March 28, 2024

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Today's News: February 14, 2018

World News
 
NATO to open new command centers in US & Germany – officials
RT – The US and Germany are set to become the locations of two new NATO headquarters, according to officials. The German command center would reportedly be responsible for deploying troops after a possible incursion from Russia.
Speaking to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, NATO officials said the US will become home to a command center focused on maritime security in the Atlantic.
Defense News, also citing officials, said the headquarters will be a national office run by Americans until activated by NATO in a time of crisis. At which point, the command would be under the control of NATO’s supreme commander.
 
Mattis Admits No Evidence Of Assad Sarin Use, No Surprise To Alt Media
Activist Post – As the Washington Post reported on February 2 in an article entitled “US Has No Evidence Of Use Of Sarin Gas, Mattis Says,” only a day after threatening yet more military action against Syria on the basis of “chemical weapons use,” Mattis admitted that there was no evidence to show that the Syrian government used Sarin.
As quoted by Reuters, Mattis stated “We are even more concerned about the possibility of sarin use, (but) I don’t have the evidence. What I am saying is that other groups on the ground – NGOs, fighters on the ground – have said that sarin has been used, so we are looking for evidence.”
 
Judge who upheld Julian Assange’s warrant questioned over links to security services
RT – Julian Assange’s supporters are questioning the integrity of the judge who upheld his UK arrest warrant, accusing her of being influenced by the British authorities and the secret service.
Earlier this week, Judge Emma Arbuthnot rejected arguments presented by Assange’s legal team over why he breached bail conditions by seeking political refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012.
Judge Arbuthnot said she rejected the activist’s request to have his warrant dropped out of fear that he could be extradited to the US, where he would face espionage charges. Since there is no extradition treaty between the UK and Ecuador, Assange cannot be arrested inside the embassy’s grounds.
After the ruling, the judge’s familial connections were brought into question by Assange’s supporters, some of whom insist she is linked to the establishment, as well as the UK’s security services.
 
U.S. News, Politics & Government
 
Shooting reported at Florida high school
Authorities responded Wednesday afternoon to reports of a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, according to multiple reports.
 
3 shot at gate to NSA headquarters
WND – Three people were shot near NSA’s headquarters in Maryland Wednesday morning, but none of the injuries are life-threatening, media reports said.  WBAL reported the shooting suspect is in custody, and an officer was injured.
 
White House aide quits after failing security clearance
WND – A senior official on the National Economic Council says he resigned on Tuesday after being informed that he would not receive a permanent security clearance, as the White House faces increasing scrutiny over the number of high-ranking officials allowed to work on interim clearances.
 
Trump holds line on immigration as bipartisan plan coalesces
Reuters – President Donald Trump held firm to his demands on Wednesday in a U.S. immigration policy fight with Democrats even as a bipartisan group of senators prepared to unveil a new plan for protecting “Dreamers” immigrants and beefing up border security.
 
Democrats propose more than $1 billion for election cyber security
Reuters – Congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation that would provide more than $1 billion to boost cyber security of U.S. voting systems, saying inaction has made elections vulnerable to more interference from Russian hackers.
 
California Teacher Who Called Military ‘Lowest of Our Low’ Refuses to Vacate City Council Seat
Washington Free Beacon – A California teacher and Democratic councilman who sparked controversy in January for denigrating the military has refused to step down from his seat on the Pico Rivera city council, even after the body passed a resolution calling for his resignation.
A Tuesday city council meeting was fraught with constituents appearing to rebuke Gregory Salcido and who urged him to resign, CNN reported
 
Economy & Business
 
Fannie Mae Wants Another Taxpayer Bailout
Infowars – Fannie Mae incurred a net loss of $6.5 billion in the final quarter of 2017 and announced Wednesday it is in desperate need of a taxpayer bailout.
 
South Korea union says GM plant closure is ‘death sentence’, threatens strike
Yahoo News – General Motors’ workers at a South Korean plant staged a protest on Wednesday against its planned closure, calling the move by the U.S. automaker a “death sentence”, and threatening a strike.  In the city of Gunsan, where the factory with 2,000 workers is, shuttered store fronts and empty streets near the plant are a stark reminder of the depressing impact on the rural town.  The factory had already been running at about 20 percent of capacity over the past three years even before the U.S. carmaker announced the closure.
 
Science & Technology
 
FBI, CIA and NSA say these Chinese-made phones are a security risk
CNN – U.S. intelligence agencies issued a stern warning to Americans: Do not buy smartphones made by Chinese tech companies Huawei or ZTE.
Top officials from the CIA, NSA, FBI and the Defense Intelligence Agency testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee that the Chinese smartphone makers posed a security threat to American customers.
 
Transgender woman able to breastfeed in first documented case
The Guardian – A 30-year-old transgender woman has been able to breastfeed her child, the first ever case of induced lactation in a transgender woman to be documented in academic literature.  Doctors said the case shows “modest but functional lactation can be induced in transgender women”. The account was published in Transgender Health.
 
Use These ‘Pro-Tips’ to Detect and Cure Your Smartphone From Cryptoslavery
Sputnik – A new trend in covert cryptocurrency mining has hit Android users, where hackers don’t hijack devices completely but use their capabilities to the maximum for several minutes. The extensive scale of the scheme lets criminals gain significant profit.
Malwarebytes Lab’s experts believe that practice to hijack smartphones and PCs in order to mine cryptocurrencies will go on as long as the digital currency boom continues.
Fortunately it is relatively easy to detect when device is used by ‘miners’ — it lags, overheats and uses up battery power quickly. If this is the case — the advice is to do a sweep with an anti-virus program or contact specialists for help.
 
Health
 
Warning from the American Heart Association: Breast cancer treatments, such as radiation and chemo, can cause heart failure
NaturalNews – Sometimes the cure is worse than the ailment, the saying goes, and a new warning from the American Heart Association is shedding light on the quandary many women face when weighing breast cancer treatment against the potential side effects.
According to the group, some of the most popular breast cancer therapies can actually damage the heart significantly. They report that problems like heart failure, valve problems, and abnormal heart rhythms are the most common heart-related side effects of getting cancer therapy. These problems might not appear until a long time after the treatment has come to an end.
 
GENDER-CONFUSED: Shocking study reveals 86% of teenagers’ bodies contaminated with gender-bending chemicals from plastics
NaturalNews – A few years ago, a lot of attention was focused on the dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA), an organic synthetic compound found in plastic. Mothers with babies were especially cautioned to ensure that their baby bottles did not contain BPA. We all dutifully bought new BPA-free bottles, and many parents have since conscientiously ensured that their plastic containers and kids’ lunch boxes are BPA-free. Perhaps, like me, you have been under the impression that this would be enough to protect your kids.
Now, a study by researchers from the University of Exeter, published in the BMJ Open Journal, has found that in spite of these measures, close to 90 percent of all teenagers have traces of BPA in their bodies.
 

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