1219: Peak Nuts

Link

But the entrance polls show there was one thing Biden was right about when talking about his coalition in Nevada ahead of the caucuses: his strong lead with black voters. Biden received the most black votes — 39 percent — a demographic with which Sanders trailed the former vice president, winning 27 percent of that vote. This suggests that although other candidates are slowly chipping away at his black voter base — most recently, Mike Bloomberg has seen a rise in black support — Biden still remains a popular candidate amongst that particular demographic.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:51

brussels bureau

By Euronews • last updated: 21/02/2020 - 21:31

A two-day EU summit aimed at agreeing the bloc's long-term financing plan has ended without agreement.

It failed to close a gap between the ''Frugal Four'''-- that want to keep cut spending '-- and other net beneficiaries of the EU budget who prefer to keep the status quo.

It's all been complicated by Brexit. The UK paid more in than it took out and that has left a hole in the budget of up to '‚¬75 billion.

"Unfortunately we have observed that it is not possible to reach an agreement," said Charles Michel, president of the European Council, speaking at a post-summit press conference.

"We have observed that we need more time," he continued. "We know that this European budget is a very difficult topic and very difficult negotiation especially after Brexit and the gap it has left, between '‚¬60 and '‚¬75 billion.

"We have worked very hard in order to try to reach different concerns, different interests and different opinions around the table."

The so-called ''Frugal Four'' of Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, and a few others, believe the EU's 2021-2027 budget should amount to 1% of the bloc's GDP.

On the other hand, many of the poorer member states and the European Parliament wanted to stick with a bigger budget of 1.3% to fund ambitious climate change and digital economy policies.

Answering questions about the reasons behind the failure of negotiations, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said: "This is democracy. We have 27 member states with different interests."

Another summit will be needed in order to reach an agreement but EU leaders did not commit to a specific schedule.

"We need informal consultations in the next days about what's realistic," Michel told reporters.

"In the past, it was always such. We needed two or three summits. I am hopeful to get a new breakthrough next time," said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

"We remain very engaged, very determined," to find a compromise, Michel said.

The issue cannot be pushed forward forever, as the current budget period expires this December.

The European Parliament must also ratify any final budget agreement and for the moment, MEPs are far from happy.

"At the moment, we remain '‚¬230 billion apart," European Parliament President David Sassoli, said this week.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:43

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:29

'):""},t.getDefinedParams=function(n,e){return e.filter(function(e){return n[e]}).reduce(function(e,t){return g(e,function(e,t,n){t in e?Object.defineProperty(e,t,{value:n,enumerable:!0,configurable:!0,writable:!0}):e[t]=n;return e}({},t,n[t]))},{})},t.isValidMediaTypes=function(e){var t=["banner","native","video"];if(!Object.keys(e).every(function(e){return s()(t,e)}))return!1;if(e.video&&e.video.context)return s()(["instream","outstream","adpod"],e.video.context);return!0},t.getBidderRequest=function(e,t,n){return c()(e,function(e){return 0t[n]?-1:0}};var r=n(3),i=n(88),o=n.n(i),a=n(12),c=n.n(a),u=n(10),s=n.n(u),d=n(9),f=n(89);n.d(t,"deepAccess",function(){return f.a});var l=n(90);function p(e){return function(e){if(Array.isArray(e)){for(var t=0,n=new Array(e.length);t\n ')):""}function de(e,t,n){return null==t?n:$(t)?t:ee(t)?t.toString():void _.logWarn("Unsuported type for param: "+e+" required type: String")}function fe(e,t,n){return n.indexOf(e)===t}function le(e,t){return e.concat(t)}function pe(e){return Object.keys(e)}function ge(e,t){return e[t]}var be=he("timeToRespond",function(e,t){return ti;)a(r,n=t[i++])&&(~u(o,n)||o.push(n));return o}},143:function(e,t,n){var r=n(19).document;e.exports=r&&r.documentElement},144:function(e,t,n){var r=n(30),i=n(45),o=n(53)("IE_PROTO"),a=Object.prototype;e.exports=Object.getPrototypeOf||function(e){return e=i(e),r(e,o)?e[o]:"function"==typeof e.constructor&&e instanceof e.constructor?e.constructor.prototype:e instanceof Object?a:null}},145:function(e,t,n){n(146);for(var r=n(19),i=n(21),o=n(32),a=n(14)("toStringTag"),c="CSSRuleList,CSSStyleDeclaration,CSSValueList,ClientRectList,DOMRectList,DOMStringList,DOMTokenList,DataTransferItemList,FileList,HTMLAllCollection,HTMLCollection,HTMLFormElement,HTMLSelectElement,MediaList,MimeTypeArray,NamedNodeMap,NodeList,PaintRequestList,Plugin,PluginArray,SVGLengthList,SVGNumberList,SVGPathSegList,SVGPointList,SVGStringList,SVGTransformList,SourceBufferList,StyleSheetList,TextTrackCueList,TextTrackList,TouchList".split(","),u=0;u=e.length?(this._t=void 0,i(1)):i(0,"keys"==t?n:"values"==t?e[n]:[n,e[n]])},"values"),o.Arguments=o.Array,r("keys"),r("values"),r("entries")},147:function(e,t,n){"use strict";var r=n(148),i=n(77);e.exports=n(150)("Set",function(t){return function(e){return t(this,0=b.syncsPerBidder?a.logWarn('Number of user syncs exceeded for "'.concat(t,'"')):d.canBidderRegisterSync(e,t)?(f[e].push([t,n]),void(p=function(e,t){return e[t]?e[t]+=1:e[t]=1,e}(p,t))):a.logWarn('Bidder "'.concat(t,'" not permitted to register their "').concat(e,'" userSync pixels.')):a.logWarn("Bidder is required for registering sync"):a.logWarn('User sync type "'.concat(e,'" not supported'))},d.syncUsers=function(){var e=0i&&(r=!1)),!r}),r&&e.run(),r}function o(e,t){void 0===e[t]?e[t]=1:e[t]++}},addWinningBid:function(e){S=S.concat(e),k.callBidWonBidder(e.bidder,e,d)},setBidTargeting:function(e){k.callSetTargetingBidder(e.bidder,e)},getWinningBids:function(){return S},getTimeout:function(){return m},getAuctionId:function(){return v},getAuctionStatus:function(){return u},getAdUnits:function(){return f},getAdUnitCodes:function(){return p},getBidRequests:function(){return g},getBidsReceived:function(){return b},getNoBids:function(){return y}}},n.d(t,"c",function(){return H}),t.f=s,t.d=K,n.d(t,"e",function(){return J}),n.d(t,"h",function(){return d}),n.d(t,"g",function(){return f}),t.i=l;var w=n(0),u=n(9),j=n(42),a=n(25),o=n(64),C=n(11),_=n(3),r=n(26),i=n(13),c=n(12),U=n.n(c),B=n(31);function R(e){return(R="function"==typeof Symbol&&"symbol"==typeof Symbol.iterator?function(e){return typeof e}:function(e){return e&&"function"==typeof Symbol&&e.constructor===Symbol&&e!==Symbol.prototype?"symbol":typeof e})(e)}function N(){return(N=Object.assign||function(e){for(var t=1;te.getTimeout()+_.b.getConfig("timeoutBuffer")&&e.executeCallback(!0)}function K(e,t){var n=e.getBidRequests(),r=U()(n,function(e){return e.bidderCode===t.bidderCode});!function(t,e){var n;if(t.bidderCode&&(0t.max?e:t},{max:0}),t=a()(e.buckets,function(e){if(n>o.max*r){var t=e.precision;void 0===t&&(t=s),i=(e.max*r).toFixed(t)}else if(n=e.min*r)return e});return t&&(i=function(e,t,n){var r=void 0!==t.precision?t.precision:s,i=t.increment*n,o=t.min*n,a=Math.pow(10,r+2),c=(e*a-o*a)/(i*a),u=Math.floor(c)*i+o;return(u=Number(u.toFixed(10))).toFixed(r)}(n,t,r)),i}function g(e){if(i.isEmpty(e)||!e.buckets||!Array.isArray(e.buckets))return!1;var t=!0;return e.buckets.forEach(function(e){void 0!==e.min&&e.max&&e.increment||(t=!1)}),t}},43:function(e,t){e.exports=function(e,t){return{enumerable:!(1&e),configurable:!(2&e),writable:!(4&e),value:t}}},44:function(e,t,n){var m=n(24),S=n(58),E=n(45),A=n(36),r=n(83);e.exports=function(f,e){var l=1==f,p=2==f,g=3==f,b=4==f,y=6==f,v=5==f||y,h=e||r;return function(e,t,n){for(var r,i,o=E(e),a=S(o),c=m(t,n,3),u=A(a.length),s=0,d=l?h(e,u):p?h(e,0):void 0;sObject(s.timestamp)()},m=function(e){return e&&(e.status&&!d()([b.BID_STATUS.BID_TARGETING_SET,b.BID_STATUS.RENDERED],e.status)||!e.status)};function S(e,r){var i=2"):"";return'\n \n \n prebid.org wrapper\n \n ").concat(n,"\n \n \n \n ")}(e.vastUrl,e.vastImpUrl),ttlseconds:Number(e.ttl)};return i.b.getConfig("cache.vasttrack")&&(t.bidder=e.bidder,t.bidid=e.requestId),"string"==typeof e.customCacheKey&&""!==e.customCacheKey&&(t.key=e.customCacheKey),t}},65:function(e,t,n){"use strict";Object.defineProperty(t,"__esModule",{value:!0}),n.d(t,"checkAdUnitSetup",function(){return G});var r=n(27),c=n(0),i=n(133),o=n(26),a=n(50),d=n(3),v=n(28),f=n(51),u=n(13),s=n(134),l=n(10),p=n.n(l),g=n(63),h=n(11),b=n(23);function y(e){return(y="function"==typeof Symbol&&"symbol"==typeof Symbol.iterator?function(e){return typeof e}:function(e){return e&&"function"==typeof Symbol&&e.constructor===Symbol&&e!==Symbol.prototype?"symbol":typeof e})(e)}function m(){return(m=Object.assign||function(e){for(var t=1;t (eg mediaTypes.banner.sizes)."),e.sizes=n);if(t&&t.video){var i=t.video;if(i.playerSize)if(Array.isArray(i.playerSize)&&1===i.playerSize.length&&i.playerSize.every(function(e){return Object(c.isArrayOfNums)(e,2)}))e.sizes=i.playerSize;else if(Object(c.isArrayOfNums)(i.playerSize,2)){var o=[];o.push(i.playerSize),A.logInfo("Transforming video.playerSize from [".concat(i.playerSize,"] to [[").concat(o,"]] so it's in the proper format.")),e.sizes=i.playerSize=o}else A.logError("Detected incorrect configuration of mediaTypes.video.playerSize. Please specify only one set of dimensions in a format like: [[640, 480]]. Removing invalid mediaTypes.video.playerSize property from request."),delete e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize}if(t&&t.native){var a=t.native;a.image&&a.image.sizes&&!Array.isArray(a.image.sizes)&&(A.logError("Please use an array of sizes for native.image.sizes field. Removing invalid mediaTypes.native.image.sizes property from request."),delete e.mediaTypes.native.image.sizes),a.image&&a.image.aspect_ratios&&!Array.isArray(a.image.aspect_ratios)&&(A.logError("Please use an array of sizes for native.image.aspect_ratios field. Removing invalid mediaTypes.native.image.aspect_ratios property from request."),delete e.mediaTypes.native.image.aspect_ratios),a.icon&&a.icon.sizes&&!Array.isArray(a.icon.sizes)&&(A.logError("Please use an array of sizes for native.icon.sizes field. Removing invalid mediaTypes.native.icon.sizes property from request."),delete e.mediaTypes.native.icon.sizes)}}),e},"checkAdUnitSetup");function W(e){var n=v.a[e]().filter(A.bind.call(c.adUnitsFilter,this,v.a.getAdUnitCodes())),r=v.a.getLastAuctionId();return n.map(function(e){return e.adUnitCode}).filter(c.uniques).map(function(t){return n.filter(function(e){return e.auctionId===r&&e.adUnitCode===t})}).filter(function(e){return e&&e[0]&&e[0].adUnitCode}).map(function(e){return function(e,t,n){return t in e?Object.defineProperty(e,t,{value:n,enumerable:!0,configurable:!0,writable:!0}):e[t]=n,e}({},e[0].adUnitCode,{bids:e})}).reduce(function(e,t){return m(e,t)},{})}function L(e){var t=e.reason,n=e.message,r=e.bid,i=e.id,o={reason:t,message:n};r&&(o.bid=r),i&&(o.adId=i),A.logError(n),O.emit(B,o)}function z(e){e.forEach(function(e){if(void 0===e.called)try{e.call(),e.called=!0}catch(e){A.logError("Error processing command :","prebid.js",e)}})}S.getAdserverTargetingForAdUnitCodeStr=function(e){if(A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.getAdserverTargetingForAdUnitCodeStr",arguments),e){var t=S.getAdserverTargetingForAdUnitCode(e);return A.transformAdServerTargetingObj(t)}A.logMessage("Need to call getAdserverTargetingForAdUnitCodeStr with adunitCode")},S.getAdserverTargetingForAdUnitCode=function(e){return S.getAdserverTargeting(e)[e]},S.getAdserverTargeting=function(e){return A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.getAdserverTargeting",arguments),f.b.getAllTargeting(e)},S.getNoBids=function(){return A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.getNoBids",arguments),W("getNoBids")},S.getBidResponses=function(){return A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.getBidResponses",arguments),W("getBidsReceived")},S.getBidResponsesForAdUnitCode=function(t){return{bids:v.a.getBidsReceived().filter(function(e){return e.adUnitCode===t})}},S.setTargetingForGPTAsync=function(e,t){if(A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.setTargetingForGPTAsync",arguments),Object(c.isGptPubadsDefined)()){var n=f.b.getAllTargeting(e);f.b.resetPresetTargeting(e),f.b.setTargetingForGPT(n,t),Object.keys(n).forEach(function(t){Object.keys(n[t]).forEach(function(e){"hb_adid"===e&&v.a.setStatusForBids(n[t][e],E.BID_STATUS.BID_TARGETING_SET)})}),O.emit(U,n)}else A.logError("window.googletag is not defined on the page")},S.setTargetingForAst=function(e){A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.setTargetingForAn",arguments),f.b.isApntagDefined()?(f.b.setTargetingForAst(e),O.emit(U,f.b.getAllTargeting())):A.logError("window.apntag is not defined on the page")},S.renderAd=function(e,t){if(A.logInfo("Invoking pbjs.renderAd",arguments),A.logMessage("Calling renderAd with adId :"+t),e&&t)try{var n=v.a.findBidByAdId(t);if(n){n.status=E.BID_STATUS.RENDERED,n.ad=A.replaceAuctionPrice(n.ad,n.cpm),n.adUrl=A.replaceAuctionPrice(n.adUrl,n.cpm),v.a.addWinningBid(n),O.emit(C,n);var r=n.height,i=n.width,o=n.ad,a=n.mediaType,c=n.adUrl,u=n.renderer,s=document.createComment("Creative ".concat(n.creativeId," served by ").concat(n.bidder," Prebid.js Header Bidding"));if(A.insertElement(s,e,"body"),Object(h.c)(u))Object(h.b)(u,n);else if(e===document&&!A.inIframe()||"video"===a){var d="Error trying to write ad. Ad render call ad id ".concat(t," was prevented from writing to the main document.");L({reason:N,message:d,bid:n,id:t})}else if(o){if(navigator.userAgent&&-1=t.length?{value:void 0,done:!0}:(e=r(t,n),this._i+=e.length,{value:e,done:!1})})},67:function(e,t,r){function i(){}var o=r(29),a=r(140),c=r(68),u=r(53)("IE_PROTO"),s="prototype",d=function(){var e,t=r(57)("iframe"),n=c.length;for(t.style.display="none",r(143).appendChild(t),t.src="javascript:",(e=t.contentWindow.document).open(),e.write("

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:02

Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) said on Thursday's episode of Showtime's ''Desus & Mero'' that Los Angeles gang members had more integrity than President Donald Trump.

Waters said, ''This guy is a street player. He's a guy that has conned folks. He has flirted with gangsters. I have worked in some of the toughest communities. I've worked with gangs, I've worked with Crips, I've worked with Bloods. And there's more integrity in many of these young people in the hood than this man has.''

She added, ''This is a flawed character, and I've never seen anything like this.''

In discussing the 2020 election, Waters said, ''I think now it boils down to all of us wanting someone that we feel comfortable can really beat Trump. This country cannot tolerate another four years of him.''

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 05:40

Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 05:39

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 02:43

Log in Sign up Steve Pieczenik @ StevePieczenik just sayin its coming

#outofthecloset twitter.com/M2Madness/stat'... 6:26 PM - 22 Feb 2020 Blair @ skifflegirl

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik Blago better spill now. Put it all out there or set up a dead man switch. Seems only fake wb live to tell tales these days.

View conversation · KGB Agent Hether @ wizHether

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik What are the Vegas odds of Blago surviving the year?

View conversation · Drain It @ DHarchelroad

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik I hope he is under protection

View conversation · John @ John_1945_

5h Replying to

@StevePieczenik Big Mike.

View conversation · William Bentley Blackburn @ blackburntek

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik Well, he better move quick because time's running out.

View conversation · MSM Lies To You-And You Luuvvv It... @ elStevo0

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik "The Man Who Knew Too Much (about Obama)"Sounds like a great movie to me.Its all starting to make sense. I think I can probably predict this forthcoming plot twist."Enjoy the Show"

#PanicInDC #WWG1WGA View conversation · MainStreet Voice @ VoiceMainstreet

4h Replying to

@StevePieczenik He needs protection. And needs to get out of Chicago.

#SafetyFirst #Epsteindidntkillhimself twitter.com/stevepieczenik'... View conversation · Jambot @ Jambot7

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik 01/08/2009 - Illinois Governor Blagojevich Suspends Business With Bank Of America.01/09/2009 - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich arrested on federal charges.

View conversation · Michele - text TRUMP to 88022 @ CovfefeAnalyst

6h Replying to

@StevePieczenik Wow, just wow

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 22:15

Tom Elliott @ tomselliott

5h Replying to

@tankcat h/t:

@tankcat twitter.com/tankcat/status'... View conversation · Tom Elliott @ tomselliott

4h Replying to

@tankcat MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Sanders' Nevada win on the media's waning influence: "The Sanders campaign, the Trump campaign, they have taken these things to dark arts.''

pic.twitter.com/4QV5PTygp2 View conversation · Tom Elliott @ tomselliott

4h Replying to

@tankcat James Carville: "Remember Lyndon Johnson said, 'I lost the war because I lost Walter Cronkite?' I mean, if you lose Wolf Blitzer, you're not going to lose anything."

View conversation · Jonas @ jonas_thelion

5h Replying to

@tomselliott @DineshDSouza It's true. We all need to wake up. He can win

View conversation · Raymon Crane @ raymoncrane

5h Replying to

@jonas_thelion @tomselliott @DineshDSouza Agreed. Don't even for a second think Trump is invulnerable. People are getting complacent with Trumps winning but if his supporters get too cocky they might not turn out to vote because they think he's got it in the bag.

View conversation · OverTheMoonbat'­¸'­¸'­¸ @ OverTheMoonbat

5h Replying to

@tomselliott @TheLastRefuge2 Just goes to show that MSNBC advocacy for the far-left was never its ideology. It was just pushing red meat to control and manipulate the base, and then hijack with War Inc. and Wall Street interests. MSNBC and CNN are basically the same.

View conversation · luv(sic) @ skolhalla

5h Replying to

@tomselliott pic.twitter.com/PojrLsBSlk View conversation · Vic Temless 🌐🇺🇸 @ buydebts

5h Replying to

@tomselliott Really odd, since under a Sanders' presidency, Las Vegas will turn into a ghost town 🥴

View conversation · TheGrinningViking @ Mattados

2h Replying to

@buydebts @tomselliott Stop being weird. If people don't have to worry about healthcare and can make a decent wage then they can save up and get their gamble on a little more often too. It's greed alone that keeps Vegas staffed by underpaid workers, the margins are so big they never needed to.

View conversation ·

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 13:59

Log in Sign up Tom Elliott @ tomselliott MSNBC's

@Lawrence O'Donnell: "The president is a Russian operative. That sounds like the description of a bad Hollywood screenplay, but it is real, and it is Vladimir Putin's greatest achievement.'' Says

@RichardGrenell nomination came at Putin's direction.

pic.twitter.com/2YduOz3RH2 5:57 AM - 22 Feb 2020 Twitter by: Tom Elliott @tomselliott Tom Elliott @ tomselliott

5h Replying to

@Lawrence @RichardGrenell Full commentary here: MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell: 'Donald Trump Is a Russian Operative'

news.grabien.com/story-msnbcs-l'... View conversation · Tim Bryant @ TimBryantRadio

6h Replying to

@tomselliott @Lawrence @RichardGrenell I'm old enough to remember when Democrats loved Russians. Of course, they were called ''Soviets'' in those days.

View conversation · Dave @ NotTheFakeMcCoy

6h Replying to

@TimBryantRadio @tomselliott and

2 others Hell I'm old enough to remember when Obama was on a live mic telling Medvedev to tell Putin after the election he'd have more flexibility.

View conversation · The Panic @ Gunntwitt

6h Replying to

@tomselliott @jtLOL and

2 others O'Donnell is acting very irresponsible here and should probably be sued out of existence.

View conversation · james gayle law @ lawjamesg

5h Replying to

@Gunntwitt @tomselliott and

3 others Deservingly so.

View conversation · Rita Panahi @ RitaPanahi

2h Replying to

@tomselliott @Lawrence @RichardGrenell pic.twitter.com/Ri8tQpaiYl View conversation · Kurt Stuehler @ Kurt96174057

4h Replying to

@tomselliott @DineshDSouza and

2 others New theory; MSNBC is funded by Russian oligarchs!!!

View conversation · Jorge 🇺🇸 MAGA @ AmericanMex067

4h Replying to

@tomselliott @Lawrence @RichardGrenell Yea Lawrence russia told trump to Spend top dollar on the us military and strengthen our economy. Moron.

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 13:57

Log in Sign up Chanel Rion OAN @ ChanelRion Soros Witch Hunt Ends in Flames - MO Gov.

@EricGreitens exonerated after 2yr Investigation-Former FBI agent investigating on behalf of Soros-Funded St. Louis DA

@KimGardnerSTL indicted on 7 counts of manufacturing evidence.WATCH FULL

@OANN:

youtube.com/watch?v=bK1_cR'... pic.twitter.com/naScfXm5V8 2:15 PM - 19 Feb 2020 Twitter by: Chanel Rion OAN @ChanelRion Mike Dankson @ MikeDankson

Feb 19 Replying to

@ChanelRion @OANN and

2 others Time for Republicans to actively expose ALL Soros-funded DAs. ALL of them

View conversation · Maddy @ steeley8756

Feb 19 Replying to

@ChanelRion @OANN and

2 others Soros might want to consider getting out of dodge so to speak. Problem is - too many countries won't take him.

View conversation · Sum Nada @ sum_nada

Feb 19 Replying to

@steeley8756 @ChanelRion and

3 others Six smart ones,unlike the United States.

View conversation · Joel Goldenberg @ JoelGoldenberg1

Feb 19 Replying to

@ChanelRion @EricGreitens and

3 others Is this who

@AlanDersh was referring to?

View conversation · Mike H @ whatThaHill

Feb 19 Replying to

@JoelGoldenberg1 @ChanelRion and

4 others Believe that is Ted Cruz. Hasn't been formally announced yet, but Ted was the target of one of the fraudulent FISA warrants.

View conversation · Brian Kelley @ BrianRKelley1

Feb 19 Replying to

@ChanelRion @OANN and

2 others Soros is steadily losing his influence.

View conversation · sojourner07 '­¸'­¸'­¸ 🇺🇸 @ sojourner07

Feb 20 Replying to

@BrianRKelley1 @ChanelRion and

3 others He needs to lose his freedom. It's ridiculous that he is allowed to roam freely since he has openly stated that it his intention to destroy America. He and his entire family work toward that end.

View conversation · Nationalist FoxðŸ...Š @ GiftsAndTalents

Feb 19 Replying to

@ChanelRion @EricGreitens and

3 others He should have never stepped down. This is the SAME exact playbook they have used on

@POTUS for almost 4 years now.

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 10:15

Skip to contentCNN analysts chastise Bloomberg campaign for 'deceptively edited' video in age of deep fakesCrickets were not on the debate stage Wednesday night, cable news network CNN has confirmed.

After the Michael Bloomberg campaign released an ad featuring a clip from Wednesday night's debate, in which ''crickets'' are heard when the former New York City mayor asks fellow candidates if any of them had ever started a business, cable news network CNN assured its audience the video was doctored.

''There is a video that his campaign tweeted this morning that didn't happen. It is a deceptively edited video,'' CNN host Dana Bash said, introducing the ad.

After the ad plays, Bash says, ''Ok, that didn't happen. He said those words. There was maybe a quick second when nobody kind of answered him and he moved on, saying, 'Ok.'''

Bash went on to chastise the campaign for putting out the edited video, especially in the age of deep fakes, and claimed it weakened his messaging.

''And so his campaign is saying, 'Come on, it was tongue in cheek,''' Bash said. ''But in today's day and age, when we are so concerned about things that are doctored, deep fakes on the internet, number 1. Number 2: his whole argument against Bernie Sanders was, 'You're acting like Donald Trump.'''

Watch the ad:

Anyone? pic.twitter.com/xqhq5qFYVk

'-- Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 20, 2020

''So it makes it harder to take the arguments that he's making seriously when he does something like this.''

Likewise, an NBC reporter also fact checked the ''manipulated'' ad:

This video from the Bloomberg campaign has been manipulated to show a long pause & cricket sounds when Bloomberg asks if other candidates have started a business.

Campaign spox tells NBC News, "It's tongue in cheek. There were obviously no crickets on the debate stage." https://t.co/C970p43kMj

'-- Maura Barrett (@MauraBarrettNBC) February 20, 2020

Bloomberg was set upon by all sides during the debate Wednesday, a clear threat to his less wealthy Democrat opponents who are hemmoraging millions to keep up with him.

Follow the author on Gab: https://gab.ai/adansalazar

On Twitter: Follow @AdanSalazarWins

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adan.salazar.735

On Minds: https://www.minds.com/adan_infowars

The claws were out last night during the Democrats 9th Presidential debate, featuring a new candidate, Mike Bloomberg. Here are a few of the highlights from the night if you didn't get a chance to watch it live.

By the way, people who know what's coming are taking advantage of our healthy & delicious storable food!

`};let stream_id = 1;toggleStreamsButton.addEventListener('click', (event) => {event.preventDefault();const target = event.currentTarget;if (stream_id === 1) {target.innerHTML = 'Alex Jones Show';player.innerHTML = getEmbedCode('5c59c724f7c188001c3d8e2f');stream_id = 2;}else {target.innerHTML = 'Infowars Network Live Feed';player.innerHTML = getEmbedCode('5b92a1e6568f22455f55be2b');stream_id = 1;}}); })();

`;}}catch (error) {console.error(error);}})();

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 09:51

Replying to

@tomselliott @RepSwalwell @BernieSanders There is no logic at all to what Swallwell is saying...none whatsoever. ''If Russia favors Bernie, you can't hold it against him. He can't help it. But if Russia favors trump, you CAN hold it against him, blah blah blah...cuz, cuz, cuz...Orange Man Bad.''

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 09:48

Log in Sign up NowThis @ nowthisnews 'Do I look white to you?' '-- Rep.

@RashidaTlaib challenged the erasure of Middle Eastern and North African communities on the 2020 Census

pic.twitter.com/DcUULxKNgP 7:03 AM - 21 Feb 2020 Twitter by: NowThis @nowthisnews Arthur Bodek @ ArthurBodek

14h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib So she wants to get to check the cool box?

View conversation · flabbergasted @ observeaddict

14h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib This could not possibly be dumber.

View conversation · Sweet Lu @ Porksword6

15h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib She makes me wish the President would commute Kwame Kilpatrick's sentence so he could run against her and take her seat in Congress

View conversation · Brian zapolski @ Zippy7410

11h Replying to

@Porksword6 @nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib Pretty sad to say isn't it

View conversation · JustOleMe @ JustOleMe2

13h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib yes, she is white

View conversation · Diego Valezquez @ diego_valezquez

13h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib Yep like a Southern European.

pic.twitter.com/1GSjxoMTle View conversation · Chris Nodimas🍠@ CholeraFan

14h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib She really should smile more.

View conversation · Charles Mulligan @ CharlesMullig15

2h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib Race is a Social Construct.

View conversation · Usernames are hardðŸ'ðŸ§...🌐 @ Usernamesareha2

2h Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib THIS. So much.

View conversation · so_sassy333 @ So_Sassy333

59m Replying to

@nowthisnews @RashidaTlaib ðŸŒðŸ¾ðŸŒðŸ¾ðŸŒðŸ¾ðŸŒðŸ¾ðŸŒðŸ¾

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 09:42

Birdland @ Nevermore522055

21h The scariest part about this is that these people are serious.Every SNL skit, every late night talk show host, every comedian does the same thing, but it typically is at the expense of Republicans. The script is flipped, and they want to change the rules.This. Is. The. Left.

View conversation ·

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 09:07

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:40

On his third full day of freedom after serving eight years in prison for corruption, an unrepentant Rod R. Blagojevich appeared on CNN to argue that he never should have been charged in the first place.

He was a ''political prisoner,'' he said, not too different from Nelson Mandela. ''Corrupt'' prosecutors had abused their powers. His crimes weren't crimes at all, they were just ''routine practices.'' Host Anderson Cooper grew increasingly agitated with the disgraced former Illinois governor's attempts to paint himself as the victim. And at the end of an acrimonious 12-minute interview Friday night, his frustration boiled over.

''You got out. You do have an obligation to at least admit what you did wrong,'' Cooper told Blagojevich. ''And you refused to do that, and you're creating a whole new alternate universe of facts."

''And that may be big in politics today,'' he said, "but it's still, frankly, just b---s---.''

''It's not b---s---, I lived it myself," Blagojevic protested. ''It's not b---s--- at all.''

Fiery exchanges and over-the-top rhetoric have become staples of cable news debates in an era of intense political polarization and in an administration defined in part by its overt hostility to the news media. But rarely does a host of Cooper's stature use such blunt language to criticize a guest. And interviewees seldom respond in kind.

Throughout the heated discussion, Blagojevich, whose 14-year sentence was commuted by President Trump last week, seemed to follow a formula that Trump himself has perfected as a businessman and a politician: attack, counterattack and never apologize.

The former Democratic governor, who now calls himself a ''Trumpocrat," was convicted on corruption charges for trying in 2008 to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat and for shaking down a children's hospital for campaign contributions. His refusal to atone for those crimes, and his repeated insistence that he was persecuted for doing his job, rankled Cooper.

Rod Blagojevich is out of prison thanks to a kind of mercy he rarely showed as governor

''Since you've been out, and the statements you've made, you've shown no remorse for the crimes you were convicted by a jury of, and you're portraying yourself as a victim of persecution by prosecutors,'' Cooper said at the beginning of the interview. ''Just about everyone who has actually looked at the evidence against has said that is just false.''

''Well I don't think they've looked carefully, as I am a political prisoner," Blagojevich said. ''I was put in prison for practicing politics.''

Cooper was taken aback by claim.

''Nelson Mandela was a political prisoner,'' Cooper said of the revolutionary anti-apartheid leader from South Africa who spent nearly three decades in prison. ''Political prisoners have no due process and are unjustly jailed. You had a jury convict you. You had appeals courts look at your sentencing, and you even appealed to the Supreme Court twice and they refused to hear you. So you are hardly a political prisoner.''

Blagojevich pushed back, saying Mandela ''would say what I'm saying today.''

Cooper, who has reported from South Africa, called the assertion ''offensive'' and ''just nuts.''

From there, Blagojevich attacked the prosecutors in his case, baselessly claiming that they duped jurors into convicting him. He likened the investigation to a ''dirty cop planting a murder weapon to frame an innocent man.''

Blagojevich was convicted after being caught on FBI wiretaps discussing how he wanted to sell Obama's vacated Senate seat. It was a ''valuable thing," and ''you don't just give it away for nothing," he said in the recordings.

The conversation with Cooper also turned to Blagojevich's pledge to advocate for criminal justice reform now that he's out of prison. Cooper pointed out, as others have, that Blagojevich let clemency petitions languish while he was governor, taking action on less than 25 percent of the requests that crossed his desk. His successor inherited a backlog of roughly 3,000 petitions.

''It's a little ironic, and, frankly, a little sad and pathetic and hypocritical,'' Cooper said. ''You ignored a whole hell of a lot of people who were hoping you would give them clemency when you actually mattered.''

''That's among my biggest regrets,'' Blagojevich said in a brief moment of contrition. Then he turned the focus back on himself: ''I didn't know how corrupt the criminal justice system was until they did it to me.''

As recently as a few years ago, Cooper might have gotten in trouble for calling ''bullshit'' on a person he was interviewing. In 2015, his fellow anchor Don Lemon apologized on-air just for quoting someone who had used the vulgar expression.

But there was nothing of the sort after Cooper's exchange with Blagojevich went viral Friday night. A post from his Twitter account read: ''Things got a little heated.''

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 06:58

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics (005930.KS ) said on Saturday that one coronavirus case had been confirmed at its mobile device factory complex in the southeastern city of Gumi, causing a shutdown of its entire facility there until Monday morning.

Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone maker, said the floor where the infected employee worked would be shut down until the morning of Feb. 25.

''The company has placed colleagues who came in contact with the infected employee in self-quarantine and taken steps to have them tested for possible infection,'' Samsung said in a news release.

Samsung's factory in Gumi accounts for a small portion of its total smartphone production, and it makes high-end phones, mostly for the domestic market. Samsung produces most of its smartphones in Vietnam and India.

Gumi is close to the city of Daegu, home to a church at the center of South Korea's largest coronavirus outbreak.

South Korea said on Saturday that the number of people infected with the coronavirus in the country had more than doubled to 433.

Samsung said production at its chip and display factories in other parts of South Korea would not be affected.

Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin. Editing by Gerry Doyle

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 20:35

Did Russia act independently in support of Trump or did the Trump campaign actively collude with them in attempting to win the election?

pic.twitter.com/8LrHOejLgw

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 20:32

Log in Sign up Tom Elliott @ tomselliott Susan Rice on

@RichardGrenell: ''The problem is that Rick Grenell is one of the most massively dishonest people I've ever encountered. I'm not using this language lightly. He is a hack and a shill and that's all he's ever been."

pic.twitter.com/fDn3JwfrrT 1:38 PM - 21 Feb 2020 Twitter by: Tom Elliott @tomselliott Zach Ryan @ poli_text

5h Replying to

@tomselliott @RichardGrenell 🂠coming from Mrs. Corrupt of the Obama admin

View conversation · Rex Linville @ demaree63

4h Replying to

@poli_text @tomselliott @RichardGrenell Valerie sitting just to her right............this is no coincidence

View conversation · Dianny 🇺🇸 @ DiannyRants

4h Replying to

@tomselliott @RichardGrenell Clearly Susan has never encountered herself.

View conversation · L. Dealy @ mairnealachdha

5h Replying to

@tomselliott @RichardGrenell Wow...she would know all about dishonesty.

View conversation · (((Peter Piper))) @ Pied_Peter

4h Replying to

@tomselliott @RichardGrenell pic.twitter.com/lTHCHXyonC View conversation · Kenneth C Damschen @ Sonorandesertra

4h Replying to

@Pied_Peter @MAGAKatydid and

2 others Ya right...classified Clinton get out of jail free card

View conversation · Amy Cheapho @ amycheapho

4h Replying to

@tomselliott @RichardGrenell lol- they are so scared

youtube.com/watch?v=6oOxAy'... View conversation · hvns2mergatroid @ hvns2mergatroi1

4h Replying to

@amycheapho @tomselliott @RichardGrenell They sure are!!! And I'm LOVING THE SHOW!!!

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:49

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 09:21

Replying to

@tomselliott @drawandstrike He will not get the nomination.DNC will break rule after rule, enact new rules, set new requirements/quotas: what ever it takes to make certain it doesn't happenORBernie will drop out for some unknown reason. (Remember Ross Perot)

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 23:36

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said that he believed President Donald Trump would increase his support among African-Americans by at least 50 percent, and that this would guarantee him a re-election victory in 2020.

Scott made the comments to Neil Cavuto on his Fox News show Thursday. He based much of his opinion on the entrance and performance of New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg into the Democratic primary campaign.

"President Trump will see a 50 percent increase in his African-American support," said Scott.

"It will go from 8 percent in 2016 to a minimum of 12 percent in 2020. He may even get to 15 percent of the African-American vote, and that is game over!" he added.

"Wow what makes you say that, Senator? asked Cavuto.

"Well, listen to what the Democrats are saying. They have top tier candidates that say red-lining was a good thing, having a negative impact on African-American home ownership," Scott said.

"And what is President Trump doing during the same time?" he asked rhetorically. "Simple. He had an executive order to increase affordability of home ownership, and African-American home ownership since he took office is up about 2 percent."

Scott went on to reference Bloomberg's advocacy for "harassing African-American males through stop and frisk," a controversial law enforcement policy.

"Compare that against President Trump's criminal justice reform packages that are making the justice system more fair for African-Americans disproportionately than it has been in a long time, at least thirty years!" he added.

Scott also cited higher wages, more jobs, and a lessening of the wealth gap. He added that the president had secured permanent funding for historically black colleges and universities for the first time in the country's history.

"President Trump is not just talking a good game, he is walking a good game!" he concluded.

Here's the video of Scott's comments:

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 22:13

Activate Push Notifications

Confirm to receive notifications when channels you've subscribed to upload new videos.

You can activate this any time from the settings page.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 22:00

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 21:55

Welcome home! This timeline is where you'll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

Tweets not working for you? Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

Say a lot with a little When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart '-- it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

Spread the word The fastest way to share someone else's Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

Join the conversation Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you're passionate about, and jump right in.

Learn the latest Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

Get more of what you love Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

Find what's happening See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

Never miss a Moment Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:57

WORLD Published: February 17, 2020 | 2 min read, 392 words

WRITTEN BY Your review will affect the following:

businessinsider.com Ben Winck China's central bank in Guangzhou announced it will destroy cash collected by hospitals, buses, and markets in coronavirus-afflicted areas to curb the outbreak's contagion, financial news outlet Caixin reported Saturday.The People's Bank of China ordered all paper currency with high exposure to the outbreak withdraw cash for either destruction or disinfection, according to Caixin. Commercial banks were told to place banknotes from infected areas aside, clean them, and hand them to the central bank. The coronavirus continues to spread around the world and most heavily hit China's...

READ MORE

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:52

EU leaders were facing budget chaos today at a bruising first summit since Brexit as four wealthy nations refused to fill the gap left by Britain's departure.

The 27 leaders reached a stalemate after arguing into the early hours in Brussels, with talks on the trillion-euro budget resuming for a second day today and this afternoon there was still deadlock.

The UK's departure has left the bloc with a '‚¬75billion (£63billion) hole in its finances over seven years and the budget battle has exposed bitter divisions between EU members.

Germany wants to spend more on climate change while France is seeking more money for a joint defence, with poorer nations determined to keep their generous EU payouts.

But the so-called 'frugal four' of Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden are unwilling to pay more to plug the gap.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who came prepared for a long-haul summit by carrying a biography of Frederic Chopin, said he did 'not plan to put my signature' to the latest compromise proposal.

EU figures are seeking a figure of 1.08 per cent of the bloc's combined GDP to cover the six years from 2021 to 2027, but the frugal nations are unwilling to go above the current 1 per cent.

Meanwhile nations that receive 'cohesion funds' want more still, with authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban telling reporters today they want 'at least 1.3 per cent or close to that.'

The UK's departure last month meant it was not dragged into the row over money that would have been sure to spark fury among eurosceptics.

French president Emmanuel Macron grimaces as he arrives for the second day of budget talks in Brussels today, after the negotiations reached a stalemate overnight

Dutch leader Mark Rutte (centre, facing the camera) embraces Portuguese leader Antonio Costa, with Finnish PM Sanna Marin (left) and Greece's Kyriakos Mitsotakis (right) looking on

German chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the second day of budget negotiations today. Leaders are battling over how to fill a budget gap left by Brexit

The 27-member bloc's unity during Brexit negotiations has given way to fractious talks on its future after Britain finally left on January 31.

A frustrated Czech prime minister Andrej Babis said there was 'no point continuing the summit' if the 'Frugal Four' refused to increase their contributions.

'If the group of four rich countries Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria insist, we can go straight home,' Babis said today.

The Frugal Four are unwilling to pay more to fill the Brexit gap, while Germany is also wary of a spiralling budget.

'The bilaterals took forever. But it seems things have not moved, the frugals keep on insisting on their position,' one diplomat said on Friday morning.

However, the poorer southern and eastern European nations want to keep generous EU funds coming regardless of Brexit.

French leader Emmanuel Macron has backed calls to resist spending cuts, saying it would be 'unacceptable' to 'compensate the departure of the British by reducing spending'.

European Council chief Charles Michel has tabled a draft budget of '‚¬1.09trillion, which represents 1.074 per cent of gross national income of EU27 countries.

The current long-term budget for 2014-2020 is '‚¬1.08trillion, which represents 1.02 per cent of gross national income for the EU28, before Britain's departure.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (right) meets with leaders of three of the 'Frugal Four': Austria's Sebastian Kurz, Holland's Mark Rutte and Sweden's Stefan Lofven

Merkel greets Macron on the sidelines of the summit yesterday, where the 27 leaders are battling for a share of the EU's '‚¬1trillion budget

Michel was last night meeting with each leader one-by-one to discuss their grievances and demands.

'There are lot of concerns, priorities, and interests,' he said. 'I'm well aware that the final steps that must be taken to find a compromise are always the most difficult.'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she hoped 'we get at least a good deal further,' but said that 'for net contributors the balance is not right yet.'

Finland's 34-year-old prime minister Sanna Marin said the member states are 'still quite far away from each other'.

'There is a lot of ambition to this budget. But let's be realistic - Britain has left the EU and we are in a new position,' she said.

'The proposal has gone in the wrong direction. Finland thinks the overall level is a bit too high, we would like to have it more moderate.'

Dutch leader Rutte said he could not back a proposal that allocates a third of the budget for development funds and another third for farmers.

Agriculture accounts for around one per cent of the EU's economy, but soaks up billions in subsidies.

European Council chief Charles Michel (left) speaks to Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the summit in Brussels yesterday

Ursula von der Leyen (centre) meets European Parliament president David-Maria Sassoli and Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa in Brussels yesterday

'I cannot sign up to this proposal. The proposal is simply not good,' Rutte told reporters ahead of the talks.

Outside the summit centre, farmers rolled tractors down the street to push their demands for sufficient funds.

France, the number two contributor after Germany, wants to safeguard subsidies for farmers but is uneasy about the growth of so-called 'cohesion' funds for poorer nations.

Germany, the Netherlands and others are keen to shift funds towards new priorities including global warming, migration and growth in the digital economy.

The EU budget is drawn from national contributions as well as money from customs duties, a cut of sales tax and fines levied on companies.

The bloc is also looking for new sources of revenue, but the leaders are split on a proposed tax on plastic waste or sharing profits from carbon emissions trade.

Officials warn that without a deal by the end of the year, the bloc will have to freeze most of its projects from 2021.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:43

We couldn't load some important parts of our website.They may have been blocked by your firewall, proxy or browser set-up.Try refreshing the page or get in touch through our help center.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:40

An innovative nuclear plant that runs on lower waste fuel hopes to be online by 2022-2025.The plant's creator, Oklo, joins startups around the world working to innovate safer, smaller nuclear power plants.But experts suggest that Oklo's timeline is unrealistic with years of nuclear approval process ahead.An experimental nuclear reactor in Idaho could be the first of its kind in the United States: a commercial reactor providing power using fuel that reduces nuclear waste. The small power plant could power about 1,000 homes and can run almost autonomously for 20 years.

This project comes from Oklo, that claims its reactor would be the ''first ever'' one to generate power through nuclear waste. But Oklo is just one of many groups working on ways to make localized and safer nuclear power as a bridge between the energy status quo and a more carbon neutral future.

''Every scenario presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for keeping the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels, relies on nuclear providing a growing share of our electricity,'' the environmental blog Grist explains.

There are a few overarching ideas these aspiring innovators share. First, much smaller nuclear reactors'--whether that's relatively small versions of ''full size'' commercial reactors or truly localized small reactors like Oklo's'--are inherently safer. Imagine trying to wipe up a spill of a few drops of soda versus an entire two-liter bottle. It's also easier and cheaper to build containment for smaller reactors.

Second, many of these innovative designs want to use a new or different format of nuclear fuel in their reactions. Some are using recycled waste products, some are using chemical reactions that can generate power without reaching ''critical'' state'--and smaller reactors in particular require a lot less fuel, which, means there's less toxic waste.

Oklo's plans are a combination of both. At just 1.5 megawatts, the plant would be one of the smallest plants ever build'--even during the early days of nuclear energy. The smallest exigent nuclear plant in the world produces 11 megawatts, and even Russia's new floating power plant makes over 30. But the nondescript design looks like an A-frame house and would be easy to squeeze into many more locations than operating nuclear plants.

In December, Oklo received a permit to begin building their new Aurora plant, which is the first and only permit ever issued in the U.S. to a nuclear plant using something other than a light water (''water-cooled'') reactor. The specific mix of fuel they plan to use is called HALEU for short: ''High-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) [...] promises to provide more power per volume than conventional reactors, and its efficiency allows for smaller plant sizes,'' Power explains. ''It also promises longer core life and a higher burn-up rate of nuclear waste.''

There are big obstacles in Oklo's way, though. Their planned timeline, which Grist says is to open between 2022 and 2025'--after just receiving a permit in December 2019'--would be one of the shortest in U.S. nuclear power history. For the first-of-its-kind commercial, HALEU-fueled fast breeder reactor, this seems optimistic, to say the least.

But if Oklo can breeze through the nuclear regulatory process and make a precedent for safer reactors to experience shorter approval times, that could pave the way for faster nuclear innovation'--something many experts say we desperately need.

Source: Grist

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:24

Google Chrome's seamless updates have long been a big part of its appeal. But perhaps not anymore. With the latest version of Chrome already installed on hundreds of millions of computers and smartphones around the world, a significant warning has been issued that you might not like what it has running inside.

Google Chrome is now running a process inside it which make may users uncomfortable.

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesPicked up by The Register, Chrome 80 (check your version by going to Settings > About Chrome) contains a new browser capability called ScrollToTextFragment. This is deep linking technology tied to website text, but multiple sources have revealed it is a potentially invasive privacy nightmare.

02/22 Update: while Google is currently under pressure for new privacy concerns within Chrome 80, the company has now issued its own warning about Microsoft's new Chromium-based Edge browser. Google warns that, while technically compatible, installing Chrome extensions on Edge causes security vulnerabilities. To stress this point, Google is issuing a popup to every Edge user who visits the Chrome web store stating that it "recommends switching to Chrome to use extensions securely." To date there have been no reports of security compromises using Edge with Chrome extensions, including from Microsoft itself. So whether there is a genuine risk or this is a scare tactic from Google as it ties to protect its market position from Microsoft's ambitious new browser, remains to be seen. Either way, you should stay alert.

02/23 Update: Google is in the spotlight over its controversial inclusion of ScrollToTextFragment in Chrome 80, but the company has now stepped over two significant areas to improve its user transparency. First, (via 9to5Google) the company is changing its Chrome terms of service for "improved readability" and "better communication" with plainer language and notifications when changes are made showing where and why. Second, ChromeStory has spotted a new code commit in Chrome which will give users more choice over how their passwords are stored. Currently you can either sync all your passwords in the Google Cloud or nothing at all, but the new code (named ''Butter for passwords''') will allow Chrome users to selectively pick which passwords are synced to the Google Cloud and which are kept locally on device. This would be a big deal for users with highly sensitive passwords which they want kept away from both Google and other Google devices they own. This would be a notable step forward and a win for end users.

To understand why requires a brief guide to how ScrollToTextFragment works. The simple version is it allows Google to index websites and share links down to a single word of text and its position on the page. It does this by creating its own anchors to text (using the format: #:~:text=[prefix-,]textStart[,textEnd][,-suffix]) and it doesn't require the permission of the web page author to do so. Google gives the harmless example:

''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#:~:text=On islands, birds can contribute as much as 60% of a cat's diet] This loads the page for Cat, highlights the specified text, and scrolls directly to it.''

The deep linking freedom of ScrollToTextFragment can be very useful for sharing very specific links to parts of webpages. The problem is it can also be exploited. Warning about the development of ScrollToTextFragment in December, Peter Snyder, a privacy researcher at Brave Browser explained:

"Consider a situation where I can view DNS traffic (e.g. company network), and I send a link to the company health portal, with [the anchor] #:~:text=cancer. On certain page layouts, I might be able [to] tell if the employee has cancer by looking for lower-on-the-page resources being requested.''

And it was Snyder who spotted that ScrollToTextFragment is now active inside Chrome 80 stating that "Imposing privacy and security leaks to existing sites (many of which will never be updated) REALLY should be a 'don't break the web', never-cross, redline. This spec does that."

Google Chrome 80 is seamlessly updating on hundreds of millions of devices around the world

Gordon KellyDavid Baron, a principal engineer at Mozilla, maker of Firefox, also warned against the development of ScrollToTextFragment, saying: "My high-level opinion here is that this a really valuable feature, but it might also be one where all of the possible solutions have major issues/problems.''

Defending the decision, Google's engineers have issued a document outlining the pros/cons of the deep linking technology in ScrollToTextFragment and Chromium engineer David Bokan wrote this week that ''We discussed this and other issues with our security team and, to summarize, we understand the issue but disagree on the severity so we're proceeding with allowing this without requiring opt-in.''

Bokan says the company will work on an opt-out option, but how many will even know ScrollToTextFragment exists? And here lies the nub of it: Google has such power it can be judge and jury to decide what is or isn't acceptable. So ScrollToTextFragment, with its unresolved privacy concerns and lack of support from other browser makers, is now out there, running in the background of hundreds of millions of Chrome installations.

Whether you want to be part of that is up to you.

___

Follow Gordon on Facebook

More On Forbes

Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL Review: Smart Phones, Dumb Decisions

Google Pixel 3a Review: The Best Smartphone Under $500

Apple iPhone 12: Everything We Know So Far

Apple AirPods Pro Vs AirPods: What's The Difference?

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:14

In 1981, when Chesa Boudin was 14 months old, his parents '-- members of the radical and violent Weather Underground '-- left him with a babysitter so they could take part in an armored car robbery. It became one of New York's most notorious botched heists, a crime that left two police officers and a Brink's truck guard dead in a New York suburb.

Thirty-eight years later, Boudin is set to become San Francisco's top prosecutor. In a matter of weeks, he will be sworn in as the city's district attorney, the latest in a line of prosecutors seen as criminal justice reformers who are taking the reins across the country.

Like his peers on the left, Boudin ran on a platform of ending "mass incarceration," eliminating cash bail, creating a unit to review wrongful convictions and refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, as well as prosecuting ICE agents who violate so-called sanctuary city laws. He also wants to move the district attorney's office away from prosecuting prostitution and minor quality-of-life crimes to focus, instead, on taking on corporations and prioritizing the most serious offenses.

Boudin, 39, spent decades visiting his parents in prison and, as a result, learned the ins and outs of the criminal justice system from a unique vantage point. Boudin's parents were getaway drivers in the attempted Brink's robbery in 1981 in Nanuet, New York, about 35 miles north of New York City. His mother, Kathy Boudin, pleaded guilty to murder and robbery and was imprisoned for more than two decades. His father, David Gilbert, is still behind bars after he was convicted of murder and robbery.

(His parents did not fire a shot that day '-- the officers and the guard were killed by the Black Liberation Army, which was a partner with the Weather Underground in the attempted robbery to get money to finance their radical activities. They have since expressed regret for the deaths.)

Kathy Boudin is led from the Rockland County Courthouse in New York on Nov. 21, 1981. AP file"My earliest memory is visiting them in prison, but I didn't see the trial or anything like that," Boudin said in an interview last week. "My mother negotiated a plea deal, and my father went to trial. I think one thing we notice in their case that kind of stands out is how, in some ways, arbitrary the outcomes in the criminal justice system can be. And they did basically the same thing, identical thing."

He added: "Certainly, one lesson I learned is how ... punitive it can be when your dad, arguably, was given an extra 55 years' minimum sentence than your mother. It also obviously highlights the value of a good lawyer."

With his parents in prison, Boudin was raised in Chicago by Weather Underground founder Bill Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, both of whom had been federal fugitives in the 1970s for their anti-war activities. Boudin would go on to study at Yale and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He would later spend a decade traveling in South America, working, among other jobs, as a translator for Venezuela's president at the time, Hugo Chavez, before becoming a public defender in San Francisco.

He entered the district attorney's race as an underdog '-- someone who had never prosecuted a case who was going up against a more established candidate backed by Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., herself previously the city's DA.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

Boudin, who put his life story front and center during the campaign, won by fewer than 3,000 votes in November.

"I want to restore a sense of compassion," Boudin said. "That's just a true, motivating fact that we do have compassion for victims, compassion for the community ... compassion for the family members of people who are accused of committing crimes and compassion for the people who, themselves, have caused harm. We need to hold them accountable in a way that is serious.

Police at the scene of the Brink's armored truck robbery in Nanuet, New York, on Oct. 21, 1981. AP file"Because I think that, often, the criminal justice system is dehumanizing to all that it touches from all sides," he added. "And people are dealing with real trauma in the case of violent crime and experiences that leave people in fear and make it more likely the people will themselves commit crimes."

Boudin's platform made him the target of a number of opponents, such as the San Francisco Police Officers Association, which spent more than $650,000 to defeat him, sending mailers to voters alleging that he was the top choice for criminals and that his "reckless policies will cost lives."

"For him to just basically say, 'Hey, everyone's done their time; they should come out,' we don't think that is a safe approach," Tony Montoya, president of the officers association, said in an interview.

Montoya accused Boudin of a "kind of almost a criminal first, victim second-type approach," adding: "We looked at it as a public safety issue. This was never about Mr. Boudin as a person. This was never about who his parents were. This was about his policies and how they would impact public safety, and public safety is what we do."

Others did draw a direct line between Boudin and his parents. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association posted a video on its Facebook page titled "Terrorist's Son as SF District Attorney?" and calling Boudin a "communist radical of sorts."

Once the election was over, Montoya and Boudin mentioned interest in sitting down to discuss cooperation and concerns.

"I've been really consistent throughout the campaign and since I won that I want to prioritize victims rights and I want to prioritize healing," Boudin said. "I appreciate that the [Police Officers Association] disagrees and has been critical of me and my way, but I've been very consistent in my commitments to victims. And I, myself, was a victim, indirectly, of my parents' crimes ... and I think there's a lot of room for improvement in what we're doing right now."

Chesa Boudin with his father, David Gilbert, in an undated photo at the maximum security prison where Gilbert was serving a sentence for the killing of a Brink's guard and two police officers during a robbery by the radical Weather Underground. Ralf-Finn Hestoft / Corbis via Getty Images fileBoudin's election marks the latest victory for a nationwide movement to elect candidates described as progressive reformers to similar positions. It's a trend that has come under fire from law enforcement at the highest levels, not least Attorney General William Barr, who said in August that "the emergence in some of our large cities of district attorneys that style themselves as 'social justice' reformers, who spend their time undercutting the police, letting criminals off the hook and refusing to enforce the law, [is] demoralizing to law enforcement and dangerous to public safety."

Boudin's campaign also was closely watched by prosecutors such as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Suffolk County, Massachusetts, District Attorney Rachael Rollins, whose jurisdiction includes Boston.

"What Chesa is saying is very close to what people want," Krasner told NBC News. "And what the institutions are saying is really the voice of the past."

He added: "We're seeing victories that no one thought were possible. We're seeing this in all kinds of different locations, even places where it seems quite unlikely."

Download the NBC News app for breaking news

Rollins, who said she spoke to Boudin on the night of his victory, praised his platform and his transparency.

"What I really admire about Chesa is '-- and I tried to do this myself as a candidate '-- he's not hiding the ball," she said. "He's not pretending to be something, wins and then becomes who he really always was. Chesa has made it very clear with respect to ICE, with respect to certain policies in that office, with respect to general principles, who he is going to be and what he is going to do."

Miriam Krinsky, executive director of the nonprofit group Fair and Just Prosecution, called Boudin's experience with his parents' imprisonment defining, and she recalled a recent group discussion in which his remarks stood out.

"Chesa chimed in and spoke from the heart about his own personal experience, having seen and watched those issues play out in the lives of members of his family," Krinsky said. "And it shaped me that, all of a sudden, we had that lived experience voice in the room within our elected leaders. And that's incredible. And so, for Chesa, it's real."

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 06:24

How dangerous is the virus? There are three parameters to understand in order to assess the magnitude of the risk posed by this novel coronavirus:

Transmission Rate (Ro) - number of newly infected people from a single case Case Fatality Rate (CFR) - percent of cases that result in death Determine whether asymptomatic transmission is possible How contagious is the Wuhan Coronavirus? (Ro) The attack rate or transmissibility (how rapidly the disease spreads) of a virus is indicated by its reproductive number (Ro, pronounced R-nought or r-zero), which represents the average number of people to which a single infected person will transmit the virus.

WHO's estimated (on Jan. 23) Ro to be between 1.4 and 2.5. [13]

Other studies have estimated a Ro between 3.6 and 4.0, and between 2.24 to 3.58. [23].

Preliminary studies had estimated Ro to be between 1.5 and 3.5. [5][6][7]

An outbreak with a reproductive number of below 1 will gradually disappear.

For comparison, the Ro for the common flu is 1.3 and for SARS it was 2.0.

Fatality Rate (case fatality ratio or CFR) of the Wuhan CoronavirusSee full details: Wuhan Coronavirus Fatality Rate

The novel coronavirus' case fatality rate has been estimated at around 2%, in the WHO press conference held on January 29, 2020 [16] . However, it noted that, without knowing how many were infected, it was too early to be able to put a percentage on the mortality rate figure.

A prior estimate [9] had put that number at 3%.

Fatality rate can change as a virus can mutate, according to epidemiologists.

For comparison, the case fatality rate for SARS was 10%, and for MERS 34%.

Incubation Period (how long it takes for symptoms to appear) See full details: COVID-19 Coronavirus Incubation Period

Symptoms of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 (estimated ranges vary from 2-10 days, 2-14 days, and 10-14 days, see details), during which the virus is contagious but the patient does not display any symptom (asymptomatic transmission).

Age and conditions of Coronavirus cases See latest findings: Age, Sex, Demographics of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths

According to China's National Health Commission (NHC), about 80% of those who died were over the age of 60 and 75% of them had pre-existing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.[24]

According to the WHO Situation Report no. 7 issued on Jan. 27:

The median age of cases detected outside of China is 45 years, ranging from 2 to 74 years. 71% of cases were male. A study of 138 hospitalized patients with NCIP found that the median age was 56 years (interquartile range, 42-68; range, 22-92 years) and 75 (54.3%) were men.[25]

The WHO, in its Myth busters FAQs, addresses the question: "Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?" by answering that:

People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. Patient who died in the Philippines was a 44-year old male The patient who died in the Philippines on February 2, in what was the first death occurring outside of China, was a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan who was admitted on Jan. 25 after experiencing fever, cough, and sore throat, before developing severe pneumonia. In the last few days, ''the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement, however, the condition of the patient deteriorated within his last 24 hours resulting in his demise." according to the Philippine Department of Health.

Serious Cases of 30 year old patients in France As of Jan. 29, according to French authorities, the conditions of the two earliest Paris cases had worsened and the patients were being treated in intensive care, according to French authorities. The patients have been described as a young couple aged 30 and 31 years old, both Chinese citizens from Wuhan who were asymptomatic when they arrived in Paris on January 18 [19].

Age and Sex of the first deaths as reported by the China National Health Commission (NHC) The NHC reported the details of the first 17 deaths up to 24 pm on January 22, 2020. The deaths included 13 males and 4 females. The median age of the deaths was 75 (range 48-89) years.[21]

WHO Risk Assessment: Global EmergencySee full details: WHO coronavirus updates

On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a Global Public Health Emergency.

For more information from the WHO regarding novel coronavirus: WHO page on Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 06:20

(C) Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS U.S. President Donald Trump offers a thumbs up to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. NEW DELHI '-- When presidents go abroad, their trips are typically prewired to include a number of ''deliverables,'' things like trade deals, security agreements and heavily scripted statements by leaders of their affection for one another.

But President Donald Trump's journey halfway around the world this coming week is primarily about something else India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised him '-- a massive, largely adoring crowd, perhaps the largest he's ever addressed.

When he steps off Air Force One on Monday in Ahmedabad, a metropolis in the northwestern state of Gujarat that is the birthplace of Modi and Mahatma Gandhi, Trump will motorcade directly to the new Motera Stadium, christening the 110,000-capacity cricket grounds, set to become the world's largest, with a political rally that will provide Trump the popular adulation he has long sought on the world stage and imagery he can utilize in his reelection campaign.

''It's going to be very exciting,'' Trump crowed last week, saying that Modi has assured him that vast throngs will line the roads. ''He says between the stadium and the airport, we'll have about 7 million people.''

Indian officials countered with a quick reality check, predicting the roadside turnout will be closer to 100,000. Ahmedabad's entire population is 5.5 million.

Trump, who has canceled trips to Poland, Denmark, Peru, Columbia and Switzerland and is known for wanting to sleep in his own bed whenever possible, will make the 7,472-mile trek to India even though a long-sought bilateral trade agreement, despite hurried efforts in recent weeks, appears nowhere close to consummation.

U.S. exports to India have slowed in recent months, widening the trade deficit, and Modi has turned out to be more protectionist than the White House anticipated, hiking tariffs and customs duties, advancing a personal data-protection bill, e-commerce regulations and taking steps to close some markets. If the two leaders announce progress in some areas, perhaps on medical devices or agricultural products, it could allow them to paper over lingering differences with a marginal step forward.

''There is not quite a trade war between the two countries. It's more like a trade skirmish,'' said Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and the author of a new book on how China's rise has strengthened the U.S.-India alliance.

''Both sides feel the other has changed goalposts, and there are domestic political sensitivities in India to some of the concessions that the Trump administration wants.''

In the absence of a major announcement on trade, Trump and Modi plan to finalize smaller agreements by India to purchase $3.5 billion in defense equipment, including helicopters manufactured by Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

India, Madan said, typically would stay away from the public spectacle of a rally for a visiting politician, especially one in a reelection year, in the interest of avoiding anything that could be construed as an endorsement. Similarly, the public trumpeting of newly signed defense contracts is out of character for the Indian government.

But with Trump, both are seen as necessary concessions.

''You will see them try to roll out the red carpet and ensure that he leaves with a good feeling about India,'' Madan said. ''It's not about him, per se, for them. The U.S. relationship for India is crucial as they look at not just the China challenge that's looming, but also an economic growth slowdown.''

Trump also plans to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra on Monday evening and will take part in a full day of meetings and ceremonial events in New Delhi on Tuesday, as well as a news conference, before returning to Washington.

Ironically, Modi has constructed a government wall for Trump's arrival '-- 1,640 feet of bricks, hastily built '-- to enclose and partially block the president's passing view of a dismal slum with more than 2,000 residents near the new stadium.

Crews also have been busy picking up trash in Agra, where this week state authorities released water to help flush out the Yamuna River, which runs alongside the Taj Mahal and has long been fouled by algae and pollution.

Whatever his reasons for agreeing to the trip, Trump will be the fourth consecutive U.S. president to visit India, an increasingly important strategic partner given its proximity to economic powerhouse China, nuclear-armed Pakistan and war-plagued Afghanistan.

''The U.S. and India are in greater alignment than they have been in some time,'' said Jeff Smith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington. He pointed to overlapping strategic objectives, including containing a rising China and opposing its Belt and Road Initiative, curtailing Pakistani-based terrorism and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

There are several divergences beyond trade, however. India has shown no interest in Trump's past offers to mediate its decades-old dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. And the Trump administration's recent outreach toward Pakistan has rankled some leaders in New Delhi.

In Washington, lawmakers in both parties have criticized India's controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which was backed by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

Under the bill, passed by India's parliament in 2019, citizenship is increasingly based on religion. The government has begun fast-tracking the immigration process for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians while excluding Muslims.

Although Trump may speak broadly to India's tradition as the world's largest democracy, his own approach to immigration, and to Muslims, specifically '-- he tried to impose a ban on Muslim immigrants less than a week after taking office in 2017, although the order was quickly halted by the courts '-- means he is unlikely to object to the Indian policy.

''The good news for India is that the last person in the world likely to raise any of these issues is Donald Trump,'' said Bruce Riedel, an expert on South Asia and the Middle East at the Brookings Institution. ''He's an Islamophobe himself.''

While Trump does not enjoy warm relationships with the leaders of several longstanding U.S. allies, he and Modi have built something of a personal chemistry on a foundation of their shared protectionism, immigration restrictions and disdain for the free press in their respective countries.

Their joint appearance at last September's ''Howdy, Modi'' rally before 50,000 Indian Americans in a Houston arena offered a precursor to Monday's main event, titled ''Namaste, Trump.''

For Trump, the political upside with Indian Americans, who account for just 1% of the U.S. electorate and tend to lean Democratic, is marginal at best. But the broader optics of a president being cheered abroad could help his campaign emphasize foreign policy accomplishments.

The visit may be more beneficial to Modi. His aura of political invincibility has dimmed in recent months amid growing tensions between the Hindu majority and Muslims inflamed by the new citizenship law, which has sparked protests and allegations of excessive force by police looking to quell uprisings in largely Muslim areas.

Modi has also faced international criticism for a monthslong clampdown in the disputed, Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir, where political leaders have been placed under house arrest and internet services have been restricted since August '-- the longest-ever internet shutdown in a democracy.

''Trump's visit will give a much-needed political boost to Modi,'' said Seema Sirohi, a columnist for India's Economic Times.

Despite opposition to Trump's trade policies, he is broadly popular in India. Some 56% of Indians said they are confident he will do the right thing in world affairs, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center.

Embracing Trump with a lavish welcome gives Modi ''diplomatic air cover at a time when his controversial domestic policies have fueled street protests across the country and intensified diplomatic concern abroad,'' said Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

For Modi, just getting a visit from Trump is victory enough, analysts said.

''For Trump to get up and go all the way to India '... it's a pretty big deal and a validation for Modi in the face of this withering international criticism,'' said Vipin Narang, an associate political science professor at MIT. ''There's a lot of focus on the lack of deliverables, but for Modi, the trip itself is the deliverable.''

'--'--'--

(Stokols reported from Washington and New Delhi. Bengali reported from Singapore.)

'--'--'--

(C)2020 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 02:50

When President Trump ticks off his accomplishments since taking office, he frequently mentions his aggressive makeover of a key sector of the federal judiciary '-- the circuit courts of appeal, where he has appointed 51 judges to lifetime jobs in three years.

In few places has the effect been felt more powerfully than in the sprawling 9th Circuit, which covers California and eight other states. Because of Trump's success in filling vacancies, the San Francisco-based circuit, long dominated by Democratic appointees, has suddenly shifted to the right, with an even more pronounced tilt expected in the years ahead.

Trump has now named 10 judges to the 9th Circuit '-- more than one-third of its active judges '-- compared with seven appointed by President Obama over eight years.

''Trump has effectively flipped the circuit,'' said 9th Circuit Judge Milan D. Smith Jr., an appointee of President George W. Bush.

To assess the early impact of these appointments, The Times interviewed several judges on the 9th Circuit. Some either declined to discuss their colleagues or inner deliberations or refused to be quoted by name, saying they were not authorized to speak about what goes on behind the scenes.

To be sure, some of the new appointees to the 9th Circuit have quickly won the respect of their colleagues. But the rapid influx of so many judges '-- most without judicial experience '-- has put strains upon the court and stirred criticism among judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents.

''Ten new people at once sends a shock wave through the system,'' a 9th Circuit judge said.

In three years, President Trump has appointed 10 justices to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. By comparison, President Obama appointed seven in eight years.

(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Among those who have caused the most consternation is Judge Daniel P. Collins, a former federal prosecutor and partner of a prestigious law firm.

Some judges said that in the early months of his tenure, Collins has appeared oblivious to court tradition. He has sent memos at all times of the night in violation of a court rule and objected to other judges' rulings in language that some colleagues found combative, they said.

Collins also moved quickly to challenge rulings by his new colleagues, calling for review of five decisions by three-judge panels, and some of the calls came before Collins even had been assigned to his first panel, judges said.

Active judges vote on the calls behind the scenes, and the public becomes aware of a failed effort only when dissents are later filed by the judges who favored reconsideration. Judges said it was unprecedented for a new jurist to try to overturn so many decisions in such a short period of time. The court has so far rejected most of Collins' calls.

''Collins has definitely bulldozed his way around here already in a short time,'' one 9th Circuit judge said. ''Either he doesn't care or doesn't realize that he has offended half the court already.''

Collins did not respond to a request for an interview.

Democratic appointees still make up the majority of active judges '-- 16 to 13. But the court also has judges on ''senior status'' who continue to sit on panels that decide cases. Senior status rank gives judges more flexibility but allows them to continue to work, even full time.

Of the senior judges who will be deciding cases on ''merits'' panels '-- reading briefs and issuing rulings '-- 10 are Republicans and only three are Democratic appointees, Smith said.

''You will see a sea change in the 9th Circuit on day-to-day decisions,'' Smith predicted.

The biggest change will come in controversial cases that test the constitutionality of laws and the legal ability of presidents to establish contentious new rules. The 9th Circuit is weighing challenges to Trump on a wide array of issues, from immigration to reproductive rights, and the rightward tilt is likely to make it easier for the president to prevail.

Only two of the 9th Circuit appointees have prior judicial experience '-- Bridget S. Bade and Danielle Hunsaker. They also are the only women among the court's new judges. Three are Asian Americans '-- one an openly gay man who has two children with his husband. The other five are white men. Several went to the nation's top universities.

The American Bar Assn. rated six of the 10, including Collins, ''well qualified,'' the group's highest rating for circuit judge candidates. Three received the lower ''qualified'' rating, and one, Lawrence VanDyke, was found to be ''not qualified.''

Though conservative, the Trump appointees to the 9th Circuit are not monolithic. Two Trump appointees '-- Bade, a former federal court magistrate, and Mark J. Bennett, a former attorney general of Hawaii '-- are regarded by their colleagues as experienced and collegial.

Trump appointee Eric D. Miller also has drawn positive reviews from both Democratic and Republican appointees. Before his appointment, Miller headed up the appellate division of a major law firm.

''I think he will be a good judge,'' a 9th Circuit veteran said.

But Trump appointee Judge Ryan D. Nelson rattled other members of the court when he suggested during a hearing in August that the 9th Circuit remove a respected San Francisco district judge, Edward M. Chen, from a case. The 9th Circuit rarely takes cases away from district judges and only in extreme situations.

Chen, a former ACLU lawyer, was serving as a federal magistrate when Obama elevated him to the district court. Nelson complained about him during a hearing on a case in which Chen imposed an injunction on a Trump plan to take away protected status from many immigrants.

''You can reverse Ed Chen from time to time, but to suggest from the bench that are you are going to reassign'' a case is ''off the reservation,'' one longtime 9th Circuit judge said. ''Ed is an extremely well respected judge.''

Another veteran called Nelson's suggestion ''beginner stuff.''

''When he is in a china shop, he doesn't walk around with caution,'' the judge said.

Nelson, an Idaho lawyer who worked as general counsel for a wellness consumer goods company, did not respond to a request for comment.

Ninth Circuit Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, a Clinton appointee, noted that most of the Trump appointees are still in transition, with the heat of the political process of Senate confirmation not far behind them. She said she was optimistic the 9th Circuit would continue to be collegial.

Another judge predicted that even the hard-charging Collins, educated at Harvard and Stanford, ''will mellow.''

''I think he will be fine, though he will never be a go-along-get-along guy,'' the judge said.

The behind-the-scenes tensions over Collins spilled into public last month in an order rejecting a call, presumably made by Collins, to reconsider a panel's decision. The panel had upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of suppressing evidence from a tribal officer's search of a vehicle on a public highway. The highway ran through tribal land.

Collins, dissenting from the court's refusal to reconsider, was joined by three judges, two Trump appointees and one appointed by President George W. Bush.

Collins called the panel's decision ''deeply flawed,'' ''plagued'' by legal error and marked by ''confused analysis.''

Two Democratic appointees whose ruling Collins wanted reversed wrote that even in the genre of such dissents, Collins' was was an ''outlier.''

''It misrepresents the legal context of this case and wildly exaggerates the purported consequences of the panel opinion,'' wrote Judge Marsha S. Berzon, a Clinton appointee, and Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz, an Obama appointee.

''This case involves an unusual factual scenario and a technical issue of Indian tribal authority,'' they said. ''It certainly does not present a 'question of exceptional importance' meriting en banc consideration.''

The 9th Circuit court has been dominated by Democratic appointees for decades. In 1978, a federal law created 10 new judgeships on the court, allowing President Carter to fill them all. The liberal Carter appointees were followed by judges named by three Republican presidents and two Democrats.

Clinton's and Obama's appointees were not uniformly liberal, however, and the 9th Circuit has been growing more moderate. One study, examining the years 2010 to 2015, found that the 9th Circuit was the third most reversed by the Supreme Court, following the Ohio-based 6th and Georgia-based 11th circuits.

Still, with Democratic nominees heavily outnumbering Republicans, there were usually enough votes to overturn conservative decisions by three-judge panels.

Smith predicted the full effect of the Trump appointees won't be seen until 2021, when they will be carrying full caseloads.

But even now Democratic appointees are likely to be more reluctant to ask for 11-judge panels to review conservative decisions because the larger en banc panels, chosen randomly, might be dominated by Republicans, judges said.

That happened in July after a panel of the three Republican appointees upheld a Trump ruling denying federal family planning funds to clinics that referred women for abortions. A Democratic appointee called for en banc review, and a majority voted in favor. But the randomly selected 11-member panel had a majority of Republican appointees, including two named by Trump.

The 9th Circuit is by far the largest in the federal appeals court in the nation, and its judges are scattered over nine states.

Some judges elect to work alone with their staffs in offices or courthouses near their homes. Most 9th Circuit veterans have yet to have had any experience with the new appointees, and it could take years before they serve on a panel with each of them.

Trump appointed the successors to the late Judges Stephen Reinhardt and Harry Pregerson, two of the most liberal circuit judges in the nation and filled other slots created by Republicans who opted to take senior status.

The new appointees include Patrick Bumatay, the openly gay former prosecutor, and Daniel A. Bress, a former partner at the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis. The ABA rated both qualified. During a hearing in January on challenges to Trump's immigration policies, Bress appeared ready to side with Trump.

The others are Kenneth Kiyul Lee, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Jenner & Block LLP, who received a well-qualified rating and VanDyke, a former solicitor general of Nevada and a federal deputy assistant attorney general.

In rating VanDyke unqualified for the job, the ABA wrote: ''Mr. VanDyke is arrogant, lazy, an ideologue, and lacking in knowledge of the day-to-day practice, including procedural rules.'' VanDyke cried during his confirmation hearing when attempting to rebut criticism that he might be unfair to the LGBTQ community.

Trump's rapid transformation of the circuit courts '-- three others went from a majority of active judges appointed by Democrats to Republican majorities '-- was accomplished with the support of Senate Republicans.

Nominations of appellate judges may no longer be blocked by filibuster, and Republican Senate leaders have declined under Trump to follow the practice of allowing an appointee's home-state senators to veto the president's choice.

''Trump has set all records for the number of appellate appointees,'' said University of Richmond law Professor Carl Tobias.

The federal appeals courts are just one rung below the Supreme Court, and federal judges serve for life.

Though some 9th Circuit veterans expressed unease at the inexperience of some of the new judges, 9th Circuit Judge Consuelo Callahan said they would grow into the job.

''Both President Obama and President Trump appointed quite a few young people with really exceptional credentials, but not necessarily judicial experience,'' said Callahan, appointed by President George W. Bush.

Four of Obama's seven appointees had been judges.

''You have to learn to be a judge,'' Callahan said.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 02:14

This week Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence briefed Congress on the Kremlin's latest attempts at helping the Trump 2020 campaign, and in response, Trump fired the guy. It couldn't be more clear that Trump wants Vladimir Putin's help. But it turns out Trump isn't the only candidate that Putin is trying to help.

Today the Washington Post reported that the U.S. intel community has also briefed Bernie Sanders on the fact that the Kremlin is trying to help his 2020 campaign. This isn't surprising, as Sanders has a far worse chance of defeating Donald Trump than any other Democratic nominee would have, for reasons that are obvious to everyone outside Bernie's support base. The question of course is what Bernie is going to do about it.

At first it looked like Bernie was doing the right thing, when he publicly denounced the Kremlin's attempted help earlier today, and told Putin to stay out of the election. But then it turned out Bernie was actually briefed on this a month ago, and he kept it quiet. If Bernie has learned that the Kremlin is trying to help his campaign, didn't the public deserve to know about it? CNN asked Bernie about this today, and instead of answering the question, he claimed it's a media conspiracy against his campaign:

Can't this guy take responsibility for anything? Bernie Sanders has spent the past month refusing to inform the public that the Kremlin has been trying to help his campaign. And now that the media has finally broken the story wide open, he's accusing the media of having timed the story to try to hurt his chances in Nevada. This is silly, as the WaPo wouldn't have waited until the night before the caucus if it were trying to time it to impact voting. Also, if Bernie had just been up front with the public a month ago, the story wouldn't be coming out at this particular point in time.

Donald Trump failed the Russia test this week in spectacularly corrupt fashion. Bernie Sanders handled his own Russia test in far less egregious fashion, but he still failed the test. It's the latest reminder that while Bernie would be an infinitely better 2020 option than Trump would be, Bernie isn't qualified to be the Democratic nominee. Every time he has the chance to do the right thing, he does the opportunistic thing instead.

Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 22:33

| February 22, 2020 10:23 PM

Philip Haney, a former Homeland Security Department official during the Obama administration who blew the whistle on his own agency, was found dead Friday with a gunshot wound about 40 miles east of Sacramento, California.

The Amador County Sheriff's office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that deputies and detectives responded to reports Friday morning at 10:12 a.m. of a male subject on the ground with a gunshot wound in the area of Highway 124 and Highway 16 in Plymouth, California.

"Upon their arrival, they located and identified 66-year-old Philip Haney, who was deceased and appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. A firearm was located next to Haney and his vehicle. This investigation is active and ongoing. No further details will be released at this time," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The Amador County Sheriff's office would not respond to any further questions.

According to sources close to Haney, he was recently in contact with top officials about returning to work for the DHS. Additionally, Haney was engaged to be married.

As a whistleblower, Haney testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2016 that DHS ordered him to delete hundreds of files of people with ties to Islamist terrorist groups, arguing several terrorist attacks against people in the United States could have been prevented if certain files had not been scrubbed.

''It is very plausible that one or more of the subsequent terror attacks on the homeland could have been prevented if more subject matter experts in the Department of Homeland Security had been allowed to do our jobs back in late 2009,'' Haney wrote in an opinion piece for the Hill in February 2016. ''It is demoralizing '-- and infuriating '-- that today, those elusive dots are even harder to find, and harder to connect, than they were during the winter of 2009.''

Republicans on Capitol Hill questioned former President Barack Obama's homeland security secretary, Jeh Johnson, about Haney's allegations.

"Was Mr. Haney's testimony that the Department of Homeland Security order over 800 documents ... altered or deleted accurate?" Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, asked Johnson, who bristled at the question.

"I have no idea. I don't know who Mr. Haney is. I wouldn't know him if he walked into the room," he said.

The Washington Examiner received a text message from Haney on Nov. 11 which mentioned plans to write a sequel to his first book, See Something Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government's Submission to Jihad, which described his experience at DHS.

"Odd (surreal reality) that I was a highly visible whistleblower ... that virtually no one listened to, while this guy remains invisible, but is treated like an anointed oracle from above," Haney said in the Nov. 11 text, referring to alleged Ukraine whistleblower Eric Ciaramella. "However, my story is still live, i.e., there's still more to come. It'll be called 'National Security Meltdown.'"

Haney added, "I have a severely hyper-organized archive of everything that's happened since See Something, Say Nothing (SSSN) was published in May of 2016. The National Security Meltdown sequel will pick up right where SSSN left off. My intention is to have it ready by early-to mid-Spring of 2020 (just before the political sound wave hits), then ride that wave all the way to the Nov. elections."

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 22:16

Log in Sign up Kerry Townsend Jacob @ kerryfjacob Carville: ''Why would Putin be supporting

@BernieSanders? Because he wants Donald Trump to win.''

pic.twitter.com/ZiAe1MF0Ze 7:09 PM - 22 Feb 2020 Twitter by: Razing Arizona 🥁 @razingarizona Kerry Townsend Jacob @ kerryfjacob

1h Replying to

@BernieSanders ''I don't think that the

@BernieSanders campaign is colluding and I don't think that the Sanders csmpaigm likes this story. But the story is a fact.''

View conversation · The Persian Soltan @ SehzadeSoroush

1h Replying to

@kerryfjacob @BernieSanders He needs to endorse Biden

View conversation · Marc Weber @ drmarcweber

31m Replying to

@kerryfjacob @HockeyFanGirl12 @BernieSanders Hillary wanted Trump as an opponent for the same reason; that didn't work out so well...

View conversation · TwoCents5818 @ cents5818

1h Replying to

@kerryfjacob @scarletsusieq @BernieSanders Or there's no difference.

View conversation · Reza Shirazian 🌺🌹 @ kingreza

48m Replying to

@kerryfjacob @BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/UvbnRnQa6f View conversation · Andrea Devries @ andydev7

23m Replying to

@kerryfjacob @TrinityMustache @BernieSanders I mean it's so obvious

View conversation · Work Vote Win @ envoysforpete

46m Replying to

@kerryfjacob @BernieSanders ðŸ'¯

View conversation · Sharon - Shih tzu Mom 🌊🌊🌊🌊 2020 ðŸ'¯ @ Brindlepooch

14m Replying to

@kerryfjacob @BernieSanders Indeed

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 14:19

Former Vice President Joe Biden has a documented history of making up stories to make him sound more interesting on the campaign trail, and he's up to his old tricks again.

In the past two weeks, Biden has suddenly started claiming he was arrested in South Africa while on his way to visit Nelson Mandela. As The New York Times reported, Biden didn't include this information in his 2007 memoir and had not spoken about it prominently while campaigning for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

''This day, 30 years ago, Nelson Mandela walked out of prison and entered into discussions about apartheid,'' Biden said in South Carolina last week. ''I had the great honor of meeting him. I had the great honor of being arrested with our U.N. ambassador on the streets of Soweto trying to get to see him on Robbens Island.''

Biden mentioned the arrest twice more in the next week, claiming he was arrested in between attempts to get his wife, Jill, to agree to marry him. That meant the arrest would have occurred in 1977.

''But if Mr. Biden, then a United States senator from Delaware, was in fact arrested while trying to visit Mr. Mandela, he did not mention it in his 2007 memoir when writing about a 1970s trip to South Africa, and he has not spoken of it prominently on the 2020 campaign trail. A check of available news accounts by The New York Times turned up no references to an arrest. South African arrest records are not readily available in the United States,'' the Times reported.

Former congressman Andrew Young, the U.N. ambassador at the time of Biden's arrest, said he had traveled to South Africa with Biden but was never arrested and was skeptical that members of the U.S. congress would have been at risk in the country.

''No, I was never arrested and I don't think he was, either,'' Young told the Times. ''Now, people were being arrested in Washington. I don't think there was ever a situation where congressmen were arrested in South Africa.''

The Times went on to report that it ''could not account for all of the details of Mr. Biden's overseas travel during the period that included the South Africa trip.'' Further, Biden's campaign didn't respond to five efforts from the Times to comment and clarify Biden's remarks.

Biden also ended his story by claiming Mandela himself thanked him for getting arrested while trying to visit.

''After he got free and became president, he came to Washington and came to my office,'' Biden said in Las Vegas. ''He threw his arms around me and said, 'I want to say thank you.' I said, 'What are you thanking me for, Mr. President?' He said, 'You tried to see me. You got arrested trying to see me.'''

The Times speculated that Biden has started telling the story to woo Africa-American voters. Readers may recall that last August Biden was called out for claiming to have tried to pin a Silver Star on a Navy captain who claimed he didn't deserve the medal. As The Daily Wire previously reported, Biden's details about the story constantly changed and it appears he completely made up the story.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 14:06

Log in Sign up Patrick @ PodExperiment $15/hr * 40hrs = $600. $600 * 52weeks = $31200.

#bernietax = 52%$31200 * 52% = $16224$31200 - $16224 = $14976$14976 / 52weeks = $288Current national min wage = $7.25$7.25 * 40hrs = $290H/t

@RealJamesWoods @dbongino 8:54 AM - 22 Feb 2020 Patrick @ PodExperiment

3h Replying to

@PodExperiment Of course everyone knows that they aren't going to be getting 40 hour weeks, especially as the minimum wage goes up.

View conversation · Patrick @ PodExperiment

3h Replying to

@PodExperiment Disclaimer: I have not subtracted income tax from the ''current minim wage'' weekly 40 hr wages, and would have to specify exactly what the tax rate for that would be.

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 14:01

Marie Yovanovitch. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has signed a book deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the publisher told AP on Friday.

Details: The untitled memoir will detail the experiences of the career diplomat from Somalia to Kyiv before she returned to Washington, D.C.

''Yovanovitch's book will deliver pointed reflections on the issues confronting America today, and thoughts on how we can shore up our democracy,'' the publisher wrote in a press release, per AP.The book is expected to come out in the spring of 2021.Why it matters: During her closed-door deposition before House impeachment committees, Yovanovitch testified that President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani led the smear campaign that resulted in her firing. Her ouster and testimony were key events leading to Trump's impeachment in the House.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 13:56

Greyhound, the largest bus company in the U.S., announced Friday it will no longer allow Border Patrol agents to conduct immigration checks on its buses without a warrant.

The bus company revealed in an emailed statement that it no longer consents to any Border Patrol agents or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducting unwarranted searches on its buses or terminal areas that are not open to the public, The Associated Press first reported. Such non-public areas would include company offices or places where a ticket is required.

''Our primary concern is the safety of our customers and team members, and we are confident these changes will lead to an improved experience for all parties involved,'' read a Greyhound statement.

The company will provide bus station employees and drivers with training on the updated policy, and it will also put stickers on each of its buses stating that it does not consent to immigration searches.

Orfa, a migrant from Honduras, and her children (from L) Rachel, Carolina and Bayron get back onto a Greyhound bus following a pitstop in Alamogordo, New Mexico, U.S., May 16, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

The decision comes after Greyhound has faced heavy criticism from progressive and immigrant rights groups for allowing Border Patrol officials to board its buses to verify customers' immigration statuses. The agency has long maintained that these checks are an efficient way to crack down on narcotics smuggling, human trafficking and illegal immigration.

Illegal alien advocates, nevertheless, rejoiced at the announcement.

''We are pleased to see Greyhound clearly communicate that it does not consent to racial profiling and harassment on its buses,'' American Civil Liberties Union deputy director Andrea Flores told the AP. ''By protecting its customers and employees, Greyhound is sending a message that it prioritizes the communities it serves.''

It appears that an unearthed memo may be what sparked Greyhound to change its policy.

The company '-- despite receiving criticism from immigrant rights advocates '-- previously argued that it had no choice but to allow Border Patrol agents conduct these checks. However, an internal Border Patrol memo, signed by former Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost in January, confirmed that the Fourth Amendment prohibited agents from searching private buses without consent or without a warrant. (RELATED: Pregnant Illegal Immigrant Gives Birth 'Approximately 30 Minutes' After Crossing Border)

Greyhound came out with its policy change a week after the AP reported on the leaked memo.

''While CBP does not comment on materials asserted to be leaked memos, management regularly disseminates information to reinforce existing protocols. For decades, U.S. Border Patrol agents have routinely engaged in enforcement operations at transportation hubs,'' CBP spokesman Matthew Dyman said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

''Enforcement operations away from the immediate border are performed consistent with law and in direct support of immediate border enforcement efforts, and such operations function as a means of preventing smuggling and other criminal organizations from exploitation of existing transportation hubs to travel further into the United States. The U.S. Border Patrol conducts regular outreach with transportation companies to foster good working relationships,'' he continued.

This post was updated to include comment from a CBP spokesman.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 12:19

A man in tan cargo shorts is lying on the pavement, turning gray with his shirt pulled up to his chest.

An ambulance from Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 9 shoots down an alley and comes to a stop. Firefighters Brian George and Nicolas Calkins pop out and grab an assortment of medical gear.

''It's probably heroin, dude,'' George says to Calkins, even before kneeling.

They get to work.

''He's breathing,'' Calkins says.

''Narcan?''

''Yeah. I think heroin.''

George checks the man's pulse while Calkins looks for a vein. The man is not breathing well. They inject naloxone, often referred to by the brand name Narcan, into his neck to counteract the overdose. It doesn't work.

Los Angeles firefighters inject naloxone into the neck of an overdose patient downtown.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

George and Calkins respond to thousands of calls like this every month while working at one of the busiest fire stations in the nation, in the heart of one of the most troubled places in Los Angeles: skid row. They are the unlikely rank and file on the front lines of California's escalating homelessness crisis.

The roughly 60 firefighters at Station No. 9 regularly respond to everything from epileptic fits and overdoses to stalled elevators and full-fledged fires, crisscrossing a district defined by extreme poverty and powerlessness alongside extreme wealth and power in downtown L.A. With residents who are often victims of crime, crippled by addiction and psychiatric disorders from years of living on the street, the firefighters do the best they can with the little they have to offer. Yet the needs are overwhelming.

In 2019 alone, Station No. 9 logged nearly 22,800 emergency calls across just 1.28 square miles '-- about 7,500 more than the city's next-busiest station.

Taking care of L.A.'s most vulnerable residents has given these firefighters a unique perspective on the homelessness crisis. Most are empathetic. Some feel isolated or frustrated about the city's inability to fix what's happening outside their front door. But rather than dwell on those larger forces or their feelings about it all, they train constantly and joke around with a camaraderie shaped by their shared commitment to one of the city's most intense jobs.

''We see things that people never see in their lifetimes '-- we'll see multiple times in one day,'' said Ian Soriano, a firefighter and apparatus operator at Station No. 9.

This is 24 hours in the life of a skid row firefighter.

Firefighters help a stabbing victim to his feet in downtown Los Angeles.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

5:30 a.m.: Fire Station No. 9 Just before sunrise that day, Dan Martinez pulled his Audi A4 onto the sidewalk outside Station No. 9 at 7th and San Julian streets.

The area around the station is abuzz for so much of the day. But at 5:30 a.m., when the C shift arrives, it's quiet. Martinez, who planned to work 48 hours straight, was the first to show up.

A few minutes later, Jacob Gibson, an attendant on one of the station's ambulances, came in and started prepping a meal for the 19 firefighters on duty. Tall with curly red hair and a round face, the second-generation firefighter joked about what he thought was the hardest part of his job.

''Cooking for this many people is a pain in the ass,'' he said.

Gibson began to cut peppers and whisk eggs as the shift change kicked into high gear. Members of the B shift ambled down from their quarters as members of the C shift lined up their cars in the parking lot next door and waited to cram them behind the station.

5:39 a.m.: Outside the station An elderly homeless man walks by wearing a faded gray sweatshirt. He stops and turns toward a firefighter.

''My flesh is on fire,'' he says. ''Put me out.''

''You're not on fire,'' Capt. Branden Silverman responds.

The man keeps walking.

Most of C shift is in the station by 6:30 a.m., but if firefighters don't arrive even earlier, by 5:45 a.m., others will give them hell. Each member has a job to do. In the morning, they check the gear they'll be using that day, and situate their pants and boots near the firetruck they'll be riding in, so they can move quickly when a call comes in.

1 / 13

Ian Moore prepares his gear at skid row's Fire Station No. 9 in downtown Los Angeles, one of the busiest fire stations in the nation. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

2 / 13

A homeless man sleeps outside Fire Station No. 9 on L.A.'s skid row. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

3 / 13

A stabbing victim is treated by an L.A. firefighter in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

4 / 13

A firefighter treats a stabbing victim in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

5 / 13

L.A. firefighters prepare to transport an overdose patient in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

6 / 13

A homeless man who goes by the name Mango helps block 6th Street as a firetruck backs into Station No. 9. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

7 / 13

A homeless man who goes by the name Mango cooks a turkey across the street from Fire Station No. 9, where he has set up his tent. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

8 / 13

L.A. firefighters prepare for a training exercise as a man watches along 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

9 / 13

L.A. firefighters from Station No. 9 treat a patient on skid row early in the morning in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

10 / 13

L.A. firefighter Ian Soriano removes an exhaust pipe from Engine 209 at Station No. 9 after it broke. With the help of other firefighters, the pipe was temporarily fixed. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

11 / 13

Tony Navarro checks his phone in the sleeping quarters at Fire Station No. 9. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

12 / 13

L.A. firefighter Jake Gonzalez wipes down a truck in between calls at Station No. 9. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

13 / 13

An L.A. firefighter takes off his gear at Station No. 9 after returning from a late-night call in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

7:35 a.m.: 632 St. Vincent Court The man in tan cargo shorts is lying on the pavement, his skin gray.

Calkins, trying to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, finally finds another vein in the man's arm and asks for another dose of naloxone.

''If you do it, just go half,'' George says.

George rubs the man's chest and pulls him by his pants onto a gurney. Soon afterward, the man is alert in the ambulance and on his way to an emergency room.

Station No. 9 responds to more medical calls like this than any other fire station in the city, according to the LAFD.

Over nearly two years beginning in 2018, almost 14% of the people that the LAFD took to emergency rooms citywide were homeless. That works out to roughly 81 homeless people a day. For Station No. 9, that ratio was 59%, or about 12 homeless people being brought to the ER every day.

Sometimes firefighters administer naloxone by intraosseous infusion, in which a hole is drilled just below the knee and the drug is injected directly into the patient's bone marrow. This is the quickest way to bring someone back from an overdose.

There's a futility in this ritual, though.

L.A. firefighters on skid row put an overdose patient into the back of an ambulance.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

On skid row, these firefighters have watched homelessness grow, with the citywide population topping 36,000 as of last year. They've seen drug addiction rob many of those same people of their health, making it harder to achieve a stable future away from the street. Yet all George or Calkins or anyone else at Station No. 9 can really do is take them to the emergency room.

Firefighters say they've noticed that overdoses often occur when a person with a history of drug addiction gets out of prison or jail and thinks he or she has the same tolerance for heroin as in the past.

''You think your body is used to it,'' George said. ''You OD a lot quicker.''

In an effort to reduce the workload, the LAFD recently launched its Sober Unit to transport intoxicated people to a center on skid row. Also, a modified wildland firefighting truck known as a ''fast-response vehicle,'' or FRV, now prowls downtown responding to calls.

The department has heavily publicized these pilot programs. The problem is neither operates on weekends.

''They really push the FRV units,'' Capt. Raymond Robles said, ''but we're here every day.''

8:15 a.m.: Back at home base Los Angeles firefighters eat a meal at Fire Station No. 9 between calls.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

By 8:15 a.m., the C shift had received 10 calls for help. In the previous 30 minutes, there had been five, nearly all of them on skid row.

Returning to the station, Gibson trudged back to the stove.

''I hope they didn't burn anything,'' he said, knowing that he'd hear it if his fellow firefighters weren't pleased with their burritos. ''All right,'' he said a few minutes later, ''breakfast is ready. Come and get it.''

The station's 19-member C shift '-- all of them men '-- assembled in the kitchen. Capt. Larry Salas ran through the schedule for the week.

It's a challenge to keep Station No. 9 fully staffed. Some firefighters blame the stigma of homelessness in their district. The volume of calls and the intensity of the work mean firefighters looking for easy overtime aren't flocking there.

As a result, on the day The Times visited, one firefighter was working for his fifth straight day.

After roll call, Robles, the station's longtime leader, took over the meeting. An affable and stocky man, he is part father and part camp counselor to his cohort of younger firefighters, who are intensely loyal to him.

''We're going to go to the Hotel Baltimore and throw the stick,'' he told the team, referring to practice climbing the ladder. ''Everyone is going to climb the stick and work our way down.''

Next to speak is Tony Navarro, who, as the most senior member of Station No. 9, is the bull firefighter. He has been at the station for 11 years; before working there, he'd never seen skid row.

On his first day, Navarro responded to a medical call to find a man without feet in a wheelchair. His legs were wrapped in plastic, and maggots were eating away the flesh underneath. When he and other firefighters pulled the man out of his chair, they found that his whole backside was raw and maggots were crawling over his body, top to bottom.

''It smelled like a dead body,'' Navarro said. ''That was my first day, and it was all downhill from there.''

'It smelled like a dead body. That was my first day, and it was all downhill from there.'Tony Navarro, firefighter

Burnout is the biggest enemy of trying to be an effective firefighter at Station No. 9, he said. The constant calls, constant horror and constant fatigue add up to high turnover. He recalled dozing off at the wheel several times on his commute home. More than once, he said, California Highway Patrol officers pulled him over.

These days, Navarro said, he finds time to kick his feet up and clear his head by sleeping for a few minutes or watching a movie. Finding those quiet moments is important, he said. Otherwise you won't make it through the day '-- physically or emotionally.

For many members of the station, responding to calls in ambulances is the hardest part. ''You're inundated with patients,'' Navarro said. ''It gets to you.''

Of Station No. 9's roughly 22,800 emergency calls last year, about 18,850 were medical, according to the LAFD.

''Half of us wouldn't want to be here if it was just that,'' Navarro said.

9:46 a.m.: 501 S. Los Angeles St., Baltimore HotelTwo engines and one ladder pull out of Station No. 9 and enter the heat and traffic of a Saturday morning in downtown Los Angeles. The long truck comes to a stop on 5th Street and blocks a lane of traffic.

The truck's ladder rises and settles next to the building's roof. The men line up to climb and discuss how to carry gear up the ladder.

''The most dangerous part is the transition,'' Navarro says.

Two years ago, during a training exercise at a building a lot like the Baltimore Hotel, a member of Station No. 9 '-- Kelly Wong '-- lost his footing and fell from the ladder onto a firetruck below. He died two days later.

Firefighters are quick to say they do this work for guys like Wong, whose photo is everywhere in the station. They're less willing to talk about what happened on that day.

Soriano, the apparatus operator, worked the same shift as Wong but was off the day his colleague fell. He had been driving to a wine festival with his girlfriend but turned around and headed to the hospital when he heard what had happened.

''A lot of the guys were really good friends with Kelly. Seeing them broken was terrible. If we don't get an opportunity to practice this scenario,'' he said, referring to climbing the ladder, ''we'll be in trouble when there's a more stressful scenario when someone is hanging out a window and a fire is blazing. We have to do it, man. We do it in memory of him.''

Firefighter Ian Soriano during a training session on skid row.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Soriano has been with the LAFD for 13 years and with Station No. 9 for four years. After responding to dozens of calls for several days in a row, the grim nature of the work sometimes blurs together.

''It wears on your patience, because a lot of the homeless people, we know them by name, and they're doing the same thing over and over,'' he said. ''We take a guy to the hospital and he'll be right back out at 2 p.m. There's a shock when you first get there and you have to learn how to deal with that over and over again.''

Embracing stoicism, Soriano said, helps him deal with the perpetual stress.

1:38 p.m.: 300 Santa Fe Ave.Firetrucks and an ambulance scream through skid row on their way to an apartment building. A man has fallen six floors after taking a wrong step while fixing an HVAC system on the roof.

The firefighters find him moaning, face down in a pool of blood. His arms and legs point in unnatural directions.

Gibson runs over and kneels down, attempting to get a pulse and sense of the severity of the man's injuries. The man's moans grow louder as the firefighters contemplate how to get him onto a gurney.

''It's going to be uncomfortable no matter what,'' Gibson says, cutting off the man's shirt.

Another firefighter grabs him by his pants and helps flip him over.

''He broke a lot of things,'' Gibson says.

6 p.m.: A quiet momentAs 6 p.m. approached, Gibson prepared dinner. While waiting, firefighters cleaned the station, tinkered with faltering exhaust pipes and examined a new ram bar, a firefighting tool for breaking through locks, doors and walls.

In this quiet moment, Michael Villata, an 11-year LAFD veteran, said he's often thinking about the disorder that surrounds Station No. 9.

He said he and his colleagues know rising rents have contributed to the growing number of people living on the street. But he also blames the nexus of mental illness and drug abuse, and what he sees as a hesitancy among Los Angeles police officers to deal with homeless people and their encampments.

In some cases, Villata speculated, the breakdown of families has left people without the support they need to be successful in life.

Skid row can be dangerous. Firefighters said they have been threatened while responding to calls. Homeless people have brandished knives, and others have picked up shovels to swing at them.

''We've been punched, spit at, choked,'' Robles said.

Specific procedures for dealing with such incidents exist, but they still happen often enough that firefighters say they worry about ending up in a violent confrontation when responding to calls. It doesn't stop them from caring for people on skid row, though.

A homeless man known as Mango lives in a tent across from Station No. 9 and helps block traffic when fire engines leave on emergency calls.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Villata said he tries to support homeless people '-- one man in particular, who goes by the name Mango and lives in a tent across the street from Station No. 9.

Mango moved to Los Angeles from Florida and has become the firefighters' greatest champion '-- often wearing a T-shirt or a hat with Station No. 9's logo. Sometimes he helps clean up after a fire is extinguished, and when gear gets stolen from trucks, Mango is usually the one who will venture out to find it.

More often, he stops by just to hang out and talk with the firefighters.

Over the summer, Villata rebuilt Mango's motorbike, but it was stolen days after he delivered it.

''When I gave him the bike, he cried. He was really happy'.... I saw him a few days later and he was devastated that it got stolen,'' Villata said. ''I just felt horrible for Mango because of how grateful and happy he was. To have something taken from him '-- just watching it sucks.''

6:48 p.m.: Station No. 9 TV room Firefighter Tony Navarro watches a movie between calls at Fire Station No. 9 in downtown Los Angeles.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Navarro's feet are up and his eyelids are drooping. A movie is playing on the big screen as a homeless man walks into the station.

''If I could just get some sleeping pills,'' he says.

The man's thumb is nearly ripped off, pointing in an odd direction.

The man explains how he recently had surgery and how he had taken the cast off prematurely because his hand hurt. He also tells firefighters that he missed a follow-up appointment with a doctor.

''We don't have any,'' firefighter Eric Shinn tells him. ''Go to the drugstore and get some NyQuil maybe. You can't be missing appointments.''

Shinn wraps the man's hand and finds a piece of cardboard to fashion a makeshift splint.

The man leaves.

Firefighters Eric Shinn and Tony Navarro care for a man who had walked into the station complaining about his hand.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Such grim scenes drive firefighters to find ways to escape and relax. They pull lots of pranks on one another '-- like a seemingly serious ''training session'' ordered by Robles. It turned out to be a younger firefighter swinging nunchaku as his colleagues broke down in laughter.

There's lots of amusement in these moments '-- a brief respite from what's happening outside.

Station No. 9's members are a tightknit crew. They vacation together. Their families grill together. Soriano recently led a crew of his fellow firefighters on a snowboarding trip to Austria. They also went to Chile and Japan.

''There's a brotherhood that you can't really speak about unless you have been there,'' Soriano said. ''We're involved in each other's lives. We hang out with our girlfriends and wives. We go on trips, and we have a lot of fun at the station.''

Another way firefighters let off steam is to play handball. It's the LAFD's official sport, and tournaments often attract old-timers who worked at the station decades ago. Sometimes they play in their socks to decide who will do dishes after dinner.

While a game was underway, Soriano and Robles sat in the kitchen and discussed how firefighters were adjusting to life at Station No. 9. Some were struggling with how much time they had to spend responding to medical calls.

It's common during the first year working on skid row for some firefighters to be sick all the time until their bodies adjust to the stress. Firefighters often spend their first year battling colds and feeling generally unwell.

''It's something like your freshman 15,'' Soriano said, comparing it to the belief that many college students gain weight in their first year.

He blamed it on the lack of sleep and unceasing exposure to the generally unhealthy environment of skid row.

''The hotels, the tents '-- it's not necessarily the most clean place to operate,'' Soriano said. ''I got sick. It's not like you're throwing up. You're just sick constantly.''

11:38 p.m.: 118 E. 6th St., Cole's French Dip Firefighters treat an unconscious person outside Cole's French Dip in downtown Los Angeles.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Engine 209 pulls out of the station, and Mango steps into the street to block traffic. This happens a lot.

Firefighters arrive at Cole's French Dip and find a man flat on the ground. Patrons are standing around, wondering what's happening.

Villata digs into the man's pocket and finds a needle. His pupils are uneven.

They give him a dose of naloxone and his vitals return to normal.

''Let's go,'' Capt. Jim Duffy yells.

''Captain is tired,'' Gibson says to no one in particular.

4:47 a.m.: 1301 N. Main St. Station No. 9 firefighter Ray Robles, right, hugs a comrade after battling a predawn fire in downtown Los Angeles.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Chatter over the radio alerts Station No. 9 to a fire in a neighboring district. Firefighters arrive to find an abandoned building, flames erupting from its mezzanine.

Robles grabs a saw to cut holes in the wall and ceiling. Soriano grabs a fan. They move room to room, putting out remnants of the conflagration.

Navarro pulls off his breathing mask.

There were 82 incidents in 24 hours.

Navarro had just worked 72 hours. Robles was scheduled to do another shift.

When the firefighters return to Station No. 9, the A shift has already arrived and is getting situated. Mango is outside grilling food that he intends to sell. Another day at the busiest fire station in Los Angeles has begun.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 12:15

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government expects China to honor its commitments to buy more U.S. goods under a trade deal signed by the world's two largest economies in January despite the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

FILE PHOTO: A truck carrying containers are seen near a Chinese flag at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai, China August 6, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song

The U.S. Treasury official said it was too soon to make accurate forecasts for the impact of the virus on the global economy, but the base case scenario sees China's growth dropping in the first quarter and then rebounding sharply. The impact could be more significant if the outbreak worsens, the official told reporters ahead of this week's G20 meeting.

The International Monetary Fund said this week the epidemic had already disrupted economic growth in China and could derail a highly fragile projected recovery in the global economy in 2020 if it spread to other countries.

China's commerce ministry on Friday said January and February exports and imports would be hit by the coronavirus outbreak, but foreign companies in most places would resume production by the end of February.

Asked if the outbreak would require changes to the Phase 1 trade deal with China, the official said: ''At this stage, we're not expecting changes to implementation of Phase 1. ... We still expect them to meet their commitment, but it's over a period of time.''

Under the deal, which took effect this month, China pledged to increase U.S. goods purchases by $77 billion in 2020 and by $123 billion by 2021, compared with a baseline of U.S. imports from 2017, the year before the U.S.-China tariff war began.

Experts had expressed skepticism that China would be able to meet such aggressive purchase commitments even before the coronavirus emerged, while reports of new cases in China and elsewhere have further intensified fears over its impact on the global economy.

But the Global Times newspaper, which often speaks for the Chinese government, reported on Thursday that China was likely to buy 10 million tons of U.S. liquefied natural gas despite a gas glut.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will discuss the economic impact of the epidemic with senior finance officials and central bankers from the world's 20 largest economies (G20) in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday and Sunday.

China said on Wednesday it was not sending senior central bank and Finance Ministry officials to the meeting because of the virus outbreak.

The Treasury official said lower-level officials would represent Beijing.

Mnuchin and the other G20 officials will also discuss efforts under way among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members to draft new international rules for taxation, with an eye to bridging ''significant gaps'' and reaching a multilateral consensus this year, the official said.

Washington plans to explain its proposal for a ''safe harbor'' that would allow companies to opt out of proposed reforms, the official said. That proposal has drawn sharp criticism from France and other countries and threatens to stall the reform drive.

The rules would affect big U.S. digital companies such as Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O ), Google, Facebook Inc (FB.O ), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O ), Apple Inc (AAPL.O ) and China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N ).

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Dan Grebler, Peter Cooney and Richard Pullin

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 10:15

The DNC is taking a page out of Michael Bloomberg's playbook and asking party officials in Nevada to sign nondisclosure agreements regarding the Nevada Caucuses. The move comes on the heels of the Iowa Caucuses where the state Democratic Party bungled the final results.

CNN reports that Democratic officials in Iowa are being asked to sign nondisclosure agreements in an effort to get in front of any bad press that might follow another incompetently managed caucus system.

Oh boy...CNN reports that Democratic state party officials in Nevada are being told they need to sign NDAs? pic.twitter.com/MTMYYsuUJj

'-- Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 21, 2020In Iowa, the Democrats had a hard time counting the results -- they still are. It's so bad that Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price resigned amid the ongoing disaster.

''As chair of this party, I am deeply sorry for what happened and bear the responsibility for any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic Party,'' Price wrote in a letter to the party's state central committee.

The same issues that plagued Iowa earlier this month are now feared to resurface in the Silver State. DNC Chairman Tom Perez, who has also been called upon to resign, would not commit to releasing the results of the caucuses on Saturday night after the election, according to the Associated Press. Problems with a new early-voting system and a new digital tool being rolled out on an election night, where high voter turnout is anticipated, has forecasters seeing signs of trouble looming in Nevada.

As the president said, ''The Democrats want to run your health care, but they can't even run a caucus in Iowa.'' He may need to add Nevada to the list.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 10:12

First, the California dairy industry fights to remove the word "milk" from labels of plant-based products like the popular brand, Miyoko's Creamery. Now comes the latest dairy-backed contrivance to get consumers to think that drinking cow's milk is a good idea. The California Milk Advisory Board just released its latest PR stunt and the reaction was, safe to say, not what they were going for.

In a press release titled ''Calling All CBD (California Based Dairy) Fans; The World's First Dairy Dispensary Is Set to Launch In Los Angeles.'' At the crux of the campaign, The California Milk Advisory Board will run a pop-up shop on Abbot Kinney, the popular thoroughfare in Venice Beach. On February 22nd, they will be selling dairy products in a cannabis dispensary-like fashion, highlighting ''mood-enhancing'' dairy products, flavored milk, and providing education from ''dairy docents.''

The New Campaign for a Milk Dispensary Is Met with DisbeliefThe dairy industry has had a tough go the last several years as it continues to lose market share to plant-based alternatives. Cow's milk sales plunged by $1.1 billion in 2018 (as revealed by the Dairy Farmers of America in its annual meeting last year). Losses are widely attributed to consumers shifting away from dairy as the availability of plant-based alternatives increases. The industry has been so damaged by new offerings like oat and pea milk that dairy lobbyists have attempted to ban terminology like ''milk'' and ''cheese'' on plant-based labels.

While Dean Foods went out of business and Borden went into bankruptcy, Elmhurst has decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and ditched dairy altogether in order to pivot to make plant-based products. California's dairy producers may have the most to lose as sales of cow's milk dwindle. The state leads the nation in total milk production, responsible for more than one-fifth of the nation's total output. With dairy's largest market at stake, it's no wonder they have poured big bucks into expensive (if ill-conceived) PR stunts like the latest ''Dairy Dispensary.''

Cannabis Dispensaries Are Popular, Milk Not So Much.The California Milk Advisory Board says the pop-up ''dispensary'' will focus on promoting the mood-enhancing properties of California dairy foods such as cheese, micro-dosed butter, flavor-infused yogurts, and rolled ice cream which they say has ''all the TLC without the THC.'' While the California dairy industry is attempting a light-hearted play on the now legal cannabis dispensary of cannabis, they broke the first rule of marketing "know your audience."

Cannabis products were first approved for medical use, helping to alieve symptoms as varied as sleep deprivation, anxiety, side effects of chemo and epilepsy. ''It's almost a slap in the face to folks who rely on cannabis while they are fighting various diseases,'' says Michael Scherr, CEO of Arbor Hemp, who has been in the cannabis space for nearly 12 years. ''People have moved across state lines to get access to this medicine, or they've had to risk getting it on the black market to relieve their ailments. There's a level of insensitivity here around the hardships that the industry has overcome and is still overcoming throughout the past several decades, fighting for legalization.''

Scherr points out that there is no ''black milk market,'' and people aren't sitting in jail for nonviolent dairy crimes. ''Until someone gets arrested for underaged use of Gouda, I'd consider it unethical for the California Milk Advisory Board to use the hype of cannabis and CBD for their own advertorial benefit.''

Perhaps Dairy Should Only Be Sold With a Doctor's RxCannabis'--legal for recreational use in 11 states, and medical use in 23 states'--is used to help with medical conditions, while dairy is linked to diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers, as well as type-2 diabetes and various other conditions. Dr. T. Colin Campbell published ''The China Study,'' in 2004, (and a significant paper ), that provided scientific research that connected casein, the protein in animal dairy, with the growth of cancer cells.

A study published by the National Cancer Institute found that women who ate the highest amount of cheese had a 53 percent increased risk for breast cancer recurrence, due in part to the hormones in dairy, which appear to be a factor in hormone-related cancers such as breast, prostate, uterine, and ovarian. A large portion of the population is lactose sensitive and suffers from GI distress after consuming dairy. When eliminating dairy from their diet people report having better digestion and a general feeling of better gut health.

This is Dairy's "Desperate Attempt" to Reverse the Trend Away from Cow's Milk''The dairy industry has had a stranglehold on our food systems for so long and took it for granted that dairy would always be the center of the American diet,'' says Judie Mancuso, founder and president of the California Plant Based Association (CPBA), a California-based lobbying group that launched this year. ''But as we all learn of the negative effects of dairy on our health, on our planet, and on the poor cows, we are moving away from dairy, and moving away quickly. Especially younger generations, and this is the dairy's desperate attempt to reverse that trend.''

Beyond campaigns, the milk industry is lobbying state legislatures to pass draconian labeling laws to prevent plant-based companies from using common-sense language. ''The dairy industry is deeply embedded in our government and has influence that is grossly disproportionate compared to other kinds of food industries,'' Mancuso told The Beet.

''For decades, milk has had marketing access to schools. The 'Got Milk' campaign is an example, where you would see posters with the slogan in school cafeterias across America. Last year we advocated for schools in California to be reimbursed a small amount of money for plant-based milk alternatives to be served. The dairy industry lobbied against this because they argued there would be 'vegan propaganda' in schools if this program were implemented. The dairy industry is fine with their propaganda... while hiding the negative effects on climate change and other environmental impacts and the gross abuse of animals in their industry.'' Mancuso notes that the industry still has a tight grip on the California State Capitol, but this is why she helped lead the effort and create CPBA. ''We need to shift the balance of power.''

While gimmicks like a ''Dairy Dispensary'' might catch people's attention and headlines for a moment, tasteless stunts remind us that consumers hold the purchasing power and no amount of creativity will save a dwindling dairy industry.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 09:53

SAN DIEGO (AP) '-- The San Diego County Sheriff's Department will share records of people who were criminally arrested with immigration authorities, becoming the first local law enforcement agency in five states to comply with unusual demands for information, authorities said Friday.

In recent weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued 'administrative subpoenas' '-- signed by an immigration official, not a judge '-- to state and local law enforcement agencies in Colorado, Connecticut, New York, Oregon and California.

Sheriff Bill Gore's announcement, in a statement from his department late Thursday, came less than a week after ICE issued four subpoenas, the only ones so far in California. The agency is the first in all five states to comply with the requests, ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said.

The demands for information are among several recent moves by the Trump administration against what it considers ''sanctuary'' jurisdictions, which adopt laws and policies to limit cooperation with immigration authorities.

''While the Sheriff's Department does not enforce immigration laws, we are obligated to comply with lawfully issued subpoenas,'' the department statement read.

The department said a state law that sharply limits cooperation with immigration authorities does not explicitly address subpoenas. It said previous requests for information have been voluntary.

''A federal subpoena creates a mandatory legal obligation and is not 'cooperation,' '' the statement read.

Monika Langarica, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties, said the state law that the sheriff's department cited, the California Values Act, clearly prohibits sharing non-public personal information with ICE. She said the department should require court-issued subpoenas.

''ICE's issuance of subpoenas, and Sheriff's Office's potential compliance, endanger public safety and community trust,'' she said.

The office of California's Democratic attorney general, Xavier Becerra, declined to comment.

Gore is a Republican elected to an officially nonpartisan position and a former head of the FBI's San Diego office. He isn't known as a firebrand on immigration.

Robert Brewer, the U.S. attorney in San Diego, said the sheriff's department complied with two subpoenas that were due this week. Information on two others is due next week.

ICE issued its latest round of subpoenas Friday to several agencies in Oregon '-- the Oregon State Police, Hillsboro Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff's Office and Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:57

Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has been experimenting with novel tactics to cultivate an online following, or at least the appearance of one.

But one of the strategies '-- deploying a large number of Twitter accounts to push out identical messages '-- has backfired. On Friday, Twitter began suspending 70 accounts posting pro-Bloomberg content in a pattern that violates company rules.

''We have taken enforcement action on a group of accounts for violating our rules against platform manipulation and spam,'' a Twitter spokesman said. Some of the suspensions will be permanent, while in other cases account owners will have to verify they have control of their accounts.

As part of a far-reaching social media strategy, the Bloomberg campaign has hired hundreds of temporary employees to pump out campaign messages through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These ''deputy field organizers'' receive $2,500 per month to promote the former New York mayor's candidacy within their personal social circles, in addition to other, more conventional duties. They receive campaign-approved language that they can opt to post.

In posts reviewed by The Times, organizers often used identical text, images, links and hashtags. Many accounts used were created only in the last two months. Bloomberg officially entered the presidential race on Nov. 24.

After The Times inquired about this pattern, Twitter determined it ran afoul of its ''Platform Manipulation and Spam Policy.'' Laid out in September 2019 in response to the activities of Russian-sponsored troll networks in the 2016 presidential election, the policy prohibits practices such as artificially boosting engagement on tweets and using deliberately misleading profile information.

By sponsoring hundreds of new accounts that post copy-pasted content, Twitter said the campaign violated its rules against ''creating multiple accounts to post duplicative content,'' ''posting identical or substantially similar Tweets or hashtags from multiple accounts you operate'' and ''coordinating with or compensating others to engage in artificial engagement or amplification, even if the people involved use only one account.''

The suspensions may sweep up accounts belonging to unpaid Bloomberg supporters or campaign volunteers. While the Bloomberg's campaign's practice of paying Twitter users was a factor in the suspensions, a company spokesman said accounts behaving in substantially the same manner will receive the same treatment, regardless of who controls them.

In a statement, Sabrina Singh, a spokesperson for the Bloomberg campaign, said: ''We ask that all of our deputy field organizers identify themselves as working on behalf of the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign on their social media accounts. Through Outvote [a voter-engagement app], content is shared by staffers and volunteers to their network of friends and family and was not intended to mislead anyone.''

Facebook's response to the Bloomberg campaign's novel social strategy has also been evolving. The social network views the campaign's activity as falling under its rules for branded content, not the rules against ''coordinated inauthentic behavior'' devised largely in response to Russian election meddling.

Facebook's rules for branded content ''require disclosure of paid partnerships anytime there has been an exchange of value between a creator or publisher and a business partner.'' In 2018, the company began to require more detailed disclosure for political ads to discourage state-sponsored influence operations.

The software tool created for buying political ads on Facebook did not allow for branded content campaigns by influencers. Earlier this month, after the Bloomberg campaign bypassed the tool entirely to mount a large-scale paid influencer campaign, Facebook lifted that ban.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: Natural Gas World - Latest News

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:56

Natural Gas News Feb 21, 2020 3:55:pm

Summary As the European Union aims to become carbon neutral by the year 2050, cooperation with the United States on energy technology, financing, and imports will be critical to helping transition the European energy sector towards a low-carbon future, Director General for Energy at the European Commission Ditte Juul J¸rgensen said on February 20.

by: David A. Wemer The EU's plan to become ''the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050'' was announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on December 11. The European Green Deal includes targets for member states to meet on emissions reductions, as well as investments for new energy infrastructure and technology. Although the EU has set the overall goal for the plan, Juul J¸rgensen stressed that member states will drive most of the action. ''All of our member states are submitting national energy and climate plans that set out how they intend to achieve the agreed targets for 2030,'' she said. These targets, she explained, include not only emissions reductions, but also ''renewable energy, energy efficiency, internal market, improving our connections, building infrastructure, and research and innovation.''

While the EU's plan ''sets a very clear path and a common direction for everyone,'' Juul J¸rgensen said, there is ''a lot of room for national choices to be made,'' as ''it is up to each government to decide their own energy mix.'' Member states are already working toward these targets, she stressed, by switching from coal to natural gas, vastly increasing their renewables production, maintaining nuclear power generation, and focusing on energy efficiency, as ''the energy we don't use is both the cleanest and the cheapest.''

Despite public disagreement about the climate threat, the United States has a critical role to play in helping Europe achieve its climate goals, Juul J¸rgensen argued. ''We very much remain open for imports and for cooperation on technology and innovation'' with the United States, she said. Richard Morningstar, founding chairman of the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center and former US ambassador to the EU, agreed, saying that so far ''US-EU energy cooperation has been excellent, and it needs to continue and to be reinforced.'' He argued Washington should continue to help Europe ''develop a competitive and transparent market, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe,'' as well as on ''infrastructure, financing'...and the whole climate area.''

Juul J¸rgensen highlighted gas as a key opportunity for transatlantic cooperation, as the European Commission maintains that ''we are going to need gas as part of the transition'' to a carbon neutral economy. ''Natural gas is a source of flexibility in the energy and is significantly less carbon intensive than coal,'' she argued. US liquefied natural gas (LNG), therefore will be a welcome new energy source for Europe to add to its energy mix, helping to provide an alternative to both high carbon coal as well as potentially insecure gas supplies from Russia. Juul J¸rgensen described new terminals for US LNG as a ''window for the EU for clean and decarbonized gas,'' although stressed that there needs to be more ''real progress in the decarbonization of gas'' to make sure it helps toward the carbon neutral goal.

In addition to gas, Europe is also looking to the United States to help cooperate on new infrastructure and technology for the transition. Europe has a ''critical vulnerability'' in its raw material supply used to build energy infrastructure such as wind turbines, which can be filled by purchases from US suppliers, Juul J¸rgensen explained. She also proposed stronger cooperation on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and energy efficiency technology, which she conceded Europe is not as advanced on as it should be.

Juul J¸rgensen acknowledged that European plans for a carbon adjustment border tax is causing concern among both the United States and private businesses, but cautioned that the proposal for this new measure is not likely until at least 2021 and that there would be extensive negotiations with all of the EU's international partners before the tax was finalized. She also stressed that the private sector will need to be a key ally in the energy transition, not an enemy to be defeated. ''Public money cannot alone drive this process,'' she argued, saying that the EU aims to ''leverage public funding to bring in more private investments to build larger infrastructure projects such as clean energy grids and low carbon transport systems, but also to help reskill workers that are working in coal related sectors.'' She explained that many energy companies are already transforming their energy portfolios away from carbon-intensive products, ''not just because it is green or good for the climate, but also because it makes economic sense.''

Juul J¸rgensen argued that the European Green Deal should not be seen as ''just a climate strategy. It is very much a growth strategy.'' The steps to decarbonize the European economy is a ''way of building on European strength and innovation,'' she said to help fill ''the need for affordable energy all over Europe.'' As Europe embarks on this mission, Juul J¸rgensen maintained, the help of the United States will be critical to providing the tools needed to transform the European energy sector into a low carbon future.

David A. Wemer is associate director, editorial at the Atlantic Council. Follow him on Twitter @DavidAWemer.

Published by the Atlantic Council.

The statements, opinions and data contained in the content published in Global Gas Perspectives are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s) of Natural Gas World.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: The Intercept

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:54

A police investigator in Spain is trying to solve a crime, but she only has an image of a suspect's face, caught by a nearby security camera. European police have long had access to fingerprint and DNA databases throughout the 27 countries of the European Union and, in certain cases, the United States. But soon, that investigator may be able to also search a network of police face databases spanning the whole of Europe and the U.S.

According to leaked internal European Union documents, the EU could soon be creating a network of national police facial recognition databases. A report drawn up by the national police forces of 10 EU member states, led by Austria, calls for the introduction of EU legislation to introduce and interconnect such databases in every member state. The report, which The Intercept obtained from a European official who is concerned about the network's development, was circulated among EU and national officials in November 2019. If previous data-sharing arrangements are a guide, the new facial recognition network will likely be connected to similar databases in the U.S., creating what privacy researchers are calling a massive transatlantic consolidation of biometric data.

The report was produced as part of discussions on expanding the Pr¼m system, an EU-wide initiative connecting DNA, fingerprint, and vehicle registration databases for mutual searching. A similar system exists between the U.S. and any country that is part of the Visa Waiver Program, which includes the majority of EU countries; bilateral agreements allow U.S. and European agencies to access one another's fingerprint and DNA databases.

Although new legislation following the report's recommendation is not yet on the table, preparatory work is ongoing. Information provided by the European Commission to the European Parliament last November shows that almost 700,000 euros (about $750,000) are going to a study by consultancy firm Deloitte on possible changes to the Pr¼m system, with one part of the work looking at facial recognition technology. The European Commission has also, separately, paid 500,000 euros to a consortium of public agencies led by the Estonian Forensic Science Institute to ''map the current situation of facial recognition in criminal investigations in all EU Member States,'' with the aim of moving ''towards the possible exchange of facial data,'' according to a project presentation sent to national representatives in Brussels.

''This is concerning on a national level and on a European level, especially as some EU countries veer towards more authoritarian governments,'' said Edin Omanovic, advocacy director for Privacy International. Omanovic worries about a pan-European face database being used for ''politically motivated surveillance'' and not just standard police work. The possibility of pervasive, unjustified, or illegal surveillance is one of many critiques of facial recognition technology. Another is that it is notoriously inaccurate, particularly for people of color.

''Without the transparency and legal safeguards for facial recognition technology to be lawful,'' said Omanovic, ''there should be a moratorium on it.''

The EU has taken big steps to connect a host of migration and security databases in recent years. New legislation passed last April established a database that will hold the fingerprints, facial images, and other personal data of up to 300 million non-EU nationals, merging data from five separate systems. According to the report by 10 police forces, Deloitte consultants proposed doing the same with police facial images, but the idea was met with unanimous opposition from law enforcement officials.

Nonetheless, the report recommends linking all of EU member states' facial databases, which would seem to have the same practical effect. In another internal EU police report '-- this one from a working group on Pr¼m that looked at the exchange of drivers' license data '-- police note that ''a network of interconnected national registers can be regarded as a virtual European register.''

To the police, the advantages of interlinked facial recognition databases are clear. The Austria-led report views the technology as a ''highly suitable'' biometric tool for identifying unknown suspects and suggests that the databases should be created and linked ''as quickly as possible.'' It also recognizes the need for data protection safeguards, such as human verification of any automated matches, but privacy experts argue that the creation of any such system is the first step toward greater sharing and linking of data where such controls are inadequate.

European moves to consolidate police facial recognition data closely resembles similar efforts in the U.S., said Neema Singh Guliani, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. Many U.S. law enforcement agencies work out of ''fusion centers,'' where they are co-located and able to share data. If you have an information-sharing agreement with the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security, said Guliani, ''there's a risk that functionally the information may be shared with additional levels of U.S. law enforcement.''

''It raises many questions,'' she added. ''How police are using facial recognition and gathering images, as well as in the U.S. with regard to due process and First Amendment expression. Given existing information sharing relationships, it's very likely that the U.S. would want access to that information.''

As far back as 2004, the U.S. Embassy in Brussels was calling for a relationship with the EU that allowed ''expansive exchanges and sharing all forms of data, including personal data.'' In recent years, efforts toward that goal have intensified. According to a Government Accountability Office report, in 2015, the Department of Homeland Security began demanding the implementation of the data-sharing agreements required of Visa Waiver Program countries. This has included the FBI providing assistance to other states to set up the necessary computer networks.

Austria, to take one example, began checking fingerprints against the FBI's criminal fingerprint databases in October 2017, explained Reinhard Schmid, a senior official in the Austrian criminal intelligence service. Since then, about 12,000 individuals' prints have been cross-checked, leading to 150 matches. ''Around 20 of these identified persons were under investigation and suspected of membership of terrorist organizations,'' while in 56 cases individuals had attempted to use a false identity, said Schmid.

''Their logic here is, 'When I have a serious crime and I want to run someone's photo against a database, why shouldn't I have this?''' said Guliani. Yet, she added, the privacy implications were enormous. ''Once you have the access, you ultimately have the ability to identify almost anyone, anywhere.''

The report by 10 police forces calls for Europol, the EU agency for police information and intelligence sharing, to play a role in exchanging facial recognition and other biometric data with non-EU states. This echoes recommendations from European governments themselves: A July 2018 declaration called for the commission to consider ''broadening the scope'' of the Pr¼m network and for Europol to take the lead on data sharing with third countries.

The FBI and Europol did not respond to questions about data-sharing agreements between the EU and the U.S. A spokesperson for the European Commission acknowledged the prospect of adding facial recognition data to the Pr¼m network, but declined to go into more detail.

This article was developed with the support of Journalismfund.eu.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:35

Image copyright PA This month hospitals have reported huge pressures, with A&Es over-crowded, a lack of beds and queues of ambulances stacked up outside unable to hand over their patients.

It was a similar story last winter. The NHS, it seems, is always facing unrelenting pressure. But why is this when funding is rising?

The sheer scale of the health service can take the breath away. Every 24 hours it sees one million patients, and with 1.7 million staff it's the fifth biggest employer in the world.

So it should come as no surprise that this vast enterprise absorbs eye-watering amounts of money.

1. We spend more on the NHS than ever beforeLast year in excess of £140bn was spent on health across the UK - more than 10 times the figure that was ploughed in 60 years ago.

And that's after you adjust it for inflation.

2. A bigger proportion of public spending goes on healthGovernments over the years have had to invest more and more of the public purse into it. Today 30p out of every £1 spent on services goes on health.

Even during years of deep austerity in the UK, extra money has been found for the health service - £8bn more this parliament in England alone.

Yet it seems no matter how much is invested, it's still not enough. The NHS is creaking at the seams.

3. Key A&E targets are being missedThe best barometer of this is the four-hour A&E target. We often think of it as an indication of how good an emergency department is. But it's not. It doesn't tell you about the quality of care - how quickly you get pain relief or whether the unit is good at spotting the signs of a heart attack.

Instead it's a sign of whether the system is under stress - both in the community and in the hospital.

Which local services are under threat?

Upfront charges for foreign patients

When there's perfect harmony between the numbers arriving and leaving, 95% of patients will be dealt with in four hours.

But this isn't happening. You have to go back to the summer of 2015 for the last time it was met in England, with performance deteriorating markedly year on year.

The rest of the UK is not immune either. Four-hour performance is worse in Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland is performing a little better, but is still some way short of the target - its major hospitals have been hovering below the 90% mark in recent weeks.

4. The UK's population is ageingThe ageing population is certainly a major factor - and it's one that all health systems in the world are struggling with. Medical advances have meant that people are living longer. When the NHS was created, life expectancy was 13 years shorter than it is now.

This is something to celebrate. Infectious diseases are no longer a significant threat. Heart attacks do not claim the lives of people early in the same numbers. Even cancer is not the death sentence it once was - half of people now survive for a decade or more.

But this progress has come at a cost. People are living with a growing number of long-term chronic conditions - diabetes, heart disease and dementia. These are more about care than cure - what patients usually need is support. By the age of 65, most people will have at least one of these illnesses. By 75 they will have two.

5. Care for older people costs much moreThe average 65-year-old costs the NHS 2.5 times more than the average 30-year-old. An 85-year-old costs more than five times as much.

As the numbers continue to rise so does the cost to the NHS. This is compounded by the rising cost of new drugs. The health service is currently considering capping the amount it will pay for new drugs at £20m each a year. A fifth of new treatments coming on stream cost more than this.

Then there's obesity. A third of adults are so overweight they are risking their health significantly.

All this contributes to what health economists call health inflation - the idea that the cost of providing care outstrips the normal rise in the cost of living across the economy.

This is why health has tended to get more generous rises than other areas of government spending.

Over the years this has been achievable through a combination of economic growth, which brings in more money through tax, and reducing spending in areas such as defence, which has led to the NHS taking an ever-greater share of the public purse.

6. Increases in NHS spending have slowedBut, of course, the economy goes through cycles and over the years governments have varied the amount they were willing or able to give.

Since the NHS was created in 1948, the average annual rise has been just over 4%. During the Labour years under Blair and Brown this was considerably higher.

As you can see the period between 2010 and 2015 saw the tightest financial settlement.

The following two years were a little more generous, but that average is likely to drop a little over the rest of the parliament under current spending plans.

So ministers in England are right to say they are increasing funding - it's been frozen in Wales and Scotland - but it's just that it doesn't compare favourably with what the NHS has traditionally got.

Indeed, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has suggested that over the 10 years to 2020, the NHS budget across the UK will not have increased enough to keep pace with the ageing and growing population.

7. The UK spends a lower proportion on health than other EU countries But is it just a matter of more money? Would an extra few billion make all the problems go away? If you look at other European nations the UK is certainly spending less as a proportion of GDP, which is a measure of the size of the economy.

The result, as you would expect, is fewer beds, doctors and nurses per patient in the UK than the big spenders.

But a number of these countries achieve that by taxing more. Would the UK public stomach that? If a poll by Ipsos MORI for the BBC last year is anything to go by, they are pretty split - 40% would back a rise in income tax and 53% would support National Insurance going up.

Nor does it seem there's appetite for a change in the system. A majority were against charging for services or moving to an insurance-based model like some of our European neighbours do.

But even if more money was spent or raised, that would not lead to an overnight improvement. More doctors and nurses would need training and that takes time and, crucially, there is not a flood of people wanting to work in key posts.

Trainee posts for GPs are being increased, but the NHS cannot fill them all.

There also remain big questions over whether the structure of the NHS is right for 21st Century healthcare.

Image copyright Getty Images The NHS is still centred on the network of district general hospitals that emerged during the hospital building boom of the 1960s.

But in an era where people are struggling with those chronic illnesses, what they really need is support in the community.

The problem is there's a serious shortage of this. The number of district nurses in England has been cut by 28% in the past five years, while getting a GP appointment is becoming increasingly difficult.

8. Demand for A&E is risingThe result is that people end up going to hospital. The numbers visiting A&E have risen by over 40% in 13 years.

Not all of this is down to people with these chronic conditions, but they tend to be the cases that take the most care. Two-thirds of hospitals beds are occupied by the one-third of the population with a long-term condition.

There are attempts to change this by placing more emphasis on care outside hospital.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has set out a five-year plan to create more integrated care, which involves hospital services working more closely with their local community teams. Similar moves are being made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There also an emphasis on prevention - getting people to be more active, eat better diets and drink less.

9. Fewer older people are getting help with social care But perhaps the biggest problem is council-run social care. This encompasses day centres, help in the home for tasks such as washing and dressing, and good quality care in care homes during the final years of life. It is seen as essential to keep people well and living independently - and out of hospital.

In an era when the population is ageing you would expect more people to be getting help from the state.

However, the opposite is true. In England over the past four years for which we have data, the number of older people getting help has fallen by a quarter. The result is large numbers going without care or having to pay for it themselves.

The other parts of the UK can make a case for being more generous in this respect - home care is capped at £70 a week in Wales and free for the over-75s in Northern Ireland, while Scotland provides free personal care (washing and dressing) in both care homes and people's own homes.

Ministers in England have promised the system will change. New plans are due to be published by the summer of 2018.

10. Much more is spent on front-line healthcare than social careBut, as yet, no part of the UK has cracked it. Indeed, if you were setting up a health and care service today, ask yourself this - how would it be done?

Would you separate medical care from personal care? Give one service to a national institution and the other to local councils? Would you provide one free at the point of need and charge for the other? Would you increase the budget of one, but cut the other?

Would you build more than 200 hospitals and spend over half of your budget on them when the biggest users of care are people with long-term illnesses that need care rather than medical intervention?

But as that is the system we have got at a time when money is limited, we are falling back on a typical British trait - making do.

Additional research: Ben Butcher

Read more from Nick

Follow Nick on Twitter

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:25

In recent times, there has been an unprecedented push by 'so called' Globalists to force unassimilable Third World migrants into Christian European countries. The scale has been at replacement levels for the indigenous populations.

Wehave never been asked for permission to do this and anyone game to protest hasbeen met with the full force of the coercive power of the state. People are ata loss to understand why our leaders have treated us with such contempt.

Evidencehas now emerged that one man '' George Soros '' has been a major player in thiscultural vandalism of Western, Christian nations. His 'Open Societies' organizationhas a list of 226 allies in the European Union, thanks probably to the multi-billion-dollarfortune of its founder George Soros.

Themany Soros funded organisations around the world include groups such as BlackLives Matter, Antifa and numerous ''woke'' groups who all have a hatred forWestern, Christian, White societies.

Theyalso have something else in common. Whenever someone disagrees with them, they accusethat person (or persons) of being a Fascist, a Nazi or 'literally Hitler.'

InPsychology 101, students are taught about a tactic called ''projection.'' This iswhere a perpetrator of anti-social behavior, accuses his victim of that exactsame behavior.

What does this have to do with George Soros you ask? Well, Howell Woltz has been doing some digging into George's past and has come up with some rather startling revelations. Read on and make up your own mind as to who the real Nazis are:

HOW TO SELL A BIG LIE. ALL YOU NEED IS A LITTLE GOOGLE by Howell Woltz.Google George Soros, and you'll see thisphoto with article after article telling you it's not really him.

And they're right. It's not'--but the photo you won't find, is one of Ge¶rgy Schwartz.

We have the photo that was used in a voluntary interview between CBS reporter, Steve Kroft, and George Soros in 1998 which is a photo of Ge¶rgy Schwartz, a.k.a. George Soros in a Nazi uniform.

But if you Google or Duck Duck Goimages of Soros (a.k.a. Ge¶rgy Scwhartz) you won't find this one'--anywhere.Why? Because it's real:

This photo was shown on the 60 minutes interview with George Soros.Now notice the captions on the screen during the interview by Soros CBS News show, 60 Minutes, and it would seem Soros had no problem being who he was back in 1998 and was the most likely source of the photo.

So, you now know how the 'bait and switch' scam worksI knew this picture existed, as I not only watched this 60 Minutes interview 22 years ago, (which is when I first started tracking this evil man) but personally went to Budapest in 2016 to investigate his childhood days to see what I could find out about his days a Nazi collaborator.

So, when searching forthe photo, it seemed strange that it simply could not be found, but the photoof a young Auschwitz guard was everywhere, on every Left-wing debunkingsite'--when you type in Soros. Why?

It was a false flagoperation. ''This is not GeorgeSoros!'' OK, great, but I had seen himadmit to reporter Stephen Kroft about his past, and he further said that he hadno guilt over what he had done to his fellow Jews.

The interview wasposted on the internet'--which also disappeared for many, many years'--and probablywill again'--which is why I am recording it in these archives.

I'm also adding the transcript. Keep a copy of it so the next time you're told his Nazi past is 'completely debunked' (as I'll hear for weeks ahead after this article) you can enlighten the fool with the facts and George Soros' own words.

Why do I call the debunkers ''Left-wing''? For a very good reason. It is because they are, and so is their funding.

EXAMPLE'-- What is thefavourite slur to throw out at any successful conservative lover of his or herown nation and culture?

Fascists, ofcourse! Every conservative today is aFascist, right?

Now Google 'Fascist' and you will be told 'Fascism is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.''

Sounds rather like the Democrat Party in America to me, except the 'alt-right' fiction.

Anyone who livedthrough WW II or stayed awake in Modern History knows that the Fascist ideologywas the brainchild of Benito Mussolini who was head of the Italian Marxist Party.

See what they do and how they are re-writing history? The Far-Left ideology of Marxism, is falsely remade into the opposite to support name-calling of Donald Trump, Sco Mo, Salvini, Le Pen or any other Conservative in opposition to Marxism and Centralised rule.

You just rename them'fascists'.

Now, just for fun,google George Soros, and you'll find that every liberal hokey 'fact-checking'site pulls the same scam. Snopes,Truthorfiction, FactCheck'--any of them'--they all do the same bait and switch.

They show the pictureof the fresh faced Auschwitz guard, Oskar Groenig, and tell you it is notSoros, saying ''George Soros was not a Nazi officer at the age of 14,'' which isalso true.

He wasn't. How do I know this? Because you could not be in the SS until age 16'--but you could be a Nazi-collaborator at age 14 turning in your Jewish neighbours and wear a Nazi uniform if your adoptive father was the man in charge of stealing wealth from the Jews for Hitler before shipping them to their deaths!

And George Sorosadmitted to Steve Kroft'--on film'--that's exactly who he was and what he did. Infact, he recalls those as ''the happiest days of my life.''

Here's the interview:

If you have the ability, please copy this video before it disappears.When it disappears,again, here are the words. I transcribed them for you, as the first site I putin the article was taken down before we could publish:

George Soros OnHelping the Nazis During The HolocaustGeorge Soros InterviewOn 60 Minutes [1998]

Voiceover'--When theNazis occupied Budapest in 1944, George Soros' father was a successful lawyer.He lived on an island in the Danube and liked to commute to work in a rowboat.But knowing there were problems ahead for the Jews, he decided to split his familyup. He bought them forged papers and he bribed a government official to take14-year-old George Soros in and swear that he was his Christian godson. Butsurvival carried a heavy price tag. While hundreds of thousands of HungarianJews were being shipped off to the death camps, George Soros accompanied hisphoney godfather on his appointed rounds, confiscating property from the Jews.

(Vintage footage ofJews walking in line; man dragging little boy in line)

KROFT: (Voiceover)These are pictures from 1944 of what happened to George Soros' friends andneighbors.

(Vintage footage ofwomen and men with bags over their shoulders walking; crowd by a train)

KROFT: (Voiceover) You'rea Hungarian Jew'...

Mr. SOROS: (Voiceover)Mm-hmm.

KROFT: (Voiceover) '...whoescaped the Holocaust'...

(Vintage footage ofwomen walking by train)

Mr. SOROS: (Voiceover)Mm-hmm.

(Vintage footage ofpeople getting on train)

KROFT: (Voiceover) '...by''byposing as a Christian.

Mr. SOROS: (Voiceover)Right.

(Vintage footage ofwomen helping each other get on train; train door closing with people inboxcar)

KROFT: (Voiceover) Andyou watched lots of people get shipped off to the death camps.

Mr. SOROS: Right. I was14 years old. And I would say that that's when my character was made.

KROFT: In what way?

Mr. SOROS: That oneshould think ahead. One should understand and''and anticipate events and when''whenone is threatened. It was a tremendous threat of evil. I mean, it was a''a verypersonal experience of evil.

KROFT: My understandingis that you went out with this protector of yours who swore that you were hisadopted godson.

Mr. SOROS: Yes. Yes.

KROFT: Went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscation of property from the Jews.

Mr. SOROS: Yes. That's right. Yes.

KROFT: I mean, that's''thatsounds like an experience that would send lots of people to the psychiatriccouch for many, many years. Was it difficult?

Mr.SOROS: Not''not at all. Not atall. Maybe as a child you don't''you don't see the connection. But it was''itcreated no''no problem at all.

KROFT: No feeling ofguilt?

Mr.SOROS: No.

KROFT: For examplethat, 'I'm Jewish and here I am, watching these people go. I could just aseasily be there. I should be there.' None of that?

Mr. SOROS: Well, ofcourse I c''I could be on the other side or I could be the one from whom thething is being taken away. But there was no sense that I shouldn't be there,because that was''well, actually, in a funny way, it's just like in markets''thatif I weren't there''of course, I wasn't doing it, but somebody else would''would''wouldbe taking it away anyhow. And it was the''whether I was there or not, I was onlya spectator, the property was being taken away. So the''I had no role in takingaway that property. So I had no sense of guilt.

VOICEOVER '' Of course most of us here are already aware of Mr. Soros' highly questionable actions during the Nazi occupation. (Though the public at large undoubtedly has a different perspective, if they know anything about his earlier days at all.)

But the statements hemade in this interview to my mind are quite chilling.

He forgives himselfeverything. He says that if he hadn't done it somebody else would have.

All of which would seemto indicate that Mr. Soros has no conscience. A lack of conscience is said to bea common symptom of sociopaths.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

When asked the directquestion by Kroft whether he ''Went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscationof property from the Jews.'' Sorosreplied ''Yes. That's right. Yes.'' Although later he makes the claim ''I had norole in taking away that property,'' it seems to be in the context that, as hesays himself, [if] ''I wasn't doing it, but somebody else would''would''would betaking it away anyhow''

And Marxist Sociopaths know how to usethis trick

George Orwell describedthis phenomenon in his amazing novel, 1984, as DoubleSpeak.

Thisis the language of the Left designed to disguise and distort by reversing themeaning of words'--like Fascism'--to re-orient public opinion.

It isa tool of mass social engineering, like the sociopathic thugs Antifa [Anti fascists]funded by the same George Soros. Theseyoung thugs, be they in Portland, Oregon or Berlin, Germany don masks and blackclothes to commit fascist political acts and prevent free speech.

DoubleSpeakwill have you believe that these Fascists are 'Anti-fascists' just because thename says so, to re-orient what people believe the term to mean.

DoubleSpeakstatements such as ''war is peace'' and ''freedom is slavery'' are otherexamples'--actually used by America's first Progressive president, Woodrow Wilsonin his book, ''The New Freedom''.

Imaginesaying ''ignorance is strength,'' for example'--as I heard said recently by aBernie Sanders supporter.

Anhonest person can't say such a stupid thing without discomfort, yet this istaught to gullible Bernie Bro radicals as some sort of deep wisdom'--while onlybeing an intentional misuse of language to disorient them.

AsKong Zi (Confucius) wrote 2,500 years ago, ''When words lose their meaning,people lose their freedom.''

It'shappening, and it is intentional'--like 'diversity is our strength' which is theLeftist rage today.

Thinkabout that one. How can busting us upinto little pockets of dissent, make us strong or be a strength? It can't, it can only break us apart, divideus, and make us weak.

Callthem out for it every time you hear such nonsense.

MostLeftists are beyond help absent an STE (Significant Traumatic Event) in theirlives after age 20, but call them out every time anyway.

Youare unlikely to cure the stupidity of the person with whom you are talking, butyou never know who is listening and will hear your truth.

HowellWoltz

TheInternational Centre for Justice

Warsaw,Poland

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 04:27

Among anti-Semitic books available on the site is one written by a Nazi convicted of crimes against humanity. The museum called it 'hateful, virulently anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda.'

The Auschwitz museum called on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to remove Nazi-era anti-Semitic children's books from the global online shopping platform.

"Hateful, virulently antisemitic Nazi propaganda is available for sale not only on @AmazonUK," the Auschwitz Memorial tweeted at the American e-commerce billionaire.

"Books by authors like Julius Streicher can be found also on @amazon & @AmazonDE. Such books should be removed immediately. | @JeffBezos @Amazon," it wrote in a Twitter post on Friday.

The Holocaust Education Trust (HET) also tweeted a statement calling on the Amazon founder to remove the books from the site. Among those on sale is an anti-Semitic children's book called "The Poisonous Mushroom" (Der Giftpilz), written by Nazi party member Julius Streicher and published in 1938.

Read more: Fresh Nazi songbook scandal hits Austrian far-right Freedom party

Streicher "was the founder of the virulently antisemitic Nazi newspaper Der St¼rmer," read the statement issued by HET. "He was executed for Crimes Against Humanity ... The front cover alone draws on longstanding and offensive antisemitic tropes."

Read more: Why Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' is a political issue

'The Poisonous Mushroom' by Julius Streicher, the Nazi founder of the anti-Semitic newspaper 'Der St¼rmer.' The Auschwitz Museum and Holocaust Educational Trust called on Amazon to remove the book from the website.

The book is offered on Amazon in German, English, French and Spanish. Over the last year and a half, Amazon has pulled several books by far-right authors including David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party, according to the New York Times.

Read more: Germany: AfD apologizes after outcry over 'racist' coloring book

Last month marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Operated by Nazi Germany from 1940 until 1945 in then-occupied Poland, Auschwitz was part of a brutal network of concentration camps across Europe set up to carry out Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution" of genocide against 10 million European Jews. More than 1.1 million people were killed at Auschwitz, and two-thirds of the entire Jewish population in Europe were killed by Nazis.

Read more:As Holocaust survivors grow older, activists keep their stories alive

Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.

lc/mm (AFP)

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 04:11

If you asked me this morning which nation has the most mass shootings in the world, I would have said, with perhaps a flicker of hesitation, the United States.

This is a tad embarrassing to admit because I'm pretty familiar with shooting statistics, having written several articles on gun violence and the Second Amendment. Below is a basic overview of gun violence in America. While gun homicides have been steadily declining for decades in the U.S., mass shootings have indeed been trending upward.

This fact alone probably would not have led me to believe that the U.S. leads the world in mass shootings, however. An assist goes to the U.S. media and politicians.

The Dominant Narrative''Let's be clear,'' President Obama said in 2015 after a shooting in North Carolina. ''At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.''

Sen. Harry Reid echoed this sentiment. ''The United States is the only advanced country where this kind of mass violence occurs.''

Media headlines have left little doubt that the U.S. leads the world in mass shootings. In fact, according to CNN, it isn't even close.

The comments and data seem to conclusively say that the U.S. leads the world in mass shootings and the violence is unique, a product of ''America's gun culture.''

It's a slam dunk case except for one thing: it's not true.

The Root of the MythStatistics on global mass shooting incidents from 2009 to 2015 compiled by economist John Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center show that the U.S. trails many other advanced nations in mass shooting frequency and death rate.

As Investor's Business Daily noted on these findings, ''Yes, the U.S. rate is still high, and nothing to be proud of. But it's not the highest in the developed world. Not by a long shot.''

If this is true, how did the narrative that the U.S. leads the world in mass shootings become the conventional wisdom? The myth, it turns out, stems from University of Alabama associate professor Adam Lankford.

Lankford's name pops up in a montage of media reports which cite his research as evidence that America leads the world in mass shootings. The violence, Lankford said, stems from the high rate of gun ownership in America.

''The difference between us and other countries, [which] explains why we have more of these attackers, was the firearm ownership rate,'' Lankford said. ''In other words: firearms per capita. We have almost double the firearm ownership rate of any other country.''

Help us champion truth, freedom, limited government and human dignity. Support The Stream >>

Lankford's findings show that there were 90 mass public shooters in America since 1966, the most in the world, which had a total of 202. But Lott, using Lankford's definition of a mass shooting '-- ''four or more people killed'' '-- found more than 3,000 such shootings, John Stossel recently reported.

When findings do not mesh, scholars, in pursuit of truth, generally compare notes, data, and methodology to find out how they reached their conclusions. After all, who is to say Lankford doesn't have it right and Lott is wrong? There's just one problem: Lankford isn't talking.

Lankford refuses to explain his data to anyone '-- to Stossel, to Lott, to the Washington Post, and apparently anyone else who comes asking, including this writer. (I emailed Lankford inquiring about his research. He declined to discuss his methodology, but said he would be publishing more information about mass shooting data in the future.)

''That's academic malpractice,'' Lott tells Stossel.

Indeed it is. Yet, it doesn't explain how one professor's research was so rapidly disseminated that its erroneous claim quickly became the conventional wisdom in a country with 330 million people.

Truth versus NarrativeFor that, we must look to the era of narrative-driven journalism and the politicization of society, both of which subjugate truth to ideology and politics. Media and politicians latched onto Lankford's findings in droves because his findings were convenient, not because they were true.

This is an unsettling and ill omen for liberty. As Lawrence Reed has observed, the road to authoritarianism is paved with a ''careless, cavalier, and subjective attitude toward truth.'' Yet that is precisely what we see with increasing frequency in mass media. (Need I reference the Covington debacle and the Smollet hoax?)

More than a hundred years ago Mark Twain noted, ''A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.''

Twain's quote remains true even in the age of the internet. Lankford's erroneous research had free rein for two years and was disseminated to tens of millions of viewers and readers before the truth finally got its shoes on.

If you ask most Americans today which country leads the world in mass shootings, I suspect a vast majority would say the U.S. And there's always a price for the erosion of truth.

Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org. His writing/reporting has appeared in TIME magazine, The Wall Street Journal , CNN, Forbes, Fox News, and the Washington Times. Reach him at jmiltimore@FEE.org.

Copyright 2019 Fee.org. Republished with permission.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 04:07

The China Coronavirus 5G Connection is a very important factor when trying to comprehend the coronavirus (formerly abbreviated 2019-nCoV, now COVID-19) outbreak.

Various independent researchers around the web, for around 2-3 weeks now, have highlighted the coronavirus-5G link despite the fact that Google (as the self-appointed NWO Censor-in-Chief) is doing its best to hide and scrub all search results showing the connection.

The coronavirus 5G connection doesn't mean the bioweapons connection is false (it's not a case of either-or), but rather broadens the scope of the entire event. Wuhan was one of the test cities chosen for China 5G rollout; 5G went live there on October 31st, 2019, almost exactly 2 months before the coronavirus outbreak began.

The coronavirus 5G connection goes very deep, getting into NWO agendas such as mandatory vaccines, depopulation and transhumanism via DNA vaccines. Image credit: David Dees

Meanwhile, many scientific documents on the health effects of 5G have verified that it causes flu-like symptoms. This article reveals the various connections behind the coronavirus phenomenon, including how 5G can exacerbate or cause the kind of illness you are attributing to the new virus. The rabbit hole is deep so let's take a dive.

5G '' A Type of Directed Energy Weapon For the deeper background to 5G, read my 2017 article 5G and IoT: Total Technological Control Grid Being Rolled Out Fast. Many people around the world, including concerned citizens, scientist and even governmental officials, are becoming aware of the danger of 5G.

This is why it has already been banned in many places worldwide, such as Brussels, the Netherlands and parts of Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Germany, the UK, the USA and Australia.

After all, 5G is not just the next generation of mobile connectivity after 4G; it is a radical and entirely new type of technology '' a military technology used on the battlefield that is now being 'deployed' (military term) in the civilian realm.

It is phased array weaponry being sold and disguised as primarily a communications system when the frequency bands it uses (24GHz '' 100+GHz including MMW [millimeter waves]) are the very same ones used in Active Denial Systems, i.e. crowd control.

Even mainstream Wikipedia describes Active Denial Systems as directed energy weaponry; it disperses crowds by firing energy at them, causing immediate and intense pain, including a sensation of the skin burning.

Remember, directed energy weapons (DEW) are behind the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11 and the fake Californian 'wildfires'.

Numerous scientists have warned of the dangerous health effects of 5G. For instance, in this 5G Appeal from 2017 entitled Scientists and Doctors Warn of Potential Serious Health Effects of 5G, scientists warned of the harmful of non-ionizing RF/EMF radiation:

''Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general wellbeing in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plants and animals.''

If you listen to Mark Steele and Barrie Trower, you'll get an idea of the horrifying effects of 5G. In this interview, Trower echoes the above quote by stating how 5G damages the immune system of trees and kills insects.

He reveals how in 1977, 5G was tested on animals in hopes of finding a weapon. The results were severe demyelination '' stripping the protective sheath of nerve cells. Some nations are now noticing a 90% loss of insects (including pollinating insects like bees) which congregate around lamp-posts where 5G is installed.

Wuhan Military Games and Event 201 Simulation If you dig deep enough, some disturbing connections arise between 5G and the men who have developed or are developing vaccines for novel viruses like ebola, zika and the new coronavirus COVID-19.

In a fantastic piece of research, an author under the pen name of Annie Logical wrote the article Corona Virus Fakery And The Link To 5G Testing that lays out the coronavirus 5G connection. There is a ton of information, so I will break it all down to make it more understandable.

From October 18-27th 2019, Wuhan hosted the Military World Games and specifically used 5G (for the first time ever) for the event. Also on October 18th, 2019 in New York, the Johns Hopkins Center in partnership with World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted Event 201 '' ''A Global Pandemic Exercise'' which is a simulation of a pandemic.

Guess what virus they happen to choose for their 'simulation'? A coronavirus! Guess what animal cells they use? Pig cells!

(COVID-19 was initially reported to be derived from a seafood market, and the fish there are known to be fed on pig waste).

Event 201 includes the UN (since the WEF now has a partnership agreement with UN), Big Pharma (Johnson and Johnson), Bill Gates (key figure in pushing vaccines, human microchipping and Agenda 2030) and both China and America's CDC.

Participants in Event 201 recommended that governments force social media companies to stop the spread of 'fake news' and that ultimately the only way to control the information would be for the WHO (World Health Organization, part of the UN) to be the sole central purveyor of information during a pandemic.

Inovio, Electroporation and 5G As reported on January 24th, 2020, US biotech and pharmaceutical company Inovio received a $9 million grant to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. Inovio got the money grant from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), however they already have an existing partnership with CEPI; in April 2018 they got up to $56 million to develop vaccines for Lassa Fever and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

CEPI was founded in Davos by the governments of Norway and India, the Wellcome Trust '... and the participants of Event 201: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the WEF. CEPI's CEO is the former director of BARDA (US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) which is part of the HHS.

Inovio claimed they developed a coronavirus vaccine in 2 hours! On the face of it such a claim is absurd; what is more likely is that they are lying or that they already had the vaccine because they had the foreknowledge that the coronavirus was coming and was about to be unleashed.

So who owns and runs Inovio? Two key men are David Weiner and Dr. Joseph Kim. Weiner was once Kim's university professor. Weiner was involved with developing a vaccine for HIV and zika (you can read my articles about zika here and here where I exposed some of the lies surrounding that epidemic).

Kim was funded by Merck (a large Big Pharma company) and produced something called Porcine Circovirus (PCV 1 and PCV 2). As mentioned above, there is a link between pig vaccines/pig DNA and the coronavirus; Annie Logical notes that it ''has long been established that seafood in the area is fed on pig waste.''

Kim served a 5-year tenure as a member of the WEF's Global Agenda Council '' yet another organ pushing the New World Order One World Government under the banner of Agenda 2030 Global Governance.

Weiner is an employee and advisor to the FDA, is considered a DNA technology expert and pioneered a new DNA transference method called electroporation '' a microbiology technique which uses an electrical pulse to create temporary pores in cell membranes through which substances like chemicals, drugs or DNA can be introduced into the cell.

This technique can be used to administer DNA vaccines, which inject foreign DNA into a host's cells that changes the host's DNA. This means if you take a DNA vaccine, you are allowing your DNA to be changed!

As if vaccines weren't already horrific enough '... but here's the kicker: electroporation uses pulsed waves. Guess what else uses pulsed waves? 5G! This is either a startling coincidence or evidence or a sinister coronavirus 5G-connection. Annie writes:

''[T]he same action that 5G technology uses in pulsed waves and the coronavirus was reported to have started in an area in China that had rolled out 5G technology!

''So we can see how geneticists using scientists are tampering with the building blocks of our existence and what is disturbing is that Prof Wiener is a HIV pioneer and we know that soon after the Polio vaccines were given to millions in Africa that HIV emerged. They have perfected the art of injecting animal or bird DNA into human chromosomes which alters our DNA and causes things like haemorrhaging, fever, cancers and even death.''

Speaking of HIV (which is not the same things as AIDS, but that is another story), remember also that a group of Indian scientists put out their research that the virus was manmade and had HIV inserts.

They found that 4 separate HIV genes were randomly embedded within the coronavirus. These genes somehow converged to create receptor sites on the virus that were identical to HIV, which was a surprise due to their random placement.

They also specifically stated that this was not likely to happen naturally (''unlikely to be fortuitous in nature''). In yet another example of egregious censorship, these scientists were pressured to withdraw their work.

5G and Electroporation DNA Vaccines '' Both Producing Pulsed EMF Waves Consider the implications of this for a moment. The technology exists to use EMFs to open your very skin pores and inject foreign DNA into your bloodstream and cells.

This is an extreme violation of your bodily sovereignty, and it can have long-term effects, because of genetic mutation '' changing your very DNA which is the biological blueprint and physical essence of who you are.

What if 5G mimics electroporation? What if 5G can do on a large scale what electroporation does on a small scale? We already know that 5G has the potential to be mutagenic (DNA-damaging).

The frequencies that 5G uses, especially 75-100GHz, interact with the geometrical structure of our skin and sweat ducts, acting upon them like a transmission reaching an antenna, and fundamentally affecting us and our mood.

What if 5G is being used to open up the skin of those in Wuhan so as to allow the new bioweapon coronavirus to infiltrate more easily?

Mandatory Vaccines, Depopulation and Transhumanism So, what's at the bottom of the coronavirus-5G connection rabbit hole? I would suggest we find mandatory vaccine agenda, the depopulation agenda and transhumanist agenda (via DNA vaccines).

The key figures and groups who appear to have planned this already have the vaccine in place, just as they did for the other epidemics that fizzled out (SARS, ebola and zika). Weiner even has links to HIV/AIDS, and if you dive into that as Jon Rappoport did, you find gaping holes in that story.

It's the same epidemic / pandemic game played out every 2-3 years. There's a couple of versions.

In the first version, you invent a virus, hype it up, get people scared, do ineffectual and inconclusive tests (e.g. like the PCR test which measures if a viral fragment is present but doesn't tell you the quantities of whether it would actually causing the disease), inflate the body count, justify quarantine/martial law and brainwash people into thinking they have to buy the (toxic) vaccine and introduce mandatory vaccination. You don't even need a real virus or pathogen for the version.

In the second version, you create a virus as a bioweapon, release it as a test, pretend it was a natural mutation, watch how many people it kills (which helps with the eugenics and depopulation agendas), again justify martial law, again justify the need for mandatory vaccines and even pose as the savior with the vaccine that stops it.

As a variation on this second version, you can even develop a race-specific bioweapon so as to reduce the population of rival nations or enemy races as a geopolitical strategy.

This article suggests that the coronavirus targets Chinese people / Asians more than others, and certainly the official death count attests to that, although it's always hard to trust governmental statistics. Annie Logical gives her take:

''The con job goes like this.

Step 1) poison the population purposely to create disease that does not and would never occur naturally

Step 2) parlay the purposely created disease as being caused by something invisible, outside the realm of control or knowledge of the average person

Step 3) create a toxic vaccine or medication that was always intended to further poison the population into an early grave

Step 4) parlay the vaccine or medication poisoning as PROOF the disease, which never existed, is much worse than anticipated

Step 5) increase the initial poisoning, which is marketed as a fake disease, and also increase the vaccine and medication poisoning, to start piling the bodies into the stratosphere

Step 6) repeat as many times as possible upon an uninformed population because killing a population this way (the art of having people line up to kill themselves with poison'...'...known as a ''soft kill'' method) is the only legal way to make sure such eugenic operations can be executed on mass and in plain sight.''

DNA vaccines are a disturbing new advancement for transhumanism. After all, the objective of the transhumanist agenda is to merge man with machine, and in doing so, wipe out what fundamentally makes us human, so we can be controlled and overtaken by a deeply sinister and negative force.

It's all about changing us at the fundamental level, or attacking human sovereignty itself. DNA vaccines fit right in with that '' literally changing your DNA by forcefully inserting foreign DNA to change your genetics, with consequences no one could possibly fully foresee and predict.

One Last Coronavirus '' 5G Connection Finally, I will finish with another coronavirus-5G connection. The word coronavirus itself refers to many kinds of viruses by that name, not just COVID-19.

Guess who owns a patent for a coronavirus strain that can be used to develop a vaccine? The Pirbright Institute. And guess who partially owns them? Bill Gates!

As you can read here Pirbright is being supported in their vaccine developement endeavors by a British company Innovate UK '... who also funds and supports the rollout of 5G. Innovate UK ran a competition in 2018 with a £15 million share out to any small business that could produce vaccines for 'epidemic' potential.

The Motivation to Hype and the Motivation to Downplay History has shown that in cases of epidemics (or fake epidemics) there is almost always a morass of conflicting reports and contradictory information. In such situations, it can be very difficult to get to the bottom of the matter and find the truth. The conflict stems from the different motivations of nations, governments and other interested groups.

Essentially, there are 2 main motivations: the motivation to hype (exaggerate and use fear to grab attention, sell something, make a group look bad/incompetent, make people scared, make the public accept mandatory vaccination and martial law) and the motivation to downplay (cover up and hide the true extent of the damage, morbidity or mortality so as to appear competent and in control, to lessen possible anger, backlash or disorder).

Sometimes, these 2 motivations may drive the behavior of the same group, e.g. in the case of the Chinese Government, it has the motivation to hype (to get people afraid so they easily follow its draconian quarantine rules) and the motivation to downplay (so as to appear in the eyes of its people and the rest of the entire world to have the situation under control, to ensure saving face, credibility and a good reputation).

Final Thoughts on the Coronavirus 5G Connection Governments around the world have experimented with bioweapons both on their own citizens and foreign citizens, and even sold that research to other governments for their own benefit (e.g. Japan's notorious Unit 731 which developed bioweapons in China, only to hand over that research to the US after losing World War 2).

See Bioweapons: Lyme Disease, Weaponized Ticks, Plum Island & More for a brief history of the USG's usage of weaponized ticks which resulted in Lyme Disease.

The evidence that COVID-19 is a bioweapon is overwhelming '' and so is the evidence that 5G is involved to either cause the flu-like symptoms/pneumonia people have been experiencing, and/or to exacerbate the virulity of the virus by weakening people's immune systems and subjecting them to pulsed waves of EMF to open up their skin to foreign DNA fragments (including viruses).

In this kinds of story, there are no major coincidences '' only connections and conspiracies waiting to be uncovered.

By Makia Freeman, Guest writer, HumansAreFree.com

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 04:06

Aerial pictures emerged yesterday showing flooding in the grounds of George and Amal Clooney's mansion in Berkshire.

The Thames has spilled over its banks and left the Hollywood star's tennis court, the veranda of his summer house and much of the lawn completely underwater in Sonning.

The 17th-century, Grade II-listed house is located on an island in the river. The property's garden had previously been hit by flooding in 2016.

The Hollywood star and human rights lawyer moved into the secluded home with their twins in 2016, after an intensive 18-month long refurbishment.

It comes as more rain is expected on Friday, potentially leading to more flooding in areas already saturated after successive storms.

Northern parts of England could see winds up to 65 mph which could cause transport delays and forecasters have warned that up to eight inches of snow could be on the way in Scotland at the weekend.

A before and after view shows flooding in the grounds of George and Amal Clooney's mansion in Sonning, Berkshire

George Clooney has suffered flood damage to his Berkshire mansion. The estate has been hit badly by the recent bad weather

Aerial pictures show flooding yesterday in the grounds of George and Amal Clooney's mansion in Sonning, Berkshire

The actor and the human rights lawyer moved to the 17th-century home in 2016 after an 18-month refurbishment

The 17th-century house is located on an island in the river, and the property's garden had previously been hit by flooding

The rising River Thames has left George Clooney and his wife Amal's Grade II-listed mansion in Berkshire surrounded by water

The Clooneys paid an undisclosed sum for the listed property, which was put on the market for £7.5 million, in September 2014, a couple of weeks after their three-day wedding extravaganza in Venice.

Earlier this month the high-profile pair applied for planning permission for an outhouse to bolster security as the famous home attracts more tourists.

George and Amal Clooney in Los Angeles in June 2018

It comes as a staunch Tory voter whose home was swamped by floods has urged Boris Johnson to leave his country retreat to see the damage in the flood zone for himself.

Vic Haddock said he had suffered £100,000 worth of damage to his riverside home, adjacent canoe hire business and holiday rental cottage.

And the 60-year-old threw down the gauntlet to the Prime Minister, saying: 'I've supported you '' now come and support me.'

Condemnation was growing over Mr Johnson's response to the flooding yesterday.

Jeremy Corbyn said it was the 'duty of the Prime Minister to be there in places where there are difficulties'.

The Labour leader was visiting Rhydyfelin, near Pontypridd, South Wales, which had been left under water on Sunday as Storm Dennis ravaged the UK.

Mr Johnson has spent the parliamentary recess shuttling between Downing Street and Chevening, the Foreign Secretary's grace-and-favour country estate in Kent.

The PM's official country residence, Chequers in Buckinghamshire, is currently being renovated.

The tennis court, the veranda of their summerhouse and most of the lawn have been left completely underwater

The flooding in Berkshire comes as more rainfall is forecast today, potentially causing more issues in already saturated areas

The Thames has spilled over its banks and left the Hollywood star's tennis court in Berkshire completely underwater

The 17th-century, Grade II-listed house in Sonning, Berkshire, is located on an island in the river

Aerial pictures show flooding in the grounds of George and Amal Clooney's mansion in Sonning, Berkshire

The Thames spilled over and left the veranda of the Clooneys' summer house and much of the lawn completely underwater

The flooding has caused damage to the 17th-century, Grade II-listed house which is located on an island in the river

Mr Haddock, from Ironbridge, Shropshire, said while flood barriers were erected by the council on the Wharfage, on the opposite side of the River Severn, residents on his row of cottages had no such protection.

He told Sky News: 'I'm a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson, and I believe he's going to be a great man for the country.

'Now I've supported him, come on Boris '' come and support me. Come and see me, I'll buy you a pint, we'll have a chat about this, and find out who's finally responsible to give us a little bit of aid.'

He said the floods were the worst he could remember in his 17 years living in the area. The Fire Brigades Union also added to the growing criticism of Mr Johnson, accusing the Government of failing to plan for floods in the long term.

It highlighted that there had been cuts of more than £140million to English fire and rescue services over the four-year local government finance settlement.

Further heavy rain is hitting northern parts of Britain this morning (left), with strong winds set to sweep in overnight (right)

Further rain is expected in parts of Britain tomorrow (left) and on Sunday (right) with more snow on the way in Scotland too

The Environment Agency has imposed five severe flood warnings, 82 standard warnings (both in red) and 149 alerts (amber)

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: 'This Prime Minister has shown absolutely zero leadership as flooding devastates our communities.

'Firefighters are on the ground fighting to keep people, homes, and businesses safe, while Boris Johnson cowers in Westminster.

'Flooding is nothing new, and will only get worse with climate change, but our ability to tackle its consequences has been utterly undermined by a lack of long-term planning from this shambles of a Government.'

The condemnation came as the Environment Agency warned that 'scary' floods could spread to northern England this weekend.

Officials said further heavy rain could lead to 'significant river flooding' in some areas such as the Pennines and parts of Yorkshire.

Aerial images show the extent of flooding in Hereford on Monday after a nearby river burst its banks over the weekend

The River Ouse burst its banks over the weekend leaving the Cambridgeshire market town of St Ives underwater on Monday

Drone pictures show the devastating scale of flooding the Welsh village of Crickhowell after the Usk flooded on Sunday

A Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue boat return residents of Sandhurst cut off by flood water back to their homes yesterday

Hereford Fire and Rescue personnel help carry a woman in a flooded street in Hampton Bishop in Herefordshire yesterday

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Downing Street in London on February 13

Vic Haddock said on Wednesday he had suffered £100,000 worth of damage to his riverside home in Ironbridge, Shropshire

Flash flooding in north Lancashire and Cumbria had closed the West Coast Mail Line railway yesterday morning.

And the Environment Agency's manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire '' two of the counties to have suffered the worst of the flooding this week '' warned that the current crisis was 'going to get worse'.

Dave Throup was responding to figures revealing that the level of the River Wye on Monday peaked at 6.99m (22ft 11in) '' more than half a metre higher than any previous recorded figure.

Mr Throup tweeted: 'It's getting scary folks. What I've seen over the last few days isn't normal. It isn't even the new normal. It's going to get worse. We need to adapt and respond. And fast.'

Some 70,000 homes in areas prone to flooding are at risk of becoming uninsurable, a report has warned.

Political think-tank Bright Blue predicted there would be 'flood ghettos' of houses in England in high-risk zones that were not covered in the coming years.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:38

Jake Tapper @ jaketapper

6h 2/ "What's been articulated in the news is that the intelligence community has concluded that the Russians are trying to help Trump again. But the intelligence doesn't say that,'' the official says...

View conversation · Jake Tapper @ jaketapper

6h 3/ ''The problem is Shelby" -- Pierson, the elections threats executive in the intelligence community -- "said they developed a preference for Trump. A more reasonable interpretation of the intelligence is not that they have a preference, it's a step short of that....

View conversation · Jake Tapper @ jaketapper

6h 4/ ''It's more that they understand the president is someone they can work with, he's a dealmaker. But not that they prefer him over Sanders or Buttigieg or anyone else. So it may have been mischaracterized by Shelby" at the House Intel briefing last week...

View conversation · Jake Tapper @ jaketapper

6h 5/ "And by the way,'' the official says, ''both Democrats and Republicans were challenging this at the briefing."Then there's the matter of the tense meeting between President Trump and erstwhile Acting Director of National Intelligence Admiral Maguire...

View conversation · Jake Tapper @ jaketapper

6h 6/ ''The President was upset that he had to hear about an intelligence conclusion from a Member of the House Republicans rather than from the intelligence community. So he was out of joint with Maguire on that process."

View conversation · Jake Tapper @ jaketapper

6h 7/ None of this disputes that Trump desires to replace those who have Intel expertise with partisan loyalists, or dismisses the larger issues and concerns about Russia and how the president seeks help from abroad. Just that there seems to be more to this particular story.

View conversation ·

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: The Last Refuge

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:36

The New York Times and a host of allied political narrative engineers attempted to spin up another Russia narrative yesterday. The claim surrounds a briefing by DNI Joseph Maguire (pictured below) to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Adam Schiff and house democrats in the briefing claim DNI Maguire stated Russians favored President Trump and would work to assist his re-election.

The Democrat spin was to claim President Trump replaced Maguire as an outcome of this briefing; and Trump wants to ignore Russia interference assistance. etc. etc. The media ran with the framework of the Democrat narrative; and the political operative piled-on.

However, in a surprise move Jake Tapper actually undercuts the narrative engineering through his own sources with information on the reality of the briefing:

(1) DNI Joseph Maguire never said Russia was, would, or is working to interfere in the election to help President Trump. Rather the briefing nuance was that Russia has an understanding of Trump and would likely view him as a deal-maker they could work with and Sanders, Buttigieg et al were unknowns.

(2) President Trump wasn't angered at the Maguire briefing; however, he was angered that he had to find out about the briefing from GOP members of the HPSCI instead of Maguire briefing the President on the material prior to briefing congress. The executive office was blindsided by committee members asking questions of the White House, when Maguire never informed the President of his briefing material in advance.

Those two points were spun wildly by the left-wing media. Kudos to Jake Tapper for setting the record straight.

However, it is not a surprise for President Trump to end the tenure of Maguire as DNI given this end-run around the President and the possibility Maguire's motives might just be another example of the intelligence community undercutting the office of the President. [I would say that's highly likely]

The fact DNI Joseph Maguire would brief congress without informing the White House of the briefing material highlights a possible intent by Maguire to undermine the President. Whether that intent is accurate is a moot point. The action by Maguire leaves open the possibility, and his lack of judgement created a mess for the White House.

Therefore Maguire's action showed poor judgement and a compromise within his position. Given the sensitive nature of the position he holds, both issues are fatal flaws.

Hence, President Trump selected a more dependable Richard ''Ric'' Grenell to replace Maguire as interim Acting DNI.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:32

Ieder lid van het huidige kabinet moet zich kapotschamen: door een hogere btw en een hogere energiebelasting zijn Nederlandse belastingbetalers er netto op achteruit gegaan. De prijzen stegen het afgelopen jaar sneller dan de lonen. We hebben op papier dus meer geld, maar kunnen minder kopen. Met dank aan de mafketels in Den Haag.

RTL Z heeft eens goed naar de cijfers gekeken en komt tot de conclusie dat hoewel de cao-lonen gemiddeld met 2,5 procent stegen, dat toch te weinig was om de prijsstijgingen door belastingverhogingen goed te maken. De prijzen stegen daardoor namelijk 2,6 procent. Let wel, volgens RTL Z was het voor het eerst sinds de invoering van de euro in 2002 dat de prijzen zo hard stegen in zo weinig tijd.

Met name voedingsmiddelen werden veel duurder. Als je eten of drinken zonder alcohol wil kopen in de winkel ben je nu 4 procent duurder uit dan aan het begin van 2019. Dat is een enorme toename, zeker gezien het feit dat het hier om primaire levensbehoeften gaat en niet om luxe goederen. Daar komt nog eens bij dat Nederlanders 10 procent van hun uitgaven aan voedsel besteden, dus tel uit je winst verlies.

Dit is eigenlijk gewoon een grove schande. Nederlandse werknemers hebben al jaren geen cent extra te besteden, en nu gaan ze er zelfs letterlijk op achteruit. En dat komt allemaal door lastenverzwaringen, niet door enige economische problemen. Nee, dit zijn bewuste politieke keuzes, gemaakt door een stel ego¯sten dat zelf meer dan 100.000 euro verdient en dus totaal geen last heeft van wat voor verzwaringen dan ook.

Volg me op Twitter en Like me op Facebook.

Waardeer jij de artikelen op DagelijkseStandaard.nl? Volg ons dan op Twitter!

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:30

Log in Sign up Frans Timmermans @ TimmermansEU Europeans love to travel by rail, and this sector will play an important role in the

#EUGreenDealBut sometimes it's more complicated or more expensive to take a 🚆 than to get on a ''¸ Yesterday I met with railway industry CEOs to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead

pic.twitter.com/EDSXcWUzmE 2:12 AM - 20 Feb 2020 Twitter by: Frans Timmermans @TimmermansEU Ralien Bekkers @ RalienBekkers

Feb 20 Replying to

@TimmermansEU @AdinaValean and

5 others Great! Perhaps we also need more women in charge in the transport sector...ðŸ"

#sustainability #womenleadershipmatters View conversation · Mart Lubben @ MartLubben

Feb 20 Replying to

@RalienBekkers @TimmermansEU and

6 others Wat is Engels voor 'Excuus-Truus'?

View conversation · Jonathan Millins 🇧🇾 @ euro_jonathan

Feb 20 Replying to

@TimmermansEU @AdinaValean and

5 others We also love to travel by plane 'º¸'º¸

View conversation · Captain (ret'd) Europe @ JusticeLeagueEU

Feb 20 Replying to

@euro_jonathan @TimmermansEU and

6 others Speak for yourself. Between them, airlines, airports and regulators conspire to make air travel a miserable experience. Give me a train any day.

View conversation · Camille Petit @ CamillePetit1

Feb 20 Replying to

@TimmermansEU @AdinaValean and

5 others ‡a manque de femmes dans le secteur ferroviaire, je trouve.

View conversation · Huub Habets @ HuubHabets

21h Replying to

@TimmermansEU @AdinaValean and

5 others Ik ben Europeaan... overigens op de 2e plaats, op de 1e plaats Nederlander en reis helemaal NIET graag met de trein. Namens wie spreekt u zo'n eerste zin eigenlijk uit??

View conversation · Anton Lazarus @ _antlaz_

Feb 20 Replying to

@TimmermansEU @CER_railways and

5 others So complicated that I haven't been able to find a single picture of any of the new

#vdLCommission members hopping on a train? How do you normally travel between Belgium and the Netherlands Frans?

twitter.com/_antlaz_/statu'... View conversation · Adrian Hiel @ AdrianHiel

Feb 20 Replying to

@_antlaz_ @TimmermansEU and

6 others Just looked and it takes three trains to make the two hour journey to his hometown of Heerlen which is a bit of a pain.

View conversation · Koen Stuyck @ KoenStuyck

Feb 20 Replying to

@TimmermansEU @AdinaValean and

5 others Yes! Please talk about a uniformed booking system that's easy to use across the whole of Europe, booking options longer than 3 months upfront and affordable prices.

#trains View conversation · Simon Brain @ u05srb

Feb 20 Replying to

@KoenStuyck @TimmermansEU and

6 others Agree 100% Some of these rail CEOs could take a leaf out of the airlines when it comes to offering an easy booking process for customers

View conversation · Enter a topic, @name, or fullname

Settings Help Back to top ·

Turn images off

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:36

AD en Krant.nl maken onderdeel uit van DPG Media. Onze sites gebruiken cookies en vergelijkbare technologien ('cookies') onder andere om je een optimale gebruikerservaring te bieden. Ook kunnen we hierdoor het gedrag van bezoekers vastleggen en analyseren en deze informatie toevoegen aan bezoekersprofielen. Cookies kunnen worden gebruikt om advertenties te tonen en artikelen aan te bevelen op de websites en apps van DPG Media die aansluiten op jouw interesses. Ook derden kunnen jouw internetgedrag volgen. Cookies kunnen gebruikt worden om op sites van derden relevante advertenties te tonen. Cookies van derde partijen maken daarnaast mogelijk dat je informatie kunt delen via social media zoals Twitter en Facebook.

AD deelt de informatie die zij verkrijgt middels het gebruik van cookies en vergelijkbare technieken, waaronder ook persoonsgegevens, in een samenwerkingsverband genaamd NLProfiel met Sanoma, DPG Media, Telegraaf Media Groep en RTL Nederland, om gezamenlijke groepsprofielen op te stellen. Door op 'Ja, ik accepteer cookies' te klikken, ga je akkoord met de verstrekking van jouw (persoons)gegevens aan deze Nederlandse uitgevers voor de totstandkoming van gezamenlijke groepsprofielen, welke dit zijn kan je lezen op www.nlprofiel.nl.

Meer informatie hierover vind je in ons cookie-statement.

Om artikelen op AD te kunnen lezen, dien je de cookies te accepteren door op 'Ja, ik accepteer cookies' te klikken.

De serviceafdeling is te bereiken op telefoonnummer 088 - 0505 050. De servicepagina kun je hier vinden. Klik hier om direct de Krant.ad.nl te lezen.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:33

Editor's note: John Solomon's columns regarding Ukraine became a subject of the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment inquiry against President Trump Donald John TrumpChasten Buttigieg: 'I've been dealing with the likes of Rush Limbaugh my entire life' Lawmakers paint different pictures of Trump's 'opportunity zone' program We must not turn our heads from the effects of traumatic brain injuries MORE . Any updated information can be found at the end of the column.

While the 2016 presidential race was raging in America, Ukrainian prosecutors ran into some unexpectedly strong headwinds as they pursued an investigation into the activities of a nonprofit in their homeland known as the Anti-Corruption Action Centre (AntAC).

The focus on AntAC '-- whose youthful street activists famously wore ''Ukraine F*&k Corruption'' T-shirts '-- was part of a larger probe by Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office into whether $4.4 million in U.S. funds to fight corruption inside the former Soviet republic had been improperly diverted.

The prosecutors soon would learn the resistance they faced was blowing directly from the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, where the Obama administration took the rare step of trying to press the Ukrainian government to back off its investigation of both the U.S. aid and the group.

''The investigation into the Anti-Corruption Action Center (sic), based on the assistance they have received from us, is similarly misplaced,'' then-embassy Charge d' Affaires George Kent wrote the prosecutor's office in April 2016 in a letter that also argued U.S. officials had no concerns about how the U.S. aid had been spent.

At the time, the nation's prosecutor general had just been fired, under pressure from the United States, and a permanent replacement had not been named.

A few months later, Yuri Lutsenko, widely regarded as a hero in the West for spending two years in prison after fighting Russian aggression in his country, was named prosecutor general and invited to meet new U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch Marie YovanovitchThe Hill's review of John Solomon's columns on Ukraine Democrats worried about Trump's growing strength Congress looks to strengthen hand in State Department following impeachment MORE .

Lutsenko told me he was stunned when the ambassador ''gave me a list of people whom we should not prosecute.'' The list included a founder of the AntAC group and two members of Parliament who vocally supported the group's anti-corruption reform agenda, according to a source directly familiar with the meeting.

It turns out the group that Ukrainian law enforcement was probing was co-funded by the Obama administration and liberal mega-donor George Soros. And it was collaborating with the FBI agents investigating then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort Paul John ManafortFree Roger Stone Trump tweets test Attorney General Barr Maxine Waters blasts Trump as 'mafia boss' over Stone case MORE 's business activities with pro-Russian figures in Ukraine.

The implied message to Ukraine's prosecutors was clear: Don't target AntAC in the middle of an America presidential election in which Soros was backing Hillary Clinton to succeed another Soros favorite, Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaMeghan McCain after Gaetz says Trump should pardon Roger Stone: 'Oh come on' Trump seeks to distance strong economy from Obama policies in White House report The Hill's Morning Report - Democrats duke it out during Nevada debate MORE , Ukrainian officials said.

''We ran right into a buzzsaw and we got bloodied,'' a senior Ukrainian official told me.

Lutsenko suggested the embassy applied pressure because it did not want Americans to see who was being funded with its tax dollars. ''At the time, Ms. Ambassador thought our interviews of the Ukrainian citizens, of the Ukrainian civil servants who were frequent visitors in the U.S. Embassy, could cast a shadow on that anti-corruption policy,'' he said.

State officials told me privately they wanted Ukraine prosecutors to back off AntAC because they feared the investigation was simply retribution for the group's high-profile efforts to force anti-corruption reforms inside Ukraine, some of which took authorities and prestige from the Prosecutor General's Office.

But it was an unusual intervention, the officials acknowledged. ''We're not normally in the business of telling a country's police force who they can and can't pursue, unless it involves an American citizen we think is wrongly accused,'' one official said.

In the end, no action was taken against AntAC and it remains thriving today. Nonetheless, the anecdote is taking on new significance.

First, it conflicts with the State Department's official statement last week after Lutsenko first mentioned the do-not-prosecute list. The embassy responded that the claim was a fabrication and a sign that corruption is alive and well inside Ukraine.

But Kent's letter unequivocally shows the embassy did press Ukrainian prosecutors to back off what normally would be considered an internal law enforcement matter inside a sovereign country. And more than a half-dozen U.S. and Ukrainian sources confirmed to me the AntAC case wasn't the only one in which American officials exerted pressure on Ukrainian investigators in 2016.

When I asked State to explain the letter and inclusion of the Soros-connected names during the meeting, it demurred. ''As a general rule, we don't read out private diplomatic meetings,'' it responded. ''Ambassador Yovanovitch represents the President of the United States in Ukraine, and America stands behind her and her statements.''

Second, the AntAC anecdote highlights a little-known fact that the pursuit of foreign corruption has resulted in an unusual alliance between the U.S. government and a political mega-donor.

After the Obama Justice Department launched its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative a decade ago to prosecute corruption in other countries, the State Department, Justice Department and FBI outsourced some of its work in Ukraine to groups funded by Soros.

The Hungarian-American businessman is one of the largest donors to American liberal causes, a champion of the U.S. kleptocracy crackdown and a man with extensive business interests in Ukraine.

One key U.S. partner was AntAC, which received 59 percent (or $1 million) of its nearly $1.7 million budget since 2012 from U.S. budgets tied to State and Justice, and nearly $290,000 from Soros's International Renaissance Foundation, according to the group's donor disclosure records.

The U.S.-Soros collaboration was visible in Kiev. Several senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials and FBI agents appeared in pictures as participants or attendees at Soros-sponsored events and conferences.

One attendee was Karen Greenaway, then the FBI supervisor in charge of international fraud cases and one of the lead agents in the Manafort investigation in Ukraine. She attended multiple such events and won glowing praise in a social media post from AntAC's executive director.

In one event during 2016, Greenaway and Ambassador Yovanovitch participated alongside AntAC's executive director, Daria Kaleniuk, and Lutsenko was present. The message was clear: The embassy supported AntAC.

The FBI confirmed Greenaway's contacts with the Soros group, saying they were part of her investigative work: ''In furtherance of the FBI's mission and in the course of their duties, FBI employees routinely travel and participated in public forums in an official capacity. At a minimum, all such travel and speaking engagements are authorized by the employee's direct supervisor and can receive further authorization all the way up to the relevant division head, along with an ethics official determination.''

Greenaway recently retired, and Soros's AntAC soon after announced she was joining its supervisory board.

Internal memos from Soros's umbrella charity organization, Open Society Foundations, describe a concerted strategy of creating friendships inside key government agencies such as State, DOJ and the FBI that can be leveraged inside the countries Soros was targeting for anti-corruption activism.

''We have broadly recognized the importance of developing supportive constituencies in order to make headway in tightening the global web of anti-corruption accountability,'' a Feb. 21, 2014, memo states. ''We first conceived of this in terms of fostering and helping to build a political environment favorable to high-level anti-corruption cases.''

That same memo shows Soros's organization wanted to make Ukraine a top priority, starting in 2014, and planned to use the Anti-Corruption Action Centre as its lead.

''Ukraine: Behind the scenes advice and support to Ukrainian partner Anti-Corruption Action Centre's efforts to generate corruption litigation in Europe and the U.S. respecting state assets stolen by senior Ukrainian leaders,'' the memo states.

The memo included a chart of Ukrainians the Soros team wanted to have pursued, including some with ties to Manafort.

Senior U.S. law enforcement officials confirmed to me that the early kleptocracy collaborations inside Ukraine led to highly visible U.S. actions against the oligarch Dmitri Firtash, a major target of the Soros group, and Manafort. Firtash is now represented by former Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton'Where's your spoon?' What we didn't learn in the latest debate The Hill's 12:30 Report: Roger Stone gets over three years in prison; Brutal night for Bloomberg Poll: Democrats trail Trump in Wisconsin, lead in Michigan and Pennsylvania MORE lawyer Lanny Davis and former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb.

Documents posted online by Open Society Foundations show that after U.S. officials scored some early successes in corruption cases in Ukraine, such as asset forfeitures, AntAC requested to receive some of the seized money.

''Ukrainian NGO Anticorruption Action Centre (AntAC) petitioned the United States Justice Department on behalf of Ukrainian civil society to dedicate the nearly $3 million in forfeited and seized assets allegedly laundered by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, to creating an anti-corruption training facility,'' a 2015 foundation document stated.

Spokespersons for AntAC and Open Society Foundations did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Michael Vachon, a spokesman for Soros, deferred any comment about AntAC to the group. But he did he confirm his boss supported the continued investigation of Russia collusion allegations against Trump well past 2016.

Vachon said Soros wrote a sizable check from his personal funds in fall 2017 to a new group, Democracy Integrity Project, started by a former FBI agent and Senate staffer Daniel Jones to continue ''investigation and research into foreign interference in American elections and European elections.''

Vachon said the group asked Soros not to divulge the size of his contribution, and Soros later learned the group hired Fusion GPS, the same firm that was paid by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party to create the infamous ''Steele dossier'' alleging Trump-Russia collusion.

The he said-she said battle playing out between Ukraine's chief prosecutor and the American ambassador doesn't benefit either side, but an honest, complete and transparent account of what the embassy communicated to Ukraine's law enforcement does.

And the tale of AntAC raises some cogent questions:

Why would the U.S. Embassy intervene on a Ukrainian internal investigation and later deny it exerted such pressure?Did Soros's role as a major political funder have any impact?Do Americans want U.S. tax dollars commingled with activists' private funds when it comes to anti-corruption probes?Someone in State and Congress should try to get the answers.

John Solomon is an award-winning investigative journalist whose work over the years has exposed U.S. and FBI intelligence failures before the Sept. 11 attacks, federal scientists' misuse of foster children and veterans in drug experiments, and numerous cases of political corruption. He serves as an investigative columnist and executive vice president for video at The Hill.

Editor's note: Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) cited in this column, wrote an April 2, 2019, column refuting the claims against her organization, against U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and the description of AntAC's funding.

____________

The column cites a letter by then-U.S. embassy Charge d'Affaires George Kent objecting to Ukrainian investigations of AntAC, and prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko's claim that he was given a do-not-prosecute list by Yovanovitch.

Testifying to the House impeachment inquiry in the fall of 2019, Yovanovitch said Lutsenko's statement was "completely false'' and that U.S. embassy and State Department officials worried that the investigations of AntAC were politically motivated.

Kent, promoted to deputy assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs in September 2018, testified during the House inquiry that he shared those concerns and, in a House deposition, described the accusations leveled against Yovanovitch as ''unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.''

____________

Lutsenko subsequently revised his account of the do-not-prosecute list several times. In April 2019, he told a Ukrainian newspaper that he reached for pen and paper and asked the ambassador for the list, and he described the earlier account in a Hill.TV interview as a translation error; according to Polygraph.info, a translation project of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, such an error did occur because Lutsenko said Yovanovitch ''voiced'' (using the Ukrainian word ''oholosyla") a list. In an interview with The New Yorker in November, Lutsenko said he wrote the list himself, then ripped it up as Yovanovitch watched.

____________

The column mentions Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash, who was represented at the time by U.S. attorneys Lanny Davis and Dan Webb. Firtash later replaced them with U.S. attorneys Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova, both long-time legal representatives for John Solomon.

This post was updated at 7:13 AM on Feb. 19, 2020.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:28

China Mobile, the country's largest telecom carrier by mobile subscribers, said on Saturday that it is starting large-scale 5G trials and application tests in 17 cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, as part of its broad push to quicken the rollout of the technology.

Also, the Beijing-based company said it plans to set up a 30 billion yuan ($4.36 billion) fund to promote the maturity of the 5G telecom industry chain. China Mobile and other companies will jointly contribute to the fund, whose first phase will be 10 billion yuan.

The move came shortly after China allocated specific low and medium-frequency bands to the nation's major three telecom carriers, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, to accelerate the steps toward the commercialization of 5G.

Shang Bing, chairman of China Mobile, said "We will spare no efforts to start the construction of large-scale 5G trial network, so as to enable pre-commercial use of the superfast technology in 2019 and its official commercialization in 2020."

The company, which has obtained frequency bands in the range from 2,515 to 2,675 megahertz and 4,800 to 4,900 MHz to build network, said it will work hard to quicken the maturity of end-to-end products and services.

After building the world's largest 4G network with 2.04 million 4G base stations, China Mobile now boasts more than 920 million mobile subscribers and 150 million wireline broadband connections. It is scrambling to establish a beachhead in the upcoming 5G era.

Wang Xiaoyun, general manager of China Mobile's technology department, said the large-scale 5G trials in Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuhan are aimed at tackling technical difficulties that are impeding commercial use.

"We will take relevant technologies products out of laboratories and test them in real-time. Such efforts will demand strong cooperation and interactive tests from China Mobile and our multiple partners," Wang said.

Also, such network trials will target different application scenarios, to prepare for the optimization, planning, construction and operation of 5G network in the near future.

The company also said it will scramble efforts to experiment with typical 5G applications in 12 cities.

To prepare for the 5G era when almost everything can be connected to the internet, China Mobile also said it will launch its own-brand 5G devices in the first half of next year, including smartphones.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:26

A post on Facebook claims that Wuhan, China, the centre of the new coronavirus outbreak, was where 5G was first rolled out. It suggests that 5G has damaged peoples' immune systems and so boosted the virulence of the common cold.

The main implication of the claim'--that 5G can impact immune systems'--is totally unfounded. There is no evidence linking the new coronavirus to 5G.

It's true that Wuhan does have some 5G coverage. The local government listed a number of venues with 5G coverage in August 2019. We can't find evidence it was the very first city with 5G but we've seen reports saying Wuhan was one of several Chinese cities where early 5G trials took place. Another said Wuhan was ''one of the first pilot cities of the 5G network in China''.

In October 2019, China's three state telecoms companies announced they would be rolling out phone services that use 5G, and that big cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou were already covered by the network.

As we've written about before, there is no evidence that 5G is harmful to humans. 5G is the next generation of wireless network technology, following on from 4G. Like 4G, 3G and 2G before it, 5G mobile data is transmitted over radio waves'--a small part of the whole electromagnetic spectrum (which includes microwaves, visible light and X-rays).

These radio waves are non-ionising, meaning they don't damage the DNA inside cells, as X-rays, gamma rays and UV rays are able to do. 5G, although at slightly higher frequencies than previous networks, is still in this radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Public Health England has said that there's no ''convincing evidence'' that exposure below International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation guidelines can cause adverse health effects. These guidelines go up to 300GHz, whereas the maximum for 5G will probably only be in the tens of GHz.

There is no evidence that 5G can damage the immune system.

As for the claim that the new coronavirus observed in Wuhan is the ''normal cold'' with boosted virulence'--that is simply not the case.

As we've discussed in other fact checks, although the new coronavirus spreading in Wuhan has commonly been referred to by the media and others as just ''coronavirus'', it is just one type within this family of viruses.

Coronavirus is a broad category of viruses which includes the common cold, SARS (the severe acute respiratory syndrome of which there were outbreaks in 2002 and 2004) and this new coronavirus identified in people in Wuhan.

This article is part of our work factchecking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this'--and find out how to report Facebook content'--here. For the purposes of that scheme, we've rated this claim as false because there is no evidence 5G affects human immune systems, and the new Wuhan coronavirus is not a 'version' of the common cold.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:07

Speculative Conclusion First:

So '-- how about this scenario, which neatly explains the entire gamut of information coming out of China?

A new 5G grid is rolled out in Wuhan, China'---and unknown, unseen, begins to impact the blood of the Chinese people in range, thinning their blood to dangerous levels and crippling their ability to access and use oxygen at the cellular level '--oxygen that is already depleted in the atmosphere.

Then, a GMO-style nanobot Transfer Agent is used to introduce a virus known to cause high fever.

The victims and doctors reach for the common fever-reducing drugs and voila ''the symptoms of a fatal hemorrhagic fever present themselves within hours.

Everyone thinks its a new super-deadly bio-tech weapon and that it is ''carried'' by a virus (which serves well-enough to tank China's exports and economy and the new China-Trump Trade Deal), but all the virus does is cause a relatively bad fever.

Technically, it's not deadly at all, which keeps the Perpetrators from being prosecuted for war crimes.

It's actually the other factors '-- the unappreciated biological effects of 5G and the unthinking use of blood thinners as fever reducers that makes the corona virus deadly.

And that, my friends, is the only scenario in all this data that presents itself as being both likely and true.

Preliminary Musings:

My Shinola Sensor has been driving me crazy the last few days as it has been reacting to the news coming out of China. I have been scanning through every published medical and news report I can lay hands on, and frankly, the results don't add up.

Certain reports are consistent with infectious disease symptoms and results, so, yes, there does seem to be an infectious disease component, but then, turn around, and the next ten reports make no sense at all if this ''outbreak'' is caused by a biological vector.

And I do mean ''no correlation'' '-- none, zero, zip, nada. What those aberrant findings indicate is a non-biological source of the malady, Electromagnetic Radiation Sickness, coupled with poor air quality in China and reduced atmospheric oxygen levels.

Those who have been following along with recent posts have become familiar with research going back more than a century compiled and published by Arther Firstenberg in his book, The Invisible Rainbow, and brought forward by Robert David Steele.

Put simply, the raw transmissions of our power plants, electrical grid, radio transmitters, and now, microwave towers, have known health problems associated with them.

Most particularly, they interfere with porphyrins, which are enzymes needed to build hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the molecule that carries oxygen in our bloodstream, so this whole metabolic system is impacted, and our cells and tissues are not able to access and use oxygen efficiently. There are other known effects, too, such as thinning of our blood ''reducing its oxygen carrying capacity at the same time that it reduces our ability to coagulate blood.

Outrageously, these effects of unrestricted EM transmissions have been known in some circles for over a century, but have been pooh-poohed and obscured in favor of those benefiting financially by not having to modulate electrical outputs (power companies) and from treating the anoxia-caused diseases that predictably result from long term exposure to raw EM fields: coronary disease, diabetes, and cancer (Big Pharma, AMA, Medical Establishment).

The resulting interference with our ability to access and use oxygen, blood thinning effect, serious air pollution in China, and overall reduction in atmospheric oxygen can then create a domino effect resulting in symptoms that mirror hemorrhagic fever.

Viewed against that background, and in view of the 5G roll out in Wuhan just prior to this, South Korea's success with treating ''corona virus'' with simple oxygen therapy makes total sense. More oxygen offsets the effect of damaged hemoglobin and inefficient energy transfer metabolism.

There are still more lessons to be learned from the Spanish Influenza Epidemic that hit in 1918, too, that may be crucial to victims and would-be victims today '-- one of our dauntless researchers uncovered otherwise buried information that involved Bayer, and it's most famous product, Bayer Aspirin.

Bayer Aspirin was Big News in 1918 and it was initially prescribed in literally lethal doses during the Spanish Flu Epidemic. I quote:

''In 1918, the Bayer Corp was pushing Aspirin, and in dosages far, far exceeding now known safe levels. Both the Army and Navy mandated these known toxic doses for their service members, and civilians were also encouraged to do the same. Aspirin in such high doses is a hemolytic toxin, similar to rat poison. [like Warfarin] In such lethal levels, death can occur in a matter of hours.

The two categories of death seen in the ''pandemic'' were: upper respiratory edema, consistent with bacterial pneumonia, and a hemorrhagic condition with rapid onset and nearly 95% mortality. The two categories could not have been more different, and would be consistent with both EMF-induced immune suppression and opportunistic bacterial infection, and a second cohort (mostly young, string, otherwise healthy men and women) showing classic signs and symptoms of salicylate-poisoning.''

Bayer has just acquired Monsanto, the chief proponent and patent-holder for nano-assisted GMO Transfer Agent technology. Is history repeating itself?

I was recently horrified when a friend on blood thinners hurt his leg and innocently took Ibuprofen and turned a banged up shin into a near-crisis. None of his doctors ever told him to avoid Ibuprofen and Aspirin and to restrict Acetaminophen'' and we forget that common pain-killers and fever reducers are blood thinners. Both Ibuprofen and Aspirin can cause hemorrhage and symptoms that look like hemorrhagic fever.

Taken in excess or in tandem with other unperceived blood thinning factors, these common, cheap, taken-for-granted, over-the-counter drugs have the potential to kill. During the Spanish Influenza they helped to kill millions.

Coupled with the unseen blood thinning effects of intense EM radiation fields provided by active 5G networks, these medicine cabinet standbys could easily become deadly in normal dosage ranges'-- and what else would people suffering from high fever reach for?

Additionally, anyone who was on blood thinning medication for any chronic condition, including most heart patients, would be at greatly increased risk.

Could It Be?

Bayer has prior experience killing people via pandemic interactions. Bayer recently acquired Monsanto, the patent-holder for GMO Transfer Agent technology that could be used to implant the fever-causing virus. Bayer has been taking it in the shorts as Chinese companies have taken over increasingly larger and larger shares of pharmaceuticals production away from American and European manufacturers.

Time to look for dots, people. We have motive and we have means and it is pointing right at Bayer/Monsanto. Is there a DoD or NIH connection? A connection to Charles Lieber? Harvard?

It's no secret that there are certain elements embedded in all these communities that hate China for political and financial reasons, and no doubt whatsoever that some of those same parties hated the China-Trump Trade Deal and would wish to dismantle it by any means possible.

Getting the Chinese to '-- in effect '-- kill themselves, and convince everyone that its the result of a pandemic, would appeal to the sense of logic and humor, such as it is, common among such persons.

It's the same rationale that foists mortgages off onto unsuspecting people, disguised as ''home loans''. It's the same MO that foists U.S. Citizenship off onto Americans.

ROBERT STEELE: Absent a complete joint investigation by China and ideally also the USA, we cannot know with certainty either the timeline or the multiplicity of factors. We are getting more information about a Zionist virus out of the biowar lab in Southern Libya, combined with 5G and the Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) antennas at Wuhan, combined with now '-- the possibility of aspirin over-doses but we do not know anything with certainly. What we can see easily are the anomalies, with the cruise ships being a stand-out. I had not thought about Bayer, but find the speculative narrative of Anna von Reitz to be worthy of consideration. The truth at any cost lowers all other costs '-- my take-away here, now that I am more aware of the breadth and depth of radiation sickness across our world, is be mindful of when and how much aspirin you take. The immunity system is the key to survival '-- I am working on getting a seven step immunity program that I can publish.

See Especially:

Interview: A Counterintelligence Perspective on the Wuhan Virus '' A Zionist Bio-War False Flag Attack?

SUMMARY: The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life by Arthur Firstenberg

BOOK: The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life by Arthur Firstenberg

See Also:

Robert Steele: China Coronavirus '-- UPDATE: Narrative Unraveling Examination of Radiation Sickness (Including Neurasthenia or Burn Out) Spreading

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:01

Lawmakers want answers from Amazon as civil liberties, privacy and surveillance concerns surrounding its Ring doorbell camera continue to mount.

In a letter to Amazon Feb. 19, Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, requested numerous documents and policies from the company, including how it partners with law enforcement agencies. The letter indicates the subcommittee is examining ''traditional constitutional protections against surveilling Americans'' and balancing civil liberties with security interests.

''The Subcommittee is seeking more information regarding why cities and law enforcement agencies enter into these agreements,'' Krishnamoorthi said in the letter. ''The answer appears to be that Ring gives them access to a much wider system of surveillance than they could build themselves, and Ring allows law enforcement access to a network of surveillance cameras on private property without the expense to taxpayers of having to purchase, install, and monitor those cameras.''

In 2019, Senate lawmakers voice similar concerns in a letter to Amazon Chief Executive Office Jeff Bezos when reports surfaced that Amazon Ring's at-home camera systems were sharing information with police departments. At the time, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said such data sharing ''could easily create a surveillance network that places dangerous burdens on people of color.''

Citing recent media reports and Amazon's terms of service, Krishnamoorthi said law enforcement agencies can view videos shared by users of the device's Neighbors application, request video from users or directly from Ring.

''Once law enforcement agencies have acess to consumers' data, Ring has made it clear that the agencies can use, store and share that data however they want,'' Krishnamoorthi said.

Krishnamoorthi asks Amazon to reveal all agreements with cities, law enforcement agencies and neighborhood watch groups, as well as all law enforcement entities that have access to the Neighbors Portal, and whether those agencies contract for Amazon's facial recognition tool, Rekognition. In addition, Krishnamoorthi requests a briefing by the end of February from Amazon officials regarding a variety of Ring-related questions.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 10:49

By Laurel Rosenhall published: February 20, 2020On a recent afternoon, more than a dozen California lawmakers gathered to discuss thorny issues impacting a state that is the cradle of technological innovation '-- but also suffering from wildfires, aging infrastructure, and vast economic inequality. On the agenda: how to maintain wireless phone service during emergencies; how to protect internet connection during power outages; and how work is being changed by artificial intelligence and the gig economy.

The discussion wasn't taking place in the state Capitol, where the public can participate in open hearings. Instead, this meeting was behind closed doors inside a Silicon Valley hotel.

There, elected officials heard from an exclusive crowd: tech lobbyists and executives whose companies had paid for them to attend via thousands of dollars in donations to a nonprofit created by the Legislature's Technology Caucus. For $50,000, contributors could moderate and pick a panel topic, according to an invitation to the event, billed as a ''Technology Policy Summit.'' A $25,000 donation allowed them to place someone on a panel. And $10,000, the invitation says, would buy attendance at the two-day event, including dinner with lawmakers at a steakhouse where the regular menu feaures $115 filet mignon.

Low contends payments only have to be reported if an elected official was involved in soliciting them. ''If it's directly asked by me, that's the disclosure requirement. We are completely compliant with the law.''

Who paid for this access to the elected officials whose agenda this year will likely include regulating massive power shutoffs and changes to a controversial labor law impacting the gig economy?

The public doesn't get to know.

Federal law does not require charities to disclose the identities of donors, even if, like the Tech Caucus' foundation, they are closely tied to elected officials. California law, however, does require elected officials to disclose payments made at their request to nonprofits and other organizations.

As the number of nonprofits run by lawmakers or staff has grown in the last decade, most have publicly reported donors to the state's political ethics commission. But the Foundation for California's Technology and Innovation Economy '-- formed in 2017 and overseen by three board members with close ties to the leader of the Tech Caucus, Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low of Campbell '-- last year stopped disclosing where its money comes from.

The choice highlights the potential for secrecy in the growing niche of nonprofits run by government officials. ''Legally they're not required to give a lot of detail, which is one reason these groups can be so opaque and remain in the shadows,'' said Anna Massoglia, a researcher for the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington D.C. based group that tracks money in politics. ''It just depends on what a group chooses to disclose.''

The Tech Caucus foundation is run by three close associates of Assemblyman Evan Low of Campbell, who co-founded the caucus in 2016. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMattersBy not telling the public where their money comes from, nonprofits affiliated with politicians may ''allow not only buying influence, but also doing so without the public scrutiny that would ordinarily come through a disclosed campaign contribution,'' said Rick Hasen, a professor of law and political science at University of California, Irvine.

Across the nation '-- and the political spectrum '-- political nonprofits have been criticized for hiding their donors and operating outside the bounds of campaign finance law. In President Donald Trump's first year in office, a nonprofit run by his former aides raised $22 million from unidentified donors, which paid for ads urging support for the GOP tax bill and Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court. Before him, aides to President Barack Obama ran a nonprofit to advance his agenda. Though it identified its donors, the group was described by The New York Times as operating in ''a campaign finance limbo with few clear rules (and) ample potential for influence-peddling.''

In California, the Legislature's Latino Caucus took heat in 2011 after it stopped reporting who donated to its affiliated nonprofit foundation. Following critical press reports and pressure from the then-Assembly Speaker, the Latino Caucus changed gears and began disclosing foundation donors, which include powerful interest groups such as labor unions, oil companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

The Tech Caucus is a relative newcomer. Launched in 2016, it lists Low and fellow Democratic Assemblyman Ian Calderon on its website as co-chairs, with 32 other legislators as members, a mix of Republicans and Democrats from around the state. The following year, three people with close ties to Low formed the nonprofit Foundation for California's Technology and Innovation Economy: Low's chief of staff, another Assembly employee who works with Low on the LGBT caucus and a Bay Area community college board member who helped Low launch his first Assembly campaign.

The foundation's mission, according to its IRS application for nonprofit status, is to ''educate Californians about the vital role technology and innovation plays in the economic and civic success of our state.'' In the application, the foundation wrote that it would make donations to other charities, organize tours of tech companies, plan discussions with tech executives and legislators, and spend about $75,000 a year putting on the tech policy summit.

During 2017 and 2018, Low reported soliciting $290,000 for the foundation, including donations from internet and cable providers, tech trade associations, Uber and Walmart. The donations were reported to the Fair Political Practices Commission as payments made at Low's ''behest'' '-- a transaction that takes place when a politician asks a donor to give to another group, typically a charity. California law requires elected officials report behested payments of $5,000 or more.

Then in 2019, Low stopped reporting behested payments to the foundation. He said that's because he no longer does the fundraising himself. Low said he hired a legislative staff member to take over fundraising responsibilities as a job outside her duties at the Capitol, and contended the payments only have to be reported publicly if an elected official was involved in soliciting them.

''If it's directly asked by me, that's the disclosure requirement,'' Low said in a brief interview. ''We are completely compliant with the law.''

That interpretation seems to conflict with the law as described by the state's political watchdog. The Fair Political Practices Commission says a payment must be reported as a behest not only when solicited by an elected official, but also when it is ''made in cooperation, consultation, coordination, or concert with the public official.''

''If the elected requested or suggested in any way to do so, then, under the definition, it would require reporting,'' FPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga said in an email.

Policy conference for saleAn invitation to the annual tech policy summit, held by the Foundation for California's Technology and Innovation Economy. Photo by Laurel Rosenhall for CalMattersClues about possible contributors were evident during the policy conference at the Marriott Residence Inn in Cupertino in early February, where at least 16 lawmakers listened to presentations from tech industry leaders. Outside the hotel, blue ''Evan Low for State Assembly'' campaign signs dotted the flower beds. Inside, logos for numerous companies rotated on a screen at the front of the closed conference room. Among them: Lyft, Doordash, Square, and the Chinese telecom behemoth Huawei, which both the Trump administration and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have said should be banned from involvement in Western next-generation cellular networks because it is a security risk.

During the roughly 20 minutes Low allowed a CalMatters reporter to sit in, a panel of executives from major broadband companies explained how their technology works and fielded questions from lawmakers about how to keep customers connected to the internet during the blackouts that have grown increasingly common as California utilities cut power to avoid sparking wildfires.

Another session, which CalMatters was not allowed to attend, included executives from Postmates and Instacart '-- gig companies that are fighting a law passed last year that requires treating workers as employees instead of independent contractors. Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner Horvath said she found the discussion informative.

''It's important to make sure that we are listening to the business community,'' said the Democrat from Encinitas. ''We're taking that back, what they're doing that's innovative, and (thinking about) how do we dovetail that into a future of work that does work for all Californians.''

The next day featured discussions by representatives from Uber and a driverless car company, as well as a lunchtime visit from actor Alec Baldwin, who on the Celebrity Speakers Bureau advertises speaking fees that start at $100,000. Conference organizers had hotel security remove a CalMatters reporter from the property before lunch began.

Companies have long paid top dollar to have their message heard privately by an influential audience, and selling access to speak at a conference is common in the private sector. But the pay-to-participate model is highly unusual within the Legislature, where elected officials are closely scrutinized because they are expected to advance policy in the public interest.

Most legislative caucuses hold annual policy meetings that are either exclusively for lawmakers, or include guest speakers that legislators invite regardless of monetary contributions because they want information on a specific subject. The Latino Caucus, for example, invited union leaders to speak at its policy retreat last year, during a discussion on closing the pay gap for Latina workers.

''It doesn't look like a real symposium,'' Levinson said. ''It just looks like a place for donors to buy facetime, buy prominence, buy control over the symposium. It doesn't look like it's designed for anything other than fundraising and showboating.''

''We do serious policy work and we decide who is informing us on that,'' said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat who chairs the Latino caucus. ''We don't feel we could do that if someone else was setting the agenda.''

In a brief interview, Low refuted that the agenda for the tech policy summit was driven by donors, and one summit organizer said the top-tier contribution turned out to be negotiable, and no one paid it. But Low declined to answer follow-up questions about the invitation that makes the link explicit. Instead, he referred questions to the Tech Caucus foundation's attorney.

''The Foundation for California's Technology and Innovation conducts its fundraising in accordance with the applicable legal requirements, and has publicly disclosed its activities where it is required to do so,'' attorney Stephen Kaufman wrote in an emailed response.

Even if the law permits selling speaking slots at a meeting, the practice raises questions about whether policymakers are getting the best information, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School and former president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

''It doesn't look like a real symposium,'' she said when told about the invitation tying the policy discussions to donations. ''It just looks like a place for donors to buy facetime, buy prominence, buy control over the symposium. It doesn't look like it's designed for anything other than fundraising and showboating.''

Not so, said Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, who attended the conference the last two years and this year moderated a panel on transportation technology. He said he was not asked to pay to participate.

''The substance was incredibly strong,'' he said. ''A significant portion of my panel was for really appropriate, often hard, questions from the legislators.''

How the money is spentName tags for participants in a recent closed-door summit for lawmakers and representatives of the tech industry. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMattersSeveral tech industry insiders declined to talk on the record about the Tech Caucus and its foundation, saying they feared doing so could lead to retribution.

Some said the caucus is struggling to assert its power as public opinion has begun to turn against the tech industry, and lawmakers face pressure to vote for labor laws and privacy regulations that the industry opposes. The caucus, one tech executive said, is in ''a bit of a growing pain. Tech has become broader than what it used to be.''

Others expressed frustration at being asked for huge sums with little to show beyond the annual policy conference.

''The foundation has never made good on the major things they said they were going to do with their money,'' such as charitable donations, a tech lobbyist said.

Kaufman, the foundation's lawyer, said it has ''made a number of charitable contributions,'' including in 2019 to Code.org, which works to get girls and minorities into computer science studies, and to Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs, which helps launch social justice nonprofits, including one founded by another assembly member who reported requesting a payment from the Tech Caucus foundation.

The foundation reported just one charitable donation on its 2018 tax filing: $10,000 to the De Anza Community College Foundation. A board member of the De Anza college foundation, Gilbert Wong, also sits on the board of the Tech Caucus foundation. He helped Low launch his run for Assembly in 2011, according to press coverage from the time, and has donated to his campaigns. Low attended De Anza college and later returned as an instructor.

''Assemblymember Low has not taught at De Anza College since 2014 and is not paid by them, as reflected in his annual filings,'' Kaufman said by email.

The foundation also put together a video from last year's policy conference that features tech executives and politicians heaping praise on Low.

''There is no member of the state Legislature that cares and is focused as much on technology and its effect on society in California than Representative Low,'' Gary Kremen, an investor who founded Match.com, says in the video, which was deleted from YouTube after CalMatters began asking questions about it.

Venture capitalist Steve Westly, speaking to the camera, adds: ''What (Low) is doing is the smartest thing I have ever seen. This is exactly what California needs to keep the venture and the entrepreneurial sector and Silicon Valley close to Sacramento.''

A campaign sign outside of the Marriott Residence Inn in Cupertino during a policy summit for lawmakers and tech-industry representatives. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMattersThe video shows that former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer was a guest speaker at last year's conference. In it, she says, ''I am so impressed with the work of the Tech Caucus.''

Boxer worked for Lyft last year as the company fought a California bill to overhaul the gig economy by restricting the ability for companies to use independent contractors. Despite intense opposition from tech companies, it passed the Legislature with overwhelming support from Democrats, including those who participated in the tech policy conference. Lyft is now trying to fight it on the ballot.

Assemblywoman Gonzalez, who wrote the controversial bill, said she didn't worry about her colleagues rubbing shoulders with tech executives at the conference.

''I feel confident in my fellow legislators that they can hear both sides of the argument and come out on the right side,'' she said. ''Gaining information is not necessarily going to affect how they vote.''

Nonprofits organized as 501(c)(3) charities '-- such as the Tech Caucus foundation '-- are granted a lot of leeway under the law in how they spend their money. But one forbidden activity is engaging in political campaigns for public office, said Phil Hackney, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh Law School who specializes in nonprofit tax law.

The Tech Caucus video does not make reference to an election or explicitly ask anyone to vote for Low. It's a 5-minute long reel that would be too long to use as a typical campaign ad. Those factors mean it likely poses no issues for the foundation under federal tax law, Hackney said.

But it could indicate the foundation is pushing boundaries even if it's not breaking them, he added: ''Is this charitable, or is it for the assemblyman? It's not a hard and fast thing.''

Assemblyman Calderon, who founded the tech caucus with Low a few years ago, said he was unaware of the affiliated foundation and had never talked with Low about raising or spending money for it. As the nephew of two former legislators who were convicted in a federal corruption case, Calderon said he has little interest in seeking donations beyond what's needed for his own campaigns and ballot measures.

''I've always skewed on the side of, if you don't have to create something that raises more money it's probably better to just not do it, because it raises more questions than it answers,'' Calderon said.

The case against his uncles, former Sen. Ron Calderon and former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, included an undercover FBI agent making a bribe by donating $25,000 to a nonprofit that Ron Calderon said they planned to use as an income stream after leaving office.

''That right there is a perfect example as to why these could be perceived as not being legitimate,'' the younger Calderon said. ''It only takes a couple to ruin it for everyone else.''

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 10:48

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

By Peter Apps

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - As the Ebola virus ravaged West Africa in 2014, civilian air traffic in and out of the most affected countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia almost completely ceased. That decision, however, was not taken by international health officials. Instead, it came from airline cleaners and other staff, who simply refused to have anything to do with planes in and out of the region.

In many respects, the 2013-16 West African Ebola outbreak, believed to have caused around 11,000 deaths from 28,000 cases, was very different to the current coronavirus epidemic. The diseases are different - Ebola killed roughly one in four of those it infected. So are the areas affected, and their connections to the outside world. The forests and cities of West Africa were much less central to the world economy than China, where the outbreak is already seen having a significant impact on global growth.

As with Ebola, however, the world is already responding by attempting to completely isolate the affected areas, regardless of whether or not that is something the science yet deems necessary. Much of that is down to outright fear, with alarming signs that it might sometimes be deliberately exacerbated to stoke tensions and alarm.

In Ukraine this week, dozens of protesters attacked buses carrying evacuees from China as they were bought to a hospital in the town of Novi Sanzhary, where they were to be held in quarantine for 14 days. Ukraine's security services said a fake email claiming to be from the health ministry said some evacuees had already contracted the virus, something they said was simply not true.

'HUMAN BEINGS' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on protesters to show empathy, reminding them the evacuees were ''human beings''. One of the things most striking about the epidemic so far, however, has been how fast countries have been willing to rip up what would often be deemed basic human rights in their wish to control its spread.

To what extent this is been truly justified may never really be known '' although if worldwide spread can be limited it will almost certainly be seen justified. That would likely make it the model for any future crises. China has repeatedly changed the way in which it categorises and counts cases, but says the number so far exceeds 75,000 with 2,200 deaths.

Ironically, that relatively low fatality rate '' around 3% - is one of the characteristics that makes containing the virus so difficult. Many of those infected have relatively mild symptoms, some may not report it at all. Still, that still brings with it the risk of a global pandemic that could kill several million '' leaving governments unusually open to doing whatever they believe is necessary to stop it.

In China itself, where millions have now often found themselves quarantined at once, kept either in their houses or makeshift rapidly constructed camps and hospitals, the government has had no qualms in showcasing just how draconian it can be.

Given the nature of China's government, particularly in the last few years, that's hardly a surprise. But Western states such as Britain and Australia, however, have also been taking often unprecedented steps to ensure those who have travelled in affected regions are kept away from others.

LOCK DOWN As with the 2015 Ebola-outbreak '' as well as other epidemics of much-feared disease '' one aspect that is particularly striking is the speed with which countries and companies are willing to lock down economic and business activity in the hope of halting a wider pandemic. Bookings with airlines show passengers avoiding huge swathes of Asia well outside affected parts of China, while the most affected Hubei province now has almost no public or private transport travelling to it at all.

Insiders say that after a high-profile outbreak aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess, cruise firms are dramatically scaling back operations in Asia. The Diamond Princess has been the scene of one of the largest outbreaks outside China '' and another ship, the Westerdam, was denied permission to dock in five countries despite having not a single proven case.

Such worries are hardly new '' the word ''quarantine'' comes from the 40-day waiting period mediaeval Italian ports would impose on visiting ships during times of plague to prove they were uninfected. What that means in the modern era of ''just-in-time'' supply chains and mass population movement, however, has yet to be truly tested. Events in Ukraine suggest it may already be exacerbating existing frustrations and unease over the implications of a mobile, interconnected, multinational world.

In the absence of scientific data and surveillance, firms and countries appear increasingly prone to profiling by nationality. Some cruise ships have begun refusing to board individuals with Chinese or Hong Kong passports '' while in Hong Kong, worries about the disease crossing from the mainland have become yet another source of political division following months of protest against Beijing last year.

Where that ends is by no means clear. Pockets of disease in South Korea and Japan suggest that for all the efforts in mainland China, international spread may yet be inevitable. What that brings with it politically, culturally and economically we do not yet know. *** Peter Apps is a writer on international affairs, globalisation, conflict and other issues. He is the founder and executive director of the Project for Study of the 21st Century; PS21, a non-national, non-partisan, non-ideological think tank. Paralysed by a war-zone car crash in 2006, he also blogs about his disability and other topics. He was previously a reporter for Reuters and continues to be paid by Thomson Reuters. Since 2016, he has been a member of the British Army Reserve and the UK Labour Party, and is an active fundraiser for the party. (Editing by Giles Elgood)

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 09:23

Need help? Contact us We've detected unusual activity from your computer networkTo continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.

Need Help?For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

Block reference ID:

Link to Article

Archived Version

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 09:21

Twitter is experimenting with adding brightly colored labels directly beneath lies and misinformation posted by politicians and other public figures, according to a leaked demo of new features sent to NBC News.

Twitter confirmed that the leaked demo, which was accessible on a publicly available site, is one possible iteration of a new policy to target misinformation. The company does not have a date to roll out any new misinformation features.

In this version, disinformation or misleading information posted by public figures would be corrected directly beneath a tweet by fact-checkers and journalists who are verified on the platform and possibly by other users who would participate in a new "community reports" feature, which the demo claims is "like Wikipedia."

"We're exploring a number of ways to address misinformation and provide more context for tweets on Twitter," a spokesperson said. "Misinformation is a critical issue and we will be testing many different ways to address it."

The demo features bright red and orange badges for tweets that are deemed "harmfully misleading" in nearly the same size as the tweet itself displayed prominently directly below the tweet that contains the harmful misinformation.

Examples of misinformation included a false tweet about whistleblowers by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., a tweet about gun background checks by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and a tweet by an unverified account posting a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The leaked demo includes a tweet about gun background checks by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an example of medical misinformation and a tweet about whistleblowers by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. TwitterThe leaked demo also shows an example of medical misinformation, including an example about the new coronavirus by a verified Twitter account.

The impending policy rollout comes as the 2020 election season is ramping up, with Twitter playing a central role in some of the daily give and take among the candidates. On Thursday, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg's campaign posted an edited video that made it seem as if there had been a long pause when he asked during Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate whether the other candidates had ever started a business.

Last month, Twitter announced a policy to ban tweets that "deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm," such as deep fakes.

In one iteration of the demo, Twitter users could earn "points" and a "community badge" if they "contribute in good faith and act like a good neighbor" and "provide critical context to help people understand information they see."

The impending policy rollout comes as the 2020 election season is ramping up. TwitterThe points system could prevent trolls or political ideologues from becoming moderators if they differ too often from the broader community in what they mark as false or misleading.

"Together, we act to help each other understand what's happening in the world, and protect each other from those who would drive us apart," the demo reads.

Twitter reiterated to NBC News that the community reporting feature is one of several possibilities that may be rolled out in the next several weeks.

"This is a design mock-up for one option that would involve community feedback," the spokesperson said.

In the demo, community members are asked whether a tweet is "likely" or "unlikely" to be "harmfully misleading." They are then asked to rate how many community members would answer the same on a sliding scale of 1 to 100 before elaborating on why the tweet is harmfully misleading.

"The more points you earn, the more your vote counts," the demo reads.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Some other websites have successfully used community moderation to regulate their platforms. Information on Wikipedia has been moderated by anonymous users since its inception in 2001. It is frequently vandalized in breaking news situations by political actors, which can sometimes lead more powerful moderators to temporarily lock down pages.

Reddit also has hundreds of volunteer moderators who set and enforce rules for its many communities.

CORRECTION (Feb. 20, 2020, 10:45 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when Twitter will release new features to counter misinformation. There is currently no timeline; they are not scheduled to roll out on March 5. The article also misstated the leadership role held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. She is the speaker of the House, not the House majority leader.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: Latest from Crooks and Liars

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 23:52

Women's rights advocates came to the defense of longtime columnist E. Jean Carroll Wednesday after she revealed she was fired from Elle magazine months after coming forward with sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump.

Carroll claimed her dismissal from her job as an advice columnist for the magazine, where she worked for more than two decades, came as the result of Trump's attacks on her following the accusation.

"Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, and dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, Elle fired me," Carroll tweeted after her firing was reported by news outlets. "I don't blame Elle... I blame Donald Trump."

Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me. I don't blame Elle. It was the great honor of my life writing "Ask E. Jean." I blame @realdonaldtrump.https://t.co/vYIVL6yDIp

'-- E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) February 18, 2020

Last June, Carroll wrote in a New York magazine article that the president raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump denied the allegation, saying he didn't know Carroll despite photographic evidence that they had met, claiming she was not his "type," and calling her a liar.

In November, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump. Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice," filed a similar suit against the president in 2017 after accusing him of assaulting her.

According to the New York Times, in a court filing in December Carroll's lawyer wrote that her client had lost her job as a result of Trump's defamation. The lawyer also moved to block Trump's attempt to have the case delayed until the New York Court of Appeals determines whether a sitting president can legally be sued'--a ruling that may not be handed down until after the general election in November.

If Trump is unable to delay the case, he may have to provide a DNA sample, which Carroll has sought for months to bolster her claims.

On social media, supporters of Carroll condemned Elle's decision to fire her while she is facing attacks on her character from the president.

"In the end, a magazine for women chose the man," tweeted political scientist Rachel Bitecofer.

Others accused the magazine of being on the wrong side of history and of joining the ranks of many organizations throughout history which have retaliated against sexual assault and harrassment survivors for coming forward.

This is a terrible move on the part of @ELLEmagazine. @ejeancarroll raised generations of us who are now the ones breaking down these barriers that hold women back. Sadly, this fight will define what the future brings and if Elle doesn't see E. Jean's value, they have no vision. https://t.co/VrvWuw4Weg

'-- Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) February 19, 2020

We all '-- especially ANY and EVERY magazine claiming to be in support of women '-- should be standing behind E. Jean Carroll. This is so incredibly disheartening. https://t.co/DvVdIBDgtk

'-- Carrie Courogen (@carriecourogen) February 19, 2020

"Any and every magazine claiming to be in support of women'--should be standing behind E. Jean Carroll," tweeted journalist Carrie Courogen. "This is so incredibly disheartening."

Republished from Common Dreams (Julia Conley, staff writer) under a Creative Commons License.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: ZeroHedge News

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 23:46

Welcome to the future we deserve.

Technicians at McAfee, Inc. wanted to test out exactly how well Tesla's Autopilot system worked. So they decided to take a strip of electrical tape and put it across the middle of the "3" in a "35 mile per hour" speed limit sign, tricking the car into thinking the sign said "85 miles per hour".

The test concludes 18 months of research, according to Bloomberg, that illustrate weaknesses in machine learning systems used for automated driving. Steve Povolny, head of advanced threat research at McAfee, says changes in the physical world can "confuse" these systems.

For the test, McAfee's researchers used a 2016 Model S and Model X that had camera systems supplied by Mobileye under Tesla's old agreement with the company that ended in 2016. Tests performed on Mobileye's newest camera system didn't reveal the same vulnerabilities.

Mobileye defended their technology in a statement to Bloomberg, claiming humans could have also been fooled by the same type of sign modification.

''Autonomous vehicle technology will not rely on sensing alone, but will also be supported by various other technologies and data, such as crowd sourced mapping, to ensure the reliability of the information received from the camera sensor and offer more robust redundancies and safety,'' Mobileye said.

Also according to McAfee technicians, Teslas don't rely on traffic sign recognition.

Povolny commented:

''Manufacturers and vendors are aware of the problem and they're learning from the problem. But it doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of blind spots in this industry.''

The real-world threats of something similar happening are relatively low. Self-driving cars remain in development stage and are mostly being tested with safety drivers behind the wheel. That is, of course, unless you're one of the "lucky" beta testers driving around with your Tesla on Autopilot.

McAfee's researchers say they were only able to trick the system by duplicating a "sequence involving when a driver-assist function was turned on and encountered the altered speed limit sign."

''It's quite improbable that we'll ever see this in the wild or that attackers will try to leverage this until we have truly autonomous vehicles, and by that point we hope that these kinds of flaws are addressed earlier on,'' Povolny concluded.

The weakness isn't just specific to Tesla or Mobileye technology: it's inherent in all self-driving systems.

Missy Cummings, a Duke University robotics professor and autonomous vehicle expert, summed it up: ''And that's why it's so dangerous, because you don't have to access the system to hack it, you just have to access the world that we're in.''

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 23:34

No Ethics, No Work? '-- The Trump administration just sided with Oracle in its legal battle with Google. Timothy B. Lee - Feb 21, 2020 2:10 am UTC

Oracle founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison.

About 300 Oracle employees walked off the job on Thursday to protest founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison's decision to hold a fundraiser for President Donald Trump the previous evening, Bloomberg reports. It was a rare sign of dissent for a company known for its stodgy corporate culture. But the circumstances of the small-scale protest also suggest that Ellison has less reason to worry about future employee revolts than some of his fellow tech moguls.

"The protest, called No Ethics/No Work, involved about 300 employees walking out of their offices or stopping work at remote locations at noon local time and devoting the rest of the day to volunteering or civic engagement," Bloomberg reports. Bloomberg's source asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.

Oracle has more than 130,000 employees, so a walkout by 300 workers is hardly a serious threat to the company. Some employees, worried about retaliation from management, chose to give to charities opposing Trump's agenda rather than participate in the walkout. Others took vacation time for their afternoon off. In short, Oracle employees took a less confrontational approach than employees at other tech giants, including Google and Amazon.

According to Bloomberg, the website organizing the protests was flagged by Oracle's network. Oracle employees visiting the site from their work computers would see a message that said "Access to this site may not be permitted by the Oracle Acceptable Use Policy. However, if user is authorized and has legitimate business reason to access the requested site, then click below to access. Your access will be logged."

Oracle now says this was an accident. According to a spokesperson, the site was temporarily flagged by anti-virus software but was whitelisted once the issue was noticed.

RivalsOracle could benefit richly from a close relationship with Trump. On Wednesday, the Trump administration's lawyers sided with Oracle in its high-stakes legal battle with Google over API copyrights, which is headed to the Supreme Court next month. Oracle's campaign to extend copyright protection to software interfaces has few supporters in the software industry. Microsoft, IBM, and a number of tech industry trade groups have urged the Supreme Court to side with Google. But the Trump administration endorsed Oracle's position in a brief to the high court.

Oracle also competes with rivals for valuable government cloud-computing contracts. Earlier this month, a federal court granted Amazon's request to stop the Trump administration from moving forward with a massive $10 billion defense cloud-computing contract. Microsoft won the contract, but Amazon alleges that Trump personally and improperly lobbied for runner-up Amazon not to get it. Trump and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos have a testy relationship in part because Bezos owns The Washington Post, which frequently criticizes the president and breaks unflattering stories about him.

Oracle had been in the running earlier in the process but was not one of the final two contenders. But it's not hard to imagine why Ellison would want to ingratiate himself with Trump.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: ZeroHedge News

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 22:56

Rob McMillan, the founder of Silicon Valley Bank's Wine Division, writes in the 19th annual State of the Wine Industry Report that the US wine industry is "past the tipping point and starting a phase of declining growth in volume."

McMillan said an oversupply of wine would lead to premium juice priced at better levels could be an incentive to reverse declining consumption trends among millennials.

He noted a bust in the industry is imminent and will lead to "vineyard removals." The consolidation of the industry is required to curb oversupply consolidations and let the market find a natural equilibrium in prices. The current environment is unhealthy, he added, with wine prices at a five year low.

Here is McMillan's perspective of why the wine industry is headed for a hard landing:

"'...our current oversupply in California and Washington isn't due to speculative overplanting. It's due to the wine industry's growing miss in not providing consumers what they want. That's not an adverse statement about the quality of what our industry produces. We've never made better wine. But based on the industry's current results, making great wine isn't good enough for the consumer today. We are increasingly missing the mark on consumer expectations, and our results show it."

McMillan warned that the industry must prepare for "a low-growth environment in 2020."

"In a low-growth environment, there are likely to be winners and losers, and you want to be on the correct side of that ledger."

In 2018, McMillan said:

"Sales growth forecasts for the next five years should be tempered. The fundamental underpinnings that created the industry growth are changing, which means the tactics that were relied upon to ride this wave of success to this point will slowly prove flawed without business adaptation."

Trends in industry sentiment show that for the first time in four years '' a decelerating economy is starting to weigh on producers.

The rapid growth of the last twenty years is coming to an end. Here are the seven industry headwinds developing:

Baby boomers, who control 70 percent of US discretionary income and half of the net worth in the US, are moving into retirement and declining in both their numbers and per capita consumption, while millennials aren't yet embracing wine consumption as many had predicted.

The industry has reached the point of acute oversupply due to diminishing volumes sold. That will lead to vineyard removals '-- and fallowing in some cases '-- and reduced returns for growers.

Absent offsetting promotion of the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, the cumulative impact of negative health messaging will continue to cast a shadow over consumption, particularly for the young consumer.

Wine imports and substitutes are a real and growing threat for mindshare among emerging wine consumers.

A lag in innovating alternative DTC strategies beyond the tasting room and club models is limiting DTC growth for family wineries.

Wine companies aren't addressing the values of the young consumer in their marketing. We aren't giving them a reason to buy wine over spirits.

Labor availability is limited, and the price for labor is increasing.

McMillan predicts that "sales value growth range between 3 percent and 7 percent for the premium wine segment, down about 1 percent from the 2019 sales growth estimate. For the off-premise retail store channel, value will fall between negative 2 percent and 0 percent. Volume will fall in a range between negative 1 percent and negative 3 percent."

It appears in the early 2020s, as vineyards go bust '' the supply of crush wine grapes will level off and start to decline.

The bust of the wine industry is great news for oenophiles, who will now be able to purchase bottles at a reduced cost.

However, bad news for vineyards as growth rates in sales has been declining since 2017. Blame the millennials, of course.

Millennials have limited interest in wine '' that's why the industry is freaking out because their largest clients are baby boomers '' and those folks are getting ready to keel over.

To summarize, a perfect storm of forces from an evolving economy is already triggering a wine bust. However, interest rates via the Federal Reserve could be slammed to zero ahead of the next recession that would almost guarantee zombie vineyards would exacerbate an imbalance in the industry for an extended period. The good news are deflationary pressures leads to lower prices that would lead to more consumption among broke millennials.

The other thing, baby boomers are nearing their final decades of life, and with millennials shunning wine for seltzer and marijuana '' the wine industry must be trembling in their shoes. What's to come is an entire industry must convince millennials wine is good. Maybe that is done through lower prices and letting the industry go bust.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 22:17

Former Attorney General Eric Holder lashed out at journalist and author Paul Sperry on Twitter Wednesday, telling Sperry that he should "shut the hell up" about federal prosecutor Molly Gaston's donations to former President Barack Obama.

On Tuesday, Sperry had tweeted that Gaston, an assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C., had signed off on a letter informing the attorney for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe that the government would not pursue charges against McCabe.

Sperry tweeted that Gaston "is [a] Democrat who's given thousands to Dems including Obama & who once worked for Dem side of House Oversight & whose mother worked for WaPo [The Washington Post]."

DOJ WON'T PURSUE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST MCCABE

"Why don't you shut the hell up," Holder tweeted in response. "Your bias is showing. I bet you've never been a prosecutor or have any idea how DOJ works. People like you-who want to use the justice system for political reasons-are both dangerous and ignorant. The case was-like you-an obvious loser."

More from MediaThe Justice Department inspector general's office referred McCabe for potential prosecution in 2018 after concluding that had repeatedly lied about having authorized a subordinate to share information with a newspaper reporter for a 2016 article about an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

Sperry, the former Washington bureau chief for Investor's Business Daily who contributes articles to RealClearPolitics, has often been critical of Holder, the Justice Department, and current Attorney General William Barr.

HOLDER PUSHES FOR SUPREME COURT TERM LIMITS, SAYS '18 YEARS IS ENOUGH'

Earlier this week, Sperry tweeted in response to MSNBC host Joe Scarborough: " ... ICYMI, Obama already corrupted the Department of Justice, which is why Barr is having to clean house, which includes investigating the dirty investigations launched by Obama's corrupted Department of Justice."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sperry also took on Holder earlier this week after the former attorney general told government employees not to resign and "stay strong" under the "corrupt" Trump administration.

"[F]ormer AG Eric Holder rallies the cabal of DOJ holdovers to continue to resist, thwart, sabotage, leak on AG Barr and Trump," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 21:33

The US film and TV industry's latest answer to its lack of diversity is 'Spellcheck for Bias,' a tool several Hollywood studios plan to use to help increase positive portrayals of Latinos on the big and small screen.

'Beetlejuice' actress Geena Davis has partnered with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group to try out the new program, which was developed by Davis' Institute on Gender in Media and USC's Viterbi School of Engineering.

The tool supposedly breaks down diversity in material such as scripts and advertising briefs by scanning for mentions of LGBTQ, race, and disabilities, and then identifying how positively such things are portrayed.

The software is currently being fine-tuned by a group of industry insiders '-- and once it's ready, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, Focus Features and NBC Entertainment will begin using it on their scripts, first with an eye towards increasing roles for the Latino community, which makes up nearly 20 percent of the US population, but less than five percent of characters in film and television.

Also on rt.com Cancel culture strikes again and kills Apu from 'The Simpsons' '' where does this nonsense end? Davis said in a statement that Spellcheck for Bias will be ''the biggest game changer of all in creating on screen inclusion.'' The actress is also working with Disney on implementing her program to police gender roles in scripts.

A lack of diversity in art seems like a relatively simple issue to resolve. If you feel the Latino community is underrepresented, just hire filmmakers from that community to tell their stories and organically make the industry more aware of the possibilities in storytelling. The same can go for gender, disabilities, etc.

This fix appears to be too simple for the industry, though. Instead of broadening their horizons and opening their gates to more filmmakers and scripts, they'd rather invite in a police-state like tool that feels like a discarded bit from George Orwell's '1984.' Forced diversity is not diversity at all '-- we've seen how it works out at the box office '-- and an app developed by people trapped in the very same industry they are trying to fix sounds more like a swing for headlines than real change.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:33

Glenn Thrush (born April 6, 1967) is an American journalist, pundit, and author. He is a reporter for The New York Times, formerly a White House correspondent.[1][2] He is also a contributor for MSNBC, and was previously chief political correspondent at Politico and a senior staff writer for Politico Magazine.[3][4][5]

Glenn Thrush

Thrush in 2017

Born ( 1967-04-06 ) April 6, 1967 (age 52) United StatesOccupationJournalist, correspondentLanguageEnglishAlma materBrooklyn CollegeGenreJournalism, politicsIn November 2017, The New York Times announced that the newspaper was suspending Thrush while the paper investigated allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior reported in Vox.[3][6] As a result of the investigation, The New York Times suspended Thrush until January 2018, after which he was allowed to return to work in a different position than his prior White House beat.[7]

Early life and education Edit Thrush grew up in Sheepshead Bay, in the borough of Brooklyn, New York, and attended Sheepshead Bay High School, from which he graduated in 1984.[1] His parents owned a Carvel Ice Cream store in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Thrush graduated from Brooklyn College, where he majored in political science and Greek classics.[8] Thrush identifies as a secular Jew.[9]

Career Edit Thrush started his reporting career working for the lower Manhattan weekly newspaper Downtown Express. He was an education and politics reporter for the now defunct Post Herald in Birmingham, Alabama, and later a reporter and editor for the New York policy journal City Limits, where he covered low income housing and child welfare during the administration of Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He joined Bloomberg News to cover the New York City hospital industry in the early 00s, and later worked for Newsday as a City Hall reporter, covering Mayor Michael Bloomberg.[10]

Thrush covered Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008 for Newsday, and then joined Politico in July 2008. In December 2016, it was reported that Thrush would be joining The New York Times covering the White House starting on January 3, 2017.[11] Thrush was suspended from his position in November 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.[12] In January 2018, he returned to The New York Times after a two-month suspension.[13]

Thrush wrote two e-books about the President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. Obama's Last Stand was published in August 2012, and The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: The 34 days that Decided the Election was published after the election in December 2012.[14][15][16]

Podesta e-mail hack Edit Thrush came under criticism from the conservative National Review and the left-leaning The Intercept after an email released by Wikileaks (the Podesta emails) showed Thrush sending John Podesta portions of a draft article that dealt with Podesta, asking that he fact-check those portions. Thrush also wrote, "No worries Because I have become a hack I will send u the whole section that pertains to u. Please don't share or tell anyone I did this Tell me if I fucked up anything." Podesta did not ask for any changes, writing back "no problems here".[17][18] It is common that reporters send drafts of articles to subjects prior to publication, asking the subjects to comment and verify the accuracy.[17][18]

Thrush replied on Twitter that "checking if a portion of a story that pertained to him was accurate... I DO THIS WITH EVERYBODY."[18] Politico ' s vice president of communications, Brad Dayspring, said that "Glenn is one of the top political reporters in the country, in no small part because he understands that it is his job to get inside information, not appear perfect when someone illegally hacks email... I can speak with firsthand knowledge and experience that Glenn checks the validity of often complex reporting with everybody, on both sides of the aisle."[17][18]

Sexual misconduct allegations and suspension Edit In November 2017, Vox published an article containing the accounts of four female journalists who said that Thrush engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior toward them.[12] The incidents recounted in the Vox story about Thrush involve four women over a five-year period, and the women alleged Thrush groped and kissed them against their will. One woman alleged Thrush engaged in office gossip about her following an unwanted kiss.[19] In a statement published on his Facebook page,[20] Thrush disputed gossiping about the woman. After the publication of the article, The New York Times suspended Thrush, who issued a statement that read in part: "Over the past several years, I have responded to a succession of personal and health crises by drinking heavily. During that period, I have done things that I am ashamed of, actions that have brought great hurt to my family and friends. I have not taken a drink since June 15, 2017, have resumed counseling and will soon begin outpatient treatment for alcoholism. I am working hard to repair the damage I have done." The Times issued a statement saying, "We support his decision to enter a substance-abuse program."[3]

On December 20, 2017, the New York Times reported after an investigation that Thrush was permanently removed from covering the White House and would remain suspended until late January 2018. The Times specified Thrush would be reassigned to a beat about the "social safety net in the age of Trump, particularly HUD and HHS."[21] It's been noted Thrush was moved to a subject that greatly affects women and that covering the social safety net is considered a "punishment" or demotion from covering the White House.[22][23] He was also required to undergo unspecified "training designed to improve his workplace conduct," according to a statement by Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet.[24] The behavioral inquiry interviewed 30 people from inside and outside of the newspaper in Washington and New York and was led by an internal attorney Charlotte Behrendt.[25] Carolyn Ryan, an assistant managing editor at the Times, said of the inquiry, "The people who worked most closely with Glenn in the bureau'--men, women, young, old'--were supportive of him and did believe that he could contribute and hadn't seen the kind of behavior that had been described." [26]

Personal life Edit Thrush is married to Diane Webber and lives in Kensington, Maryland. They have twin sons born in 2003.[27]

In popular culture Edit Thrush has been portrayed by Bobby Moynihan in multiple episodes of Saturday Night Live, interacting with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (Melissa McCarthy).[28] Thrush credits the SNL portrayal for raising his profile "and probably gets my phone calls answered a little bit more quickly."[10]

References Edit ^ a b "Glenn Thrush: Bibliography". Notable Names Database . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ Sommer, Will (May 1, 2017). "MSNBC signs NY Times reporter Glenn Thrush". TheHill . Retrieved May 12, 2017 . ^ a b c Ember, Sydney (November 20, 2017). "Glenn Thrush, New York Times Reporter, Accused of Sexual Misconduct". The New York Times . Retrieved November 20, 2017 . ^ "Glenn Thrush". C-SPAN. ^ "Huffington, AOL CEO on Shared Vision for Online Content, Ads". NewsHour. PBS. February 7, 2011 . Retrieved March 4, 2012 . ^ Terris, Ben (November 20, 2017). "Glenn Thrush, prominent New York Times reporter, suspended after sexual misconduct allegations". The Washington Post. ^ Ember, Sydney (December 20, 2017). "Glenn Thrush, Suspended Times Reporter, to Resume Work but Won't Cover White House" '' via NYTimes.com. ^ "Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews Chuck D". July 20, 2016 . Retrieved February 18, 2017 . ^ "Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews Ben Carson". Politico. February 23, 2016 . Retrieved November 18, 2016 . ^ a b Adweek, Staff (April 2, 2017). "These 15 Political Power Players in Media Are Keeping It Real in the Age of Fake News". Adweek . Retrieved April 5, 2017 . ^ Calderone, Michael (December 12, 2016). "Politico's Glenn Thrush To Join The New York Times". The Huffington Post . Retrieved December 13, 2016 . ^ a b McGann, Laura (November 20, 2017). "Exclusive: NYT White House correspondent Glenn Thrush's history of bad judgment around young women journalists". Vox . Retrieved November 20, 2017 . ^ Rowland, Geoffrey (January 29, 2018). "Glenn Thrush to return to NYT D.C. bureau Tuesday". TheHill . Retrieved October 12, 2019 . ^ " ' Obama's Last Stand' highlights disagreements". Chicago Sun-Times. August 20, 2012 . Retrieved August 22, 2012 . ^ "Book: Obama finds Romney 'weak,' but fears he could win". USA Today. August 20, 2012 . Retrieved August 22, 2012 . ^ "About The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama: the 34 days that decided the election: Playbook 2012 (POLITICO Inside Election 2012)". Penguin Random House. December 2012 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ a b c Concha, Joe (October 17, 2016). "Politico reporter asked Podesta for fact-check". The Hill . Retrieved October 19, 2016 . ^ a b c d Smith, Allan (October 17, 2016). " ' Don't share or tell anyone I did this': Politico reporter criticized for email to Clinton campaign chair". Business Insider . Retrieved October 27, 2016 . ^ "Exclusive: NYT White House correspondent Glenn Thrush's history of bad judgment around young women journalists". Vox . Retrieved February 1, 2018 . ^ https://www.facebook.com/glennthrush?hc_ref=ARQwoycPxXoB7AZs7AbQMDeaxQgzzg1S6pHNdct2CCGN31VHRpqccql_RSnOJ3q-34E&fref=nf&pnref=story ^ Wemple, Erik (January 29, 2018). "Opinion | Glenn Thrush's new beat: The social safety net in Trump era". Washington Post . Retrieved February 1, 2018 . ^ Peck, Emily; Strachan, Maxwell (December 22, 2017). "Women At The New York Times Feel Neglected, Frustrated As Paper Stands By Glenn Thrush". Huffington Post . Retrieved February 1, 2018 . ^ Chang, Clio. "New York Times Reinstates an Accused Harasser and Insults Poor People at the Same Time". Splinter . Retrieved February 1, 2018 . ^ Communications, NYTimes (December 20, 2017). "The New York Times Statement on Glenn Thrushpic.twitter.com/23oQUE8srR". ^ Ember, Sydney (December 20, 2017). "Glenn Thrush, Suspended Times Reporter, to Resume Work but Won't Cover White House". The New York Times . Retrieved December 20, 2017 . ^ LaFrance, Adrienne. "The New York Times's Glenn Thrush Dilemma". The Atlantic . Retrieved February 1, 2018 . ^ "Glenn Thrush". Fresh Fiction . Retrieved October 19, 2016 . ^ Watch Sean Spicer Press Conference from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com , retrieved February 12, 2017 External links Edit Glenn Thrush on Facebook Glenn Thrush on Twitter Appearances on C-SPANp

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:31

Vartan Gregorian (Armenian: ՎÕÖÕ¤ÕÕ¶ Ô"ÖÕÕ£Õ¸ÖÕ¥ÕÕ¶ ; Persian: Ùارتان گرگÙریان 'Ž, born April 8, 1934) is an American academic, serving as the president of Carnegie Corporation of New York.[1][2]

Gregorian came to the United States in 1956 as a freshman, attending Stanford University, where he completed his B.A., with honors, in two years. After receiving his dual doctorates in history and humanities from Stanford in 1964, Gregorian served on the faculties of several American universities. He taught European and Middle Eastern history at San Francisco State College, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Texas at Austin. In 1972 he joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty and was appointed Tarzian Professor of History and professor of South Asian history. He was founding dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 and four years later became its twenty-third provost until 1981. From 1981 to 1989, Gregorian served as president of The New York Public Library, a post he would hold for eight years.

In 1988, he was chosen to become president of Brown University,[3] where he served for the next nine years. In 1997, he was appointed president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, the philanthropic foundation created in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie. He currently serves as a trustee of the Aga Khan Museum, the Library of Alexandria, The Hunter Foundation, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, The American Academy in Berlin, and the Patti and Everett B. Biurch Foundation.

In 1986, Gregorian was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and in 1989 the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts. In 1998, President Clinton awarded him the National Humanities Medal. In 2004, President George W. Bush awarded him the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil award. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed him to serve on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships. In addition, Gregorian has received the Council on Foundations Distinguished Service Award, 2013; the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Leadership Award, 2010; the Africa-America Institute Award for Leadership in Higher Education Philanthropy, 2009; and has been honored by various other cultural and professional associations, including the Armenian Cultural Foundation, the Urban League, the League of Women Voters, the Players Club, PEN-American Center, Literacy Volunteers of New York, the American Institute of Architects, the Charles A. Dana Foundation, and the Elysium Between Two Continents. He has been honored by the city and state of New York, the states of Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, and the cities of Fresno, Austin, Providence and San Francisco and was named a Living Landmark of the City of New York, where he currently resides.

In March 2015, Vartan Gregorian, together with two other philanthropists of Armenian descent, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan, launched a new humanitarian effort called 100 Lives.

The initiative is rooted in next year's centennial of the Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 million people died at the hands of the Ottoman government between 1915''1923, and one project will be to uncover stories of survivors and people who saved lives during that period.

'--'‰

Excerpt from an article by Don Seifert in the Boston Business Journal, March 11, 2015[4]Early life Edit Gregorian was born in an Armenian-Christian community in Tabriz, Iran, to Samuel Gregorian and Shooshanik Mirzaian. When Gregorian was 6 years old, his mother, then 26, died of pneumonia. His father, who worked for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in Abadan, was away from home much of the time, and hence Gregorian and his younger sister Ojik were raised by Voski Mirzaian, his maternal grandmother.[5]

Elementary and secondary education Edit Gregorian attended elementary school in Iran. In his autobiography, in discussing the events that led to his attending high school in Lebanon, Gregorian refers to several "generous strangers" who helped to make this transformative change in his life possible along with his subsequent move to the United States. First, in 1948, Edgar Maloyan, the French Armenian vice-consul in Tabriz at the time, suggested to Gregorian that he ought to go to Beirut, Lebanon to continue his education and provided him with three letters of introduction:[6] one to the head of the Lebanese Internal Security Agency, one to the Coll¨ge Arm(C)nien, the lyc(C)e that admitted him as a student, and one to a hotel where he could stay.[7] Gregorian also did chores for another individual in Tabriz, an optometrist named Hrayr Stepanian, who eventually helped Gregorian obtain his passport to get to Lebanon:

What also enabled me to do that was that a second stranger, an optometrist in Tabriz, gave me his property deed. That allowed me to obtain a passport because my father had told me if I could get a passport on my own, he would let me go, assuming that no fourteen-year-old kid could get a passport. This optometrist had taken me under his wing.[6]

'--'‰

Vartan Gregorian, in an interview with former NEH Chairman Bruce ColeWhat Gregorian and his benefactors had not thoroughly planned for was his daily expenses, so after arriving in Beirut, he was confronted with the problem of how to provide for his meals and long-term housing. Once again, he received help: the Armenian Red Cross Society arranged to provide Gregorian with some of his meals for a monthly cost of U.S. $6.15 and another helpful patron arranged for his lodging. With his circumstances eased somewhat, Gregorian learned French and completed his secondary education at the Coll¨ge Arm(C)nien in Beirut, where, while a student, he became the assistant to Simon Vratzian, the last prime minister of the pre-Soviet Republic of Armenia and then director of the Coll¨ge. Vratzian served as Gregorian's mentor and protector, providing him with the advice and assistance that helped Gregorian make arrangements to attend a university in the United States. In 1955, Gregorian, with the assistance of his English teacher, applied to only two universities (the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University) and was admitted by both. Stanford's acceptance arrived by airmail months before Berkeley's did by surface mail, at which point Gregorian had already enrolled at Stanford.[8]

Stanford Edit Gregorian was twenty-two when he began his undergraduate education at Stanford in 1956. There, Wayne S. Vucinich, who taught the history of the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire, became his mentor and advised Gregorian to study history. He completed his B.A. with honors in two years and finished the Humanities Honors program with distinction. His senior thesis for the Humanities Honors Program was on "Toynbee and Islam." In 1958 he was accepted as a Ph.D. candidate in history as well as in the graduate Humanities Program and became a research and teaching assistant to Professor Vucinich. The department awarded him its Wilbur Fellowship. While a student at Stanford, he again received hospitality from members of the Armenian community who were strangers to him. He explains how this consistent benevolence reaffirmed his faith in the Armenian diaspora community and diaspora communities in general:

In Palo Alto, an Armenian family adopted me for all Sunday meals and holidays. All of this reinforced my conviction that diasporas are not ghettos'--rather they are connecting bridges to larger communities, be it Jewish, be it Irish, be it Chinese, Armenian, Indian, and so forth. I never realized that until then.[6]

'--'‰

Vartan Gregorian, in an interview with former NEH Chairman Bruce ColeHe received his PhD in history and humanities from Stanford in 1964, writing a dissertation entitled "Traditionalism and Modernism in Islam."[6] The topic of his dissertation was related to an ongoing research project that he began in 1961, after receiving a Ford Foundation Foreign Area Training Fellowship, which took him to England, France, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. These experiences and his related research refocused his thesis on Afghanistan and formed the basis for his first book, The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan: Politics of Reform and Modernization, 1840''1946 (1969, 2013, Stanford University Press).[8]

Professorships Edit In 1962, Gregorian began teaching European and Middle Eastern history at San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University).[8] He left San Francisco State in 1968 and for a brief stint served as an associate professor at UCLA. That same year he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin, where he remained until 1972. He was promoted to full professorship in the department of history and served as the director of special programs in the College of Arts and Sciences from 1969 to 1971.[9] Gregorian resigned in protest of the board of trustees' decision to increase student enrollment and expand the university.

In 1972, he accepted the position of Tarzian Professor of Armenian and Caucasian History and Professor of South Asian history at the University of Pennsylvania, an endowed professorship that allowed him to teach Armenian, South Asian, and European intellectual history.[6] In 1974, Gregorian was named Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, the first person to hold this position.[8] In 1978, he became provost, chief academic officer of the university.

In 1980, Gregorian was offered the chancellorship at UC Berkeley, but declined because he had been provost at Penn for only two years and did not feel it was an appropriate time to leave his post. In 1981, Gregorian resigned as provost.[8] Three years later, the Penn Board of trustees endowed a professorship and several fellowships in Gregorian's name and awarded him an honorary degree in recognition of his roles as the university's founding dean of arts and sciences and provost.

New York Public Library Edit Following his stay at Penn, Gregorian found work outside the university walls. The New York Public Library had suffered budget cuts in the 1970s and, facing a vacancy in its presidency, needed a candidate who could raise money and revitalize the library. After a period of unsuccessful searching, Gregorian was approached. Then library board chairman Andrew Heiskell said of Gregorian: "Out of nowhere, a new candidate appeared. Instinctively I knew he was it."[8]

Gregorian arrived in 1981, facing deficits and a deteriorating architecture. Eight years later, the operation budget had doubled, four hundred new employees were hired, the buildings were cleaned and restored, and $327 million had been raised, including some $70 million in gifts-in-kind from individual collectors and benefactors. Local philanthropists and city leaders agreed that Gregorian restored the NYPL into a cultural landmark. He left the library in 1989, "eager to return to the academic world."[8]

Brown University Edit Vartan Gregorian became president of Brown in 1989, turning down offers to lead the University of Michigan and the MacArthur Foundation.[10][11] During his tenure, he instituted the President's Lecture Series, which brought prominent scholars, leaders, and authors to campus. He presided over the building of a residence quadrangle that now bears his name, and taught senior seminars. His last seminar centered on Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. Each year, he also served as the adviser for nine students. Gregorian led a five-year capital campaign called the Campaign for the Rising Generation, which at the time was the most ambitious capital campaign, not only in Brown's history, but of the state of Rhode Island, as well. The campaign raised some $534 million. By the end of his presidency, Brown's endowment had grown by about 260 percent, passing the $1 billion mark from just under $400 million. Also during his tenure, some 250 general studies courses were established. He received the Graduate Student Council's first endowed Wilson-Deblois Award and the faculty's Rosenberger Medal.

President Gregorian's tenure was marked by increased international prominence for Brown and a significant rise in demand for admission.[12] Equally, the student body grew more diverse than ever. Gregorian informed the Brown community of his resignation on January 7, 1997, and he left Brown in September of that year to assume leadership of Carnegie Corporation of New York. He made and kept a promise to attend the commencement ceremony and shake hands with all undergraduate students who had matriculated during his presidency.

Carnegie Corporation of New York Edit Vartan Gregorian became the twelfth president of Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1997. Notably, Gregorian is the only naturalized American to head the corporation and the first chief executive since 1923 to be appointed from outside. When he joined the corporation, taking on the challenge of heading a philanthropic institution, Gregorian said, "As I had led institutions that were dependent on philanthropy, it was intriguing to enter the field 'from the other side,' especially at a time when interest in philanthropy was blossoming. The challenge of philanthropy is how to contribute to the public good while at the same time assist both the American public and policymakers in understanding the power of philanthropy to effect positive change both in our nation and abroad."[13]

Carnegie Corporation is a grantmaking foundation, created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 with a mandate to support efforts dedicated to "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding." Towards that end, in over a century of work, Carnegie Corporation of New York has made grants totaling over $2 billion'--more than $1 billion alone in the ten years ended September 30, 2013. Today, under Gregorian's leadership, the foundation's work incorporates Andrew Carnegie's mandate through an affirmation of its historic role as an education foundation but also honors Andrew Carnegie's passion for international peace and the health of American democracy. While Mr. Carnegie's primary aim was to benefit the people of the United States, he later determined to use a portion of the funds for members of the British overseas Commonwealth. Currently, this area of corporation grantmaking focuses on selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other activities Edit American Academy in Berlin, member of the board of trustees[14]Armenia Fund, member of the board of trustees[15]Aurora Prize, member of the selection committee (since 2015)[16]Brandeis University, member of the board of trustees[17]Mary Robinson Foundation, member of the international advisory council[18]Museum of Modern Art, trustee[19]Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Human Rights, member of the jury (2012''2016)[20]Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), former member of the board of trustees[21]World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition, chairman of the jury (2004)[22]J. Paul Getty Trust, former member of the board of trustees (1988''2000)[23]Awards and honors Edit President George H. W. Bush appointed Gregorian to the Fulbright Commission. President Bill Clinton awarded Dr. Gregorian the National Humanities Medal. President George W. Bush later awarded Dr. Gregorian the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On June 17, 2009, The White House announced that President Barack Obama had appointed Gregorian to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.[24]Gregorian has also been decorated by the French, Italian, Austrian and Portuguese governments.

Gregorian is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and, in 1989, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts. In 2010, he received the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Leadership Award. Further, Gregorian has received the Council on Foundations Distinguished Service Award, 2013 and the Africa-America Institute Award for Leadership in Higher Education Philanthropy, 2009. He has been honored by various cultural and professional associations, including the Urban League, the League of Women Voters, the Players Club, PEN-American Center, Literacy Volunteers of New York, the American Institute of Architects and the Charles A. Dana Foundation. He has been honored by the states of New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, and the cities of Fresno, Austin, New York, Providence and San Francisco.

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In 1969, he received the Danforth Foundation's E.H. Harbison Distinguished Teaching Award, and in 1971 received the University of Texas' Cactus Teaching Excellence Award.

In 2005, Gregorian received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards Foundation.[25]

The Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, is named for Gregorian.

In 2018 Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) Humanitarian Award was granted to Vartan Gregorian and Clare Gregorian (posthumously) for their support to students from Armenian rural villages.[26]

Honorary degrees Edit Vartan Gregorian has received more than 70 honorary degrees. Below is a partial list.

Personal life Edit Gregorian has three sons, Vah(C), Raffi, and Dareh. He was married to Clare Russell Gregorian from 1960 until her death in 2018.

See also Edit Biography portal Iran portal United States portalCarnegie Corporation of New YorKChildren of Armenia FindAurora Prize for Awakening HumanityReferences Edit ^ Miller, Judith (January 7, 1997). "Carnegie Corp. Picks a Chief In Gregorian". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved March 18, 2019 . ^ Voss, Huberta v (June 1, 2007). Portraits of Hope: Armenians in the Contemporary World. Berghahn Books. ISBN 9781782389415. ^ Anderson, Susan Heller (October 3, 1990). "Chronicle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved March 18, 2019 . ^ http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2015/03/flagship-founder-enlists-help-of-george-clooney.html ^ "Book Review: The Road to Home by Vartan Gregorian". Armenian News Network . Retrieved June 10, 2006 . ^ a b c d e "A Conversation with Vartan Gregorian". National Endowment for the Humanities . Retrieved June 22, 2006 . ^ Yvonne French. "Vartan Gregorian Speaks at Library". Library of Congress . Retrieved June 22, 2006 . ^ a b c d e f g "The Lionheart". Stanford Magazine (retrieved June 22, 2006). ^ Rhode Island House Resolution 386: Recognizing Gregorian's] Distinguished Academic and Administrative Career. June 24, 1997. Retrieved September 5, 2006. ^ Brodie, H. Keith H.; Banner, Leslie (2005). The Research University Presidency in the Late Twentieth Century: A Life Cycle/Case History Approach. Westport, CT: American Council on Education/Praeger. p. 311. ISBN 0275985601. ^ Berger, Joseph (September 1, 1988). "Gregorian Is Chosen as President of Brown University". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved March 4, 2019 . ^ Arenson, Karen W. (January 8, 1997). "Gregorian, Ending an 8-Year Tenure at Brown, Is Leaving 'a Hot College Even Hotter ' ". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved March 4, 2019 . ^ [9] Vartan Gregorian, "Reflections on Encounters With Three Cultures," p. 73 ^ Board of Trustees American Academy in Berlin. ^ Board of Trustees Armenia Fund. ^ Selection Committee Aurora Prize. ^ Freeze, ChaeRan Y.; Fried, Sylvia Fuks; Sheppard, Eugene R. (May 22, 2015). The Individual in History: Essays in Honor of Jehuda Reinharz. Brandeis University Press. ISBN 9781611687330. ^ International Advisory Council Mary Robinson Foundation. ^ Wye, Deborah (2010). A Picasso Portfolio: Prints from the Museum of Modern Art. The Museum of Modern Art. ISBN 9780870707803. ^ 2015 Calouste Gulbenkian Prize: Denis Mukwege Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Human Rights. ^ Board of Trustees Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). ^ Glenn Collins (January 6, 2004), Memorial to 9/11 Victims Is Selected New York Times. ^ Board of Trustees J. Paul Getty Trust. ^ President Obama Announces Appointments to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships Archived April 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine The White House, June 17, 2009. ^ "National '' Jefferson Awards Foundation". ^ "COAF Annual Gala raises record 4,1 million USD". Armenpress. December 21, 2018. External links Edit Brown University BiographyCarnegie Corporation BiographyLibrary of Congress video of Gregorian discussing autobiographyGregorian's 2005 Notre Dame commencement speechUSC Center on Public DiplomacyIslam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith by Vartan Gregorian (Brookings, 2003)Dilijan International SchoolA film clip "The Open Mind - A Man for All Seasons, Part I (2004)" is available at the Internet ArchiveA film clip "The Open Mind - A Man for All Seasons, Part II (2004)" is available at the Internet ArchiveA film clip "The Open Mind - As ever: a man for all intellectual seasons (2009)" is available at the Internet ArchiveA film clip "The Open Mind - "The Higher Education Investment Act" (2009)" is available at the Internet ArchiveAppearances on C-SPANBooknotes interview with Gregorian on The Road to Home: My Life and Times, June 29, 2003.

Link to Article

Archived Version

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:29

Maggie Lindsy Haberman (born October 30, 1973) is an American journalist. She is a White House correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for CNN. She previously worked as a political reporter for The New York Post, the New York Daily News, and Politico.

Maggie Haberman

Haberman at the 2018 Pulitzer Prizes

BornMaggie Lindsy Haberman

( 1973-10-30 ) October 30, 1973 (age 46) Alma materSarah Lawrence CollegeOccupationJournalistYears active1995''present Spouse(s) Dareh Ardashes Gregorian (m. 2003)

Children3Parent(s)Clyde HabermanNancy Spies HabermanEarly life Edit Haberman was born on October 30, 1973, in New York City, the daughter of Clyde Haberman, who became a longtime journalist for The New York Times, and Nancy Haberman (n(C)e Spies), a media communications executive at Rubenstein Associates.[1] At the firm, a "publicity powerhouse" whose eponymous founder has been called "the dean of damage control" by Rudy Giuliani, Haberman's mother has done work for a client list of influential New Yorkers including Donald Trump.[2] A singer, in 3rd grade Haberman played the title role in a performance of the musical Annie at the P.S 75 Emily Dickinson School. She is a 1991 graduate of Ethical Culture Fieldston School, an independent preparatory school in New York City, followed by Sarah Lawrence College, a private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in 1995.[3]

Career Edit Haberman's professional career began in 1996 when she was hired by the New York Post.[4] In 1999, the Post assigned her to cover City Hall, where she became "hooked" on political reporting.[5] Haberman worked for the Post ' s rival newspaper, the New York Daily News, for three and a half years in the early 2000s,[5] where she continued to cover City Hall.[1] Haberman returned to the Post to cover the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign and other political races.[6] In 2010, Haberman was hired by Politico as a senior reporter.[7] She became a political analyst for CNN in 2014.[8]

Haberman was hired by The New York Times in early 2015 to be a political correspondent for the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.[6] According to one commentator, Haberman "formed a potent journalistic tag team with Glenn Thrush".[9]

Her reporting style as a member of the White House staff of the Times features in the Liz Garbus documentary series The Fourth Estate. Among the daily frustrations of her work covering the Trump administration, she is also shown on camera in her role as a mother being interrupted during tense moments to take phone calls from her children, at one point declaring to her phone, "You can't die in your nightmares."[10]

In October 2016, one month before Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, a document was released by WikiLeaks that showed the Clinton campaign's use of Haberman to place sympathetic stories in Politico. "[The Clinton campaign] has a very good relationship with Maggie Haberman of Politico over the last year. We have had her tee up stories for us before and have never been disappointed. While we should have a larger conversation in the near future about a broader strategy for reengaging the beat press that covers HRC, for this we think we can achieve our objective and do the most shaping by going to Maggie."[11]

In 2018, Haberman's reporting on the Trump administration earned the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting (shared with colleagues at the Times and The Washington Post),[12] the individual Aldo Beckman Memorial Award from the White House Correspondents' Association,[13] and the Front Page Award for Journalist of the Year from the Newswomen's Club of New York.[14][15] Trump himself has repeatedly responded to negative articles in the Times by calling her a "Hillary flunky" and a "third rate reporter".[16]

Personal life Edit Haberman married Dareh Ardashes Gregorian, a reporter for the New York Daily News, formerly of the New York Post, and son of Vartan Gregorian, in a November 2003 ceremony on the Tribeca Rooftop in Manhattan.[1] They have three children, and live in Brooklyn.[2]

See also Edit New Yorkers in journalismReferences Edit ^ a b c "Weddings/Celebrations: Maggie Haberman, Dareh Gregorian". The New York Times. November 9, 2003 . Retrieved April 11, 2016 . ^ a b Combe, Rachael (May 24, 2017). "Wanna Know What Donald Trump Is Really Thinking? Read Maggie Haberman". Elle . Retrieved July 29, 2018 . ^ Calderone, Michael (January 9, 2015). "New York Times Staffing Up For 2016 Election With Maggie Haberman Hire". The Huffington Post . Retrieved April 11, 2016 . ^ Flood, Brian (March 21, 2017). "How Tabloids Helped NY Times' Maggie Haberman Ace Trump White House". TheWrap . Retrieved March 26, 2017 . ^ a b Meares, Joel (September 2, 2010). "Q & A: Politico's Maggie Haberman". Columbia Journalism Review . Retrieved March 26, 2017 . ^ a b Wemple, Erik (January 9, 2015). "Maggie Haberman leaves huge hole at Politico, moves to New York Times". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 11, 2016 . ^ Gilman, Greg (January 9, 2015). "Politico's Senior Political Reporter Maggie Haberman Joins New York Times". TheWrap . Retrieved March 26, 2017 . ^ Chotiner, Isaac (June 29, 2017). " " The leakiest White House I've ever covered". Slate . Retrieved August 22, 2017 . ^ Goldiner, Dave (April 23, 2017). "Maggie Haberman Hits Back In Twitter Spat With 'Trump Adviser' Sean Hannity". The Forward . Retrieved August 23, 2018 . ^ Garber, Megan (June 15, 2018). "The Humans of The New York Times". The Atlantic . Retrieved August 23, 2018 . ^ Greenwald, Glenn; Fang, Lee (October 9, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: New Email Leak Reveals Clinton Campaign's Cozy Press Relationship". The Intercept . Retrieved August 23, 2018 . ^ "National Reporting". The Pulitzer Prizes . Retrieved August 23, 2018 . ^ "2018 Winners". White House Correspondents' Association . Retrieved August 23, 2018 . ^ "Times Wins Seven Front Page Awards". The New York Times Company. October 8, 2018 . Retrieved November 14, 2018 . ^ "The 2018 Front Page Awards". Newswomen's Club of New York. November 8, 2018 . Retrieved November 9, 2018 . ^ Britzky, Haley (April 21, 2018). "Trump attacks NYT reporter Maggie Haberman". Axios . Retrieved September 1, 2018 . External links Edit Maggie Haberman on Twitter On hiatus: "Maggie Haberman: Why I Needed to Pull Back From Twitter". The New York Times. July 20, 2018 . Retrieved July 26, 2018 . ABC News interviewHugh Hewitt interviewNew Yorker David Remnick interviewApril 20, 2017 interview on NPR by Terry GrossJanuary 23, 2019 interview on NY1 by Errol LouisAppearances on C-SPAN