May 21

Today’s News 21st May 2024

  • Slovakia Probing Broader Conspiracy In Assassination Attempt On PM Fico
    Slovakia Probing Broader Conspiracy In Assassination Attempt On PM Fico

    The Slovak police are investigating a possible broader criminal conspiracy surrounding the May 15 attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico.

    He was shot multiple times, and has survived his wounds, by what authorities initially said was a “lone-wolf” shooter who was immediately taken into custody. That official narrative appears to quickly be shifting, however.

    Europe’s most ‘controversial’ national leaders: Robert Fico and his ally and friend Viktor Orbán in Budapest.

    The 71-year old attacker fired five shots while Fico greeted supporters in the street outside a government building, sustaining life-threatening injuries.

    Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak announced over the weekend of Fico, “He has emerged from the immediate threat to his life, but his condition remains serious and he requires intensive care.“

    “We can consider his condition stable with a positive prognosis,” Kalinak said outside the hospital where the prime minister is expected to remain likely for an extended period of time. “We all feel a bit more relaxed now.”

    Concerning the shooter’s motives, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok has said in a fresh briefing that “the suspect was angered by the government’s Ukraine policy” and that he may not have been a lone wolf. According to Bloomberg:

    On Sunday, authorities said that cooperation with domestic and foreign intelligence services had led to a broadening of the probe, to include a version in which a group – which wasn’t identified – may have been linked to the crime.

    According to more details from Estok, “A potential broader assassination plot is supported by the fact that the assailant’s social media communications were erased by another person about two hours after the shooting.”

    The Interior Minister explained, “we added a version that it wasn’t only a lone-wolf attacker, but that the crime may have been conducted by a certain group of people.”

    There hasn’t been an assassination attempt on a head of state in Europe for some two decades, international reports have underscored. 

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    Fico had long been outspoken against deepening Western involvement in the Ukraine war, for which he’s made many enemies and critics among Western allies, and of course within Ukraine itself.

    For example, here’s how CNN last October described his ascendancy to prime minister and leader of the small NATO member state… “A party headed by a pro-Kremlin figure came out top after securing more votes than expected in an election in Slovakia, official results show, in what could pose a challenge to NATO and EU unity on Ukraine.”

    While in the hospital fighting for his life, Fico’s top officials have at times lashed out at Western media, telling reporters to ‘reflect’ on the way they cover the populist prime minister and his policies. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 05/21/2024 – 02:45

  • UN Report Clearing UNRWA Of Terror Ties A "Whitewash", Witnesses Tell Congress
    UN Report Clearing UNRWA Of Terror Ties A “Whitewash”, Witnesses Tell Congress

    Authored by Dan Berger via The Epoch Times,

    Three expert witnesses testifying before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on May 17 said a recent U.N. investigation into its troubled agency assisting Palestinians in Gaza was a whitewash.

    They told the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), that the Colonna Report was released by a committee stacked with agency supporters handpicked by the agency’s director.

    The agency, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), has overseen relief distribution and other services to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank since 1949.

    Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna led the U.N. investigation. It included representatives of three institutions that witnesses said were regarded as pro-UNRWA: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden, the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

    The nine-week investigation began in response to Israeli allegations of the deep entanglement of UNRWA with Hamas, the terror group controlling Gaza.

    Those allegations have already had an effect: $450 million in foreign aid was halted, and President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan foreign aid bill halting all aid to UNRWA until at least March 25, 2025. The United States had been providing a third of UNRWA’s billion-dollar budget.

    Ms. Colonna’s committee began work a week after the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 30–19 to halt UNRWA’s funding.

    The Colonna Report “was set up solely to whitewash UNRWA’s record,” according to Mr. Smith. The House subcommittee wanted to examine that, he said, as well as “U.S. funding to organizations other than UNRWA, which are affiliated to terrorists or otherwise promote violence against Israelis.”

    Ms. Colonna’s panel released a 54-page report of dense bureaucratic language obscuring the gravity of Israel’s charges: that at least a dozen UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, that 1,200 UNRWA employees belong to the banned terrorist organization controlling Gaza, and that 6,000 of its 13,000 employees have family members in Hamas.

    Israel has stated that Hamas arms have been found in or under some of the 2,000 buildings that the agency controls in Gaza, that a Hamas spy computer center tapped the UNRWA building above it for electric power, and that at least two hostages were held in the homes of likely UNRWA staffers, including a teacher and a doctor.

    Ms. Colonna “has a long history of support for UNRWA and hostility to Israel,” according to Mr. Smith. All three organizations tapped to work with her have similar histories, he said.

    “Senior officials connected to the report repeatedly stated that their goal was to, quote, reassure donors and to provide donors with further cover,” he said.

    Several nations, including Australia, Canada, and Sweden, resumed funding UNRWA even before the Colonna Report was published.

    One of the witnesses, Hillel Neuer, spoke of UNRWA’s refusals to appear with him or debate him. On May 13, he was disinvited from a panel discussing UNRWA at the Stimson Center in Washington after, he was told, UNRWA’s representative refused to participate if he was there.

    Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) near the U.S. Capitol on March 22, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

    “[The Colonna Report] is, we’re told, an independent audit that has given UNRWA a clean bill of health exonerating the agency of all charges of its ties with terrorism. This headline was repeated around the world and used by several countries to reinstate funding,” Mr. Neuer said.

    “There’s one problem, though, Mr. Chairman. These claims are completely false.”

    The investigators were not impartial, he said. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini had denounced Israel’s charges of terror ties as a disingenuous, politically motivated, and a smear campaign, according to Mr. Neuer.

    “In doing so he irreparably tainted the credibility of the inquiry,” Mr. Neuer said.

    Mr. Lazzarini picked Ms. Colonna to head it a few weeks after she had posted her backing of UNRWA on social media. She had done that, Mr. Neuer said, after his own group, U.N. Watch, had exposed a social media group in which 3,000 UNRWA employees had celebrated the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

    Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, speaks at the 2015 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. (Courtesy Hillel Neuer)

    “He chose someone who he knew very well was sympathetic to UNRWA, to say the least,” Mr. Neuer said.

    And France is UNRWA’s fourth-largest donor. A former UNRWA spokesman subsequently told the Al Jazeera television network that “the report by the former French foreign minister, quote, will provide the donors with further cover.”

    “The report says the following: UNRWA, quote, ’remains pivotal in providing life saving humanitarian aid. UNRWA is irreplaceable and indispensable, [a] humanitarian lifeline.’ Mr. Chairman, we didn’t need to have an independent review group of the French foreign minister and three Scandinavian institutes to produce those lines. Those words are the official UNWRA talking points,” Mr. Neuer said.

    He derided the report for its proclamation that “UNRWA has established a significant number of policies and mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with a more developed approach to neutrality than any other similar U.N. or NGO entities.”

    “The truth is the complete opposite,” Mr. Neuer said.

    He compared the report to the Soviet Union’s Stalin-era constitution, a soaring statement of human rights—guaranteeing direct elections, freedom of conscience, and other liberties. The Soviet dictator proclaimed it the most democratic constitution in the world.

    “The reality was the complete opposite,” Mr. Neuer said, noting that the constitution came into play in 1936, just before the Great Purge began, a terror resulting in the arrest and then execution or deportation to Siberia of millions of citizens.

    Displaced Palestinian people sit on benches as they wait outside a clinic of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 28, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)

    Yona Schiffmiller, research director for NGO Monitor, a group watchdog nonprofit group, said Hamas’s coercion makes accountability and oversight of UNRWA unlikely. U.S. law bans funding groups that promote violence, terrorism, anti-Semitism, or the employment of individuals espousing those.

    James G. Lindsay, former general counsel for UNRWA, former Justice Department criminal lawyer, and author of a 2009 report on the group, told the committee that he walked away from it when it became apparent that while it stated that it was vetting staff members for terror ties, it wasn’t doing it.

    He saw a quote from the UNRWA commissioner-general in the Canadian media saying, “Yes, I know we have Hamas people working for us, but it’s not something we worry about.”

    He objected to UNRWA’s management, “and I was rebuffed.”

    “And so I moved on,” Mr. Lindsay said.

    The Colonna Report itself documents indirectly how incompetent the agency is, he said. Of its 50 recommendations, he said, about 37 “reflect obvious management deficiencies, things like the need for training, better coordination with other agencies, better enforcement of rules, employing more women as managers, that any competent management team would have long ago addressed with prodding from an independent review.”

    He noted that of the 5.9 million Palestinians UNRWA designates as “refugees,” 1.8 million don’t meet the legal definition because they are citizens of and live in Jordan. Someone can’t be a citizen and a refugee at the same time, he said. Others should be stricken from the assistance rolls for their criminal records or support of terrorism, he said.

    The hearing was slightly disrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Several had “FREE GAZA” written on their arms. They held their arms up in the air and checked the monitors of the hearing’s cameras to make sure the messages were showing. One wore a “Free Palestine” T-shirt.

    At one point, Mr. Smith stopped the hearing to admonish them, noting that showing signs was illegal. Some shouting broke out off camera, and he then had police clear them from the hearing chamber.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 05/21/2024 – 02:00

  • Hatch Act Enforcement Tightens With New Guidelines Targeting Political Activities Of Federal Employees
    Hatch Act Enforcement Tightens With New Guidelines Targeting Political Activities Of Federal Employees

    Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    In an update to enforcement of the Hatch Act, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on May 20 issued new guidelines aimed at clarifying and tightening the rules governing political activities by federal employees.

    The White House is visible through the fence at the North Lawn on June 16, 2016. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

    The Hatch Act restricts the political activities of government employees to ensure a nonpartisan federal workforce. The Act has seen evolving interpretations and enforcement mechanisms since its enactment in 1939.

    The new advisory opinion from the OSC head Hampton Dellinger outlines several key changes that will impact how these regulations are applied, particularly concerning White House personnel and the display of political items in federal workplaces. Mr. Dellinger was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate and took office in March 2024, with prior work overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy.

    Mr. Dellinger in an opinion piece published in Politico on May 20, noted that the updates are meant to target a loophole that has allowed senior White House personnel to evade full compliance with the Hatch Act.

    He noted that the changes mark a decisive move to ensure that the law’s restrictions on political activities apply uniformly across all federal employees, including top White House staff.

    Mr. Dellinger emphasized the importance of balancing robust Hatch Act enforcement with protecting federal employees’ speech rights.

    “While this Advisory Opinion updates OSC’s approach to Hatch Act enforcement in certain areas, it is important to note what remains unchanged,” the advisory opinion announcing the changes stated. “OSC will continue to provide extensive training, education, and advice to inform federal agencies and employees of Hatch Act obligations. Relatedly, OSC continues to encourage government workers to come into immediate compliance once alerted of violations. Quickly remedied and minor violations often can be addressed and closed through warnings from OSC rather than a filed case.”

    Enforcement Actions and White House Personnel

    The OSC has announced a shift in how it handles Hatch Act violations by White House commissioned officers and other senior staff.

    Previously, due to the absence of a quorum in the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and historical legal opinions, the OSC would refer cases involving White House personnel to the president.

    With the MSPB now having a quorum, the OSC will bring such cases directly to the MSPB for adjudication, in line with the clear statutory mandate, according to an advisory opinion announcing the changes. This change underscores that all non-Presidential Senate-confirmed appointees (PAS) will be subject to the same disciplinary processes as other federal employees.

    Political Activity Restrictions Extended

    In an effort to create a uniform and clear standard, the OSC has also updated its guidance on the display of political candidate or party items in the federal workplace.

    Previously, there was a distinction between items supporting political candidates, which were prohibited only during election periods, and those supporting political parties, which were banned year-round. The new rule eliminates this distinction, imposing a year-round ban on both types of items.

    This change reflects the increasing association of candidates with specific political parties, rendering any distinction between candidate and party items practically insignificant.

    Another notable update concerns former federal employees. The OSC clarified that the Hatch Act’s prohibitions apply even after an employee has left federal service.

    This means that individuals who violated the Hatch Act while in government can still face disciplinary actions post-resignation. This extension ensures accountability and deters future violations, maintaining the integrity of federal service, according to the advisory opinion.

    Balancing Free Speech and Political Neutrality

    The OSC has also addressed the balance between protecting federal employees’ speech rights and ensuring political neutrality in government operations.

    While the Hatch Act restricts overt political advocacy by government employees, it allows for certain policy-related discussions that may touch on politically sensitive issues.

    “Importantly, OSC will always find violations of the Hatch Act when on-the-job speech or conduct includes express advocacy (i.e. please support the election of, vote against, donate to, or variations thereof),” the new policy explained. “Beyond that, prohibited advocacy can also include using words, phrases, or images associated with a specific candidate or party, particularly when they appear alone, virtually alone, or gratuitously.”

    The new advisory reaffirms that clear advocacy for or against political candidates or parties in the workplace remains prohibited. However, discussions involving policy matters related to federal programs or legislative proposals may be permissible, provided they do not serve as covert political endorsements.

    The OSC’s updated enforcement approach is an attempt at ensuring that federal employees adhere to political neutrality and accountability.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 23:40

  • These Are The Countries Where Youth Are The Most Unhappy, Relative To Older Generations
    These Are The Countries Where Youth Are The Most Unhappy, Relative To Older Generations

    “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”

    – TOM BODETT

    Measuring happiness is tricky business, more so when taking into account how different regions, cultures, and faiths define it. Nevertheless, as Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao reports, the World Happiness Report attempts to distill being happy into a single score out of 10, and then ranks countries by their average score.

    Rao has visualized the high-level findings from the latest happiness report in this series of maps. However, the report also dives deeper into other significant trends in the data, such as a growing disparity in happiness between age groups within countries themselves.

    In the chart above, Visual Capitalist lists countries by the biggest gaps in happiness ranks between young adults (<30) and older adults (60+). A higher number indicates a larger gap, and that the youth are far unhappier than their older counterparts.

    Where are Youth Unhappier than Older Adults?

    Mauritius ranks first on this list, with a massive 57 place gap between older adult and youth happiness. The 1.26 million-inhabited island nation briefly reached high income status in 2020, but the pandemic hit hard, hurting its key tourism sector, and affecting jobs.

    The country’s youth unemployment rate spiked to close to 25% that year, but has since been on the decline. Like residents on many similarly-populated islands, the younger demographic often moves abroad in search of more opportunities.

    Conventional wisdom says, and data somewhat correlates, that young adults (those below 30) tend to be the happiest demographic. Happiness then decreases through middle age and starts increasing around 60. However, the above countries are digressing from the pattern, with older generations being much happier than young adults.

    That older generations are happier, by itself, is not a bad thing. However, that younger adults are so much unhappier in the same country can point to several unique stresses that those aged below 30 are facing.

    For example, in the U.S. and Canada—both near the top of this list—many young adults feel like they have been priced out of owning a home: a once key metric of success.

    Climate anxieties are also high, with worries about the future of the world they’ll inhabit. Finally, persistent economic inequities are also weighing on the younger generation, with many in that cohort feeling like they will never be able to afford to retire.

    All of this comes alongside a rising loneliness epidemic, where those aged 18–25 report much higher rates of loneliness than the general population.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 23:20

  • Study Finds Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Safely Treat Menopause Symptoms
    Study Finds Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Safely Treat Menopause Symptoms

    Authored by Ayla Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A new study has determined that, when it comes to treating the symptoms of menopause, the overall benefits of hormone replacement therapy outweigh the risks. However, researchers found that the evidence does not support hormone therapy as an effective preventative measure for cardiovascular disease, dementia, or other chronic diseases.

    (SpeedKingz/Shutterstock)

    The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), analyzed follow-up data related to the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study—the largest study for women’s health in the United States and a nearly two-decade-long undertaking. The researchers determined that hormone therapy is an effective treatment option for postmenopausal women, particularly those in early menopause who are less than 60 years old.

    Study Findings Explained

    The WHI study was conducted from 1993 through 1998. Participants consisted of 161,808 postmenopausal women within the United States between 50 and 79 years old. Relevant data was collected from the study participants for up to twenty years to determine the efficacy and side effects of hormone replacement therapy during menopause.

    After analyzing the WHI’s follow-up data, the JAMA study researchers concluded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a safe treatment option for common vasomotor menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. The researchers also found that initiating hormone replacement therapy in early menopause (before age 60) resulted in fewer adverse effects compared to late menopause.

    “I’m glad to see the researchers mention the increased risk of side effects from HRT in late menopause. I wish doctors would be more upfront with patients about the downsides of HRT, because the truth is, it doesn’t work well for a lot of women,” Mindy Pelz, a chiropractor and functional health expert, told The Epoch Times in an email.

    Researchers also found the evidence did not support routine calcium and Vitamin D supplementation to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women. Nor did it support the use of a low-fat diet as a means to prevent breast or colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women.

    “It’s always good to get more clarity on what hormone replacement can and cannot do. For some women, hormone replacement therapy makes a night-and-day difference in menopause symptoms like hot flashes and mood—but it’s helpful to know that HRT won’t protect you from menopause’s impact on heart health, brain aging, and chronic disease risk,” says Ms. Pelz.

    Background and Prior Research

    Through decades of research, scientists have been able to better understand which hormone treatments are beneficial–and which should be avoided. For example, researchers of the WHI study learned that a certain type of progestin—medroxyprogesterone acetate—was linked to higher rates of breast cancer. On the other hand, micronized progesterone, a type of bioidentical hormone, does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

    “Bio-identical hormones are a safer alternative to traditional HRT because they are plant-based transdermal creams that are structurally identical to human hormones; the body recognizes them, binds to them, metabolizes them, excretes them, activating the same functions as before menopause sets in. They are just as powerful to prevent hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, and sleeping difficulties and do not pose an increased risk for breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots, or strokes,” Dr. Gowri Reddy Rocco told The Epoch Times in an email. Dr. Rocco is a double board-certified physician in family medicine and regenerative, anti-aging, and functional medicine.

    The WHI study also found an increased incidence of pulmonary embolism in women taking estrogen orally. Other forms of estrogen, such as patches, creams, or gels, are considered a safer option because they are not metabolized by the liver.

    “It is imperative to recognize that the WHI study only studies results of using synthetic, oral estrogens and progestins. It is important to clarify the confusion so women feel comfortable and understand the differences between the traditional synthetic HRT and Bio-Identical Hormones(BHRT). The WHI was not based on BHRT or physiological studies, it was based on synthetic, animal-derived, and traditional oral estrogens and progestins,” explains Dr. Rocco.

    Hormone Replacement Therapy and Menopause

    Postmenopausal women account for approximately 55 million people in the United States and 1.1 billion people worldwide. During menopause, a woman’s body no longer produces adequate amounts of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. According to Dr. Rocco, this drop in hormone levels can cause uncomfortable menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression, weight gain, difficulty sleeping, and difficulty losing weight. These symptoms can last for up to ten years after the start of menopause.

    Hormone replacement therapy is used to relieve menopausal symptoms in women.

    Generally, if a postmenopausal woman has a uterus, they will be prescribed a combination of estrogen and progesterone. This is because progesterone can help protect women with a uterus from endometrial cancer, which can form from estrogen-only therapy. If the woman no longer has a uterus due to a hysterectomy, then they will be prescribed estrogen only.

    However, HRT isn’t appropriate for everyone and, according to Ms. Pelz, it shouldn’t be seen as a universal fix. “I sometimes work with clients who view hormone replacement as a cure-all, or something that can replace a healthy lifestyle—but that’s not the case! If you’re going through menopause, it’s more important than ever to keep up a healthy diet and lifestyle.”

    Advantages and Disadvantages of Hormone Replacement Therapy

    The most immediate advantage of HRT is relief from uncomfortable menopausal symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, and vaginal dryness. Studies suggest that long-term hormone therapy can prevent bone fractures.

    There is also evidence that HRT could help lower the risk of bowel cancer and prevent bone loss (osteoporosis).

    As for disadvantages, research suggests that women on HRT have higher rates of blood clots, stroke, and breast cancer compared to women who are not on HRT. The risk of heart attack may also be slightly increased. In general, the longer a woman is on HRT, the greater the risk of grave side effects. Therefore, treatment should be for the shortest amount of time possible, using the lowest effective dose possible.

    “Some disadvantages of taking HRT include the need to apply topical cream morning and night, which can be cumbersome, finding a qualified physician or clinician to prescribe and monitor it, and it can be pricey as insurance does not cover it,” notes Dr. Rocco.

    Natural Alternatives to Hormone Replacement Therapy

    For those who prefer not to take hormones, there are certain lifestyle changes and natural alternatives that may help alleviate menopausal symptoms. Exercise, eating a balanced diet, relaxation therapy, and yoga are all lifestyle changes that can help lessen the severity of menopausal symptoms. Avoiding potential triggers, such as caffeine, smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods, may also be beneficial.

    “You’d be amazed by how much you can improve your hormone levels and ease menopause symptoms through lifestyle changes,” confirms Ms. Pelz.

    As far as exercise, Ms. Pelz specifically recommends lifting weights and walking, explaining, “Weightlifting increases sex hormones, which is good for menopausal symptoms. But it does a lot more than that too. Muscle mass and bone density are two of the biggest predictors of quality of life as you age. Menopause decreases both of them—and lifting weights reverses those declines, ensuring you look and feel your best as you age. Also, walk every day.”

    “It sounds basic, but research shows that low-level movement throughout the day makes a huge difference to both your hormone production and your overall health. I also think it’s one of the most underrated tools for weight loss. Aim for 10,000 steps a day if you can, but start with whatever’s possible. Even 1,000 steps a day will make a big change to how you feel if you’re consistent with it,” she adds.

    Foods containing soy have been shown to alleviate menopause symptoms due to the way soy mimics estrogen in the body. Ms. Pelz also recommends that menopausal women reduce their sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, explaining, “They wreak havoc on your hormones and they’ll make you gain weight, which causes further hormone disruptions. Trade the dessert and simple carbs for complex carbs like squash, sweet potato, lentils, and beans. This is good advice for anyone, but it’s especially important during and after menopause.”

    Dr. Rocco agrees that dietary changes can make a huge difference. She recommends a diet rich in vegetables, plant-based foods, and clean meats, as well as reducing one’s sugar intake to improve cardiovascular health. “Additionally, reducing alcohol intake is crucial as it affects hormones and increases cortisol production, leading to weight gain. Including more lentils and yams in the diet provides phytoestrogens which can naturally increase estrogen production,” she advises.

    Finally, certain herbal remedies may also be helpful during menopause, including but not limited to:

    • Black cohosh
    • Red clover
    • Evening primrose oil
    • Lemon balm
    • Fenugreek
    • Fennel
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Licorice

    These herbal remedies can balance hormone levels and/or improve sleep, thus potentially alleviating menopause symptoms.

    Dr. Rocco believes natural supplements can help menopausal women, specifically recommending green tea and  DIM (diinodolylmethane) to help regulate hormones. “Taking vitamin D is beneficial as it improves the immune system and helps mitigate depression and anxiety linked to low vitamin D levels. Avoiding gummy vitamins is advisable due to their shorter half-life and sugar content,” she says.

    It’s important to note that some herbal remedies can have serious interactions with certain medications, so always talk to your health care provider before taking any herbal remedies along with prescription or over-the-counter medications.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 23:00

  • Babylon Bee: Satan Asks Leftists To Tone The Evil Down A Notch
    Babylon Bee: Satan Asks Leftists To Tone The Evil Down A Notch

    In a regularly scheduled meeting with leftist activists and Democrat NGOs, Satan tries to to explain the value of subtlety.  It does not go well.  The Babylon Bee has become famous in a disturbing way – Their parodies often end up predicting future realities, proving that we now live in Clown World whether we like it or not.

    The comedy sketch does bring up a valid question that needs to be addressed:  Why has the political left put all their evil out in the open all of a sudden?  They used to hide their intentions behind empty platitudes and declarations of “peace and love and equality.”  Today we have CRT, DEI, ESG and an intersectional hellscape saturating society with the mentally ill. 

    Even Satan thinks maybe leftists are taking things a bit too far a bit too fast.  File this under “it’s funny because it’s true.” 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 22:40

  • Conservative Group Files Emergency Court Motion To Get Biden–Hur Audio Tapes
    Conservative Group Files Emergency Court Motion To Get Biden–Hur Audio Tapes

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has filed an emergency motion in a Washington court seeking to accelerate the release of audio tapes of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, over which the White House recently asserted executive privilege.

    Former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies alongside a video of President Joe Biden before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington on March 12, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    The emergency motion, filed on May 17 at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to modify the court’s briefing schedule for three pending Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits that seek the audio recordings of roughly five hours of interviews that President Biden had with the special counsel in relation to a classified documents mishandling probe.

    The motion seeks to speed up the court battle over the release of the tapes, with The Heritage Foundation arguing in the filing that President Biden’s assertion of executive privilege over the tapes on May 16 adds urgency to the FOIA lawsuits and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) didn’t need as much time to prepare its response to the FOIA requests as it previously claimed.

    “The Department’s asserted time constraints were misleading,” The Heritage Foundation attorneys wrote in the motion. “The Department did not need the time to prepare a position and declarations it twice told the Court it did. A formal assertion of Executive Privilege is an extraordinary undertaking.”

    U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly has set a schedule for the FOIA lawsuits that gives the DOJ until May 31 to submit filings in support of withholding the tapes. It also allows various other filings to be made through July 29. In their emergency motion, Heritage Foundation attorneys asked that the schedule be modified to give the DOJ until May 27 to make their arguments and that the deadline for all other filings be set at July 1.

    The tapes are at the center of a dispute between House Republicans and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has defied a subpoena for them and faces contempt proceedings.

    House Republicans have said that they want to obtain the recordings to verify Mr. Hur’s assertions that President Biden couldn’t recollect certain facts during the interview. They have alleged that a two-tiered justice system exists because Mr. Hur opted to not charge President Biden while former President Donald Trump faces multiple charges in connection with his own classified documents probe.

    “At trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the special counsel wrote in his 388-page report, which found that President Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials” when he was a private citizen after the end of his term as vice president during the Obama administration.

    Mr. Hur, who faced criticism from Democrats and the White House for remarks on the president’s cognitive capacity in his report, didn’t recommend charges against President Biden, in part because of his ailing memory.

    While Republicans have said that they want the tapes to verify Mr. Hur’s assertions, Democrats have argued that Republicans want to use the tapes in campaign ads to portray President Biden as a frail leader with a poor memory who’s too old to serve another term in the Oval Office.

    Mr. Hur revealed in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in March that White House officials sought to soften his report’s characterizations of President Biden’s ailing memory.

    More Details

    President Biden on May 16 asserted executive privilege over the interview tapes, with the White House counsel’s office notifying House Republicans of the move just hours before they were expected to recommend holding Mr. Garland in contempt for refusing to hand them over.

    Mr. Garland and White House Counsel Ed Siskel defended the executive privilege assertion as necessary because it could affect future investigations. In a May 15 letter to the president, Mr. Garland said that the “committee’s needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that the production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future.”

    President Biden’s counsel accused House Republicans of wanting the tapes to craft political attack ads.

    “The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal—to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” Ed Siskel, President Biden’s counsel, wrote to Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in a May 16 letter. “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.”

    Still, the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Mr. Comer, and the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Mr. Jordan, both voted on May 16 to hold Mr. Garland in contempt of Congress despite President Biden’s executive privilege intervention.

    In their court filing, Heritage Foundation attorneys argued that the fact that the House committees voted to recommend holding Mr. Garland in contempt “adds to the compelling and already extraordinary interest in the disclosure of the audio recording.”

    The contempt measure would still need to pass the House before a referral is made to the DOJ, and it remains unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would bring a resolution to the floor.

    Mr. Johnson has been critical of efforts to block the release of the tapes.

    “President Biden is apparently afraid for the citizens of this country and everyone to hear those tapes,” he said at a press conference.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 22:20

  • Elon Musk Says Starship Megarocket Launch In Weeks
    Elon Musk Says Starship Megarocket Launch In Weeks

    SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, will probably have its fourth flight “in about two weeks,” Elon Musk wrote on X. 

    The objective is for Starship “to get through max reentry heating,” Musk said, adding, “Worth noting that no one has ever succeeded in creating a fully reusable heat shield. Shuttle required >6 months of rework.” 

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    Last Wednesday, SpaceX announced that the Starship rocket was “full stack”—meaning its “Ship” upper stage was atop its “Super Heavy” first-stage booster on the orbital launch mount at the Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville.

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    SpaceX has already tested the Raptor engines of both vehicles on the orbital launch mount, a standard pre-launch procedure known as static fires. 

    Starship’s first three test flights occurred in April 2023, November 2023, and March 14 of this year. Engineers have rapidly improved Starship’s performance in each launch after learning from previous failures. 

    From reusable rockets to now reusable heat shields, Musk’s domination in space launches puts Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance to utter shame. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 22:00

  • Historic Trucking Rate Disparity Could Cripple Service In Late 2024
    Historic Trucking Rate Disparity Could Cripple Service In Late 2024

    By Zach Strickland of FreightWaves

    Truckload contract rates continue to show strong elevation in relation to spot rates excluding estimated fuel costs above $1.20 a gallon.

    This historic spread — currently about 30% versus about 12% in 2019 — suggests there is an extraordinary amount of potential disparity among rates in the truckload market that could leave several shippers without a truck when the market inevitably shifts.

    Chart of the Week: Van Contract Initial reporting of average base rate per mile, National Truckload Index removing estimated fuel costs above $1.20/mile – USA  

    Contract or long-term rates are generally negotiated on an annual basis between shipper and transportation service provider.

    In an erratic capacity environment, these rates are subject to midterm renegotiation, both higher and lower. This is where the term “paper rates” originates, because they are as thin as paper in terms of reliability.

    On the spot

    Spot rates are negotiated on an ad hoc or transactional basis and are typically only good for a matter of days.

    The spot market is a place where shippers look to source capacity when they either do not have a contract carrier or their existing carriers do not have availability. In loose capacity environments — such as the current one — it can also be a place to get immediate cost savings or try other carriers to deepen their lists of potential providers.

    From the carrier perspective, the spot market is a place to fill gaps in their networks — aka backhauls — or haul more profitable freight. The former is more the use case in a market like the one that we are currently in, though there is always this potential. 

    Too many trucks for too long

    The current market is historically oversupplied, with capacity having been inflated to an unsustainable level by the pandemic-era consumption boom. The U.S. truckload market has been in a recession since the first half of 2022 but is moving toward a more balanced environment nearly invisibly.

    Looking at an example of supply and demand dynamics in the form of active motor carrier of property operating authorities issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration versus the national Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI), capacity is falling while demand is stable. 

    While this is not a perfect comparison since an operating authority can be one or 5,000 trucks, it is a good indication that capacity is coming offline and the market is moving toward equilibrium. 

    The current ratio of operating authority to tender is about 31:1. Historically, the market has been tight when the ratio is below 24:1. The ratio peaked in early 2023 around 37:1 and was at its lowest in September 2020 around 16:1. This is by no means scientific but just a way to estimate where we are in the process.

    Chasing the bottom

    During this lengthy downturn, rates have been pushed to levels where carriers are at or below costs as they bid against each other to maintain enough volume to support their fleets. The spot market is the most extreme version of this as it is used as a last resort for many asset-based providers.

    Traditionally there are shippers, carriers and brokers who offer rates based on the spot market rates which are largely below carrier operating costs. Shippers and brokers who have long-term rates at or near spot market prices are at the most risk for increased levels of service failure later in the year when the market is expected to tighten.

    It is hard to tell, but spot rates are already trending higher over the past year as capacity has fallen out. This is telling, as it is an indication that the spot market is effectively the floor for pricing and it is rising at a near-imperceptible rate.

    Roadcheck

    International Roadcheck took place this past week, with safety officials conducting inspection blitzes on equipment. Many operators, especially in a market where rates are suppressed, avoid driving during this week, which causes a temporary reduction in capacity. Spot rates have spiked 7% over the past week.

    Shippers saw their service failure chances increase during this time. Tender rejection rates increased from 3.1% to 4.1% last week. There have been stronger jumps but shippers who have rates on the low end of the spectrum had the biggest exposure to this event.

    Both spot and rejection rates remained relatively low from a historic standpoint — the market still has plenty of available capacity to recover from such an event — but that buffer is deteriorating.

    Just a drop in the ocean, but a wave is approaching

    More than the summer shipping season, the fourth quarter will likely be a much tighter environment with much less predictable demand. Shippers’ sense of urgency is also much higher as retail peak hits. 

    It will not take much to cause a waterfall of service failures if carriers get the chance to haul profitable freight. The most desperate carriers will have given the lowest rates and will likely be the first to jump ship to make ends meet at the slightest sign of disruption.

    The result of that could be crippling to companies that chased the bottom dollar or based long-term rate targets on the spot market.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 21:40

  • Researchers Discover New Mechanism Linking Diet And Cancer Risk
    Researchers Discover New Mechanism Linking Diet And Cancer Risk

    Authored by Jennifer Sweenie via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    You may have heard that sugar feeds cancer cells, and evidence supports that. However, the missing link in this narrative has been a thorough understanding of just “how” sugar feeds cancer—until now. A recent study published in Cell in April 2024 uncovers a new mechanism linking uncontrolled blood sugar and poor diet with cancer risk.

    (CI Photos/Shutterstock)

    The research, performed at the National University of Singapore, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, and led by professor Ashok Venkitaraman and Dr. Li Ren Kong, found a chemical released when the body breaks down sugar also suppresses a gene expression that prevents the formation of tumors.

    This discovery provides valuable insights into how one’s dietary habits can impact their risk of developing cancer and forges a clear path to understanding how to reverse that risk with food choices.

    Methylglyoxal–A Temporary Off-Switch

    It was previously believed that cancer-preventing genes must be permanently deactivated before malignant tumors can form. However, this recent discovery suggests that a chemical, methylglyoxal (MGO), released whenever the body breaks down glucose, can temporarily switch off cancer-protecting mechanisms.

    Dr. Kong, first author of the study, told The Epoch Times in an email, “It has been shown that diabetic and obese individuals have a higher risk of cancer, posing as a significant societal risk. Yet, the exact cause remains debatable.” He continues, “Our study now unearthed a clue which may explain the connection between cancer risk and diet, as well as common diseases like diabetes, which arise from poor diets.”

    Dr. Kong continues, “We found that an endogenously synthesized metabolite can cause faults in our DNA that are early warning signs of cancer development, by inhibiting a cancer-preventing gene (known as the BRCA2).”

    BRCA2 is a gene that repairs DNA and helps make a protein that suppresses tumor growth and cancer cell proliferation. A BRCA2 gene mutation is associated primarily with a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, as well as other cancers. Those with a faulty copy of the BRCA2 gene are particularly susceptible to DNA damage from MGO.

    However, the study showed that those without a predisposition to cancer also face an increased risk of developing the disease from elevated MGO levels. The study found that chronically elevated levels of blood sugar can result in a compounded increase in cancer risk.

    Per Dr. Kong, “This study showcases the impact of methylglyoxal in inhibiting the function of tumour suppressor, such as BRCA2, suggesting that repeated episodes of poor diet or uncontrolled diabetes can ‘add up’ over time to increase cancer risk.”

    The Methylglyoxal and Cancer Relationship

    MGO is a metabolite of glucose—a byproduct made when our cells break down sugar, mainly glucose and fructose, to create energy. MGO is capable of temporarily destroying the BRCA2 protein, leading to lower levels of the protein in the cells and thus inhibiting its ability to prevent tumor formation. The more sugar your body needs to break down, the higher the levels of this chemical, and the higher your risk of developing malignant tumors.

    Dr. Kong explains, “Accumulation of methylglyoxal is found in cancer cells undergoing active metabolism. People whose diet is poor may also experience higher than normal levels of methylglyoxal. The connection we unearthed may help to explain why diabetes, obesity, or poor diet can heighten cancer risk.”

    MGO is challenging to measure on its own. Early detection of elevated levels is possible with a routine HbA1C blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months and is typically used to diagnose diabetes. This new research may provide a mechanism for detecting early warning signs of developing cancer.

    “In patients with prediabetes/diabetes, high methylglyoxal levels can usually be controlled with diet, exercise and/or medicines. We are aiming to propose the same for families with high risk of cancers, such as those with BRCA2 mutation,” explained Dr. Kong.

    More research is needed, but the study’s findings may open the door to new methods of mitigating cancer risk. “It is important to take note that our work was carried out in cellular models, not in patients, so it would be premature to give specific advice to reduce risk on this basis. However, the new knowledge from our study could influence the directions of future research in this area, and eventually have implications for cancer prevention.

    “For instance, poor diets rich in sugar or refined carbohydrates are known to cause blood glucose levels to spike. We are now looking at larger cancer cohorts to connect these dots,” Dr. Kong concludes.

    The Diet and Cancer Connection

    Dr. Simpson, medical director of Opt Health, told The Epoch Times in an email, “It’s genes loading the gun, but your lifestyle that pulls the trigger. Every bite of food you take is really information. It’s either going to turn on your longevity genes or it’s going to turn on your killer genes. So cancer is very much in large part self-induced by the individual diet.”

    A 2018 study published by Cambridge University Press found an association between higher intakes of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and an increased risk of obesity-related cancers. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2020 concluded that sugars may be a risk factor for cancer, breast in particular. Cancer cells are ravenous for sugar, consuming it at a rate 200 times that of normal cells.

    Healthy Dietary Choices for Reducing Cancer Risk

    A consensus on the best dietary approach for reducing cancer risk has yet to be determined, and further research is needed. However, the new findings of the Cell study on MGO support reducing sugar intake as a means to mitigate cancer risk. A study published in January in Diabetes & Metabolism shows that a Mediterranean diet style of eating may help reduce MGO levels.

    In 2023, a study published in Cell determined that a ketogenic diet may be an effective nutritional intervention for cancer patients as it helped slow the growth of cancer cells in mice—while a review published in JAMA Oncology in 2022 found that the current evidence available supports a plant-enriched diet for reducing cancer risk.

    Dr. Simpson stresses the importance of real food and healthy macronutrients with a low-carb intake for the health of our cells. “The mitochondria is the most important signaling molecule and energy-producing organelle that we have in our body. [Eat] lots of vegetables, healthy proteins and healthy fats, fish, eggs, yogurt.” He continues, “Lots of green, above-ground vegetables, some fruits, everything that is naturally grown and is not processed.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 21:20

  • The Biden Administration's Scientific Integrity Policies
    The Biden Administration’s Scientific Integrity Policies

    Authored by Curtis Schube via RealClearPolitics,

    It is no secret that the Biden administration has prioritized insulating the administrative state from the will of the people. The goal is placing career officials on equal footing with agency leadership (i.e., political appointees). Undoing Schedule F, which would categorize federal employees with policymaking authority so as to not give them the same civil service protections as career employees, is a more high-profile example. But a lesser-known effort, detailed in a recent Council to Modernize Governance publication, is underway with scientific integrity policies.

    Scientific integrity policies are not new. They were first developed in the late 1990s and focused science without predetermined outcomes informing policy decisions. They also required agencies to represent findings fairly and accurately. The Obama administration added that scientific integrity includes open discussion and firm commitment to the evidence. Clearly, this is good policy.

    However, the Biden administration has quietly added new components to these scientific integrity policies. It issued an executive order directing agencies to curb “political considerations” or “improper influence” in science, which is clever rhetoric that hides the true intent.

    The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was the first to issue this policy change, stating scientific findings “must not be suppressed, delayed, or altered for political purposes….” The policy, which applies to agency leadership (i.e., officials appointed by a president), prohibits “interference” in the “design, proposal, conduct, management, [and] evaluation” of studies. Yet it requires scientists to be included in policy decisions. Indeed, prohibiting the “design” of a study or the action of even “proposing” one –a critical step for many efforts – effectively boxes out those running federal agencies from their own agency’s direction.

    The policy creates an avenue for employees to report one another should they perceive said “improper influence.” But these types of rights already exist in the form of Inspector General or EEOC complaints and are unnecessary. But this reporting protocol would likely have a bottom-up effect, where a subordinate employee would hold a trump card over a superior. Encouraging employees to report one another for outside-the-box thoughts hardly fosters ingenuity (or a cohesive work environment).

    The policies themselves also appear to undermine, rather than protect, scientific integrity. For instance, the administration’s mandating of equal treatment for “indigenous knowledge” is worrisome. Science should be objective, rigorous, and subject to peer-review and replication. Indigenous knowledge offers us none of these characteristics, as it is based upon tradition. And which indigenous voices will get priority? For example, the Department of the Interior recently relied upon one version of indigenous knowledge to oppose energy development in ANWR over the indigenous knowledge of local Alaska tribes who favor such development. Situations like this prove the value of objective science guiding policy decisions.

    Identity politics is another suspect priority. Strangely, the policies go out of their way to require inclusivity “of all scientists,” which is followed by diversity, equity, and inclusion language. One’s sex, race, sexual orientation, etc. seemingly has little bearing on objective evidence.

    Many agencies, including the EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services have implemented similar changes. EPA leadership is currently negotiating with the agency workers’ union to embed these policy changes within the collective bargaining agreement. This means that the government is headed toward a binding contract between it and the union, which can be harder to undue than a simple regulation.

    The dangers are clear. Consistent with repealing Schedule F, the idea appears designed to prevent career employees from having to answer to agency leadership appointed by future administrations. Given that agency leaders are ultimately the only people within an agency who are subject to the will of the people (elections), the effort is hardly democratic.

    It is likely illegal too. These policy changes are effectively a disguised effort to protect certain policy preferences during future administrations by propping up employees who have never been appointed. But the Appointments Clause gives the President alone the authority to appoint officers of the United States. An officer of the United States is one who “exercise[es] significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States.” Handing a portion of this authority to employees and greatly limiting their respective constitutional officers’ review effectively makes those career employees unappointed officers of the United States. This is in direct opposition to the design of our Founding Fathers.

    A future administration should act immediately to restore the well-intentioned scientific integrity policies from prior administrations. The American public deserves, and the Constitution requires, federal agency leaders who are empowered to make informed decisions and be accountable to the people. This cannot occur in an environment where decisions are dictated by subordinates with pre-determined outcomes.

    Curtis Schube is the Executive Director for Council to Modernize Governance, a think tank committed to making the administration of government more efficient, representative, and restrained. He is formerly a constitutional and administrative law attorney.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 21:00

  • Court Ruling Means California Schools Can Violate Students' Rights When Following Public Health Orders
    Court Ruling Means California Schools Can Violate Students’ Rights When Following Public Health Orders

    Authored by Kristin Lang via The Epoch Times,

    As we near the end of the school year, a new court ruling may have some parents rethinking whether they want to enroll their children in California’s public schools this fall.

    Those of you living in Southern California will likely remember the case of Aidan Palicke. An academically-gifted Yorba Linda High School student and captain of the track team, Aidan was forced to take his exams outside in 40-degree weather wearing only a t-shirt. School officials singled out Aidan for wearing a formerly acceptable mesh face mask to school during the COVID era.

    “I was freezing, and all of the other students were looking at me through the window,” Aidan told me.

    “My fingers were in so much pain from the cold that it was hard to concentrate on my exam.”

    Aidan said some teachers encouraged his fellow students to ridicule him for not conforming to the mid-year change in masking policy. Aidan said he was hauled into the principals’ office repeatedly, removed from campus, and ultimately forced into a home-based study program against his wishes.

    Aidan’s family sued the Placentia Yorba Linda School District (PYLUSD) in March 2022, arguing that some PYLUSD board members colluded to change masking policy mid-year to punish “conservative” students or students whose parents were vocal in opposing various COVID measures at the school.

    (L-R) Shari, Aidan, and Chris Palicke. (Courtesy of the Palicke Family)

    According to evidence presented in court, confusion ensued across the school district as teachers and school officials selectively enforced this policy, allegedly allowing favored students to wear any mask, or no mask at all. Some school board members testified that they wanted to stop the chaos the new masking policy was creating but were blocked from voting on it by other members of the school board.

    “After two years of litigation, an Orange County Superior Court judge who had been ruling in favor of the Palicke family and against dismissal suddenly reversed course and ruled that school officials were immune from liability for their admittedly illegal and abusive actions to students during the COVID era—setting a dangerous precedent,” said Rita Barnett-Rose, an attorney for the Palicke family during a press conference in Orange County on May 13.

    “Specifically, Judge Deborah Servino determined that, even though the facts of the case undeniably showed that certain PYLUSD school officials violated their students’ constitutional and civil rights, they were nevertheless entitled to legislative immunity because they were enforcing public health orders.”

    Judge Servino further ruled that because the school district has since withdrawn their mask mandate, and Aidan Palicke has already been forced out of the school district, all claims against school officials are “moot,” and Aidan is no longer entitled to be compensated for the harm inflicted on him.

    At the PYLUSD board meeting on May 7, school board member Marilyn Anderson, a defendant in the case, announced to a smattering of applause, “The Palicke lawsuit, it’s not in the agenda anymore because it was dismissed by the judge!”

    However, the Palicke family is getting some surprising and much-needed support from the new PYLUSD superintendent of schools, Alex Cherniss. In an open letter to the Palicke family on May 8, he called Ms. Anderson’s statement “abhorrent” and “shameful,” writing:

    “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Palicke …

    “As an educational leader, I have spent years pushing back against uninformed and overly punitive Covid restrictions that truly damaged our kids. …

    “I found the actions taken by Ms. Marilyn Anderson at the Board of Education meeting last night to be abhorrent. … Clearly, the announcement of a case dismissal in her board comments violated the Brown Act. …

    “I have no doubt that the purpose of her public statement … was her way of gloating at the fact that your case was no longer relevant to her or to the school district. Her statement, and the subsequent applause at the expense of your son was truly shameful.”

    I reached out to Marilyn Anderson for comment. As of the time this article was published, she had not responded.

    The Palicke family is appealing the case despite having used up significant family savings in their quest to seek justice for their child. The Palickes are getting some financial support from non-profit Free Now Foundation, where, in full transparency, I work as editor-in-chief.

    The Palicke family and attorneys at a press conference in Orange County, Calif., on May 13, 2024. (Courtesy of Judy Julin)

    This week, at the press conference in Orange County, Aidan’s father Chris Palicke vowed to fight on.

    “The granting of this motion [to dismiss] was appalling,” said Mr. Palicke. “This means that all schools in California are allowed to abuse and hurt children. We need to fight this and do what’s right not just for my family but for all children.”

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 20:40

  • How Lawfare Turned Trump Into A Superhero
    How Lawfare Turned Trump Into A Superhero

    Authored by Frank Miele via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Last week, President Biden raised the white flag of surrender to Donald Trump when he offered to debate the presumptive GOP nominee in June and September.

    No one saw this coming. Trump had been taunting Biden with his offer to debate “anytime, anywhere, any place,” but it was assumed that Biden and his handlers would shy away from the challenge, both because it represented a significant risk that Biden would implode onstage and also because it would give Trump bragging rights.

    Naturally, Trump accepted Biden’s offer immediately, and then at nearly the speed of light, it was announced just minutes later that both candidates would debate on CNN on June 27 and on ABC on Sept. 10.

    Until then, it was not even certain that debates would take place at all this year, let alone as early as June. Both candidates had grudges against the Commission on Presidential Debates, and the Democrats apparently thought they could avoid the risk of traditional debates as part of their plan to keep his opponent tied up in court throughout the campaign season.

    But that scheme was proving to be an albatross. Despite their success at keeping Trump tied down in court, the results have proven less than optimal for Team Biden. The Georgia prosecution for election interference was undermined by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ predilection for highly paid boyfriends and cash-only getaways. The two federal prosecutions by Special Counsel Jack Smith have been stymied in one case by the Supreme Court of the United States doing its job and in the other by District Judge Aileen Cannon doing hers. Neither case has any realistic chance of going to trial before Election Day.

    That leaves the New York State prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who accused Trump of recording legal expenses as legal expenses and claimed without evidence that the legal expenses were somehow fraudulently recorded to cover up some never-disclosed crime that the jury was meant to somehow intuit outside the court record.

    After four weeks, we are close to a verdict in that case, and though there is a chance that the Democrat-heavy jury will return a guilty verdict, it seems increasingly unlikely. Star witness Michael Cohen was proven by the defense in cross-examination to be a self-serving, Trump-hating liar whose testimony, even if believed, didn’t prove that Trump committed any crime. I’m betting on a hung jury, with a reasonable chance for an outright acquittal, but even if Trump were convicted it is likely his poll numbers would rise once again.

    Face it, the Democrats who threw everything they had at Donald Trump in four courthouses must have been shocked to see him emerging Rambo-like from the smoking wreckage of our justice system. But if they underestimated Trump, it is their own fault.

    In fact, the persecution of Trump for his role as the leader of a populist political movement has so angered Republican and independent voters that instead of destroying him, his opponents have elevated him into a superhero – someone virtually impervious to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

    If you don’t believe me – or the polls – then watch the video of Trump’s campaign rally in Wildwood, N.J., where he drew a huge crowd three weeks into his so-called “hush money” trial. That’s New Jersey, where no Republican has won the presidential race since Ronald Reagan! But in the most recent polling, Trump is only seven points behind Biden in a state that the Democrat won by 20 points in 2020.

    Moreover, the seeming injustice of Trump being turned into a political martyr by his opponents has resonated with the black community. Minority voters and young voters are turning to Trump in part because they see him as the victim of a rigged system, just as many of them have been. If blacks and Hispanics propel Trump to victory, that will be further proof of his superpowers.

    Obviously, the Biden campaign has been well aware of the collapse of their party’s blue wall of Democratic prosecutions, and with Hunter Biden going on trial in two separate federal cases in June, it was time to change the narrative. That’s why Biden blinked and unceremoniously agreed to debate Trump practically immediately.

    We learned two things from that development. One is predictable: It is a rule of thumb that the candidate who is most anxious to debate is the one who is losing. Joe Biden seems to fit the bill.

    But the other lesson surprised some White House watchers. By agreeing to a primetime debate where he will have to respond to difficult questions without a teleprompter, President Biden showed himself for once to be making decisions on his own. It seems unlikely that his so-called handlers would have allowed their candidate to put himself in harm’s way, so the probable explanation is that Biden went rogue.

    And so now, for once, the American public will be able to see the president thinking on his feet, and can assess whether he has his full faculties or not. But standing next to Donald Trump, who is on target to escape his scheduled martyrdom, it’s going to be hard for Joe Biden to look like anything except an afterthought.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 20:20

  • Wall Street's Biggest Bear, Mike Wilson, Finally Capitulates
    Wall Street’s Biggest Bear, Mike Wilson, Finally Capitulates

    Almost one thousand points higher and almost a year after he said to short the S&P at 3,900 in December 2022, Mike Wilson – who along with JPM’s Marko Kolanovic was the most steadfast bear on Wall Street – has finally capitulated.

    Recall that last October, just around the time we and a handful of others said a major market meltup was coming – and it turned out to be the biggest such meltup in history – Morgan Stanley’s chief equity strategist Mike Wilson said that his “observations on narrowing breadth, cautious factor leadership, falling earnings revisions and fading consumer and business confidence tell a different story than the consensus, which sees a rally into year-end that’s based mostly on bearish sentiment and seasonal tendencies” adding that a “rally into year-end looks more unlikely to us.”

    In retrospect, “consensus” was right (actually the call for a meltup was anything but consensus, but this is just Mike trying to sound ultra contrarian when in reality he was in the same bearish echo chamber as everyone else in late October), while Wilson’s call to kiss a year-end rally goodbye, will go down in history as one of the worst in history…

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    … as markets have melted up in a straight line since his note, with a mindblowing 24 weeks of gains since late October, and what’s worse Wilson literally bottom-ticked an explosive 30% gain in the S&P since the fateful “no rally” call.

    What happened then? Well, having dug himself into an impossibly deep hole, Wilson knew that capitulation would crush his credibility as an analyst who once upon a time was good at timing market inflection points and was hoping that a broken clock would finally be right that stocks would finally crack, and he would be able to go home head held high, writing an “I told you so” note to his clients and readers (even though stocks first moved 20% in the opposite direction of his call, peaking at 4,600 this summer)… if only he could wait a little longer.

    And so one week passed, then another, and another, and all through this time Wilson would “explain” why stocks kept levitating higher (i.e., why he was wrong) and instead of flipping his call and joining the momentum higher (and at least saving his clients some money) he would keep doubling down on a losing position… only to “explain” the coming week why, again, stocks kept levitating higher.

    Then in late December, Wilson took the first tentative step to admitting he had gotten all of 2023 wrong, when picking up on something we have been pounding the table since last summer, he said that “Equities Have The Green Light To Ramp Higher.”

    That, however, was about the weakest endorsement of the ongoing melt-up one could muster, and instead of placating his clients and superiors, it only infuriated them further as it was apparent Wilson wanted to have his bearish cake while eating his bullish flip-flop (he refused to change his 4,500 S&P year-end price target), and then in February the humiliation was complete when Wilson – Morgan Stanley’s chief US equity strategist – was forced to step down from his role as the chair of the bank’s Global Investment Committee, and instead would “focus on serving his key institutional clients, where the demand for generating tactical alpha is intensifying,” which of course was even more hilarious as Wilson had failed to generate any alpha – or beta – since some time in mid-2022.

    And so, having pretty much lost everything, both his stock-picking credibility and also his standing in the company’s org chart, there was little left for him to lose, which brings us to today when in his just published “mid-year outlook” note (available to pro subscribers in the usual place), Wilson – formerly one of Wall Street’s most prominent bears – just turned positive in his outlook for US stocks.

    That’s right: having missed the most powerful rally in a generation, with the S&P and Nasdaq trading at all time highs, and the Dow above 40,000 for the first time ever, Wilson “stunned” his readers by dramatically raising his June 2025 S&P price target to 5,400, from his previous forecast which saw the S&P tumbling to 4,500, or 15%, by December.

    Hoping to put his entire bearish phase behind him, Wilson jumps straight to declaring that in his latest “base case 12-month price target moves to 5,400″ and explains that “In the base case, we forecast a 19x P/E multiple on 12-month forward EPS (June 2026) of US$283, which equates to a 5,400 forward 12-month price target. Our 2024 and 2025 earnings growth forecasts (8% and 13%, respectively) assume healthy, mid single- digit top-line growth in addition to margin expansion in both years as positive operating leverage resumes (particularly in 2025).” Funny how he did not “assume” any of these things as recently as a week ago.

    And while Wilson wistfully contemplates his bear case that could see stocks drop to 4,200 (or roughly what was his base case On this front, he also notes that his bull (6,350) case represents ~20% upside potential versus the current index level, respectively: “Our bull case reflects stronger (11-15%) EPS growth driven by continued fiscal support and cyclical/structural drivers out to 2026 alongside multiple expansion to ~21x. Our bear case incorporates a recession (negative EPS growth and multiple compression).”

    There is a bunch of other arguments for the various bear and bull cases (all laid out in detail in his note available to pro subs), but the bottom line is that Wilson finally admits he really has no idea what is coming (hence the 20% upside, downside interval of “confidence”) but he knows that whatever he predicted before is wrong.

    Amusingly, even in his capitulation, he desperately tries to hold on to the bearish case as if that – or his reputation – even matters any more. To do that, he converts all nominal numbers into inflation adjusted ones or, even better, shows returns in gold terms, something we haven’t seen since the days of Dennis Gartman:

    Finally, real equity returns have looked less attractive over the past few years as policy makers try to inflate out of the excessive debt the government and creditors have accumulated over the past 2 decades. More specifically, when looking at equity returns after inflation, we have yet to make new highs in all of the major indices. In a world where returns are measured and rewarded in nominal terms, such an analysis may not be relevant to most clients. However, we do think there is an important message in this analysis as a sign that this rally is not nearly as strong as the one in 2020-21 when companies were able to extract price and margin more easily. In short, it could be telling us something about the health of the real economy and sustainability of profits and margins.

    When we look at real returns using the price of gold, the performance results are weaker. We think this ratio captures much of what has been going on since the pandemic, including the intent of policy. First, notice that the real returns in gold were exceptionally strong coming out of the COVID lows in March 2020. This very much syncs with our view at the time that there would be significant operating leverage and real earnings growth as companies were able to extract pricing while simultaneously keeping costs under control during the lock downs. This was by far the best time to be fully invested (i.e., April 2020-November 2021) across a wide swath of the market. Since then, it’s been much more challenging and narrow as most companies have struggled to maintain the extraordinary margins and over-earning enjoyed during the pandemic. With the rally since last October due largely to multiple expansion, investors should be asking themselves if this rise in valuations is justified. We don’t think it is which is why we still have multiples coming down moderately in our base case view which assumes a soft/goldilocks landing for the economy and strong earnings growth. In the bear case context, we worry that if the soft landing outcome doesn’t happen, the multiple contraction will be swift as investors realize the performance dynamic in nominal returns is about to reverse. The breakdown in equity markets when shown in gold terms is an early warning sign that perhaps the late cycle environment may be at greater risk than appreciated.

    Yes, Mike, the risk is far “greater” than appreciated, but this is it for you: you have capitulated and you don’t get to say “told you so… in the small print” when stocks crash, which they will now that the last bears have thrown in the towel, just as we predicted back in February 2023 when we said that the “rally won’t end until Wilson and Marko turn bullish.”

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    And yet, despite Wilson’s capitulation, the bulls – and the rally – are not dead just yet: that’s because only one half of our forecast has materialized. Yes, Wilson finally flipped, but in a desperate attempt to keep the rally going, even as his trading desk beats the bullish drum day after day, JPMorgan’s equivalent to Wilson, Marko Kolanovic, just published a note (also available to pro subs) – as if desperate to respond to the U-turn just taken by his Morgan Stanley colleague – in which he reiterated his bearish view, urging them not to buy stocks, while acknowledging that this negative outlook has hurt JPMorgan’s model portfolio allocation over the past year as global equity markets rose to record highs. As Bloomberg notes, “he cited a litany of reasons for maintaining his pessimistic position, including high valuations, the likelihood rates will remain restrictive for longer, elevated inflation readings, consumer stress, and geopolitical uncertainty.”

    Of course, none of these are in any way unknown or not priced in, so the Croat hasn’t said anything the market doesn’t already know, and if anything he merely continues to feed the extremely bullish JPM flow trading desk with what little sales JPM’s retail clients have left.

    “A negative stance on equities has hurt the performance of our multi-asset portfolio over the past year,” Marko acknowledged, while adding, “we do not see equities as attractive investments at the moment and we don’t see a reason to change our stance.”

    Kolanovic has the lowest year-end target for the S&P 500 at 4,200, implying a drop of more than 20% from Monday’s closing level.

    Yet what remains extremely laughable, if not outright criminal, is that at the same time that Kolanovic pounds the table on his ridiculous bearish view that has cost anyone who listened to him the 50% gain in the S&P since Oct 2022 when Marko turned bearish, the JPM trading desk could not be more bullish. Here is what JPM market intel trader Andrew Tyler wrote this morning in the bank’s daily note to a select number of institutional clients:

    Tactically Bullish. Still following the formula of (i) at/above average GDP growth plus (ii) positive earnings growth and a (iii) paused Fed translate to a bull market. When considering the macro component, there is a clear slowing of the economy, but I remain less concerned about that then some clients. Why? I think survey data and diffusion indices (ISM/PMI) are painting a picture that is more dire than hard data, earnings, and consumer behavior suggest. For example, ISM-Mfg has had one expansionary print since October 2022; historically, one would conclude that the US was in a recession but instead we saw real GDP print above the long-term trend in 6 of the last 7 quarters. More generally, I think we are still normalizing to pre-COVID times and not seeing a material deterioration from there. While there is a divergence in Consumer outcomes based on income, I think the aggregate consumer remains in good shape. (more in the full JPM note available to pro subs).

    So yes, the meltup will continue because while Wilson has had enough of being “contrarian”, Marko still hopes to find a few remaining holdouts who i) still bother to read what he writes and ii) will sell what risk assets they have to, who else, JPMorgan.

    More in the full note from Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 20:00

  • "You Stole From The Trump Organization, Correct?": Michael Cohen Hands Trump Prosecution Another Terrible Day
    “You Stole From The Trump Organization, Correct?”: Michael Cohen Hands Trump Prosecution Another Terrible Day

    Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s New York ‘hush money’ trial may have colluded with the Biden administration, but apparently none of the galaxy brains involved thought far enough to consider that their star witness, Michael Cohen, might cause their ‘case’ to implode.

    NY Attorney General Letitia James (L), Michael Cohen, NYC DA Alvin Bragg

    To wit: last week, Cohen was ‘dog walked‘ through several lies he’s told over the past few years.

    Today: Cohen admitted he stole from the Trump Organization.

    During cross-examination, Cohen admitted that he lied to former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg in 2017 about how much he needed to be reimbursed for a payment to RedFinch, a tech company that provided services to the Trump Org.

    While he asked for $50,000, Cohen only paid the company $20,000 – pocketing the difference.

    “You stole from the Trump Organization, correct?” defense attorney Todd Blanche asked.

    “Yes sir,” Cohen replied.

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    When Blanche then asked if he ever repaid the Trump Organization, or “Did you ever have to plead guilty to larceny?” Cohen replied, “No sir.”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsCohen had asked for the $50,000 reimbursement alongside the $130,000 he paid personally to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election for a nondisclosure agreement.

    The former attorney then said he went to the bank and took out cash over several days, totaling about $20,000 before keeping it in a small brown paper bag. Then he gave it to the tech firm, he testified, adding he never gave the full $50,000 amount.

    The Trump Organization ultimately repaid Mr. Cohen $50,000 and then doubled that payment in a practice known as “grossing up” to cover taxes he’d incur by declaring the money as income rather than a tax-free reimbursement.

    Mr. Blanche noted that despite Mr. Cohen’s guilty pleas in 2018 to federal charges including a campaign finance violation for the hush money payment and unrelated tax evasion and bank fraud crimes, he’d never been charged with stealing from President Trump’s company. –Epoch Times

    They really aren’t sending their best…

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    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 20:00

  • GOP Rep Slams Biden, Praises Trump, In Fiery Speech At Israel's Knesset
    GOP Rep Slams Biden, Praises Trump, In Fiery Speech At Israel’s Knesset

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

    Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) delivered a speech at the Israeli Knesset on Sunday where she slammed President Biden and called for unconditional military support for Israel to support the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.

    Stefanik and other Republicans have been furious with President Biden for putting a pause on one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs and threatening to withhold heavy weapons if Israel launched a major attack on “population centers” in Rafah, although he hasn’t taken any action as Israel continues to escalate in the city.

    “I have been clear at home and I will be clear here: There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel — aid that was duly passed by the Congress — or to ease sanctions on Iran, paying a $6 billion ransom to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, or to dither and hide while our friends fight for their lives,” Stefanik told the Knesset’s Caucus for Jewish and Pro-Israel Students on Campuses Around the World.

    She was referencing a prisoner swap deal the US made with Iran before October 7, under which Tehran was granted access to $6 billion of its own frozen funds that were transferred from South Korea to Qatar.

    Republicans claim that President Biden gave $6 billion to Iran, but it’s unclear if Tehran ever had access as the US and Qatar agreed to freeze them again in October 2023, not long after the deal was made.

    Stefanik declared that the US should provide Israel with “what it needs, when it needs it, without conditions to achieve total victory in the face of evil.” Despite the Republican outrage at President Biden, his administration has promised that Israel will get every penny of the $17 billion in new military aid that was recently authorized by Congress.

    Stefanik praised former President Donald Trump for his “historic support for Israeli independence and security.” Trump has been running on an extremely pro-Israel platform and claimed President Biden “abandoned” the country by issuing a warning about Rafah.

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    Stefanik also slammed American college students who are protesting the unrelenting Israeli assault in Gaza, as she has been leading the charge in Congress in making accusations of antisemitism despite the fact that many Jewish students are participating in the protests.

    “I led the charge to expose this moral rot of antisemitism infecting our supposed most elite higher education institutions,” she said.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 19:40

  • Trade Protectionism In Renewables Could "Haunt" The Industry, Chinese Solar Execs Claim
    Trade Protectionism In Renewables Could “Haunt” The Industry, Chinese Solar Execs Claim

    Solar executives in China are railing the U.S. and Europe over trade protectionism, claiming that the West should instead “let the best technology win” in their respective markets.

    The Financial Times conducted an interview with Zhou Shijun, who leads global marketing for Arctech, who told them that the West ignoring the best technology would “come back to haunt” the renewable energy industry. 

    Shijun said that the introduction of trade barriers disproportionately impacted manufacturers of advanced technologies. He also said that companies with overcapacity issues were producing cheaper products. 

    “We do have concerns that geopolitical tensions are affecting our global business. What we’re doing right now is diversifying,” he said. He told the Financial Times that China would “always” be renewables’ biggest market. 

    FT reported that China dominates over 80% of global solar manufacturing, driven by significant state investment, competitive local markets, and growing domestic demand for green technology.

    Despite expectations of strong long-term demand, some Chinese solar manufacturers are increasingly exporting surplus supplies, leading to plummeting prices and complaints from the US and Europe about Beijing’s trade and industrial policies.

    Back in the U.S., President Joe Biden significantly raised tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and solar cells, and ended a tariff exemption on certain solar panel units.

    The EU has been investigating China’s electric vehicle and renewable energy sectors and has reported on state-driven economic distortions in China.

    Meanwhile, Shanghai-listed Arctech, which has a market capitalization of $1.9bn, is expanding internationally, balancing local regulations and technology-sharing demands without compromising its intellectual property.

    Despite geopolitical tensions, the company views the adoption of large-scale renewable energy as a global trend that is both unstoppable and essential, according to FT. 

    The company operates three factories in China and is exploring new manufacturing sites closer to international markets, such as a new factory in Saudi Arabia, a research facility in Spain, and planned operations in Brazil.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 19:20

  • Educational Explosion: The Damage of Unnecessary Advanced Degrees
    Educational Explosion: The Damage of Unnecessary Advanced Degrees

    Via SchiffGold.com,

    The percentage of U.S. adults holding an advanced degree increased by over 3% from 2011-2021. This increase in education is assumed to have a crucial role in America’s increasing economic strength over that time period. The expertise gained from such degrees is supposed to be valuable enough to outweigh the time and money put into grad degrees, both from the student’s perspective and the perspective of the schools and institutions that so often fund graduate degrees. In developing countries, college graduation rates are positively correlated with economic success. This same effect is thought to translate to America’s current explosion of higher education. This belief is held so strongly that the federal government spent 311,000,000,000 dollars on higher education in 2021.

    However, a high advanced degree rate is much less strongly linked to national and individual success than universities would like you to think.

    The first driving factor for graduate school is supposed to be self-interest. Graduate school is portrayed as a process that directly increases income and happiness. For some degrees, there is certainly a large associated increase in income, but for 40 percent of grad degrees, there is either negative or zero ROI. Most degrees in the arts and humanities fail to even pay themselves off. The time spent working would typically be far more beneficial to students than their choice of grad degree. While some may gain enough from those degrees in personal satisfaction to make up for their choices, taxpayers must feel comfortable knowing they are funding life expeditions that do not even increase the capability to care for oneself. Public education funding is promoted on the premise that the country will be both personally and collectively better off. With many degrees, neither is the case, yet more and more money is always being funneled towards public education.

    While the negative ROI of some humanities degrees is expected, the corporate world has also created an inefficient monster through the promotion of MBA degrees. They are entry-level for many positions and they are recommended for workers who have stopped progressing and want promotions. Most MBA programs take 2-3 years to complete, so a significant break from working life is required. MBAs give very few specific skills and are more of a certifying apparatus that an employee is relatively intelligent and has enough resources to put some into an extra project. If they taught extremely useful skills their value would be obvious, but they appear to be more of a status symbol. Their relatively useless nature is evidenced by the fact that overall, MBAs have negative ROI. Most people who undertake MBAs are already high achievers, so the time spent getting an MBA could be used better by continuing the linear progress of their career.

    The explosion of advanced degrees reflects a greater rejection of community and trust. Advanced degrees serve as a very expensive safety blanket for whichever line of work they are oriented toward. For people seeking work, they demonstrate their capability in a manner not dependent on any sort of relationship or past professional experience. Employers do not need to investigate as rigorously if they can examine a prospective employee’s course load and institution of choice. Demonstrations of actual capability through doing good work take a backseat to the prestige of the name on a diploma. Real-world experience is not quantifiable, and environments and individuals have a rich interplay that is impossible for any recruiter to fully decode. Graduate degrees remove this ambiguity and rubber stamp someone’s capability in a particular career. Trust and community could help assuage the current overinvestment in graduate school by letting capable workers be recognized for their work by people who know them as more than productivity units. If workers who feel they are ready for the next step must take a break from working to get an advanced degree unless that degree is far more than a certifying stamp, they are harming themselves, their company, and their country. The benefits of transparency created by advanced degrees are far outweighed by the damage done by workers slowing down their careers simply to gather institutional confirmation that they are indeed good workers.

    Even if individuals or businesses were paying for their degrees, they would still be suspect, but government education makes it even clearer how detrimental they are. Government education spending is one of the largest contributors to the ever-growing national debt. There are some government expenditures that are generally deemed necessary, but the inefficiency of these degrees is so great that it can be seen across party lines.

    While they are necessary for some fields, the current ballooned state of advanced degrees is exceedingly harmful.

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 19:00

  • Lockheed Running Out Of Parking Space For F-35s Pentagon Refuses To Accept
    Lockheed Running Out Of Parking Space For F-35s Pentagon Refuses To Accept

    Another day, another indication of what a spectacular, snakebit clusterf**k the F-35 program is. 

    The latest blotter entry comes to us from the US Government Accounting Office (GAO), via a new report pointedly titled “F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Program Continues to Encounter Production Issues and Modernization Delays.”According to GAO, Lockheed Martin is running out of parking space for all the completed F-35s that the Pentagon refuses to accept. 

    These aren’t one-by-one rejects. Last summer, the DOD put a complete freeze on accepting the stealth fighters until Lockheed fixed huge hardware and software problems associated with “Technology Refresh-3” (TR-3), a $1.8 billion package intended to expand the planes’ capabilities.  

    At Hill Air Force Base in 2020, USAF F-35 pilots perform an “elephant walk” — an exercise supposedly meant to prepare for mass takeoffs, but which strikes us more as a self-indulgent, $44,000-per-jet-per-hour circle-jerk (USAF photo)

    The worst of the software glitches affect the F-35’s radar and electronic warfare systems, “with some test pilots reporting that they had to reboot their entire radar and electronic warfare systems mid-flight to get them back online,” says GAO. Gee, that sounds kinda bad.  

    As the TR-3 woes continue, the jets are stacking up at Lockheed’s facilities. Referencing a milestone that had already passed when it published its report, GAO wrote, “If TR-3 software is delayed past April 2024, Lockheed Martin is projected to exceed its maximum parking capacity and will need to develop a plan to accommodate more parked planes.” Deflecting concerns, in a statement last week, Lockheed said, “Specific details about parking will not be shared due to security considerations.” 

    Even while they’re parked at Lockheed, the jets present a liability risk to the government, thanks to contract provisions under which “the government assumes the risk of loss of aircraft ‘in the open,’ which is subject to the contractor’s share of loss and deductible under the contract,” GAO reports.  

    This F-35B Lightning II crashed during a landing at a Texas reserve base in 2022 (KDFW via Military.com)

    GAO says the software won’t be stabilized until “at least June 2024.” Whenever that day comes, it will only be the beginning of the end of this latest chapter, as GAO says eventual delivery of the backlogged jets will take a year.   

    In the meantime, silly taxpayer, don’t bother asking for a specific number of undelivered F-35s. In a lack of transparency that’s surely driven soley by a desire to shield the military-industrial complex from embarrassment, “DOD deemed reporting the specific quantity of aircraft to be unsuitable for public release,” said GAO.  

    The chairman of the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee gave reporters a strong hint last week. “We know one thing for certain: it’s going to be at least over 100 aircraft stacked up on the tarmac,” said Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), according to Defense One. 

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    Already the most expensive weapons program in world history, the F-35 is on pace to cost Americans more than $2 trillion. The number is staggering enough on its own, but here’s some additional context via the National Interest:

    The fifth-generation F-22, not exactly a cheap program, cost taxpayers $66 billion. The entire U.S. annual defense budget is under $900 billion – nearly three times the defense budget of China, and ten times the defense budget of Russia. Yet, the F-35 program is pushing the $2 trillion mark.

    As the Epoch Times reported earlier this year, a different GAO report had even more unsettling information about the F-35s that are already in the Pentagon’s hands, indicating that “only 15 to 30 percent of F-35s may be capable of combat.”

    Lockheed Martin was awarded the F-35 contract 22 years ago — and, just coincidentally, Lockheed Martin shareholders have enjoyed 22 years of consecutive dividend increases. 

    Tyler Durden
    Mon, 05/20/2024 – 18:40

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