Today’s News 1st July 2022

• Poland Completes Belarus Border Wall To Repel Middle East And African Migrants
  Poland Completes Belarus Border Wall To Repel Middle East And African Migrants

  Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and a delegation of security officials traveled to their country’s border on Thursday to mark the completion of a 186-mile steel wall along the Belarus frontier.

  In remarks to reporters, Morawiecki used some some spin to deflect liberal attention from Poland’s selective approach to immigration that welcomes Ukrainians while rejecting Syrians—by portraying the migrant barrier as part of the West’s confrontation with Russia: 

  “The first sign of the war in Ukraine was (Belarus President) Alexander Lukashenko’s attack on the Polish border with Belarus. It was thanks to (our) political foresight and the anticipation of what may happen that we may focus now on helping Ukraine, which is fighting to protect its sovereignty,” he told reporters. 

  Belarus has backed Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, to include allowing Russian forces to use Belarussian territory.

  Lukashenko’s “attack” on Poland came in the form of weaponized migration, as his government encouraged Middle East migrants to come to Belarus and then attempt to enter the European Union via the country’s borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. That move was seen as a novel form of retaliation for EU sanctions against Belarus over its treatment of dissidents. 

  

  Thousands of migrants from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Africa poured into Belarus and proceeded to the Polish border, where they endured bitter cold in their quest to cross the border. At times, the situation has brought major confrontations. In November, hundreds of migrants pushed toward the border near the Polish village of Kuznica and attempted to defeat a barbed wire fence with spades and other tools. 

  “This is part of the inhuman and really gangster-style approach of the Lukashenko regime that he is lying to people, he is misusing people … and bringing them to Belarus under the false promise of having easy entry into the EU,” an EU spokesperson said at the time.

  Human rights groups have accused both countries of mistreating migrants. At least 20 have died in the border area’s “freezing forests and bogs,” says the Associated Press. 

  Coinciding with the completion of the wall, the Polish government lifted an emergency declaration that barred journalists and human rights activists from observing the situation along the border.

  

  Activists have criticized the Polish government for simultaneously welcoming predominantly white, Christian, female refugees from Ukraine while turning away the largely Muslim, male migrants from elsewhere.

  “If you give a lift to a refugee at the Ukrainian border you are a hero. If you do it at the Belarus border you are a smuggler and could end up in jail for eight years,” Natalia Gebert, founder of a Polish nongovernmental organization that helps refugees, told AP.

  Meanwhile, in another sign of tension between Warsaw and Minsk, Thursday also brought a Polish government accusation that Belarus was fostering an “atmosphere of acquiescence” to vandalism against Polish graves, Reuters reports: 

  Poland’s foreign ministry said unknown perpetrators had recently damaged Polish tombstones and commemorations in several locations, mainly in Western Belarus, which used to be part of Poland before World War Two and where many Polish soldiers are buried.      

  

  The wave of Ukrainian immigration is taking a toll on the EU, as evidenced by German unemployment data posted Thursday. Analysts had projected the number of jobless would drop by 5,000, but it leapt by 133,000.   

  “These increases are due to the fact that the Ukrainian refugees are now being recorded in the job centers and are therefore visible in the labor market statistics,” said Federal Labor Agency head Detlef Scheele. 

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 07/01/2022 – 02:45

• Luongo: The G-7 Squawks But They've Already Lost The War Against Russia
  Luongo: The G-7 Squawks But They’ve Already Lost The War Against Russia

  Authored by Tom Luongo via Gold, Goats, ‘n Guns blog,

  So, the G-7 leaders are in agreement, more war with Russia. Without actually saying exactly that, that was the main takeaway from he meeting of the most feckless leaders in the world.

  

  They also pledged $600 billion they don’t have to fund global infrastructure projects to ‘combat China’s Belt and Road Initiative.’ One wonders where all this money and, in the case of Europe, energy is going to come from to fund all of this.

  But the question I’ve had from the beginning of this obvious war of attrition the West wants to impose on Russia is the following: Do we have the stamina, in terms of real production capacity, to cash these checks our leaders are writing?

  A major report from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), one of the oldest military think tanks in the UK emphatically said not in anyone’s wildest dreams. Alex Mercouris of The Duran did an amazing job of breaking down what RUSI thought about NATO’s ability to wage war vs. Russia’s current military tempo, days before this idea caught fire.

  In short, the gulf between NATO’s annual munition production and weekly consumption by the UAF is staggeringly vast.

  I told you at the outset of this war that Russia was absolutely engaged in a war of attrition against the West, hoping NATO would take the bait of a ground war in Ukraine.  I didn’t have numbers to back this up, only the inference because of what I understood about Putin and his previous maneuvers against the West.

  What’s obvious to me is the neocons and neoliberals controlling the West think they can turn Ukraine into a quagmire for Putin, but what if Putin thinks he can turn Ukraine into a quagmire for them?

  Russia is not capable of conquering Europe. But he doesn’t need to to defeat them. He just needs to create a version of this map:

  

  I knew that Putin wouldn’t commit Russia to this conflict if it couldn’t sustain fighting it.  I also knew that the West would LIE OUTRAGEOUSLY about the level of corruption within the Russian society to play on the biases of marginally-informed American armchair generals. 

  Is the Russian system perfect?  No.  Is there corruption? Yes. But it’s complete nonsense to think it wouldn’t be uncovered and stripped out of all branches of the Russian military/industrial complex during the initial military gambit. The shifts made by Russia strategically and in terms of personnel have set it up for the long haul, fighting a type of war they are very good at and which the US and NATO left the UAF mostly defenseless against.

  Now, with sanctions further hollowing out the US’s and Europe’s economies and the “leadership” of the buffoons that just met in Germany, Russia is in the driver’s seat to grind out a victory in Ukraine and leave the West depleted of weapons if the current situation goes on without a course correction.

  The point made by RUSI is that it may not be possible to course correct in time (or ever) in the time frame needed to affect the outcome in Ukraine, absent an unthinkable escalation.

  The exhaustion we thought we would put to Russia, is the ultimate form of ‘sanctions boomerang’ on the West. To listen to RUSI tell the tale, we’re the ones without the capacity to fight if the conflict widens.

  And yet, to listen to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken or National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, you would think Russia is still on the verge of collapse.

  Now the G-7 think they have the power to set a global price cap on crude oil. I’ve told you time and again that Davos really does believe they have some kind of monopsony power over Russia’s exports. They still believe that their thirst for energy, food, industrial metals, fertilizer, etc. gives them power over Putin.

  I remind you of this pivotal scene in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises:

  And Putin is the moderate within Russian power circles. There are a hundred Banes waiting in the wings happy to snap the necks of the John Daggetts he no longer needs to sell oil and gas to.

  I’ve watched Putin for years.  I’ve seen him put pressure on his central bank and the bankers to reform the financial sector.  I’ve seen him publicly dress down and reform major industrial oligarchs in metals production.  Six plus years of military operations in Syria have given him a lot of data on how to execute a long-term strategy and find the break points of his logistics and operations.

  And I’m sure that this war in Ukraine is as much another data gathering exercise for the capabilities of the West as much as it is a stress test on his own internal production systems.

  Russia is now 4 months into this review.  Lots of people have been fired, jailed, etc.  The non-hackers are being weeded out.  Operations are leaning out.  

  Now let’s look at the West.

  The US under Biden is now amping up military spending, presumably to increase ammunition production levels.  But it may not be.  As Alex rightly points out, echoing points that Dexter White has discussed in the Gold Goats ‘n Guns newsletter, keiretsu or just-in-time manufacturing is how we operate here in the West.  That system is under massive stress thanks to the supply chain breakdown created by Davos over COVID-19.

  While sanctions may have limited Russia’s ability to procure or maintain a large arsenal of its highest technology tanks and/or airplanes, again as Dexter has pointed out, it may not be relevant here because this isn’t a war of bleeding edge technology.

  It’s a WWI style artillery war, which we are not prepared to fight.  Scott Ritter pointed out to me when we met at the recent Ron Paul Institute conference that NATO no longer trains in maneuver warfare.  While Russia’s combined forces training is limited, as evidenced in its attack on Kiev in February, the US’s major advantage has been severely curtailed by lack of training and readiness over the past couple of decades.  

  So, what we have, overall, is a military picture with weak supply chains, limited ability to ramp production, and a military that hasn’t trained for sustained warfare on a mass scale.

  This means that Biden’s expansion of the DoD’s budget to $813 billion this year may not even be what we think it means.  Instead of being a buildup to fight a wider war, this may seriously be just the last dip at the trough before the whole system comes crashing down.

  Remember, that Davos wants the US destroyed.  It has assiduously hollowed out vital US manufacturing capability while simultaneously putting it in a fragile fiscal position with a divided and angry population.

  The stage is set for internal conflict of a type and kind that we haven’t seen in over 150 years.  And we’re supposed to fight a war with Russia, a nuclear and conventional military powerhouse?

  This is leaving aside the reality that if NATO declares open war on Russia that Blinkered Blinken and the anti-Diplomats have pushed China into being paranoid about our intentions over Taiwan.

  The real stress test is happening now.  Ukraine is getting crushed under the weight of Russia’s ability to sustain an inhuman level of artillery bombardment.  The RUSI article only touches on the potential for Russia to continue its production of the needed munitions, but one gets the idea that these things are cheap and fully domestically sourced.

  This has forced into the open the massive shortfall of industrial capacity in the West as well as fracturing the political leadership as to what they should ultimately do here.

  Half of them want to continue the war in perpetuity. The other half want a ceasefire.  None of them would admit this at the G-7 meeting out of a need to not look weak or admit that the Russians have exposed them.  

  It takes a staggering amount of energy to fight a sustained war.  The West is at the mercy of Russia to get that energy.

  The next phase of this war is now the complete divorce of Europe from the Russian energy complex at prices that can’t keep Europe from sinking into depression if not outright depravity.

  To achieve this, these out-of-touch narcissists think they can set a limit on what they will pay for a barrel of oil? I thought I’d heard it all in this life, but this is almost as delusional as the average Libs of TikTok video post Roe v. Wade’s demise.

  The financial war of attrition against the West I’ve discussed at length for months is the reality of the day.  Ultimately without energy or the money to procure or produce it, there is no real conventional war. Industrial warfare having returned, as is the premise of the RUSI article, has already determined the outcome in Ukraine.

  This is just part of the reason why Henry Kissinger urged at this year’s Davos meeting to open up talks and begin the negotiations. It seems at this point his admonishments have fallen on deaf ears. Given the average age of the idiots making these decisions, this is, of course, not surprising.

  Davos has set the US up for complete humiliation in Ukraine, sacrificed thousands of Ukrainians, bankrupted millions of Europeans and corrupted hundred of millions sustaining a vast bureaucracy incapable of responding to the growing needs of a failing system.

  The sad part is this:  They think they are #winning, because so much of this is going according to plan. They are missing the big parts about destroying the US too quickly in the process, if you want it to fight your war to cover your bankruptcy.

  Russia and China will cut Europe off from global trade if Europe defaults on its debt, which ECB President Christine Lagarde just told the world she is ready to do.  The Fed’s hawkishness is already destroying the Eurodollar markets, the source of Davos’ power.  

  

  The vestiges of US Federalism still function at a high enough level to thwart all of their plans. c.f. the SCOTUS decisions last week and Ron DeSantis’ track record as Florida Governor.

  Speaking of DeSantis, he’s rapidly emerging as the front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2024.

  So, in conclusion this is what I see next:

  • Russia will not stop with their victory in Donbass

  • They will take Nikolaev, Kharkov and Odessa (Note Russian spelling, screw the BBC!).

  • Russia will not take the bait over Kaliningrad, but will cut off all gas to Germany.

  • The German government will fall, but it won’t matter b/c the Greens, who set policy, control the Bundesrat.

  • Russia will continue to not give Davos the excuse to start WWIII, even with Finland and Sweden entering the alliance.

  • They will keep upping the stakes while further exposing the emptiness of their threats.

  • The Biden Admin. will keep trying to start a war over Taiwan

  • Eventually China will oblige them, even though they don’t want to.

  • Bulgaria’s collapse is just the start of the end of the EU in Eastern Europe.

  • NATO will either collapse or nukes will fly…. I’m still betting on the former.

  • Erdogan caving over NATO expansion means Putin will oppose him in Syria.

  • The Fed will continue raising rates while the ECB hangs on for dear life.

  In desperation I expect a false flag provocation to force the Russians into a move or simply justify the Davos pulling us into their next war, i.e. another virus or chemical weapons attack this time blamed on Putin.

  The goal of this project is an independent Europe, a broken US and vassalage for Asia.

  They will achieve, at best, one of those three things.  An independent, but broken Europe under the vassalage of Russia and China, the the US retreats and licks its wounds. That’s the future I see now, if the nukes don’t fly.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 07/01/2022 – 02:00

• The Great Reset In Action: Ending Freedom Of The Press, Speech, & Expression
  The Great Reset In Action: Ending Freedom Of The Press, Speech, & Expression

  Authored by Birsen Filip via The Mises Institute,

  Governments, corporations, and elites have always been fearful of the power of a free press, because it is capable of exposing their lies, destroying their carefully crafted images, and undermining their authority. In recent years, alternative journalism has been growing and more people are relying on social media platforms as sources of news and information. In response, the corporate state, digital conglomerates, and the mainstream media have been increasingly supportive of the silencing and censoring of alternative media outlets and voices that challenge the official narrative on most issues.

  

  At the recent World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, “Australian eSafety commissioner” Julie Inman Grant stated that “freedom of speech is not the same thing as a free for all,” and that “we are going to need a recalibration of a whole range of human rights that are playing out online—from freedom of speech … to be free from online violence.” Meanwhile, the Canadian government is seeking to restrict independent media and the freedom of expression via the implementation of Bill C-11, which would allow it to regulate all online audiovisual platforms on the internet, including content on Spotify, Tik Tok, YouTube, and podcast clients.

  Similarly, the UK is seeking to introduce an Online Safety Bill, the US “paused” the establishment of a Disinformation Governance Board following backlash, and the European Union approved its own Digital Services Act, all of which aim to limit the freedom of speech. Attempts by elites and politicians to silence dissenters and critical thinkers is not something new. In fact, history is full of examples of “the persecution of men of science, the burning of scientific books, and the systematic eradication of the intelligentsia of the subjected people.”

  However, these current efforts to curtail freedom of speech and press by supposedly liberal governments are still somewhat ironic, given that even “the most intolerant of churches, the Roman Catholic Church, even at the canonization of a saint, admits, and listens patiently to, a ‘devil’s advocate.’ The holiest of men, it appears, cannot be admitted to posthumous honors, until all that the devil could say against him is known and weighed.”

  The corporate state, digital conglomerates, and the mainstream media want to ensure that they have the exclusive authority to dictate people’s opinions, wants, and choices through their sophisticated propaganda techniques. To do so, they have even resorted to transforming falsehoods into truth. In fact, the word truth has already had its original meaning altered, as those who speak the truth on certain subjects are now regularly accused of spreading hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation.

  Presently, truth is no “longer something to be found, with the individual conscience as the sole arbiter of whether in any particular instance the evidence (or the standing of those proclaiming it) warrants a belief; it becomes something to be laid down by authority, something which has to be believed in the interest of the unity of the organized effort, and which may have to be altered as the exigencies of this organised effort require it.”

  However, modifying the definition of truth comes with the potential for great peril, as truth-seeking often contributes to human progress in that it leads to discoveries that ultimately benefit society at large. It should be noted that truth is by no means the only word whose meaning has been changed recently in order for it to serve as an instrument of propaganda; others include freedom, justice, law, right, equality, diversity, woman, pandemic, vaccine, etc. This is highly concerning, because such attempts at the “perversion of language, the change of meaning of the words by which the ideals” of the ruling class are expressed is a consistent feature of totalitarian regimes.

  As a number of liberal-democratic governments increasingly move toward totalitarianism, they want people to forget that there is “the greatest difference between presuming an opinion to be true, because, with every opportunity for contesting it, it has not been refuted, and assuming its truth for the purpose of not permitting its refutation.” According to them, “public criticism or even expressions of doubt must be suppressed because they tend to weaken public support.”

  In fact, they believe that all views and opinions that might cast doubt or create hesitation need to be restricted in all disciplines and on all platforms. This is because “the disinterested search for truth cannot be allowed” when “the vindication of the official views becomes the sole object” of the ruling class. In other words, the control of information is practiced and the uniformity of views is enforced in all fields under totalitarian rule.

  The suppression of freedom of the press, speech, expression, and thought means that current and future generations will be “deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.” They are also at risk of becoming ignorant of the fact that the only way in which a person can know “the whole of a subject” is by “hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion, and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind.” That is to say, current and future generations will be unaware that “the steady habit of correcting and completing” one’s own “opinion by collating it with those of others, so far from causing doubt and hesitation in carrying it into practice, is the only stable foundation for a just reliance on it.”

  At present, it is likely that the masses do not regard freedom of the press, speech, expression, and thought as being particularly important, because “the great majority are rarely capable of thinking independently, that on most questions they accept views which they find ready-made, and that they will be equally content if born or coaxed into one set of beliefs or another.” Nevertheless, no one should have the power and authority to “select those to whom” freedom of thought, enlightenment and expression is to be “reserved.”

  In fact, John Stuart Mill went so far as to claim that “if all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” He further added that silencing the expression of an opinion is essentially an act of “robbing the human race,” which applies to both current and future generations. Even though the suppressors can deny the truth to people at a particular point in time, “history shows that every age having held many opinions which subsequent ages have deemed not only false but absurd; and it is as certain that many opinions, now general, will be rejected by future ages, as it is that many, once general, are rejected by the present.”

  If current efforts to suppress freedom of the press, speech, expression, and thought succeed, then the search for truth will eventually be abandoned and totalitarian authorities will decide what “doctrines ought to be taught and published.” There will be no limits to who can be silenced, as the control of opinions will be extended to all people in all fields. Accordingly, contemporary authoritarian policy makers need to be reminded about the crucial importance of freedom of speech, expression, and thought, which the US Supreme Court recognized in the 1957 case Sweezy v. New Hampshire when it ruled that

  to impose any strait jacket upon the intellectual leaders in our colleges and universities would imperil the future of our Nation. No field of education is so thoroughly comprehended by man that new discoveries cannot yet be made…. Teachers and students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise, our civilization will stagnate and die…. Our form of government is built on the premise that every citizen shall have the right to engage in political expression and association. This right was enshrined in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Exercise of these basic freedoms in America has traditionally been through the media of political associations…. History has amply proved the virtue of political activity by minority, dissident groups, who innumerable times have been in the vanguard of democratic thought and whose programs were ultimately accepted. Mere unorthodoxy or dissent from the prevailing mores is not to be condemned. The absence of such voices would be a symptom of grave illness in our society.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 23:50

• Dutch Farmers Livid Over EU's 'Green' Nitrogen Rule Block Border Between Holland And Germany
  Dutch Farmers Livid Over EU’s ‘Green’ Nitrogen Rule Block Border Between Holland And Germany

  Thousands of tractor-driving Dutch protesters came out this week to continue demonstrations against the government’s radical plan to cut nitrogen emissions by 30% – 70% as part of their ‘green’ agenda.

  

  Farmers from the world’s 5th largest exporter of food are demanding that the Hague immediately reverse course, and have blocked the border between Holland and Germany over the rule which would lead to the closure of dozens of farms and cattle ranches.

  Very angry Dutch farmers block border between Holland and Germany. Harsh protests in many Dutch cities after politicians’ decision to closes dozens of farms and cattle ranches to reduce nitrogen by 30% – 70% to comply with EU regulations on nitrogen pollution. pic.twitter.com/uKYXj0gvD8

  — RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) June 30, 2022

  On Wednesday, dozens of tractors blocked a highway close to the German border, according to traffic authorities.

  Even larger protests are scheduled for July 4, with organizers taking to Telegram to call people to action against rules they say will “flatten” the country’s agriculture industry.

  

  According to the Epoch Times, the message calls on concerned farmers and citizens to organize their own regional actions with the goal of closing all “distribution centers for food supplies and all major polluters” until “the government changes its plans.”

  One viral call for a July 4 protest came from a large truckers’ Telegram group, suggesting that some truckers in the Netherlands may find themselves in solidarity with the nation’s agriculturalists.

  The farmers, who plan to protest at many of the nation’s airports, specifically mentioned Schiphol and Eindhoven. NLTimes.nl has reported that spokespersons for both airports say they are monitoring the situation but have little information at present.

  Holland closes dozens of farms and cattle ranches to reduce nitrogen by 30%. Angry and hungry farmers block the nation everywhere. pic.twitter.com/VNSodhGanB

  — RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) June 28, 2022

  In 2021, the Netherlands’ coalition government proposed slashing livestock numbers in the country by 30 percent to meet nitrogen emissions targets.

  The country has already implemented stringent restrictions on new construction with the aim of curbing nitrogen emissions.

  Rabobank has argued that those new hurdles have slowed down homebuilding in the Netherlands, intensifying a housing shortage in the densely populated coastal nation.

  On June 10, the government issued a national and area-specific plan for curbing nitrogen emissions. Those emissions are heavily driven by ammonia from livestock manure.

  Some parts of the country would have to slash those emissions by 70 or even 95 percent.

  It openly acknowledged that “there is not a future for all [Dutch] farmers within [this] approach,” as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service.

  “The Minister of Nature and Nitrogen Policy expects about a third of the 50,000 Dutch farms to ‘disappear’ by 2030,” the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported in a June 23 Market Insight Report.

  The Netherlands is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of food, exceeded only by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China, according to World Bank statistics.

  The Dutch government offers a multibillion-dollar buyout arrangement for farmers.

  Christianne van der Wal, minister of nature and nitrogen policy, has left open the possibility that the government will expropriate land from farmers who do not comply, as reported by NOS Nieuws.

  The proposals and resultant protests come amid worldwide fertilizer and food shortages.

  

  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on June 24 that “there is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022,” adding that “2023 could be even worse.”

  On a recent episode of “Facts Matter” on EpochTV, American farmer John Boyd, Jr. warned of potential food shortages as a result of steeply rising input costs.

  He said the expenses of running his own operation have tripled, driven in large part by significantly increased fertilizer costs.

  In Sri Lanka, a ban on chemical fertilizers contributed to an economic crisis that has destabilized the government.

  The country has recently announced a temporary ban on fuel sales to private vehicles, effective June 27 through July 10.

  The latest round of demonstrations by Dutch farmers comes after a wave of similar protests in 2019 after lawmaker Tjeerd de Groot called for livestock numbers in the Netherlands to be cut by 50 percent.

  Demonstrators have burned hay bales alongside highways, blocked roads with tractors, and spread manure to make their anger known.

  In recent days, protesters have targeted the homes of Dutch government officials, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Nitrogen Minister van der Wal.

  Footage circulating on social media purports to show protesters spraying manure on Dutch law enforcement.

  Rutte criticized protesters, saying, “You can demonstrate, but in a civilized way,” as reported by the Associated Press.

  AP also reports that Dutch police say they arrested 10 people on June 28 in connection with the protests.

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

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 23:30

• Drug-Traffickers Arrested With 150,000 Fentanyl Pills Set Free Just Days After Arrest: Police
  Drug-Traffickers Arrested With 150,000 Fentanyl Pills Set Free Just Days After Arrest: Police

  Authored by Lorenz Duchamps via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Two drug traffickers who were arrested during a traffic stop in California last week after they got allegedly busted with 150,000 pills of fentanyl have been released back onto the streets, officials said.

  

  Detectives arrested Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, both from Washington, during a fentanyl bust in Tulare County on June 24, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

  The two were booked into the county’s pre-trial facility on charges of possession, transportation, and selling of illegal drugs.

  In an update on Monday, the sheriff’s office said they “received a court order releasing both suspects from custody on their own recognizance.”

  “We felt it necessary to clear up any confusion there might be about the release process when it comes to our jail system,” police said.

  “All inmates booked into Tulare County jails are sent through what is known as the Risk Assessment Process through the Tulare County Probation Department,” it explained. “That ‘Risk Assessment’ is then sent to a judge with the court, who, then, determines whether or not the individual arrested is held on bail or if they are to be released.”

  

  Police said although Mike Boudreaux, the sheriff of Tulare County, “strongly disagrees” with the judge’s decision to release the alleged traffickers, citing public safety concerns, his office is forced to comply with the court order.

  Boudreaux told Fox News that “California’s system of justice is failing us all,” adding that he was “infuriated” after he found out about the release of the men. The network reported that Tulare County Court Commissioner Mikki Verissimo signed the order to release both men.

  Detectives with the Tulare County High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit (HIDTA) found 150 packages, each with 1,000 pills, hidden inside the suspect’s vehicle during last week’s traffic stop.

  The confiscated drugs have a street value of around $750,000, as each pill sells for about $5.

  According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, fentanyl, a deadly opioid 50–100 times stronger than morphine, was linked to the most overdose deaths in 2021, with 71,238. Fentanyl is increasingly cut into other drugs to cut costs.

  Some experts have noted that drug overdoses have been steadily increasing every year. However, in recent years, fentanyl, much of which is brought into the country via Mexican cartels from China, has triggered the recent spike in deaths.

  Earlier this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a warning about a surge of fentanyl overdoses and mass overdose events.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 23:10

• Chinese And Russian Navies Circle Japan In "Show Of Force"
  Chinese And Russian Navies Circle Japan In “Show Of Force”

  In yet another example of the increasingly close alliance between Russia and China, the Chinese Navy and Russia’s Pacific Fleet have been engaging in war game operations, seemingly in tandem around Japan, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.  

  Reports of coordinated military exercises have not been officially acknowledged by Russia or China, though Japan continues to post regular updates on ship movements.  The naval exercises were apparently focused around the islands of Miyako and Okinawa, which hold 50,000 US forces, as well as a 70-mile wide corridor between the island of Yonaguni and Taiwan.  

  While not unheard of, military cooperation in the Pacific between Russia and China has grown in frequency, with naval exercises increasing over the past month.  While Japan calls these movements a “show of force,” they may very well be practice for a conflict planned in the near future.

  

  After the recent BRICS summit in Beijing and the reaffirmation of China’s economic support of Russia during its war with Ukraine and NATO sanctions, it only makes sense that the economic relationship would evolve into at least a loose military agreement.  The latest decision on the induction of Sweden and Finland into NATO as well as naval escalation in the South Pacific are only going to drive Eastern interests closer together over time.  

  China is nursing a compulsive obsession when it comes to absorbing Taiwan into the CCP, and with the West overly focused on Russia and Ukraine, they may act soon.  If an invasion of Taiwan is planned it would have to take place sometime in September/October when weather conditions in the region are favorable to naval operations.  Leaked reports from Russian intel in March seem to indicate that a fall invasion of Taiwan was indeed in the works.  Some believe that the Russian war with Ukraine will force China to scuttle such plans, but there is also a chance that Ukraine will provide excellent cover for an action against Taiwan; forcing western governments to split their efforts and focus on two fronts instead of one.  

  The bigger question is:  Will Russia and China form an official military alliance?  There is no debate now over their trade alliance, but the notion of military cooperation between the two countries will lead many people to scoff.  Keep in mind, however, that there were numerous skeptics that argued only a week ago that the Turkish government under Erdogen would “never” agree to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and yet that is exactly what they did.  

  The geopolitical landscape is changing fast and the old rules no longer seem to apply.  

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 22:50

• Are Black 2nd Amendment Advocates The Ultimate Taboo?
  Are Black 2nd Amendment Advocates The Ultimate Taboo?

  Authored by Matt Taibbi and Ford Fischer via TK News,

  “If people aren’t going to do their job, then we’re here to do it for them,” said Nick Bezzel, of the Elmer Geronimo Pratt Pistol & Rifle Gun Club, after being told for the second time today that officials in Brookhaven, Mississippi wouldn’t meet with him and other armed black activists.

  Bezzel was with a group of demonstrators, including Black Panthers, who were upset over a case involving a 24-year-old Federal Express driver named D’Monterrio Gibson. On January 24th earlier this year, Gibson was shot at by a man named Brandon Case and his father, Gregory Case, while attempting to make deliveries.

  The two Cases were eventually charged with assault, but bonded out quickly. Gibson and the accompanying group wanted elevated charges, for instance attempted murder or a hate crime. Ford Fischer’s News2Share cameras captured the scenes of activists being told a planned meeting with a District Attorney was called off, and being thrown out of the area by the Brookhaven police chief just as they were leaving.

  Two days later, a coalition of black pro-gun groups, including Black Panthers, the Black Riders Liberation Party, the aforementioned Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt Gun Club, Sisters of the Underground, the Huey P. Newton Gun Club, the Black Power Militia, the Black Power Coalition, and others, gathered on Juneteenth in Natchez, Mississippi at the site of the “Devil’s Punchbowl,” where some historians say up to 20,000 black people died during and after the Civil War.

  News2Share captured those scenes as well, which included a collective signing of a “Declaration of the Regulated United Black Militia.” Some protesters brandished a placard with a “Declaration of Self-Determination by Black Peoples and Organizations,” while others replaced “Hands up, don’t shoot!” with a new chant: “Guns up! Shoot back!” Other chants included:

  Black people in America ain’t taking it no more, is that right? That’s right!

  We believe in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a limb for a limb, and a life for a goddamn life!

  These are different times… Guns up, shoot back! I said, goddamnit, black power!

  As Ford narrated:

  Despite the obvious newsworthiness of these several militias from around the country gathering to sign a “Declaration of the Regulated United Black Militia,” no other media covered the event.

  There are a lot of taboos on commercial television, which for instance doesn’t like to show scenes of poverty (unless it’s being chased by police), rarely interviews non-voters, almost never does military contracting fraud stories, and seldom shows results on the ground of American military/drone strikes, even if they’ve already appeared on the airwaves of other countries.

  Perhaps the most dependable taboo in American media, however, involves black Second Amendment advocates. As Ford and News2Share have documented over the years, there are many such groups, and they sometimes march in conjunction with groups like the Boogaloo Boys. In fact, the biggest taboo of all might be showing such groups demonstrating together:

  Today armed Black Lives Matter and “boogaloo” protesters joined forces for an open carry rally against police violence and government overreach. I’ll have HD video up ASAP, but here are some photos I snapped today.

  Betcha didn’t see this on cable news today. pic.twitter.com/mWXUKQkhA8

  — Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) July 4, 2020

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  Whatever your feelings about guns — I personally am not a fan — the psychology of the contrasting coverage of pro-gun demonstrations is fascinating. News audiences are clearly meant to associate white pro-gun protesters with a dangerous and probably organized national race-hatred movement, while black pro-gun protesters either don’t exist or are a fringe movement not worth covering. Under no circumstance must such groups be shown together, even when they organize co-demonstrations. The first installment of Activism, Uncensored from last June, for instance, showed such a joint demonstration in Virginia Beach:

  It’s often hard to gauge whether certain movements are gaining or losing strength nationally, or are simply organizing more effectively thanks to the Internet. However, it’s clear the national press doesn’t have a settled-upon strategy for covering armed black protesters. Most commonly they appear in reflection, shown as an exaggerated phantom of conservative news coverage, with the New York Times blasting Fox News for over-depicting “fringe hate groups” during the Obama years a classic example. These groups do exist, however, and their shows of strength in places like Natchez are clearly newsworthy. What’s behind the taboo?

  Subscribe here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 22:30

• Top Three Worst-Run US Cities Are Controlled By Democrats 
  Top Three Worst-Run US Cities Are Controlled By Democrats 

  A WalletHub survey of the largest U.S. cities discovered that the top three “worst-run” are primarily controlled by Democrats. 

  WalletHub examined the operating efficiency of 150 cities to determine which ones are managed best. They used a “Quality of Services” score of 38 metrics grouped into six service categories (financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, infrastructure, and pollution), which revealed Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City are the worst three. 

  

  The cities that made the top worst spots come as no surprise. All three are under Democrat control and plagued with out-of-control violent crime and high taxes. San Francisco and NYC have experienced increasing outbound migrations post-COVID because failed leftist policies have transformed those metro areas into warzones. 

  Some of the top-ranked “best-run” cities were Republican-controlled, according to WalletHub. 

  

  Improving quality of life has been a primary focus among many Americans who have escaped liberal metro areas for more pleasant ones. The best protest one can make to defund Democrats is to move. 

  This is precisely what billionaire Ken Griffin did this month. He and Citadel Securities’ headquarters moved from Chicago (ranked top ten worst cities by WalletHub) to Miami (not as bad). 

  Griffin recently said, “Chicago is like Afghanistan, on a good day, and that’s a problem.” So it appears the move was based on improving quality of life (safety). 

  WalletHub’s findings allow those living in the worst cities to make better decisions about the health of their communities and understand if it’s time to move to a better-managed town to improve their quality of life. Griffin did it. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 22:10

• Beijing Slams NATO For 'Maliciously Smearing' China As A Security Threat
  Beijing Slams NATO For ‘Maliciously Smearing’ China As A Security Threat

  Authored by Kenny Stancil via Common Dreams, 

  Beijing criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday after the U.S.-led military alliance asserted that China poses “serious challenges” to global stability.

  NATO listed China as one of its priorities in the so-called 2022 Strategic Concept that leaders approved Wednesday at a summit in Madrid. This marked a first, as the alliance’s previous blueprint, published in 2010, made no mention of the East Asian country. According to NATO, Beijing’s “coercive policies” threaten the Western bloc’s “interests, security, and values.”

  

  Addressing the “systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security” and the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia is now a NATO priority, the bloc declared.

  Beijing responded with indignation. “Who’s challenging global security and undermining world peace?” China’s mission to the European Union asked Thursday in a statement. “Are there any wars or conflicts over the years where NATO is not involved?”

  “NATO’s so-called Strategic Concept, filled with Cold War thinking and ideological bias, is maliciously attacking and smearing China. We firmly oppose it,” the statement said. “When it comes to acts that undermine China’s interests, we will make firm and strong responses.”

  As The Guardian reported:

  Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has been pointing its finger at the U.S. and NATO on multiple occasions. But NATO’s attention to the China-Russia partnership began even before Moscow’s military operations in its neighbor. It has also been openly talking about China for some time.

  In its annual summit in Brussels last June, the traditionally Russia-focused military alliance asserted, for the first time, that it needed to respond to Beijing’s growing power. The language the bloc used at the time also echoed the E.U.’s phrase of “systemic rival,” and the U.K.’s “systemic competitor” when describing China.

  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday that “China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbors, threatening Taiwan… monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.”

  “China is not our adversary,” said Stoltenberg, “but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents.” In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday that NATO’s latest policy document “disregards facts, confuses black and white… [and] smears China’s foreign policy.”

  China, Zhao added, does not pose “the systemic challenge imagined.” Instead, he argued, it is NATO that is a “systemic challenge to world peace and stability” and its “hands are stained with the blood of the world’s people.”

  Xi’s visit to #HK serves as a warning to some external hostile forces as well as secessionists in the city that the country will never tolerate those who sabotage Hong Kong’s prosperity, or country’s security and sovereignty: observers https://t.co/PRQFPlETZw pic.twitter.com/RlCMBgMQZ4

  — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 30, 2022

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  While Stoltenberg claimed that NATO is still “open to constructive engagement” with Beijing, the trans-Atlantic military alliance is moving to expand its reach across the Pacific. This is due in part to fears that Russia’s military assault on Ukraine could embolden China to invade Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers its province, and concerns about possible military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing on Russia’s Pacific coast.

  As Al Jazeera reported:

  Highlighting NATO’s new focus on China, the gathering of world leaders in Madrid, both inside the bloc’s summit and on its sidelines, included many from Asian nations.

  It was the first time that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand were invited to a NATO summit. They participated in a NATO session on new global challenges after holding a side meeting outside of the summit.

  On Wednesday, Zhao encouraged NATO to abandon its “zero-sum game and the practice of creating enemies, and not try to mess up Asia and the whole world after disrupting Europe.” Referring to NATO’s response to the war in Ukraine, Zhao said that “sanctions are not a way out of conflicts, and the continued delivery of weapons will not help realize peace.”

  During this week’s summit, Stoltenberg announced that “thousands of new troops would be deployed in eight countries on NATO’s eastern flank,” the New York Times reported Thursday. Biden, for his part, said that “Washington would deploy an Army garrison headquarters and a field support battalion in Poland, the first U.S. forces permanently located on NATO’s eastern flank.”

  Just before issuing its strategic blueprint, NATO also extended formal membership invitations to Finland and Sweden. Peace advocates have warned that the incorporation of the two previously neutral Nordic countries, one of which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, into NATO increases the likelihood of a direct confrontation that could spiral into a nuclear war.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 21:50

• Coinbase Has Been Providing "Historical Geo Tracking" Information And Tracing Software To Government Agencies
  Coinbase Has Been Providing “Historical Geo Tracking” Information And Tracing Software To Government Agencies

  So much for decentralized finance. 

  The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., Coinbase, has been reportedly selling Immigrations and Customs Enforcement tools to track and identify cryptocurrency users, a stunning new report from The Intercept revealed this week. 

  The company “sold a single analytics software license to ICE for $29,000” back in August 2021, the report says. The next month, however, it sold software worth $1.36 million to the agency, the report says.

  A contract involving the sales revealed that ICE “now has access to a variety of forensic features provided through Coinbase Tracer”,  the company’s internal intelligence tool. 

  The tool allows people to trace transactions through the blockchain. Coinbase markets the software primarily for use in corporate compliance and law enforcement, the report says. It boasts that the tool has the ability to “investigate illicit activities including money laundering and terrorist financing” and “connect [cryptocurrency] addresses to real world entities.”

   

  The contract revealed that ICE is now able to track transactions over a dozen digital currencies. The contract also revealed that “historical geo tracking data” was being provided to ICE, though The Intercept said details about what this data entails are fuzzy. 

  Coinbase spokesperson Natasha LaBranche, when asked about the contract, referenced The Intercept to the company’s disclaimer on its website, which says: “Coinbase Tracer sources its information from public sources and does not make use of Coinbase user data.”

  The sale comes as part of a broader pitch to sell its intelligence services to agencies like the IRS and the Secret Service, the report reveals. 

  Coinbase vice president of global intelligence John Kothanek said earlier this month in front of Congress: “If you are a cyber criminal and you’re using crypto, you’re going to have a bad day. … We are going to track you down and we’re going to find that finance and we are going to hopefully help the government seize that crypto.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 21:30

• Elmo, Now Vaccinated, Advertises COVID-19 Vaccine Shots For Children Under 5
  Elmo, Now Vaccinated, Advertises COVID-19 Vaccine Shots For Children Under 5

  Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  “Sesame Street” is advertising COVID-19 vaccines to its youngest audiences after the federal government greenlighted the shots for children under the age of 5.

  

  The 1-minute public service ad, released Tuesday by nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop, features the red Muppet monster Elmo and his Muppet dad Louie. It begins with Elmo showing a Band-Aid on his arm next to dad, saying, “Now Daddy has super-duper bandages just like Elmo!”

  It’s okay to have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children! Elmo’s dad Louie talked to their pediatrician, and learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep him and his whole neighborhood safe and healthy! #CaringForEachOther pic.twitter.com/aWkCfysJPE

  — Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) June 28, 2022

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  “You were super duper today, getting your COVID vaccine, Elmo,” replied a Louie who has three Band-Aids on his arm, indicating having received two vaccine shots and a booster.

  “There was a little pinch, but it was OK,” Elmo added.

  Louie then turned to the audience, saying that he had a conversation with their family pediatrician about whether it is safe to vaccinate 3-year-old Elmo.

  “I had a lot of questions about Elmo getting the COVID vaccine. Was it safe? Was it the right decision?” Louie spoke to parents watching the ad. “I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love.”

  The ad, which is co-produced with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and New York-based media company Ad Council, ends by directing parents to go to GetVaccineAnswers.org if they have questions related to having their young children vaccinated. The website is created by Ad Council in partnership with the CDC.

  Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop, said in a press release that parents will “understandably have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines for young children.

  “With help from Elmo and his dad Louie, we want to model real conversations, encourage parents’ questions, and help children know what to expect,” Betancourt said. “We’re proud to continue our efforts with the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative, CDC, and AAP to help families get connected to information and keep their children, neighbors, and communities safe and healthy.”

  I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.

  Ms. @EricaRHill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!

  — Big Bird (@BigBird) November 6, 2021

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  Sesame Workshop’s new ad is the continuation of a campaign it launched last year to promote COVID-19 vaccine to older children. In November, “Sesame Street” characters appeared on a CNN town hall titled “The ABCs of COVID Vaccines.” The program was hosted by CNN anchor Erica Hill and chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, who answered questions about the pediatric vaccine from the Muppets.

  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who last year took issue with using beloved children’s show to convince young children to take the jab and called it “government propaganda,” criticized the new ad for promoting something that is not at all backed by science.

  “Thanks, [Sesame Street] for saying parents are allowed to have questions! You then have [Elmo] aggressively advocate for vaccinating children UNDER 5. But you cite ZERO scientific evidence for this,” the senator wrote on Twitter.

  Cruz is one of the 18 Republican members of Congress who questioned the safety and necessity of the COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest Americans when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s pediatric shots in early June.

  “When will the FDA and CDC provide the public with more details on those children who have had the most serious adverse outcomes from COVID-19 infections?” the Republicans asked in a Jun. 7 letter (pdf) to the FDA. “What is the cardiac risk factor in administering these EUA COVID vaccines to children?”

  “One of the most important things we know is that this virus poses minimal risk for children,” Cruz said in a press release. “Before the FDA approves an Emergency Use Authorization for a children’s vaccine, parents should be able to see the data and paperwork they would use to justify this decision. This is the least the FDA can do for families in Texas and across the country so parents can make the best decisions for their children.”

  According to CDC, as of June 22, about 30 percent of children ages 5 to 11 and 60 percent of children ages 12 to 17 had been fully vaccinated.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 21:10

• "Simply Outrageous": Ernst & Young Fined Record $100 Million After SEC Finds Auditors Cheating On CPA Exams For "Several Years"
  “Simply Outrageous”: Ernst & Young Fined Record $100 Million After SEC Finds Auditors Cheating On CPA Exams For “Several Years”

  Ernst & Young better have some “answers”…

  It was reported this week that the massive audit firm was fined with a record $100 million fine after regulators found out that the company knew some of its auditors had been cheating on exams for “several years” – and did nothing to stop it. 

  This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission said that a “significant number” of candidates cheated on the Certified Public Accountant test. The kicker? Most of the cheating was on the “ethics” portion of the exam…

  The SEC also said that Ernst & Young “made a submission” that it didn’t have “current issues with cheating when, in fact, the firm had been informed of potential cheating on a CPA ethics exam,” a new report from CNN revealed. 

  

  Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, commented this week: “This action involves breaches of trust by gatekeepers within the gatekeeper entrusted to audit many of our nation’s public companies. It’s simply outrageous that the very professionals responsible for catching cheating by clients cheated on ethics exams of all things.”

  He said it was “equally shocking” that the company didn’t fess up during the investigation. 

  Grewal continued: “This action should serve as a clear message that the SEC will not tolerate integrity failures by independent auditors who choose the easier wrong over the harder right.”

  The SEC also ordered that Ernst & Young bring on two independent firms to “help remediate its deficiencies,” the report said. 

  “Nothing is more important than our integrity and our ethics,” the auditor responded by saying. “We have repeatedly and consistently taken steps to reinforce our culture of compliance, ethics, and integrity in the past. We will continue to take extensive actions, including disciplinary steps, training, monitoring, and communications that will further strengthen our commitment in the future.”

   

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 20:50

• New Hampshire Governor Vetoes Ivermectin Bill
  New Hampshire Governor Vetoes Ivermectin Bill

  Authored by Alice Giordano via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a bill that would have made Ivermectin available without a prescription.

  

  The Republican governor vetoed the bill on June 24, the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Some fellow Republicans questioned the timing.

  “It certainly seemed like a convenient way to bury a veto of a bill that won support from the vast majority of Republicans in New Hampshire,” JR Hoell, co-founder of the conservative watchdog group RebuildNH, told The Epoch Times.

  Hoell is a former four-term House Republican planning to seek re-election after a four-year hiatus from the the New Hampshire legislature.

  Earlier this year, the New Hampshire Department of Children Youth and Family (DCYF) tried to take custody of Hoell’s 13-year old son after a nurse reported him for giving human-grade ivermectin to the teen months earlier.

  Several states have introduced bills to make human-grade ivermectin available without a prescription at a brick and mortar store. Currently, it can be ordered online from another country. In April, Tennessee became the the first state to sign such a measure into law. New Hampshire lawmakers were first to introduce the idea.

  Both chambers of the state’s Republican controlled legislature approved the bill.

  In his statement explaining the veto, Sununu noted that there are only four other controlled medications available without a prescription in New Hampshire and that each were only made available after “rigorous reviews and vetting to ensure” before being dispensed.

  “Patients should always consult their doctor before taking medications so that they are fully aware of treatment options and potential unintended consequences of taking a medication that may limit other treatment options in the future,” Sununu said in his statement.

  Sununu’s statement is very similar to testimony given by Paula Minnehan, senior vice president of state government regulations for the New Hampshire Hospital Association, at hearings on the bill.

  Minnehan too placed emphasis on the review that went into the four prescription medications the state made available under a standing order. They include naloxone, the generic name for Narcan, which is used to counter opioid overdoses, hormone replacement therapy drugs, and a prescription-version of the morning after pill.

  It also includes a collection of smoking cessation therapy drugs like Chantix, which has been linked to suicide, depression, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Last year, Pfizer, the leading maker of the FDA-approved drug, conducted a voluntarily recall of Chantix. Narcan has also been linked to deaths caused by severe withdrawals that have led to acute respiratory distress.

  Rep. Melissa Blasek, a Republican co-sponsor of the New Hampshire ivermectin bill, told The Epoch Times, that one could veto any drug-related bill under the pretense of overdose concerns.

  “The reality is you can overdose on Tylenol,” she said. “Ivermectin has one of the safest track records of any drug.”

  The use of human-grade ivermectin became controversial when some doctors began promoting it for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Government agencies including the FDA and CDC issued warnings against its use while groups like Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) heavily promoted it.

  Some doctors were  disciplined for prescribing human-grade ivermectin for COVID-19 including a Maine doctor whose medical license was suspended by the state.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 20:30

• Chip Makers Stall On Building New Semiconductor Plants As Subsidies Bill Languishes
  Chip Makers Stall On Building New Semiconductor Plants As Subsidies Bill Languishes

  The Biden administration is laser-focused on sending Ukraine billions of dollars in weapons, including the latest round of anti-ship systems, artillery rockets, and rounds of 105 mm ammo for howitzer cannons that it has entirely lost focus on reshoring efforts to boost semiconductor production Stateside. 

  Multiple manufacturers of semiconductor wafers have announced plans for new multi-billion dollar factories across the U.S. but are contingent on Congress allocating funds to aid in building facilities under the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act. 

  Congress passed the CHIPS Act in January 2021 as part of last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which proposed $52 billion in funding for increasing the domestic capacity of chip production, though the House and Senate have come to a standstill over disagreements on certain parts of the bill that have sparked so much uncertainty among companies set to build new factories. 

  

  In a letter on June 15, dozens of technology executives from IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Analog Devices, Micron, Amazon, and Alphabet called on Congress to move quickly on the CHIPS Act. They wrote, “the rest of the world is not waiting for the U.S. to act,” and funding for new chip factories must be achieved immediately. 

  The uncertainty around Congress not formally allocating any budget to finance the CHIPS Act is causing concern among top chipmakers planning to build massive factories that might have to delay expansion plans. 

  “Unfortunately, CHIPS Act funding has moved more slowly than we expected, and we still don’t know when it will get done. It is time for Congress to act so we can move forward at the speed and scale we have long envisioned for Ohio and our other projects to help restore U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership and build a more resilient semiconductor supply chain,” an Intel spokesperson recently said in a statement. 

  Taiwan’s GlobalWafers announced a new $5 billion factory in the U.S. on Monday, but contingent on subsidies from the federal government. 

  “This investment that they’re making is contingent upon Congress passing the CHIPS Act. The [GlobalWafers] CEO told me that herself, and they reiterated that today,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNBC, the same day GlobalWafers announced its development plan.

  In 2020, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. announced a new $12 billion plant in Phoenix, Arizona, and said some of the building costs would have to be picked up by the U.S. and Taiwan. 

  The Biden administration has hailed the president’s efforts to increase chip manufacturing capacity, but Congress appears to be holding things up, which may result in delays for planned expansion projects this fall. 

  Currently, the U.S. only accounts for 12% of the world’s chip supplies, a 40% reduction since the 1990s. The CHIPS Act is supposed to restore America’s dominance in chipmaking — but expansion plans appear to be on hold as funding Ukraine seems to be the top priority in Washington. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 20:10

• "Children Cannot Consent": Teen Who Had Double Mastectomy Regrets 'Gender Journey'
  “Children Cannot Consent”: Teen Who Had Double Mastectomy Regrets ‘Gender Journey’

  Authored by Brad Jones via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  A 17-year-old girl who regrets having both of her breasts removed as a result of so-called “gender-affirming care” testified before a California Assembly committee hearing June 28, urging state lawmakers to reject proposed legislation that would make California a transgender sanctuary state.

  “I was medically transitioned from ages 13 and 16,” Chloe Cole from the Central Valley told the public safety committee, saying she suffered irreversible consequences from surgeries and hormone treatment.

  

  The committee passed the controversial Senate Bill (SB) 107, which proponents say would “provide refuge” for trans youth, their parents, and those who advocate for and provide “gender-affirming health care ” for minors.

  The bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from arresting or extraditing parents charged in other states or nations for child abuse or other crimes related to allowing minor children to receive these medical treatments.

  

  Cole said when she was younger, her parents took her to a therapist who “affirmed my male identity” and “brushed off” concerns about the efficacy of hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries.

  “My parents were given the threat of suicide as a reason to move me forward in my transition,” she said.

  Cole said at age 15, she told her therapist she wanted to remove her breasts. She attended a top surgery class with a dozen other girls her age or younger.

  “None of us were going to be men, we were fleeing from the uncomfortable feeling of becoming women,” Cole said.

  She went through with the surgery and her endocrinologist put her on puberty blockers and injectable testosterone after two or three appointments, she said.

  “Despite having a therapist and attending the top surgery class, I really didn’t understand all the ramifications of any of the medical decisions I was making. I was incapable of understanding, and it was downplayed consistently,” she said. “My parents, on the other hand, were pressured to continue my so-called ‘gender journey’ with the suicide threat.

  “I will never be able to breastfeed a child. I have blood clots in my urine. I am unable to fully empty my bladder. I do not yet know if I am capable of carrying a child to full term. In fact, even the doctors who put me on puberty blockers and testosterone do not know.”

  She urged the committee to reject the trans sanctuary state bill and put safeguards in place so that “painful” experiences like hers are not repeated.

  “Children cannot consent,” she said.

  Erin Friday, an attorney, argued against the bill, claiming it unconstitutional for California to disrespect the laws of other states.

  She argued SB 107 would not just provide sanctuary for parents fleeing the law in other states, but would make California a refuge for all children who want to access transgender medicine and surgery.

  “No questions asked. No real mental health assessment, no minimal diagnosis and no parental consent. So long as the minor child can get to California, she can order up any type of irreversible treatment,” she said.

  

  Friday, a parent of a teen who once suffered from what’s called Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, but no longer identifies as trans, has previously testified that SB 107 would be a big mistake that would only worsen the “largest medical scandal in history,” and spread transgender ideology, which she described as a “social contagion.”

  State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who authored the bill, said it’s intended to protect families and trans youth and medical professionals from being prosecuted for child abuse in other states.

  Texas, for example, is cracking down on the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones on minors, and—in some cases—gender surgery on minors.

  “These parents, who are doing just trying to do right by their kids and accepting their kids for who they are and supporting them are being told ‘you’re a criminal for doing that,’” Wiener said. “It’s disgusting; it’s despicable, and California should have no part of that.”

  

  Martin Campos of Trans Family Support Services said the group is currently working with out-of-state residents faced with the decision of whether or not “to uproot their family and livelihood to seek out refuge in an affirming state such as California” to flee “anti-trans legislation” at home.

  “Parents should not be concerned about facing legal ramifications while seeking medically necessary gender-affirming services for their youth. Nor should youth have to endure the trauma that is created by having their parents face those ramifications,” Campos said. “… All this bill is seeking to do is allow transgender youth to thrive.”

  Ebony Harper, the executive director of California Transcends, shared a personal story with the committee.

  “I identify as the black trans woman,” Harper said. “… I was a trans youth at 13. I grew up in South Central California and at 13 I was kicked out of my house, which was the story for most transgender people from my era, if you were between the particular intersections of being black and transgender. And I spent many years on the streets, in jails institutions because it was the Dark Ages. Trans folks were considered mentally confused people that could not participate in society.”

  In the ’90s, a lot of trans people died because they didn’t get the health cares they needed, but today the transgender community in California is thriving and prospering, Harper said.

  “The 13-year-old me thought I was going to end up dead before I hit 21. And here I am advocating in my 40s and still going strong and having the fortitude of support with senators like Scott Wiener, the Lieutenant Governor and other folks in government,” Harper said.

  “I think trans transcends politics,” Harper said. “…And so you have seen that our community recently has been politicized, which is causing a lot of trauma and pain in our community.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 19:50

• Four Men Charged After 53 Migrants Die In Smuggling Disaster
  Four Men Charged After 53 Migrants Die In Smuggling Disaster

  Four men, including two Mexican nationals, have been arrested in connection with the people-smuggling operation that resulted in the horrific death of 53 people in the back of a semi-trailer near the southern US border

   

  

  As Bloomberg reports, 45-year-old Homero Zamorano Jr. was arrested on Monday after San Antonio police found him hiding in the brush near the trailer, the US DOJ announced in a statement. His clothing and appearance matched video provided by the border patrol of the truck when it passed through an immigration checkpoint without incident.

  Emergency personnel recovered the bodies of 48 individuals from the trailer and transported 16 others to a local hospital, where five died. All of the victims are believed to be in the US illegally, with most hailing from Mexico or Central America. Temperatures that day had reached as high as 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius).

  Police said they searched Zamorano’s cell phone and traced discussions he had about transporting the smuggled migrants with another man, Christian Martinez, 28, who was arrested in Palestine, Texas. –Bloomberg

  Zamorano Jr. was charged with smuggling aliens resulting in death, while Martinez was slapped with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death. Both could see life in prison or a potential death sentence, according to the DOJ.

  According to Reuters, Zamorano Jr. was under the influence of methamphetamine when police encountered him.

  U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the eastern part of San Antonio, told Reuters on Thursday that Zamorano was found to have had methamphetamine, a powerful synthetic drug, in his system.

  Cuellar said he was briefed on the matter by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but did not know how authorities made that determination. A CBP official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, separately told Reuters that Zamorano had methamphetamine in his system.

  

  Meanwhile, two other men were arrested in connection with the case after police traced the registration of the tractor trailer to a house in San Antonio. One of the men had a gun in his truck outside, while police found more guns inside.

  Mexican nationals Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilboa, 48, were each charged with one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a weapon – a charge which could land them in prison for up to a decade.

  With all four men in federal custody, Zamorano is expected to appear in court on Thursday, while the Mexican nationals are scheduled to appear on Friday for a detention hearing in San Antonio. Martinez, who appeared Wednesday, will be transported to San Antonio.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 19:30

• DOJ Has VA Suspend All Benefits Of Jan. 6 Prisoner
  DOJ Has VA Suspend All Benefits Of Jan. 6 Prisoner

  Authored by Patricia Tolson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Just when the wife of one incarcerated Jan. 6 prisoner believed things couldn’t get worse, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) informed her they are going to suspend all of her husband’s benefits. According to United States Representative Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), “this is what you have when vindictive leftists get in charge of major parts of the government.”

  

  In an unsigned letter from the VA—dated June 13 and appearing to originate from the “Director Regional Office,”—Angel and Kenneth Harrelson were notified that the administration “received information from the United States Department of Justice” that Kenneth had been “indicted and charged with Seditious Conspiracy (18 U.S.C 2384).”

  

  The letter further noted that: “Pursuant to 38 U.S. Code § 6105(a)”—Forfeiture for subversive activities—”after receiving notice of an indictment for the above offense” the “VA must suspend payment of gratuitous benefits pending disposition of the criminal proceedings. If convicted, gratuitous benefits are forfeited, automatically, from and after the date of the offense.”

  The “date of the offense” is Jan. 6, 2021.

  “Based on the information above,” the VA further informed the Harrelsons that they “propose to suspend” their “compensation benefit payments effective September 1, 2022, which is the first day of the month following a 60-day due process period.”

  “If you are subsequently acquitted of this charge, payments can be resumed from the date of suspension, if otherwise in order. If you are convicted, benefits will be retroactively terminated effective January 5, 2021, the date proceeding the offense, or from the date your award commenced, whichever is later.”

  

  According to 38 U.S. Code § 6105:

  “Any individual who is CONVICTED after September 1, 1959, of any offense listed in subsection (b) of this section shall, from and after the date of commission of such offense, have no right to gratuitous benefits (including the right to burial in a national cemetery) under laws administered by the Secretary based on periods of military, naval, air, or space service commencing before the date of the commission of such offense and no other person shall be entitled to such benefits on account of such individual.”

  According to the 18-page criminal complaint (pdf), Kenneth Harrelson was charged with Conspiracy (1) Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting (2) Destruction of Government Property and Aiding and Abetting (3) Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds (4) Tampering with Documents or Proceedings (5). According to the Arrest Warrant (pdf), Kenneth was arrested at his home in Titusville, Florida, on March 10, 2021. According to the Criminal Docket, the seditious conspiracy charge was added with several others on Jan. 12, 2022.

  Kenneth is currently being held in the Correctional Treatment Facility in southeast Washington and has been incarcerated, without a trial and without being convicted of any crime, for over 475 days.

  Page two of the letter explains that: “if convicted,” the change in his benefits “may mean” the VA had paid “too much,” in which case they will send another letter letting them “know if the changes go through.” If so, the “VA’s Debt Management Center will send a letter explaining how much” they’ve “been overpaid, as well as how to repay this debt.”

  

  Page three of the letter advises the Harrelsons how to obtain representation.

  

  Page four provides clarification of what VA.gov is and provides information on how “enrolling in VA.gov is easy.”

  

   “This is what you have when vindictive leftists get in charge of major parts of the government,” Gohmert told The Epoch Times. “What we’re seeing is when immoral, mean-spirited, leftist people take over the government, they use every aspect of the government in order to try to inflict their hatred on people with whom they disagree. Even after most of the Democrats in the House of Representatives obstructed an official session of Congress back in June 2016, at that time, none of us were saying these people have got to be put in jail. We just wanted to be able to go back into session as the majority. But when they have power, obstructing an official session of Congress—which is the worst charge many of the January Sixers were charged with—we see the left wanting to bury them, take away any benefit, destroy their lives and not only their lives they want to destroy their homes, destroy their children’s lives. This is an evil, toxic atmosphere when these types of people are in control of so much of the federal government.”

  Following the June 12 shooting at Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Florida, members of the House Democratic Caucus staged a pre-planned and well-organized protest sit-in on the House floor just after the House convened on June 22, 2016. They demanded that then-House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) allow a vote on gun control. Through the day and into the next morning, they obstructed proceedings, chanted “no bill, no break,” and sang “We shall overcome.”

  According to The Guardian, Gohmert “stood toe to toe” with then United States Representative Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) “in a confrontation that looked set to spiral out of control” until Rep. John Lewis (D-Pa.) and others intervened. Gohmert said he was angered by the disrespect shown by Democrats for the sanctity of the House chamber, which he called a “last bastion of civility.” He was also angered by the disrespect shown to the 49 victims of the shooting. “I’m amazed here on the House floor that to them [Democrats] it’s all about guns,” he said. On May 19, the Internal Revenue Service announced Brown “pleaded guilty to engaging in a corrupt endeavor to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws” and was “ordered to pay $62,650.99 in restitution.”

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 19:10

• The One Housing Chart That Shows A 'Buyer's Market' Has Returned
  The One Housing Chart That Shows A ‘Buyer’s Market’ Has Returned

  The red hot pandemic-era housing market is cooling as historically tight available inventory shows signs of reversing. 

  An affordability crisis has removed millions of new home buyers as the number of active US listings soared 18.7% in June from a year earlier, the most significant increase in Realtor.com’s data going back to 2017, according to Bloomberg. The days of insane bidding wars, waiving home inspections, and putting in an offer 20% or more over the list price appear to be over. In other words, a buyer’s market could be emerging. 

  

  “While we anticipate that more inventory will eventually cool the feverish pace of competition, the typical buyer has yet to see meaningful relief from quick-selling homes and record-high asking prices,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com. 

  Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and Raleigh, North Carolina saw active listings more than double from a year ago. Nashville, Tennessee, active listings jumped 86%, and 72% in the Riverside, California. 

  The Federal Reserve’s most aggressive tightening campaign sent the 30-year fixed-loan mortgage rate from 3% to over 6% this year (back in March, we warned coming rate explosion would trigger a housing affordability crisis), removing millions of new home buyers who can’t afford the cost of homeownership as the median existing-home sales price was around $407k in May. 

  Even though inventory is historically tight, supply is expected to increase in markets across the country as demand for loan applications among prospective buyers slumps. Fewer buyers equal more inventory. 

  The takeaway is that inventory is rising as homes stay on the market longer because demand evaporated thanks to the housing affordability crisis — this could mean a housing top is nearing. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 18:50

• Florida Judge Says Governor's "Stop Woke Act" Can Go Forward
  Florida Judge Says Governor’s “Stop Woke Act” Can Go Forward

  Authored by Jannis Falkenstern via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Florida Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled on June 27 that the state can enforce the “Stop Woke Act”—but did not rule on its constitutionality, nor a piece affecting colleges and universities.

  

  The judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and became chief justice in 2018, ruled that HB 7—or what Gov. Ron DeSantis branded as the “Stop Woke Act”—can move forward and regulate how race can be taught in the classroom and the workplace.

  The new law is part of DeSantis’ education agenda that targets ties to Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the state school system as well as corporate training at companies surrounding “white privilege.”

  The governor’s press secretary Christina Pushaw said DeSantis is not “planning to comment on the ruling,” but she said, “generally … we are confident that this law will ultimately survive all legal challenges and protect Floridians from the harmful effects of discriminatory woke ideology.”

  In past press conferences DeSantis has said he did not want children to be taught now to “hate one another.”

  

  The ruling by Walker gives DeSantis a win, as the judge has frequently ruled against him, allowing the law to move forward—but made it clear that he was not ruling on the constitutionality of the law nor was his decision an endorsement of the law.

  “This court is not determining whether the challenged regulations are constitutional, morally correct, or good policy,” Walker wrote in his ruling. “And this order should not be interpreted as endorsing the [legislation] or the related Board of Education regulation.”

  In March, lawmakers passed HB 7 after strong debate on both house floors.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 06/30/2022 – 18:30

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