Today's News: April 11, 2018

World News

Having second thoughts? Mattis says US ‘still assessing intelligence’ on alleged Syria attack
RT – Amid Donald Trump’s bullish rhetoric, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis suggested that the US remains uncertain about the details of what exactly occurred in Douma on April 7, adding that no decision has been made to strike Syria.

Pentagon scrubs Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria troop numbers from latest report
RT – The Pentagon’s quarterly report on the number of American troops serving overseas was released this week. Curiously, troop numbers for Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq were omitted from the report.
The report, released by the Defense Manpower Data Center, lists the number of armed-forces personnel in each state, and in each country overseas.
The quarterly reports are usually released three months after the end of the quarter, and the December 2017 report was released late this week, citing a change in policy as reason for the delay, reported the Military Times.

Syria war: Trump says missiles ‘will be coming’
BBC – He tells Russia to prepare for action against its ally Syria over the suspected chemical attack.

Algeria military plane crash: 257 dead near Algiers
BBC – An Algerian military plane has crashed near the capital killing 257 people on board, officials say.

Report: U.S. Set to Target 70 Different Sites in Syria
Prison Planet – The United States is planning to target as many as 70 different sites in Syria, including some at which Russian soldiers are stationed, a source close to the Department of Defense has told Infowars.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Senators to introduce new bipartisan bill to protect Mueller
The Hill – A group of bipartisan senators is introducing new legislation to limit President Trump‘s ability to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) will introduce the legislation, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, on Wednesday.
The legislation would let Mueller, or any other special counsel, receive an “expedited judicial review” within 10 days of being fired to determine if it was for a “good cause.” If it was determined it wasn’t, he would be reinstated.

Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election in November
New York Times – Speaker Paul D. Ryan announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in November, ending a brief stint atop the House and signaling the peril that the Republican majority faces in the midterm elections.
Mr. Ryan said he will serve until the end of this Congress in January, which will mark 20 years in Congress. He insisted he will be “leaving this majority in good hands with what I believe is a very bright future.”

Trump signs law aimed at curbing sex trafficking
The Detroit News – President Donald Trump has signed a new law aimed at curbing sex trafficking.
During a White House signing ceremony Wednesday, the president said the survivors “are very brave.”
Among those at the ceremony were Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, several members of Congress and families of victims.
The law passed Congress overwhelmingly. It weakens a legal shield for online services that host abusive content, including sex trafficking.

Facebook CEO starts second day of U.S. congressional hearings
Reuters – Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday told lawmakers he was among the 87 million Facebook Inc users whose data was improperly shared with a political consultancy, but rejected suggestions that users do not have enough control over their data on the world’s largest social media network.

As Mainstream Media Focuses On Mark Zuckerberg’s Testimony, WWIII Is About To Happen
Free Thought Project – While the mainstream media provides unlimited coverage of Zuckerberg’s appearance before Congress, major geopolitical powers around the world are preparing for a face-off in Syria that could lead to World War 3.

Economy & Business

NETFLIX Accused of Violating Tax Law in Bonuses to Top Execs…
The Hollywood Reporter – When Congress passed sweeping tax changes at the end of last year, Netflix became one of the first companies to restructure its compensation to top executives. The amended tax law no longer allowed companies to deduct performance-based bonuses to those managers making more than $1 million. So in light of the change, Netflix scrapped cash bonuses in favor of a higher salary. A new lawsuit first filed under seal late last week questions what Netflix was doing before the change.

Oil prices hit 3-year highs…
CNBC – Oil prices hit new 2018 highs as missile strikes on top crude exporter Saudi Arabia added to the market’s worries about escalating conflict between the United States and Russia in Syria.

Energy & Environment

Proposed Legislation Will Allow Pesticides on Medical Marijuana
Care2- If the government of Maryland has its way, you may be getting more than you bargained for if you rely on medical marijuana for the treatment of pain, epilepsy or other illness. That’s because the state regulators are working to pass Senate Bill 1, which has already been passed in the House (HB2), which will allow medical marijuana growers to use pesticides during the growing of marijuana.

Science & Technology

Scientists warn weak circulation of the Atlantic Ocean could trigger extreme climates
Daily Mail – There could be weather chaos across Europe, US and Africa as scientists warn circulation of the Atlantic Ocean is at its weakest point in more than 1,600 years.
Researchers have found a key cog in the global ocean circulation system has not been running at peak strength since the mid-1800s.
If the system continues to weaken, scientists say it could disrupt weather patterns across the world and cause more rapid increase in sea levels on the US East Coast.

Health

S.C. to ban sale of energy drinks to teens?
WND – The parents of Davis Allen Cripe never want to see other parents in their shoes.
With the help of S.C. legislators, Sean and Heidi Cripe have pledged to see South Carolina ban the sale of the caffeine cocktails that killed their 16-year-old son.
State Rep. Leon Howard, D-Richland, has proposed legislation that would make it illegal to sell or give an energy drink to anyone under 18 years old. Knowingly violating the law would result in a misdemeanor charge and, upon conviction, a fine of least $50 for every violation.

Antibiotic Side Effects: 8 Insane Things They Do to Your Body
Dr. Axe – Antibiotic side effects should be on everyone’s radar, given the scope of antibiotic use in the United States. As of April 2018, antibiotics ranked as the No. 1 most commonly prescribed drug class with sales hitting $40 billion globally. (1) Between 2000 and 2015, human use of antibiotics rose by nearly 40 percent. And some economists now say that if nothing changes, antibiotic resistance will be responsible for 10 million deaths around the world by 2050. (2) Clearly, a lot of people are taking antibiotics (and a lot of money is being made), but are they now hurting us more than they’re helping us?
As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, these medications are creating even more health problems in the U.S. and around the world. In fact, a recent article entitled Deadly ‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Resistant to Antibiotics Infected 221 Americans in 2017, CDC Says is just one of many recent accounts of the scary antibiotic side effects.
Wondering about the top 10 antibiotics and their uses? Some of the most commonly used generic antibiotics include:

Amoxicillin
Doxycycline
Cephalexin
Ciprofloxacin
Clindamycin
Metronidazole
Azithromycin
Sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim
Amoxicillin/clavulanate
Levofloxacin

8 Potential Side Effects of Antibiotics
How do antibiotics affect the body? Here are just some of the many possible and undesirable side effects of antibiotics on the body: