Today’s News 1st December 2023

• How The Obama Admin Enabled The Nonstop Security Leaks Against Trump
  How The Obama Admin Enabled The Nonstop Security Leaks Against Trump

  Authored by Jeff Carlson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The Obama administration, just 17 days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, revised the guidelines of Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333, “Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency.”

  

  Although widely overlooked, the implications were broad and far-reaching.

  Under the new procedure, agencies and individuals could request the National Security Agency (NSA) for access to specific surveillance simply by claiming the intercepts contain relevant information that’s useful to a particular mission.

  No privacy protection of the raw data was undertaken. Under the new rules, sharing of information was significantly easier–and the information being shared was raw and unfiltered.

  At the time I wondered about the timing of the order. But what I found particularly curious was that it was enacted so late. Allow me to explain.

  On Dec. 15, 2016, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, signed off on Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333. The order was finalized when Attorney General Loretta Lynch signed it on Jan. 3, 2017.

  

  Why the pressing need to rush this order during the final days of his office? An order which allowed for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence amongst agencies.

  Was it to enable dissemination of information gathered by those in the Obama administration amongst intelligence agencies? But if so, why was the order not put into place earlier?

  Why just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump officially took over the Oval Office?

  Crucially, privacy protection of the underlying raw data from the NSA was specifically bypassed by the order. As The New York Times noted at the time, “the new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations, which are largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws.”

  On its face, the rule was supposedly put in place in order to reduce the risk that “the N.S.A. will fail to recognize that a piece of information would be valuable to another agency,” but in reality, it dramatically expanded government officials’ access to the private information of American citizens.

  As noted by the NY Times, historically, “the N.S.A. filtered information before sharing intercepted communications with another agency, like the C.I.A. or the intelligence branches of the F.B.I. and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The N.S.A.’s analysts passed on only information they deemed pertinent, screening out the identities of innocent people and irrelevant personal information.”

  However, with the Jan. 3, 2017, approval of Section 2.3, and the associated expansion of sharing globally intercepted communications, other intelligence agencies would be able to search “directly through raw repositories of communications intercepted by the N.S.A. and then apply such rules for ‘minimizing’ privacy intrusions.”

  

  When Obama’s new NSA Data Sharing Order was signed, many wondered at the timing and questioned why there was a pressing need to rush an order that allowed for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence among agencies during the final days of his administration.

  But as I hinted at during the outset of our discussion, an equally valid question is, why was the order enacted so late? As it turns out, Section 2.3 was reported as being on “the verge” of finalization in late February 2016 as reported by the New York Times, which noted that “Robert S. Litt, the general counsel in the office of the Director of National Intelligence, said that the administration had developed and was fine-tuning what is now a 21-page draft set of procedures to permit the sharing.” It had been anticipated that the order would be finalized by early to mid-2016.

  Instead, for reasons that lack official explanations to this day, Section 2.3 was delayed until January 2017. Interestingly, the finalized version signed into effect by President Obama contains a provision relating to “Political Process” that hadn’t been in place in earlier versions.

  One of the items within this provision prohibited dissemination of information to the White House. Remember that this provision would not impact President Obama whose administration ended in two weeks. But it would most definitely impact the dissemination of information to the incoming Trump administration.

  If this new provision had been implemented in early 2016 as originally scheduled, dissemination of any raw intelligence on or relating to the Trump campaign to officials within the Obama White House would likely have been made more difficult or quite possibly prohibited.

  

  In other words, prior to the January 2017 signing of Section 2.3, it appears that greater latitude existed for officials in the Obama administration to gain access to information. But once the order was signed into effect, Section 2.3 granted greater latitude to interagency sharing of that information.

  On July 27, 2017, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), then-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats regarding the ongoing leaks of classified information and the need for new unmasking legislation to address the problem.

  Mr. Nunes’s letter specifically pointed out officials within the Obama administration, stating that “We have found evidence that current and former government officials had easy access to U.S. person information and that it is possible that they used this information to achieve partisan political purposes, including the selective, anonymous leaking of such information.”

  Mr. Nunes noted that “one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence-related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama administration.”

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 23:40

• Princeton Is 'Best' But USC Is America's Most Expensive University
  Princeton Is ‘Best’ But USC Is America’s Most Expensive University

  The latest ranking of America’s best universities is here, perfectly timed for the approaching admissions season.

  “Best” is of course subjective, and U.S. News and World Report has compiled 19 metrics on which they evaluated more than 400 national universities. Some of them include:

  • Graduation rates & performance: A four-year rolling average of the proportion of each entering class earning a bachelor’s degree in six years or less. Performance is measured against predictions made by the publishers, and when beaten, the university gains a higher scoring.

  • Peer assessment: A two-year weighted average of ratings from top academics—presidents, provosts and deans of admissions—on academic quality of peer institutions with which they are familiar.

  • Financial resources: The average per student spend on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures in the 2021 fiscal year.

  • Debt: A school’s average accumulated federal loan debt among borrowers only.

  • Pell graduation rates & performance: the same calculation as stated above, but focused only on Pell Grant students, adjusted to give more credit to schools with larger Pell student proportions.

  The website’s methodology section details how they sourced their data, the weights assigned to each metric, and their changes over the years.

  And, as Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao and Niccolo Conte detail below, from the hundreds assessed come the nearly 50 best universities that offer a variety of undergraduate majors, post-graduate programs, emphasize research, or award professional practice doctorates.

  
  

  Which are the Best Universities in America?

  At the top of the list, Princeton University is the best university in the country, known for its physics, economics, and international relations departments. Notably, it’s a rare Ivy league university that does not have a law, medical, or business school.

  Here’s the full ranking of America’s best universities, along with annual tuition requirements.

  Rank	School Name	State	Tuition
  1	Princeton University	New Jersey	$59,710
  2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts	$60,156
  3	Harvard University	Massachusetts	$59,076
  3	Stanford University	California	$62,484
  5	Yale University	Connecticut	$64,700
  6	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	$66,104
  7	California Institute of Technology	California	$63,255
  7	Duke University	North Carolina	$66,172
  9	Brown University	Rhode Island	$68,230
  9	Johns Hopkins University	Maryland	$63,340
  9	Northwestern University	Illinois	$65,997
  12	Columbia University	New York	$65,524
  12	Cornell University	New York	$66,014
  12	University of Chicago	Illinois	$65,619
  15	University of California, Berkeley	California	$48,465 (out-state) $15,891 (in-state)
  15	University of California, LA	California	$46,326 (out-state) $13,752 (in-state)
  17	Rice University	Texas	$58,128
  18	Dartmouth College	New Hampshire	$65,511
  18	Vanderbilt University	Tennessee	$63,946
  20	University of Notre Dame	Indiana	$62,693
  21	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	Michigan	$57,273 (out-state) $17,786 (in-state)
  22	Georgetown University	Washington, DC	$65,082
  22	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina	$39,338 (out-state) $8,998 (in-state)
  24	Carnegie Mellon University	Pennsylvania	$63,829
  24	Emory University	Georgia	$60,774
  24	University of Virginia	Virginia	$58,950 (out-state) $22,323 (in-state)
  24	Washington University, St. Louis	Missouri	$62,982
  28	University of California, Davis	California	$46,043 (out-state) $15,266 (in-state)
  28	University of California, San Diego	California	$48,630 (out-state) $16,056 (in-state)
  28	University of Florida	Florida	$28,658 (out-state) $6,381 (in-state)
  28	University of Southern California	California	$68,237
  32	University of Texas, Austin	Texas	$41,070 (out-state) $11,698 (in-state)
  33	Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia	$32,876 (out-state) $11,764 (in-state)
  33	University of California, Irvine	California	$47,759 (out-state) $15,185 (in-state)
  35	New York University	New York	$60,438
  35	University of California, Santa Barbara	California	$45,658 (out-state) $14,881 (in-state)
  35	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Illinois	$36,068 (out-state) $17,572 (in-state)
  35	University of Wisconsin, Madison	Wisconsin	$40,603 (out-state) $11,205 (in-state)
  39	Boston College	Massachusetts	$67,680
  40	Rutgers University, New Brunswick	New Jersey	$36,001 (out-state) $17,239 (in-state)
  40	Tufts University	Massachusetts	$67,844
  40	University of Washington	Washington	$41,997 (out-state) $12,643 (in-state)
  43	Boston University	Massachusetts	$65,168
  43	The Ohio State University	Ohio	$36,722 (out-state) $12,485 (in-state)
  43	Purdue University, Main Campus	Indiana	$28,794 (out-state) $9,992 (in-state)
  46	University of Maryland, College Park	Maryland	$40,306 (out-state) $11,505 (in-state)
  47	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania	$62,180
  47	Texas A&M University	Texas	$40,607 (out-state) $12,413 (in-state)
  47	University of Georgia	Georgia	$30,220 (out-state) $11,180 (in-state)
  47	University of Rochester	New York	$64,384
  47	Virginia Tech	Virginia	$36,090 (out-state) $15,478 (in-state)
  47	Wake Forest University	North Carolina	$64,758
  53	Case Western Reserve University	Ohio	$62,234
  53	Florida State University	Florida	$21,683 (out-state) $6,517 (in-state)
  53	Northeastern University	Massachusetts	$63,141
  53	University of Minnesota, Twin Cities	Minnesota	$36,402 (out-state) $16,488 (in-state)
  53	William & Mary	Virginia	$48,841 (out-state) $25,041 (in-state)

  MIT places second, and Harvard and Stanford tie for third. Yale rounds out the top five.

  Private universities, including seven Ivy League colleges, dominate the top of the rankings. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked public schools are tied at 15th, both state schools in California.

  For affordability, since the higher ranks are populated by private universities, there tends to be a broad correlation of better universities being more expensive. That said, the most expensive school in the top 50 ranks is actually the University of Southern California, tied at 28th, for $68,237/year.

  As it happens, also tied at 28th, the University of Florida is the most affordable public school for in-state students ($6,381/year) and Florida State University tied at 53rd, is the most affordable for out-of-staters at $21,683/year.

  However these costs are tuition-only, and don’t account for other necessary expenses: accommodation, food, and textbooks.

  Best University versus Best “Fit”

  Finding the best university for prospective students is more than just perusing a long ranking list.

  Aside from the numerous schools present within each university—which can often be the best for specific majors—factors like location, proximity to family, campus culture, the non-academic pursuits (sports, extracurriculars, internships) are also taken into consideration.

  In fact, research has found that just attaining a university degree improves future earnings potential and employability.

  Furthermore, individual engagement at college (irrespective of the rank of the school in question) plays a far bigger role in learning and general well-being than simply attending a highly-ranked school.

  However, for low income and minority students, attending a top-ranked school does improve future earnings considerably. For women, it also often results in delaying marriage and kids, which results in more work-hours and as a result, more pay.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 23:20

• Iowa Democrats Deploy New Strategy After Bungling 2020 Caucus
  Iowa Democrats Deploy New Strategy After Bungling 2020 Caucus

  Authored by Beth Brelje via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Iowa Republicans will be the first in the nation to weigh in on the competitive Republican presidential race, as they continue their long-time Iowa Caucus tradition on Jan. 15 next year.

  

  But Democrats—with a virtually noncompetitive race, a presidential call to ditch caucuses, and memories of the bungled 2020 caucus—are turning entirely to mail ballots for the 2024 caucuses in Iowa.

  If 2020 was the year of election anomalies, the first irregularity was the Democratic Iowa Caucus which was rife with technical flaws, offered no results on election night, and left the Associated Press unable to ever declare a winner.

  The Feb. 3, 2020, Democratic Iowa Caucus used a freshly developed smartphone app to communicate caucus results, but the app got glitchy, and a hotline to call in results was overwhelmed, preventing results from being available on caucus night. By the next day, just 62 percent of the Democratic results were counted. A week later, folks were losing patience.

  

  “The Iowa Democratic Party deserved better than what happened on caucus night,” state party chair Troy Price said in his Feb. 12 resignation letter. With results still not determined, he stepped down eight days after the caucus. By the time Mr. Price resigned, New Hampshire already had results from its Feb. 11, 2020, primary.

  The first three rounds of the 2024 primary season didn’t go well for then-candidate Joe Biden, who had terrible results in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. He didn’t see a win until March 1 in the South Carolina primary where he got 49 percent of the Democratic vote. The Iowa results were finally calculated two days before South Carolina’s primary, putting Mr. Biden in fourth place behind Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

  Right after South Carolina and before Super Tuesday, Mr. Buttigieg, Ms. Klobuchar and former candidate and Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke dropped out of the race and endorsed Mr. Biden. Mr. Sanders dropped out a month later and also endorsed Mr. Biden.

  Traditional Caucus Called ‘Anti-Worker’

  With the presumptive candidate chosen, the long-delayed result of the Democratic Iowa Caucus fell out of the national conversation. But it was not totally forgotten—nor was Mr. Biden’s poor performance in the early races.

  Using the racial makeup of voters as one reason, two years later, President Joe Biden wrote a letter calling for the end of caucuses and a change to the Democratic nominating calendar.

  “Our party should no longer allow caucuses as part of our nominating process,” he wrote in December 2022, saying caucuses take too long, require voters to choose their candidate in public, and because they are held at a set time, it is tough for hourly workers to attend.

  Caucuses are “Inherently anti-participatory. It should be our party’s goal to rid the nominating process of restrictive, anti-worker caucuses,” he said.

  And allowing Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada to go first makes the early votes too white, President Biden indicated. Too often, he said, candidates drop out or are marginalized by the press and pundits because of poor performances in small states early in the process before voters of color cast a vote.

  

  “We must ensure that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window,” Mr. Biden said. “For decades, Black voters, in particular, have been the backbone of the Democratic Party but have been pushed to the back of the early primary process.”

  Iowa is 89 percent white, with 7 percent of the population Hispanic, and 4 percent black, according to the U.S. Census.

  New Hampshire is 92 percent white; 4 percent Hispanic; 2 percent black.

  Nevada is 45 percent white; 30 percent Hispanic; 10 percent black; 9 percent Asian; and 5 percent two or more races.

  South Carolina, where Mr. Biden’s 2020 campaign turned around, is 63 percent white; 7 percent Hispanic; 26 percent black; 2 percent Asian; and 2 percent two or more races.

  Mail-in Caucus

  The Democratic and Republican styles of running caucuses in Iowa are different. In addition to choosing candidates, both parties conduct the business of the party, choosing local party leadership and delegates, and discussing the party’s platform.

  Republicans gather, discuss, and then vote once. Those results are sent to Republican headquarters.

  Traditionally, Democrats gather, discuss, and then go stand in a corner of the room designated for their candidate. After heads are counted, supporters of the candidate with the lowest number of votes choose a different corner. This is repeated until one candidate is clearly the winner. It involves time and lots of conversations.

  But it will be different for Democrats in 2024 as the party tries to maintain its place as the first caucus in the nation and play by the new rules of the National Democratic Party, which in February honored President Biden’s request and reordered the presidential primary calendar. South Carolina will go first now, with a Feb. 24 primary.

  In Iowa, Democrats will request a presidential preference card through the mail or email. Presidential preference cards will be mailed out starting Jan. 12. The last day to request a presidential preference card is Feb. 19.

  Democrats will hold in-person precinct caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024, to conduct party business only. No presidential preference will be taken at the in-person precinct caucuses, according to information provided to The Epoch Times by the Iowa Democratic Party.

  The results of the mail-in presidential preference will be released on Super Tuesday, March 5, meaning that while Iowa Democrats will start collecting ballots first, results will not be first in the nation.

  Why First Matters

  The Iowa caucuses have been the first in the nation since 1972.

  Republicans, in 2024, have the more interesting, competitive race, and they will continue in their traditional style, holding the caucuses first. That is why many Republican candidates have spent time in Iowa.

  “Obviously, [being first] is very important to us,” Kush Desai, spokesman for the Iowa Republican Party, told The Epoch Times.

  “From the day of the 2020 caucus, our Republican chairman was fighting harder to defend how they handled their 2020 caucus—more than, I think, most Democrats were, because we should look to preserve the first-in-nation status … I think they are still kind of nursing the hope that this is just a temporary thing, and then Iowa will be put back [as] first on the Democratic calendar.”

  Many residents of small, rural towns across the United States may never meet a political candidate passing through the region, but candidates spend more time in Iowa.

  “Once the caucuses are done, we don’t see them anymore until the next election cycle,” Silver City, Iowa, Mayor Sharon McNutt told The Epoch Times.

  “We’ve learned to expect it, but that’s why we fight for first-in-the-nation. Because if it wasn’t for first-in-the-nation, we wouldn’t even have that. I think that the Iowa voice is a rich voice for the Midwest. So, we speak for not only Iowa, but a lot of surrounding states that are rural.

  

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 23:00

• India Produced Record Amounts Of Electricity From Coal In October
  India Produced Record Amounts Of Electricity From Coal In October

  By John Kemp, Senior Market Analyst

  India produced a record amount of electricity from coal in October to make up for a shortfall in hydro generation following lower-than-normal monsoon rains.

  

  Coal remains fundamental to the country’s energy security, despite rapid deployment of wind and solar generation, underscoring the challenge of reducing emissions.

  

  Notwithstanding the ambitions expressed at the UN climate conference in Dubai, for the foreseeable future, India will depend on its mines and rail network to satisfy rapidly growing electricity demand and ensure reliability.

  Total electricity demand met increased by 24 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) (+21%) in October compared with the same month a year earlier.

  

  But hydroelectric generation fell by 5 billion kWh (-30%) as unusually low monsoon rainfall depleted water resources.

  

  Total precipitation across most of India, the Himalayas and Tibet has been less than 80% of the long-term average since the start of the rainy season in June.

  

  The volume of water stored in the 150 reservoirs monitored by India’s Central Water Commission was 20% below the level in 2022 and 7% below the average for 2013-2022 on November 23.

  Reservoirs are managed to provide a mix of hydroelectricity and irrigation; depletion would have been even more severe if hydro generation had not been curbed to save water for agriculture.

  Despite big increases in installed capacity, solar and wind generation were unable to make up the deficit. Wind increased by 0.3 billion kWh (+10%)…

  

  …. while solar was up 1.3 billion kWh (+16%).

  

  Instead the electricity system turned to extra gas (1.6 billion kWh, +103%) and especially coal (28 billion kWh, +33%) to meet demand.

  

  Coal-fired generators produced a seasonal record of 111 billion kWh in October 2023 up from 84 billion kWh in October 2022.

  

  Coal satisfied 80% of electricity demand up from 73% a year earlier, while the hydro share fell to 9% from more than 15%.

  COAL REMAINS KING

  India’s installed solar capacity has risen by almost 47 million kilowatts (+24% per year) while wind capacity is up by 9 million kilowatts (5% per year) since the start of 2018.

  Over the same period, coal generation capacity has increased by just 9 million kilowatts (1% per year) and gas-fired capacity has been essentially unchanged.

  But coal units have much higher utilization, and are particularly critical to meet load in the shoulder seasons of March-April and September-October, when renewable generation is lower but air-conditioning load is relatively high.

  In the final analysis, India’s electricity system remains overwhelmingly reliant on coal for baseload and ensuring reliability.

  To cope with rising electricity demand and poor hydrological conditions, India boosted mine production and the volume hauled by the railways to generators to record rates in October.

  Coal output was up by 13 million tonnes in October and by a total of 87 million tonnes since January compared with a year earlier.

  

  

  The volume dispatched to power producers was up 8 million tonnes in October and by 35 million tonnes in the first ten months.

  

  Even so, coal stocks at generators were severely depleted in September and October, and by the end of October had been reduced to just 7.5 days at the required level.

  

  Inventories had been reduced near to three-year lows and close to levels that sparked the fuel crisis and blackouts in September 2021.

  Coal production and dispatch will have to remain high throughout the winter, when consumption is lower, to rebuild stocks ahead of the next shoulder season.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 22:20

• Hardline Minister Threatens To Collapse Israel's Coalition Govt If Gaza War Stops
  Hardline Minister Threatens To Collapse Israel’s Coalition Govt If Gaza War Stops

  Much of the international community has seen the ongoing temporary truce and accompanying hostage/prisoner swap in Gaza as a good and welcome development. The UN and even regional Arab countries have urged for the ceasefire to become permanent, but hardliners in the Israeli government are growing impatient concerning Israel’s stated aim of wiping out Hamas.

  National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is now demanding an end to the truce, which his ultra-conservative Otzma Yehudit party has opposed from the beginning.

  He’s even threatening to break apart the governing coalition under Prime Minister Netanyahu. Ben-Gvir posted to X this week in Hebrew: 

  “Stopping the war = breaking apart the government.”

  It’s being widely reported as a clear threat to collapse the unity ruling coalition government; however, it remains unclear whether his party’s exit would ultimately fragment the coalition at this moment of war and national emergency.

  

  On Thursday a pair of Palestinian gunmen unleashed M16 and pistol fire on a crowd waiting at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing three Israelis and injuring 16.

  Shortly after the attack, Hamas claimed responsibility.

  The Hamas statement said “the operation came as a natural response to unprecedented crimes conducted by the occupation” and further called for “an escalation of the resistance.”

  Ben Gvir quickly pointed out that this means Hamas has broken the truce, and that Israel should continue attacking Gaza: 

  National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued that Hamas had broken the truce, centered around fighting in Gaza, after the organization claimed responsibility for a Thursday terror attack in Jerusalem. Less than an hour after Thursday’s truce extension was finalized, the shooting attack killed three Israelis.

  “With one hand Hamas signs a ceasefire, with the other it sends terrorists to murder Jews in Jerusalem,” the police minister, who was against the pause in fighting to begin with, said in a Thursday statement released by his Otzma Yehudit party.

  “This is not a ceasefire but rather a continuation of the conception of containment [of terror attacks] and concession that brought us murdered people, which gives [Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya] Sinwar hope that he can exit this conflict with the upper hand,” he continued.

  Ben Gvir declared in his Thursday statement, “We have to stop deals with the devil, and return immediately to the fight, with rare strength.”

  PM Netanyahu’s words conveyed to US Secretary of State Blinken on the same day appeared geared toward assuaging these growing voices that are critical of the truce. “I told him we have sworn, and I have sworn, to destroy Hamas. Nothing will stop us,” he informed a post-meeting press conference.

  Netanyahu later in the day issued a statement specifically reacting to Ben-Gvir, insisting that the war against Hamas would continue until Hamas is eliminated: “There is no situation in which we do not go back to fighting until the end,” the prime minister stressed. “This is my policy. The entire Security Cabinet is behind it. The entire Government is behind it. The soldiers are behind it. The people are behind it — this is exactly what we will do.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 22:00

• Gun Control Advocates Flood Comments Section In Support Of Proposed ATF Rule To Restrict Gun Sales
  Gun Control Advocates Flood Comments Section In Support Of Proposed ATF Rule To Restrict Gun Sales

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

  A rule to redefine what doing business as a gun dealer means—proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)—is supported by a majority of public commenters, with 10 days left in the comment period.

  

  On Nov. 27, more than 230,000 of the 280,098 comments supported the plan. This is an estimate based on a review by The Epoch Times.

  A search of the comments section revealed that 237,172 comments include the opening sentence about loopholes in federal law from a sample email posted on the Everytown for Gun Safety webpage.

  Everytown for Gun Safety (Everytown) did not respond to an email seeking comment for this report.

  On its webpage, Everytown claims that “loopholes” in the law allow the sale of guns to criminals through online sales, private transactions, and gun shows.

  “The regulation goes directly to the loopholes we have been trying to close for years by expanding background checks to guns offered for sale online or at gun shows, keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, and ultimately saving lives,” the webpage reads.

  “But for ATF to finish the job on this life-saving action, it needs to know that the public supports closing these dangerous loopholes. ATF needs to hear from us.”

  Many of the online comments use language similar to the Everytown email, with some posting the sample message word-for-word.

  This does not mean that all 237,172 support the rule. In at least one entry a commenter appears to support the rule but closes his comment with a vulgar expletive directed at the ATF.

  Still, it appears clear that a majority of the commenters support the redefinition and the expansion of background checks.

  One commenter who supported the redefinition claimed to have been involved in a school shooting in which the shooter’s parents reportedly purchased guns for him. The commenter also claimed the shooter stole guns from family members.

  Second Amendment advocates point out that the issues raised by Everytown are already addressed by the law. They say the comment section shows an organized anti-gun campaign, combined with cynicism among gun owners.

  “Frustrated citizens frequently disengage from the process of public comment periods for new and unconstitutional rules. They unfortunately feel like their voices aren’t heard by ATF and that the Biden Administration won’t take these comments seriously,” Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America (GOA), wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

  According to gun rights activists, the proposed rule would virtually eliminate private gun sales.

  

  The ATF proposed the rule to bring gun regulations in line with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) passed by Congress in June 2022.

  The BSCA, touted by gun control activists as “the most significant gun safety legislation in 30 years,” changed the definition of a gun dealer from a business that buys and sells firearms with the objective of “livelihood and profit” to anyone who sells a gun for profit.

  This means that private individuals who sell a gun to a friend, neighbor, or family member would have to have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and run a background check on the prospective buyer.

  One Second Amendment advocate told a U.S. Senate Committee the ATF’s explanation of the new definition should raise concerns.

  Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at the Ed Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies for the Heritage Foundation, said the new definition is a “slight wording change” while the ATF’s explanation is 108 pages long.

  “That should be a red flag immediately,” she told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a Nov. 27 hearing on whether gun violence is a public health issue.

  A Houston, Texas-based lawyer who specializes in the Second Amendment agreed with The Epoch Times’s assessment of the comments.

  

  According to Richard Hayes of Walker & Taylor, PLLC, and host of the Armed Attorneys YouTube channel, it’s clear that gun control groups have organized to support the rule. This is not the first time a group has spoken out in the comments section, he says. But, in his experience, it’s been Second Amendment supporters who have been the most outspoken.

  “It seems that the anti-gunners have taken a page from the Second Amendment playbook,” Mr. Hayes told The Epoch Times. “It appears that the gun grabbers have gotten wise to the importance of the public comments.”

  Mr. Pratt said his organization is encouraging its members to make their voices heard before the public comment period ends on Dec. 7.

  “We at GOA know that judges weighing challenges to agency actions like the Universal Registration Check Rule certainly look at and consider citizen comments,” Mr. Pratt wrote.

  Once the comment period has ended, the ATF will consider the public comments before deciding whether to adopt the rule, modify it, or drop it.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 21:40

• Russia's Supreme Court Bans "International LGBT Movement" As An "Extremist" Organization
  Russia’s Supreme Court Bans “International LGBT Movement” As An “Extremist” Organization

  Russia has long faced widespread international condemnation for what outside countries have decried as a crackdown on sexual minorities. President Vladimir Putin has persisted in stressing that Russia must safeguard traditional family values, and that this means protecting children from the pervasive propaganda of the West which seeks to sexualize young people.

  Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday in an official ruling designated what it called the “international LGBT public movement” as a banned “extremist” organization. The new ban is expected to take full effect by early next year – but some reports have said it is effective immediately – and while specifics haven’t been forthcoming, the label would clearly give state authorities much broader powers to go after activist groups.

  

  This follows on the heels of prior controversial legislation that extended the ban on “LGBT propaganda” even to adults. At first this was aimed at protecting children, but the law applies among adults as well, as of a year ago. This chiefly impacts media and publications, and activist organizations and public demonstrations.

  Additionally it’s aimed at NGOs. The Kremlin has long complained that well-funded NGOs from the West enter Russia and often spread counter-family values. 

  The Moscow Times has quoted the following activist in reaction to this latest planned expansion of the law: 

  “There are still some LGBT rights activists here in Russia. But they might well be the last ones,” Alexei Sergeyev, a St. Petersburg-based civil rights and LGBT activist, told The Moscow Times. 

  “As I always told myself, ‘I can handle the fines, but if there is a threat of imprisonment, I will leave’.”

  Individuals face a maximum of six years in prison if convicted of involvement in an “extremist” organization.

  Critics of the policy under Putin have claimed that such a thing as the “international LGBT movement” doesn’t exist.

  However, as CNN and other media outlets have long acknowledged, during Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State (under Obama), promotion of “LGBTQ” became “a core value of U.S. foreign policy”. This meant that any country seen as being resistant to this agenda was marked as a target for reform – and this has of course included Russia at top of the list.

  Recent years have witnessed US Embassies across the globe fly large rainbow flags. But many have pointed out glaring hypocrisy in the fact that while the biggest flags can be seen in places like Moscow or Belarus, the US doesn’t dare fly the ‘Pride’ flag in places like Saudi Arabia or other allied Muslim-dominant nations.

  Thus the Kremlin sees the cause of ‘gay rights’ as yet another public social domain that Washington has ‘weaponized’ to bring about political change in Russia. US officials have simultaneously publicly opined on overthrowing the “repressive” Putin “regime”. 

  The Supreme Court of Russia has recognized the LGBT movement as extremist and has banned its activities within the country.

  The decision to completely ban the LGBT movement in Russia comes into effect immediately. pic.twitter.com/DGPcYzygFZ

  — Constantin von Hoffmeister (@constantinvonh) November 30, 2023

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

  Conservative pundits in America have at the same time highlighted the mythology of a supposedly unified LGBTQ “community”. In recent years the “T”/or Trans has been effectively at war against the “L” and the “G”. Most Lesbians and their allies are traditional feminists, but the transgender movement has sought to erase feminism altogether.

  This is further highlighted in the long-running smears and attacks on Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, given she maintains there is a uniqueness to womanhood that can’t be mimicked or duplicated by men wishing to change their sex. It could be the case too that Russia doesn’t want to see this internal LGBTQ split and ideological war come to its own society.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 21:20

• Victor Davis Hanson: If Trump Wins Next Year, Will His Retribution Match (Or Exceed) The Injustices He's Endured?
  Victor Davis Hanson: If Trump Wins Next Year, Will His Retribution Match (Or Exceed) The Injustices He’s Endured?

  Authored by Victor Davis Hanson,

  Don’t Do Unto Others What We Would Have Done to Them?

  Once more, it gets even creepier how the projectionist Left is daily still shrieking about impending Trump “revenge” and “rage”, or about Trump’s purported enemies lists to come, or about his planned weaponization of the bureaucracies.

  The fear is in direct proportion to Biden cognitive decline, sinking polls, and walls-are-closing-in family corruption.

  

  Should we laugh or cry about the transparent hypocrisy?

  After all, who tried to wreck an administration with a 22-month-long Russian “collusion” fraud, suppressed a laptop with the lie it was Russian “disinformation”, or impeached a president for a phone call correctly identifying the Biden family’s operation in Ukraine as utterly corrupt and at the expense of U.S. interests?

  Do we recall that the Obama-Biden nexus—from 2009-17, and from 2021 until now—cemented the reputation of FBI as a partisan operation, rebooted the Pentagon as an agent of woke change ferreting out “white rage” and “white privilege”, reinvented the DOJ as a Biden family protection service, politicized the CIA so that it, along with the FBI, interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections, and warped the IRS by suppressing evidence of Biden family tax fraud?

  What Lois Lerner, Eric Holder (self-identified as Obama’s “wingman”), and Loretta Lynch left undone was taken up by Merrick Garland.

  Does the New York Times, or Joe Scarborough or any of these strange pundits raging about Trump rage to come remember how the “Logan Act” farce was used to destroy Michael Flynn?

  Or the Foreign Policy essay of Rosa Brooks, a former Obama-era Pentagon lawyer, about how to drive out Trump without waiting for the 2020 election, by either impeachment, the 25th Amendment – or a military coup?

  How about the “kill Trump” porn that saw celebrities, actors, and academics envisioning decapitating, stabbing, shooting, exploding, or incinerating the orange man?

  How about Anonymous’s confessions about how fellow bureaucrats were trying to undermine and sabotage the operations of the Trump administration from within? Or the Pentagon’s retired 4-stars calling for Trump to be removed the “sooner the better”, or labeling him a Mussolini or Nazi-like figure?

  Who paid Twitter millions to censor the news of political opponents?

  Who paid foreign national Christopher Steele to peddle a fake dossier to destroy the 2016 Republican candidate?

  Do we remember Biden’s Phantom-of-the-Opera harangue about his “ultra-MAGA” and “semi-fascists” political enemies?

  Were not the twin pillars of Biden’s current foreign policy team, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, once respectively knee-deep in the anti-Trump Alfa Bank-ping hoax and the “51 Intelligence Authorities” laptop scam?

  Again, the reason the media and politicians are terrified is that they are convinced Trump would do exactly what they would do in his place—and what they would do utterly suddenly horrifies them.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 21:00

• In Last-Minute Optics Rescue, VP Harris To Attend COP28 Climate Summit In Dubai
  In Last-Minute Optics Rescue, VP Harris To Attend COP28 Climate Summit In Dubai

  Authored by Austin Alonzo via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to Dubai for the COP28 summit being held Nov. 30 through Dec. 12.

  

  The White House announced on Nov. 29 that Ms. Harris, along with “dozens of senior U.S. officials representing more than 20 U.S. departments and agencies” will be headed to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP28, being held in the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

  In a Wednesday afternoon press call, Ike Irby, deputy domestic policy advisor to the vice president, said the visit builds on the administration’s “leadership on bold global action to address the climate crisis.“

  “Throughout her engagements in Dubai, Vice President Harris will highlight the administration’s historic investments to address the climate crisis at home and abroad and announce several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions support, adaptation, and boost climate resilience alongside global partners,” he said.

  Senior administration officials declined to share specific details of Ms. Harris’ expected visit but did say the vice president is expected to speak at multiple engagements on Dec. 2.

  Mr. Irby said Ms. Harris will have an opportunity to engage with global leaders assembled at COP28 and discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

  Ms. Harris is expected to speak during the World Climate Action Summit. More details are expected to be announced on Ms. Harris’ visit in the coming days.

  An overview schedule published by the UNFCCC said the World Climate Action Summit will take place on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2. It is scheduled to include high-level roundtables and events. The G77 and China Summit is expected to take place on Dec. 2.

  The overall objective of COP28, according to the UNFCCC, is to “address the climate crisis by agreeing on ways to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.” More than 70,000 delegates are expected to attend the event.

  “Countries are developing plans for a net-zero future, and the shift to clean energy is gathering speed, but … the transition is nowhere near fast enough yet to limit warming within the current ambitions,” the UNFCCC release said.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 20:40

• Thacker: Congress Must Hold The CDC Accountable For Cozy Ties To Pharma
  Thacker: Congress Must Hold The CDC Accountable For Cozy Ties To Pharma

  Authored by Paul Thacker via The Disinformation Chronicle,

  Congressional leaders with the House Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee will question CDC Director Mandy Cohen tomorrow in what should be an interesting hearing on restoring public trust.

  

  The hearing “should” be interesting, because this committee has a long history of holding corporate and government leaders accountable.

  However, we have yet to see this committee get any actual explanation for a rash of mistakes and failures during the COVID pandemic.

  

  During her final appearance before Congress last summer, the prior CDC Director, Rochelle Walensky, gave false testimony about a study on masks. When two researchers pointed out Walensky’s mistake, a congressional staffer emailed them that the committee would correct the record. “We want the record to reflect the accurate facts for posterity,” the staffer with House Appropriations wrote, “And take this responsibility very seriously as the lack of trust in public health officials is becoming an enormous problem for many reasons.”

  Having run congressional investigations for several years, I’m confused why the Energy and Commerce committee has done so little peeking into COVID scandals at the CDC—many of which I have documented during the last couple of years. Congressional staff work long hours and often don’t have the time to look into every problem, but how can the CDC regain public trust when employees with the PR firm for Pfizer and Moderna staff the CDC’s Vaccine Center?

  Last October, I discovered that employees with the global PR firm Weber Shandwick are embedded at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), the CDC group that implements vaccine programs. Weber Shandwick won this multi-million dollar CDC contract back in September 2020, during COVID pandemic’s first year. 

  

  A few weeks after Weber Shandwick won the CDC contract, a senior vice president at the firm posted a company blog that disclosed Weber Shandwick clients working on COVID-19 vaccines included GSK, Sanofi, and Pfizer. A special investigation by PR Week reported that Weber Shandwick provided publicity for Moderna’s COVID vaccine.

  

  “So excited to be starting a new role today,” one Weber Shandwick employee wrote on her LinkedIn account. “I’m joining Weber Shandwick as an Account Director supporting a contract I know well, at CDC’s NCIRD!”

  

  Weber Shandwick employees staffing NCIRD help to run the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). After ACIP recommended recommended in late 2021 that everyone over 12 receive a “bivalent” Covid-19 vaccine as a booster dose, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, warned that ACIP’s advice was made without convincing data.

  

  Despite sending a slew of emails to the CDC—some directly to the CDC Director—I never got an explanation for this obvious conflict of interest. Senator Rand Paul later sent the CDC a letter, but the agency ignored him. Will the House Committee demand answers?

  Share

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 20:20

• EVs Have 80% More Problems Than Traditional Gas Vehicles, Consumer Reports Finds
  EVs Have 80% More Problems Than Traditional Gas Vehicles, Consumer Reports Finds

  A new report from Consumer Reports found that electric vehicles have almost 80% more problems and are “generally less reliable” than conventional internal combustion engine cars. Good thing every major government around the world is subsidizing their use in the name of ‘climate change’, right?

  Even worse than electric vehicles were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which were found to have 150% more issues than traditional ICE vehicles, CBS reported. Ordinary hybrids are the best of the breed, with about 25% less problems than gas cars, the study found. 

  The study encompassed information from over 330,000 vehicles produced from 2000 to 2023, including a limited number of reports on brand-new 2024 models.

  The recent vehicle reliability report from Consumer Reports coincides with a time when car purchasers have the benefit of a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 when buying an electric vehicle. 

  But, as CBS noted in their summary, the adoption of EVs by consumers has been slower than initially anticipated. One contributing factor to this slower adoption is the higher maintenance costs associated with EVs compared to conventional vehicles, along with the necessity for additional equipment like home electric charging stations.

  EV owners most commonly reported issues related to the battery and charging systems, as well as issues with the fit and finish of the vehicle’s body panels and interior components. Consumer Reports observed that EV manufacturers are still in the process of mastering new power systems and suggested that as they gain expertise, the overall reliability of EVs would improve.

  

  Consumer Reports also pointed out that persistent concerns about reliability are likely to compound the challenges that deter many potential buyers from transitioning to EVs. These concerns join existing ones about higher costs, limited availability of charging infrastructure, and extended charging durations associated with EVs.

  CBS wrote:

  “PHEVs may have more problems than conventional cars and electric vehicles because they combine internal-combustion engines with an electric drive, which creates additional complexity, Consumer Reports said. That means there’s more than can go wrong.”

  “Consumer Reports rates vehicles on 20 problem areas, ranging from squeaky brakes to EV charging problems, and PHEVs can experience every one of them, it noted.”

  Not all PHEVs were horrible. According to Consumer Reports, the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Kia Sportage received reliability ratings that are above average. In addition, three plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – the BMW X5, Hyundai Tucson, and Ford Escape – achieved scores that were average. 

  Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports concluded: “This story is really one of growing pains. It’s a story of just working out the bugs and the kinks of new technology.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 20:00

• Republican Lawmakers Call CDC Attention To "Suspicious" Virus Outbreak In China
  Republican Lawmakers Call CDC Attention To “Suspicious” Virus Outbreak In China

  Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times,

  Top Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are calling for attention from U.S. health authorities on the “suspicious” clusters of viral infections and reports of pneumonia affecting Chinese children, warning that it would be “an abdication” of their duty for allowing the Chinese regime to “repeat its misdeeds from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

  

  In a Nov. 29 letter addressed to Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) director Mandy Cohen, who is set to testify before the committee’s oversight subcommittee on Thursday, the lawmakers underscored the Chinese regime’s repeated efforts to suppress information about the burgeoning COVID-19 crisis since it began to spread in China three years ago. Such actions by China have drawn criticism from international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which, the lawmakers noted, “has long been criticized for being overly accommodating to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”

  The infections of children with respiratory illness and pneumonia in China have overwhelmed hospitals and alarmed the WHO, which is urging China to share data about the outbreak. Anecdotal reports have also indicated that children are transmitting the illness to other members of their family, including adults.

  The Chinese authorities have responded by saying that they have detected no “unusual or novel pathogens or unusual clinical presentations,” and only a “general increase in respiratory illnesses due to multiple known pathogens,” according to a WHO statement on Nov. 23. It cited Chinese authorities as further stating that “the rise in respiratory illness has not resulted in patient loads exceeding hospital capacities.”

  The three Republican lawmakers—Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Brett Guthrie (R-Va.), and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.)—while expressing skepticism about WHO, are asking the CDC to step up.

  “The American people should not have to rely on the unaccountable and untrustworthy WHO to communicate information about Chinese public health threats. Further, we cannot allow the CCP to block the CDC from accessing the information it needs to protect Americans and assist in appropriate public health response efforts,” they wrote in the letter.

  They requested the CDC to brief the committee on a biweekly basis on the issue, and respond to a list of questions about the wave of respiratory illness in China by Dec. 13, including whether CDC has engaged with the Chinese counterparts regarding the outbreak issue, related details, and its plan of action.

  “There’s no question that we should be taking a hard look at it and not not counting on them to give us the real facts,” Mr. Griffith, chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told The Epoch Times’s sister media NTD.

  “We need to figure out what we need to do to protect ourselves from a disease that’s in China from coming here, if we can.”

  From the early days of the pandemic, the CDC had tried to offer assistance to China. Letters The Epoch Times obtained showed that Dr. Robert Redfield, who was head of the CDC at the time, had attempted to arrange for a team of experts to fly to China to help identify the virus. The United States and allies made nearly 100 requests to China asking to offer assistance in the health crisis, but the regime rejected them all, according to David Asher, a former lead COVID-19 investigator at the U.S. State Department.

  Now, concerns about overcrowded hospitals and long lines for seeing a doctor have led China’s top health body, the National Health Commission, to call for local clinics to increase their capacity.

  Chinese People on Front Line

  Chinese authorities haven’t provided any data on the current outbreak, but many schools are telling students to stay home because of the large number of sick children.

  A woman from Yunnan Province in southwestern China said that her four children are all experiencing fever. One of them has had a fever for half a month, with pimples appearing on the face and their throat swelling up and festering.

  “The doctor didn’t tell us much and prescribed us some drugs. We’ve been taking them, but there hasn’t been much effect,” she told The Epoch Times.

  Beijing resident Ms. Lin said that her two children had become infected first, before spreading the illness to her and her husband.

  At their school, parents have been asked to send digital requests for a leave of absence to a group chat monitored by teachers if their children become sick.

  “Every day, we would see some children explaining why they can’t come to school,” she told The Epoch Times.

  A majority of sick students are coughing. And even days after their symptoms go away, some of the children would start coughing again or develop fever soon after they returned to school, she said.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 19:40

• Gen-Zers: Here's What You Can Afford 
  Gen-Zers: Here’s What You Can Afford 

  Gen-Zers have it rough: coming to age and entering the workforce in a period where ‘Bidenomics‘ has utterly failed and most everything is unaffordable. 

  It’s not us saying this, but the poor, broke generation taking to social media platforms, X, TikTok, and Facebook, complaining about “owning nothing,” inflation, and working. 

  Rabobank senior macro strategist Benjamin Picton recently explained, “Gen Z’s in developed countries can’t afford to buy a home no matter how much they save, so why not embrace nihilism and buy those Taylor Swift tickets?” 

  The current mood of Gen-Zers…

  But for the Gen-Zers who can afford homes. Don’t expect to be buying the suburban house featured in the 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone. 

  

  Because you won’t be able to afford it. 

  So, here you go – a tiny house community: Welcome to the tiny jail cell tiny house. 

  You might not want to, but you’re going to live here pic.twitter.com/B1MqyQaK0O

  — 🌴 Josh Lekach 🌴 (@JoshLekach) November 28, 2023

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

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 19:20

• 2024 Presidential Election Will Be Decided By "Double Haters"
  2024 Presidential Election Will Be Decided By “Double Haters”

  Authored by Louis Perron via RealClear Wire,

  Elections with an incumbent are foremost a referendum on the incumbent. As two-thirds of Americans think that their country is headed in the wrong direction and more than half of voters tell pollsters that they disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing, the 2024 election is the Republicans’ to lose.

  

  In my forthcoming book “Beat the Incumbent,” I, however, warn candidates not to rely solely on the weaknesses, failures, and even scandals of an incumbent government. They are often not enough to bring down an incumbent government. As a focus group respondent once eloquently said, “Voting for a challenger is like moving houses. Yes, you’re unhappy with the place you currently live in, but you want to know what the new house will look like.”

  And that’s the problem for Republicans. Their likely nominee, Donald Trump, is as disliked as Joe Biden, and worse, he’s not a new commodity as challengers otherwise often are. Most people have made up their minds about him, and it’s much more difficult to change public opinion than to define it in the first place.

  I always tell my clients that the best and only starting point for effective campaign planning is brutal honesty. The reality is that being out on bail in four jurisdictions, Donald Trump is a deeply flawed general election candidate.

  So, the election is down to the so-called double haters, those who have an unfavorable opinion about both Trump and Biden. The consequence of this is that if the focus will be on Joe Biden next year, Donald Trump will win. If the spotlight is on Donald Trump, however, Joe Biden has a chance to survive.

  For any challenger, the first imperative is, therefore, to keep the focus on the incumbent and lock him in. Voters are clearly unhappy with the status quo, which means Donald Trump and Republicans now need to make the case on why this is Joe Biden’s fault. Don’t let them get away with it the way Barack Obama and his team avoided blame for economic dissatisfaction in 2012 and skillfully passed it on to George W. Bush.

  The second imperative is to describe what the new house, a second Trump term, would look like. Swing voters don’t care or might even be turned off by personal vendetta. Unless the conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East turn into World War III, the deciding issue will be, as always, the economy. Voters used to credit Trump with economic competence, so there is something to work with. During the first three years of Donald Trump in the White House, the U.S. economy did remarkably well. Republicans should take this record as a basis to actively renew and update their credibility on the economy. There has to be more in store to get out and vote for than the usual hackneyed claims of lower taxes and less bureaucracy.

  In politics, the biggest strength of a candidate is often his biggest weakness. In that sense, the case of Donald Trump is nothing new, but it’s just more pronounced. As enthusiastic his base might be (and the campaign should work on making them more enthusiastic and especially on turning them out to vote), Republicans have to come to terms with the fact that the base is not enough to win a general election under normal circumstances. While there are certainly fewer independents and swing voters than 20 or 30 years ago, they’re still out there, and they are still the ones to decide a general election. This means that Republicans and Trump have to do something that has become somewhat unfashionable in U.S. politics, namely, to reach out in a meaningful way.

  In other words, Republicans have to offer voters the right amount of change and do so in the right tone. If he will be the nominee, a way to make voters comfortable with voting for Trump is also to explain to them that you can’t get what you like about Trump (his record on the economy) without what you dislike about him (his personality). As is commonly said, it takes a tough man to make tender chicken.

  In terms of organization, Donald Trump is somebody who has always done everything on his own. But this is not the way to win a presidential campaign, and it cannot be done by the family. Having orchestrated political campaigns around the globe for more than a decade, I have come to realize the importance of discipline to manage resources and win elections.

  I can only warn Republicans about polls showing Trump leading Biden in battleground states. In terms of predicting the outcome of the election, polls are meaningless at this point in time. In fact, an early lead in the polls is a sweet poison, putting candidates and their teams to sleep and keeping them from taking much-needed action. Republicans have homework to do, and if they don’t take drastic action now, they might blow it (again).

  Dr. Louis Perron is a political consultant who has orchestrated and won elections around the globe – from big city mayors to presidents. His forthcoming book Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections is a step-by-step guide for challengers to win elections at any level of government.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 19:00

• Leftist Mobs Are Exploiting The Palestinian Issue As Vehicle For Cultural Revolution
  Leftist Mobs Are Exploiting The Palestinian Issue As Vehicle For Cultural Revolution

  In the early years of the Cultural Revolution Mao and the hard line communists were facing an increasing decline in their influence over Chinese society as their political opponents wanted more freedom in markets and changes in the CCP power structure.  In order to reestablish his dominance, Mao exploited the naivety and impulsiveness of college age children and used propaganda to appeal to their natural rebellious inclinations to conjure a rally cry of communist renewal.  Creating an ideological fervor, fear would be Mao’s ultimate weapon.

  Thus began the Cultural Revolution, a war against competing values and Mao’s political enemies disguised as “youthful activism.”  The mob became a roving army for the establishment, terrorizing the population as they targeted symbols of what they called the “Four Olds”:

  Old cultures, old ideas, old customs, and old habits.  In other words, anything that might sideline the communist cult in the mind of the public.  No ideas were allowed other than far-left ideas.    

  Museums were protested, ransacked and destroyed.  Centers of learning were shut down. Statues, art and symbols from China’s history were torn down.  Business owners and property owners were harassed, beaten or killed.  Struggle sessions were held regularly as the mobs dragged accused individuals into kangaroo courts and forced them to confess to the sin of not being communist enough.  

  Eventually, murder and genocide became a rationalized tactic to further the revolution.  As long as the activists were killing Mao’s potential enemies and keeping the populace in check, they were not interfered with.  The Red Guard was ordered to stand down and allow the activists to do whatever they pleased.  People singled out by the mob had no hope; no one was coming to save them.  One had to virtue signal their loyalty to the red  menace and to Mao daily, and even then they still might not be safe.

  If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because the exact same tactics are being used today by the establishment and the political left in America and Europe.  We haven’t quite reached the point of mass-murder in the name of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” but give it a little more time and that is likely where western civilization is headed.  

  Black Lives Matter hysteria is now in steep decline, the public is growing increasingly exhausted with militant gay and trans propaganda, the Jan. 6th hype is not turning the public against conservatives the way the media hoped it would and no one cares about climate change doom mongering anymore – The political left is facing a spiral into irrelevancy as all their favorite hot button issues fade into the background.  They need a new conflict to co-opt.

  Suddenly, the war between Hamas and Israel has become the defining concern of the leftists in the west.  Most of them have never traveled to the region, have no genetic or cultural ties to it, they have no education on the basic history of the divide and many of them actually believe that Muslim culture is compatible with progressive ideals.  

  It’s an odd thing to be sure.  Not long ago these same activists were rabidly defensive of Israel and organizations like the ADL, accusing conservative critics of “anti-semitism.”  Now, they are chanting slogans like “from the river to the sea,” a mantra calling for the erasure of Israel. 

     

  Why do leftists take sides in Israel at all?  Because it is politically convenient to do so.  They don’t care about the plight of Palestinians or Israelis, they only care about movements of social power and using those causes to get what they want.  For a time, the Israeli/Jewish cause was useful to them.  The ADL and similar organizations operated as an amplifier for woke activism and conservatives could be demonized as bigots for exposing ADL operations.  The two groups worked as a tag team.

  Now, Israel is more valuable to the left as a monster to be slain as they covet what they see as an untapped resource among Muslim migrants who also predominantly hate the west.  The call for “decolonization” is the running theme; whether in reference to Israel, the US or Europe, the end game is deconstruction of all ideas outside of the woke ideology.  Decolonization is merely an excuse – A way to hide a declaration of war behind the righteous mask of activism.  And much like the Cultural Revolution in China, law enforcement to contain the intimidation is noticeably absent or neutered.  It is as if they have been ordered to keep intervention to a minimum.

  Teacher forced to hide in a locked room while a mob of students riot after they learned she attended a pro-Israel rally. This happened at a high school in Queens, NY. pic.twitter.com/BtGrQoup0S

  — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 26, 2023

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

  The purpose of the this revolution is to dismantle the “Four Olds” in the west, and leftists are hoping Muslim migrants will be a source of muscle to help them finish the job.

  They are attempting to consolidate a wide array of inconsistent causes into one framework that they can control and it’s hard to see how exactly the organization is going to work.  Can progressives mix feminism, socialism, atheism, and LGBT indoctrination with Muslim Sharia culture which seeks to remove all of these things?  It’s doubtful, but the two groups seem to see each other as mutually beneficial for now. 

  After Muslims have served their purpose progressives will cast them into the deplorable pit as well, just as they have turned on their old allies in Israel.  In the meantime, you’re going to continue seeing wave after wave of mob actions in the US and Europe, replete with Muslim and Hamas slogans right next to BLM, Antifa, feminist and LGBT protest signs.  It’s not supposed to make logical sense, it’s a cultural revolution; the point is to destroy the old culture by any means necessary and sort out the rest later.   

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 18:40

• Sen. Rand Paul To Force Vote On Syria Withdrawal
  Sen. Rand Paul To Force Vote On Syria Withdrawal

  Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

  Sen. Rand Paul is planning to force a vote on a resolution he introduced to withdraw all US troops from Syria, as US bases in the country have come under frequent attack since mid-October, Responsible Statecraft reported on Wednesday.

  Paul introduced the resolution on November 15, and it would order the removal of the approximately 900 US troops stationed in Syria within 30 days unless President Biden receives authorization for war from Congress.

  

  Sources told RS that the vote could happen as early as next week. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a similar resolution in the House earlier this year, which failed in a vote of 103-321.

  According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 73 attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria, including over 30 in Syria. The attacks started on October 17 in response to President Biden’s support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.

  The US has conducted several rounds of airstrikes in response, which have killed at least 15 people, according to US officials speaking to The New York Times. Strikes launched in Iraq targeted Kataib Hezbollah, a leading Iraqi Shia militia that’s aligned with Iran.

  There has been a lull in attacks since the Israel-Hamas truce went into effect on Friday, but Kataib Hezbollah and other Shia militias have signaled the attacks will resume once the pause in Gaza is over.

  The Iraqi government has warned without a durable ceasefire in Gaza, the war risks escalating into a major regional conflict. The US occupation of eastern Syria, which is strongly opposed by Damascus, has always been a possible trip wire for a broader war in the region due to Russia and Iran’s presence in the country.

  “senior US military officials say that only luck has spared the United States from more serious casualties.”@dandcaldwell and I have been writing about this for a long time. A shame this article doesn’t even ask why we have troops in Iraq and Syria. https://t.co/DoUMPdpFhB

  — Justin Logan (@JustinTLogan) November 29, 2023

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

  On paper, the US is in the country to help fight ISIS remnants, but the occupation is part of the economic campaign against Syria, which also includes crippling sanctions, and is seen by hawks in Washington as a hedge against Iran.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 18:20

• US Suicides Hit Record High In 2022, Life Expectancy Ticks Up
  US Suicides Hit Record High In 2022, Life Expectancy Ticks Up

  The number of suicides in the United States hit a record high in 2022 according to new provisional data from the federal government.

  

  An estimated 44,449 people committed suicide in 2022, which is 3% higher than the 48,183 people who did so in 2021 – the previous high, according to a Wednesday report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

  

  The suicide rate in 2022 was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people vs. 14.1 per 100,000 in 2021, marking the highest rate since 1941.

  The numbers will likely be higher in the final report due to lagging suicide reports, according to the authors.

  “Reporting of suicides in particular can be delayed due to investigations regarding the cause and circumstances surrounding the death.”

  Demographics

  By sex, the suicide rate for males were 1% higher in 2022 than in 2021 at 23.1 per 100,000 vs. 22.7. For women the rate was 4% higher vs. 2021.

  By age, the suicide rate declined for those aged 34 and under, and increased for those 35 and older. The rate for men aged 75 and older was the highest last year at nearly 44 per 100,000 people. While women have suicidal thoughts more frequently, men are four times as likely to actually do so.

  This should be the number one news story every day. Why are suicides hitting an all-time high in America?

  Why are so many American men killing themselves? pic.twitter.com/UMdayspDBj

  — Benjamin Carlson (@bfcarlson) November 29, 2023

  By race, Native Americans had the highest rate at 26.7 per 100,000 – though the rate was 5% lower in 2022 vs. 2021 and this was the only group to experience a decline in rates, ABC News reports. All other races had a 1-3% increase in suicide rates.

  Life Expectancy Rebounding

  

  On the bright side, the same report reveals that life expectancy has increased 1.1 years from 2021, a slight rebound from the depths of covid, but still not back to pre-covid levels.

  

  Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years an infant would live. The improvement was primarily driven by a drop in Covid deaths, but decreases in heart disease and cancer mortality also helped.

  There’s still more ground to recover to get back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, average life expectancy was 78.8 years. In the two years following the onset of the pandemic, life expectancy had the biggest back-to-back decline in a century.

  Life expectancy rose for all races in 2022. Asian and Hispanic people can both expect to live at least 80 years — longer than White, Black and American Indian and Alaska Native people. –Bloomberg

  The biggest gains by race were seen in the Native American and Hispanic populations.

  

  “In 2022, the number of deaths from COVID-19 was not insubstantial,” Elizabeth Arias, a researcher with the NCHS who was the lead author of the report, told CNN (via the Epoch Times) “Holding everything else constant, we’d need to see another large decline in COVID mortality for life expectancy to increase.”

  “We only made up close to half of the loss [in life expectancy], and for some groups, it’s even less,” Arias continued. “We would need the same pattern that we observed in 2022 again in 2023 and then, perhaps, the following year to completely make up the loss.”

   

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

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 18:00

• China's Battered Banks Are Poised For More Pain
  China’s Battered Banks Are Poised For More Pain

  By John Cheng, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist

  China’s battered banking stocks will likely decline further as they are summoned by local authorities to support the country’s struggling property developers, analysts say.

  Latest policy moves to boost lending to developers — including via the use of unsecured loans — have only strengthened the conviction that lenders’ shares may weaken further. Even record-low valuations have not been enough to lure investors, with the CSI 300 Banks Index slumping to a one-year low amid worries over shrinking margins.

  “Unfortunately, we think banks may have to do more national service this time to stabilize the growth expectations,” said Xiadong Bao, a fund manager at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management in Paris. “We think those headwinds may persist given the challenging macro condition and weak consumer sentiment. It is difficult to have a positive view before the credit cycle comes back.”

  

  China’s banks face a conundrum of balancing support for the property sector and the economy with the need to manage their already depressed earnings. The sector’s net interest margins slumped to a record low of 1.73% as of September, below the 1.8% threshold seen as necessary to maintain reasonable profitability.

  In a readout last week, China’s parliament asked lenders to step up funding for developers to reduce the risk of additional defaults and ensure completion of housing projects, adding that the financial sector’s profits have room to fall as a share of the economy. Lenders are also being directed to refinance loans to local governments at lower rates.

  Still, banks could circumvent guidance to provide unsecured loans to developers “due to credit risk concerns,” JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts including Katherine Lei wrote in a note.

  While banks may stay selective on new property loans, “headwinds from rising system leverage, prolonged property stress, and a shifting policy environment are weighing on banks’ growth and profitability,” Fitch Ratings Inc. analysts including Lan Wang wrote in a note, adding that the impact on larger state banks will be more modest.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 17:40

• Federal Judge Orders FBI To Finally Release Seth Rich's Laptop
  Federal Judge Orders FBI To Finally Release Seth Rich’s Laptop

  Submitted by ‘blueapples’,

  The murder of Seth Rich has long been one of the stones left unturned since the fall out following the 2016 presidential election. Rich, a 27-year old staffer for the Democratic National Committee was shot twice in the back on July 10th, 2016 while walking back to his home in Washington DC. He was not robbed, yet his death was ruled nothing more than a botched robbery.

  

  Although his murder would occur months before the election of Donald Trump, Rich’s name would become inextricably tied to the build up that culminated in that populist victory.

  Many suspect Rich was the source of the leaked DNC emails provided to WikiLeaks – a rumor which was fueled by the odd circumstances surrounding his death, the sudden retirement of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier five weeks after the murder, and an email John Podesta sent to Hillary’s inner circle about ‘making an example’ of a suspected leaker, written more than a year before Rich’s death.

  Podesta: “I’m definitely for making an example of a suspected leaker whether or not we have any real basis for it.” https://t.co/MZ2a9gk5t3 pic.twitter.com/qQ9tO2aimY

  — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 30, 2016

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

  Troves of emails were published by Wikileaks giving insight into the corrupt inner machination of the Democratic National Committee. While Rich was never officially revealed as the source of the leaked emails, it has been heavily suggested. Julian Assange was one key figure who made that suggestion when he highlighted Rich’s murder during a 2016 interview in which he was asked about the risks that come with operating WikiLeaks. Megavideo founder and entrepeneur Kim Dotcom said in May of 2017 that he worked with Rich to connect him with Assange.

  I knew Seth Rich. I know he was the @Wikileaks source. I was involved. https://t.co/MbGQteHhZM

  — Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) May 20, 2017

  At one point, Assange heavily implied Rich was his source for the DNC emails. Meanwhile, WikiLeaks offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to the murderer of Rich. 

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

  Julian Assange on Seth Rich
  h/t @KristinaDawn7 pic.twitter.com/mfoIolR7c8

  — Te𝕏asLindsay™ (@TexasLindsay_) November 29, 2023

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

  Following Rich’s murder, law enforcement took possession of the deceased staffer’s personal and work laptops in addition to other possessions found on his person at the scene of the crime. However, the information in that evidence has long been kept under lock and key, furthering speculation of a cover-up of his murder as a move for power consolidation by those with vested interests in the democratic establishment. After years, it finally appears that they will not remain a secret much longer.

  The emails pointed to evidence of of “Pay for Play” by Clinton Foundation donors who funded ISIS, the DNC cheating against Bernie Sanders, MSM collusion with the Clinton campaign, Hillary’s dreams of open borders, “unaware and compliant” citizens, ‘Spirit Cooking’ (email), Wet Works, and evidence of Aliens and Zero Point Energy.

  The FBI Must hand it over

  On Tuesday, Federal Judge Amose Mazzant of the United States District Court For The Eastern District of Texas issued a memorandum opinion and ordering the FBI to release the information contained in Rich’s laptops. The order comes from the lawsuit Huddleston v. Fed. Bureau of Investigation. Brian Huddleston, the plaintiff in the civil case, filed FOIA requests in 2017 and 2020 compelling the FBI and DOJ to release the information contained in Rich’s laptops.

  BREAKING NEWS: FBI ordered to disclose information on Seth Rich’s personal laptop, Seth Rich’s work laptop, the DVD, and the tape drive within 14 days following this order by the Federal Judge in Texas!

  Huge Shout Out to Ty Clevenger, One of my amazing attorneys and friends!!!… pic.twitter.com/XPAeqWjjzN

  — Matt Couch (@RealMattCouch) November 29, 2023

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

  After filing those FOIA requests, the FBI and DOJ spent years manipulating the legal system in order to avoid disclosing that evidence. It has repeatedly filed motions to stay the scheduling orders advancing Huddleston’s case in the aim of bringing the evidence to light. In 2022, the plaintiff achieved a major victory when Judge Mazzant ruled the FBI improperly withheld the evidence from Huddleston’s FOIA request. The order issued Tuesday dictates that the FBI finally must agree to a timeline for the disclosure of the information with Huddleston.

  Mazzant’s order to release the information in response to Huddleston’s FOIA request may prove to be a watershed moment in the pursuit of revealing what information Rich had that could have prove to be the motive behind his murder. To this day, no arrests have ever made following his shooting. Despite police characterizing the murder as an attempted robbery, Rich’s wallet, watch, and other valuables were not taken from him after being fatally shot twice in the back.

  Suspicions spawned by the nature of the supposed “robbery” have fueled speculation about the real motive behind Rich’s murder to this day. Like anything else that didn’t conform to the mainstream narrative surrounding the 2016 election, suggestions that Rich’s murder was politically motivated have since been “debunked” as conspiracy theories. However, with the forthcoming release of the information contained in Seth Rich’s laptops, it appears that a fact-checker who is actually determined to uncover the truth has finally emerged.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 11/30/2023 – 17:25

Digest powered by RSS Digest