World News
US Supreme Court Rules Trump’s Ban on Asylum Seeking Cannot Take Effect
Sputnik – The highest court in the United States ruled by a count of 5 to 4 to prevent Trump administration’s proposed policy of denying migrants the ability to seek asylum from taking effect.
Gatwick drones: Police looking for flying object in the sky
BBC – Police hunting those responsible for the Gatwick drones chaos have identified “persons of interest”, the BBC understands.
The UK’s second busiest airport has reopened after drones flying over the airfield closed it for more than a day.
Police are exploring “a number of lines of inquiry”, including environmental activism and “high-end criminal behaviour”.
Officers are focusing on “likely locations in and around the airport”.
They said there was “no evidence” the use of the drones was state-sponsored.
Gatwick’s runway reopened on Friday morning and 837 flights were scheduled, but there were still delays and cancellations.
Mattis Cancels Planed Trip to Israel
Newsmax – Outgoing Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who announced his resignation Thursday in a letter to President Donald Trump, has canceled a planned trip to Israel next week.
Kurds call for larger French role after US leaves Syria
Yahoo – A senior Kurdish politician Friday called on France to play a larger role in Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, warning that Kurdish fighters may have to withdraw from the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State group.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
GOP senators float DACA fix to rescue stalled House border-wall bill
The Hill – Some Senate Republicans are proposing a reauthorization of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in a last-ditch attempt to rescue funding for President Trump’s border wall.As a motion to proceed.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Surgery For Lung Cancer
Fox – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery just before Christmas to remove cancerous growths found in her lungs.
She had a pulmonary lobectomy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to remove the growths in her left lung.
The Gateway Pundit – Florida-based triple amputee veteran Brian Kolfabe created a GoFundMe push to fund President Trump’s border wall through donations from the public.
Not only has the campaign been a huge success with fundraising, according to Congressman Jim Jordan, the border wall GoFundMe had a tremendous impact on Congress Thursday night.
Thursday night, the House passed a revamped interim spending bill including $5 billion for border wall funding in a 217-185 vote.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) called Brian Kolfage Friday afternoon and told him the border wall funding campaign made a difference!
Sen. Lindsey Graham Calls for Hearings on Trump’s Syria, Afghanistan Troop Moves
Newsmax – Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Friday called for immediate U.S. Senate hearings on President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw all American troops from Syria, which prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Donald Trump ‘Prepared for a Very Long Shutdown’
Breitbart – President Donald Trump said he was prepared for a “long shutdown” on Friday, as Senate Democrats refused to support the House-passed bill to fund the government.
“I hope we don’t, but we’re totally prepared for a very long shutdown,” Trump said to reporters at the White House.
As Trump spoke, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a speech on the Senate floor refusing to sign the bill passed by the House, describing the president’s demand for border security as a “tantrum.”
ACLU to feds: Your “hacking presents a unique threat to individual privacy”
Ars Technica – The American Civil Liberties Union, along with Privacy International, a similar organization based in the United Kingdom, have now sued 11 federal agencies, demanding records about how those agencies engage in what is often called “lawful hacking.”
The activist groups filed Freedom of Information Act requests to the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and nine others. None responded in a substantive way.
“Law enforcement use of hacking presents a unique threat to individual privacy,” the ACLU arguesin its lawsuit, which was filed Friday in federal court in New York state.
“Hacking can be used to obtain volumes of personal information about individuals that would never previously have been available to law enforcement.”
Rand, Ron Paul Praise Trump’s Syria Withdrawal
Infowars – Both father and son are known for their positions of non-interventionism, often denouncing aggressive U.S. foreign policy driven by the military-industrial complex for decades.
“This is a very bold move for President Trump,” Rand Paul said during an appearance on ‘America’s Newsroom.’ “It is exactly what he promised the American people. In fact, it is one of the reasons he won the election — because he is different from so many Republicans who want us to be everywhere all the time around the world. They want us to be the world policeman, that every war on the planet we have to have our soldiers involved with.”
“President Trump said he was going to treat America first. I think bringing some of that money home, whether it goes towards border security or building bridges or roads in our country.”
Economy & Business
Nasdaq Officially Dips Into Bear Territory
Schiff Gold – The Nasdaq officially dipped into bear territory on Thursday.
The tech-heavy index rallied off its interday lows to close just a rounding error away from official bear status — for now. The Nasdaq has lost nearly 20% of its value in just four months. Reuters called it “the latest sign that the bull market that began in the depths of the financial crisis a decade ago could be coming to an end.”
The Nasdaq is the first of the three major US indexes to fall into bear territory. The Dow Jones and the S&P 500 have lost about 15% from their respective highs. But several other segments of the market have already fallen to the bears. The Russell 2000 and the Dow Jones transports have both lost more than 20% of their value in recent weeks. And although the S&P 500 remains above bear territory as a whole, more than half of its individual stocks are already in a bear market.
Science & Technology
Goldman Sachs facing class action lawsuits over 1MDB scandal
The Guardian – Goldman Sachs has been hit with two class action lawsuits on behalf of investors who claim they were misled over the bank’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
Two separate cases have been filed at district court in New York over the past 48 hours by Pomerantz LLP and Rosen Law Firm. They allege that Goldman Sachs failed to disclose its dealings in a fraud and money laundering scheme around the Malaysian state development fund to investors, who bought shares between 2014 and 2018.
Health
5 Soapwort Uses & Benefits (Cleaning, Skin Care & Beyond)
Dr. Axe – The soapwort plant is most well-known for creating a foamy lather that has gentle cleansing properties. In fact, soapwort is one of the most concentrated sources of compounds called saponins in the world, which studies suggest fight bacteria, inflammation and have astringent properties. Some records show soapwort may have been used as a washing agent for over 12,000 years, dating back to the Stone Age! It’s believed that people living at this time used plants like soapwort that grew nearby streams to help wash their hands, hair and skin.
What is soapwort used for today? The plant’s flowers, leaves and roots serve various purposes — creating natural soaps (hence the name soapwort), making herbal treatments for the skin and providing foam or frothiness in certain recipes or beverages (most notably the Turkish treat called lokum).
1. Cleanses and Soothes Sensitive Skin
2. Fights Respiratory Infections
3. Helps to Cleanse Hair
4. Acts As a Natural Detergent (Including for Wool, Fleece and Lace)
5. Used As an Emulsifying Agent in Recipes
Prenatal Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Increased Risk for Schizophrenia
Mercola – Despite being simple and inexpensive to address, vitamin D deficiency is epidemic around the world, and evidence suggests vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy plays an important role in the development of several chronic health problems, and raises the risk of complications for the mother as well.
For example, research1 by GrassrootsHealth shows 40 to 60 percent of preterm births could be prevented by raising pregnant women’s vitamin D to a level of 40 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Vitamin D optimization also reduces the mother’s risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and prenatal infections by approximately 50 percent.2
Research also confirms there is a lifelong impact for children born of vitamin D deficient mothers, ranging from childhood allergies and more frequent colds and flu, to a greater risk for diabetes, autism, strokes, cardiovascular disease,3,4,5 and, as recently confirmed, schizophrenia — a mental condition characterized by hallucinations, delusions and cognitive impairment.
Top Five Health Benefits of Marjoram
Mercola – Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) is an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region known for its aromatherapeutic and culinary uses. Its botanical name means “joy of the mountain” in Greek, and was used to make wedding wreaths, as Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was believed to wear wreaths made with marjoram.
Marjoram can be used in cooking, or in aromatherapy in its essential oil form. The herb also has a long history of use in folklore medicine for gastrointestinal, ocular, nasopharyngeal, respiratory, cardiac, rheumatologic and neurological disorders, just to name a few.3
Its pharmacological activities include antioxidant, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-platelet, gastroprotective, antibacterial and antifungal, antiprotozoal, antiatherosclerosis, anti-inflammatory, antimetastatic, antitumor, antiulcer and anticholinesterase inhibitory activities.4
Oregano, meanwhile, is known for its antioxidant and anticancer activities, with the highest antioxidant activity found in Oregano fulgare ssp. Hirtum, and the lowest in Oregano vulgare L.5 Depending on how it’s used, marjoram is known to provide the following health benefits:6,7
- Improved digestive function — When used to make tea, marjoram can improve your digestion by increasing production of digestive enzymes that help break down food. In addition, marjoram tea can help alleviate common digestive disorders such as flatulence, constipation, diarrhea and stomach cramps.
- Protection against common illnesses — Marjoram contains various compounds that have effective antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. As such, it can help reduce your risk of diseases such as the common cold, measles, mumps, influenza, food poisoning and various staph infections.
- Improved heart health — Marjoram can help improve your overall cardiovascular health by maintaining normal blood pressure levels, which lowers your risk of hypertension. It’s also known for helping reduce the buildup of cholesterol in your arteries, which can prevent heart disease.
- Anti-inflammatory effects — When added to food, marjoram can help reduce your risk of developing inflammatory reactions. It can help with conditions such as asthma, fever, muscle aches, sinus headaches and migraines.
- Psychological well-being — Marjoram, in its essential oil form, can help uplift your mood and improve your psychological well-being. It can be used to help relieve insomnia and reduce stress and anxiety.
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