May 30th • 3h 24m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
Bird Flu
Opinion: Spread of bird flu the risks of eating animal meats
Heather Moore is a senior writer for the PETA Foundation
Consumers Union suspects that bird flu may have spread to cows because they’re routinely fed chicken litter — the detritus that accumulates on the floor of chicken farms. It typically consists of manure, feathers, feed and bedding materials as well as bacteria, viruses, antibiotics, heavy metals, pesticides, dead rodents and more. It’s often mixed with hay or corn to make it more appealing to hungry cows.
Climate Chage
Big Tech AI and Socials
AI will ruin the internet and usher in nuclear power
Google's AI Overview catches heat for absurd, factual errors
When asked how many Muslim presidents the U.S. has had, AI Overview responded, “The United States has had one Muslim president, Barack Hussein Obama.”
When a user searched for “cheese not sticking to pizza,” the feature suggested adding “about 1/8 cup of nontoxic glue to the sauce.” Social media users found an 11-year-old Reddit comment that seemed to be the source.
Attribution can also be a problem for AI Overview, especially in attributing inaccurate information to medical professionals or scientists.
For instance, when asked, “How long can I stare at the sun for best health,” the tool said, “According to WebMD, scientists say that staring at the sun for 5-15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if you have darker skin, is generally safe and provides the most health benefits.”
When asked, “How many rocks should I eat each day,” the tool said, “According to UC Berkeley geologists, people should eat at least one small rock a day,” going on to list the vitamins and digestive benefits.
The tool also can respond inaccurately to simple queries, such as making up a list of fruits that end with “um,” or saying the year 1919 was 20 years ago.
Flags
Upside Down Flag Law
See below U.S. Flag code excerpt from Middle Tennessee State University.
"The U.S. flag code, which is not legally enforceable, specifically says that the flag is not to be inverted 'except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.'"
Pine Tree Flag - Wikipedia Plays the Ministry of Truth in All-Lib Remake of the Classic 1984 – Twitchy
Wikipedia edits on the Pine Tree Flag page are fascinating.
On Wednesday, it was just a normal flag.
On Friday, it's a now a symbol of Christian nationalism and right-wing extremism.
Big Pharma
Season of Reveal
Person Sucked Into Jet Engine And Killed As Plane Prepares For Takeoff
The KLM Cityhopper flights mostly leave from and arrive at the parking spots on the A or B-platform at Schiphol (A1A to A3 on the screenshot below). Buses are used to transport passengers between the parking spots and the piers. There is ongoing construction work for the new A-pier right next to these platforms. It can also be a busy platform with a lot of Embraers parked there. Bottom line: there are workers from construction companies nearby (but there should be fencing between the construction site and the platform), various workers from ground handling companies and airlines/maintenance companies as well as perhaps passengers from other flights could be on that platform. If someone wanted to, they could do a runner and get close to the aircraft. I'm not saying that is what happened of course. We don't know yet.
29 mei 2024, dickie. – Koert Krouwel
26 jaar geleden was dick, als plaatsvervangend secr generaal van justitie, verantwoordelijk voor het in de doofpot stoppen van de Rolodex affaire. Kent iemand die nog? Maar liefst 4 van dick’s collega’s (topambtenaren dus) werden in de Rolodex affaire beschuldigd van georganiseerd kindermisbruik. j. demmink komt voorbij, Hoessein Baybasin, de Koerd die nu al ruim 27 jaar onschuldig in de gevangenis zit. dick weet ervan..
Willow Pope gay slur BOTG
Gayness my ass… Frociaggine would translate to “faggotness”
Basically within a (closed) discussion around having homosexuals as priests or so he said something like “we already have too much faggotness”
So some excuses are that it’s not his native language
Transmaoism
Boots on the Ground, Chicago Police and a personal story about justice impacted individual
Please keep anonymity please.
Listening to Episode 1662 Rousting Granny and youre clip about Justice Impacted Individuals reminded me of an incident I had while testifying in a juvenile court case in Cook County Illinois in the timeframe of 2018-2019 as a police officer.
It is customary when testifying to use terms like "The Offender ran westbound" or "The subject failed to use his or her turn signal" pretty common terms that go in line with how police reports read and persons are identified.
I was on the stand and referring to the person as the "offender" and I was stopped by the defense attorney for the juvenile and told that I cannot refer to the juvenile as an "offender". I then decided to be more formal so I decided to use the term "defendant" and that also was not allowed to use.
The States Attorney then approached and coached me to use a term delinquent minor which in my opinion seemed more harsh than the term offender but I had multiple instances where I was using the common terms of defendant and offender and would have to quickly correct myself because the defense attorney was using it as a tactic to get me on my heels and get me off track of my thoughts.
Just thought this would be a good boots on the ground report to add to the show and that this kind of stuff has been years in the making.
Other interesting things from the policing world:
1. Transgender individuals that have an adopted name that does not match their government ID name in all reports will use the Adopted Name and the government name will be listed as the alias, it was previously the other way around.
2. Transgender individuals can decide which lock up they want to be held in and which gender gets to search them.
3. Riot control training has ramped up this year with the DNC in Chicago and friends in other major cities that work as the police have had similar things. Its either an overreaction due to what happened in 2020 during the riots or we can expect some serious protest season in our immediate future, ill check back in around mid to late august to give you the low down on how the DNC went.
M5M
USD CBDC BTC
Collectors may pay thousands for dollar bills with printing error
Possibly millions more printed than reported?
Africa
MIC
Instagram & First-Person Shooter Games BOTG
**Instagram & First-Person Shooter Games****:** Families of the kids murdered in the Uvalde school shooting have sued Meta and others because it allowed gun manufacturers to influence the shooter with their ads. I’ve never been a gamer, but apparently Call of Duty accurately mimics various firearms; players learn how to reload proficiently and how recoil feels. AR-15s appear to be the most popular Call of Duty weapon. Here, the killer was allegedly presented with AR-15 ads on Instagram, and eventually bought one. A key graf: “The families said Instagram and Activision, along with certain firearm manufacturers, ‘have groomed a generation of young men who are socially vulnerable, insecure about their masculinity, and eager to show strength and assert dominance,’ painting guns as the answer to those issues, the complaint states.” There are actually two lawsuits: One in Uvalde, another in Los Angeles. The defendants are different in each case.
I know you’ll recall this debate going back to the 80s and 90s. In that time, I wonder if anyone has sued the pharma companies and doctors who’ve pushed drugs on our kids—after all, as you’ll see in the attached story, the complaint reads like a paper on psychoanalysis. Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on this litigation for you.
STORIES
Google's AI Overview catches heat for absurd, factual errors
Thu, 30 May 2024 16:54
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
It's been less than two weeks since Google debuted "AI Overview" in Google Search, and public criticism has mounted after queries have returned nonsensical or inaccurate results within the AI feature '-- without any way to opt out.
AI Overview shows a quick summary of answers to search questions at the very top of Google Search. For example, if a user searches for the best way to clean leather boots, the results page may display an "AI Overview" at the top with a multistep cleaning process, gleaned from information it synthesized from around the web.
But social media users have shared a wide range of screenshots showing the AI tool giving incorrect and controversial responses.
Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and other companies are at the helm of a generative AI arms race as companies in seemingly every industry rush to add AI-powered chatbots and agents to avoid being left behind by competitors. The market is predicted to top $1 trillion in revenue within a decade.
Here are some examples of errors produced by AI Overview, according to screenshots shared by users.
When asked how many Muslim presidents the U.S. has had, AI Overview responded, "The United States has had one Muslim president, Barack Hussein Obama."
When a user searched for "cheese not sticking to pizza," the feature suggested adding "about 1/8 cup of nontoxic glue to the sauce." Social media users found an 11-year-old Reddit comment that seemed to be the source.
Attribution can also be a problem for AI Overview, especially in attributing inaccurate information to medical professionals or scientists.
For instance, when asked, "How long can I stare at the sun for best health," the tool said, "According to WebMD, scientists say that staring at the sun for 5-15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if you have darker skin, is generally safe and provides the most health benefits."
When asked, "How many rocks should I eat each day," the tool said, "According to UC Berkeley geologists, people should eat at least one small rock a day," going on to list the vitamins and digestive benefits.
The tool also can respond inaccurately to simple queries, such as making up a list of fruits that end with "um," or saying the year 1919 was 20 years ago.
When asked whether or not Google Search violates antitrust law, AI Overview said, "Yes, the U.S. Justice Department and 11 states are suing Google for antitrust violations."
The day Google rolled out AI Overview at its annual Google I/O event, the company said it also plans to introduce assistant-like planning capabilities directly within search. It explained that users will be able to search for something like, "Create a 3-day meal plan for a group that's easy to prepare," and they'd get a starting point with a wide range of recipes from across the web.
"The vast majority of AI Overviews provide high quality information, with links to dig deeper on the web," a Google spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. "Many of the examples we've seen have been uncommon queries, and we've also seen examples that were doctored or that we couldn't reproduce."
The spokesperson said AI Overview underwent extensive testing before launch and that the company is taking "swift action where appropriate under our content policies."
The news follows Google's high-profile rollout of Gemini's image-generation tool in February, and a pause that same month after comparable issues.
The tool allowed users to enter prompts to create an image, but almost immediately, users discovered historical inaccuracies and questionable responses, which circulated widely on social media.
For instance, when one user asked Gemini to show a German soldier in 1943, the tool depicted a racially diverse set of soldiers wearing German military uniforms of the era, according to screenshots on social media platform X.
When asked for a "historically accurate depiction of a medieval British king," the model generated another racially diverse set of images, including one of a woman ruler, screenshots showed. Users reported similar outcomes when they asked for images of the U.S. founding fathers, an 18th-century king of France, a German couple in the 1800s and more. The model showed an image of Asian men in response to a query about Google's own founders, users reported.
Google said in a statement at the time that it was working to fix Gemini's image-generation issues, acknowledging that the tool was "missing the mark." Soon after, the company announced it would immediately "pause the image generation of people" and "re-release an improved version soon."
In February, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said Google planned to relaunch its image-generation AI tool in the next "few weeks," but it has not yet rolled out again.
The problems with Gemini's image-generation outputs reignited a debate within the AI industry, with some groups calling Gemini too "woke," or left-leaning, and others saying that the company didn't sufficiently invest in the right forms of AI ethics. Google came under fire in 2020 and 2021 for ousting the co-leads of its AI ethics group after they published a research paper critical of certain risks of such AI models and then later reorganizing the group's structure.
In 2023, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google's parent company, Alphabet, was criticized by some employees for the company's botched and "rushed" rollout of Bard, which followed the viral spread of ChatGPT.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct name of Google's AI Overview. Also, an earlier version of this article included a link to a screenshot that Google later confirmed was doctored.
ArkeaBio' raises $26.5M to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with methane vaccine
Thu, 30 May 2024 16:45
ArkeaBio', a leading ag-biotech start-up developing a vaccine to reduce livestock methane emissions, today announced the close of a $26.5 million Series A financing round. The raise was led by current investor Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), and attracted additional investors, including The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, AgriZeroNZ, Rabo Ventures, Overview Capital, and The51 Food & AgTech Fund.
ArkeaBio's vaccine will provide an innovative, cost-effective, and scalable solution to reduce the world's livestock methane emissions, which currently generate the equivalent of 3 Billion Tonnes of CO2 annually and represent 6% of annual Greenhouse gas emissions. ''Reducing methane emissions from the agricultural sector is one of the most pressing challenges in today's fight against climate change,'' said Chris Rivest, Chairman of the Board at ArkeaBio and partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures. ''ArkeaBio's approach using innovative vaccine technologies will create effective and massively scalable solutions to reduce on-farm methane emissions, leaving them well-positioned to redefine the agricultural landscape in the years to come.''
ArkeaBio research and development results have garnered substantial attention from investors for the advancement of the inaugural methane-reducing vaccine, designed for safe and rapid implementation within existing on-farm practices. The funds raised in this Series A financing will play a pivotal role in expanding the research, development and deployment of the vaccine, including large-scale field trials and engagement along the supply chain. ''We are thankful for the financial support, confidence, and trust of our investors. This funding will accelerate the development of our vaccine-based solution to meet a pressing global problem,'' said Colin South, ArkeaBio CEO. ''To echo the sentiments of The Grantham Foundation: 'climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. It is the race of our lives.' This capital raise allows us to continue to create the tools necessary for farmers to achieve globally relevant reductions in livestock methane emissions.''
ArkeaBio is dedicated to collaborative efforts with industry partners, regulatory authorities, and environmental organizations to bring this transformative solution to market.
Person Sucked Into Jet Engine And Killed As Plane Prepares For Takeoff
Thu, 30 May 2024 15:34
A person was killed after being sucked into the engine of a KLM Embraer jet. Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto (Getty Images)
A person has died at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands after they were sucked into the engine of a plane preparing for takeoff. A KLM Embraer jet bound for Denmark was full of passengers with its engines running when the person was caught in the engine.
The 2024 Indy 500 Will Be Remembered For Years To Come
The person was killed yesterday when KLM flight KL1341 was preparing for takeoff from Amsterdam at around 14:25 pm local time, which is 08:25 Eastern Time. The victim has not yet been identified by authorities and it's not clear if they were a passenger at the airport or a member of ground staff at Schiphol. In a statement, Dutch carrier KLM said:
A fatal incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine. Sadly, this person has died. The flight concerned was KL1341 bound for Billund. We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol.
According to Dutch Border Police, who monitor security at Schiphol Airport , passengers were evacuated from the aircraft following the death, reports BBC News . After passengers were removed from the plane, images were shared showing the Embraer aircraft surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances as it stood next to the departure terminal. As the site reports:
The deceased has not yet been identified and it is too early to say whether it was an accident or a form of suicide, a spokesperson told Reuters new agency.
Various Dutch media outlets have suggested the victim could be an employee involved in pushing back an airplane before it takes off.
An investigation has now been launched by law enforcement in the Netherlands to uncover how the incident occurred.
While shocking to hear about, the death is far from being the first instance of a person being killed by a jet engine. Earlier this year, a person was found dead inside a jet engine in Salt Lake City and last year an airport worker was sucked into a jet engine as it started up.
North Korea accused of sending balloons carrying excrement into the South | South Korea | The Guardian
Thu, 30 May 2024 14:40
South Korea has warned residents living near the border with North Korea to be on alert, after accusing the regime of sending balloons containing what appeared to be rubbish and faeces into its neighbour's territory.
Photographs released by the South Korean military on Wednesday showed inflated balloons with plastic bags tethered to them. Other images appeared to show trash strewn around collapsed balloons, with the word ''excrement'' written on a bag in one photograph.
By Wednesday, more than 150 balloons had been detected, according to the Yonhap news agency. Some had landed on the ground, while others were still in the air, it added, citing a South Korean military source.
Some of the balloons had travelled long distances, reaching as far as the south-eastern province of South Gyeongsang, it said.
The fallen balloons appeared to have been carrying various items of rubbish, including plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and what is believed to be manure, an official of the joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said.
The military said unidentified objects believed to be from North Korea had been spotted near the demilitarised zone '' the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas. It urged people not to go near them and to report sightings to the military or police.
The military's explosives ordnance unit and chemical and biological warfare response team were deployed to inspect and collect the objects.
''These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our people's safety,'' the JCS said, according to Yonhap. ''[We] sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop these inhumane and vulgar acts.''
Unidentified objects attached to balloon believed to be from North Korea on a street in Chungnam Province. Photograph: South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty ImagesThe balloons arrived after Kim Kang-il, a North Korean defence vice-minister, warned that the regime would retaliate in response to anti-North Korean leaflets flown across the border in the opposite direction.
''Tit-for-tat action will be also taken against frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish [by South Korea] near border areas,'' Kim said in a statement on Sunday carried by the official KCNA news agency.
''Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,'' Kim added, referring to the South's official name, the Republic of Korea.
For years, South Korean activists and North Korean defectors have sent balloons to North Korea carrying leaflets criticising the regime and urging North Koreans to rise up against the Kim dynasty that has ruled the country for decades. They have also sent USB memory sticks of K-pop music videos, which are banned in the North.
Rubbish from a suspected North Korea balloon seen strewn across the street in Seoul. Photograph: APIn 2020, the South Korean government, led by the liberal president Moon Jae-in, drew an angry response from human rights activists after it took action against two defector organisations that routinely released propaganda balloons, accusing them of unnecessarily provoking the North, hampering efforts to improve cross-border ties.
The government revoked the groups' permits after they repeatedly ignored official requests to halt the flights, which campaigners had credited with educating some North Koreans about the true horrors of the regime in Pyongyang.
Moon's administration criminalised leafleting campaigns in a law introduced in early 2021, six months after Pyongyang expressed its anger over the leaflets by blowing up an inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong.
In 2023, South Korea's constitutional court struck down the controversial leafleting law, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech.
Two years ago, during the Covid-19 pandemic, activists in the South clashed with police as they launched helium-filled balloons across the border. The balloons reportedly contained masks, over-the-counter painkillers and and vitamin C tablets, as well as booklets celebrating life in the wealthy, democratic South. The packages also included hundreds of USB sticks containing videos of US Congress members denouncing North Korea's human rights record.
For the paranoid regime in Pyongyang, the balloons represent a potential existential threat since they challenge the carefully crafted narrative surrounding the Kim dynasty. The regime routinely describes their contents as ''dirty waste'' and claimed, without evidence, that they were responsible for spreading the coronavirus.
Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said sending balloons was far less risky than taking overt military action.
''These kinds of grey zone tactics are more difficult to counter and hold less risk of uncontrollable military escalation, even if they're horrid for the civilians who are ultimately targeted,'' he said.
The use of propaganda balloons has long been a source of tension between North Korea and South Korea, which are technically at war since their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice agreement but not a peace treaty.
With Reuters news agency
Arizona teacher retiring over frustration of students not putting down phones: 'Addiction' worse than drugs | Fox News
Thu, 30 May 2024 14:35
An Arizona high school biology teacher had his last week of teaching after becoming exasperated with his students' constant smartphone usage in the classroom.
Sahuaro High School's Mitchell Rutherford spoke to a local Tucson NBC affiliate early last week, saying that he has done everything he can to try and get his students to break their "addiction" to their phones, and is now giving up.
"I have been struggling with mental health this year mostly because of what I identified as basically phone addiction with the students," Rutherford told the news station.
CHRISTIAN TEACHER LOSES JOB AFTER REFUSING TO DECEIVE PARENTS ON KIDS' GENDER TRANSITIONS: 'FROM THE DEVIL'
One Arizona teacher is quitting teaching over frustration that kids won't put down phones in the classroom. (Getty Images)
This past Thursday was the 35-year-old public school educator's last day in the profession after 11 years. Rutherford said he has employed a variety of lesson plans throughout the last few years to get his students to understand the harms of constant cellphone usage in their daily lives.
"Here's extra credit, let's check your screen time, let's create habits, let's do a unit on sleep and why sleep is important and how to reduce your phone usage for a bedtime routine, and we talked about it every day and created a basket called 'phone jail,'" he said, giving examples of everything he has tried to implement.
Rutherford compared extreme phone usage to drug addiction, arguing that it's even worse than being hooked on substances or being addicted to sugar.
"Opioids, obviously a huge problem, cocaine, heroin, all of those drugs, alcohol, it's all a big problem, but like sugar even greater than that and then phones even greater than that," he said.
In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, the educator described witnessing this problem get worse during the COVID-19 pandemic and that "something shifted" in the kids.
Studies conducted in the last couple of years have shown that pandemic learning loss has been a great detriment to the education, skill level and productivity of K-12 students nationwide.
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION URGES STUDENTS TO ATTEND POLITICAL RALLY FOR ILLINOIS PRIMARY
The Arizona high school teacher said he believes students got more hooked to their phones during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images)
As he saw the problem grow, "I was beginning to think I was the problem," Rutherford told the outlet. He added that some students would flat-out admit to him they didn't care about school.
He doesn't blame the kids fully, however. He told the local outlet that society has to foster better habits in children.
"As a society, we need to prioritize educating our youth and protecting our youth and allowing their brains and social skills and happiness to develop in a natural way, without their phone," Rutherford said.
The teacher told WSJ that he is ready to embark on a new career path, like potentially working at an online college prep school or going into a vocational program. Still, he worries he could be "abandoning" his students with this decision.
"Part of me feels like I'm abandoning these kids," he said, adding, "I tell kids to do hard things all the time, and now I'm leaving? But I decided I'm going to try something else that doesn't completely consume me and drain me."
Rutherford did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
The Jokes Write Themselves After NY Times Reveals Cringe Details on Alito Neighbor at Center of Dispute '' RedState
Thu, 30 May 2024 14:33
Like a rabid dog gnawing on a bone, the New York Times will just not let go of the non-story involving Justice Samuel Alito's wife, Martha-Ann, and a 2021 dispute with a neighbor that allegedly culminated in Mrs. Alito "briefly" flying the American flag upside down 11 days after the Capitol riot.
Not even counting the guest essays, letters to the editor, opinion pieces, and Spanish language versions they've published on the issue, by my count they've published nine - count 'em - nine articles over the last two weeks related to flag-flying at the homes of the Alito family, from the upside down one at their primary residence in 2021 to the Revolutionary War-era "Appeal to Heaven" flag that was flown at various points in 2023 at their beach house.
The insinuations have been clear in all of them: In their view and that of their "experts," due to the alleged Jan. 6th symbolism of the flags, Mrs. Alito is sympathetic to the beliefs of the Capitol rioters and as such, her alleged beliefs have compromised Justice Alito's ability to impartially judge cases related to Jan. 6 and the 2020 presidential election.
READ MORE: Sens. Durbin, Whitehouse Up Ante With John Roberts on Alito Flag Issue, There Should Be Only One Response
Their latest piece, again written by Pulitzer Prize-winning "reporter" Jodi Kantor, dramatically centers around a timeline of events regarding the 2021 flag-flying incident, the one that Justice Alito said "briefly" happened "in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs."
But Kantor wrote that according to records they dug up surrounding the dispute (records that stemmed from a phone call made to the police by the woman's husband), an incident where Mrs. Alito was called the "c" word by the female neighbor Justice Alito told Fox News about didn't happen until a month after the flag was seen flying:
Just published: Mrs. Alito's conflict with her neighbors in Virginia escalated so much that the neighbors called the police. But that final incident, which Justice Alito said helped spur his wife to raise the upside-down flag, happened a month after the flag was up.'... pic.twitter.com/3xoILuVdpN
'-- Jodi Kantor (@jodikantor) May 29, 2024The paper also heavily leaned into the recollection of events as told by the (now-former) neighbors involved in the feud. They portray themselves, of course, as just mild-mannered but passionate liberal folks who were not trying to goad the Justice and his family but who were merely expressing their First Amendment rights with their curse-word-themed signage posted near where kids caught the school bus. They did admit to using the vulgar term on Mrs. Alito but suggested they only did so because she allegedly gave them no choice:
To better understand the clash, The Times interviewed Ms. [Emily] Baden, her mother and her husband, as well as other neighbors, and reviewed the texts that Ms. Baden and her husband sent to friends after the episodes. Justice Alito, who did not respond to questions for this article, has in recent weeks given his own explanation of what happened.
[...]
But in the Baden family's version, the justice's wife initiated the conflict. ''Aside from putting up a sign, we did not begin or instigate any of these confrontations,'' Ms. Baden said later.
The whole purpose of the piece was to cast doubt on Justice Alito's impartiality and credibility as well as to portray Mrs. Alito as a Crazy Lady who repeatedly harassed her neighbors for having a different point of view. But when one reads between the lines here, the Badens come off as the real fruitcakes with an ax to grind, as explained well by conservative commentator Amber Duke:
So the couple the Alitos got into a spat with were a pro-BLM mid-30s unmarried white couple with a ''pandemic puppy'' living at their parents' house. Let's just acknowledge the amazing typecasting here.
The couple claims they ''didn't instigate'' except they acknowledge they put up the f**k Trump sign and then committed to keeping it up after Mrs. Alito mentioned she found it offensive. They later added another sign saying, ''you're complicit,'' which they claim was directed at Republicans. After January 6, they admit again to deliberately driving past Alito's house to ''see what she was doing.'' Then they had the gall to claim to be the victims and called the police on the older homeowner they were deliberately f**king with. Okay.
And at the end of the day, as Duke and others also observed, the alleged "inconsistency" in the timeline of the Alitos' version of events still does not prove the flag was intended to show solidarity with the Capitol rioters.
This continues to be, as my colleague Brad Slager pointed out in his analysis of the hit pieces, a classic "manufactured narrative" by the Democrat apologists in the MSM:
This exposes the desperation seen in the press this past week. After years of exhaustive study spent looking for any indicator they could find to accuse anyone of insurrection, somehow this historic flag never managed to ping on the media's radar - until last week.
We are looking at a completely fabricated outrage, and the press has resorted to reporting on the ''growing'' tide of indignation to have Alito step down '' coming from the press. This lame attempt is producing little more than eye-rolling from the public. The news outlets need to wave their white flags on this issue.
And upside down if they have to.
Flashback: Justice Alito Leaves Progressive Smear Merchants Crying as He Scoops Them on Their Own Story
29 mei 2024, dickie. '' Koert Krouwel
Wed, 29 May 2024 16:37
26 jaar geleden was dick, als plaatsvervangend secr generaal van justitie, verantwoordelijk voor het in de doofpot stoppen van de Rolodex affaire. Kent iemand die nog? Maar liefst 4 van dick's collega's (topambtenaren dus) werden in de Rolodex affaire beschuldigd van georganiseerd kindermisbruik. j. demmink komt voorbij, Hoessein Baybasin, de Koerd die nu al ruim 27 jaar onschuldig in de gevangenis zit. dick weet ervan..
In 2005 was dickie hoofddirecteur van de IND, das de vreemdelingen baas. In dat jaar zijn ruim 800 asielkinderen verdwenen. Het is bewezen dat vele daarvan in de sex industrie zijn terecht gekomen. 800, dat zijn er meer dan 2 per dag.
dick is baasje aivd geweest, en baasje nctv. dick wil nu premier worden van alle Nederlanders, dick weet ook alles van alle Nederlanders. dick weet binnen 5 seconden wat jij gisteren gegeten hebt als dat nodig is. dick als premier, ongelooflijk maar waar.
En dickie was 1 met rutte. dick schoof onder het tapijt wat markie te heet onder de voeten werd. dick schoof met de regeltjes als dat beter uitkwam, dick schoof met wetten als die in de weg zaten. En nu wordt dickie premier, premier van alle Nederlanders! dick is daar neergezet door geertje, geert die al zijn hele leven in de tweede kamer zit. Het langst zittende tweede kamerlid issie zelfs. geert die alles maar dan ook alles heeft meegemaakt, die rutte begeleidde toen ie als broekie de kamer binnen kwam. Nee, dick is derde keus lees ik, ik geloof er geen reet van, we worden weer diep genaaid. Dit is allemaal zorgvuldig uitgedacht, niets is toeval, wat een poppenkast.
Former intelligence chief to become Dutch PM as part of 'business cabinet' | Netherlands | The Guardian
Wed, 29 May 2024 16:29
A top justice ministry official and former intelligence chief is to be the new Dutch prime minister, five months after Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom party (PVV) finished first in parliamentary elections.
Dick Schoof, the highest official at the justice and security ministry, was formally nominated as the preferred candidate by the four parties making up the Netherlands' right-wing coalition government on Tuesday.
''I am not affiliated to any party, I am not standing here in the name of the PVV... I want to be the prime minister of all the Dutch,'' Schoof, who has had no previous experience in parliament or in government, told reporters on Tuesday.
''I guess it will be a surprise for a lot of people that I'm standing here... It's actually also a surprise for me,'' he added.
Schoof, 67, formerly a national counterterrorism coordinator and director of the AIVD intelligence and IND immigration services, will head a ''business'' or ''extra-parliamentary'' cabinet of equal numbers of political appointees and experts.
PVV, whose manifesto included calls for bans on mosques, the Qur'an and Islamic headscarves in government buildings as well as a ''Nexit'' referendum on leaving the EU, won a shock 26% of the vote in elections last November.
But its 37 seats left it far short of a majority in the 150-seat assembly and needing to negotiate an alliance with the liberal-conservative VVD, the BBB agrarian protest party, and New Social Contract (NSC), a centre-right political startup.
Wilders abandoned hope of becoming prime minister in March in the face of his coalition partners' reluctance to nominate him for the job, while another hopeful, former Labour party minister Ronald Plasterk, dropped out last week.
Wilders and the other party leaders, including Dilan YeÅilg¶z-Zegerius, who succeeded outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte as VVD leader, Caroline van der Plas of the BBB and NSC's Pieter Omtzigt, will sit in the Dutch parliament.
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The four parties this month reached a coalition agreement including plans for a radical tightening of policy on asylum seekers and immigration, an increase in natural gas production and the relaxation of multiple green regulations.
Border controls will be intensified, admittance procedures shortened, and people denied asylum in another EU country will be sent away immediately, with labour migration and the flow of foreign students to Dutch universities also curbed.
On the environment, daytime motorway speeds '' reduced to 62mph in an effort to cut nitrogen pollution '' are due to be returned to 80mph ''where possible'', and subsidised ''red diesel'' will be reintroduced for farmers from 2027.
If the appointment is confirmed, Schoof is expected to lead the continuing search for new ministers and state secretaries with the objective of being able to announce a full cabinet before the summer recess at the beginning of July.
The Telegraaf newspaper reported that Schoof was a once a member of the PvdA Labour party, but had left it an indeterminate time ago.
Garry Conille - Wikipedia
Wed, 29 May 2024 16:11
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dr. Garry Conille (born 26 February 1966) is a Haitian academic, development worker, author, and former Prime Minister of Haiti. He submitted his resignation as prime minister on 24 February 2012, and was officially succeeded by Laurent Lamothe on 16 May 2012.[1]
Early life [ edit ] Garry Conille is the second of a family of four brothers (Serge, Pierre and Jean Conille). He is the son of Marie Antoinette Darbouze and Dr. Serge Conille, former Minister of Sports and Youth in the Duvalier government. He is married to Betty Rousseau, the step daughter of Marc Bazin, a former Prime Minister of Haiti and has twin girls, Soraya and Gaelle. Betty and her twin sister Kathy are Bazin's daughters from his wife Marie Yol¨ne's (n(C)e Sam) first marriage.
Medical career [ edit ] After graduating from Coll¨ge Canado-Ha¯tien and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of University of Haiti, Garry Conille obtained an MA in Political and Health Administration, as a fellow of the Fulbright Scholar Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Afterwards, he received a certificate of specialty in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Isa¯e Jeanty maternity and a Ph.D. in Medicine at the University of Haiti.[2]
Between July 1994 and June 1998, at the Haitian Association for the National Development, he developed and implemented a primary care system that provided basic health care in poor areas of Haiti. In August 1999, as an evaluation consultant, Garry Conille was responsible for the impact assessment of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, an NGO in the field of community development, providing community care to over 260,000 people in Artibonite. Between the years 2000 - 2004, he created and hosted at Radio Vision 2000, the first national interactive program, focused on issues related to reproductive and sexual health.[3]
United Nations career [ edit ] Garry Conille began his career with the United Nations in 1999, as project officer (October 1999 - April 2001), then programme officer (April 2001 - October 2002) at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Haiti. Between October 2002 and May 2004, he was technical advisor at Population Services International (PSI) Haiti.
In May 2004, he became an international official inside the United Nations system. Until January 2006, he was technical advisor of countries, then sub-regional technical advisor for UNFPA, Division Africa/Ethiopia. In this capacity, he was responsible for providing technical assistance and for ensuring capacity building in key areas of population and health reproduction.
In January - December 2006, he worked in a different field of the UN, as Technical Advisor for the Project Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations. In January 2007, Conille returned to UNFPA as Chief Technical Advisor for the Africa region and Global Program Coordinator for the security of inputs into reproductive health (UNFPA).
From September 2008 until his special assignment in Haiti, Garry Conille worked as team leader of the MDG Unit (part of the Office of Development Policy, UNDP). Here he organized jointly with UNDESA the process of preparing the report of the Secretary General on the MDGs, presented at the 2010 G8 Summit and then, with the International Monetary Fund, the preparation of Gleneagles scenarios in more than a dozen African countries.
In the wake of Haiti's 2010 earthquake, he was requested by the Administrator of UNDP and the UN Secretary General to assume the duties of head office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Haiti. Conille worked with the Haitian government, the representation of the United Nations in Haiti and the main donors to develop and implement a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Haiti. He was also involved in coordinating the humanitarian response and in the establishment of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, the central structure of the reconstruction.
In June 2011, he resumed his work at UNDP as Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger.[4][5]
Prime Minister [ edit ] By the end of August 2011, unofficial comments of Haitian politicians indicated that Garry Conille might be the next nomination for the post of Prime Minister.[2][6] On 5 September, he received the official designation for this office from the President Michel Martelly.[7][8] This would be the third nomination after Jean-Max Bellerive's resignation on 15 May 2011, and the subsequent rejections by the Senate of the nominees Daniel Rouzier and Bernard Gousse.[9]
Conille's nomination faces questions regarding his recent residency, as to whether he fulfills the requirement, prescribed in the Constitution of Haiti, of having resided in the country for five consecutive years prior to ratification. The president countered this argument by saying that Conille was exempt from the residency requirement because he had been working for the United Nations, paying taxes to the United Nations for Haiti.[10][11]
The review and ratification process of his nomination began on 8 September 2011.[12] The Chamber of Deputies approved his appointment on September 16, in a unanimous vote. On October 5, 2011, the Haitian Parliament confirmed Garry Conille's appointment as Prime Minister,[13] making him the 16th and the youngest Prime Minister under the current 1987 Constitution of the country.[14]
Resignation [ edit ] Conille resigned on February 24, 2012, following a loss of confidence in him from his ministers.[15] He had clashed with ministers and Martelly over several issues,[15] most recently a parliamentary investigation into government officials who hold dual nationality, which is illegal in Haiti.[16] Martelly refused to comply with the investigation, stating the executive branch did not have to comply with the investigation. Some ministers cooperated with the investigation, but others refused. When Conille called a meeting with ministers to discuss the matter, none appeared. That incident demonstrated their lack of confidence and triggered the resignation.[15] Conille remains prime minister until his successor is appointed, according to Article 165 of the constitution. He is succeeded by Laurent Lamothe[15] after going through both parliamentary legislative chambers voting results with formal appointment in May 2012; he also held before his nomination and still keeps the ministry control for Foreign Affairs and Cults (Worships).
Second Term [ edit ] On 28 May 2024, Conille was elected as Prime Minister by a vote by the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti where he was elected with 6 in favor and 1 abstention following a nomination procedure that received domestic criticism for its slow progress since the resignation of Ariel Henry on 24 April 2024 and amidst ongoing turmoil in Haiti.[17]
Publications [ edit ] Recommendations to support Haiti's economic development (2006), with Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Ambassador Gert Rosenthal (online)ICT for Education and Development - Challenges of meeting the MDG 5 in Africa (2006) (online)2004-2007 report of the Commission for Social Affairs: African Union ( 2007)Cancer of the Cervix at Maternity Isa¯e Jeanty (May 1992)Sustainable financing of Health Care Reform in developing Countries ( May 1999)Gender Poverty and health care reform (May 2001)Social Franchising of reproductive health service in developing countriesReferences [ edit ] ^ "Topic Galleries". Chicago Tribune. [permanent dead link ] ^ a b "Dr Garry Conille: le troisi¨me premier ministre d(C)sign(C) de Martelly?". August 29, 2011. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Haiti - Politic : CV of Garry Conille, MD, MPH". September 1, 2011 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Qui est Garry Conille ?" (in French). Le Nouvelliste. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "CV of Garry Conille, MD, MPH". September 1, 2011. ^ Trenton Daniel (August 31, 2011). "Bill Clinton aide named as Haiti's 3rd pick for PM". Associated Press . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Garry Conille d(C)sign(C) officiellement". September 5, 2011. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Dr. Garry Conille Designated to be Next Prime Minister of Haiti". September 6, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ Joseph Chanoine Charles (September 11, 2011). "Garry Conille: la nouvelle mission" . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Former Bill Clinton aide nominated for post of Haiti PM". September 3, 2011. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Martelly Admits Prime Minister Pick Has Not Resided in Haiti for Past 5 Years". September 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ Jean Phar¨s J(C)r´me (September 9, 2011). "Prime Minister-designate Garry Conille Files Documents with Parliament". Archived from the original on March 22, 2012 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ "Haiti senate appoints Clinton aide as prime minister". BBC News. 5 September 2011 . Retrieved 5 September 2011 . ^ Yves Cajuste (September 8, 2011). "Le premier ministre d(C)sign(C) Garry Conille a fait le d(C)pot de son dossier de candidature la Chambre basse ce jeudi". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012 . Retrieved September 16, 2011 . ^ a b c d Archibold, Randal C. (February 26, 2012). "Haitian Premier Says Loss Of Support Led Him to Quit". The New York Times. p. A10. ^ "Haiti's prime minister quits after just a few months". CNN. February 25, 2012 . Retrieved February 25, 2012 . ^ Coto, Danica (29 May 2024). "Transitional council in Haiti selects new prime minister for a country under siege by gangs". Associated Press . Retrieved 29 May 2024 . External links [ edit ] Official websiteCV of Garry Conille
Kenya To Get 1,000 MW Data Center Powered By Geothermal Energy - CleanTechnica
Wed, 29 May 2024 16:05
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!Kenya is already in the top 10 countries when it comes to electricity generation plants powered by geothermal. Kenya has the 6th highest installed generation capacity and is inching closer to being one of the few countries in the world that have generation capacity from geothermal that is over 1,000 MW. Kenya's current installed capacity from geothermal is 985 MW. According to THINK GEOENERGY, only New Zealand (1,042 MW), Turkiye (1,691 MW), Philippines (1,952 MW), Indonesia (2,418 MW), and the US (3,900 MW) have more generating capacity than Kenya.
With several projects at various stages of development, Kenya will soon cross the 1,000 MW mark. Kenya also has a lot more potential for generating electricity from its geothermal resources. This potential is estimated to be at least 10,000 MW. In some exciting news, it looks like the first 1,000 MW of that additional capacity will soon be realized through a proposed 1,000 MW data centre. Last week, Microsoft Corp. and G42 announced a comprehensive package of digital investments in Kenya, as part of an initiative with the Republic of Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy. In collaboration with Microsoft and other stakeholders, G42 will lead the arrangement of an initial investment of $1 billion for the various components outlined in the comprehensive package. One of the Kenyan investment priorities is a state-of-the-art green data center that will be built by G42 and its partners to run Microsoft Azure in a new East Africa Cloud Region.
The initiative will include four additional pillars that will be pursued with local partners: (1) local-language AI model development and research; (2) an East Africa Innovation Lab coupled with broad AI digital skills training; (3) international and local connectivity investments; and (4) collaboration with the government of Kenya to support safe and secure cloud services across East Africa.
A fact sheet released by the White House as part of the Kenya State Visit to the United States last week highlighted several new areas of cooperation between the US and Kenya, including this Green Data Center for Cloud Services.
The White House said, ''The government of Kenya and Microsoft announced they are joining a partnership that plans to construct a 1-gigawatt data center in Naivasha, Kenya. The data center will be run on Microsoft Azure cloud services and offer access to cloud-based applications and services to organizations and individuals in Kenya and East Africa '-- allowing the Government of Kenya to move its data and services to trusted vendors. The data center will be powered entirely by geothermal energy and will feature state-of-the-art water conservation technology to minimize water use.''
This is a very interesting project. As the world looks to shift towards more renewable electricity generation projects, places like Kenya that already have more than a 90% share of renewables as part of their electricity generation mix will start to look like more attractive investment destinations. Large off-takers such as big data centers present an opportunity to unlock Kenya's potential in the geothermal sector. Other interesting potential areas that could be explored to make use of Kenya's geothermal are to power electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen for ammonia for fertilizers, and making green steel using electric arc furnaces, among other areas.
I hope to see this data center project taking off in the near future.
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Cannes red carpet controversy: Massiel Taveras rushed in Jesus dress '' Deseret News
Wed, 29 May 2024 16:02
Actress Massiel Taveras wore a unique, faith-themed dress to this year's Cannes Film Festival and then ran into trouble when she tried to display it on the red carpet.
One of the film festival's ushers hurried Taveras inside the theater when she stopped to show off her long train, which featured an image of Jesus Christ wearing the crown of thorns.
The problem almost certainly wasn't the dress's design. Another celebrity, Kelly Rowland, was rushed along by ushers earlier in the week, after apparently spending too much time waving to fans, as People magazine reported at the time.
''Video captured of that incident showed the security guard holding an arm out to keep Rowland moving, while the star could be seen heatedly speaking to her and pointing a finger to her at one point,'' People reported.
Like Rowland, Taveras briefly argued with the usher before continuing to move inside.
In a video of the incident shared on social media, ''Taveras is visibly upset at the usher for blocking her and not allowing her to pose properly. ... Taveras (pushed) the security guard away from her and proceeded to walk ahead,'' Deadline reported.
Once inside, Taveras, a Dominican actress and TV host who previously served as Miss Dominican Republic 2007, was able to show off her full train, including the picture of Jesus, and pose for photos, the article said.
The dress was designed by Giannina Azar and hand-painted by Yan Pez, per Deadline.
Taveras later shared images of the dress on Instagram.
''Jesus Christ is in Cannes,'' she wrote in the caption.
Prince Charles intrigued by a new face mask for burping cows to cut methane emissions | Evening Standard
Wed, 29 May 2024 15:33
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Zero-Percent-Down Mortgages Return, What Can Go Wrong? | ZeroHedge
Wed, 29 May 2024 15:18
Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,
It's a perfect time to do something really stupid, like offering zero percent down payments on mortgages.
Case-Shiller national and 10-city indexes via St. Louis Fed, OER, CPI, and Rent from the BLS
Perfectly Stupid TimingMorningstar reports One of the Biggest U.S. Lenders is Offering 0%-Down-Payment Mortgages for First-Time Home Buyers.
Home buyers will be able to buy a home without putting any money down under a new program launched by United Wholesale Mortgage, one of the largest U.S. mortgage lenders.
The Pontiac, Mich.-based company's new program will be available to first-time home buyers and people earning at or below 80% of an area's median income, the company said in a press release.
UWM (UWMC) will give eligible buyers a second-lien loan of up to $15,000, in the form of down-payment assistance, for 3% of the home's purchase price. The loan will not accrue interest or require a monthly payment.
''Homeownership is something we're very passionate about,'' Melinda Wilner, chief operating officer at UWM, told MarketWatch.
The company had previously allowed buyers to put down as little as 1% on their homes, but it wanted to go further to help home buyers, she said. The lender is anticipating a higher volume of borrowers with its new zero-down program, Wilner added.
Poor underwriting practices were a key driver of the subprime-mortgage crisis in the U.S., the International Monetary Fund wrote in 2008. But unlike the low- and no-down-payment loans that proliferated during that time '' when lenders made loans to people who eventually were unable to pay them and lost their homes '' UWM's program is different, Wilner said.
''The aspect of this program that makes me nervous is the silent second mortgage,'' Anneliese Lederer, senior policy counsel at the nonprofit Center for Responsible Lending, told MarketWatch in an interview. ''It's great that there's no interest on it, but it's a balloon payment, and borrowers need to understand what a balloon payment is.''
A balloon payment refers to a bigger-than-usual one-time payment that is required by the lender at the end of the loan term, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
On its website, UWM states in the fine print at the bottom of the page that the second loan ''has no minimum monthly payment requirements, a term of 360 months and is fully due as a balloon payment upon the occurrence of either a refinance of the [first mortgage], [or] payoff of the [first mortgage] or the final payment.''
Not Like 2008?!Housing prices are stretched
The economy is slowing
The lender has no cushion against falling home prices
There are indications of steeply falling homes in many markets.
OK, we don't have massive liar loans like we did in 2008. But mortgage affordability is the lowest ever, and unemployment is starting to tick up.
Anything to Keep the Bubble GoingTo top it off, these mortgages are explicitly for people who make 80% or less of an area's median income.
How dumb is that? In general, such borrowers have no down payment, if any savings at all, and many are already likely on the edge.
It would make more sense giving these mortgages to those who make 120% or more of an area's median income, provided they also have little debt, and just lack the down payment.
Vote BuyingPresident Joe Biden called on Congress to provide up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance to first-generation home buyers in his State of the Union Address.
These vote buying proposals to keep the economy humming long enough to win an election are always at the expense of those who fall for the scheme.
The loss of a job or any unexpected debt will throw these buyers right over the cliff.
There are many signs a slowdown is underway.
Economic Slowdown UnderwayMay 24, 2024: Another Massive Revision, This Time Durable Goods, What's Going On
The Commerce Department revised March durable goods orders from +2.6 percent to +0.8 percent. Now it reports a 0.7 percent gain vs an expectation of -0.5 percent.
May 23, 2024: New Home Sales Sink 4.7 Percent on Top of Huge Negative Revisions
New Home Sales plunged. And the Census Department completely revised away last month's fictional 8.8 percent rise.
May 22, 2024: Discretionary Spending Tumbles at Target, Shares Drop 10 Percent
Target CEO Brian Cornell said the results show ''continued soft trends in discretionary categories.'' [The key word above is continued.]
May 22, 2024: Existing-Home Sales Decline 1.9 Percent, Sales Mostly Stagnant for 17 Months
Existing-home sales fell 1.9 percent in April and are also down 1.9 percent from a year ago. Sales have not gone anywhere for 17 months.
Key HighlightsExisting-home sales faded 1.9% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.14 million. Sales also dipped 1.9% from one year ago.
The median existing-home sales price rose 4.8% from March 2023 to $393,500 '' the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year price gains and the highest price ever for the month of March.
The inventory of unsold existing homes climbed 9% from one month ago to 1.21 million at the end of April, or the equivalent of 3.5 months' supply at the current monthly sales pace.
Big Negative Revisions to BLS Monthly Jobs in 2023On April 24 the BLS released a little-read jobs report that shows reported jobs in 2023 may be wildly overstated.
Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data and and Monthly Job Data both from the BLS, chart by Mish
On April 24, I commented Expect Big Negative Revisions to BLS Monthly Jobs in 2023, GDP Too
The BED report is based on records on 9.1 million private sector establishments. Current Employment Statistics (CES) is the monthly jobs report based on 670,000 establishments.
Obviously, the BED report is more timely, but it lags. CES provides an opportunity for economists (and the president) go gaga over numbers likely to be wildly wrong.
CES Overstatement2023 Q2 CES Overstatement: 489,000 Jobs
2023 Q3 CES Overstatement: 832,000 Jobs
Q2+Q3 Overstatement: 1.321 Million Jobs
Thus, the BLS says that the BLS monthly job reports for 2023 Q2 and Q3 are overstated by a total of 1.321 million jobs.
Zero Percent Down SynopsisAn economic slowdown is underway (see five previous links).
Jobs are overstated by 1.3 million, discretionary spending is faltering, and UWM (UWMC) is offering zero percent down mortgages to buyers most likely to get in trouble if anything goes wrong.
For discussion of the lead chart, please see Home Prices Hit New Record High, Don't Worry, It's Not Inflation
The Case-Shiller national home price index hit a new high in February. That's the latest data. Economists don't count this as inflation.
Other than the late stages of the 2008 housing bubble, there has been no worse time in history to offer zero percent down mortgages.
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Wikipedia Plays the Ministry of Truth in All-Lib Remake of the Classic 1984 '' Twitchy
Wed, 29 May 2024 14:57
In this week's episode of Democrats trying to destroy the Supreme Court because they lost the advantage after decades, they're calling on Justice Samuel Alito to step down for flying a historical flag over his home last year that they now claim is a symbol of Christian nationalism, and the left-wing media is helping them.
Yes, it really is as dumb as it sounds. This is coming from the party that flies the flag of a government largely controlled by Hamas, adorns their offices with Marxist thug Che posters, and uses a donkey symbol that was used by a white supremacist group that terrorized black Americans for 130 years (the Democratic Party).
Now the political activists over at Wikipedia are getting in on the act.
Wikipedia edits on the Pine Tree Flag page are fascinating.On Wednesday, it was just a normal flag.
On Friday, it's a now a symbol of Christian nationalism and right-wing extremism.
And the Popular Culture section on the HBO miniseries has been completely removed. pic.twitter.com/vIadtsCiyZ
'-- Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) May 24, 2024It's no secret to right-leaning people that Wikipedia is regularly used to shape political narratives for Democrats.
They didn't waste any time updating the Wikipedia page for the Pine Tree Flag to include a blurb about Alito in an attempt to tie him to Christian nationalism and the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
Political agents invent a scandal from thin air, alleging ''facts'' that didn't exist until they said so. The record-keepers fall into line, revising the historical record to accommodate the new ''truth.'' Meanwhile, you're made to feel crazy, because you remember the before times. https://t.co/nl17RpfjUT
'-- T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) May 24, 2024 RecommendedYou could almost see Winston being called back to Minitrue in real time to implicate Justice Alito as an enemy of Big Brother.
They live edit history and then pretend nobody notices ð
'-- Winston Niles Rumfoord (@RumfoordNiles) May 24, 2024Winston!
At the time of this writing, the Wikipedia page has been edited over 150 times since May 22, some to expound on the history of the flag, and a large number of edits grinding back and forth over text about the 'modern use' of the flag that refers to Christian nationalism, Stop the Steal, January 6, Speaker Mike Johnson, and the latest hit on Justice Alito.
Funny how Wikipedia leaves out that it was flown at many BLM rallies.
'-- Grateful Calvin (@shoveitjack) May 24, 2024Some noticed that the article was heavily biased towards painting a picture of the flag as a 'far-right' extremist symbol while ignoring other groups that have used it, such as BLM.
I found a good image for the article. It's appropriately licensed and was conveniently already uploaded to wikipedia in July 2020, so should be good to use!https://t.co/w6caNTvWlB pic.twitter.com/zhzef5ks67
'-- Triple Bankshot (@triplebankshot) May 24, 2024The current version of the article displays a photo of the flag at a BLM rally but does not describe the same in the text.
The page has currently settled on this text, some of which predated the current attempt to smear Alito, and also absent the mention of the Supreme Court justice '... for now.
In the 2020s, the flag has also been used by some Christian nationalists and Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign by some far-right groups. It has been described as 'a symbol of right-wing extremism' and a 'banner of the far right.'
'It has been described as'. That's some really convenient propaganda there. Should we update Wikipedia with how we describe Democrats?
''Some Christian nationalists have flown the flag'' is totally different than ''the flag represents Christian nationalism.''Christian nationalists and white supremacists fly the American flag. That doesn't make the American flag a Christian nationalist/white supremacist symbol.
'-- Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) May 25, 2024Wait until they find out who else flew the German flag.
It appeared regularly in popular culture up until 2019. Then it fell into obscurity. https://t.co/uHFzjfOpCW
'-- Jonathan Rawles (@JonathanRawles) May 24, 2024We loved the 'fell into obscurity' part. That was one of the edits currently on the cutting room floor. The hack who wrote that was definitely trying to convey the message that you'd have to be a hard-core right-wing nut to use the flag. This is why we don't trust Wikipedia for politics.
Wikipedia is only good for looking up who played guitar on a Steely Dan song.
'-- The Edison Zero Proves The 2020 Steal. (@EdisonZeroEvent) May 24, 2024LOL. It does have its uses.
This shouldn't be a surprise. Wikipedia has ALWAYS been Left/Progressive. Whole swathes of neutral historical data get removed whenever the editors don't like a fact. The "fact checking" there has always had overtones of the "1984" Party
'-- Blackthorn Digital Forensics ðºð¸ (@BlackthornDF) May 24, 2024Leftists who think they're the smartest people in the room and never do any wrong editing an encyclopedia whenever a current news story catches their fancy '... what could go wrong?
These are the same people who will tell you 'the parties switched' to avoid the Democratic Party owning their racist history, but they think they should be trusted to accurately record the truth.
They just wiped out a whole decade of references from the prior Wiki entry and acted like none of that stuff happened. ð¤
'-- Vin Sidious (@VinSidious) May 24, 2024The stale swipe at Sarah Palin for appearing in front of the flag was removed in an effort to focus on Alito. That's pretty funny.
When you're having to rewrite and disappear encyclopedia entries in order to support your efforts to delegitimize the constitutional order, you're not the ''Anti-Fascists'' https://t.co/YbtmE4Ep5w
'-- Sunny (@sunnyright) May 24, 2024They redefined 'anti-fascist' so they could continue to behave like fascists.
At least in 1984 Winston Smith got paid for this kind of work. https://t.co/sazN2cgN0h
'-- Michael Brendan Dougherty (@michaelbd) May 24, 2024You can't even get paid for producing state propaganda in the Biden economy.
How do you even begin to solve a problem like Wikipedia's 10 years of capture by a relatively small (you'd be shocked how few) set of woke neckbeards? Now consider AI will make this problem look quaint. https://t.co/KVzqkyAnq1
'-- Foster (@foster_type) May 24, 2024The AI large language models are being trained using content from sites like Wikipedia if you want to know how this is going to go.
This is what they mean by ''fighting disinformation.'' It's basically we will erase all traces of what is really true to fit the political narrative we want you to know and remember. It's Orwellian, but that's where we are. https://t.co/VQMVJ5L2GF
'-- GOPPouncer (@Mellecon) May 25, 2024There's a reason Franklin is purported to have said 'A republic, if you can keep it.'
There will always be those who would undo it, so there must also always be those of us who seek to preserve it.
If only we had a flag we could use to represent this neverending struggle '...
DRONES to be introduced into Denver police to help respond to 911 calls after city defunded the force by millions | Daily Mail Online
Wed, 29 May 2024 14:56
The Denver Police Department has launched a new program that will include the use of drones as a tool to help officers respond to 911 calls.
The law enforcement agency that was recently defunded by millions to pay for migrants is now launching its own drone program, along with other Colorado police departments.
Robert White, the former chief of The Denver Police Department originally disagreed with the use of drones in 2013 and in 2018, and the agency's only drone was shelved.
Now, the department is planning on using a $100,000 grant from the Denver Police Foundation to start the program. Denver police plan to buy several drones with that money, and begin their drone program within six to 12 months.
'We would never simply replace calls-for-service response by police officers,' Phil Gonshak, director of the department's Strategic Initiatives Bureau told The Denver Post.
The Denver Police Department has launched a new program that will see the use of drones introduced to help officers respond to calls. In some instances, a drone may be deployed to verify reports made to 911 or assess their severity
'The DPD would respond to any call for service where someone is physically requesting a police officer on scene. But if there was a fight at Colfax and Cherokee and we put a drone in the air and there is no fight and nothing causing traffic issues, then we would reroute our police officers to other emergent calls.'
'It's beginning to lift off,' Gonshak said.
'The long-term scope of what we are trying to do is drones as first responders,' he added.
'Basically, having stations on top of each one of our districts so we can respond with drones to critical needs or emergencies that arise throughout the city.'
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, based in Centennial, Colorado, has been using the robotic flying devices since 2017.
'This really is the future of law enforcement at some point, whether we like it or not,' Sgt. Jeremiah Gates, who leads the drone unit at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, said.
Robert White, the former of The Denver Police Department originally disagreed with the use of drones in 2013 and in 2018, the agency's only drone was shelved
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office has 14 pilots that have used 20 drones to conduct tasks, including tracking fleeing suspects, searching for missing people, providing overhead surveillance during SWAT operations, and mapping crash or crime scenes.
Gates said that the department is now considering using its drones to respond ahead of officers and in some rare instances, instead of them attending at all.
If a drone is deployed before an officer responds to a call, it could map out the area and send live streamed video footage back to the cop before they arrive.
In the case that a drone is flown to the scene of a 911 call, the device will be able to determine the severity of the call to inform officers if they need to respond.
'I could fly the drone over (a reported suspicious vehicle) and say, "Hey, that vehicle is not out of place," and I never had to send an officer over to bother them and I can clear it with that,' Gates said. 'It's saving resources.'
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, based in Centennial, Colorado, has been using the robotic flying devices since 2017. (pictured: officers testing out a drone)
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is still in the 'very early stages' as they have to consider the cost, public opinion, and determine what kind of equipment will be needed to operate the drones for emergency calls.
Gates said that the flying devices could also be used to respond to traffic light outages by sending a live video to officers.
He added that the remote devices would get to emergency scenes faster than a cop would as they won't have to deal with traffic congestion in the area.
Gates told The Denver Post: 'What if we get a call about someone with a gun, and the drone is able to get overhead and see it's not a gun before law enforcement ever contacts them?'
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office has 14 pilots that have used 20 drones to conduct tasks, including tracking fleeing suspects, searching for missing people and providing overhead surveillance during SWAT operations
While Gates is for the use of drones, American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado staff attorney Laura Moraff, is worried that law enforcement agencies using drones could impact people's rights.
'We're worried about what it would mean if drones were really just all over the skies in Colorado,' Moraff said.
'We are worried about what that would mean for First Amendment activities, for speech and organizing and protesting '-- because being surveilled by law enforcement, including by drones, can change the way people speak and protest.'
Moraff also expressed concern that the deployment of drones could result in 'more over-policing'.
'We know there is a problem with people reporting Black people doing normal everyday things as if there is something suspicious going on,' she said.
'So sending out a drone for any time there is a 911 call, it could be dangerous and lead to more over-policing of communities of color.
'There is also just the risk that the more that we normalize having drones in the skies, the more it can really affect behavior on a massive scale, if we are just looking up and seeing drones all over the place, knowing that police are watching us.'
Sgt. Jeremiah Gates said that the remote devices would get to emergency scenes faster than a cop would as they won't have to deal with congested traffic in the area
Meanwhile, Littleton Police Department only uses drones 'proactively during large public events to monitor certain areas,' spokeswoman Sheera Poelman said.
The Loveland Police Department used a drone to deliver a defibrillator to a patient before paramedics and authorities were able to respond, Sgt. Bryan Bartnes said.
'One drawback to it is, obviously, it requires the citizen on scene to apply it and put it on,' Bartnes said. 'Drones don't do that yet.'
The largest drone that the Loveland Police Department has can carry up to 16lbs, Bartnes explained.
Ben Birdsell, the Commerce Police Department's community service officer supervisor said that the agency plans to launch drones for 911 calls within the next year.
'What we see out of it is, it's a lot cheaper than an officer, basically,' he said.
Drones have to be flown at a limited range as they have to operate in the line of sight to the pilot, and have to follow the Federal Aviation Administration regulations around flights.
Drones have be flown at a limited range as they have to operate in the line of site to the pilot, and have to follow the Federal Aviation Administration regulations around flights. (pictured: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office tests out using a drone in law enforcement)
White said that kickstarting a drone program for the Denver Police Department would cost about $1.5million to $2million.
The department has already drafted up a 'Drones as a First Responder Program' policy and have several trained pilots on the force.
Denver Police spokesman Doug Schepman said that the agency's SWAT team uses a single drone for limited indoor searches and can use it for emergency response upon approval.
'So there is no question about what we are doing, because I know there is concern about us flying drones and peering through windows without search warrants,' Gonshak said.
In April, the Denver City Council's Finance and Governance Committee approved plans to defund the police as the ongoing migrant crisis has cost city about $89.9million
'We want to be very public-conscientious in our efforts.'
In April, the Denver City Council's Finance and Governance Committee approved plans to defund the police as the ongoing migrant crisis has cost the democrat-led city about $89.9million.
The finance committee determined that $41 million in cuts from multiple city departments is needed to house migrants, KDVR reported.
Following the decision, the department experienced $8.4million budget cuts, including the sheriff's office which lost $3.8million, and the fire department that lost $2.4million.
The sanctuary city's progressive Mayor Mike Johnston unveiled the budget proposal, allocating $89.9million to assist incoming undocumented migrants, who he referred to as 'newcomers.'
'Amateur Hour': Biden Admin's Floating Gaza Pier Problems Go From Bad To Worse | The Daily Caller
Wed, 29 May 2024 14:56
New problems are mounting for the Biden administration's $320 million floating Gaza aid pier which was already facing setbacks, despite becoming operational less than two weeks ago.
The U.S. military was forced to halt aid shipments to Gaza on Tuesday after the floating pier was damaged by bad weather over the weekend. The damage sustained from the bad weather is only the latest in a string of logistical and operational problems that have plagued the pier since it was constructed in mid May. (RELATED: 'Floating Abbey Gate': Even Biden's Biggest Cheerleaders Sound Alarm On Gaza Pier Scheme)
The JLOTS pier was a ''horrible idea,'' Michael DiMino, senior fellow at Defense Priorities and former CIA and defense official, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. ''It's a horrible idea due to the challenges that we just saw basically wreck the whole project.''
''It was never a sound plan to begin with'... whether it's accidents, or logistical hurdles, or risk to our troops and all these problems that have come to fruition. I don't think that there should be any effort to try to continue this, or salvage it, or fix it,'' DiMino said, pointing to safer, more effective methods of delivering aid to Gaza. ''I think now is an opportunity to say this failed. Let's wrap this up before we continue to tempt fate.''
Biden's floating pier in Gaza appears to be sinking pic.twitter.com/bN8WxSZLXh
'-- Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 28, 2024
Getting aid into Gaza via the JLOTS system requires several steps. Aid is first delivered by vessels to the floating pier roughly two miles off the Gaza coastline, where it is facilitated by U.S. officials. It is picked up by loading vessels and transferred back to a separate causeway pier attached to the shores of Gaza, then trucked by various aid groups to warehouses for distribution.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh confirmed that U.S. aid deliveries had been halted after rough weather and choppy waters broke the causeway pier apart on Tuesday, rendering it useless for the time being. The pier will be removed from the coast of Gaza and towed northbound to Israel for repairs; it will take ''at least over a week'' to fix the pier before it can be re-anchored, Singh told reporters.
''We had a perfect storm of high sea states'... creating not an optimal environment to operate this JLOTS pier,'' Singh said Tuesday, responding to a question as to whether the pier is too fragile to withstand tough conditions. ''Hopefully weather conditions won't hinder it anymore [once it is operational again].''
WASHINGTON, DC '' MAY 28: White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby (R) shows his frustration with a question about military definitions as he and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speak to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The pier can only be operated during favorable sea conditions, in a maximum of three-foot waves and wind speeds not higher than 15 miles per hour. Aside from the minimum week timeline, reconstruction efforts cannot take place if sea conditions are poor, possibly adding further delays. (RELATED: Biden Admin Urges Allies Against Confronting Iran On Nuclear Program Ahead Of US Elections: REPORT)
The incident comes just a day after a separate stint of bad weather unmoored four U.S. Army vessels supporting the JLOTS system and sent them floating away from the operational site off the coast of Gaza. Two vessels floated north and were beached in Ashdod, Israel, while the other two anchored on the Gaza coast near the causeway. One of the vessels has been recovered, and the other three will be recovered by Thursday, Singh told reporters during Tuesday's press briefing.
A video from the incident appears to depict U.S. soldiers from one of the beached vessels in Gaza stranded on the shores while awaiting rescue, despite the Biden administration's promise that there would be no U.S. ''boots on the ground'' in the region during JLOTS operations.
American soldiers stand next to one of two US Army vessels that ran aground in Israel's coastal city of Ashdod on May 25, 2024. The US military said four of its vessels, supporting a temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, had run aground in heavy seas.(Photo by OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images)
''This is amateur hour. It's unacceptable that there's so little planning that appears to have gone into this, to the point where half a dozen U.S. troops are washed ashore in a war zone surrounded by Hamas,'' DiMino told the DCNF.
That problem was proceeded by another incident last week in which three U.S. troops suffered injuries during JLOTS operations. While exact details haven't been disclosed '-- other than that it was a non-combat incident '-- two of the troops suffered minor injuries and the third was critically injured and subsequently evacuated to an Israeli hospital for emergency care; he is still in critical condition, Singh said Tuesday.
Days after the JLOTS system was constructed, shipments that made it to the shores of Gaza via the causeway and floating pier were quickly stolen from trucks by crowds of hungry civilians, creating security concerns among aid groups responsible for distribution. The United Nations and U.S. have discussed alternate routes for trucks to transfer aid to warehouses in lieu of the episode. (RELATED: Biden Admin Expresses 'Official Condolences' For Death Of Iranian President Who Was Dubbed The 'Butcher Of Tehran')
There are also security concerns for the U.S. troops supporting the JLOTS operations. Pentagon officials, including Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have admitted there is a baseline risk that Hamas operatives on the ground in Gaza could stage an attack on the causeway or fire at troops offshore.
TOPSHOT '' Palestinians rush trucks as they transport international humanitarian aid from the US-built Trident Pier near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on May 18, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo AFP via Getty Images)
More broadly, only a fraction of the aid needed to address the humanitarian needs of the millions of Palestinians in Gaza can be delivered via the JLOTS system, even when fully operational. U.S. officials have said that roughly 90 trucks worth of aid will be delivered to Gaza via JLOTS in the interim, and eventually up to 150 trucks once the system is at full capacity.
But the UN previously told the DCNF in a statement that hundreds of trucks of aid are needed on a daily basis.
''That makes the pier a relative drop in the bucket at best '-- a waste of $320 million American taxpayer dollars and the futile deployment of 1,000 U.S. service personnel,'' Shoshana Bryen, senior policy director at the Jewish Policy Center, previously told the DCNF.
It is far safer and more effective to deliver aid to the Palestinians through other methods, chiefly by truck convoys through border crossings in Egypt to the south and Israel to the west, of which there are several. The international community has expressed concern that Israel and Egypt are not allowing enough aid to enter through these crossings, though Israel counters that it is already going to great lengths to ensure delivery; Egypt refused to allow hundreds of trucks worth of aid to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing until recently.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Opinion: Spread of bird flu the risks of eating animal meats
Wed, 29 May 2024 04:57
If you're not already concerned about bird flu, you should be. The virus has now been found in at least 51 dairy herds in nine states as well as on countless bird and egg farms in the U.S. At least two humans have been infected in the U.S.
Yet just weeks after the Biden administration announced plans to work with 50 other countries to prevent zoonotic (animal-borne) diseases, Alabama and Florida passed laws making it illegal to produce meat that comes from cells grown in labs rather than from animals confined on filthy, disease-ridden farms and then slaughtered. Other states are considering similar legislation. This is a giant leap in the wrong direction.
Intensive animal factories '-- where most animals used for food are confined '-- not only cause immense suffering and environmental destruction but also are hotbeds for zoonotic diseases. Sickness proliferates when animals are crowded into feces-filled sheds, cages, crates and stalls and are slaughtered on killing floors covered in blood, vomit and other bodily fluids. Meat grown in labs '-- aka ''slaughterless meat'' '-- meanwhile, is created in clean, controlled conditions in which diseases don't flourish.
Even before the latest bird flu outbreak began spreading around the U.S., Frontiers in Veterinary Science released an eye-opening report calling for a moratorium on building '-- or expanding '-- poultry and pig farms in order to stifle zoonotic diseases.
Scientists estimate that there are 144 strains of bird flu. The H5N1 variety that's aggressively spreading kills the most birds and is deadly to humans, killing about 60% of those who catch it. The World Health Organization recently warned that the mortality rate for humans who catch bird flu is ''extraordinarily high,'' noting that we're already in the midst of ''a global zoonotic animal pandemic.''
It's common for bird flu to mutate and spread to other species, including seals, penguins and cows. Humans coming into contact with infected animals have become sick and can catch the virus just by touching a contaminated surface, such as an eggshell, and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. The virus can also be inhaled via droplets or dust.
Consumers Union suspects that bird flu may have spread to cows because they're routinely fed chicken litter '-- the detritus that accumulates on the floor of chicken farms. It typically consists of manure, feathers, feed and bedding materials as well as bacteria, viruses, antibiotics, heavy metals, pesticides, dead rodents and more. It's often mixed with hay or corn to make it more appealing to hungry cows.
But bird flu isn't the only zoonotic disease we have to worry about. In 2009, before COVID-19 circled the globe, swine flu swept through the U.S. after hundreds of sick pigs died on a massive farm in Mexico. Swine flu thrives on pig farms, where tens of thousands of animals are crammed into damp sheds that reek of urine and feces.
Health officials are quick to point out that humans can't get swine flu from eating pork, but they rarely emphasize this important detail: The practice of raising pigs for food puts us all at risk of contracting it.
Vegan foods, meanwhile, have never caused an animal-borne disease and can even protect people from pandemics. A Brazilian research team, for example, found that people who ate predominantly vegan foods had a 39% lower risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. And while slaughter-free meat isn't widely available yet, delicious vegan meats and other cruelty-free foods are everywhere.
Wouldn't it make sense for everyone to stop eating animals before another pandemic emerges? Choosing vegan nuggets instead of ones made from ground-up birds doesn't just save animals' lives '-- it might save yours, too.
Heather Moore is a senior writer for the PETA Foundation. (C)2024 Tribune Content Agency.
DHS Admits to Monitoring 3D Printer Purchases with the Help of Amazon, eBay, & PayPal
Tue, 28 May 2024 21:10
Young engineer working on a 3D printer 3d guns ghost iStock-demaerreThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made a shocking admission while speaking about a Staten Island man who was arrested for making homemade firearms. The DHS, with the help of Amazon, eBay, PayPal, and others, is monitoring Americans buying 3D printers and 3D printing materials that could be used for making firearms.
The Homeland Security Investigations New York's El Dorado Task Force (EDTF), which consists of various units for DHS, including the Homeland Security Investigations Financial Crimes Task Force, helped the New York Police Department (NYPD) raid the home of John Raia. The 57-year-old man was accused of manufacturing firearms without serial numbers and having several standard compacity magazines, which are against New York State law to own. New York law enforcement authorities arrested the man. After this raid, the task force showed off the guns and ammo it had seized during the raid.
Sgt. Rashawn Vaughn, commanding officer of the Homeland Security Investigations Financial Crimes Task Force (HSIFCTF), spoke with the press after the raid and made some startling admissions. According to the investigator, DHS is tracking the sale of anything that can be used to create a firearm, including metal rails used in 3D-printed guns. Not only is the government monitoring the sale of perfectly legal gun parts, but they are also tracking things such as the purchase of 3D printers. The vast majority of people who buy 3D printers do not use them to print guns, but buying too many printing supplies or printers could get you investigated by Homeland Security.There is no federal law against making homemade firearms, even though the Biden Administration demonizes the practice by calling privately manufactured firearms (PMFs) ''ghost guns.'' The lack of federal statute banning the PMFs means that DHS is investigating people for carrying out perfectly lawful commerce. If someone passes a certain threshold for purchasing 3D printing supplies, which DHS hasn't announced, the federal government admitted that it would investigate the buyer and monitor their social media.
More disturbing is that giant online retailers such as Amazon and eBay and payment processors such as eBay are turning over sales records of anyone who purchased certain items, including 3D printers, every two months to authorities to sift through. None of those being investigated broke any laws for their purchases. To many, this would be like investigating anyone who buys a car because they might buy one to use as a getaway vehicle to be used during a bank robbery. In an article published by AmmoLand a couple of weeks ago, the FBI was quoted as saying that they cannot investigate people for Constitutionally protected conduct, but that seems to be what DHS is doing when it comes to buying 3D printers and legal gun parts.
''We just basically track internet purchases from eBay, PayPal, Amazon, different various online companies,'' Vaughn said. ''We get a list every other month, backdated a month, with people purchasing components that could possibly create a ghost gun, like the rails, the 3-D printer.''This practice reminds the gun community about the Gun Violence Prevention Through Financial Intelligence Act (GVPTFIA). That act would require the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to help banks track gun purchases so they can notify the federal government. This time, it is reversed. The big tech giants that take gun owners' money are turning over thousands of records to the federal government on the suspicion that someone might make their own gun, even though that is not federally illegal and is legal in most states.
The gun community has a deep distrust of the government and perceives the FBI, DHS, and the ATF to be Big Brother-like entities. In the monitoring of lawful commerce, these departments are doing nothing to build trust with the people of the Country. AmmoLand News will file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get more details on the monitoring programs to determine how widespread and long it has been in effect. If you have bought a 3D printer, especially in a state like New York, you should know that Big Brother might be watching you.About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. Mr. Crump has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
Concerns Mount as Met Office Fiddles With Historic Temperature Record in Exact Way Planned in Leaked 'Climategate' Emails '' The Daily Sceptic
Tue, 28 May 2024 21:08
Interest and concern continues to grow about the numerous retrospective adjustments that the U.K. Met Office has made to its global HadCRUT temperature database. Often the adjustments cool earlier periods going back to the 1930s and add warming in more recent times. The adjustments are of course most convenient in promoting the global warming narrative surrounding Net Zero fantasies. There is particular interest in the 0.15°C cooling inserted in the 1940s and the greater warming added in more recent decades. The scientific blog No Tricks Zone (NTZ) has recently returned to the story noting the state-controlled Met Office has ''corrected'' the data to ''align with their narrative''.
In suggesting a narrative, NTZ traces the adjustments back to the 2009 leak of 'Climategate' emails from academic staff at the University of East Anglia working on the HadCRUT project. In one email speculating on 'correcting' sea surface temperatures to partly explain the 1940s 'warming blip', it is noted that ''if we could reduce the ocean blip by, say, 0.15°C, then this would be significant for the global mean''. It would be good to ''remove at least part of the 1940s blip'', it is suggested. Just as they have said they would do, comments NTZ, 0.15°C of warmth has gradually been removed from the 1940s HadCRUT global temperature data over the last 15 years.
The block graph above is compiled and published on Professor Ole Humlum's climate4you site. It shows the net changes made since February 28th 2008 in the global monthly surface air temperature prepared by the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research and the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit. The significant cooling adjustment in the 1930s and 40s is clearly shown in blue, but what really stands out is how much warming has been added in the 21st century.
In the hiatus years of 2000-2014, the third version of HadCRUT recorded just 0.03°C warming per decade. In fact at this time the Met Office published a paper looking into the causes of the 'pause', in which it referred to ''little further warming'' at the time. But the warming, or 'heating' as many in the mainstream media now like to call it, was increased to 0.08°C per decade in version 4. The recent HadCRUT5 provides no less than 0.14°C per decade of warming, using what NTZ describes as the ''computer model-infilling method''.
As NTZ notes, within the last decade, a 15-year temperature trend has been changed from a pause to a strong warming. ''After all, when the observations don't fit the narrative, it is time to change the observations,'' adds NTZ.
Nicola Scafetta is a research scientist at the University of Naples and he is a recognised authority on temperature datasets and climate models. He has compiled the above graph showing the ever increasing retrospectively-applied temperature anomalies from HadCRUT3 through to HadCRUT5.
As regular readers will recall, the Daily Sceptic recently broke the story that nearly 80% of the Met Office's 380 U.K. temperature measuring stations had internationally recognised 'uncertainties' between 2-5°C. Specifically, almost one in three (29.2%) in 'junk' Class 5 had 'uncertainties' up to 5°C as defined by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Nearly half (48.7%) were sited at 'near junk' Class 4 sites with 'uncertainties' of 2°C. Shockingly, only 52 stations, or just 13.7% of the total, came without any 'uncertainty' rating. Class 5 station are prone to pick up all manner of human and natural caused heat corruptions, while class 1 sites simply measure the surrounding air temperature.
These station class classifications, which the Daily Sceptic obtained under a freedom of information (FOI) request, cast substantial doubt on the accuracy of all 'heat' records recently claimed. The data might be useful for general local weather forecasting, showing, for instance, that it is warmer in cities than the surrounding countryside. A degree or more either way is not significant, and precision is not an absolute requirement for people deciding what clothing to wear. But the Met Office, a highly politicised state-funded operation devoted to pushing the Net Zero narrative, uses them to make observations down to one hundredth of a degree (0.01°) centigrade. Recently it made great play of its suggestion that last year was just 0.06°C cooler than 2022.
Having finished compiling U.K. temperatures that it can be argued have little overall statistical significance, the dataset is then inserted into the HadCRUT operation where a global temperature is announced. This, of course, is the go-to figure for any alarmist who claims global heating/boiling and the likelihood of climate collapse. It is the bedrock support for climate models claiming all manner of interesting stories such as the Arctic summer sea ice disappearing within a decade and severe air turbulence doubling in short order. Such is the fairy dust it bestows that some activists even claim they can link individual bad weather events to long-term changes in the climate caused by humans. This then percolates down to hysterical halfwits on mainstream media pointing outside the window to the weather and making unchallenged claims that the end is nigh.
Given the pivotal role the Met Office's local and global figures play in the Net Zero narrative, it is a surprise that it has yet to make a statement, two months after the Daily Sceptic's U.K. class revelations, explaining and justifying its temperature statistics. Can we deduce from this that its scientists are happy that they are using such poor data to scare populations over minuscule rises in temperature? Would it not be a wise use of public money to expand its class 1 network to provide data that are unadulterated with obvious heat corruptions?
The Met Office does not return the calls of the Daily Sceptic. Mainstream media and politicians ignore the story, hoping that it will go away. The temperature data are at the heart of their Net Zero goals. It appears there is too much to lose by asking a few obvious, and necessary, questions.
Chris Morrison is the Daily Sceptic's Environment Editor.
How Right Wing Commentators Are Pushing Raw Milk Misinformation - The New York Times
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:51
The Latest What to Know Raw Milk Misinformation An Evolving Virus The Disease Detectives Farm Animals' Pathogens On sites like Infowars, Gab and Rumble, federal concerns about raw milk are seen as overreach, but there are serious health risks and no scientifically proven benefits.
Public health officials have long warned Americans of the severe health risks that can come with drinking raw milk. Credit... Alexandra Genova for The New York Times Health officials are warning Americans not to drink raw milk as bird flu spreads through American cows. But some media figures and influencers are misleadingly suggesting that the product is safe or even healthier than traditional milk. And sales are growing.
Commentators on sites like Infowars, Gab and Rumble have grown increasingly vocal about raw milk in recent weeks. They see the government's heightened concerns about the dangers as overreach.
''They say: 'Bird flu in milk! Bird flu in milk! Oh, it's the scariest thing!''' Owen Shroyer said on the April 29 episode of his ''War Room'' podcast from Infowars. He added: ''They'll just make raw milk illegal. That's what this is all about.''
Public health officials have long warned Americans of the severe health risks that can come with drinking raw milk instead of pasteurized milk, which is heated to kill bacteria, viruses and other germs. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 200 disease outbreaks linked to unpasteurized milk from 1998 to 2018, leading to 2,645 illnesses, 228 hospitalizations and three deaths.
In the United States, there have been only three reported human cases of this avian flu virus, which has led to the death of 90 million of the nation's farmed birds and recently spread to cows. None of these human cases have yet been tied to drinking milk, but a study published on Friday found that milk contaminated with the virus was rapidly making mice sick.
Contrary to claims, there's little or no evidence that drinking raw milk provides health benefits, including protection from certain infectious diseases, said Dr. Megin Nichols, the deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at the C.D.C. The Food and Drug Administration says pasteurizing milk kills the virus.
The F.D.A. said in a statement that there are no scientifically proven benefits to drinking raw milk and that ''the health risks are clear.''
The sale of raw milk is illegal or heavily restricted in around two dozen states, and the F.D.A. bans the interstate sale of raw milk. But a growing number of states allow producers to sell raw milk directly to consumers.
Sales of raw milk at grocery stores and other retailers in early May rose more than 20 percent from a year earlier, though they remain a tiny share of overall milk consumption, according to NielsenIQ, a market research firm.
Right-wing commentators aren't the only proponents of raw milk. For years, wellness influencers have promoted raw milk as a healthier alternative to pasteurized milk, misleadingly claiming that drinking it will confer immunity to diseases like E. coli and salmonella.
Matt Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters, a left-leaning watchdog that looked at the trend this month, said raw milk promotion had been intensifying on the right since the start of the bird flu outbreak.
''What you have is a bunch of right-wing influencers who know that they can build substantial audiences and retain their audiences and excite their audiences by telling them that what medical authorities are saying about raw milk, about bird flu, is not credible,'' Mr. Gertz said.
Eviane Leidig, a postdoctoral researcher at Tilburg University in the Netherlands who researches extremist movements, said the consumption of raw or unprocessed foods had emerged as a rallying cry on parts of the political right. Pasteurized milk, which these groups falsely claim is injected with dangerous chemicals, is referred to as ''state-approved milk.''
''The consumption of raw milk, raw meat and raw eggs is a right-wing subculture that has been growing in popularity over the last few years,'' Dr. Leidig said.
Todd Callaway, a professor in the department of animal and dairy science at the University of Georgia, said that modern dairy farms had made raw milk safer to drink than it once was, but that ''it's still not a great idea'' to drink raw milk, which may still contain dangerous germs. Nearly all store-bought milk is pasteurized.
''I don't know that a lot of people understand what pasteurization is,'' Dr. Callaway said. ''It's just heat treatment. There are no chemicals being pumped in.''
Congo names third American in a foiled coup plot as mourners gather in Utah to remember plot leader - ABC News
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:29
Congo's army spokesman on Tuesday released the name of the third American involved a foiled coup plot in Kinshasa, while family members in Utah gathered to mourn Christian Malanga, the eccentric leader of the brazen and ill-fated attack targeting the presidential palace over the weekend.
Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge told The Associated Press the third American was Taylor Thomson, but his family identified him as Tyler Thompson. It wasn't immediately clear whether Thompson was among those arrested or killed on Sunday morning following the attack on the palace and another on the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.
Malanga, described as a naturalized American by Ekenge, was killed in a shootout at the palace after resisting arrest. The State Department said it could not confirm Malanga was a U.S. citizen. The other two confirmed Americans involved were a convicted marijuana trafficker, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, and Malanga's 21-year-old son, Marcel.
Authorities were still trying to untangle how Marcel Malanga went from playing high school football in Utah to allegedly trying to unseat the leader of one of Africa's largest countries.
''My son is innocent,'' his mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Monday, declining to elaborate.
Sawyer had regularly posted proud family photos on social media, including one in December showing Marcel, a young sister and a toddler hugging in matching Christmas pajamas. In 2020, she posted photos of Marcel lifting weights and dancing during COVID lockdown.
In a Facebook post early Monday, Sawyer angrily wrote that her son had followed his father. ''This was an innocent boy following his father. I'm so tired of all the videos being posted all over and being sent to me. God will take care of you people!''
One video that circulated on social media over the weekend showed her son alongside a bloodied white man, whose identity was unclear, both covered in dust and surrounded by Congolese soldiers. Marcel has his hands raised and a frightened look on his face.
On Monday, at the West Jordan home of Malanga's mother, Chantal Malanga, relatives gathered to mourn the deceased leader. A steady flow of friends dropped by with plates of food and to offer condolences.
Sydney, a cousin of Christian Malanga's who answered the door, told AP the family was feeling ''heartbroken'' and ''so raw'' after learning of his death. They were discussing plans for a possible funeral in Utah, she said, without giving further details.
It wasn't clear how Malanga had recruited the other Americans for his ill-fated attack on the Congolese state. His connection to Zalman-Polun, who in 2015 pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana, appeared to be through a gold mining company that was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique's government, and a report by Africa Intelligence newsletter.
American businessman Cole Ducey, also named as an official in the mining company in the Mozambique journal, said he met Christian Malanga when the two were introduced by a mutual acquaintance a few years ago and briefly explored investing together in mining concessions in Mozambique. Ducey said he also met Zalman-Polun, whom Malanga had met in Washington, D.C.
Ducey said they never discussed the political situation in Congo or Malanga's desire to be part of the government there. Ducey said he eventually decided not to go into business with the two men.
''We simply viewed a couple mining concessions in Mozambique,'' Ducey said of Malanga. ''I didn't know him very well but from what I gathered he wasn't very intelligent.''
He said he had no contact with Malanga and Zalman-Polun in about two years and was shocked to read about their alleged involvement in a violent coup attempt.
''I had nothing to do with this and was not involved in any way,'' said Ducey, who was in Eswatini on Monday, referring to reports in the Congolese media naming him among the attackers.
The alleged coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo. His guards killed the attackers, officials said.
Malanga, meanwhile, was live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he is seen surrounded by several people in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said.
Congo officials have not commented on how the attackers were able to get inside.
Dino Mahtani, who worked in Congo for years as a journalist and then a political adviser to the U.N. between 2015-18, told the AP that Malanga had likely been tricked or betrayed.
''Its really difficult to imagine how 20, 30 guys thought that by storming the presidential palace when nobody is around at 4 a.m. in the morning could somehow take over the Congolese state,'' he said. ''It could be external plotters, but given his previous close relationship with at least one of Tshiskedi's current military commanders, there's some chance the plot was known about internally.''
'---
Donari reported from Dakar, Senegal; Schoenbaum from West Jordan, Utah; and Biesecker from Washington.
Collectors may pay thousands for dollar bills with printing error
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:27
Collectors will pay a premium for unique coins or rare bank notes. So, if you've got any $1 dollar bills lying around, you may want to examine them closely before spending them as they could be worth thousands.
Ordinarily, dollar bills each have their own individual serial numbers. However, in 2014, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing made a rare printing error that resulted in millions of $1 bills with duplicate serial numbers entering into circulation, according to PMG, the world's largest third-party paper money grading service.
Although these special pairs of $1 bills with matching serial numbers were initially printed in Washington, D.C., and Forth Worth, Texas, they could be anywhere in the world after a little more than 10 years in circulation.
It's important to note that the misprint doesn't make these $1 bills unusable, and they're probably not worth more than a dollar on their own. However, if you manage to find a matching pair, you could earn thousands from collectors.
A pair of $1 bills with duplicated serial numbers sold for $2,340 at an auction held by Stack's Bowers in March. Another pair sold for $7,200 at a Stack's Bowers auction in 2021.
Here's what to look for.
How to check if your $1 bill may be worth thousandsFirst, you'll want to locate the Series date, which is found near the picture of George Washington. It must read "Series 2013," per WealthyNickel.com.
Then, make sure the bill has a "B" Federal Reserve Seal above the serial number.
Finally, check that the serial number ends with a star and falls between B00000001* to B00250000* or B03200001* to B09600000*.
There are a little more than six million of these misprinted $1 bills in circulation, according to WealthyNickel.com. However, there are more than 14 billion $1 bills circulating as of Dec. 31, 2022, per the Federal Reserve's latest data available.
Remember, although you may have a single $1 bill with these features, the key is to find its match. One way to do this is by checking Project 2013B, which maintains a database of these unique banknotes. The project reported making its 16th match of 2024 in April and says more than 100 pairs have been matched already.
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CEO of Google Says It Has No Solution for Its AI Providing Wildly Incorrect Information
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:25
Ouch.Making Stuff UpYou know how Google's new feature called AI Overviews is prone to spitting out wildly incorrect answers to search queries? In one instance, AI Overviews told a user to use glue on pizza to make sure the cheese won't slide off (pssst...please don't do this.)
Well, according to an interview at The Verge with Google CEO Sundar Pichai published earlier this week, just before criticism of the outputs really took off, these "hallucinations" are an "inherent feature" of AI large language models (LLM), which is what drives AI Overviews, and this feature "is still an unsolved problem."
So expect more of these weird and incredibly wrong snafus from AI Overviews despite efforts by Google engineers to fix them, such as this big whopper: 13 American presidents graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Hint: this is so not true.)
But Pichai seems to downplay the errors.
"There are still times it's going to get it wrong, but I don't think I would look at that and underestimate how useful it can be at the same time," he said. "I think that would be the wrong way to think about it."
"Are we making progress? Yes, we are," he added. "We have definitely made progress when we look at metrics on factuality year on year. We are all making it better, but it's not solved."
Fact or FictionDespite Pichai's optimism about AI Overviews and its usefulness, the errors have caused an uproar online, with many observers showing off various instances of incorrect information being generated by the feature.
And it's staining the already soiled reputation of Google's flagship product, Search, which has already been dinged for giving users trash results.
"People expect AI to be leaps & bounds more accurate than traditional methods'... but it's often not!" writes AI consultant and SEO expert Britney Muller on X. "Google's playing a risky game competing against Perplexity & OpenAI, when they could be developing AI for bigger, more valuable use cases beyond Search."
From Pichai's words, it seems Google and the internet at large are in for a bumpy ride.
More on Google AI: The Reason That Google's AI Suggests Using Glue on Pizza Shows a Deep Flaw With Tech Companies' AI Obsession
Trust The "Science"...That Just Retracted 11,000 "Peer Reviewed" Papers | ZeroHedge
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:23
It's yet another reminder of why blindly 'trusting the science' may not always be the best go-to move in the future.
217 year old Wiley science publisher has reportedly "peer reviewed" more than 11,000 papers that were determined to be fake without ever noticing. The papers were referred to as "naked gobbledygook sandwiches", Australian blogger Jo Nova wrote on her blog last week.
"It's not just a scam, it's an industry," she said. "Who knew, academic journals were a $30 billion dollar industry?"
According to Nova's post, professional cheating services are employing AI to craft seemingly "original" academic papers by shuffling around words. For instance, terms like "breast cancer" morphed into "bosom peril," and a "na¯ve Bayes" classifier turns into "gullible Bayes."
Similarly, in one paper, an ant colony was bizarrely rebranded as an "underground creepy crawly state."
The misuse of terminology extends to machine learning, where a 'random forest' is whimsically translated to 'irregular backwoods' or 'arbitrary timberland'.
Nova writes that shockingly, these papers undergo peer review without any rigorous human oversight, allowing egregious errors, like converting 'local average energy' to 'territorial normal vitality', to slip through.
The publisher Wiley has confessed that fraudulent activities have rendered 19 of its journals so compromised that they must be shuttered. In response, the industry is developing AI tools to detect these fakes, a necessary yet disheartening development. Nova writes:
The rot at Wiley started decades ago, but it got caught when it spent US $298 million on an Egyptian publishing house called Hindawi. We could say we hope no babies were hurt by fake papers but we know bad science already kills people. What we need are not ''peer reviewed'' papers but actual live face to face debate. Only when the best of both sides have to answer questions, with the data will we get real science:
In March, it revealed to the NYSE a $US9 million ($13.5 million) plunge in research revenue after being forced to ''pause'' the publication of so-called ''special issue'' journals by its Hindawi imprint, which it had acquired in 2021 for US$298 million ($450 million).
Its statement noted the Hindawi program, which comprised some 250 journals, had been ''suspended temporarily due to the presence in certain special issues of compromised articles''.
Many of these suspect papers purported to be serious medical studies, including examinations of drug resistance in newborns with pneumonia and the value of MRI scans in the diagnosis of early liver disease. The journals involved included Disease Markers, BioMed Research International and Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience.
The problem is only becoming more urgent. The recent explosion of artificial intelligence raises the stakes even further. A researcher at University College London recently found more than 1 per cent of all scientific articles published last year, some 60,000 papers, were likely written by a computer.
In some sectors, it's worse. Almost one out of every five computer science papers published in the past four years may not have been written by humans.
In Australia, ABC has reported on this issue, reflecting concerns over diminishing public trust in universities, which are increasingly seen as businesses rather than educational institutions. This perception is fueled by incidents where universities, driven by financial incentives, overlook academic fraud.
The core of the scientific community is corroded, exacerbated by entities like the ABC Science Unit, which rather than scrutinizing dubious research, often shields it.
This ongoing degradation calls for a shift from traditional peer review to rigorous live debates, ensuring accountability by having people argue their cases in real time.
In December 2023, Nature posted that more than 10,000 papers were retracted in 2023 -- a new record.
You can read Nova's full blog post here.
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'Serial slingshot' suspect who terrorized California neighborhood arrested | California | The Guardian
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:21
An 81-year-old man who investigators say terrorized a southern California neighborhood for years with a slingshot has been arrested, police said.
While conducting an investigation, detectives ''learned that during the course of 9-10 years, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter'', the Azusa police department said in a statement.
The man is suspected of breaking windows and car windshields and of narrowly missing people with ball bearings shot from a slingshot, the statement said. No injuries were reported.
The man was arrested on Thursday after officers served a search warrant and found a slingshot and ball bearings at his home in Azusa, about 25 miles (40km) east of Los Angeles, police said.
Lt Jake Bushey of Azusa police said on Saturday that detectives learned that most of the ball bearings were shot from the suspect's backyard.
''We're not aware of any kind of motive other than just malicious mischief,'' Bushey told the Southern California News Group.
The man was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Second U.S. Human Case of Bird Flu Linked to Dairy Cows From Michigan
Mon, 27 May 2024 18:58
As with the Texas case, the Michigan patient got a bad case of pink eye. However, 6.5 million chickens in the state were slaughter and an egg producer just had a massive layoff.
Posted by Leslie Eastman Monday, May 27, 2024 at 02:00pm 9 CommentsLegal Insurrection has followed the severe bird flu pandemic since reports of its initial outbreaks on American poultry farms, including its spread to mammals. We noted that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is now reported in cattle within 36 herds in 9 states.
In our coverage, we have stressed that the disease has been mild in cows, and the first human case reported in this country (a Texas man who contracted it from cattle) essentially had a bad case of ''pink eye.''
Now, a second human case has been reported in Michigan, also in a farm worker. As with the Texas case, the virus seems to target the eyes.
The farmworker experienced mild symptoms in the eye after contact with an infected cow and has since recovered, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Michigan officials said Monday that three additional cattle herds had tested positive for bird flu.
The country's first human case of bird flu from cattle was announced in a Texas farm worker in late March. That patient had an eye infection with the virus, called H5N1, and was treated with an antiviral. Health officials maintain that the risk to the public remains low, as there's been no human-to-human transmission.
As of late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported 52 herds in nine states have tested positive for bird flu. Health officials said they have antivirals and vaccine candidates on hand should they be needed.
The Michigan patient also came down with a bad case of pink eye. Additionally, it appears that respiratory transmission to humans is not occurring.
The person was being monitored for symptoms following exposure to infected dairy cows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The person developed conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, and a sample taken from the eye tested positive for the virus. A sample taken from the person's nasal passages was negative.
At a news briefing Wednesday, Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC's principal deputy director, said the negative nasal sample is reassuring, in a sense.
''It reduces the likelihood '-- it does not eliminate, but it reduces the likelihood '-- of a respiratory route of transmission,'' Shah said.
'...More information about how the virus spread will be gleaned from its genetic sequence, including whether it has acquired any mutations that could allow it to spread between people more easily. The CDC is working to sequence samples of the virus taken from the Michigan worker and is expected carry out the genetic analysis later this week, Shah said.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time. Officials stressed that the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation's food supply, and beef remains safe to eat.
The USDA said the H5N1 virus was found as part of testing of 96 dairy cows that were diverted from the supply because federal inspectors noticed signs of illness during routine inspections of carcasses at meat processing plants. Bird flu was found in only one of those cows.
Bird flu has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in nine states, has been found in milk and has prompted the slaughter of millions of chickens and turkeys. But finding it in beef is a new development for the outbreak, which began in 2022.
The agency said last month that it would test ground beef for bird flu at retail stores, but it has yet to find any sign of the virus.
Even if bird flu were to end up in consumer beef, the USDA says, cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill it just like it kills E. coli and other viruses.
The flu's impact on poultry is more worrying, as evidenced by an egg producer in Michigan that just had a massive layoff.
Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, the biggest egg producer in Michigan, is laying off nearly half its staff after its flock was infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
About 400 workers across five Herbruck's facilities will be affected by the mass layoff, the company told the state in a May 15 letter. It will impact hourly, salaried and contract workers throughout Ionia County.
''In the face of ongoing efforts to address the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza alongside state and federal regulators, Herbruck's has reached the difficult decision to conduct layoffs at the affected facilities where work is not available,'' CEO Greg Herbruck said in a statement. ''We expect this to largely be temporary, as we plan to rehire many positions as we work to repopulate our facilities and continue egg production as safely and quickly as possible.''
6.5 million chickens were killed off in Michigan this month.
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Opinion | Durbin needs to get off the stick and act on Alito - The Washington Post
Mon, 27 May 2024 11:52
One wonders what more Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. need do to defile the court's reputation before Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will do something more than issue a terse tweet or letter.
After the New York Times reported on an upside-down flag identified with the Jan. 6 insurrectionists flying over Alito's Virginia home in the days after Jan. 6, Durbin responded that he didn't have ''anything planned'' in response. No hearing? No bill ready to go? Nope.
CNN sees lowest weekly primetime ratings among key demographic since 1991 report The Post Millennial
Sun, 26 May 2024 21:10
During the week of May 13-19, CNN recorded its worst primetime ratings performance among the 25-54 demographic since 1991.
To put it in perspective, the last time the network's ratings were that low, George Bush Sr. was president and Bryan Adams had just released Everything I Do.
According to a report from Nielsen cited by the New York Post, between Monday and Sunday of the week in question, only 83,000 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 tuned in to CNN's primetime programming, which runs from 8pm to 11pm.
The primetime block begins with Anderson Cooper's AC360, and is followed by The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Abby Phillip caps off the evening with CNN NewsNight.
Nielsen's report showed that it wasn't just 25 to 54-year-olds who weren't tuning in. Across all demographics, the network recorded just 494,000 viewers.
While CNN struggled to attract an audience, its competitors were bringing in far higher numbers. Primetime viewership of MSNBC and Fox News among those aged 25 to 54 for example, was recorded at 111,000 and 186,000, respectively.
Fox News garnered 2 million total viewers that week, over four times that of CNN, while MSNBC managed to pull in 1.1 million.
A CNN spokesperson told the Post that despite the less-than-optimal weekly numbers, primetime ratings among the demographic are "all growing year over year." They added that the network is "registering double-digit year-over-year growth in viewership" for the timeslot beginning with Erin Burnett Outfront at 7pm and ending with the rebroadcast of Anderson Cooper's show at midnight.
Since taking over for former CEO Chris Licht in October, Mark Thompson has been criticized for not taking enough risks to boost viewership and appears to be shifting existing pieces around instead of introducing new ideas.
"We don't believe news is just politics," he told advertisers in New York last week, per the Post. "Business and tech are news. Climate and weather are news. Health, wellness, and living longer are news. So, expect to see us build new branded verticals in all these areas on TV, on our apps, and across our other platforms."
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VIDEO - 'I've Seen It Done': Alan Dershowitz Speculates Merchan Is Prepared To Swap 'One Juror' Who 'Won't Give In' | The Daily Caller
Thu, 30 May 2024 14:19
Noted attorney Alan Dershowitz said on Wednesday that it is possible New York Judge Juan Merchan is not dismissing alternate jurors in order to deal with a holdout that will not convict former President Donald Trump.
Merchan issued instructions to the jury of seven men and five women Wednesday, pointing them to some of the key evidence in the case prior to the panel beginning its deliberations. Dershowitz admitted he was speculating during Wednesday's episode of ''The Dershow'' about Merchan's reason for keeping the alternates available, but said he had seen a judge in an unrelated case make a similar move. (RELATED: 'Misleading The Jury': Alan Dershowitz Says That Alvin Bragg's Team Told 2 Lies During Closing Arguments)
''I admit this is highly, highly speculative, but there'... I know a case on this, so that I'm not making it up: The judge said he's not going to dismiss the alternate jurors until there's an absolute verdict,'' Dershowitz said. ''One possible reason for that, again, I want to emphasize that I'm speculating, one possible reason for this might be following, it is quite cynical: Let's assume that the jurors come back and say, 'Sorry we're, uh, we're deadlocked. We have one juror who just won't give in. Well, there are eleven of us who think he's guilty.' By the way, the jurors don't say what they think, they just say there's a deadlock, but if they come back that way, the inference will be that the jury is, that is, is locked eleven to one in favor of conviction.'''
WATCH:
''So the judge hears from the jurors and the judge hears that they're eleven to one and then the judge says, 'Well is that other juror, the twelfth juror, is he negotiating? Is he involved in the conversations?' And the foreman to the jury says 'No, he's refusing, he's sitting there with his arms folded, saying, 'Guy's innocent, sorry, guy's innocent, I'm not going to listen to you. The guy's innocent, there's no case here, the guy's innocent,''' Dershowitz continued. ''If I were on the jury, that's what I'd be doing, and then the judge has the power, rarely, rarely, exercised, but he has the power, I've seen it done, to say 'Well, if this juror won't deliberate, then he's violating his oath, and I'm going to substitute one of the alternate jurors for that juror,' and then immediately, they come back with a twelve to nothing verdict of conviction.''
Merchan has come under fire for a perceived bias against Trump in the case. He imposed an expanded gag order on April 1 after Trump criticized the judge's daughter in multiple posts on Truth Social, including one linking to a New York Post report on Loren Merchan's firm helping Democrats raise $93 million off the former president's indictment in the business records case.
Merchan also made a $15 donation to Biden's presidential campaign in 2020 and two $10 donations to Democratic groups via ActBlue, one to a ''Stop Republicans'' group and another to a ''Progressive Turnout Project,'' according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. (RELATED: Andy McCarthy Says He Doesn't Believe Trump Judge Will Toss Case Because His Daughter Is 'Progressive Operative')
''I'm not saying that that's going to happen, I'm not saying that's even in the judge's mind, but knowing this judge and seeing him in action, particularly having seen him in action on the day I was in the court when they cleared everybody but I was allowed to stay, why, I still don't know, and I saw the real Judge Merchan,'' Dershowitz said. ''Um, that's not beyond the realm of possibility, so anything's possible. This judge wants Donald Trump convicted.''
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
VIDEO - Biden Remarks in Philly Are a Slurring Race-Baiting Mess, With Mind-Bending Brain Breaks '' RedState
Thu, 30 May 2024 14:14
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were in Philadelphia to do black outreach on Wednesday.
You know how hard up they are when they have to bring in people to pump up the excitement because Joe Biden just can't do it alone. Here, they had to have Elmo with a marching band.
Top Biden campaign surrogate Elmo warms up the "crowd" at Biden's "rally" in Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/PSsEizaYYQ
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024They put the small crowd all up front to make it look more packed.
Photos from President Biden's Philadelphia rally: the school's gym is only about half full of supportersA good amount of space is empty and spacious press workspace takes up the rest pic.twitter.com/et70d2lpCD
'-- Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) May 29, 2024But the gym was only about half full, with the press taking up a lot of space.
You knew it wasn't going well when the first person out, a student, spoke about being there for "Black voters for Harris-Biden."
"Black voters for Harris-Biden" ð§ pic.twitter.com/GRqevhefBO
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024When Kamala Harris spoke while Biden stood behind her looking pained, she bragged about ignoring the SCOTUS on student loan debt and lied about Trump saying that he wanted to take away healthcare from black Americans and cut Social Security and Medicare.
When Biden finally spoke, it was such a slurring mess it was bad even for him. But on top of it all, he was race-baiting and lying about Trump throughout, with multiple brain breaks and comments that didn't make any sense.
Um, hey, Jill, here's your charge's brain breaking in real-time.
READ MORE: Jill Biden's Interview on 'The View' Is a Festival of Upside-Down Delusion
He has no idea what he's saying here; he just gets lost mid-sentence.
YIKES: Biden's brain malfunctions in real time pic.twitter.com/UvihEmOidY
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024This comment was completely insane '-- it's all a jumble in his brain.
BIDEN (VERY CONFUSED): "I promised to access affordable high-speed internet '-- because now internet is just as important as it was in the days of Franklin Roosevelt, electricity was..." pic.twitter.com/9OQiKCNn9m
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024"I promised to access affordable high-speed internet '-- because now internet is just as important as it was in the days of Franklin Roosevelt, electricity was," he said. What the heck? Joe, internet wasn't around under FDR.
This was also just gibberish.
BIDEN: "We'll never forget'-- lying around'--*confused gibberish*
Him, lying around, actually..." pic.twitter.com/s1FFoZU18u
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024Biden repeated multiple lies about Trump injecting bleach again and about the Trump tax cut. He also bragged again about defying the Supreme Court on student loan debt.
BIDEN: "Supreme Court blocked me ... but they didn't stop me!" pic.twitter.com/BWv3ObBSHT
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024Then he went into pandering, race-baiting overdrive, even lying and screaming (paging Jill, who claims he doesn't scream). He claimed that Republicans were trying to erase black history.
Biden starts randomly SCREAMING (and lying) in the middle of his speech pic.twitter.com/lUvqg8SWFg
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024This was something else when he claimed that Trump wanted to tear gas them when they "peacefully protested George Floyd's murder."
Crooked Joe Biden claims Democrats were just "peacefully protest[ing]" during their 2020 Summer of Love pic.twitter.com/bNTZivxuEv
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024Setting things on fire and rioting in D.C.(I think he was talking about D.C.) is not "peaceful protest." There was a lot of damage, burned down homes and businesses, and even killing, including of black people throughout that summer across the country. Yet to Joe, who lives in fantasy land, it was peaceful.
Talk about the height of pandering '-- he even pulled out something like the "I have a black friend" move.
BIDEN (pandering): "On Memorial Day, I proudly stood with a black man!" pic.twitter.com/HGjLGsl2Ur
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024What? Please give me your vote because I stood for a few minutes next to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin? Biden is just shameless. That's like what he said about Barack Obama being "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."
The crazy hit its apex when Biden even accused Trump of pandering, always projecting on Trump what he himself is guilty of.
Biden (actually pandering) claims President Trump (in NYC for the Biden-led witch hunt/sham trial) is pandering pic.twitter.com/dbQZG6Z9t0
'-- RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 29, 2024How can anyone look at that and vote for this guy?
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VIDEO - Are Russia and North Korea planning an 'October surprise' that aids Trump?
Wed, 29 May 2024 15:34
WASHINGTON '-- The Biden administration is increasingly concerned that the intensifying military alliance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could vastly expand Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities and increase tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, six senior U.S. officials told NBC News.
U.S. officials are also bracing for North Korea to potentially take its most provocative military actions in a decade close to the U.S. presidential election, possibly at Putin's urging, the officials said.
The timing, they said, could be designed to create turmoil in yet another part of the world as Americans decide whether to send President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump back to the White House.
''We have no doubt that North Korea will be provocative this year. It's just a matter of how escalatory it is,'' a U.S. intelligence official said.
The first test firing of the North Korean Hwasongpho-16B, a new type of intermediate-range fueled ballistic missile, on April 2. KCNA / AFP - Getty Images fileU.S. intelligence officials accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 election to help elect Trump. The Biden administration had tense relations with Russia, which collapsed after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
After the publication of this story, Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, said ''the only 'October surprise' will be the look of shock'' among reporters when Trump wins re-election.
With Putin expected to visit North Korea to meet with Kim in the coming weeks, U.S. officials expect them to solidify a new deal to expand transfers of military technology to Pyongyang.
''2024 is not going to be a good year,'' said Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ''It's going to be a bit of a roller coaster.''
A burgeoning allianceU.S. intelligence officials believe Putin is providing North Korea with nuclear submarine and ballistic missile technology in exchange for Pyongyang's sending Russia large amount of munitions for its war in Ukraine, the senior U.S. officials said. North Korea provides Russia with more munitions than Europe provides to Ukraine, including millions of artillery shells.
Officials are also concerned that Russia might help North Korea complete the final steps needed to field its first submarine able to launch a nuclear-armed missile.
In September, North Korea unveiled a submarine, based on an old Soviet model, but U.S. officials said Pyongyang was most likely exaggerating its capabilities. They said the submarine still needed additional technology before it could deploy or launch a nuclear-armed missile.
Despite repeatedly offering to begin talks without any conditions, the U.S. has had no significant dialogue with the Kim regime for three years, the officials said. The administration reached out to North Korea again this year, but it did not respond.
A Russian artillery unit fires a D-30 howitzer toward Ukrainian positions on Jan. 26, 2023. RIA Novosti / Sputnik via APU.S. officials said they do not have an entirely clear understanding of the types of technology Russia is supplying North Korea. Unlike weapons transfers that can be physically tracked, sharing of military technology is not as easily detected.
''The higher-end Russia technical assistance comes in forms that are very difficult indeed to monitor,'' a senior administration official said.
U.S. officials cautioned that the North Korean ammunition is most likely old and unreliable. But North Korea sent the artillery at a time when Ukraine was struggling with stockpiles and had to ration ammunition, so the influx gave Russia an advantage on the battlefield.
The officials said that in exchange for the ammunition it is providing Moscow, North Korea wants Russia to provide it with ballistic missile parts, aircraft, missiles, armored vehicles and other advanced technologies.
In recent months North Korea has continued to advance its missile program, including testing a solid-fuel engine for a hypersonic missile and other incremental advances that together have made its missile program more reliable, U.S. officials warn.
Pyongyang has long sought a long-range ballistic missile able to fly thousands of miles and then re-enter the atmosphere with the payload intact. U.S. officials warn that Russia could now be helping it achieve the final steps. A nuclear-capable missile with survivable re-entry vehicles would present a significant challenge for U.S. missile defense systems.
U.S. officials also said there has been increased activity at one of the North Korean nuclear test facilities, which could indicate preparations for another test. Satellite images published in April by Beyond Parallel, a project examining the Korean Peninsula at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, showed activity at Tunnel No. 3 at the Punggye-ri nuclear facility.
The group said that ''both the United States and South Korea have assessed North Korea as having completed all the required preparations for conducting a seventh nuclear test from the tunnel.''
The Biden administration has been expecting a nuclear test from North Korea for some time. The U.S. recently prepared contingency plans for how to respond if Kim takes aggressive actions in the demilitarized zone with South Korea or shells South Korea's border islands, which he has not done since 2010.
''We are going to be ready and prepared,'' the senior administration official said, noting the administration's coordination with South Korea and Japan.
U.S. officials said they are also concerned that Moscow could help North Korea with its domestic manufacturing of weapons and even create a defense industrial base partnership.
An 'October surprise'?Whether or not Putin encourages Kim to take provocative actions designed to create a so-called October surprise in the U.S. presidential election, a second senior administration official said Russia might hesitate to such a step. The official said China, which has also grown closer to Russia and helped Putin wage his war in Ukraine, typically does not want instability in the region.
Still, U.S. officials concede there is much about the Russia-North Korea alliance '-- and where it could go from here '-- that they do not know. Increased tensions in the Asia-Pacific region would come after two wars have broken out since Biden took office: one in Ukraine and the other between Israel and Hamas.
Trump has argued that both wars are a result of Biden's leadership and would not have happened were he in office. Biden White House officials vehemently dispute that claim.
The increasingly close relationship between Putin and Kim represents a major shift from when Russia worked with the U.S. in the past to try to rein in North Korea. Now, Moscow is using its veto power on the U.N. Security Council to give Pyongyang cover to evade sanctions enforcement measures intended to constrain its nuclear program.
''This is an enormous shift,'' the second senior administration official said.
Courtney Kube Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Carol E. Lee Carol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor.
VIDEO - Rafah strike: Israel hasn't crossed Biden's 'red line,' White House says
Wed, 29 May 2024 15:15
As Israeli forces pushed deeper into Rafah just days after an airstrike sparked a major fire that killed dozens of Palestinians, the White House said that its ally had not crossed the Biden administration's ''red line.''
Israeli tanks were seen entering central Rafah for the first time Tuesday, as global condemnation mounted over the deaths in a crowded tent camp for displaced civilians and as U.S. aid deliveries to Gaza by sea were suspended after damage to its temporary pier. And on Wednesday the country's national security adviser said that he expected the war to continue through the end of the year.
But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a briefing that the United States was not turning a ''blind eye'' to Israel's operations in the southern Gaza city, from which around 1 million Palestinians have fled in recent weeks.
He said the Biden administration did not believe Israel's actions in Rafah so far represented a ''major ground operation'' that would violate President Joe Biden's warnings and trigger a change in U.S. policy, including a threatened halt to weapons shipments.
''A major ground operation is, you know, thousands and thousands of troops moving in a maneuvered, concentrated, coordinated way against a variety of targets on the ground,'' he said.
A U.S. official similarly told NBC News that while America believed the deadly strike was a ''horrific incident,'' it appeared to be the result of an airstrike gone ''horribly wrong'' and didn't represent Israel ''smashing into Rafah.''
Biden told CNN earlier this month: ''I made it clear that if they go into Rafah '-- they haven't gone in Rafah yet '-- if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities '-- that deal with that problem."
Asked by NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez how Israeli tanks appearing to near central Gaza did not represent a full-scale ground operation, Kirby said Israeli officials had maintained that their tanks were moving along the Philadelphi Corridor, a key strategic strip of land running along the Egypt-Gaza border, and ''not in the town proper.''
''That's what the Israelis have said,'' Kirby responded. ''We're going based on what the Israelis are telling us and what they're saying publicly and what we're able to discern, as best we can.''
Reporters grilled the White House at a briefing Tuesday. Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesKirby's comments came just days after the Israeli airstrike sparked the fire that tore through the tent camp in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, killing at least 45 people including children, according to local health officials.
Hala Rharrit, a U.S. diplomat and veteran foreign service officer who resigned from the State Department last month in protest over Washington's policy on Israel's war in Gaza, said she felt the Biden administration was now trying to ''wiggle their way out of this latest shift'' on what constitutes a ''red line.''
''The point of the president saying population centers were a 'red line' is to avoid mass civilian casualties,'' she said in a phone interview with NBC News on Wednesday. ''Whether they're going in by tanks or it's happening via bombs coming from the air, are we really trying to mince words?''
The attack on the tent camp has added to growing international pressure after the United Nations' top court ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah. The U.N. Security Council could vote as early as Wednesday on a draft resolution circulated by Algeria ordering Israel to immediately stop its offensive and demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, according to The Associated Press.
Israel submitted a new cease-fire proposal to Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators Monday, an Israeli official told NBC News. The proposal offered a ''sustainable calm'' but not a complete end to the war as demanded by Hamas.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told NBC News on Tuesday that Hamas had not received any proposal from the mediators.
In a briefing Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel was still investigating the Rafah strike, including what caused the fire that he said ''resulted in this tragic loss of life.''
He said the IDF fired two 17 kilogram (37.5 pound) warheads targeting two senior Hamas militants, but he said somehow a fire was ignited, adding that the blaze was "unexpected and unintended."
He suggested the possibility that weapons stored in the area targeted might have ignited the fire, but said that was an "assumption" at this point. An Israeli official and U.S. official separately told NBC News it was possible a fuel tank was struck, igniting the blaze.
The images from the strike have piled pressure on the U.S. to act.
Asked during Tuesday's White House briefing how many ''charred corpses'' Biden needed to see before changing policy, Kirby said he took ''offense'' to the question, saying: ''We don't want to see a single more innocent life taken.''
The IDF has waged a monthslong ground offensive in Gaza during which more than 36,000 people have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel launched the offensive following Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks, in which around 1,200 people were killed and some 250 others taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Some 125 people are believed to remain held in Gaza, with at least around a third believed to be dead.
On Wednesday National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said on Israeli radio that "we still expect another 7 months of fighting this year to deepen the achievement and accomplish what we define as the destruction of Hamas's governmental and military capabilities, without setting a stopwatch for ourselves."
Biden's warning over the U.S. ''red line'' is reminiscent of former President Barack Obama's own use of the phrase in August 2012, when he issued a warning over the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war.
Critics accused Obama of allowing that boundary to be crossed without action from the U.S., with political opponent John McCain saying the Obama administration's red line appeared to be ''written in disappearing ink.''
Chantal Da Silva Chantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.
Monica Alba Monica Alba is a White House correspondent for NBC News.
Raf Sanchez Raf Sanchez is a foreign correspondent for NBC News.
Abigail Williams Abigail Williams is a producer and reporter for NBC News covering the State Department.
Gabe Gutierrez and Ghael Fobes contributed.
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VIDEO - entremet, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
Tue, 28 May 2024 21:32
There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun entremet. See 'Meaning & use' for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
entremet has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
About 0.01 occurrences per million words in modern written English
17500.05517600.05117700.05117800.05117900.04118000.04818100.05218200.05618300.0618400.06318500.06218600.0618700.05618800.05118900.04719000.04119100.03219200.02819300.02319400.02119500.01919600.01519700.01519800.01519900.01620000.01420100.014Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun entremet is in the Middle English period (1150'--1500).
OED's earliest evidence for entremet is from 1477, in a translation by William Caxton, printer, merchant, and diplomat.
entremet is a borrowing from French.
Etymons: French entremets .
Nearby entriesentrec´te, n. 1840'' entredeux, n. 1823'' Entre-Deux-Mers, n. 1853'' entr(C)e, n. 1653'' entr(C)e dish, n. 1769'' entr(C)e en mati¨re, n. 1850'' entregent, n. 1607''1750 entrelac, n. 1723'' entremedly, adj. ?a1425 entremess, n. 1340''1708 entremet, n. 1477'' entremetier, n. 1875'' entrench, v. 1548'' entrenched, adj. 1570'' entrencher, n. 1573'' entrenching, n. 1549'' entrenching tool, n. 1758'' entrenchment, n. 1590'' entre nous, adv. & adj. 1689'' entrep´t, n. 1721'' entreprenant, adj. c1475''1673 Browse more nearby entriesThank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
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VIDEO - Blackburn Slams Democrats' Fake Immigration Bill: "It Is An Election Year Political Stunt" - YouTube
VIDEO - Theresa Tam's Leaked Meeting Reveals H5N1 Launch
Tue, 28 May 2024 21:19
Specialisation is a marker of civilisation, however it's apparent the more specialisation there is in society the dumber both the specialists and society become. This is in part to the Government decision makers and the public relying on these people's expertise. Perhaps it's another aspect of the reinforcing circular loop Sam keeps showing us. A more well rounded understanding of all knowledge an individual has the less likelihood people could end up as stupid as these Canadians.
It doesn't take much intelligence to see through the level of ignorance and stupidity these people display, thanks to Sam and her friend clipping this presentation together.
Yet how is it possible to reprogram their minds when they lack any critical thinking skills?That's another aspect of the entire medical field, it's all specialised language terms. That suits people with good memories and rote OBEDIENT, non questioning learning. There appears that the medical field doesn't require any critical thinking skills, only obedience to established procedure.
Why am I in a minority of perhaps 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000 that see so much ignorance and stupidity EVERYWHERE? I dislike so much living among people with robotics minds, psychologically conditioned by CIA controlled mass media. Everywhere, people can't even argue with supporting facts these days, only espouse Globalist narrative, and fear saying anything else.
God help humanity, pleeeease!!!
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VIDEO - 'Serial slingshot shooter': Vandalism suspect, 81, arrested in Azusa - ABC7 Los Angeles
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:29
Saturday, May 25, 2024 3:16AM
An 81-year-old man was arrested in Azusa on suspicion of serial vandalism, accused of using a slingshot to victimize neighbors for nearly a decade.
AZUSA, Calif. (KABC) -- An 81-year-old man was arrested Thursday in Azusa on suspicion of serial vandalism, accused of using a slingshot to victimize neighbors for nearly a decade.
The investigation began when the Azusa Police Department learned of a "quality of life" issue occurring in the 900 block of Enid Avenue, several blocks west of San Gabriel Avenue, according to a news release.
An 81-year-old man was arrested in Azusa on suspicion of serial vandalism, accused of using a slingshot to victimize neighbors for nearly a decade.
Azusa Police Department
The agency's Directed Enforcement Unit conducted a lengthy investigation and learned that over the course of more than nine years, dozens of residents were victimized by a "serial slingshot shooter," the police statement said.
Authorities said the suspect broke windows and windshields, and almost struck people with ball bearings.
On Thursday, investigators served a search warrant in the neighborhood where the incidents had occurred. The suspect, identified as Azusa resident Prince King, was taken into custody, police said.
Ball bearings and a slingshot were found during a search of King's home, according to the statement.
Copyright (C) 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
VIDEO - Biden Peeved at Lack of Applause From West Point Cadets '' Liberty One News
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:28
Follow America's fastest-growing news aggregator, Spreely News, and stay informed. You can find all of our articles plus information from your favorite Conservative voices. Biden interrupted his weekend getaway in Delaware to visit New York and give the 2024 commencement speech at the United States Military Academy, West Point.
During his address, Biden made several mistakes and shared inaccurate information, including falsely claiming that he was ''appointed'' to the Naval Academy.
''I was appointed by my '' the fellow I ran against when I was 29 years old to the Naval Academy. I was one of ten. I wanted to play football and the day I was supposed to go down for the interview, a classmate of mine was also one of the ten appointed'...'' Biden said. ''I said, well, I'm not going there. I'm going to Delaware ha ha ha. Not a joke!''
Biden frequently repeats this unverified claim, though there is no evidence to support it.
Biden seems to have an inflated sense of self-importance.
Joe Biden once experienced a cringe-worthy ''please clap'' incident.
''Never forget America is the strongest when we lead not only by our example of our power but by the power of our example,'' Biden said to crickets.
Frustrated by a lack of reaction to his mundane speech, Biden said, ''You can clap for that.''
WATCH:
Biden's speeches lack excitement and inspiration to the extent that he has resorted to instructing people to applaud.
Recall that Biden called US servicemembers ''bastards'' because they didn't clap for him.
''Clap for that you stupid bastards, come on man,'' Biden said to US servicemembers at a military base in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2016. ''Man, you are a dull bunch. Must be slow here man.''
WATCH:
ð¨''Clap for that you stupid bastards, come on man'' ~FJB
''Man, you are a dull bunch. Must be slow here man''. ~FJB
' ¸Sure seems every single thing they say about Trump, has been taken from the archives of Biden's disgraceful past! Talk about diabolical.
YOU HAVE BEEN LIED TO! pic.twitter.com/v7pP7ed0Ge
'-- ðºð¸Land Of ILLUSIONðºð¸ (@Landofillusion1) January 1, 2024
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VIDEO - Washington Journal: Open Forum, Part 1 | May 28, 2024 | C-SPAN.org
Tue, 28 May 2024 16:06
May 28, 2024 | Part Of Washington Journal 05/28/2024 Washington Journal2024-05-28T06:59:57-04:00 https://ximage.c-spanvideo.org/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwaWN0dXJlcy5jLXNwYW52aWRlby5vcmciLCJrZXkiOiJGaWxlc1wvNTIzXC8wMDFcLzE3MTY4OTUxMTlfMDAxLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciIsImhlaWdodCI6NTA2fX19 Viewers responded to the question ''What is your view of the Justice Alito flag controversy?''Viewers responded to the question ''What is your view of the Justice Alito flag controversy?''
Report Video IssueGo to Live Event"; // $('div#video-embed').html(cookieMsg); // return; // } // });
*This text was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.
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VIDEO - Trump booed and jeered at Libertarian National Convention
Mon, 27 May 2024 18:35
WASHINGTON '-- Insults were hurled at former President Donald Trump when he took to the stage Saturday night to address the Libertarian National Convention.
The crowd's hostility to the former president was especially pronounced when Trump directly solicited their votes. Each time Trump asked attendees at the Washington Hilton for their votes or the party's nomination, he was met with loud boos.
''I'm asking for the Libertarian Party's endorsement, or at least lots of your votes, lots and lots of Libertarian votes,'' Trump said as the audience booed in response.
At times, Trump turned on the crowd, criticizing libertarians' turnout in previous elections.
''You can keep going the way you have for the last long decades and get your 3% and meet again, get another 3%,'' Trump said following jeers from the crowd.
The 2020 Libertarian Party nominee, Jo Jorgensen, won just over 1% of the votes in several swing states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia. But in a tight race, these voters could have the power to swing the election between major-party nominees.
The audience yelled at Trump throughout his speech as well, a stark contrast to his typical crowds filled with adoring fans decked out in MAGA gear. At one point during Saturday's speech, punches were thrown in the audience.
One member of the crowd shouted, ''Lock him up!'' and another yelled, ''Donald Trump is a threat to democracy!'' Moments later, someone yelled at Trump, ''You had your shot!''
Others yelled at Trump, ''F--- you'' and ''You already had four years, you a--hole.''
Twice, people chanting ''We want Trump'' were drowned out by boos and chants of ''End the Fed.''
After Trump's Saturday speech, a Libertarian candidate who took the stage called the former president a war criminal, citing his use of drone strikes and actions in Syria.
Libertarian delegates jeer Donald Trump at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington on Saturday. Jose Luis Magana / APOn Friday night, the libertarian crowd was also hostile to mentions of Trump, and the audience booed when Vivek Ramaswamy brought up the former president. Separately, the crowd cheered one Libertarian Party member's suggestion that ''we go tell Donald Trump to go f--- himself.''
Ahead of Saturday's speech, many members of the audience had already made up their minds about Trump. Libertarian Caryn Ann Harlos balked at the prospect of being swayed by Trump's remarks.
''I would rather eat my own foot out of a bear trap,'' Harlos said. ''I only vote Libertarian.''
The Trump campaign argued it was important for the former president to venture into less-than-friendly territory to appeal to ''nontraditional Republican votes.''
''What he's really trying to do is to show that he can be a president for all Americans,'' a Trump campaign official said ahead of the former president's remarks. ''If you want to compete for nontraditional Republican votes, then you got to go where they are. You can't expect them to just show up to you.''
Trump himself referenced the unexpected decision, saying, ''A lot of people ask why I came to speak at this Libertarian convention, and, you know, it's an interesting question, isn't it? But we're going to have '-- but we're going to have a lot of fun.''
But there were moments when Trump received cheers, like when he touted his record of starting no news wars and his administration's withdrawal from the World Health Organization, which Biden later rejoined. Trump was also cheered when he called for pardoning Jan. 6 defendants.
One of the loudest cheers from the audience came when Trump announced his intention to commute the life sentence of ''Silk Road'' website operator Ross Ulbricht.
''If you vote for me, on Day One I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,'' he said.
''We're going to get him home,'' he added later.
Donald Trump at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday. Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesUlbricht was sentenced to life in federal prison in 2015 for creating and operating a hidden website known as ''Silk Road'' that people used to buy and sell drugs, among other illegal goods and services.
Many libertarians have called for Ulbricht's release. At the convention on Saturday, the crowd was filled with ''Free Ross'' signs and took up chants in support of Ulbricht.
Preet Bharara, who was U.S. attorney for Manhattan when Ulbricht was sentenced in 2015, said in a press release at the time that Ulbricht's actions contributed to at least six deaths. Bharara also called Ulbricht ''a drug dealer and criminal profiteer.''
''While in operation, Silk Road was used by thousands of drug dealers and other unlawful vendors to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and other unlawful goods and services to more than 100,000 buyers, and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from these unlawful transactions,'' Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a 2015 press release announcing Ulbricht's sentencing.
However, Trump's previous comments about drug dealers are in conflict with his Saturday vow to commute Ulbricht's sentence.
The former president has said that the death penalty should be instituted for certain drug dealers, depending on the severity of the crime.
And given that history, libertarians seemed to view the vow to commute Ulbricht's sentence as calculated.
''Do you think Donald Trump even knew Ross Ulbricht's name before he decided to come here and pander to us?'' Libertarian politician Chase Oliver asked the crowd following Trump's remarks.
Abigail Brooks reported from the Washington Hilton. Megan Lebowitz reported from Washington, D.C.
Abigail Brooks Abigail Brooks is a producer for NBC News.
Megan Lebowitz Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Julie Tsirkin contributed.
