1616: Buying Quiet

Leave the world behind movie

China - Korea - Iran

Obama's did nothing

Some racial stuff maybe

This is only meant to elevate fear

lots of technical holes in the movie

What Was Barack Obama’s Role in Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind’? | Decider

The Obamas are listed as producers on the Leave the World Behind movie, because Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground Productions, came on board the film in 2022, two years after the movie had already been bought by Netflix. This was well after the movie had been cast, and after Esmail had adapted the screenplay from Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed 2020 novel. Esmail and Chad Hamilton are also producers through Esmail Corp, and Roberts produced through Red Om. But in the case of the Obamas, this is more of an “in name only” producer type of situations. Neither Barack nor Michelle were directly involved in the creation of the film.

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Copper Mines AZ BOTG

Just spoke with my daughter who is a civil engineer here in AZ. The projects aren't secret anymore. She said that the current mines are doing expansions.

Here is the company who owns the majority of the mines and the one her company is working with on the expansions. The current project is in Bagdad, Arizona

She just went to a real estate forecast event this evening and says there is an underground copper mine slated for Casa Grande, AZ. We were both not familiar with underground mining for copper as all of ours are mined out of mountains although our Bisbee mine goes underground but they don't mine that area anymore and it does start from a mountain.

She said they are hurry up and wait projects but then there is a rush as well. They need more workers. And they will need lots more temporary housing for the workers expanding the mine and permanent housing for the workers of the mines. These are very small towns.

I don't think we are big enough to supply the world with copper however.

Zelensky meets defense contractors

I met with leaders of US defense companies and expressed my gratitude to every American worker who manufactures weapons that help us safeguard our people and defend our land. I appreciated all American companies that attended last week's US-Ukraine defense industry conference. I also proposed establishing a European defense hub in Ukraine. We are prepared to make all essential decisions, cut red tape, and allocate orders. We are ready to produce more ammunition and military vehicles, but we require support. It is important to develop joint production of artillery ammo, air defense systems, and artillery and missile systems. Together, we can create more jobs, generate more strength, and provide more opportunities for both of our nations.

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Tuition of terror: Qatari money flowed into U.S. universities - and now it's fueling | Ctech

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Thu, 14 Dec 2023 16:33

Since the 9/11 attacks, Qatar has become the largest foreign donor to American academia, which has not always bothered to reveal the source. A study by the Institute for Anti-Semitism Studies found a direct link between the amount of donations and the presence of pro-Palestinian groups on campuses

Until three weeks ago, this issue was of no particular interest to anyone. The money flowed through the usual channels, under the surface without any hindrance. We're not talking about the flow of Qatari money to the Gaza Strip, but to another, less predictable destination - American academia.

According to a study published in 2022 by the National Association of Academics in the United States, a study that did not cause too much noise at the time, in the period between 2001 and 2021, precisely after the September 11 attacks, the Qataris donated a whopping $4.7 billion to universities in the United States. The recipients, however, did not report part of the money received, as required by law.

1 View gallery

Pro-Palestinian demonstration at UCLA

(Photo: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP )

An event that was waiting for the right moment

In fact, Qatar has become the largest foreign donor to American academia in the two decades since 9/11. What has been going on since the outbreak of the war on the campuses of the prestigious American universities, is a multi-participant event that was organized in advance and waited for the right moment. This moment came after the massacre of October 7.

Some of the incidents that happened in the United States in the last few days will testify to this. At serene Amherst University in Massachusetts, 57 anti-Israel students were arrested after rioting and taking over the administration building. At Tulane in New Orleans, arrests were made following a fight that broke out between Jewish students and a pro-Palestinian group. The fight began after pro-Palestinian demonstrators who were traveling in a truck (reminiscent of the ones used by Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel) began not just waving the Palestinian flag, but burning the Israeli one.

In a surreal scene at the small private college Cooper Union in New York City's East Village, the administration decided to lock the Jewish students in its library to protect them from an angry mob of pro-Palestinian protesters who were banging on the doors and windows after they burst through the campus security guards. At George Washington University, one of the students projected anti-Semitic messages on the library wall - "Free Palestine from the river to the sea" and "Glory to our martyrs". In the weeks since the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel, more Jewish and Israeli students across the United States have said that they fear for their safety in the face of the culture of anti-Semitic demonstrations and events, which are becoming increasingly violent.

In the last week, it seems that the universities themselves are beginning to understand that these events have gone beyond the boundaries of the progressive concept that flourishes on campuses. Historically, universities are homes to free speech and critical thinking, but the speed with which the demonstrations are organized, and the availability of resources for them, raise questions like those that have arisen in recent days in London, in the face of huge demonstrations with huge quantities of Palestinian flags that were quickly distributed to the many participants. Without realizing it, or realizing but thinking that these were harmless youthful demonstrations, it seems that elite universities have become hotbeds of anti-Semitism.

In the United States, it was believed that deepening the cooperation with Qatar and receiving donations to establish branches of prestigious American universities were another way to expand its soft power, but in practice, it became the opposite. Through its vast capital, Qatar is paving the way for the deepening influence of its shadows over more and more fields and geographical areas. The American universities that received the most significant funding from the Qataris, including Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon, established branches in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Cornell, which belongs to the American Ivy League, opened a medical school for $1.8 billion, Georgetown received $750 million for a school of government and Northwestern established a journalism school for which it received $600 million in 2007.

Apparently, this is not an unusual event in the era of globalization of the last decade, since the Technion also received a donation from the Chinese billionaire Li Ka-shing to establish a branch there. But in the Qatari case, the decisive share of the donations comes from the Qatar Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the government in 1995 to promote education and science in the country.

Against this background, the best academic institutions were also forced to make "adjustments" in their branches established in the so-called "Education City" on the outskirts of Doha, such as removing some of the too-liberal books from the reading list or signing a cooperation agreement between Northwestern's journalism school and controversial media outlets like Al Jazeera, which acts as a mouthpiece for Hamas.

An examination conducted back in 2020 by ISGAP, The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, of which Elie Wiesel served as Honorary President, revealed disturbing findings. The study found a direct connection between the amount of donations from Qatar and other Persian Gulf countries and the presence of pro-Palestinian groups that today feature on college campuses, led by SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine. In some universities, SJP groups organized demonstrations and days of rage immediately on October 8, even before Israel began carrying out significant operations in Gaza.

Even Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard who was the first to be caught in the eye of the storm, already understands that things are out of control. She spoke at a Shabbat dinner at the university's Hillel, where, contrary to her hesitant words the week prior, she was much more decisive. After quoting from the Bible, Gay openly admitted that "for too long, Harvard has done too little to deal with the continuing presence of anti-Semitism, which has a long and shameful history with us." Gay announced the formation of a group of consultants that would formulate recommendations on how to handle the events.

Many would prefer to return to Israel

Anti-Semitic sentiments are indeed nothing new in prestigious American universities, and the very existence of Brandeis University, which was established as the "Jewish Harvard" at a time when it was difficult for Jews to be admitted there, is the best evidence of this. However, in recent weeks, the current is too strong and the damage is deep. This was even before a series of mostly Jewish business people announced a halt to donations and warned that their companies will not hire university graduates who facilitate violent demonstrations against Israel.

In addition to losing financial support, there is something else that is undoubtedly starting to worry the presidents of the universities. In all of them, there is a large presence of Jewish and Israeli lecturers and doctoral students. These are considered the best minds, especially in science and medicine, and not only the American universities are competing for them, but also academic institutions in Israel that would love to have them. In the current reality, it is not impossible that many would now prefer to return to Israel after the war, even at the cost of less favorable economic conditions. This might be the best revenge for the anti-Semitic currents, the possibility that future Nobel Prizes, which the Jewish population in general and the Israeli population, in particular, hold a weight disproportionate to their size, will be registered in the name of Israel instead of the United States.

Oprah Defends Her Use Of Weight Loss Medication: 'Obesity Is A Disease' | The Daily Wire

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Thu, 14 Dec 2023 13:55

Oprah Winfrey defended her use of weight loss medication on occasion, saying '' obesity is a disease'' and is not due to a person's lack of willpower.

The 69-year-old billionaire TV personality has publicly discussed her weight loss struggles for decades. She most recently shared her thoughts during an interview with People that was published Wednesday.

''It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years,'' she said of the media's fixation on her fluctuating weight over the years. ''I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.''

Winfrey said that after ''five decades'' of obsessing over losing weight and ''believing willpower'' was her ''failing,'' she experienced a turning point after undergoing knee surgery in 2021.

''After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends,'' the TV talk show host told People. ''I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I'd felt in years.''

Of her eating habits these days, Winfrey said, ''I eat my last meal at 4 o'clock, drink a gallon of water a day, and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points. I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way.''

''I was actually recommending [the medication] to people long before I was on it myself,'' she added.

Winfrey said she changed her thinking about the use of weight loss medication during a panel discussion called ''The State of Weight,'' which is part of Oprah Daily's ''Life You Want'' series.

''I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience,'' she said of doing the panel in July. ''I realized I'd been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control.''

''Obesity is a disease. It's not about willpower '-- it's about the brain,'' Winfrey told People.

As for using weight loss medication herself, the media mogul said she let go of ''shame'' when she started using it. She also didn't disclose which specific one she's been using.

''I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,'' Winfrey told the outlet.

''The fact that there's a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for. I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.''

She explained how she utilized the medication ahead of Thanksgiving, for example. ''Because I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating,'' Winfrey said, adding that ''instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year, I gained half a pound.''

''It quiets the food noise,'' she said.

NDAA: What's in the $886 billion defense bill | CNN Politics

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CNN '--

The Senate and House Armed Services committees have rolled out their must-pass $886.3 billion defense bill, which would provide the largest raise for service members in more than two decades, temporarily extend a controversial surveillance program and strengthen the US posture in the Indo-Pacific region to deter Chinese actions.

The Senate approved on Wednesday the nearly 3,100-page National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024, and lawmakers are hoping it will pass the House by the end of the week. The package authorizes $28 billion, or about 3%, more than the previous fiscal year.

The legislation outlines the policy agenda for the Department of Defense and the US military and authorizes spending in line with the Pentagon's priorities. But it does not appropriate the funding itself.

Also notable, the joint package does not include two controversial provisions related to abortion and transgender health care access, which were in the House defense policy bill that passed this summer. The House version would have prohibited the secretary of defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services. It also would have barred a health care program for service members from covering hormone treatments for transgender individuals and gender confirmation surgeries.

But the final version of the bill does include multiple measures aimed at ''ending wokeness in the military,'' according to a summary provided by the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee.

Funding for a separate $105 billion national security package that would provide more assistance to Israel and Ukraine continues to be a point of contention in Congress, with Senate Republicans insisting that more foreign aid be paired with major border security policy changes. While there have been talks to try to find consensus, no bipartisan deal has been reached.

The defense authorization bill would extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through the end of 2026 and authorize $300 million for the program in the current fiscal year and the next one. The program provides funding for the federal government to pay industry to produce weapons and security assistance to send to Ukraine, rather than drawing directly from current US stockpiles of weapons.

Here are some key provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, according to summaries provided by the House and the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services committees:

Support for service members and their families The package contains several measures to improve service members' wages and benefits in hopes of aiding in recruitment and retention.

It would provide a 5.2% boost in service member basic pay and authorize a monthly bonus for junior enlisted members. The bill would also adjust the Basic Allowance for Housing calculation to boost reimbursement for junior enlisted service members so they could better afford rising rents. And it would expand the Basic Needs Allowance to help low-income service members with families.

The bill would also authorize $38 million over the budget request for new family housing and $356 million over the budget request to renovate and build new barracks.

To help military spouses, it would expand their reimbursements for relicensing or business costs and help those working for the federal government keep their jobs by allowing them to telework when service members transfer locations.

And the legislation would reduce child care expenses for military families and authorize $153 million over the budget request for the construction of new child care centers.

Plus, it would authorize the Department of Defense to fund '' and Armed Services members to participate in '' clinical trials using psychedelic substances and cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

The bill includes a short-term extension of a controversial law that permits warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals, extending authority for the program through April 19.

The law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, enables the US government to obtain intelligence by collecting communications records of non-Americans overseas who are using US-based communications services.

Supporters argue Section 702 is a critical tool for safeguarding national security, but it has come under scrutiny from some lawmakers over alleged misuse.

To counter Chinese aggression, the package would authorize $14.7 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and extend it through fiscal year 2024. And it would establish a training, advising and institutional capacity-building program for the military forces of Taiwan.

It would enable the implementation of the AUKUS agreement between the US, United Kingdom and Australia and authorize the eventual sale of nuclear-capable submarines to Australia. The bill would also establish the Indo-Pacific Campaigning Initiative, which would facilitate an increase in the frequency and scale of exercises conducted by the US Indo-Pacific Command, among other efforts.

The package would prohibit funding for the teaching, training or promotion of critical race theory in the military, including at service academies and Department of Defense schools, according to the House summary. And it would prohibit the display of any unapproved flags, such as the LGBTQ pride flag, at military installations.

It would also put in place a hiring freeze on diversity, equity and inclusion positions until the US Government Accountability Office completes an investigation of the Pentagon's DEI programs. Plus, the bill would cut and cap the base pay of DEI staffers at $70,000 a year.

The package includes a Parents Bill of Rights, which would give parents of children in Department of Defense schools the right to review curriculum, books and instructional materials, meet with teachers and provide consent before schools conduct medical exams or screenings of students.

In addition, the legislation reiterates that no funds may be spent on drag shows, Drag Queen Story Hours or similar events.

The legislation would require the defense secretary to inform the 8,000 service members who were discharged for not receiving the Covid-19 vaccine of the process they can follow to be reinstated.

It would also treat the lapse in service as a ''career intermission'' so future promotions are not affected, and it would require the Defense Department to grant requests to correct the personnel files of those discharged so they can receive full retirement benefits.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN's Clare Foran contributed to this report.

BREAKING: Trump Prosecutor, Jack Smith's Alleged Role In Extortion Scheme While At the International Court of Justice Is Revealed | The Gateway Pundit | by Larry Johnson

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Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:03

My old friend and business partner, John Moynihan, filed a whistleblower complaint with the Department of Justice Inspector General's Office on November 28 alleging that Jack Smith, the Special Prosecutor pursuing Donald Trump, was engaged in an extortion scheme while he was working at the International Court of Justice. (You can find the complaint at the bottom of this linked article by Patrick Byrne.) It is no coincidence that Jack Smith, in the wake of that complaint, made an impromptu move on Monday (December 11) asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Donald Trump had immunity to the charges filed by Smith. Moynihan's complaint was filed on November 28, 2023 and Smith, 13 days later decides to bypass the Appeals Courts. Smells like politics.

The Moynihan complaint is political dynamite because it provides circumstantial evidence to support Donald Trump's belief that Jack Smith is not only politically motivated but corrupt. The Trump team wisely has refrained from piling on this news in order to avoid accusations that this was a manufactured hit job.

Let's start with the man who brought this complaint. John Francis Moynihan is a former employee of the Drug Enforcement Administration (''DEA'') and has been my business partner since 1998. We have pursued separate activities over the last four years, but remain in close contact and work on projects from time to time. John is hands down the best expert in the world on money laundering and financial crimes. He lays out his credentials in the opening paragraph of the complaint:

I am currently a consultant to the DEA and other United States law enforcement agencies. I have thirty-five years expe1ience investigating domestic and international money laundering cases in both criminal and civil matters. The cases I have worked on involve complex domestic and international financial transactions and have resulted in indictments, plea agreements, criminal convictions, large scale seizures of money, andsettlements in the billions of dollars. I continue to assist the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department in money laundering and other cases, some of which are currently ongoing.' All of which is to say that I am a recognized expert in the areas of money laundering and financial investigations.

John learned of Jack Smith's alleged involvement thanks to a tip from a friend and DEA Agent, who had a confidential informant, who alerted him to the extortion scheme at the ICJ (as stated in the complaint).

The complaint includes affidavits from four people with ties to Kosovo '-- Milaim Zeka, Edlira Qefalija, Halit Sahitaj and Darko Perovic. I want to focus specifically on the sworn testimony of Halit Sahitaj because it provides the most comprehensive account of the Jack Smith's machinations at the ICJ and raises serious questions about the integrity of the Court and its trials.

Sahitaj, an Albanian by birth, lives in Spain and is a wealthy businessman with contacts throughout the Balkans and Russia. According to his sworn affidavit, Sahitaj says he learned of the extortion scheme from a man who used the name ''Florian'', who claimed to be an American working for the CIA. ''Florian's'' real name is Faik lmeri and he is listed as a Belgian, not an American on his driver's license. Florian/Imeri first contacted Sahitaj in February 2022.

Faik ImeriImeri is not just some bloke masquerading as a CIA asset. He had a direct relationship with Jack Smith and he introduced Halit to Jack Smith and, according to the affidavit:

induced [Halit Sahitaj[ into doing the bidding of the Specialist Prosecutors office to extort Russian oligarchs and the family and friends of Thaci in exchange for leniency. Specifically, Imeri directed Halit to find Russian oligarchs who are on the U.S. sanction list so they could offer ''assistance'' to get them off the list or, for those oligarchs who were not on the list, to keep them off.

Halit describes in detail 6 interactions with Smith and Imeri over the course of two years (June 2020 to April 2022). Halit's first introduction to Jack Smith was via phone in June 2020, after he received tasking from Imeri to develop a relationship with a Russian businessman, Valeri Subbotin.

During this conversation, Florian received a phone call. He held the phone for me to see and the display said ''Jack Smith'' and it had a picture of justice scales for the contact photograph. Florian answered and said, ''Hello sir, I am with our new man from Spain.'' Florian put the phone on speaker and a male voice in perfect English said, ''Hello, it is nice to meet you.'' We finished the meeting and I returned to Spain.

Exhibit C, page 2

In July 2020, Imeri told Halit that Jack Smith wanted his help in gathering evidence to be used against Albanian government officials.

I continued daily contact with Florian throughout July. One day, Florian called and informed me that Jack Smith is preparing to arrest the entire top government people in Kosovo. We continued to talk about this subject for several days and weeks. During one conversation, Florian told me that Jack Smith thinks that I could help him prepare for court proceedings. l readily agreed to help.

Exhibit C, page 2

In August 2020, Imeri contacted Halit and tasked him with contacting three ''war criminals'' in Kosovo. Imeri said that Jack Smith's office was going to leak dossiers on the three individuals and that Halit's job was to contact them and solicit a bribe. Halit did as instructed and incurred the wrath of the three targets. His next conversation with Imeri was unpleasant, with Imeri accusing him of botching the bribe request. To earn the trust of Smith's operation, Halit was asked to ''donate'' more than $400,000 to a black fund used by the Prosecutor's office. Halit did as instructed:

Two or three days later, Florian called. He told me that someone wanted to thank me for my donation. He put someone else on the phone who thanked me very much for my donation. I recognized the voice as Prosecutor Jack Smith as we had one discussion on the phone in June of 2020. He said that Florian would be in touch with me about future operations. Florian and I resumed our daily phone conversations.

Exhibit C, page 3

Halit's next task was to provide false testimony at The Hague against Kosovo's President Thaqi

Florian asked if I would be ready in two or three hours. He asked me if I had a pen to take notes of my instructions. I heard a person in the background, and I recognized the voice. Florian called him by name, Jack. Jack spoke to him in English, and Florian spoke to me in Albanian. I took notes of my instructions in my notebook of the testimony I was to give. After this conversation, Florian told me to go to the hotel that he provided close to the Prosecutor's office in The Hague.

Exhibit C, page 4

Halit's affidavit describes in detail his testimony presented under questioning by one of Jack Smith's long time associates, David Harbach. Halit reports this conversation with Harbach:

Trending: Owen Shroyer Details His ''Horrific'' Stay in Prison After Biden Regime Locked Him Up For Speech Crimes (VIDEO)

As small talk, I asked David, ''Where is Prosecutor Jack Smith?'' David said, ''At the moment, Jack Smith is not here but I have been informed by Jack that you will come for this testimony.''

Exhibit C, page 4

Halit did not have to wait long. After leaving the Hague by car he got a text message from Imeri.

About two hours into my trip, Florian sent me a screenshot of a phone message he received from Jack Smith. In the screenshot, the message said, ''Your Spanish friend has done a good job'' with a thumb's up emoji.

Exhibit C

Halit's work for Jack Smith's office was not over. His next targets, Russian oligarchs:

After I returned home, I maintained daily contact with Florian. He mostly asked about Russian oligarchs. He tasked me with finding Russian oligarchs who were on the U.S. sanction list so that we could offer to assistance to get them off the list or keep them off the list. I asked Florian what the procedure would be if I found people on the sanction list. Florian explained that there are two important criteria for the individuals. First, they would have to sign a contract to work for the Agency and give us information about Vladimir Putin. Second, they would have to pay money into the black fund for operational expenses. I immediately said to Florian that if this is not true, please do not make trouble for me withthe Russians. I did not want to risk my life nor the lives of my family if this was not true. Florian explained that he had spoken directly to Prosecutor Jack Smith about this. Smith had told him that he had colleagues in OFAC and this was all possible. He told me that during this operation I would be working directly for Jack Smith.

Exhibit C, page 5

Halit concern that such activities could create some real problems for him were not unfounded. Imeri, sensing his discomfort, provided Halit with the best reassurance '-- a call from Jack Smith.

On November 7, 2020, Florian called. He said I have someone that wants to speak with you. Then, Jack Smith got on the phone. He said he is very grateful for my help in Kosovo. Smith also said that they could not have made the arrests without my help.

Exhibit C, page 5

During the next 11 months, Halit's world was turned upside down. He was arrested and imprisoned in Spain on money laundering and weapons charges. If you think those developments were sufficient to scare off Jack Smith from continuing a relationship with Halit, think again. Halit got another phone call from Jack.

Two days later, Florian called. He stated that Prosecutor Jack Smith wanted to speak with me. I could hear Smith speaking in English to Florian who translated to me. Smith said that he was sorry about what happened to me and my family. He said he had done everything he could to help me get out of prison. Smith also said that it would be good for me to continue to speak with the Russian oligarch regarding his case.

Exhibit C, page 6

According to Hilat, Smith's interest in the Russians had a U.S. connection '-- Hillary Clinton.

Near the end of January, Florian called me to tell me that he had spoken with Jack Smith. He told me that Jack Smith wanted to know if Potanin was still in possession of evidence of corruption by Hillary Clinton. Or, if he had shared the evidence with anyone in the Secret Service.

Exhibit C, page 7

How did Jack Smith know that the Russian Potanin possessed incriminating evidence about Hillary Clinton? And why was a prosecutor with the International Court of Justice meddling in that area? Legitimate questions that merit an investigation.

As time progressed Halit realized he had been used maliciously to prosecute President Thaqi and tried to make amends. He contacted the ICJ and confessed that he had fabricated testimony at the behest of Imeri and Jack Smith. That got some attention.

On approximately April 22, 2022, I received a Signal call from Alan Teiger. On the call was a translator, Alan Tieger, and two investigators. We spoke for around one and half hours. Mr. Alan Tieger can provide the details of the conversation. However, Mr. Tieger informed me that they were going to record the conversation, and everyone consented, so I recorded it as well. I can provide a true and accurate copy of that recording.

Weeks later, I received a phone call from my intermediary with the two Russian oligarchs. The intermediary told me that my CIA contact had extorted $16,000,000 in USD from the Russians. I asked how the CIA had done that. The intermediary told me that Michal Prochorov had paid seven million and Vladimir Potanin paid nine million. The intermediary told me that Prochorov said that I know owe him seven million dollars.

Exhibit C, page 9

So far Halit is still alive. He is in a pickle because the Russian, Michal Prochorov, blames him for having to pay $7,000,000 dollars. But that is not the meat of this story. What the hell was Jack Smith doing?

The allegations by Halit and the others are backed up with significant documentary/electronic evidence. But there are broader issues at play and these demand answers. If the allegations of Milaim Zeka, Edlira Qefalija, Halit Sahitaj and Darko Perovic are true then it calls into question the objectivity and fairness of the ICJ. The affiants' accounts of the coercive and illegal activities allegedly carried out by Jack Smith indicate that this Court was engaged in a political mission in service of U.S. foreign policy rather than a search for justice.

Michael Foods announces loss of 4.2 million layers to HPAI | WATTPoultry.com

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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 22:57

Two commercial Michael Foods egg laying flocks are confirmed to have contracted highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), following an announcement from the producer's parent company Post Holdings on December 7th, 2023.

The two facilities that tested positive housed 4.2 million egg-laying hens, or approximately 10% of Post Holding's flock.

Post Holdings management said the company does not expect to provide additional updates on its HPAI incidents unless they exceed an additional 5% of its layer flock.

Additionally, following the confirmations, Post Holdings updated its outlook for fiscal year 2024.

Post Holdings' management stated: ''Post management updated its outlook for fiscal year 2024 Adjusted EBITDA to the range of US$1,220-US$1,280 million to incorporate 10 months of contribution from the previously announced acquisition of Perfection Pet Foods, LLC, which was completed effective December 1, 2023.''

''No change was made to the outlook range for today's announcement of avian influenza as Post management believes the related financial impact is within the tolerances of the range. The updated guidance range does not incorporate a significant expansion of avian influenza within Post's network, the impact of which is uncertain.''

Michael Foods' fiscal 2023 review focused on HPAIIn November 2023, Post Holdings held a quarterly earnings call and gave a review of Michael Foods' egg sales and HPAI status.

Post Holdings reported a 2.1% decline in egg volumes for the producer during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023, compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Jeff Zadoks, Post Holdings interim president and CEO, explained that the volume change was more related 2022's HPAI outbreak than to competition from other egg companies.

Zadoks said, ''We were able in the fourth quarter of last year to take advantage of HPAI impacting our competitors sooner than it impacted us, so we were able to pick up some volume that wouldn't have been our normal volume.''

Outsourced to Qatar by Neetu Arnold | Report | NAS

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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:55

A Case Study of Northwestern University-Qatar

This case study reveals how Qatar uses partnerships with American universities to advance its own interests and values. In partnering with Qatar, American universities have invested substantial time and manpower to aid the development of an illiberal regime that funds and befriends entities hostile to American national interests.

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NORTH AMERICA | Freeport-McMoRan

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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:04

NORTH AMERICA

In North America, FCX operates seven open-pit copper mines '-- Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona, and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and two molybdenum mines '-- Henderson and Climax in Colorado. Molybdenum concentrate, gold and silver are also produced by certain of FCX's North America copper mines.

FCX's Lone Star project located near its Safford operation in Arizona was substantially completed in 2020. FCX continues to advance opportunities to increase Lone Star operating rates and is advancing plans to increase volumes to achieve 300 million pounds of copper per year from oxide ores.

FCX has significant undeveloped reserves and resources in North America and a portfolio of potential long-term development projects. Future investments are dependent on market conditions and will be undertaken based on the results of economic and technical feasibility studies, including the incorporation of innovation initiatives to reduce capital intensity.

Your browser does not support the video element.Highlighting our new Lone Star minein Southeastern Arizona

Your browser does not support the video element.Arizona Copper Mining

Your browser does not support the video element.New Mexico Copper Mining

Your browser does not support the video element.Molybdenum Operations

Your browser does not support the video element.Morenci: Deep Roots, Broad Horizons

Your browser does not support the video element.Strengthening the World Connecting the Future® - Climax Molybdenum

Third of millennials support closure of nightclubs as Covid cases surge | The Independent

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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 16:54

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A third of millennials support the immediate closure of nightclubs amid a surge of symptomatic Covid cases across the UK, research reveals.

A survey by More in Common showed 33 per cent of those aged between 25 and 40 said they support the government reintroducing the closure of nightclubs as Covid cases surge.

It comes after 97,904 symptomatic Covid-19 Omicron cases were reported across the UK as of 6 December, according to a ZOE health study.

Up to 31 per cent of Generation Z (age 18-24) supported the same measure, compared with 27 per cent of Generation X (age 41-55) and baby boomers (age 56-74), and just 23 per cent of the silent generation (age 75+).

Meanwhile, nearly half of all those surveyed supported the reintroduction of mandatory face masks or facial coverings, according to the survey.

Forty-one per cent of Gen Z supported the measure compared with 44 per cent of millennials; 46 per cent of Gen X; 46 per cent of Baby Boomers and 45 per cent of the silent generation.

Only 12 per cent of the silent generation supported the closure of pubs and restaurants, compared with 17 per cent of baby boomers, 18 per cent of Gen X and 25 per cent of Gen Z and millennials.

More in Common UK associate Ed Hodgson told The Independent: ''The results also make clear the more authoritarian tendencies of some sections of the British public '' who are often very happy to back surprisingly heavy-handed government interventions.

''This is best encapsulated by our ''Loyal National'' (Red Wall) segment, who have the highest support for reintroducing these measures, and are also more likely to support a more interventionist state in general.''

He explained that despite many people in the UK having negative memories of lockdown, there are groups who look back at the period with nostalgia.

''We consistently find people in our focus groups who look back at the time nostalgically '' enjoying either the slower pace of life that came with lockdown, or the time it gave them to spend with their family or focus on personal projects,'' Mr Hodgson added.

JN.1, a sub-lineage of Omicron, has been categorised by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) because of its mutation and ''increasing prevalence within the UK and international data''.

Head of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, Prof Azeem Majeed, said JN.1 ''appears to be the fastest growing variant in the UK at the moment''.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently monitoring the variant, but it has not yet been designated as a Variant of Concern (VOC).

What Was Barack Obama's Role in Netflix's ''Leave the World Behind'? | Decider

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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 16:31

By Anna Menta Published Dec. 11, 2023, 12:55 p.m. ET

If you didn't watch Leave the World Behind on Netflix this weekend, you're in the minority. The new apocalyptic movie from Sam Esmail is currently trending No. 1 on the streaming service, after its release on Friday. And there are two names in the Leave the World Behind credits that surprised some viewers: Barack and Michelle Obama.

Based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind stars Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke as a married couple on vacation, who find themselves trapped on Long Island with their rental home's owner (Mahershala Ali), while society is on the brink of collapse. The film was released by Netflix, and produced by the Obama's Higher Ground Productions, which first launched in 2018. The company has a multi-year deal with Netflix, and has produced over a dozen films for the streamer like the Oscar-winning American Factory, and, most recently, the Bayard Rustin biopic, Rustin.

But this is perhaps the most star-powered feature film from the Obamas's production company. Naturally, folks are curious about the involvement of the former president and first lady.

What was the Obamas role in Leave the World Behind?The Obamas are listed as producers on the Leave the World Behind movie, because Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground Productions, came on board the film in 2022, two years after the movie had already been bought by Netflix. This was well after the movie had been cast, and after Esmail had adapted the screenplay from Rumaan Alam's acclaimed 2020 novel. Esmail and Chad Hamilton are also producers through Esmail Corp, and Roberts produced through Red Om. But in the case of the Obamas, this is more of an ''in name only'' producer type of situations. Neither Barack nor Michelle were directly involved in the creation of the film.

In a statement for the official Leave the World Behind production notes, Tonia Davis, who is head of film and TV at Higher Ground, said, ''What we love about Rumaan Alam's book, and Sam Esmail's adaptation, is that it leaves nothing behind. This is a rare story that deals with race, class, what it means to raise kids in today's world, and how external events start to seep into our consciousness and create fears where maybe there shouldn't be any. This is a story that doesn't necessarily provide answers, but asks fundamental questions about how we live, how we think, and who we trust.''

In an interview for those same production notes, Esmail explained that Barack Obama was a fan of Aman's 2020 novel, and came on board in 2022 to help get the film made. ''I remember back when I was working on the second season of Mr. Robot, I almost fell out of my chair because I found out President Obama was a fan of the show,'' Esmail said. ''So this has been a great full-circle moment. Knowing he's a fan of the book, a fan of my work, and a friend of Julia's '-- it seemed like kismet that he and Michelle, and the incredible team at Higher Ground, would come on as producers. Their involvement was invaluable in getting this movie made.''

However, the Obamas were not involved in developing the script, nor were they on set for the production of the movie. In a previous Leave the World Behind interview with Decider, Myha'la, who plays Mahershala Ali's on-screen daughter in the movie, said that the Obamas did not visit set during production.

''Unfortunately, we were not graced with their presence on set,'' Myha'la said when asked about the Obama's involvement in the film. ''But I did get a card with my wrap gift that was signed by them, and the rest of the production team. That was pretty exciting!''

SEC Poised to Authorize ''Natural Asset Companies'' | American Stewards

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Wed, 13 Dec 2023 05:13

SEC Poised to Authorize ''Natural Asset Companies''

October 4, 2023, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a proposed rule to approve the creation of a new investment vehicle, the ''Natural Asset Company (NAC).'' (88 Fed. Reg. 68811 (Oct. 4, 2023)) This new vehicle was created by the Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG) in partnership with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The IEG was founded by the Rockefeller Foundation with supporting partners including international environmental organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund.

The purpose for this new investment product is to provide a vehicle for elite investors and governments to profit from the protection of natural resources created by climate crisis policies. It is why these same proponents have been calling for the permanent protection of at least 30 percent of the world's land and oceans by 2023 '' the 30—30 agenda. These same actors are also pushing the net zero and decarbonization policies.

Their objective is not the conservation of the land. They seek total political and financial control of the world's natural resources particularly in the United States.

Download Briefing Paper PDF

KEY POINTS:

Proposed Rule Authorizes Federal Lands, Including National Parks, to be Enrolled into NACs. Proposed Rule Gives ''Management Authority'' to the NAC. The Biden Administration is Preparing to Enroll the Federal Lands into NACs. Proposed Rule Invites Foreign Interests to Invest in an NAC. Land Trusts can Enroll Conservation Easements without Landowner's Permission. Exclusive Rights to Natural Processes will be Monetized and Assigned to NACs. Protection of the Resources is Prioritized over Human Flourishing. PRIMARY SOURCE:

SEC Proposed Rule Change To Amend the NYSE Listed Company Manual To Adopt Listing Standards for Natural Asset Companies

BACKGROUND:

The Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG) claims the new natural asset economy will be a $5000 Trillion economy, four times larger than today's economy, which is $105 Trillion. This is because they are creating an entirely new set of values '-- quantifying and monetizing ''natural processes'' and ''ecosystem services'' which every human being must have to live, and no one has a right to own. They are quite literally attempting to profit from, and control, the air we breathe.

They state that it is the act of protecting the resources, thereby increasing ecosystems services from nature, that will give the NAC its value and the shareholders an investment return. It is not the production of traditional consumer goods. In fact, they specifically prohibit an NAC from engaging in ''unsustainable extractive activities.''

Three categories of lands make up a NAC: Natural (protected), Working (some productive uses highly regulated) and Hybrid (a mix of Natural and Working). They state that the investment return will come from ''ecotourism revenue or carbon credit sales on natural lands and commodity crop production on working lands.'' (IEG Website)

Ultimately, the NACs must hold rights to fixed assets such as land, water, conservation easements, federal protected lands, and crops to offer exclusive rights to the intrinsic elements they claim will be produced by protecting the area.

With the issuance of this proposed rule the SEC is approving the final step necessary to rob the American people of their property and natural rights.

1. The Proposed Rule Authorizes Federal Lands, Including National Parks, to be Enrolled into the NAC.

The SEC rule defines a Natural Asset Company as follows:

''NACs will be corporations that hold the rights to the ecological performance (i.e., the value of natural assets and production of ecosystem services) produced by natural or working areas, such as national reserves or large-scale farmlands, and have the authority to manage the areas for conservation, restoration, or sustainable management. These rights can be licensed like other rights, including ''run with the land'' rights (such as mineral rights, water rights, or air rights), and NACs are expected to license these rights from sovereign nations or private landowners.'' (Fed. Reg. Vol. 88, No. 191, 10/4/2023, page 68812)

Exhibit 3 of the SEC proposed rule is the IEG ''Ecological Performance Reporting Framework,'' which describes how NACs are to be created, measured, valued and reported for investment purposes. The Framework states:

''These assets can be areas that are publicly owned, such as a national park, or tracts of privately owned property held by individuals or corporations.'' (IEG Framework, SEC Proposed Rule Exhibit 3, page 7)

The IEG Website describes the ability to enroll federal land assets into NACs as:

'''... a transformational solution whereby natural ecosystems are not simply a cost to manage, but rather, an investible productive asset which provides financial capital and a source of wealth for governments and its citizens.''

Another type of publicly owned land that can be enrolled in an NAC is a ''conservation lease.'' The Bureau of Land Management has recently issued a proposed rule that would prioritize ''conservation'' over the ''multiple-uses'' on the federal lands it manages. The rule also creates a new process whereby the agency can issue ''conservation leases'' that exclude other multiple-uses from those lands, and can therefore be enrolled into an NAC.

2. The Proposed Rule Gives ''Management Authority'' to the NAC.

The proposed rule gives the NAC corporate board ''management authority'' over all the assets within the NAC. This includes those federal lands providing the asset base for the NAC. This raises a fundamental constitutional question: How can a private investment company have management authority over federal lands Congress has the exclusive Constitutional authority to manage '-- authority it has delegated to the land management agencies?

Nevertheless, the SEC is authorizing this action. The plain language of the SEC proposed rule gives the private investment company management authority over the ''ecological performance'' of the enrolled federal natural assets. This authority is baked into the NAC's definition set forth in the proposed rules.

''Natural Asset Companies (NACs) '-- Corporations that hold the rights to the ecological performance of a defined area and have the authority to manage the areas for conservation, restoration, or sustainable management.'' (Fed. Reg. Vol. 88, No. 191, 10/4/2023, page 68814)

This definition makes clear that not only will the NAC have the controlling management authority over the assets, but that this must be carried out to ensure the assets are conserved and sustainably used. This eliminates any productive uses necessary for human flourishing.

The SEC Proposed Rule defines ''Ecological Performance Rights'' as follows:

''The rights to the value of natural assets and the production or ecosystem services in a designated area, including the authority to manage the area. These rights are granted to a NAC, from a natural asset owner, as provided through a license agreement.'' (Fed. Reg. Vol. 88, No. 191, 10/4/2023, page 68813)

This management authority also extends to the private lands, conservation easements, and State lands. It is extended to all the assets controlled by the NAC.

3. The Biden Administration is Preparing to Enroll the Federal Lands into NACs.

The IEG Framework will be using the ''natural capital accounting standards established in the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting'-- Ecosystem Accounting Framework (''SEEA EA'').'' This is the only system that has placed a value on natural processes and ecosystem services. According to the IEG document, over 90 countries have signed on to use SEEA to ''measure and track natural assets, including the United States.''

The Biden Administration released the ''National Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental Economic Decisions'' in January of 2023. They are creating ''Natural Capital Accounts (NACs)'' to track the intrinsic values of nature and place these alongside traditional assets on the federal balance sheet.

The report describes the purpose as follows:

''It creates a U.S. system to account for natural assets'--from the minerals that power our tech economy and are driving the electric-vehicle revolution, to the ocean and rivers that support our fishing industry, to the forests that clean our air'--and quantify the immense value this natural capital provides. This National Strategy will help us understand and consistently track changes in the condition and economic value of land, water, air, and other natural assets. It will also help the federal government fulfill its responsibility to the American people to provide a fuller understanding of our economy. And it will provide data to guide the federal government and the economy through the transition we need for sustainable growth and development, a stable climate, and a healthy planet.'' (Report Introduction)

Along with adopting the UN accounting system, the Biden Administration has been gathering data on every natural element and process. The American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas initiated under 30—30 is quantifying the natural resources and their protected status. The recent USDA farm survey required landowners to provide more information about their operations than ever before. Failing to do so would be a violation of law.

They are collecting data about the natural assets, natural processes, and ecosystem services for a reason '-- to establish these assets to be used as collateral to increase the national debt, as new vehicles to tax the American people, and as the asset base for an investment product.

Additionally, the land management agencies are clearing the way for our federal lands to be included in the private investment product. As mentioned above, the BLM's proposed ''conservation'' rule would position these lands to be enrolled in NACs.

As the Biden Administration revises the numerous federal resource management plans that govern the federal holdings, they are eliminating the productive uses and increasing the protected areas. This will make these lands eligible for enrollment into NACs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is creating large ''Conservation Areas'' around National Wildlife Refuges, where the private land is targeted for acquisition and conservation easements in perpetuity. Most recently, they announced the creation of a 5.8-million-acre conservation area in Montana: The Missouri Headwaters Conservation Area. This was done without the knowledge of the State, even though 500,000 acres of State land and over two million acres of private land are included within the designated area.

The IEG website uses the example of ''conservation areas'' to describe how an NAC can be created in ''Hybrid Areas'' where there is a mix of protected and working lands, as well as small communities within the companies boundaries.

All the Biden Administration actions are being carried out for the purpose of conserving, restoring and sustainably managing the lands '-- the same objectives necessary for the formation of Natural Asset Companies.

4. The SEC Proposed Rule Invites Foreign Interests to Invest in an NAC.

It appears that adversarial countries, such as China, can own shares in NACs that hold the rights to our federal lands and profit from its protection while controlling how we use these lands.

Exhibit 5 of the SEC proposed rule is the manual language that will be adopted by the New York Stock Exchange authorizing the listing of NACs. At section 103.00 ''Foreign Private Issuers,'' it states: ''The Exchange welcomes listing inquiries from foreign private issuers.''

This gives foreign investors permission to hold shares in or create an NAC. Importantly, however, there is nothing in the rule, the NYSE manual language, or the IEG Framework that prohibits foreign nations from also holding shares in or creating an NAC. The SEC should make clear whether or not foreign governments can invest in these companies.

5. Land Trusts can Enroll Conservation Easements without Landowner's Permission.

The conservation easements held by Environmental and Agriculture Land Trusts, as well as Federal Agencies, can be enrolled into the NAC with or without the landowner's permission. They stand to gain a huge profit off the backs of America's landowners.

This includes the federal conservation easements such as the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program funded through the Farm Bill.

6. Exclusive Rights to Natural Processes will be Monetized and Assigned to NAC's.

Natural processes such as clean air, clean water, ecosystem services and other natural functions '-- those essential processes that are required by every human to live '-- are being arbitrarily monetized and the exclusive rights to these are being assigned to the NACs.

The IEG Framework states:

''Natural assets like forests, wetlands, or grasslands, provide a wealth of goods and services to people that not only sustain economic activity but that make life on Earth possible. These goods and services are called ecosystem services and include benefits such as clean air, water, productive soils for agriculture, food, climate stability, habitat for wildlife, genetic materials, medicines, and food.'' (Exhibit 3, IEG Framework, page 2)

7. Protection of the Resources is Prioritized over Human Flourishing

The purpose of the NACs are to conserve, restore and sustainably manage the natural assets that make up the corporation. The IEG Website goes further to explain that protecting the resources is more important than securing human wellbeing.

''Yet producing these essential goods and services and managing resources wisely is as valuable, or perhaps even more valuable, than the food production.''

Not only is protection of the land placed above producing food for society, extractive uses are specifically prohibited. Exhibit 5, the NYSE Manual Amendment reads:

''The NAC will be prohibited from engaging directly or indirectly in unsustainable activities. These are defined as activities that cause any material adverse impact on the condition of the natural assets under its control, and that extract resources without replenishing them (including, but not limited to, traditional fossil fuel development, mining, unsustainable logging, or perpetuating industrial agriculture). The NAC will be prohibited from using its funds to finance such unsustainable activities.'' (Fed. Reg. Vol. 88, No. 191, 10/4/2023, page 68814)

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

1. Share this briefing with your local, State and Federal Elected Representatives. There will be letters in the US House and Senate for Members to sign to oppose the proposed Rule. The Senate Letter is being lead by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

2. Submit your comment to the SEC Proposed Rule here. Even though the 21 day comment period has closed, you may still be able to register your position and ask for more time to comment: https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nyse-2023-09/notice-filing-proposed-rule-change-amend-nyse-listed-company-manual-adopt#no-back

RESOURCES:

The SEC Proposed Rule and Exhibits: https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/sr-nyse-2023-09

The Intrinsic Exchange Group Website: https://www.intrinsicexchange.com/

The New York Stock Exchange Announcement: https://www.nyse.com/introducing-natural-asset-companies

National Strategy to Develop Environmental Economic Statistics: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Natural-Capital-Accounting-Strategy-final.pdf

Article, ''Monetizing the Air we Breathe:'' https://americanstewards.us/natural-assets-monetizing-the-air-we-breathe/

Rule 2.13 '' Isolation And Quarantine Procedures | Armstrong Economics

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Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:33

The Appellate Division of the Fourth Judicial Department reversed the Borrello, Lawler, Tague, Uniting NYS v. Hochul ruling. Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Chris Tague, Assemblyman (now, Congressman) Michael Lawler and the citizens' organization, Uniting NYS had initially sued New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Health over Rule 2.13 ''Isolation and Quarantine Procedures.'' What does this mean? The state can now force ANYONE into quarantine for any reason as this is not limited to the coronavirus.

The government now has legal authority to remove residents from their homes and force them into quarantine camps. There is no age restriction. Children could be removed from their homes without parental consent. They do not need to warn citizens when they are coming or how long they must quarantine. You will be required to take any steps the state mandates, including taking medications against your will. There is no due process, no court hearing, and no rule of law as the government may now abduct citizens in the name of public health.

''This has been a 'David v. Goliath' fight from the beginning on many levels, so it is not surprising that the state, with its limitless resources, has effectuated a win this round. We will never stop fighting for New Yorkers against government overreach. And so, we will be appealing this calamitous decision to the Court of Appeals, our state's highest court, which is a court of constitutional integrity, and we are confident justice for New Yorkers,'' Senator Borrello noted.

You may not even take a test to determine if you are sick '-- the state has full authority over you and your body. This is one of the most restrictive and oppressive pieces of legislation to pass in US history and nullifies our freedoms. There is one last chance to save New Yorkers '' the Court of Appeals. If they can do this in New York, they can do it anywhere. We must raise awareness of what is actually going on before it is too late.

COVID-23 First Announced | Armstrong Economics

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Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:33

Here we go again '' the World Health Organization has requested information from China in regard to a new respiratory illness and clusters of pneumonia in children. Chinese authorities are blaming the lack of COVID-19 regulations/lack of continued government control in the name of public health. The WHO said that the ''influenza-like illness'' is comparable to the beginning of COVID-19.

The WHO first identified COVID-19 in January 2020, after China alerted the agency to the virus on December 31, 2019. Three years later and we are witnessing the same events unfold. Some are now calling this newly identified virus ''COVID-23.'' The WHO was first alerted on November 21, 2023, and began requesting detailed information from China the following day. It is not currently known if the COVID-23 virus is affiliated with the clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia among children in northern China.

And yet again, the international community is blaming China for a lack of transparency. The ''science'' community has the exact same questions. Did it spread from animal-to-human interaction? How does this virus spread? Is there a known cure?

This is not looking good people. I reported that places like New York are already implementing the harshest quarantine laws imaginable. Airports have already begun ramping up screenings for international travelers. Europe will prohibit free travel for non-EU citizens in 2025. Best of all the 2024 US Presidential election is one year away, Biden is polling in negative territory, and the globalists and neocons insist on keeping him in office. All of the cards are aligning for the elite to implement the second COVID plan-demic, but this time they will not give up control.

(14) The Day The Empress' Clothes Fell Off - by Andrew Sullivan

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Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:30

From left to right: Harvard president Claudine Gay, Penn president Liz Magill, professor Pamela Nadell of American U, and MIT president Sally Kornbluth testify before Congress on December 5. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)It may be too much to expect that the Congressional hearings this week, starring the three presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn, will wake people up to the toxic collapse of America's once-great Ivy League. But I can hope, can't I? In the immortal words of Hitch (peace be upon him), as you listen to these people, ''You see how far the termites have spread, and how long and well they have dined.''

The mediocrities smirked, finessed, condescended, and stonewalled. Take a good look at them. These are the people who now select our elites. And they select them, as they select every single member of the faculty, and every student, by actively discriminating against members of certain ''privileged'' groups and aggressively favoring other ''marginalized'' ones. They were themselves appointed in exactly the same way, from DEI-approved pools of candidates. As a Harvard dean, Claudine Gay's top priority was ''making more progress on diversity,'' i.e. intensifying the already systemic race, sex and gender discrimination that defines the place.

Thanks to the recent Supreme Court case, the energetic discrimination against Asian-American candidates for admission at Harvard is no longer in doubt. But countless other candidates for admission have little to no chance, regardless of their grades, or extracurriculars, because they belong to the wrong race, sex, sexual orientation, and ''gender identity.'' As soon as students are admitted under this identity framework, they are taught its core precepts: that the ''truth'' '-- or, in Harvard's now-ironic motto, ''Veritas'' '-- is a function not of logic or reason or of open, free, robust debate and dialogue, let alone of Western civilization, but of inimical and evil ''power structures'' rooted in identity that need to be dismantled first . Identity first; truth second '-- because truth is rooted in identity and cannot exist outside of it.

In the hearings, President Gay actually said, with a straight face, that ''we embrace a commitment to free expression even of views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful.'' This is the president whose university mandates all students attend a Title IX training session where they are told that ''fatphobia'' and ''cisheterosexism'' are forms of ''violence,'' and that ''using the wrong pronouns'' constitutes ''abuse.'' This is the same president who engineered the ouster of a law professor, Ronald Sullivan, simply because he represented a client , of whom Gay and students (rightly but irrelevantly) disapproved, Harvey Weinstein.

This is the same president who watched a brilliant and popular professor, Carole Hooven, be effectively hounded out of her position after a public shaming campaign by one of her department's DEI enforcers, and a mob of teaching fellows, because Hooven dared to state on television that biological sex is binary. This is the president of a university where a grand total of 1.46 percent of faculty call themselves ''conservative'' and 82 percent call themselves ''liberal'' or ''very liberal.'' This is the president of a university which ranked 248th out of 248 colleges this year on free speech (and Penn was the 247th), according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Harvard is a place where free expression goes to die.

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The critics who keep pointing out ''double standards'' when it comes to the inflammatory speech of pro-Palestinian students miss the point. These are not double standards. There is a single standard: It is fine to malign, abuse and denigrate ''oppressors'' and forbidden to do so against the ''oppressed.''

Freedom of speech in the Ivy League extends exclusively to the voices of the oppressed; they are also permitted to disrupt classes, deplatform or shout down controversial speakers, hurl obscenities, force members of oppressor groups '-- i.e. Jewish students and teachers in the latest case '-- into locked libraries and offices during protests, and blocked from classrooms . Jewish students have even been assaulted '-- at Harvard , at Columbia , at UMass Amherst , at Tulane . Assaults by woke students used to be rare, such as the 2017 mob at Middlebury that put Allison Stanger in a neck brace '-- but since 10/7, they're intensifying.

If a member of an oppressor class says something edgy, it is a form of violence. If a member of an oppressed class commits actual violence, it's speech. That's why many Harvard students instantly supported a fundamentalist terror cult that killed, tortured, systematically raped and kidnapped Jews just for being Jews in their own country. Because they have been taught it's the only moral position to take. They've diligently read their Fanon, and must be puzzled over what the problem is. Palestinians are victims of a ''colonial,'' ''white,'' ''settler-state'' and any violence they commit is thereby justified.

It would be wrong to see this as a function merely of old-school anti-Semitism. The new anti-Semitism is simply a subsidiary of the entire rubric of ''anti-Whiteness'' that is taught as the supreme principle of ''Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.'' DEI does not mean and has never meant diversity, equity and inclusion for all. It means active support for the ''oppressed'' against the ''oppressors.'' It means challenging ''whiteness,'' as represented by individual white people. Let's go to the Smithsonian to read a definition of the term:

Since white people in America hold most of the political, institutional, and economic power, they receive advantages that nonwhite groups do not. These benefits and advantages, of varying degrees, are known as white privilege. For many white people, this can be hard to hear, understand, or accept '-- but it is true.

Now replace the word ''white'' with ''Jewish,'' and it all fits neatly into place, doesn't it? Jews ''hold most of the power.'' Jews ''receive advantages'' others do not. Jews have ''Jewish privilege.'' Within ''white supremacy'' there is, definitionally , ''Jewish supremacy,'' because Jews in America (and even Israel!) are defined by their ''whiteness.'' They may not want to hear it, but they are the oppressor class now. If ''white supremacy'' is changed to ''Jewish supremacy,'' you even get the title of David Duke's 2003 book, Jewish Supremacism .

The tropes, the structure, and the psyche of anti-Semitism have simply been copied and pasted onto anti-whiteness. There's the same envy and resentment of an all-controlling racial group that is deemed not inferior (as in anti-black racism), but superior '-- by underhanded, shifty, rigged means. That's why the word ''merit'' is now derided in the Ivy League: it doesn't exist in neo-Marxist eyes. Only power exists.

As whites, Jews helped construct a Constitution long ago that pretends to guarantee equal rights, but once you ''awaken'' to the racist conspiracy that will always define America, you can see it was actually designed to oppress non-white goyim forever. This is what the New York Times believes, as we discovered in 2019 , in an entire issue of their magazine, which they then distributed to high-school kids, so they could learn which groups to hate in America, and which groups to love.

This is why when non-whites commit hate crimes, they are instantly redefined as enacting ''white supremacy.'' It is why it is not ''triggering'' to call a conservative student a ''white supremacist'' or a white gay man of my generation a ''queer'' '-- we deserve it as oppressors '-- but it is a form of violence if you misgender a trans person or ask where someone is from. Even '' Silence Is Violence ,'' as the BLM protestors insisted. In fact, some say, ''silence is the worst form of violence.'' Could Chairman Mao have put it better?

It is why you can set up a segregated dorm at MIT, call it ''Chocolate City,'' and be praised by the president, Sally Kornbluth, as being about '' positive selection .'' It's why due process exists in sexual abuse cases for women on campus, but is denied to all men . It's why these universities have racially segregated graduations for everyone '-- except ''whites.'' And because this grotesque racist engineering requires admitting vast numbers of students who cannot meet the academic standards of the evil past, 80 percent of Harvard and Yale students now get an A or A- as a grade. This is not ''equity,'' however they re- and re-define it. It is the hard bigotry of no expectations.

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The absolute worst thing you can do right now is what the presidents of these woke institutions now say they intend to do: switch Jews out of the ''oppressor class'' and into the ''oppressed one,'' and re-apply all the DEI discrimination on their behalf.

That doesn't solve the problem; it compounds it. Pro-Palestinian, and anti-Israel speech should no more be censored than any other '-- and the suppression is real . There should be one standard and it should be free speech. But there can be no free speech and no guarantee of it until the toxins of critical theory, and the architecture of its enforcement, DEI, are excised from the university altogether. Asking the current leadership to correct these lost institutions is an exercise in futility.

End DEI in its entirety. Fire all the administrators whose only job is to enforce its toxic orthodoxy. Admit students on academic merit alone. Save standardized testing '-- which in fact helps minorities , and it's ''the best way to distinguish smart poor kids from stupid rich kids,'' as Steven Pinker said this week . Restore grading so that it actually means something again. Expel students who shut or shout down speech or deplatform speakers. Pay no attention to the race or sex or orientation or gender identity of your students, and see them as free human beings with open minds. Treat them equally as individuals seeking to learn, if you can remember such a concept.

David Wolpe is a distinguished and learned rabbi who resigned this week from Harvard's advisory committee on anti-Semitism. In a tweet, he wrote :

Harvard is still a repository of extraordinary minds and important research. However, the system at Harvard along with the ideology that grips far too many of the students and faculty, the ideology that works only along axes of oppression and places Jews as oppressors and therefore intrinsically evil, is itself evil.

Yes, it is evil. This is no time to be mealy-mouthed about it. And we must root it out. Before its poison makes our liberal democracy almost impossible to reconstruct.

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(Note to readers: This is an excerpt of The Weekly Dish. If you're already a subscriber, click here to read the full version. This week's issue also includes: a discussion with David Leonhardt on the dwindling American Dream; a dissent over my latest piece on populism; a handful of notable quotes from the week in news; 19 pieces on Substack we recommend on a variety of topics; a Mental Health Break with the Conan O'Brien and Triumph; and, of course, the results of the View From Your Window contest '-- with a new challenge. Subscribe for the full Dish experience!)

From an old-school subscriber:

Attached is a picture of an old Dish shirt I purchased way back in the blog days.

Like many of my shirts, my wife adopted it immediately. She loves it so much that she continues to wear it well past its expiration date. As you may be able to see in the photo, it has pin-prick holes from cat claws, is threadbare, and has various unremovable stains. The collar is ragged. But she loves it so.

David is a journalist and columnist. He writes the NYT's flagship daily newsletter, ''The Morning,'' contributes to the paper's Sunday Review section, and co-hosts ''The Argument,'' a weekly opinion podcast with Ross Douthat and Michelle Goldberg. In 2011 he won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary on economic questions. His new book is Ours Was the Shining Future : The Story of the American Dream .

Listen to the episode here . (FYI it was taped on November 8th.) There you can find two clips of our convo '-- on African-American lefties against mass immigration, and black voters moving to the GOP over crime. That link also takes you to commentary on Cat Bohannon's episode on women driving evolution, along with other convos.

Browse the Dishcast archive for another convo you might enjoy (the first 102 episodes are free in their entirety '-- subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Carole Hooven returns to talk about her tribulations at Harvard, McKay Coppins discusses Romney and the GOP, my old friend Joe Klein and I do a 2023 review, Jennifer Burns on her new biography of Milton Friedman, and Alexandra Hudson on civility. Please send any guest recs, dissent and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com .

Support the ad-free pod!

Very few readers sent criticism over last week's column on populism . Here's one from ''an older Millennial born in the early '80s'':

I think your column forecasting doom and gloom for Biden ignores one major issue: abortion rights. I don't know how often you socialize with people born in 1980 or later, but the sense of anger and frustration amongst younger Americans over the loss of abortion rights across a huge swath of the country is palpable. Don't forget that Millennials now outnumber Boomers due to death, and most of Gen Z has reached voting age.

Abortion rights are a vital issue for Democratic turnout. I agree entirely '-- it is a point I've made about Roe for decades. And I noted I got 2022 wrong because I underestimated it. Trump, however, gets this too. Which is why he remains a threat, even on this issue.

As always, keep the dissents coming: dish@andrewsullivan.com . Follow more Dish discussion on the Notes site here (or the ''Notes'' tab in the Substack app ).

Support good-faith debate

This is a feature in the paid version of the Dish spotlighting about 20 of our favorite pieces from other Substackers every week. This week's selection covers topics such as the move to silence pro-Palestine voices, the latest GOP debate, and what the hell is happening in Guyana. Below are a few examples:

Kahlenberg is disappointed the new Rustin biopic ended before his fight against racial preferences.

Heather Heying illustrates ''trans widowhood.''

You can also browse all the substacks we follow and read on a regular basis here '-- a combination of our favorite writers and new ones we're checking out. It's a blogroll of sorts. If you have any recommendations for ''In the 'Stacks,'' especially ones from emerging writers, please let us know: dish@andrewsullivan.com .

Where do you think it's located? (A few details have been altered or hidden to make the view more challenging.) Email your guess to contest@andrewsullivan.com . Please put the location '-- city and/or state first, then country '-- in the subject line. Proximity counts if no one gets the exact spot. Bonus points for fun facts and stories. The deadline for entries is Wednesday night at midnight (PST) . The winner gets the choice of a VFYW book or two annual Dish subscriptions. If you are not a subscriber, please indicate that status in your entry and we will give you a free month subscription if we select your entry for the contest results ( example here if you're new to the contest). Happy sleuthing!

The results for this week's window are coming in a separate email to paid subscribers later today. A sleuth from last week wrote:

Greetings from a very wet Vashon Island. It struck me in looking at this contest, ''What a crazy fucking world we've made.'' Sitting here, in the PNW, on my phone, I can find and then explore a location, including 360-degree photos showing almost the same view, and photos of the inside of the building. Heck, I could basically do a walking tour of the building all for free; all from thousands of miles away; all while sitting on my ass holding a small metal-and-glass device. Truly incredible.

Try explaining that to your great-grandparents, then get ready to explain to them why you'd want to use so much of your free time trying to determine the location of a random picture. To be fair, I can't adequately explain it to my own, living family, let alone ancestors I never met.

See you next Friday.

The GDELT Project

Link to Article

Archived Version

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:28

Visualization credit GDELT Project.

A Global Database of SocietySupported by Google Jigsaw, the GDELT Project monitors the world's broadcast, print, and web news from nearly every corner of every country in over 100 languages and identifies the people, locations, organizations, themes, sources, emotions, counts, quotes, images and events driving our global society every second of every day, creating a free open platform for computing on the entire world.

The GDELT Project is a realtime network diagram and database of global human society for open research

Visualization credit GDELT Project.

Watching The Entire World

GDELT monitors the world's news media from nearly every corner of every countryin print, broadcast, and web formats, in over 100 languages,every moment of every day.

What would it look like to use massive computing power to see the world through others' eyes, to break down language and access barriers, facilitate conversation between societies, and empower local populations with the information and insights they need to live safe and productive lives? By quantitatively codifying human society's events, dreams and fears, can we map happiness and conflict, provide insight to vulnerable populations and even potentially forecast global conflict in ways that allow us as a society to come together to deescalate tensions, counter extremism, and break down cultural barriers? That is the vision of the GDELT Project. Put simply, the GDELT Project is a realtime open data global graph over human society as seen through the eyes of the world's news media, reaching deeply into local events, reaction, discourse, and emotions of the most remote corners of the world in near-realtime and making all of this available as an open data firehose to enable research over human society.

Global ReachGDELT monitors print, broadcast, and web news media in over 100 languages from across every country in the world to keep continually updated on breaking developments anywhere on the planet. Its historical archives stretch back to January 1, 1979 and update every 15 minutes. Through its ability to leverage the world's collective news media, GDELT moves beyond the focus of the Western media towards a far more global perspective on what's happening and how the world is feeling about it.

Emerging MediaFrom the Global Twitter Heartbeat to the SyFy Opposite Worlds Show (and many more to be announced shortly) we are exploring how social media is used around the world and how people and societies express themselves and talk about the world online. As these projects increase our collective understanding of the social sphere and especially how it is used in the non-Western world, we will be increasingly integrating social media into GDELT's monitoring streams.

Historical BreadthIn the words of George Santayana "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - history is highly cyclic and contemporary events are often deeply rooted in historical contexts, making the understanding of the past of critical importance to interpreting the present. Already GDELT is the first truly multi-decade global event database and through an array of collaborations and partnerships we are expanding GDELT's coverage all the way back to the year 1800, which, when complete, will offer more than two centuries of codified global history.

TranslationEven the largest teams of human translators cannot read and translate every word published by the world's news media each day. The GDELT Translingual platform represents what we believe is the largest realtime streaming news machine translation deployment in the world: all global news that GDELT monitors in 65 languages, representing 98.4% of its daily non-English monitoring volume, is translated in realtime into English and processed.

"The GDELT Project is an initiative to construct a catalog of human societal-scale behavior and beliefs across all countries of the world, connecting every person, organization, location, count, theme, news source, and event across the planet into a single massive network that captures what's happening around the world, what its context is and who's involved, and how the world is feeling about it, every single day." Photo credit Google.

Computing on The Entire World:Events & Networks

GDELT uses some of the world's most sophisticated natural language and data mining algorithms, including the world's most powerful deep learning algorithms, to extract more than 300 categories of events, millions of themes and thousands of emotions and the networks that tie them together.

Monitoring nearly the entire world's news media is only the beginning - even the largest team of humans could not begin to read and analyze the billions upon billions of words and images published each day. GDELT uses some of the world's most sophisticated computer algorithms, custom-designed for global news media, running on "one of the most powerful server networks in the known Universe", together with some of the world's most powerful deep learning algorithms, to create a realtime computable record of global society that can be visualized, analyzed, modeled, examined and even forecasted. A huge array of datasets totaling trillions of datapoints are available. Three primary data streams are created, one codifying physical activities around the world in over 300 categories, one recording the people, places, organizations, millions of themes and thousands of emotions underlying those events and their interconnections and one codifying the visual narratives of the world's news imagery.

All three streams update every 15 minutes, offering near-realtime insights into the world around us. Underlying the streams are a vast array of sources, from hundreds of thousands of global media outlets to special collections like 215 years of digitized books, 21 billion words of academic literature spanning 70 years, human rights archives and even saturation processing of the raw closed captioning stream of almost 100 television stations across the US in collaboration with the Internet Archive's Television News Archive. Finally, also in collaboration with the Internet Archive, the Archive captures nearly all worldwide online news coverage monitored by GDELT each day into its permanent archive to ensure its availability for future generations even in the face of repressive forces that continue to erode press freedoms around the world.

GDELT Event DatabaseThe GDELT Event Database records over 300 categories of physical activities around the world, from riots and protests to peace appeals and diplomatic exchanges, georeferenced to the city or mountaintop, across the entire planet dating back to January 1, 1979 and updated every 15 minutes.

Essentially it takes a sentence like "The United States criticized Russia yesterday for deploying its troops in Crimea, in which a recent clash with its soldiers left 10 civilians injured" and transforms this blurb of unstructured text into three structured database entries, recording US CRITICIZES RUSSIA, RUSSIA TROOP-DEPLOY UKRAINE (CRIMEA), and RUSSIA MATERIAL-CONFLICT CIVILIANS (CRIMEA).

Nearly 60 attributes are captured for each event, including the approximate location of the action and those involved. This translates the textual descriptions of world events captured in the news media into codified entries in a grand "global spreadsheet."

GDELT Global Knowledge GraphMuch of the true insight captured in the world's news media lies not in what it says, but the context of how it says it. The GDELT Global Knowledge Graph (GKG) compiles a list of every person, organization, company, location and several million themes and thousands of emotions from every news report, using some of the most sophisticated named entity and geocoding algorithms in existance, designed specifically for the noisy and ungrammatical world that is the world's news media.

The resulting network diagram constructs a graph over the entire world, encoding not only what's happening, but what its context is, who's involved, and how the world is feeling about it, updated every single day.

Visualize the Global Conversation in a single glance, make World Leader Wordclouds, or explore the connections among Iran's leadership or the evolving narrative around Edward Snowden.

GDELT Visual Global Knowledge GraphWorldwide news reporting is increasingly saturated by imagery, but historically GDELT has been limited to the textual contents of global journalism. As of January 2016, a random sample of up to a million images a day are drawn from the media of almost every country and processed through Google's Vision API.

Each image is annotated with the objects and activities it depicts, transcriptions of recognizable text (accurate enough to capture a handwritten Arabic protest sign held at an angle), the geographic location inferred from visual context, recognizable logos, and even the emotion of each human face. All of these annotations are delivered as an open data firehose quantifying the visual narratives of the world's media.

GDELT GKG Special CollectionsIn addition to the news-based live Global Knowledge Graph, there numerous special GKG collections available that focus on specific specialized sources of information or topics.

Collections currently available include 215 years of books comprising the majority of English language volumes digitized from US libraries, more than half a century of the output of the world's major human rights organizations, saturation processing of the closed captioning of more than 100 US television stations, and a special socio-cultural academic literature archive totaling 21 billion words spanning 70 years and more than 2,200 journals.

"GDELT is designed to help support new theories and descriptive understandings of the behaviors and driving forces of global-scale social systems from the micro-level of the individual through the macro-level of the entire planet by offering realtime synthesis of global societal-scale behavior into a rich quantitative database allowing realtime monitoring and analytical exploration of those trends." Photo credit Georgetown University.

Querying, Analyzing and Downloading

The entire GDELT database is 100% free and open and you candownload the raw datafiles, visualize it using the GDELT Analysis Service, or analyze it at limitless scale with Google BigQuery.

GDELT Analysis ServiceThe GDELT Analysis Service is a free cloud-based service that offers a variety of tools and services to allow you to visualize, explore, and export both the GDELT Event Database and the GDELT Global Knowledge Graph. This is a great way to get started exploring GDELT and what it can do for you, even if you don't have a technical background.

Google BigQueryThe entire quarter-billion-record GDELT Event Database is available in Google BigQuery, updated daily. You can query, export, and even conduct sophisticated analyses and modeling of the entire dataset using standard SQL, with even the most complex queries returning in near-realtime.

DownloadAdvanced users and those with unique use cases can download all of the underlying records in CSV format. A single year of the GDELT GKG totals 2.5TB and few software packages can deal with even small subsets of the database, so most users will likely wish to use the GDELT Analysis Service or Google BigQuery.

"GDELT's evolving ability to capture ethnic, religious, and other social and cultural relationships will offer profoundly new insights into the interplay of group behavior over time, offering a rich new platform for understanding patterns of social evolution, while GDELT's realtime nature will expand current understanding of social systems beyond static snapshots towards theories that incorporate the nonlinear behavior and feedback effects that define human interaction and greatly enrich fragility indexes, early warning systems, and forecasting efforts." Visualization credit GDELT Project.

The GDELT Blog is the official one-stop repository for the latest news, announcements, information, and applications of the world's largest open research platform on human society.

GDELT's Home in the BlogosphereThe Official GDELT Project Blog is the best place to keep track of all of the latest news, announcements, information, developments, latest features and releases, and new applications and media coverage of the GDELT Project. Its basically GDELT's home in the blogosphere!

The blog is also where we feature a steady stream of examples showcasing projects that use GDELT in new and innovative ways as well as "getting started" examples that show you how to perform basic analyses using GDELT, from mapping to modeling. Want to see an example of how to apply one of the tools in the GDELT Analysis Service? The blog offers examples of how to use each tool and the kinds of analyses they support.

Do you have a cool new application or visualization you've built using GDELT? Writing a paper or analysis using GDELT? Hosting a hackathon using it? Have an awesome new analysis or visualization software package you used GDELT to show off? Write a great story about GDELT or using GDELT? Drop us an email and we'd love to feature it on our blog!

"A global societal observatory for research on global society. Mapping the People, Organizations, Themes, Emotions, and Events Driving Global Events."

New Accusations that Embattled Harvard Prez. Claudine Gay Plagiarized her PhD Thesis | The Gateway Pundit | by Benjamin Wetmore

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Archived Version

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:22

Harvard University President Claudine Gay has been under fire for the past week after her remarks to Congress where she refused to condemn calling for the ''genocide of Jews'' as hate speech.

Harvard President Gay was among Presidents of several other elite colleges who refused to condemn the remarks, including the Presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and the head of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Just this weekend, influential Jewish groups were able to force Liz Magill, President of UPenn, to resign. Chairman of the Board at UPenn, Scott Bok, is also reportedly resigning.

Since the October 7 massacre by Hamas-affiliated terrorists against Israel, the aftermath in American academic circles has been largely pro-Hamas virtue signaling. Student groups influenced by pro-Islam arguments have been highlighting the Palestinian cause and minimizing Jewish victims and concerns. These pro-Palestinian actions are taken on college campuses despite the strong, organized, financial and political power of American Jewish supporters of Israel.

Last month after major alumni and donors threatened to withhold donations, Harvard had to specifically condemn some of its own students after they praised Hamas, in response to pro-Israeli political and business pressure on Harvard. A prominent Rabbi at Harvard resigned in protest. Congress has threatened to investigate systemic anti-Semitism. Mobile video trucks are driving around Harvard urging President Claudine Gay to resign.

And now it appears that Harvard President Claudine Gay may have plagiarized her PhD thesis, perhaps the gravest of academic sins. Gay is Harvard's first black President, taking office in 2023. Gay received her undergraduate at Stanford, and her masters and PhD from Harvard.

Posted by Christopher Rufo of the Manhattan Institute in New York, comparisons and excerpts of Gay's PhD thesis bears a striking resemblance to other scholars who remain un-cited and unacknowledged.

Chris Rufo of the Manhattan InstituteIf true, this would be a major violation of Harvard's academic policies and would threaten to invalidate much of the academic work published by Gay.

EXCLUSIVE: @RealChrisBrunet and I have obtained documentation demonstrating that Harvard President Claudine Gay plagiarized multiple sections of her Ph.D. thesis, violating Harvard's policies on academic integrity.

This is a bombshell. 🧵

'-- Christopher F. Rufo 'š--¸ (@realchrisrufo) December 10, 2023

Rufo's first example:

First, Gay lifts an entire paragraph nearly verbatim from a paper by Lawrence Bobo and Franklin Gilliam's, while passing it off as her own paraphrase and language.

This is a direct violation of Harvard's policy: "When you paraphrase, your task is to distill the source's ideas'... pic.twitter.com/t6enHp3dN9

'-- Christopher F. Rufo 'š--¸ (@realchrisrufo) December 10, 2023

Rufo's second example:

Gay repeats this violation of Harvard's policy throughout the document, again using work from Bobo and Gilliam, as well as passages from Richard Shingles, Susan Howell, and Deborah Fagan, which she reproduces nearly verbatim, without quotation marks. pic.twitter.com/K75YPeZwky

'-- Christopher F. Rufo 'š--¸ (@realchrisrufo) December 10, 2023

Rufo also claims that Gay plagiarized from conservative Prof. Carol Swain of Vanderbilt University, providing the following example as one of many:

Second, Gay appears to lift material from scholar Carol Swain. In one passage, summarizing the distinction between "descriptive representation" and "substantive representation," she copies the phrasing and language nearly verbatim from Swain's book 'Black Faces, Black Interests,''... pic.twitter.com/68bJy1F9jo

'-- Christopher F. Rufo 'š--¸ (@realchrisrufo) December 10, 2023

Prof. Carol Swain, retired at Vanderbilt University, has responded to the controversy already on Twitter by saying:

I just learned of @realchrisrufo analysis of #ClaudineGay's work and the allegations of plagiarism. I have not read the articles or books in question. However, two things come to mind: imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery and secondly Dr. Gay's committee,'... pic.twitter.com/0388xnHqSi

'-- Dr. Carol M. Swain (@carolmswain) December 11, 2023

This developing controversy threatens to further burden Claudine Gay and pressure her to resign in the wake of her shocking comments which were said by many to be anti-Semitic.

Anguish grows over 'effective ban' on most UK citizens marrying foreign nationals | Euronews

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Archived Version

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:23

"The government is willing to sacrifice the rights of British citizens who happen to fall in love across borders," one rights advocate told Euronews.

ADVERTISEMENT"The whole thing has made me incredibly angry," said Katharine Ward. "These are the most private things in people's lives: Who you love, where you live... Then you have a government announcement pop up that removes all of those things from your control."

"There's absolutely no justification for it."

Like tens of thousands of Britons up and down the country, Katherine has been affected by new family visa rules announced by the government last Monday.

From April 2024, British citizens or people already settled in the UK will need to show they earn £38,700 ('‚¬45,233) before their overseas partner can live here with them.

Only 27% of the population earn this or more, according to figures from HM Revenue and Customs.

Katharine and her partner from Jordan live in London together. They came following the COVID pandemic to be closer to Katharine's elderly parents, but now she fears their joint income will not meet the threshold. Making matters worse her job is under threat and the couple face the grim prospect of either separating or both returning to Jordan.

She thanks herself lucky they do not have kids.

"It's an enormous source of stress," she told Euronews, detailing how news of the changes had left her routinely breaking down in tears and unable to focus, with her mind "desperately" thinking about how she could make things work.

"I can't imagine what it would be like if it goes on for months of just sort of waiting to see whether these huge changes in your life are all going to happen or not."

For her partner, who she says made massive sacrifices to be with her in Britain, the new rules were a big blow, impacting how he felt in the country.

"Politicians keep sending a message that if you are here as a migrant, you're not welcome, you're a drain on society. Even though that is not true, I think it gets in."

The UK's Conservative government announced the controversial change as part of a broader package of measures aimed at bringing down net migration, which reached record highs in recent years. Ministers say it will mean families can support themselves.

With poorer families facing the prospect of being forced into exile or broken up and separated from their children and loved ones, Katharine claimed the policy flew in the face of the right-winger's alleged support of traditional values, like marriage and the family.

Observers have commented the rules are a de facto ban on Brits marrying foreign nationals, with 73% of the population unable to meet the income threshold.

The government ignored its own Migration Advisory Committee's recommendations that it should lower the minimum income requirement, while overlooking how migrants benefit the UK, according to openDemocracy.

Others point out that the new income threshold of £38,700 - up from £18,600 - means marrying a non-UK British citizen is now only possible for high earners.

"Why is it that the right to fall in love with and build a life with whoever you choose depends on how much you earn," said Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Praxis, a UK-based group for migrant rights.

"That's fundamentally wrong."

ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the Office of National Statistics, median gross annual earnings for full-time employees in the UK were £34,963 ('‚¬40,867) in April 2023.

The change to family visas is expected by the government to reduce net migration by 10,000 a year. Family visas accounted for a net migration of 39,000 in the 12 months up to June 2023.

Claiming the policy shows a "callous disregard" for people's lives, Whitaker-Yilmaz said the policy could have "hugely detrimental" effects on the mental health of those affected, especially children separated from their parents.

At the same time, it could drive people to become undocumented migrants, if they want to remain with their family, but cannot renew their visas.

"The government is willing to sacrifice the rights of British citizens who happen to fall in love across borders on the altar of reducing net migration," she said.

ADVERTISEMENTLegal challenges to the changes are possible, with it possibly contravening the right to family under the 1998 Human Rights Act and European Convention on Human Rights.

Whitaker-Yilmaz said the changes will disproportionately hit women and younger people who tend to earn lower wages, worrying about what would happen to those affected in the weeks and months to come.

"These policy choices the government has made have absolutely fundamental consequences for people's lives. What we're hearing is a real sense of powerlessness in the face of government, but also real anger."

Nigel Farage has the chance to switch off the Conservative Party's life support '-- will he return to frontline politics?

Link to Article

Archived Version

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:33

'Brexit has failed' under Conservatives unwilling to control immigration, claims Nigel Farage

The former Brexit Party and UKIP leader was particularly critical of the government's over-regulation of British businesses stifling economic growth and its liberal immigration policy responsible for record net migration

A brief window of opportunity presented itself back in 2019 when, under the charismatic, infectious leadership of Boris Johnson, the party won a landslide electoral victory and was rewarded for its promise to ''get Brexit done'' with an 80-seat parliamentary majority.

However, in typical fashion, the party reverted to type and let the country down.

Many Brexiteers would claim that Brexit never truly ''got done'' '-- see Northern Ireland '-- and seemingly endless pledges to reduce sky-high immigration into Britain have not just been missed but completely disregarded. Furthermore, the tone-deaf commitment to unpopular net zero policies has done nothing to prove to the British electorate that the Conservative Party is in any way on its side, and attempts to address the concerns of right-leaning voters are now too little, far too late.

Its ability to make Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party look somewhat electable is frankly commendable.

Again, following Johnson's demise, the Conservative membership sent another message to the party establishment with its endorsement of Liz Truss' desire to pursue a Thatcherite economic agenda, a project that lasted just six weeks before the shortest-serving prime minister felt compelled to resign and later accused Britain's ''powerful economic establishment'' and internal Conservative Party opposition of facilitating her demise.

The Western world has in recent years pushed ahead with progressive, globalist policies, and both Britain's mainstream parties have veered so far towards what the establishment considers to be socially acceptable and ''palatable'' liberalism that many ordinary Brits no longer consider themselves to be represented politically.

Having worked on the Brexit referendum, I engaged with politicians on the left of the political spectrum such as George Galloway and Kate Hoey, and those on the right including Nigel Farage.

It became quite clear that most people in support of the Brexit cause did not care about party politics. The very premise is archaic, unattractive, and pretty nauseating to much of the electorate to hear a politician pledge their blind allegiance to a rosette for the sake of it.

Voters may not always agree with them, but they respect politicians with conviction, politicians who believe in something not because it is left or right, but because they believe it is the right thing to do.

Even if the disillusioned Conservative Party faithful get their wish and send Rishi Sunak packing '-- something on which the odds will shorten greatly in the coming days with the news that influential right-wing backbenchers have ruled his Rwanda asylum deal to be insufficient '-- a fifth leader in as many years will do little to address the deep-rooted issues within a party that consistently fails to live up to its promises.

Fresh from his expedition in the Australian jungle and with reported earnings of £1.5 million in his bank account '-- assuming he's still got one '-- many in Britain will be hoping that Nigel Farage will seize the opportunity to turn the screw on the perennial disappointment that is the U.K.'s governing party in any forthcoming election.

Many conservatives look to electoral successes in Europe with envy as Viktor Orbn unapologetically pursues a genuinely conservative agenda in Hungary, Giorgia Meloni attempts to return Italy to its conservative roots, and most recently Geert Wilders' political earthquake in the Netherlands threatens to upset the Dutch establishment. Some are wondering who they can turn to for a similar voice in Britain.

Farage's appearance on the hit TV show ''I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here'' has vastly increased his exposure to the mainstream and enabled the conservative broadcaster '-- who insists he has retired from frontline politics but has made several returns to the coalface in his time '-- to reach a mass audience.

He has arguably never had a better time in the past two decades to further cement himself as one of the most influential politicians of his generation and inflict another hammer blow on an ailing Conservative Party establishment.

Farage forced a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union after leading the U.K. Independence Party in the 2015 general election, a party that was pilloried and demonized by the mainstream media because of its threat to the political landscape.

He further showed his electoral prowess by leading his pop-up Brexit Party, which had only been in existence for a matter of weeks before the vote, to victory in the U.K.'s last European Parliamentary elections, before co-founding the Reform Party, which currently sits at its highest-ever polling result of 11 percent despite the rather underwhelming stewardship of Richard Tice.

That may sound harsh on Tice, but it's hard to believe that, with the disillusionment and rising sense of anger and despair aimed at the Conservative parliamentary party by conservative-leaning voters, any right-wing alternative with sufficient resources couldn't attract one in ten voters at the moment.

To put it into context, Farage's UKIP '-- which had considerably more baggage and had provided the mainstream media with far more ammunition to chastise the party with over the years '-- hit highs of 18 percent ahead of the 2015 general election, and that was at a time when net migration was less than half what it is now and parliamentarians hadn't attempted to water down the largest-ever democratic mandate in British history, Brexit, further eroding the social contract between voters and elected politicians.

It's unlikely to ever happen '-- primarily because the liberals in the Conservative parliamentary party would never allow him to progress to a vote of the membership '-- but just think of the earthquake Farage could cause as leader of one of Britain's mainstream parties.

Many would settle for another attempt at leading an insurgent party into the next election, even if it splits the vote and results in a Labour Party victory '-- an outcome that is almost certainly a shoo-in regardless. A few years of hurt and a hard reset could be what is required to rejuvenate conservatism in Britain.

I'm told some of the Conservatives' largest donors still with a remnant of devotion to the party have held discussions in an attempt to bring Farage back into the party '-- no doubt aware that he could not only be a major asset to win back socially conservative voters, but that he also represents the greatest existential threat to the party should he choose to return to the frontline and give the electorate the opportunity to hold the Conservatives to account at the ballot box.

As it stands, there is an almighty chasm within the U.K.'s political landscape for a genuinely conservative political party that is led by someone with charisma and vigor. If the Reform Party is to be the vehicle to offer voters an alternative at the next election, there is no one better suited to lead the charge than Farage.

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'This is Definitely Plagiarism': Harvard University President Claudine Gay Copied Entire Paragraphs From Others' Academic Work and Claimed Them as Her Own

Link to Article

Archived Version

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 04:53

Harvard University president Claudine Gay plagiarized numerous academics over the course of her academic career, at times airlifting entire paragraphs and claiming them as her own work, according to reviews by several scholars.

In four papers published between 1993 and 2017, including her doctoral dissertation, Gay, a political scientist, paraphrased or quoted nearly 20 authors'--including two of her colleagues in Harvard University's department of government'--without proper attribution, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis. Other examples of possible plagiarism, all from Gay's dissertation, were publicized Sunday by the Manhattan Institute's Christopher Rufo and Karlstack's Chris Brunet.

The Free Beacon worked with nearly a dozen scholars to analyze 29 potential cases of plagiarism. Most of them said that Gay had violated a core principle of academic integrity as well as Harvard's own anti-plagiarism policies, which state that "it's not enough to change a few words here and there."

Rather, scholars are expected to cite the sources of their work, including when paraphrasing, and to use quotation marks when quoting directly from others. But in at least 10 instances, Gay lifted full sentences'--even entire paragraphs'--with just a word or two tweaked.

In her 1997 thesis, for example, she borrowed a full paragraph from a paper by the scholars Bradley Palmquist, then a political science professor at Harvard, and Stephen Voss, one of Gay's classmates in her Ph.D. program at Harvard, while making only a couple alterations, including changing their "decrease" to "increase" because she was studying a different set of data.

The four papers that include plagiarized material comprise a sizable portion of Gay's academic work. Gay, who is Harvard's 30th president, has authored just 11 peer-reviewed articles.

"If this were a stand-alone instance, it would be reprehensible but perhaps excused as the blunder of someone working hastily," said Peter Wood, a former associate provost of Boston University, where he helped investigate several cases of suspected plagiarism. "But that excuse vanishes as the examples multiply," said Wood, who now serves as the director of the National Association of Scholars.

Some of the most clear-cut cases come in Gay's 1997 dissertation, "Taking Charge: Black Electoral Success and the Redefinition of American Politics," which copied two paragraphs almost verbatim from Palmquist and Voss.

The paragraphs'--from a paper Palmquist and Voss had presented a year earlier, in 1996'--do not appear in quotation marks. One is unmodified but for a handful of words, and Gay does not cite Palmquist or Voss anywhere in her dissertation.

"This is definitely plagiarism," said Lee Jussim, a social psychologist at Rutgers University, who reviewed 10 side-by-side comparisons provided by the Free Beacon, including the paragraphs from Gay's dissertation, which received a prize from Harvard for "exceptional merit."

"The longer passages are the most egregious," he added.

Academics say the pattern raises serious questions about Gay's scholarly integrity and her fitness to lead the nation's oldest university, which has been at the center of a political firestorm under her watch, particularly since Oct. 7. Student activists have blamed Israel for the Hamas terrorist attack and Gay herself offered equivocal testimony before Congress about whether calls for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard's code of conduct.

Donors, alumni, and over 70 congressmen have called on Gay to resign. University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, who testified alongside Gay, tendered her resignation on Saturday.

"The question here is whether the president of an elite institution such as Harvard can feasibly have an academic record this marred by obvious plagiarism," said Alexander Riley, a sociologist at Bucknell University. "I do not see how Harvard could possibly justify keeping her in that position in light of this evidence."

Neither Gay nor Harvard responded to a request for comment.

Other cases of near-verbatim quotation occur in two peer-reviewed journal articles from 2017 and 2012, when Gay was a tenured professor at Harvard, as well as in an essay she published one year out of college, in 1993. Along with her dissertation, the decades-long pattern paints a picture of sloppiness, at best, and willful dishonesty at worst.

"It seems clear that Gay had a habit of using others' words in ways that violated Harvard's policies," a professor at a top research university, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard's government department, told the Free Beacon. "And several examples would land any student in serious trouble."

Gay's 1993 essay, "Between Black and White: The Complexity of Brazilian Race Relations," lifts sentences and historical details from two scholars, David Covin and George Reid Andrews, with just a few words dropped or modified. Covin is not cited anywhere in the essay.

In a section called "Suggestions for Further Reading," Gay does include Andrews's 1991 book, Blacks & Whites in S£o Paulo, Brazil, 1888-1988, but not his 1992 paper, "Black Political Protest in S£o Paulo, 1888-1988," from which the offending text was drawn.

The 1993 essay "concerns me less," Riley said, given how early it was in Gay's career. "However, it shows a quantity of plagiarism so egregious that minimally Dr. Gay should stop putting it on her CV."

The two peer-reviewed papers, by contrast, are "much more serious," Riley said.

In "Moving To Opportunity: the Political Effects of a Housing Mobility Experiment," Gay borrowed language from a 2003 report by eight researchers'--three of them Harvard economists'--prepared for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

And in "A Room for One's Own? The Partisan Allocation of Affordable Housing," Gay borrowed language from a 2010 book by Alex Schwartz, Housing Policy in the United States, and from a 2011 paper by Matthew Freedman and Emily Owens, "Low-Income Housing Development and Urban Crime."

Freedman and Owens are never cited, though Gay thanks them for letting her use their data. Gay does cite Schwartz and the eight researchers elsewhere in "Moving to Opportunity" but not in the sentences where their quotes appear. None of the passages have quotation marks, creating the impression that they are Gay's own language and ideas.

Some examples are more borderline than others, scholars who reviewed them said, but clearly violate Harvard's guide on sourcing, which requires citations even when using "ideas that you did not think up yourself," regardless of how much the language has changed. Plagiarism, the guide adds, is "unacceptable in all academic situations, whether you do it intentionally or by accident."

Even crediting a source in the wrong sentence, as Gay did repeatedly, is a serious offense under Harvard's policies. The school's sourcing guide includes multiple examples of "mosaic plagiarism," in which placing a citation too late or too early in a passage causes "confusion over where your source's ideas end and your own ideas begin."

Gabriel Rossman, a sociologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that several portions of Gay's work met the definition of "mosaic plagiarism" outlined in Harvard's guide. So did Steve McGuire, a member of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and a former professor of political theory at Villanova University, who said the examples "violate the expectations Harvard has for its own students."

"As a professor, I would not have accepted this kind of work from a first semester freshman," McGuire told the Free Beacon. "It's appalling to see it in the work of Harvard's president."

Rossman, who specializes in quantitative research, noted that some of the examples involve technical descriptions of statistical methods, which "can require very precise wording" and are often repeated between authors, a potentially mitigating factor. But an editor at one of the five most-cited academic journals in the world pushed back on that notion, arguing that even that sort of duplication in academic prose is difficult to defend.

"The text duplication points to carelessness, sloppiness, and short-cut taking," said the editor, who has edited journals in both the natural and social sciences.

Some of the victims of Gay's plagiarism were more sanguine. Jeffrey Liebman, one of the Harvard economists who prepared the Department of Housing report, said he and four of his coauthors did "not see any signs of plagiarism." Like Rossman, he argued that it was defensible for scholars to crib technical descriptions from each other.

Gay "had the right to use and adapt this common language," he said.

Voss, who coauthored the 1996 paper with Palmquist, said that although the paragraphs Gay quoted were "technically plagiarism," they were "not terribly important" to her argument.

"If I caught a student doing that, I would tell them it was inappropriate," Voss said. "But I would never consider taking action against the student."

But Wood, the former Boston University associate provost, said the feelings of the plagiarized are irrelevant.

The "willingness of the actual author to go along with the copying (whether before the fact or afterwards) doesn't change the deceptive nature of the act of plagiarism," he said. "The plagiarist is breaking the trust of the community of readers. In the case of scholarship, the whole university community is the victim."

It is common for plagiarized authors to come to the defense of their plagiarizer, Wood said. When Princeton historian Kevin Kruse was accused of plagiarizing Ronald Bayor, a historian at Georgia Tech, for example, Bayor dismissed the accusations as "politically motivated."

Other cases of possible plagiarism'--all from Gay's dissertation'--were uncovered Sunday by the Manhattan Institute's Rufo and Karlstack's Brunet. Though the revelations are new, rumors of Gay's plagiarism have been circulating on econjobrumors.com, a popular message board for social scientists, since at least January 2023.

"Most plagiarists turn out to be serial thieves," Wood said. "If the offense is discovered in one publication, typically it will be found in others."

In a statement to the Boston Globe, Gay said she stood by the integrity of her scholarship.

The Harvard Corporation, which held an emergency meeting over the weekend after Gay's disastrous testimony on Capitol Hill last week, did not respond to a request for comment.

Update 10:10 p.m.: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Gay had not cited Alex Schwartz in the paragraph where his quote appears. She did cite him in that paragraph, but not in the sentence where she quoted him.

Published under: Campus , claudine gay , Harvard

A new benchmark on the right's descent into surreality - The Washington Post

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In the end, it's probably useful that Elon Musk decided to rename Twitter to X. It allows us to better differentiate two increasingly divergent products: Twitter, which worked to stem abuse and misinformation, granting verification to reliable sources of information, and X, which has '... taken a different tack.

Over the weekend, that included Musk's lifting a ban on Alex Jones instituted by the social media platform's previous leadership. Jones, as you are likely aware, was long the voice of the fringiest element of the right-wing fringe, using his broadcasting platform Infowars to elevate myriad and evolving conspiracy theories. It was the sort of nonsense that was very effective at building an audience that was definitionally deeply credulous '-- and then selling them snake-oil nutritional supplements.

There was a time when Jones, despite his obvious right-wing orientation, was simply too ridiculous and too out-there to be offered any attention by establishment Republicans. But that slowly shifted over the past few years, culminating in a Sunday night live chat in which Musk welcomed back Jones to the public conversation. Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was there, too '-- a mark of how intertwined this transition is with broader Republican politics.

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Jones's rehabilitation was predictable, given the trajectory of right-wing and Republican rhetoric over the past 20 years.

Shortly after President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, there was a fracturing on the political right, with the Republican Party establishment seeing new challenges from an increasingly vocal grassroots that was viewing national politics through a frame defined not by the chair of the GOP but Fox News and right-wing radio voices. By 2015, demand for more and more fringe theories about the deviousness of the left had created space to Fox's right '-- space filled by sites like Breitbart, which became the most popular media outlet on right-wing social media during the 2016 cycle.

Donald Trump (who, at a right-wing event this weekend, offered his old adviser Stephen K. Bannon a hug) understood this shift and reflected it. His ascent was rooted in empowering that anti-establishment voice without any qualms about the extent to which he and that voice elevated false claims. He was a truth-teller, his supporters argued, because he said the things that Breitbart and similar sites were arguing. Other Republicans, eager to glom onto Trump's support adopted the same approach. The establishment shifted to the right '-- and space was created to even more fringe voices further to the right, the place where Alex Jones sat. The center moved to the right, so the fringe got closer to the center. (Jones claims that Trump, who sat for an interview with Jones before the 2016 race, called to thank the radio host after his victory that year.)

There's an obvious reason for Republicans and others on the right to be more receptive to conspiratorial assertions. The GOP's rhetoric for decades has centered on the need to reduce the scale and scope of government, in part out of an ideological opposition to constraints on individual freedom and, in part, because smaller government means less taxation. But this rhetoric collapses easily into hostility to governance in general, which overlaps with decaying trust in institutions broadly.

It's not surprising, then, when we see poll results like those offered by YouGov last month. Presented with a range of conspiracy theories, Republicans were consistently more likely than Americans overall and than Democrats to believe that the theories were definitely or probably true. More than half of Republicans, for example, said it was at least ''probably true'' that ''regardless of who is officially in charge of the government and other organizations, there is a single group of people who secretly control events and rule the world together.'' And more than half said the same of more recently developed conspiracy theories: that Obama was born outside the United States and that voting machines flipped votes in the 2020 election.

Nearly 3 in 10 Republicans said the Obama-birther theory was definitely true. A fifth said the same of the voting machines conspiracy '-- though both have been debunked as robustly as possible.

But it's easy to see how this works. Consider that claim that there is a cabal of elites running the world. It's self-reinforcing; there are necessarily people who are in charge of the world and it is trivial to present them as belonging to a secret group of actors as a result. You can take anyone with any power in any context and do the same thing, suggest they have power because of links to the cabal, when the reality is that the conspiracy theorist is putting them into the cabal because they have power.

We have a good, recent example of this courtesy of Musk himself. He elevated a false claim on X that had been promoted by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson '-- who, after helping Fox better compete on the right-wing fringe, announced he is starting his own media outlet in the vein of Infowars '-- alleging that the government was trying to silence a critic. Musk's post was corrected by X's in-house annotation system, Community Notes.

''Interesting,'' Musk responded. ''This Note is being gamed by state actors. Will be helpful in figuring who they are.''

That's the workflow: false conspiracy, correction, looping correction into the conspiracy. If you think that institutions are corrupt and dominated by a powerful, global cabal, it's a simple shift. More broadly, the process takes things that happened and frames them in a new way.

Last week, University of Washington researcher Kate Starbird presented a new analysis showing that this is often how false information propagates.

''[O]ur research suggests the problem is not merely about bad facts,'' Starbird wrote. ''Though fabrications and outright lies certainly contribute to the challenge of misinformation, we are more often misled not by false evidence but by misinterpretations and mischaracterizations.''

She centered on the example of false information about voting in Arizona during the 2020 election, a microcosm of the national effort to amplify the idea that the election was somehow stolen '-- an idea often referred to as ''the Big Lie.''

''The Big Lie took shape not merely as a series of lies communicated from elites to their audiences, but also as a series of misinterpretations and mischaracterizations from a motivated crowd who was willing (and in some cases eager) to misperceive the world through the 'rigged election' frame,'' Starbird explained. ''Online influencers played an important role as well, gathering that evidence, echoing it back down to their audiences to motivate more contributions, and filtering it up to elites who would use it to reinforce their 'rigged election' frames.''

The YouGov poll which established that most Republicans think it was probably true that voting machines flipped votes in 2020 also measured the extent to which people thought they could effectively identify fake news. Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to say that they felt ''very'' or ''somewhat'' confident in their ability to do so.

This makes sense; those who believe something that isn't true aren't likely to also believe that they are incapable of identifying what is and isn't true. If you think the election was stolen, despite the dearth of evidence in support of that idea, it's because you accept the framework identified by Starbird. You view that as the real news '-- not the hectoring of fact-checkers and others who point out that the framework itself is incorrect.

So Alex Jones is back on X, where he can present new frameworks for existing information, as he long has. He arrives on a platform that has been reoriented to make it easier for him to do that and as a member of a political group that is more likely than its opponents to be receptive to his efforts.

The 2024 election is in less than 11 months.

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VIDEO - Email error sparks controversy surrounding 'Electeds of Color Holiday Party' in Boston - Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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BOSTON (WHDH) - A holiday celebration was the subject of controversy in Boston Wednesday after an invite that was supposed to only go to elected leaders of color was sent instead to the entire Boston City Council.

The invite came via email. Hours before the party, some were criticizing how the city handled the situation.

''I do find it divisive, but what are you going to do about it,'' said District 3 Councilor Frank Baker. ''You don't want me at a party, I'm not going to come to a party.''

7NEWS obtained an initial email sent to all city councilors Tuesday. The email was from one of the Mayor Michelle Wu's staffers and read ''I cordially invite you and a guest to the Electeds of Color Holiday Party.''

Fifteen minutes later, another email went out rescinding the invite to the white councilors, clarifying ''I did send that to everyone by accident, I apologize if my email may have offended or came across as so.''

''I think we've all been in a position at one point where an email went out and there was a mistake in the recipients,'' Wu said Wednesday. ''So, it was truly just an honest mistake.''

Mistake or not, Baker said this was just one example of the racial divisions inside City Hall.

Wu, meanwhile, defended the party at the historic city-owned Parkman House, which is an annual event with a rotation of hosts across different levels of government.

''It seems like some of the folks who are concerned might also just not have all the information, right?'' she said.

''I can understand someone might be confused or worried if certain people weren't being invited at all or were being left out of any type of celebration,'' she continued. ''But I assure you, everyone on the Boston City Council has got an invitation to multiple types of events and holiday parties.''

Wu was seen entering the party shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Other elected officials also attending said it was sad to see holiday tiding tainted by controversy.

''The controversy really should be that this is the first time we've had a woman mayor and a person of color and Asian elected here in the city,'' said State Rep. Russell Holmes.

Beyond Baker, 7NEWS reached out to the other excluded Boston city councilors for comment on this situation. They all either declined to comment or did not respond.

Boston City Councilors who are members of the Electeds of Color group earlier in the day Wednesday said the organization has been around for years and has hosted several parties for its members.

''It's not at all divisive,'' said Councilor At-Large Ruthzee Louijeune. ''It's creating spaces for people in communities and identities with shared experiences to come together.''

''The fact of the matter is, it's much ado about nothing in terms of having a holiday party,'' said District 5 Councilor Ricardo Arroyo.

(Copyright (c) 2023 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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VIDEO - Culturele zelfhaat - Tafel van Feshtali S2 #5 - Caf(C) Weltschmerz

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Wat doe je als je kind bang en onzeker wordt gemaakt tijdens de dagbesteding door haar activistische begeleider? Carmen Bosscher, fractievoorzitter van BVNL in Dijk en Waard, deelt haar ervaringen hierover. Ze probeert te achterhalen waar ze haar zorgen en klachten kan neerleggen, zodat anderen niet hetzelfde hoeven mee te maken.

Voormalig gemeenteraadslid Peter van der Velden bespreekt het onderwerp van culturele zelfhaat, terwijl politicoloog Yernaz Ramautarsing ingaat op de huidige situatie in Den Haag en het verloop van de formatie.

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A growing global movement is fighting to give nature the same legal protections as humans. Panama is one of the only countries in the world where this exists, with a country-wide rights of nature law. The law was recently used to shut down a large copper mine. CBS News' Ben Tracy has more on the law and the woman who made it happen.

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MSNBC - Velshi - Jack Smith ask Supreme Court to rule on Trump appeal.mp3

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NBC NN - Contessa Brewer - drug diversion is a massive counterfeit perscription pill scheme.mp3

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NBC NN - Courtney Kube - inside US space arms race with china.mp3

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NBC NN - Richard Engel - bethlehem cancels christmas celebrations.mp3

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NBC NN - Richard Engel - food scarce as conditions continue to deteriorate in gaza.mp3

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NBC NN - Ryan Nobles - house authorizes biden impeachment inquiry.mp3

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NBC NN - Tom Costello - tesla recalls 2 million vehicles.mp3

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News Nation - Leland Vittert - Andrew Lieb (1) Colorado fatphobia legislation.mp3

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News Nation - Leland Vittert - Andrew Lieb (2) weight in category of race or religion.mp3

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News Nation - Leland Vittert - Andrew Lieb (3) how does it work for employers.mp3

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News Nation - Leland Vittert - Andrew Lieb (4) healthcare cost for employer.mp3

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O'Keefe OMB IBM DEI Leaked webinar.mp3

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Piers Morgan - Alex Jones back on X equals more mass shootings.mp3

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Pivot with Dan Pfeiffer about what NOT to do against Trump - Heritage Foundation again.mp3

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Poland back in line DN.mp3

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Project 2025 Unhinged video.mp3

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Project2025-NO TRUMP - Heritage Foundation.mp3

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protecthealthcare.org ad - Will they pay for your childs treatment.mp3

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Taylor Swift Class Launches at Harvard University in 2024.mp3

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Tesla recalls over 2 million US vehicles over autopilot crashes F24.mp3

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TRT A history of Black-Palestinian solidarity -1- Malcom X.mp3

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TRT A history of Black-Palestinian solidarity -2- Muhammed Ali - Jesse Jackson - Nelson Mandela.mp3

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twist on trump case.mp3

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UKraine hang up DN.mp3

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UN Votes USA allies say nyet DN.mp3

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Vivek CNN Town Hall -1- Inside Job - unapproved message.mp3

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Vivek CNN Town Hall -2- cherry picking - he is working with Trump.mp3

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Vivek CNN Town Hall -3- Whitmer kidnapping.mp3

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What Russia's Putin talks about in his annual call-in and news conference DW.mp3

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Who is this russian DN.mp3

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Wow fraud story ntd.mp3

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{3x3} ABC WNT - James Longman - biden says israel starting to lose support.mp3

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{3x3} CBS EV - Ramy Inocencio - netanyahu under fire for alleged plan that aided hamas.mp3

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{3x3} NBC NN - Richard Engel - biden says israel starting to lose support.mp3

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