Today's News: April 08, 2019

World News
Tory Brexiteers push to get May out of No10 on Wednesday – so Britain can quit the EU at 11pm on Friday
The Sun – Brexiteers want to hold a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister on Wednesday afternoon. The latest revolt was kicked off today by Mark Francois, vice-chairman of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s European Research Group.
Mr Francois wrote to Tory backbench chief Sir Graham Brady demanding a non-binding vote on Mrs May’s leadership at the next gathering of MPs.
The Rayleigh & Wickford MP suggested that if backbenchers voted to oust the PM, she would be under intense moral pressure to resign.
He added that in those circumstances, EU bosses would refuse to grant a further delay to Brexit – meaning we would leave on April 12 without a deal.
Emmanuel Macron has already threatened to veto any extension to Article 50 unless there’s a clear process in place to find a new way forward on Brexit.
USA labels Iran Revolutionary Guard terror group
AP – The Latest on the Trump administration’s stance on Iran (all times local):
12:25 p.m.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says it has designated the United States Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, and all its forces as terrorist and labeled the U.S. as a “supporter of terrorism.”
The semi-official Fars news agency reported the statement by Iran’s National Security Council on Monday. It followed the U.S. announcement that it has designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization.
The statement from the council came after Iran’s foreign minister said he wants to include the Middle East-based U.S. military forces on his country’s “terrorist groups” list.
USA pulls forces from Libya as fighting approaches capital
CNBC – The United States has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to “security conditions on the ground,” a top military official said Sunday as a Libyan commander’s forces advanced toward the capital of Tripoli and clashed with rival militias.
A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years, helping local forces combat Islamic State and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities.
“The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable,” said Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command. “Even with an adjustment of the force, we will continue to remain agile in support of existing U.S. strategy.”
He did not provide details on the number of U.S. troops that have been withdrawn or how many remain in the country.
Venezuelans Take the Streets as Power Struggle Intensifies
Newsmax – Rival political factions took to the streets across Venezuela on Saturday in a mounting struggle for control of the crisis-wracked nation, where U.S.- backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó is attempting to oust socialist President Nicólas Maduro.
It was the first march Guaidó has led since Maduro loyalists stripped him of legal protections he’s granted as a congressman, opening a path to prosecute and possibly arrest him for allegedly violating the constitution.
The rallies also follow crippling power failures that left most of the country scrambling in the dark for days and without running water or phone service.
Speaking before several thousand people who packed a broad Caracas avenue, Guaidó urged them to stay united and to keep up pressure until Maduro leaves power.
“Something is evident today,” Guaidó said. “Venezuela is not afraid and continues taking the streets until we get freedom.”
US-Backed Coalition Bombs Another Yemen School, Killing Mostly Children
Activist Post – With a War Powers resolution that would end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen currently on President Donald Trump’s desk, the Saudi-led coalition on Sunday reportedly bombed a residential area in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, killing at least 11 and injuring dozens more.
According to local medical officials, most of those killed were young children after Saudi airstrikes hit a Yemeni school.
‘I’m an assassination risk’: Assange to Ecuador court in leaked testimony
RT – Ecuador will be violating its own constitution if it expels Julian Assange from its London embassy while fully aware of a possible “assassination” plot against him, WikiLeaks suggested, releasing the journalist’s court testimony.
Article 79 of the Ecuadorean constitution guarantees that “in no case shall the extradition of an Ecuadorean be granted,” Assange told the Ecuadorean court back on October 29, when he requested the restoration of his communication privileges.
A transcript of Assange’s statement was released by WikiLeaks after news of his imminent expulsion from the embassy made the headlines on Thursday. While a great deal of Assange’s testimony defends his right to stay in the embassy after being granted asylum and, subsequently, citizenship, the 47-year-old also accused the government of Lenin Moreno of illegally limiting his communication rights and bowing to pressure from the US, which seeks his extradition for revealing some of Washington’s dirty secrets.
“The fact that a government controls a particular piece of space does not mean it can violate its Constitution, can violate UN-mandated rights, that it can engage in punishment without process,” Assange told the court, revealing that, besides threats of unjust prosecution, he also faces direct threats against his life.
There have been attempts by people to get into this embassy through the windows at night. I am an assassination risk. It is not a joke. It is a serious business.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Nunes to send eight criminal referrals to DOJ concerning leaks, conspiracy amid Russia probe
Fox – House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes exclusively told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that he is preparing to send eight criminal referrals to the Department of Justice this week concerning alleged misconduct from “Watergate wannabes” during the Trump-Russia investigation, including the leaks of “highly classified material” and conspiracies to lie to Congress and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court.
The dramatic step comes as Republicans have pushed for the release of key documents to uncover the origins of the now-discredited narrative that the Trump campaign colluded improperly with the Russian government. President Trump recently told Fox News he would release the entirety of the FISA applications used to surveil one of his top aides, and other related documents.
Nunes said he has been working on the referrals for more than two years, and wanted to wait until the confirmation of Attorney General Bill Barr.
“We’re prepared this week to notify the attorney general that we’re prepared to send those referrals over,” Nunes said. “First of all, all of these are classified or sensitive. … Five of them are what I would call straight up referrals — so just referrals that name someone and name the specific crimes,” Nunes told Maria Bartiromo. “Those crimes are lying to Congress, misleading Congress, leaking classified information. So five of them are those types.”
It was not immediately clear whom Nunes would specifically refer. Both Democrats and Republicans have said former Trump fixer Michael Cohen is likely to face new charges of lying to Congress in the wake of his recent explosive testimony, which seemed to contradict his previous statements on a variety of matters, including whether he had sought a job in the Trump White House.
And House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., touched off a firestorm last August after claiming on Twitter that his office had “hard evidence” suggesting the FBI leaked information to the press and used the resulting articles to help obtain surveillance warrants. The claim stemmed in part from FBI intelligence analyst Jonathan Moffa’s Friday testimony behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.
Nunes added: “There are three [referrals] that I think are more complicated. … So on the first one, is FISA abuse and other matters. We believe there was a conspiracy to lie to the FISA court, mislead the FISA court by numerous individuals that all need to be investigated and looked at that, and we believe the [relevant] statute is the conspiracy statute. The second conspiracy one is involving manipulation of intelligence that also could ensnarl many Americans.”
Nunes asserted that “we’ve had a lot of concerns with the way intelligence was used” during the Trump-Russia probe.
Court Halts Rockland County’s Anti-Measles Emergency Order
Newsmax – A state judge has issued a preliminary injunction against a suburban New York county’s emergency order banning children from public places unless they’ve been vaccinated against measles.
Supreme Court Justice Rolf Thorsen ruled Friday in favor of several dozen parents challenging Rockland County Executive Ed Day’s order, part of efforts to stop a measles outbreak that has infected 166 people since October.
The 30-day order enacted on March 26 bans unvaccinated people under 18 from gathering places including schools, stores and churches. Civil rights lawyer Michael Sussman called Day’s action “arbitrary and capricious.”
The judge said such emergency orders cannot exceed five days. He also noted that 166 measles cases in a population of 330,000 people over six months doesn’t constitute an “epidemic” meriting an emergency declaration.
Trump asked for Secret Service director to be fired
Washington Examiner – President Trump appears to be eyeing a purge of top Homeland Security officials.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was ousted Sunday. The director of the U.S. Secret Service is next on the list, according to CNN.
Trump told acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to fire Randolph “Tex” Alles a week ago. Alles, who reported to Nielsen, is still on the job, despite being asked to leave.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigns amid migrant surge at US-Mexico border
USA Today – Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies as secretary of Homeland Security, is leaving her post amid tensions with some in the White House who felt she hasn’t done enough to stem border crossings.
Trump tweeted Sunday that Nielsen is leaving the post she has held since the end of 2017.
“Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service,” he said. He said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, will become the acting DHS secretary. McAleenan has held senior posts within CBP dating back to President George W. Bush’s administration.
“Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside,” Nielsen said in her resignation letter. “I hope that the next Secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America’s borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse.”
She later tweeted that she would remain in her post until Wednesday to “assist with an orderly transition and ensure that Key DHS missions are not impacted.”
AMAZON purging right-wing authors?
Breitbart – Under pressure from left-wing journalists and activists, Amazon is purging right-wing authors from its store, including a book co-authored by English Islam critic and independent commentator Tommy Robinson.
The web retail giant has become the dominant market player in book sales, accounting for nearly 50 percent of physical and 83 percent of e-book sales in the U.S. As such, Amazon has the power to effectively cut an author off from the vast majority of the books market.
Amazon began its new round of purges by targeting the white nationalist fringe. In February, the tech giant banned a number of books from white identitarian Jared Taylor, and a book called The White Nationalist Manifesto by Greg Johnson.
This followed bans on Holocaust revisionist books in 2017, and a purge of all books by controversial pickup blogger and author Daryush “Roosh” Valizadeh in 2018.
As with financial blacklisting, a censorship spree that starts by targeting extreme ideas quickly moves towards the censorship of more mainstream ones. In early March, the online retailer banned Muhammed’s Koran: Why Muslims Kill for Islam, a Chronological Koran and critique of the Islamic religion co-authored by British populist Tommy Robinson.
The book is a chronological reordering of the Islamic Koran, followed by commentary by Robinson and his co-author, Peter McLoughlin. Amazon did not return Breitbart News’ request for an explanation of why the book was banned.
In 2010, Amazon refused to take down a book defending pedophilia on first amendment grounds. “Amazon believes it is censorship not sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable,” an Amazon representative told CNBC at the time.
“Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”
Public and media outcry was not enough to pressure Amazon into watering down its commitment to content-neutrality when it came to a pro-pedophile book. But it now takes only the slightest pressure for the tech giant to ban right-wing critiques of religion.
And even before that, Amazon had watered down it’s commitment to “the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.” In 2015, the site banned the sale of all merchandise depicting the Confederate flag.
Amazon doesn’t seem to have a problem with extremist of destructive books in general. Two of the most destructive books in history, Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are available for purchase. So too are books by black nationalist Louis Farrakhan, notorious for his racist and anti-semitic comments — so it seems racial hatred isn’t subject to a blanket ban on Amazon either.
Amazon has abandoned its previous commitment to carry all books no matter how controversial, and it’s unclear what consistent principle, if any, the company now follows.
California wants to tax soda, tires, guns, water, pain pills, lawyers, car batteries
LA Times – One of the more controversial and annoying taxes currently being proposed is a state levy on sugary soft drinks. More on that later.
Here’s an eye-roller: A bill that would authorize San Francisco to turn its crooked Lombard Street — a tourist attraction after so many movie appearances — into a toll road, maybe even requiring reservations. Think they have a traffic jam now on weekends? Wait until cars are lined up behind a tollgate.
There are a whole bunch of taxing ideas in the Capitol: on new tires, firearms, water, prescription painkillers, lawyers, car batteries, corporations based on their CEO pay, estates worth more than $3.5 million, oil and gas extraction. The list goes on.
The oil and gas extraction tax is long overdue. We’re the only major oil-producing state without one. It would raise an estimated $1.5 billion a year.
The California Tax Foundation has counted more than $6.2 billion worth of tax increase proposals pending in the Legislature. It expects the figure to grow substantially as bills are amended with details.
Polls show that California voters already think they’re overtaxed. No surprise there.
When voters were asked recently by the Public Policy Institute of California whether they paid more or less state and local taxes than they should, the answers were: more 63%, the right amount 32%, less 4%.
Asked whether the federal tax changes had a positive or negative effect on their families, voters replied: positive 18%, negative 35%, no effect 42%.
“As the April 15 deadline looms, many Californians are complaining about the state and local tax systems and the impacts of recent changes in federal law,” PPIC President Mark Baldassare says.
“What part of ‘tax fatigue’ don’t these lawmakers understand? It’s political malpractice,” asserts Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio, referring to the proposed soda tax that he’s fighting against on behalf of the beverage industry.
The bill, AB 138, is being carried by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) with backing from the California medical and dental associations. It would hike the tax on sugary soda by 2 cents an ounce, or 24 cents for a 12-ounce can.
Cory Booker introduces Senate bill on slavery reparations
Fox – Sen. Cory Booker on Monday introduced a bill that would study the possibility of reparations for descendants of slaves, embracing a push that recently has caught the interest of fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
The senator from New Jersey said Monday that “this bill is a way of addressing head-on the persistence of racism, white supremacy, and implicit racial bias in our country. It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed.”
The measure is a Senate companion to a bill introduced in the House of Representatives in January by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, which if passed into law would set up a commission to study the impact of slavery and continued discrimination against black Americans and make recommendations on reparation proposals for the descendants of slaves. The legislation was first introduced 30 years ago by then-Rep. John Conyers of Michigan.
“Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations,” Booker added. “Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining.”
Besides Booker, the idea of slavery reparations for black Americans is at least partially backed by at least eight other Democratic presidential contenders. They are Sen. Kamala Harris of California; Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont; former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who served as housing secretary under President Barack Obama; South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; and businessman and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Several of them were asked specifically about Jackson Lee’s reparations bill during a conference last week of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
NJ doles out $250k for law students to rep illegals in court
Campus Reform – If you’re an illegal immigrant in New Jersey, the state wants to help you deal with ICE and federal immigration courts.
The New Jersey Department of the Treasury, which is currently under the control of first-term Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, devoted $2.1 million to legal representation for residents with immigration-related troubles, according to a November news release from the state governor.
California AG Calls For Decriminalization of Illegal Immigration
Infowars – Unauthorized immigration into the United States must be decriminalized because migrants crossing the southern border are “not criminals,” according to California attorney general Xavier Becerra.
“They haven’t committed a crime against someone, and they are not acting violently or in a way that’s harmful to people,” Becerra told HuffPost on Thursday.
“And I would argue they are not harming people indirectly either.”
“If you call them criminals, it’s a lot easier to get people to turn against them than if you call them undocumented immigrants,” he added.
The remarks are significant coming from California’s top law enforcement official, but as HuffPost noted, the Democrat Party is touting their open border agenda more and more:
“The remarks from California’s top law enforcement officer are rare even from a Democratic politician, although the idea is picking up steam. This week, Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro proposed repealing the code that makes illegal entry a criminal offense in addition to a civil one; fellow presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke has said we should do the same for asylum-seekers and families. Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) have also told HuffPost that immigration should be decriminalized.”
Florida Abortion Bill Would Require Minors to Obtain Consent
Newsmax – Sensing a shift in the U.S. Supreme Court, conservative lawmakers across the country have introduced hundreds of anti-abortion measures into state legislatures this year that could spark challenges that eventually may prompt the top court to revisit Roe v. Wade.
More than half of U.S. states require consent from at least one parent or legal guardian for a minor to obtain an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights.
Florida, a state that provided 1,472 abortions to minors in 2017, is one of the few states that require a parent or guardian to be informed 48 hours before the procedure in person, over the phone, or within 72 hours by certified mail. Many clinics allow parents to sign a notification waiver in order to bypass the mandatory waiting periods before a procedure is performed.
A bill proposed by Vero Beach Republican Rep. Erin Grall would flip Florida’s status as a notification state to a consent state, where legal guardians have deciding power over an abortion. It would require physicians to obtain notarized written consent and government-issued proof of identification from a parent or legal guardian before any procedure.
Economy & Business
Bankers Join Socialists in Supporting “Modern Monetary Theory”
Activist Post – The gaggle of socialist candidates vying to win the Democratic nomination for president all agree on one thing. They believe government should be doing a lot more.
Just how to pay for all of those dreams is the question. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), we are told by the likes of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, is the answer.
The New York Times describes MMT as a “package of eccentric ideas” including the notion “deficits are too small, and that the U.S. can essentially print money to pay off its debt.”
Yes, proponents of MMT, believe the U.S. should borrow more than it does currently, which is roughly $1 trillion per year. Why worry? The U.S. can simply create the trillions needed to pay off all of that debt.
Brexit Uncertainty Boosts Gold Demand
Schiff Gold – Total gold holdings in ETFs grew marginally in March, resuming an upward trend that started last fall. Total holdings of the yellow metal globally rose 3 tons, with increases seen in every region, according to the most recent data released by the World Gold Council.
ETFs worldwide currently hold 2,483 tons of gold valued at approximately $103 billion.
North American funds took in the most gold last month, increasing holdings by 2.5 tons. Early in the month, about $2.5 billion in gold flowed out of North American funds, but that reversed later in the month, coinciding with a rally in the price that was linked to the Federal Reserve’s continued dovishness during the March FOMC meeting.
The World Gold Council said it believes economic and market dynamics will continue to support gold investment in North America this year.
US Sets Sights on China in New Electric Vehicle Push
Newsmax – U.S. government officials plan to meet with executives from automakers and lithium miners in early May as part of a first-of-its-kind effort to launch a national electric vehicle supply chain strategy, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
While Volkswagen AG, Tesla Inc and other electric-focused automakers and battery manufacturers are expanding in the United States and investing billions in the new technology, they are reliant on mineral imports without a major push to develop more domestic mines and processing facilities. For a graphic, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2Azl09N
China already dominates the electric vehicle supply chain. It produces nearly two-thirds of the world’s lithium-ion batteries – compared to 5 percent for the United States – and controls most of the world’s lithium processing facilities, according to data from Benchmark Minerals Intelligence, which tracks prices for lithium and other commodities and is organizing the Washington, D.C., event.
U.S. imports of lithium have nearly doubled since 2014 due in part to rising demand from Tesla, SK Innovation Co and others building battery plants in the country, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“We need to find ways to more efficiently develop our nation’s domestic critical mineral supply because these resources are vital to both our national security and our economy,” North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement to Reuters when asked about the meeting.
Energy & Environment
Potentially Historic April Snow Set For Midwest
The Weather Channel – An intense storm is expected to develop in the Plains by midweek, bringing heavy snow, high winds, potential blizzard conditions and perhaps even some severe thunderstorms to the nation’s midsection.
Spike in Aegean Sea dolphin deaths may be linked to Turkish navy, conservation group says
Fox – The Aegean Sea has seen a “very unusual” spike in dolphin deaths over the past few weeks, a Greek marine conservation group said Monday, adding that the rise could be linked to massive Turkish naval exercises in the area.
Fifteen dead dolphins have washed up on the eastern island of Samos and other parts of Greece’s Aegean coastline since late February, according to the Archipelagos Institute.
Its head of research, Anastassia Miliou, told The Associated Press that 15 is a worryingly high number compared to “one or two” in the same period last year.
The group said while it’s still unclear what caused the deaths, the spike follows the Feb. 27-March 8 Turkish “Blue Homeland” exercises — the country’s largest ever — that made constant use of sonar and practiced with live ammunition.
A Volcano That Could Completely Cover Mexico City With Volcanic Ash Just Erupted 200 Times In A 24 Hour Period
Economic Collapse – The most dangerous volcano in Mexico just erupted 200 times in a 24 hour period, but there has been an almost total blackout about this in the U.S. media. Authorities are saying that the odds of more volcanic activity at Mt. Popocatepetl are “immediate to high”, and if a full-blown Plinian eruption were to occur it would be the worst natural disaster in the modern history of North America. Approximately 26 million people live within 60 miles of Popocatepetl’s crater, and so we are talking about the potential for death and destruction on a scale that is difficult to imagine. In ancient times, Mt. Popocatepetl buried entire Aztec cities in super-heated mud, but then it went to sleep for about 1,000 years. Unfortunately for us, it started waking up again in the 1990s, and now this is the most active that we have seen it ever since the volcano originally reawakened. What we have witnessed over the last several days has been nothing short of stunning. According to a British news source, a level three yellow alert was put into effect after “200 eruptions were recorded in just 24 hours”
At this point a 7.5 mile “security radius” has been established around the volcano, and if things continue to get worse authorities will be forced to begin large scale evacuations.
MSM Finally Admits Legal Hemp is the Answer to Dependency on Big Oil
The Free Thought Project – Because government is the antithesis to freedom, industrial hemp has been banned nationwide since 1937 ostensibly due to the plant’s similarities to marijuana. Many have speculated that this move was also due to the fact that cannabis is in direct competition with the pharmaceutical industry by providing far safer alternative treatments as well as directly competing with the petrochemical industry. However, all this changed in December after President Donald Trump signed the Agriculture Improvement act of 2018, legalizing industrial hemp on a national scale.
Despite this move, law enforcement across the country continue to go after entirely legal businesses for selling this THC-free version of the cannabis plant. However, they are quickly being exposed for the tyrants that they are. Even the mainstream media—who have long suppressed and ignored the benefits of the hemp plant—are now forced to cover its benefits.
In an article out of Forbes this week, titled, “Industrial Hemp Is The Answer To Petrochemical Dependency,” the case is made for an environmentally friendly solution to the monopoly the petrochemical industry has had over fuel and plastics.
As Forbes reports, “our dependency on petrochemicals has proven hard to overcome, largely because these materials are as versatile as they are volatile. From fuel to plastics to textiles to paper to packaging to construction materials to cleaning supplies, petroleum-based products are critical to our industrial infrastructure and way of life.”
But all this is now changing. Thanks to the many states who chose to disobey hemp prohibition, the federal government was forced to legalize it nationally.
Science & Technology
Chinese Workers Forced to Wear GPS Bracelets to Monitor Productivity
Daily Mail – Officials in east China are forcing its street cleaners to wear GPS-tracking bracelets in order to monitor idle workers.
More than 500 sanitation workers in Nanjing, Jiangsu province have been required to wear the smart bracelets, which would track their location in real time and send out an audio alert if the wearer stopped moving for more than 20 minutes.
The sanitation company removed the alarm feature of the watch after the news last week sparked a public outcry over Big Brother-style surveillance, Chinese media reported.
However, other functions via the bracelet remain, including location tracking and letting the workers clock in for work.
Information from the watch is transmitted to a command centre, which ensures workers stay in their designated work area and are not slacking off, according to a report first published by Jiangsu City Channel last Wednesday.
Health
Eating raw garlic could help keep memory sharp in old age
Daily Mail – Advertisement
Eating raw garlic could help keep your memory sharp in old age by boosting gut health, study suggests
Eating raw garlic could help prevent age-related memory loss suffered by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, scientists suggest.
The natural compound found in garlic – allyl sulfide – improves the health of bacteria in the stomach and also improve cognitive health in the elderly.
US scientists found the compound restores trillions of microorganisms – also known as gut microbiota – in the intestine.
Previous research has highlighted the importance of gut microbiota in maintaining health.
But few studies have explored gut health and age-related conditions.
Dr Jyotirmaya Behera at the University of Louisville in Kentucky said: ‘Our findings suggest that dietary administration of garlic containing allyl sulfide could help maintain healthy gut microorganisms and improve cognitive health in the elderly.’
Co-author Dr Neetu Tyagi added: ‘The diversity of the gut microbiota is diminished in elderly people, a life stage when neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s develop and memory and cognitive abilities can decline.
‘We want to better understand how changes in the gut microbiota relate to ageing-associated cognitive decline.’
The team plan to further investigate how restored gut bacteria can prevent age-related memory loss and if garlic could even be used as a treatment for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Garlic has been used for thousands of years to treat human disease and can reduce the risk of developing certain kinds of cancers such as breast and stomach, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Garlic’s unique flavor comes from sulphur compounds.
Like other members of the allium family, the plant absorbs sulphate from the soil and incorporates it into amino acids and sulphur storage molecules.
These sulphur storage molecules can then be broken down into approximately 50 different sulphur-containing compounds when the garlic is prepared and eaten
Garlic could ward off hospital superbugs, a new study revealed.
Ajoene, an active sulphurous compound found in the pungent vegetable, when combined with antibiotics helps break down a bacteria’s defenses.
Scientists hope the breakthrough could fight incurable cystic fibrosis and chronic wounds in diabetics as well as tackling MRSA and common hospital infection P. aeruginosa.
The findings were presented at the American Physiological Society’s annual meeting during the 2019 Experimental Biology meeting in Orlando.
Antioxidants In Green Tea Might Protect You From Toxins In Drinking Water, Finds Study
Mind Body Green – It’s not fun to think about, but even in the U.S., access to safe drinking water is not guaranteed. Case in point: the public health disaster that was Flint, Michigan. And though our drinking water has been regulated under the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act since 1974, many experts don’t believe it goes far enough—in fact, only about 90 contaminants are regulated under the act while studies have revealed hundreds of contaminants in the water supply.
But, while there’s no question we need better regulation of these pollutants, there are still things we can do as individuals to stay healthy—even beyond buying a great water filter. Turns out, what we eat and drink may play a surprising role in buffering the negative effects of certain chemicals present in tap water.
A new study presented at the 2019 Experimental Biology meeting finds that two antioxidants—vitamin C and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)—may reduce the damage done by hexavalent chromium, a contaminant that often enters the water supply via industrial waste. Fun fact: Hexavalent chromium was the cancer-causing chemical featured in the movie Erin Brockovich, and research shows that it still contaminates water supplies for more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states.
For the study, researchers exposed human cells to a solution containing different concentrations of hexavalent chromium. They noted toxic effects on the cells at concentrations of 200 parts per billion (ppb) or higher. But—and this is the really cool part—those toxic effects could be completely blocked by adding vitamin C at 10 parts per million (ppm) or EGCG at 15 ppm. Vitamin C was also able to prevent DNA mutations in bacteria exposed to the chemical.
Vitamin C is found in a variety of fruits and veggies, including citrus, berries, and bell peppers, while EGCG is the main antioxidant present in green tea. It’s not clear yet exactly how much protection you’d get by upping your intake of these antioxidants in your diet. But, as these compounds are associated with so many other benefits—from increased immunity to a reduced risk of cancer—consuming more of them is only going to help you out.
Researchers say that adding these antioxidants directly to the water supply could counteract hexavalent chromium’s toxic effects.
A Drug Resistant “Super Fungus” Kills Nearly Half The People It Infects – And It Is Spreading Across America
Economic Collapse – The medical community knew that a day of reckoning was coming. For years, they were repeatedly warned that the rampant overuse of certain types of medications would result in the development of “super diseases” that we would not be able to stop, and now that day has arrived. Just like many types of bacteria, fungi have also been developing defenses against our most effective modern medicines. One in particular, a fungus known as Candida auris, is now a massive public health threat. An expert quoted by the New York Times has admitted that it is “pretty much unbeatable”, it spreads very easily, and it kills close to 50 percent of the people that it infects. In other words, we are in the early chapters of a medical horror show of our own making, and there is no way out.
Candida auris (or C. auris for short) spreads most easily among those with weakened immune systems. Infants, seniors, smokers and diabetics are among the most vulnerable.
About a year ago, a senior was admitted to a hospital in Brooklyn, and what doctors discovered after running a blood test absolutely stunned them…
Last May, an elderly man was admitted to the Brooklyn branch of Mount Sinai Hospital for abdominal surgery. A blood test revealed that he was infected with a newly discovered germ as deadly as it was mysterious.
Doctors swiftly isolated him in the intensive care unit. The germ, a fungus called Candida auris, preys on people with weakened immune systems, and it is quietly spreading across the globe.
Like so many others that get infected, the elderly man died, but before he did C. auris had literally spread to every surface in his entire room…
The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it.
“Everything was positive — the walls, the bed, the doors, the curtains, the phones, the sink, the whiteboard, the poles, the pump,” said Dr. Scott Lorin, the hospital’s president. “The mattress, the bed rails, the canister holes, the window shades, the ceiling, everything in the room was positive.”
But unlike other major potential health threats, C. auris is not confined to a particular geographic region.
According to a top official from the CDC, the fungus has quickly spread all over the globe, and “now it is everywhere”. The following comes from Zero Hedge…
“It is a creature from the black lagoon,” said the CDC’s Dr. Tom Chiller, who heads the fungal branch. “It bubbled up and now it is everywhere.”
In the last five years alone, it it has swept through a hospital in Spain, hit a neonatal unit in Venezuela, spread throughout India, Pakistan and South Africa, and forced a prestigious British medical center to close its ICU for nearly two weeks.
We do not currently have any way to defeat C. auris.
Would you feed your kids cancer-causing breakfast foods? Tests reveal many cereals contain the weed killer glyphosate
NaturalNews – Although many people tend to worry about pesticides mostly when they’re eating fruit and vegetables, the use of weedkillers like glyphosate is so widespread that it’s popping up everywhere. One place you might not expect to find it is in your breakfast cereal, but tests show that the chemical has even made its way into some of the most popular cereal brands.
Tests carried out by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found glyphosate in every sample they tested of popular oat-based cereals and other foods marketed to children – and the levels aren’t insignificant. Nearly all of them had glyphosate residue levels that exceeded the amounts that EWG scientists believe are protective of children’s health, 160 parts per billion.
In fact, some cereals have more glyphosate than vitamins. Childhood staple Honey Nut Cheerios, for example, contains more glyphosate than Vitamins B12 and D, while Quaker Oatmeal Squares contain more glyphosate than Vitamin A.
In tests of food purchased at Washington, D.C. and San Francisco Bay area grocery stores, Quaker Oatmeal Squares breakfast cereal performed the worst, with levels of glyphosate at 2,837 ppb, or 18 times higher than the EWG benchmark. Their benchmark is stricter than that of government regulators as it takes into account the risks of exposure over a lifetime, as many people consume foods like cereal on a daily basis.
Other products on the list include Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Quaker Breakfast Squares Soft Baked Bars Peanut Butter, Quaker Overnight Oats Raisin Walnut & Honey Heaven, and Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar.
The results show that nothing has improved since their previous round of testing, in which all but two samples of 45 foods made with conventional oats and a third of products made with organic oats were found to contain glyphosate. Oats are regularly sprayed with glyphosate to dry them out prior to harvest, while crops like soybeans and corn are regularly grown using the toxic chemical.
Telemedicine tied to more antibiotics for kids, study finds
AP – Telemedicine may be leading to the overprescribing of antibiotics to sniffling children, a new study suggests.
Kids with cold symptoms seen via telemedicine visits were far more likely to be prescribed antibiotics than those who went to a doctor’s office or clinic, researchers found. And a higher proportion of those prescriptions disregarded medical guidelines, raising the risk they could cause side effects or contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs.
“I understand the desire for care that’s more convenient and timely,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Kristin Ray of the University of Pittsburgh. “But we want to make sure that we don’t sacrifice quality or safety or effectiveness in the process.”
The study was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Ray and her colleagues looked at more than 340,000 insured children who had acute respiratory illness medical visits in 2015 and 2016.
Children received prescriptions for antibiotics more than half the time during telemedicine visits, compared with 42% at urgent care clinics and 31% at doctors’ offices.
While overprescribing can help germs build resistance to antibiotics and mutate into untreatable superbugs, they also can add a needless cost to medical bills and even cause serious side effects, said Tim Landers, an Ohio State University expert on antibiotic-resistant infections.
“These are not harmless drugs,” Landers said, who was not involved in the study.
The researchers also found that in looking at telemedicine doctors’ decisions about whether to prescribe or not prescribe antibiotics, 4 out of 10 failed to meet medical guidelines on matching treatment to diagnosis. That mainly had to do with doctors prescribing bacteria-fighting drugs to treat viral illnesses, such as colds and flus, that are unaffected by antibiotics.
In comparison, 3 out of 10 urgent care clinic decisions were inappropriate, and about 2 out of
FDA Mounts Aggressive Push to Regulate Stem-Cell Clinics
Newsmax – The Food and Drug Administration has launched a nationwide crackdown on stem-cell clinics, issuing letters of warning and threatening civil actions that could shut them down if they refuse to comply with FDA regulations.
On Wednesday, the FDA sent correspondence to 20 clinics around the country, putting them on notice that they must seek FDA review and approval for their procedures.
Over the past 12 months, the FDA has sent “regulatory correspondence” to 45 clinics, according to The New York Times, which refers to them as “rogue stem-cell clinics.”
The regulatory crackdown is a paradigm change for more than 700 stem-cell clinics nationwide that have largely gone unregulated by federal authorities for over a decade.