nationalists and those in the United States who hoped Ukraine would do far more damage to Russia, but the alternative is accelerating Ukraine’s diminishing chances of remaining a viable nation-state, a whole lot more fruitless Ukrainian deaths, and peace terms substantially worse than those that can be negotiated today.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 23:40

• Breitbart Exposes Security Gaps: Migrants Board Planes Without IDs At Tucson Airport
  Breitbart Exposes Security Gaps: Migrants Board Planes Without IDs At Tucson Airport

  A recent investigation conducted by Breitbart Texas at Tucson International Airport, Arizona, has brought to light significant concerns regarding border security and migrant processing. While the rest of us have to wait in endless lines – and will definitely miss our flight if we’ve forgotten ID, migrants released by the Border Patrol were observed boarding U.S. flights without the standard identification required for most travelers.

  

  Special TSA Screening for Migrants

  The outlet reported that on a Friday afternoon at Tucson International Airport, migrants, having been released from Border Patrol custody, were seen in a “special” security line set up by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This line catered exclusively to migrants, many of whom lacked any form of identification, a requirement typically enforced for U.S. citizens and legal international travelers.

  

  These migrants carried manila envelopes containing a Notice to Appear, signifying their release from federal custody. Notably, these documents did not include photo identification, a standard requirement under TSA regulations for air travel.

  According to Breitbart’s findings, while TSA regulations generally mandate government-issued photo ID cards for travel, there is a provision for “acceptable alternate identification for use in special circumstances at the checkpoint,” which appears to be the basis for the special line.

  Increased Migrant Arrivals and Processing Challenges

  The report highlights that the surge of migrants crossing into the United States has led to a flood of illegal migrants being released into the country to pursue asylum claims. The influx has overwhelmed Border Patrol facilities in Tucson, with numbers exceeding their designated holding capacity. The situation has obvious national security implications associated with the rapid processing and release of migrants.

  

  According to a DHS Office of the Inspector General report cited in Breitbart’s investigation, in one case a migrant on the Terrorist Watch List was mistakenly released by the Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona.

  The source says capacity issues facing the Border Patrol and the need to quickly release the migrants pose a significant risk to national security. According to an investigative report by the DHS Office of the Inspector General, in April 2022, one migrant on the Terrorist Watch List was released by the Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona. The report noted a series of failures by multiple DHS agencies resulted in the failure to conclusively determine that the migrant was on the Terrorist Watchlist, resulting in the release from custody.

  The migrant and family members were later encountered attempting to board an aircraft by TSA security screening personnel at the Palm Springs International Airport. Despite the second encounter by DHS personnel, the migrant was ultimately able to travel to Tampa, Florida, and was not rearrested by ICE for more than two weeks. -Breitbart

  Approximately 190,000 migrants were apprehended in November trying to enter the United States illegally.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 23:20

• Turley: What If Jack Smith Held A Trial And No One Came?
  Turley: What If Jack Smith Held A Trial And No One Came?

  Authored by Jonathan Turley,

  In 1966, Charlotte E. Keyes wrote a famous article for McCall’s magazine titled “Suppose They Gave a War and No One Came.” Special Counsel Jack Smith may be contemplating the same fate.

  Putting the tongue-in-cheek title aside, the odds are that some people will come to any trial of President Donald Trump. After all, a lot of people have to come from the judge to the jurors and counsel. However, Smith has had an ominous week that could severely complicate his plans for convicting Donald Trump before the election. Moreover, a trial after the election could mean no trial at all.

  

  Before this week, Smith found himself on the losing end of the schedule in Florida in his prosecution of Trump for his retention of classified documents.

  Judge Aileen Cannon has scheduled a trial for May 20, 2024, but that could easily move with additional delays or appeals in the case.

  I have always viewed that case to be the strongest against Trump, but the huge number of classified documents have (as predicted) slowed the prosecution. Despite Smith’s pushing for a pre-election trial, his structuring of the charges undermined that schedule.

  Smith then pushed hard for a pre-election trial in the January 6th case in Washington where he seemed to have a supportive judge in Judge Tanya Chutkan who shoehorned the start just before the Super Tuesday elections.

  Now, however, Judge Chutkan has been forced to stay the case indefinitely pending the appeal of the presidential immunity claim made by Trump. The matter is now before both the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court gave Trump until December 20th to respond to Smith’s request for an expedited review — leapfrogging over the D.C. Circuit.

  Smith’s filing conveys priority, if not a necessity, in trying Trump before the election. The Supreme Court may not share that sense of urgency. Traditionally, the Supreme Court has preferred to wait to allow appellate courts to render decisions. Since a conviction will not make Trump ineligible to run for the presidency, the question is why the March date should short circuit the review process.

  If the Supreme Court ultimately does not rule on the merits, the period for review would easily supplant the trial schedule since an appeal could be taken to the entire D.C. Circuit (en banc) and then to the Supreme Court.

  That did not change the March 4 trial date, but it could well make that date unworkable if the appeals drag on.

  Then to make the week complete, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in United States v. Fischer.  That case turns on the proper interpretation of the obstruction provision under Section 1512(c)(2).

  Fischer was charged with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and based solely on his trespass in the Capitol.

  A ruling in his favor could effectively cut away half of the case against Donald Trump. Among the four counts brought by Smith, Trump is charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(k) (Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding) (Count Two) and  18 U.S.C. §§ 1512(c)(2), 2 (Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding) (Count Three).

  If those two counts fell to the wayside, Smith would be left with a count on conspiracy to defraud the United States (Count One) and conspiracy against rights (Count 4). Those counts contain other challengeable elements which would have to be appealed after any conviction.

  At some point, the mad rush for a March trial will look illogical and gratuitous if key legal issues remain unresolved  and pre-trial motions and discovery remain incomplete in February.

  The problem for Smith is that a trial after the election could mean no trial at all. If Trump is elected, he could give himself a preemptive self-pardon, though some disagree with this view. Moreover, the new Attorney General could scuttle or undermine the prosecution.

  In other words, it is possible that Jack Smith might never see a jury in either case.

  That would still leave the New York and Georgia cases, which are not subject to presidential pardons. However, those cases (particularly the one in New York) have their own challengeable elements.

  None of this means that Trump is out of the woods. He will continue to face a daunting daisy-chain of civil and criminal cases around the country. Moreover, it is not clear how the schedule will shake out with both the D.C. Circuit and the Supreme Court giving expedited attention to the immunity question. He could still face at least one federal trial before election day.

  However, Smith must be wondering if, assuming the schedule breaks in favor of Trump, he would be holding an empty sack come January 2024.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 23:00

• Russia Warns If NATO Bases Used For Ukrainian Jets They Could Be Targeted
  Russia Warns If NATO Bases Used For Ukrainian Jets They Could Be Targeted

  With the Russia-Ukraine war now approaching the two year mark (in February), Americans might need reminding that the conflict remains a highly dangerous situation which could at any moment escalate into a WW3 scenario. 

  Zelensky’s visit to Washington this week was lackluster, and he left without securing what Kiev is hoping for – that Congress would quickly pass Biden’s $106 billion war funding request, which also includes defense funds for Israel. Of course, at this point Zelensky has complained publicly that the crisis in Gaza has taken the world’s focus off the need to defend Ukraine from Russia’s onslaught. 

  Though headlines in the West barely took notice, Russia early Wednesday launched a significant ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, which authorities said injured at least 53 people, including six children, with severe damage to a number of buildings. 

  

  But with Zelensky in Washington, making the rounds to the Oval office and the halls of Congress, the Kremlin issued a fresh warning saying that if Ukraine’s military is granted access to NATO airbases for sorties using western-made planes, in would respond while deeming Ukraine’s external allies as direct participants in the war.

  The fresh warning was announced by Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation to the military security and arms control talks in Vienna:

  “We already hear comments that, amid the significant destruction of Ukraine’s airstrip infrastructure, the F-16s handed over to Ukraine may carry out their missions from airbases in Poland, Romania and Slovakia,” he said during the OSCE Forum meeting on cooperation in security.

  According to the diplomat, Moscow will view this as these countries’ participation in the conflict and will force Russia to resort to “response measures.”

  Even though certain eastern European allies pledged F-16s long ago, it could still be a lengthy amount of time before Ukrainian pilots are fully trained, enough to be deployed in combat on the US-made warplane. 

  Western officials have in recent months admitted that Russia has the upper hand, and that Ukraine’s summer offensive failed, but everyone is now putting in place their ‘long war’ strategies. The Kremlin’s new warning and threat also seems part of this longer term planning from Moscow’s perspective. 

  1. Stoltenberg’s idiocy always proudly on display. NATO’s deployment of a missile defense system in Poland is of course purely “defensive.” Then he remembers himself. No, NATO isn’t planning on fighting a nuclear war with Russia on the European continent. https://t.co/xUNQSps26h pic.twitter.com/Sv1yYbiwIv

  — George Szamuely (@GeorgeSzamuely) December 14, 2023

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

  Russia has been taking notice of the US moving its F-16s to places like Romania, where its entirely possible they could eventually be used by Ukrainian pilots. This is what Russia fears, and it’s putting Washington on notice. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 22:40

• NRA Sounds Alarm On New ATF Rule Targeting Gun Buyers And Sellers
  NRA Sounds Alarm On New ATF Rule Targeting Gun Buyers And Sellers

  Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The National Rifle Association (NRA) sounded the alarm on a gun-control proposal from a federal regulatory agency that could “unjustly criminalize” Americans from selling a firearm.

  

  In a statement Tuesday, the largest U.S. guns-rights group flagged that a rule proposed earlier this year by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive (ATF) known as ATF2022R-17, which proposed amending and broadening the definition of when a person is deemed to have been “engaged in the business” of being a firearms dealer other than a gunsmith or pawn-broker.

  It would expand the definition of a firearms “dealer” to anyone who “sells or offers for sale firearms, and also represents to potential buyers or otherwise demonstrates a willingness and ability to purchase and sell additional firearms,” according to the rule proposal. It would also include the definition would be broadened to include people who sell guns for services, property, or anything other than cash.

  The proposal would create a “stand-alone definition of ‘terrorism,'” and would “clarif[y] what it means for a person to be ‘engaged in the business’ of dealing in firearms, and to have the intent to ‘predominantly earn a profit’ from the sale or disposition of firearms,” the rule’s summary stated on the Federal Register. The public comment period on the rule ended last week.

  An NRA official, Randy Kozuch, told Fox News Tuesday that the rule would be “just another attempt to demolish our Second Amendment rights, with the potential to unjustly criminalize everyday Americans for engaging in lawful firearm transactions.”

  “This rule blatantly disregards the recent NRA-backed Bruen ruling on the Second Amendment,” Mr. Kozuch added. “It also creates serious confusion among lawful gun owners who buy and sell firearms legally for various purposes, from collecting to self-defense.”

  The NRA, in an earlier statement, said that the ATF doesn’t have “the resources nor the intent of handling the massive increase in” Federal Firearms Licenses that the proposed rule “would result if its terms were adopted.”

  “Instead, the proposal is a transparent attempt to strong-arm Internet service providers, gun shows, technology platforms, and other facilitators to abandon any involvement in private gun sales with vague threats of ‘administrative action’ for non-compliance,” the statement added. “Meanwhile, the cartels, gang members, firearm smugglers, and violent sociopaths Congress had in mind when passing the law that supposedly enables the proposal will be entirely unaffected.”

  “If the Biden administration were truly committed to combating crime, they would focus on enforcing existing laws and reform their soft-on-crime policies, targeting actual criminals instead of law-abiding American gun owners,” Mr. Kozuch continued.

  On Dec. 7, a coalition of Republican attorneys general led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen wrote a letter to the ATF, saying the rule is unconstitutional and violates the Second Amendment.

  “The proposed rule is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment by making any individual who sells a firearm without a federal license liable to civil, administrative, or even criminal penalties,” said a news release from Mr. Knudsen’s office.

  The ATF has not publicly commented on the NRA’s recent critical statement. The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees the ATF, for comment on Tuesday.

  The ATF’s rule was proposed in August and was open to a comment period that lasted from Sept. 9 to Dec. 7. More than 350,000 people posted public comments on the Regulations.gov website.

  Some people claimed that the rule would spark confusion for gun owners, namely those who collect firearms and competitive shooters.

  Notably, a number of comments that supported the proposed ATF rule appeared to be the same text that was copied and pasted, albeit with different names attached. The Epoch Times has reached out to the Regulations.gov website, which is run by the U.S. General Services Administration, for comment on whether the repetitive comments will be accepted.

  In June 2022, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was backed by gun-control groups after a mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, that left about two dozen people dead.

  When he signed it into law, the president said that “while this bill doesn’t do everything I want, it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives.”

  Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who backed the measure, said that the measure will also “save thousands of lives without violating anyone’s Second Amendment rights.” The NRA and similar groups, however, disputed that statement at the time.

  The law was signed as the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 landmark decision, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, that said there is a constitutional right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense purposes. At the same time, they struck down a longstanding New York state law that restricted the concealed carrying of firearms.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 22:20

• PBOC Injects Record Liquidity As China Retail Sales Disappoint, Investment Slows
  PBOC Injects Record Liquidity As China Retail Sales Disappoint, Investment Slows

  On the back of mixed PMI and trade data, deeper price deflation, and slightly weaker-than-expected credit data, November activity data painted a mixed picture for the Chinese economy, as a rebound from restrictive Zero-COVID policies continues to be weaker than expected (exacerbated by a deepening property crisis).

  Earlier in the month, China’s CPI showed a greater deflation than expected (the largest deflation since the GFC)…

  

  Then, last night saw November’s new RMB loans and TSF data came in below expectations, and the composition of loans data showed soft credit demand…

  

  Bill financing continued to grow faster than corporates’ medium to long term loans. Households’ medium to long term loan growth also slowed in November from October on the back of weak property transactions.

  Which brings us to tonight’s macro data smorgesbord of good, bad, and ugly data.

  • China Nov. Industrial Output Rises 6.6% Y/Y; Est. 5.7% – BEAT

  • China Nov. Retail Sales Rise 10.1% Y/Y; Est. 12.5% – MISS

  • China Jan.-Nov. Fixed Investment Rises 2.9% Y/Y; Est. 3% – MISS

  • China Jan.-Nov. Property Dev. Investment -9.4% Y/Y, Down from -9.3% Y/Y

  • China’s surveyed jobless rate ticks along at 5.0% (low/strong – the same as in October) while the country refuses to disclose the youth unemployment rate (which had soared to a record over 20% before the data was banned).

  

  As Bloomberg notes, there are a lot of questions about how comprehensive and accurate the jobless data is, with alternative data showing the situation is actually getting worse.

  

  So, industrial output growth was stronger than expected in November, but housing worsened – residential property sales shrank 4.3% for the first 11 months of the year.

  

  Finally, the NBS also released home price data today, which showed no improvement.

  Second-hand home prices were down 0.79% in November from October, while new home prices in the top 70 cities were down 0.37% – the sixth straight month of falls.

  

  All of which combined is perhaps why China’s central bank decided to inject the most cash via one-year policy loans on record.

  PBOC offered commercial lenders 1.45 trillion yuan ($204 billion) via its medium-term lending facility (that is a net 800 billion yuan more than the expected maturity this month).

  “MLF injection is much larger than expected, so it suggests continued easy monetary policy,” said Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered.

  

  This likely means China won’t cut the reserve-requirement ratio for banks anytime soon.

  China appears to believe discussing the weakness in its economy is a PsyOp as the Ministry of State Security said, in a post this morning on its official WeChat account ahead of the data:

  “Clichés intended to undermine China’s economy are essentially aimed at constructing a ‘discourse trap’ and ‘cognitive trap’ about the false narrative that China is in decline, so as to attack and negate the socialist system to contain and suppress China.”

  In the post, the ministry also went on to criticize some people “with ulterior motives” for fabricating false narratives such as China is “replacing development with security,” “squeezing out foreign investment” and “suppressing private enterprises,” saying their purpose is to disrupt market expectations and order to block good momentum for China’s economic growth.

  You mean like “bidenomics” being awesome except for the collapse in consumer confidence and Biden’s approval rating?

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 22:13

• Transgender Teachers In Florida Sue Over Pronoun Law
  Transgender Teachers In Florida Sue Over Pronoun Law

  Two teachers in Florida and one former educator filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Education on Wednesday, challenging a new law restricting transgender teachers from using pronouns that match their chosen gender identity.

  

  The law, which took effect on July 1, “pushed one plaintiff out of their teaching career and threatens to do the same for the other plaintiffs — and for the other transgender and nonbinary teachers like them across Florida,” according to the filing reported by Axios.

  “Florida’s goal behind these laws is to stigmatize and demonize transgender and nonbinary people and relegate them from public life altogether,” it continues.

  The suit was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center in federal court on behalf of Katie Wood, a teacher at Lennard High in Ruskin, around 25 miles south of Tampa, as well as former Florida online school teacher AV Schwandes, and one Lee County teacher who went under Jane Doe. Wood and Doe are transgender, while Schwandes is nonbinary.

  It specifically challenges a section of Florida law that holds that a school employee “may not provide to a student his or her preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex.”

  According to the complaint, that section violates Supreme Court precedent as well as other recently adopted laws, and “sends the state-sanctioned, invidious, and false message that transgender and nonbinary people and their identities are inherently dangerous.”

  Teachers who violate the law risk revocation or suspension of their teaching license.

  “Those who support and enforce this law are trying to take my voice away and bury my existence. But they will not,” Wood said in a statement to the outlet.

  More via Axios.

  Before its passage, LGBTQ+ advocates derided the legislation as “Don’t Say They,” playing on the “Don’t Say Gay” nickname given to the 2022 law that restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.

  • DeSantis signed the bill into law in May, one of several bills that critics dubbed a “slate of hate” laws discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community and denying the existence of transgender people.

  • It rejects a distinction between sex and gender identity, saying that “a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person’s sex.”

  Since the law went into effect, Wood, a math teacher, was told that he could only go by Mr., Teacher, or Coach. He opted for Teacher, which felt ‘awkward,’ and was reportedly distracting to students, many of whom continued to use “Ms.,” according to the lawsuit. 

  All three plaintiffs have also filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 22:00

• After Affirmative Action Win Over Harvard, Group Takes On West Point
  After Affirmative Action Win Over Harvard, Group Takes On West Point

  Authored by Michael Washburn via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The group that triumphed in a landmark Supreme Court case that struck down affirmative action policies at Harvard University earlier this year hopes to build on the victory with a lawsuit targeting similar policies at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

  

  Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed the lawsuit on Sept. 19 with high hopes, but the organization has strayed into a legal and political minefield as the academy and the Biden administration try to block the lawsuit on the grounds that an institution training military officers isn’t subject to the same rules as private universities and that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies help, rather than hinder, effectiveness in combat.

  Largely as a result of the perceived disparity between those standards that apply to private colleges and universities and those applicable to entities under federal oversight, the SFFA faces one of the most formidable legal challenges, the outcome of which will have implications for every school and academy in the nation.

  Since President Joe Biden took office, a marked cultural shift has been underway in virtually all branches of the military.

  The Biden administration has forced through policies that promote DEI at the expense of the traditional criteria of combat readiness and the minimization of U.S. casualties, experts have told The Epoch Times.

  President Biden has revised rules put in place by the Obama administration to remake the military even more boldly in accordance with DEI principles and has relied on executive orders, often without public discussion, to force through this agenda.

  In December 2022, revisions to the Obama-era Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction 1300.28 altered official DOD vocabulary regarding transgender recruits, made officers more directly liable for perceived offenses against such persons, and gave official approval to cross-dressing on military bases, among other changes.

  President Biden’s general DEI stance makes the SFFA litigation one of the most impactful lawsuits so far undertaken against a military institution in modern history.

  DOD officials and representatives for West Point didn’t respond to a request for comment.

  

  From Triumph to Trial

  The Supreme Court handed down its ruling on June 29 in the closely watched legal case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, finding that affirmative action policies at Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

  The court issued a similar ruling in the matter of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina (UNC) on the same day.

  In a footnote to its opinion in the Harvard case, the majority explained that its ruling didn’t apply to military institutions such as West Point, stating that no military academies were a party in the case.

  The court acknowledged a U.S. government brief that contended that “race-based admissions programs further compelling interests at our Nation’s military academies.”

  SFFA’s founder, Edward Mr. Blum, now sees an opportunity to redress what he sees as a glaring omission in the Supreme Court’s June rulings.

  

  “The SFFA cases have energized the legal community to challenge longstanding policies that have always been illegal. That is happening especially in the employment arena,” he told The Epoch Times.

  In the case of West Point, the legal issues are fundamentally the same, Mr. Blum believes—as is the opposing argument from those who want to preserve affirmative action.

  “It is the same failed argument that the government made about ‘leadership’ and ‘diversity’ in the Harvard and UNC cases,” he told The Epoch Times.

  But West Point and the Biden administration don’t see matters that way.

  In a Nov. 22 memorandum filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams and colleagues set forth a number of defenses of West Point’s admissions policies.

  They charge that the plaintiff, in extending the reasoning from the Harvard and UNC cases to this one, “ignores critical differences between civilian and military universities” and has failed to establish legal standing to weigh in on a matter that falls under federal jurisdiction.

  The government lawyers also argue that the Army’s “operational interests” require the training of officers who can build a “cohesive rapport with subordinates,” and that, in “an increasingly diverse nation,” that goal isn’t achievable without affirmative action.

  But it isn’t clear if arguments in court will even get far enough to consider that last issue.

  

  Clearing the Standing Bar

  During hearings set to take place early in 2024, defense lawyers for West Point will attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the plaintiff lacks standing under Article III of the Constitution.

  The article sets the bar high for proving actual or imminent injury as grounds for a party to pursue legal action touching on matters that would normally fall under federal jurisdiction, as military matters generally do.

  The highest court has been moving toward an ever-stricter interpretation of what such standing requires.

  Pursuant to its ruling in the 2021 case of TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, the Supreme Court now requires evidence of “concrete harm” to qualify for Article III standing.

  “That’s an important issue. You’ve got to clear the standing hurdle before you get in the courthouse,” lawyer William Woodruff, former chief of the U.S. Army’s litigation division and former Department of Justice trial attorney, told The Epoch Times.

  The new legal standard has evolved to the point in which establishing Article III standing will be hard for any plaintiff, he said.

  “You’ve got to have direct injury. So the question is: What is your injury, and is that direct enough?” Mr. Woodruff said.

  “The government’s main defense is that this is military policy, national security, and the Constitution invests that authority in the government and not in the courts. The courts should stay out of it, we’re the ones responsible for the defense of the nation.”

  He said that, as an Army lawyer defending the service from lawsuits, he made that very argument regularly in courts around the country, with the goal of keeping the courts from meddling in Army policy.

  “And it’s a valid argument, except that now, we’ve got the SFFA and Harvard/UNC cases, which sort of cracked open the door on that and shed some new light,” Mr. Woodruff said.

  “In the unique situation of the military, how does this apply and how much deference should we extend?”

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 21:40

• Sullivan Tells Netanyahu To Wrap Up 'High Intensity' Gaza Fighting Within Weeks
  Sullivan Tells Netanyahu To Wrap Up ‘High Intensity’ Gaza Fighting Within Weeks

  For the first time this week, the White House has begun putting rare pressure on the Netanyahu government – after Biden earlier offered the criticism that “indiscriminate” bombing in Gaza could turn the world against Israel. National security advisor Jake Sullivan is currently in Tel Aviv meeting with Israel’s war cabinet, and it appears he too is delivering a message of pushback (or at least the appearance).

  Sullivan reportedly conveyed that Israel’s military needs to wrap of the current “high intensity” phase of its offensive “within weeks”. This according to Israeli officials who spoke to the Times of Israel. 

  

  Apparently Sullivan went so far as to express that the US desires for this phase to stop by year’s end, which is only two weeks away. “A second Israeli official says the US has pushed for the current phase to wrap up by the end of 2023,” the TOI report said. 

  The US wants a “major roll back” in fighting within that period, the Israeli source was cited as saying. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby appeared to confirm the report in a press briefing when asked about it, but was light on the details.

  He said that Sullivan “did talk about the possible transitioning from what we would call high intensity operations — which is what we’re seeing them do now — to lower intensity operations sometime in the near future.”

  “But I don’t want to put a timestamp on that. The last thing we want to do is telegraph to Hamas what they’re likely to face in the coming weeks and months,” Kirby added. So clearly the administration wasn’t willing to say publicly that a timeline of “weeks” had been supposedly attached to the request. 

  However, going into Sullivan’s meeting with the war cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made clear to the US side in public remarks that the war to eradicate Hamas in Gaza will take “more than several months.” He also didn’t specify whether Israel is also approaching this in “phases”.

  .@PhilipWegmann: “I wanted to follow up on your comments about the Palestinian Authority remaining in governance…[A]s Congress puts together an aid package for Ukraine & Israel, does [Biden] want to see the Taylor Force Act remain in effect or is he open to U.S. aid going… pic.twitter.com/9oPqIl5JW3

  — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 14, 2023

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  Local Israeli media is also making clear the Israeli officials are still pushing for the establishment of an international peacekeeping force to administer Gaza for the ‘day after’ Hamas.

  The two allies are still publicly at odds over Washington’s desire to see the Palestinian Authority (PA) under Mahmoud Abbas step in and rule Gaza. The Netanyahu has made clear it doesn’t want that scenario, putting it on a collision course with Washington.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 21:20

• COVID-19 Can Remain Undetected In Lungs For 18 Months: Study
  COVID-19 Can Remain Undetected In Lungs For 18 Months: Study

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

  The COVID-19 virus can remain in the lungs for months after an individual has been infected—even though it may be undetected by over-the-counter (OTC) tests, a new study finds.

  

  The findings, established by a research team from the Institut Pasteur in France and published in Nature Immunology, indicate that the virus can live in the lungs for up to 18 months after infection in what scientists call “viral reservoirs.”

  The research team discovered these so-called viral reservoirs by analyzing samples from non-human primate models infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. Preliminary results of the study showed the virus was found in the lungs of some animal models six to 18 months after infection, even though the virus went undetected in the blood or upper respiratory tract, such as the nose, throat, or voice box.

  The researchers believe these viral reservoirs act almost like dormant geysers that could erupt at any time, especially when activated by some type of stimulus. Whether the virus reactivates may also depend on an individual’s innate immunity, the immunity someone is born with.

  To understand how innate immunity works against viral reservoirs, the Institut Pasteur team studied how macrophages and natural killer cells worked against the COVID-19 virus, looking for clues in the formation of viral reservoirs.

  Macrophages and natural killer cells are types of white blood cells. While a natural killer cell is responsible for destroying infected or diseased cells, macrophages are responsible for removing dying or dead cells and cellular debris. When it comes to COVID-19, macrophages are responsible for the majority of the work in the lungs, the research team indicated, as they comprise 7o percent of the white blood cell count in the lungs.

  Also called lymphocytes, natural killer cells are a major building block of a person’s innate immunity system. In some individuals in the study, natural killer cells could adapt and control the viral reservoirs; in essence, the cells worked to dry up the reservoir. Researchers noted as natural killer cells increased in the blood, the viral load declined. The natural killer cells could not adapt in other cases, enabling the reservoir to swell. Therefore, the lower the natural killer cell count, the more likely an individual is to have persistent COVID-19 virus or experience a relapse in symptoms, researchers reasoned.

  A Clue About Long COVID

  Discovery of the viral reservoirs could be a clue as to why some individuals experience long COVID, Michaela Müller-Trutwin, head of the Institut Pasteur’s HIV, Inflammation and Persistence Unit, noted in a press release.

  Before the publication of the Institut Pasteur study, researchers believed that the reactivation of a dormant COVID-19 virus caused long COVID. The concept of viral reservoirs confirms this previous research. Furthermore, the new research confirms previous thought that long COVID could be caused by overactive immune cells releasing high levels of inflammatory substances into the body.

  A January 2023 KFF poll showed that 28 percent of individuals who previously had COVID-19 reported having long COVID. The percentage declined from the first time KFF polled Americans in June 2022, during which 35 percent of Americans with COVID reported having long COVID.

  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported the risk factors associated with developing long COVID. Individuals who were hospitalized due to the virus, have underlying conditions, are unvaccinated, or have multisystem inflammatory syndrome are likely at a higher risk of developing long COVID, according to the agency.

  While most people diagnosed with COVID-19 recover in a few days to a few weeks after infection, some may experience symptoms for four weeks or longer after the initial infection. Individuals with long COVID experience an array of symptoms, but the most common include tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life, symptoms that worsen after physical or mental exertion, and fever. A person may also experience multiple respiratory, heart, neurological, and digestive symptoms. The KFF poll reported that long COVID puts significant limitations on an individual’s day, with 79 percent of people reporting their daily activity as limited.

  There is no cure or specific treatment for long COVID. Treatment plans vary from person to person based on an individual’s symptoms.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 21:00

• Vista Outdoors Warns "Global Shortage Of Gunpowder" Will Set Ammo Prices On Fire 
  Vista Outdoors Warns “Global Shortage Of Gunpowder” Will Set Ammo Prices On Fire 

  US sporting and outdoor products group Vista Outdoor warned in a letter to customers that ammunition prices are set to surge due to “an anticipated global shortage of gunpowder.”

  Vista Outdoor confirmed the authenticity of the letter to Newsweek days ago. The increase of ammo and gunpowder prices is expected on Jan. 1. 

  “Due to world events our suppliers have notified us of unprecedented demand for and an anticipated global shortage of gunpowder, and thus has increased our prices substantially,” Vice President of Sales, Sporting Products Brett Nelson said in the letter.

  Nelson continued, “We must, therefore, raise our pricing to help offset those increases.”

  Ammo and powder prices at Remington, Alliant Powder, CCI, Federal, SEVI-Shot, and Speer are set to rise in the coming weeks:

  • Shotshell: 1-7 percent

  • Rifle: 1-7 percent

  • Handgun: 1-5 percent

  • 22LR/Shorts: 1-5 percent

  • WMR/HMR: 1-7 percent

  • Primers: 5 percent

  • Alliant Powder: 10 percent (limited availability).

  The rise in demand for ammo and gunpowder comes as the Russia-Ukraine war nears the two-year mark while Israel is 1.5 months into a large-scale ground war with Hamas in Gaza. 

  Here are the current retail prices for ammo scrapped off firearm websites by AmmoPricesNow:

  9mm

  

  22LR

  

  .223

  

  7.62×39

  

  Is Vista Outdoor’s Nelson hyping up an ammo shortage to drive sales, or does his statement hold some truth?

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 20:40

• Economic Angst In The Heartland
  Economic Angst In The Heartland

  Authored by Steve Cortes via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Bidenomics is failing America, infecting the land with a persistent and intensifying cynicism, despite attempts by the White House and a partisan press to impose misleading narratives on the electorate.

  

  For example, the media rushed to heap praise upon last week’s modestly constructive jobs report. The actual numbers reveal a mixed bag – not a terrible report, but certainly not a parade-worthy one, either.

  The 199,000 jobs added in November sits below the average for the year 2023, and far off the prior levels of 2021 and 2022. Regarding jobs added since Biden took office, the easy part is over, meaning the task of regaining the lost jobs resulting from the COVID panic is largely complete – and now net new job creation languishes.

  Moreover, a sector analysis of this latest jobs report shows that 70% of the jobs were in either healthcare or government positions. More productive private sector jobs continue to lag, with manufacturing payrolls still flat in 2023.

  In addition, even modestly positive economic data points cannot compensate for the harm inflicted upon workers for most of Biden’s tenure. Specifically, real wages – incomes adjusted for inflation – declined for a record 24 straight months, and recent small recoveries in real wages cannot come close to making workers whole.

  The reality, as revealed by the data, proves that workers have toiled harder to get poorer under Biden, in real world terms – and they know it.

  My organization, the League of American Workers, has commissioned a series of battleground state polls conducted by North Star Opinion Research. The most recent survey of Wisconsin canvassed an evenly split sampling of Biden and Trump 2020 voters in that Heartland swing state.

  The crisis of confidence pervades the upper Midwest, where only 22% of Wisconsin likely voters think America is on the right track, and the clear main culprit for the despondency is the economy.

  The economy remains the primary concern of battleground voters, regardless of partisan affiliation. For example, approval of Biden on the economy shows the president badly underwater, with only 17% strong approval vs. a whopping 47% strong disapproval. But among the independent Midwest voters we sampled, the results are just about as dismal, with a mere 19% strong approval for Biden on the economy among non-partisans. Even among self-described liberals, 23% disapprove of Biden on the economy.

  Despite this widespread dissatisfaction, the president and his team insist on promoting the term “Bidenomics” to defend their radical agenda. Despite those efforts by the Democrats and a complicit legacy media, 37% of Wisconsin voters have not even heard the term. Among those who have, just 9% of voters in the state have a very favorable view of the phrase.

  Reflecting the stressed budgets of parents grappling to deal with high inflation, only 5% of parents in Wisconsin with school-age children have a very favorable view of Bidenomics, vs. 40% with a very unfavorable view.

  Swing state voters consistently blame the administration for this stifling inflation. On energy, for example, only 5% of Wisconsin citizens believe Biden’s agenda has lowered gasoline prices, while 51% blame his policies for raising prices at the pump.

  These numbers reflect a bracing economic reality in America under Biden: Only the very top end of the economic ladder is doing well. For instance, a JP Morgan research report last week detailed that 80% of Americans have already burned through their increased savings from the lockdowns and government support payments.

  Given current trends, by mid-year 2024, JP Morgan economist Marko Kolanovic projects “it is likely that only the top 1% of consumers by income will be better off than before the pandemic.”

  So, there it is.

  Great news for the top 1%, per usual from the supposed “progressives,” but a slog for everyone else. Americans are stressed, polarized, and losing faith in society’s future, even in the Heartland. A big driver of this pessimism flows from an economy that works only for a crony, credentialed ruling class.

  Accordingly, into 2024, the candidates and activists who address this anxiety and propose workable populist conservative solutions to fix our economic woes will win hearts, minds … and votes.

  This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

  Steve Cortes is former senior advisor to President Trump, former commentator for Fox News and CNN, and president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group.  

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 20:20

• Oklahoma Governor Signs Executive Order Effectively Banning DEI In All State Institutions
  Oklahoma Governor Signs Executive Order Effectively Banning DEI In All State Institutions

  Following the meltdown on Capitol Hill by “Ivy League” Presidents from Harvard, MIT and Penn, on Wednesday of this week Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 2023-31, effectively banning diversity, equity and inclusion bureaucracies in state institutions.

  Standing in front of a podium which read “DEFUNDING DISCRIMINATION”, Stitt announced: “In Oklahoma, we’re going to encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes.”

  “Encouraging our workforce, economy, and education systems to flourish means shifting focus away from exclusivity and discrimination, and toward opportunity and merit. We’re taking politics out of education and focusing on preparing students for the workforce,” he said at a press conference.

  

  According to the Governor’s office, the order says that state agencies and institutions for higher education shall not utilize state funds, property, or resources to:

  1. Grant or support diversity, equity, and inclusion positions, departments, activities, procedures, or programs to the extent they grant preferential treatment based on one person’s particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another’s;

  2. mandate any person to participate in, listen to, or receive any education, training, activities, procedures, or programming to the extent such education, training, activity, or procedure grants preferences based on one person’s particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another’s;

  3. mandate any person swear, certify, or agree to any loyalty oath that favors or prefers one particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another;

  4. mandate any person to certify or declare agreement with, recognition of, or adherence to, any particular political, philosophical, religious, or other ideological viewpoint;

  5. mandate any applicant for employment provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement or give any applicant for employment preferential consideration based on the provision of such a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement; or

  6. mandate any person to disclose their pronouns.

  Patrice Onwuka, director of Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity, commented: “As a nation, we strive for equality of opportunity to give every young person a chance at achieving their American Dream. Race, ethnicity, gender, and heritage should not be used to discriminate against any person. Yet, discriminatory DEI programming has done damage on college campuses—fomenting division between students, eroding free speech rights, threatening academic freedom, and bloating school bureaucracies, which in turn drives up tuition costs.”

  Onwuka continued: “Furthermore, these efforts do not prepare young women and men for the diverse workforce that values aptitude, grit, and skill, not a sense of entitlement driven by victimhood. We applaud Governor Stitt and the state for taking leadership on removing discriminatory and divisive race-based programming and staffing from Oklahoma colleges and universities. Every student deserves a campus free from discrimination. Thankfully, legal protections already outlaw race-and sex-based discrimination, but this executive order guards against efforts to bypass those protections.”

  David Safavian, general counsel for the American Conservative Union, commented: “For years, universities and government agencies, even those in red states, have become increasingly beholden to a coercive liberal agenda, often framed under the banner of DEI.”

  He continued: “The transformation of these institutions has been exposed following the response by major universities in the aftermath of the October 7th terror attack by Hamas. Especially with that in mind, CPAC applauds Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for acting through executive order today to take down DEI in all of Oklahoma’s government. Abolishing DEI bureaucracies and ending mandatory ‘diversity’ training and DEI hiring statements will ensure Oklahoma’s institutions can focus on the diversity of ideas, rather than shame-based political activism. Oklahomans can take pride in knowing that the content of their character will matter more than the color of their skin.”

  Following the release, public universities reacted accordingly:

  WINNING: Oklahoma @GovStitt has signed an executive order abolishing the DEI bureaucracy in all public universities. That makes Florida, Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma. And we are just getting started. pic.twitter.com/fYXphLMQJ2

  — Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 13, 2023

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  Executive Order 2023-31 can be read in full here. To rewatch the press conference, click here. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 20:00

• Behind The Biggest Nursing Exodus In 40 Years
  Behind The Biggest Nursing Exodus In 40 Years

  Authored by Matt McGregor via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  A 40-year record high of 100,000 nurses left their jobs in 2021, according to a study published in Health Affairs Forefront in April 2022.

  

  The study noted that the exiting nurses were primarily younger, rather than the expected age group of above 50.

  “A sustained reduction in the number of younger age [nurses] would raise ominous implications for the future workforce,” the study stated.

  A report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing published in October 2022 blames the losses on general trends such as retirement, a lack of education and training for replacements, and the rapid growth of an aging population that requires health care services.

  Several nurses who spoke to The Epoch Times largely blame the exodus on the corporatization of health care and the vaccine mandates imposed on nurses.

  The nursing shortage had long been a problem before COVID-19. When hospitals began operating like corporations instead of as a refuge for the sick, nurses became disillusioned with the occupation, nurse Irene Ricks told The Epoch Times.

  Then, came the pandemic and, with it, a slew of new requirements.

  “Not only were nurses having to take on a huge load of patients, but they were also being told to do things that they didn’t feel right about,” Ms. Ricks said. 

  “Then, they were being told they had to be vaccinated or they would lose their job.”

  The vaccine mandate “was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Ms. Ricks said. 

  “It made nurses quit or retire in droves.”

  A 2023 report by AMN Healthcare, which is the result of a January survey of 18,000 registered nurses nationwide, found that 30 percent of nurses said they’re likely to leave their careers because of the pandemic, up 7 percentage points from 2021. 

  “The movement of nurses away from hospital employment may be the most damaging health care workplace impact of the pandemic,” the report states. 

  A full 94 percent of respondents said there’s a “severe or moderate shortage of nurses” in their area.

  

  “Nurses forever have gone into difficult places with deadly diseases, and people were happy and amazed at their sacrificial attitude to help people,” nurse Twila Brase, co-founder of the Minnesota-based Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom and founder of The Wedge of Health Freedom, told The Epoch Times.

  “Yet, suddenly, the entire health care system turned on its head and said, ‘The biggest thing is to not take care of people but to comply. And we are willing to put patients at risk because if you don’t comply, you’re going to be terminated.’”

  The nurses who were celebrated as heroes at the beginning of the pandemic were suddenly considered pariahs if they didn’t take the vaccine.

  Some hospital systems imposed their own vaccine mandates, such as Houston Methodist in Texas, which announced a mandate in March 2021 and gave employees until June of that year to be fully vaccinated. By June 22, 2021, 153 employees either resigned or were fired.

  A total of 1,400 employees at New York-based Northwell Health either resigned or were terminated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Becker’s Hospital Review, a website tracking the termination of health care workers over the vaccine. The website includes a list of 55 hospitals and facilities that have fired more than 7,000 health care workers since 2021.

  

  Ms. Brase said the vaccine mandate imposed on health care workers demonstrated the callousness of the corporate system.

  “Nurses were essentially being forced to make life-or-death decisions as patients were reporting to them firsthand unusual symptoms that began after they took the injection,” Ms. Brase said.

  “And yet hospitals wanted to get rid of them if they didn’t take this vaccine. It’s unreasonable. It’s unscientific.”

  Noticing the reluctance within the health care industry to take the vaccine, the Biden administration imposed a vaccine mandate on health care workers on Nov. 5, 2021. 

  Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, stated that “in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding, participating facilities must ensure that their staff—unless exempt for medical or religious reasons—are vaccinated against COVID-19.”

  The Supreme Court upheld the mandate in a 5–4 decision issued in January 2022. The decision meant that health care workers were given until March 15, 2022, to get fully vaccinated. 

  In 2022, North Carolina nurse practitioner Staci Kay revealed to The Epoch Times what she believed to be vaccine injuries.

  “I saw brain bleeds, seizures out of nowhere, cancer that just spread like wildfire, ischemic strokes, and I saw one person die horrifically from myocarditis,” Ms. Kay said at the time, noting that the issues “went unacknowledged by our physicians.”

  On the outpatient side, she reported conditions such as brain fog, cognitive decline, joint pain, gastrointestinal issues, and neuropathy.

  Ms. Kay started her own telemedicine practice after being fired for not submitting to what she described as illogical testing requirements for those who weren’t vaccinated.

  Ms. Ricks said she suffered an injury after taking the first two doses of the vaccine. She said she didn’t make the connection to the vaccine until she discussed her symptoms with a co-worker, who said he was suffering the same symptoms.

  “That’s when I knew something was going on,” Ms. Ricks told The Epoch Times. She predicts she’ll be suffering the side effects for the rest of my life.

  

  In June this year, the Biden administration announced its plan to withdraw the vaccine mandate for health care workers. 

  On Nov. 13, without comment, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a lawsuit filed in 2022 by four New Jersey-based nurses who challenged the constitutionality of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order requiring the vaccines.

  Nurse Sandy Gardner wrote in an article published by the American Bar Association in July 2022 that “it’s difficult to ascertain exactly how much the vaccine mandate has affected the nursing shortage.”

  “Nurses and other staff are also quitting their jobs due to burnout, COVID-19 safety concerns, and other reasons,” she said.

  However, she supports the mandate for health care workers. 

  “Vaccine mandates have proven over time that they work, as evidenced by requirements that school-aged children be vaccinated for certain diseases prior to enrolling in school,” Ms. Gardner wrote. 

  “For the most part, the COVID vaccine mandate is working as time goes on. The longer the vaccine is out and is gaining a track record, the more people will get vaccinated.”

  Most media outlets defended the mandates imposed on health care workers by stating that the proportion of nurses being fired or quitting was small in comparison to the nurses who took the vaccine. 

  Business Model

  When the pandemic first began and hospitals were overwhelmed, the requirements for travel nurses were relaxed.

  Formerly, a nurse had to practice for a year before being eligible, but that was reduced to six months, which resulted in nurses with little experience but higher salaries working in community hospitals where local nurses were paid less.

  “There were travel nurses getting paid up to $6,000 to $10,000 a week, which was upsetting the staff, who would themselves quit and go become a travel nurse,” Ms. Ricks said.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 19:40

• Dem Senator Blocks GOP Bill For 35% Tax On University Endowments
  Dem Senator Blocks GOP Bill For 35% Tax On University Endowments

  In the wake of various recent scandals at ‘elite’ universities, attention has turned to their massive, largely untaxed endowments.

  

  On Thursday morning Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduced a bill which would tax the largest university endowments at 35%.

  “The endowments at Penn, Harvard & MIT have a combined $95B+ in assets – yet only pay a 1.4% tax rate on net investment income,” Vance posted on X. “Then they use these funds to push DEI and woke insanity.”

  “My bill would tax the largest endowments at 35% – it’s going to the Senate floor right now.“

  The endowments at Penn, Harvard & MIT have a combined $95B+ in assets – yet only pay a 1.4% tax rate on net investment income.

  Then they use these funds to push DEI and woke insanity.

  My bill would tax the largest endowments at 35% – it’s going to the Senate floor right now. pic.twitter.com/NtSuUtzluL

  — J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) December 14, 2023

  Vance then tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent, only to be blocked by Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who suggested that lawmakers should instead look at the bill before passing it (oh?), and then slammed billionaire tax loopholes created by Congress in the first place.

  Sen. Vance tried to pass this bill by unanimous consent but it was blocked on the Senate floor by Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden from Oregon.

  Democrats finally found billions of dollars that they don’t wish to tax. https://t.co/Scv9uMFEKM pic.twitter.com/RqvFCwG1Mc

  — Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 14, 2023

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  As journalist Greg Price notes above, “Democrats finally found billions of dollars that they don’t wish to tax.”
   

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 19:20

• Reports Of White Lung Syndrome Emerge In The US
  Reports Of White Lung Syndrome Emerge In The US

  Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Reports of a mysterious respiratory illness in China are sparking fears of a potential new pandemic.

  Cases of what some are dubbing “white lung syndrome” have already been reported in several U.S. states, evoking chilling memories of the early days of COVID-19.

  Health officials are racing to determine if this is simply the expected winter uptick of seasonal illnesses or if it could be a dangerous new pathogen. If the latter, the implications could be profound. Is history repeating itself? How quickly could this spread? How can you protect yourself?

  

  Spike in Pediatric Pneumonia in China Hints at Possible New Contagion

  Chinese media described overwhelmed children’s hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning Province (Northern China) in late November, according to a recent post on the International Society for Infectious Diseases’ online reporting system, ProMed.

  Reported symptoms are high fever without cough, with some children developing lung nodules that can indicate bacterial infections like pneumonia.

  Per the post, the Beijing Children’s Hospital lobby remained crowded with parents seeking treatment for their children’s pneumonia.

  According to the post, the situation in Liaoning Province is “serious,” with the lobby of Dalian Children’s Hospital filled with sick children receiving intravenous drips. A Dalian Central Hospital staff member reportedly said that patients were waiting in line for two hours, and “we are all in the emergency department, and there are no general outpatient clinics.”

  While only recently known, infectious disease website FluTrackers has logged reports of overwhelmed pediatric hospitals and cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia, caused by bacteria that often causes upper respiratory tract infections and pneumonia, in China since August.

  China could be seeing a surge in respiratory infections as other countries did their first winter after COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Program, said on X. “They have already reported surge of #Mycoplasma pneumonia but this could be anything – let’s gather data,” she wrote.

  Outbreak in Ohio Started in August

  Ohio’s Warren County Health District (WCHD) reported an “extremely high number” of pediatric pneumonia cases this fall. The roughly 145 cases reported since August alone exceed average numbers and meet the state outbreak definition.

  “We do not think this is a novel/new respiratory disease but rather a large uptick in the number of pneumonia cases normally seen at one time,” the WCHD said.

  A parent questionnaire identified the most common symptoms as cough, fever, and fatigue. Detected pathogens include Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae (strep), and adenovirus. Some media refer to the condition as “white lung syndrome” due to how infected lungs can appear under X-rays.

  Evidence suggests a mix of the same pathogens causing illness in China, Dr. Christopher Calandrella, chair of emergency medicine at Northwell Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in New York, told The Epoch Times.

  “Additionally, China recently lifted its pandemic restrictions, and as the population begins socializing more, it may contribute to an increase in cases, similar to what was experienced here in the United States last fall,” he said.

  CDC Highlights New Vaccine Options

  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently stated on its website that it is “monitoring reports of increased respiratory illness around the world,” including in China and Europe. However, the agency emphasized that pediatric pneumonia and other respiratory diseases typically rise each fall and winter.

  The CDC also pointed out that, for the first time, there are now available “safe and effective immunizations” for three major viral respiratory illnesses: flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an infectious virus that affects the lungs and airways and that can cause pneumonia.

  China approved five new COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use amidst its current respiratory disease outbreak.

  Currently, no data suggest these infections have different virulence or infectivity than U.S. pathogens, according to Dr. Calandrella, so there is no reason for alarm, he emphasized.

  COVID-19 provided many critical lessons, including the vital role of hand hygiene, vaccines, and masks, “which can significantly reduce the risk of infections in general,” Dr. Calandrella added.

  COVID-19 Shots Linked to Pneumonia

  A little-discussed factor is whether these respiratory outbreaks may in some way be associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

  A list of adverse events associated with Pfizer’s mRNA shot was released due to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and according to the document, “atypical pneumonia” is one among hundreds of potential adverse reactions to receiving the gene-therapy-based drug, along with Mycoplasmal bronchitis, cardio-respiratory arrest, cardio-respiratory distress, and cough.

  A 2022 Respirology Case Reports study presented the first organizing pneumonia case, a rare lung condition affecting the airways and air sacs, related to COVID-19 vaccination. A 78-year-old woman developed cough and breathing difficulty 10 days after her Pfizer shot.

  Other research has found that vaccinated individuals’ immune function eight months post-second dose is lower than that of unvaccinated individuals. “As a safety measure, further booster vaccinations should be discontinued,” the study authors wrote.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 19:00

• Israeli Soldiers Spark Muslim Outrage By Singing Hanukkah Song Over Jenin Mosque Loudspeaker
  Israeli Soldiers Spark Muslim Outrage By Singing Hanukkah Song Over Jenin Mosque Loudspeaker

  West Bank violence has been continuous since Oct.7 and Israel’s major Gaza offensive, but there are fears that clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces and settlers are about to escalate further.

  Ultra-provocative footage is now widely circulating online showing an Israeli soldier singing a Jewish Hanukkah song through a loudspeaker at a mosque in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. A clip was reportedly even shared by Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

  Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shares video of soldiers performing Jewish rituals inside mosque in West Bank city of Jenin https://t.co/Lic8B5wY6s pic.twitter.com/yJVBeeUK2J

  — Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) December 14, 2023

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

  Muslims use loudspeakers attached to mosque minarets for their traditional “call to prayer” several times a day. Thus Israel Defense Forces taking over a mosque to then blare Jewish prayers over a Muslim-dominant town is certainly a big provocation.

  At least one of the widely circulating videos has been verified as authentic by Haaretz which said one of the songs sung by a soldier was the Hanukkah song “We Came to Banish the Darkness.”

  One video reviewed by Haaretz showed an IDF soldier mocking the Islamic call to prayer by saying the words, “In the name of God, the merciful. Here is the spokesperson of the IDF.”

  “For the residents of the camp, the story is over, we will not allow the presence of armed men inside the camp,” the soldier said according to a translation. “The future will be clean, we want you to live with dignity in the camp, there is no power beyond the power of Allah.”

  The Israeli army itself appeared to verify the videos, and that they happened recently, telling local media that the offending soldiers had been removed from day. 

  A statement said “the soldiers were removed from operational duty immediately, after receiving the videos and an initial inspection of the incident by the commanders.

  

  “The behavior of the soldiers in the videos is serious and stands in complete opposition to the values of the IDF. The soldiers will be disciplined accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

  The IDF likely doesn’t want to unnecessarily inflame tensions further, after already more than 270 Palestinians have died as a result of clashes in the West Bank. In some cases Israeli troops have been fired upon by small arms during security raids, as Jenin remains under total military-imposed lockdown.

  Another deadly operation has been reported in The New York Times Thursday as follows:

  A three-day Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin appeared to end on Thursday; the Palestinian Health Ministry said that during the raid, Israeli forces killed at least 12 people and wounded 34 others.

  Residents reported seeing Israeli military vehicles leaving the city on Thursday afternoon, signaling an end to the unusually long operation inside Jenin and its refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian armed resistance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Thursday.

  חיילי צה”ל שרים בכריזה של מואזין בג’נין pic.twitter.com/VD822DSOPs

  — הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsv) December 14, 2023

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  The IDF has said over 900 Palestinians have been detained from Jenin alone for suspected attacks or terror related activity. Thursday’s raid saw another 100 added to that, as the raids intensify and become more aggressive, according to local eyewitnesses.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 18:40

• Apple Quietly Changes Policy, Search Warrant Now Required To Send Certain Customer Data To Law Enforcement
  Apple Quietly Changes Policy, Search Warrant Now Required To Send Certain Customer Data To Law Enforcement

  Authored by Stephen Katte via The Epoch Times,

  Apple has quietly changed its legal guidelines to now require U.S. law enforcement agencies to obtain a court order if they want access to specific aspects of the tech giant’s customer data.

  

  In Apple’s updated guidelines, the tech giant will now only share customer data about push notifications with law enforcement “in response to a search warrant issued upon a showing of probable cause, or customer consent.” In the past, the company accepted a subpoena to hand over customer data.

  The critical difference between the two is that a subpoena compels the company to act in response to a request for information. In contrast, a search warrant is far more aggressive and authorizes a legal authority to take action to retrieve the information.

  Push notification data is considered especially sensitive because the alerts inform the smartphone user about breaking news, weather bulletins, and other everyday content. At the same time, the data can reveal a great deal about users’ online activities.

  For requests about other types of data, such as information related to device registration or customer service, Apple has kept its initial guidelines and will comply with law enforcement if presented with “a subpoena or greater legal process.”

  According to Apple’s guidelines, the company can also decide to share customer data with law enforcement in cases of emergency, when there is no time to go through the proper legal channels if it is believed lives are in danger or national security is at immediate risk. However, Apple says not all requests are granted. Each one is considered by its team of legal experts and can still face rejection.

  “A trained team in our legal department reviews and evaluates all requests received, and requests which Apple determines to have no valid legal basis or considers to be unclear, inappropriate, or over-broad are objected, challenged, or rejected,” the guidelines state.

  Cause of Policy Shift Unknown

  The tech giant didn’t formally announce the policy shift, and what sparked the change is unclear. Some competitors in the tech space, such as Google, already require a court order for law enforcement to get push notification-related data.

  Last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote to the Department of Justice, warning he received a tip that foreign governments had requested Apple and Google to hand over records of smartphone notifications. He didn’t provide any extra details about which governments had made the request.

  “Apple and Google should be permitted to be transparent about the legal demands they receive, particularly from foreign governments, just as the companies regularly notify users about other types of government demands for data,” Sen. Wyden said in his letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

  “These companies should be permitted to generally reveal whether they have been compelled to facilitate this surveillance practice, to publish aggregate statistics about the number of demands they receive, and unless temporarily gagged by a court, to notify specific customers about demands for their data.”

  It’s not publicly known if the scrutiny sparked by Sen. Wyden’s letter had any bearing on Apple’s policy change or if the shift was already planned and the timing was just a coincidence.

  The Epoch Times has contacted Apple and Sen. Ron Wyden for further comment.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 18:20

• Washington Lawmaker Wants To Toss People In Jail For Using Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Because They "Contribute To Climate Change"
  Washington Lawmaker Wants To Toss People In Jail For Using Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Because They “Contribute To Climate Change”

  Democrat lawmakers in Washington State want to jail residents for using gas-powered landscaping tools such as leaf blowers and edgers.

  

  State Rep. Amy Walen (D-Kirkland) has pre-filed legislation which would radically alter the state’s Clean Air Act, according to Jason Rantz of MyNorthwest, who reports that HB 1868 would ban “gasoline-powered and diesel-powered landscaping and other outdoor power equipment” for “contributing to climate change.”

  As Rantz further explains, the bill contains a laundry list of unintended health consequences tied to the tools as well, including a claim that they cause asthma.

  The bill gets to the ban by empowering the Department of Ecology to “adopt rules to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new outdoor power equipment” by either January 1, 2026 or sooner, if the state determines it’s feasible to do so earlier. Washingtonians are expected to upgrade their equipment to zero-emission alternatives. Government work, however, is partly exempt.

  To make the transition more palatable, the zero-emission alternatives would not be subject to a sales tax. But it would still be prohibitively expensive for many small businesses. -MyNorthwest

  If a resident violates the law, they could face up to a year in jail and/or a hefty fine.

  Of course, as Rantz further notes, the new law wouldn’t apply to government agencies or contractors working for the government under emergency circumstances.

  We’ll give the last word to Rantz, who suggests that the legislation will harm minorities the most;

  What happened to equity?

  Though Democrats argue their legislation should be viewed through an equity lens, this ban has a disproportionate impact on Latino and black business owners. Nationwide data stated 22.8% of landscaping companies are owned by Hispanics and 14.7% are owned by blacks.

  The cost to transition to zero-emission alternatives is burdensome, too, even with financial assistance provided in the bill. For some businesses, it could still be prohibitively expensive. This financial burden could disproportionately affect minority-owned businesses, potentially leading to a reduction in diversity within the industry, if Democrat talking points are to be believed.

  This ban is also anti-business, of course. Not only will it take landscapers significantly more time to do the same amount of work, thanks to inefficient battery-powered tools, it can be very expensive. Writing in the Orange County Register, Brooke Staggs notes the strain this can put on small businesses: “Commercial-grade electric-powered gear can cost anywhere from 15% to 300% more upfront, before factoring in the cost of batteries, chargers and potential electrical upgrades needed to keep them running all day.”

  Larger companies can more easily absorb the cost of transitioning to electric equipment, but the smaller businesses, which represent the majority of the industry, will struggle. It’s also worth considering the current limitations of electric landscaping equipment, such as battery life and power, which can’t meet the demands of larger or more intensive landscaping projects. Even with tax credits, will they last long enough to cover the constant need to upgrade to better and more efficient technology?

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 12/14/2023 – 18:00

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