Today's News: January 03, 2019

World News

Syria: North sees deadliest fighting in months

Al Jazeera – Dozens have died during recent fighting in rebel-held parts amid fears of Turkish offensive.

US intensifies bombing in Syria after Trump announced withdrawal

AL Jazeera – US military escalates bombardment of ISIL-held areas in eastern Syria after President Trump announced troop pull-out.

Earthquake Recorded at North Korea’s ‘Demolished’ Nuclear Test Site
Breitbart – Geologists recorded an earthquake near North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site on Wednesday, an incident that South Korean officials believe is an aftershock from the last nuclear test there in September 2017.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) in Seoul, the earthquake took place around 40 km north-northwest of Kilju, North Hamgyong Province around 7:20 a.m., with the epicenter at a depth of 12 kilometers and around 11 kilometers east of the nuclear test site.

Experts believe the earthquake was induced by the September 2017 underground detonation of a nuclear device at the test site, which caused an artificial quake of magnitude 5.7 to 6.3 at the time. The size of the seismic impact leads observers to believe this was the most powerful nuclear detonation in the history of the country’s illegal nuclear program.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

U.S. Demands Russia Explain American’s Detention on Spying Charges

Town Hall – The United States wants an explanation for why Russia detained a former U.S. Marine on spying charges in Moscow and will demand his immediate return if it determines his detention is inappropriate, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday.

Nancy Pelosi Elected Speaker of the House with 220 Votes

Breitbart – House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who represents San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives, was elected Speaker of the House on Thursday with 219 votes.

Muslim Sharia Cop Car Spotted In Brooklyn, New York

Freedom Outpost – A car from the new Muslim Community Patrol has been spotted around the city, joining the Jewish enclave’s Shomrim and the Brooklyn Asian Safety Patrol among New York’s culture-specific security groups.

#SHOUTYOURABORTION FOUNDER INDOCTRINATES KIDS IN CRINGEWORTHY PROPAGANDA VIDEO

Infowars – Describes abortion procedure as being like ‘a crappy dentist appointment’

n a tweet advertising her upcoming children’s book on abortion, Bonow shared the propaganda video, saying, “I let a bunch of kids grill me about my abortion and it was great.”

#ShoutYourAbortion is a campaign intended to encourage women to be more vocal about their abortions in order to normalize them.

In one segment of the video, a young girl asks Bonow if her partner wore a condom and she admits he did not, but Amelia later tells another child she wasn’t being “reckless” when she got pregnant.

A young boy, the only participant who even slightly pushed back against the pro-abortion indoctrination, suggested adoption as an alternative and Bonow replied, “I feel like if I am forced to create life, I have lost the right to my own life.”

“I should be the one to decide if my body creates a life. Even if you are giving a kid up for adoption, you still like have a kid out there somewhere,” she continued.

One girl asked Bonow to explain how doctors perform abortions and she compared the event to “a crappy dentist appointment.”

“It was like a crappy dentist appointment or something. It was just like, blah — a body thing that was kind of uncomfortable but then it was over and I felt really just grateful that I wasn’t pregnant anymore,” she confessed.

Amelia then told the children the pro-life movement is just a “group of old white dudes in the government” who don’t want women to have abortions.

In the most shocking part of the video, Bonow asked one young girl if she has any tattoos and then shared her only tattoo which is the word “ABORTION” on the inside of her bottom lip.

Meanwhile, as Bonow claims she is pro-life and pro-lifers are anti-choice, abortion has been exposed as the number one killer in the world with 41 million deaths in 2018 alone.

California Democrat files articles of impeachment on first day of House power-shift

Daily Mail – A California Democratic congressman is using his party’s first day controlling the House of Representatives to file an impeachment resolution against President Donald Trump.

Rep. Brad Sherman introduced an identical bill in 2017, charging that Trump obstructed justice when he fired FBI Director James Comey just months after moving into the White House.

The resolution accuses Trump of ‘threatening, and then terminating’ Comey because he knew the FBI was investigating then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and ‘conducting one or more investigations into Russian state interference in the 2016 campaign.’

Sherman told the Los Angeles Times that ‘there is no reason’ Congress shouldn’t consider impeachment.

Long-time Reporter Quits NBC, Exposes Them for Promoting ‘Perpetual War’ and ‘Threat Mongering’

RT – NBC News has given endless war and ‘destructive’ intelligence agencies a free pass, all while fixating on around-the-clock Trump hysteria, a veteran national security reporter wrote in a biting farewell message to his colleagues.

William M. Arkin had a number of pointed words to share with his fellow reporters before his last day of work at NBC on Friday – 2,228, to be exact. In his farewell memo – which reads more like a manifesto than a goodbye –the veteran muckraker accused NBC of peddling “ho-hum reporting” that “essentially condones” endless American military presence in the Middle East and North Africa. He also took the network to task for not reporting “the failures of the generals and national security leaders,” essentially becoming “a defender of the government against Trump” and a “cheerleader for open and subtle threat mongering.”

Arkin expressed concern that NBC’s infatuation with the “Trump circus” has distracted journalists from pressing stories that need to be told.

“I’m more worried about how much we are missing. Hence my desire to take a step back and think why so little changes with regard to America’s wars,” he wrote.

He continued by questioning the media’s fanatical opposition to Trump’s desire to improve relations with Russia, denuclearize North Korea, and withdraw from Syria.

“I’m alarmed at how quick NBC is to mechanically argue the contrary, to be in favor of policies that just spell more conflict and more war. Really? We shouldn’t get out Syria? We shouldn’t go for the bold move of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula? Even on Russia, though we should be concerned about the brittleness of our democracy that it is so vulnerable to manipulation, do we really yearn for the Cold War? And don’t even get me started with the FBI: What? We now lionize this historically destructive institution?” he quipped.

If anyone is qualified to critique NBC’s military and national security reporting, it would be Arkin. The veteran journalist has worked for the network intermittently for the last 30 years, and co-authored a seminal Washington Post investigation revealing the dangerous rise of America’s security state.

New Dem lawmaker hangs trans flag outside office on Capitol Hill

The Hill – Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) placed a transgender flag outside of her office on Capitol Hill on the day of her swearing-in ceremony Thursday.

Narissa Rahaman, a regional field organizer at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), shared a photo of the trans flag displayed next to the Virginia flag outside of Wexton’s new office.

Rahaman wrote on Facebook that the moment “truly brought me to tears.

Pelosi reveals priority to reopen government: abortion

Anti-abortion groups oppose the Democratic spending bill set for a House vote Thursday to end the partial government shutdown.

The spending bill would repeal a provision instituted by President Trump that requires foreign nongovernmental organizations to certify that they will not “perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.” The provision, formally known as the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy, was once called the Mexico City Policy, known by critics as the “global gag rule.”

The bill also would increase funding by $5 million for the United Nations Population Fund, to $37.5 million. Anti-abortion organizations oppose the program because they say it participates in coercive abortions and involuntary sterilizations.

The legislation is the same text as a bipartisan Senate bill that passed unanimously in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The anti-abortion organization March for Life said it would score against the final package if the provisions are included in the version that receives a vote Thursday. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List, accused Democrats of “already trying to foist a radical pro-abortion agenda on the nation.”

Pelosi’s Daughter Warns Trump: “She’ll Cut Your Head Off and You Won’t Even Know You’re Bleeding”

Infowars – Nancy Pelosi’s daughter issued a political warning to President Trump during an appearance on CNN when she said of her mother, “she’ll cut your head off and you won’t even know you’re bleeding.”

Alexandria Pelosi, a documentary filmmaker, spoke at length about how there are “rules” by which Washington works, including “be nice” and “make friends,” and that Trump has completely ripped apart the rules of engagement.

She was then asked about her mother becoming Speaker of the House for the second time.

Nancy Pelosi’s daughter issued a political warning to President Trump during an appearance on CNN when she said of her mother, “she’ll cut your head off and you won’t even know you’re bleeding.”

She was then asked about her mother becoming Speaker of the House for the second time.

“She’ll cut your head off and you won’t even know you’re bleeding,” responded Pelosi, adding, “That’s all you need to know about her, no one ever won betting against Nancy Pelosi, she’s persevered.”

“You’ve got to give her credit. No matter what you think of her, you’ve got to give her credit because she, think about it, think about all those presidents she’s endured, right?” asked Pelosi.

“She was … the Bush, the Bush, the Clinton, you know, she’s been through it all. So she’s been around. This is not her first rodeo, as your friend George Bush would say,” she continued. “So she knows what she’s doing. That should make you sleep well at night, knowing that someone in this town knows what they’re doing.”

Despite constant demands by the media that Trump tone down his rhetoric, CNN hosts Alisyn Camerota and John Berman responded to the provocative language by laughing.

Economy & Business

A Surprise Announcement Has Just Unleashed Another Wave Of Panic On Wall Street

Activist Post – Well, that sure didn’t take long. Many had been hoping that 2019 would be a calmer year for Wall Street, but so far that has not materialized. In fact, a surprise announcement by Apple has just sparked another wave of panic selling on Wall Street. In a letter to shareholders, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that first quarter revenue is going to be way, way below expectations. That immediately set off “flash crashes” all over the globe as investors reacted to this unexpected news. According to Cook, the primary reason for the coming “revenue shortfall” is a slowing economy in China…

Apple said it sees first-quarter revenue of $84 billion vs. a previous guidance of a range of $89 billion and $93 billion. Analysts expected revenue of $91.3 billion for the period, according to the consensus estimate from FactSet. Apple blamed most of the revenue shortfall for struggling business in China. But the company also said that upgrades by customers in other countries were “not as strong as we thought they would be.”

Once this letter was released, many investors rushed to dump as much Apple stock as they could, and trading in the stock was temporarily halted…

After being halted temporarily, Apple shares resumed trading at 4:50 p.m. ET, quickly falling over 8 percent to $145.12. The plunging shares wiped out more than $50 billion in the company’s market value, according to Bloomberg data. Apple, which was trading around $146 in after-hours trading is now down more than 37 percent from its Oct. 3 high and has fallen mightily since becoming the first U.S. company to reach a $1 trillion market cap in August.

And many investors generally assume that pretty much any bad news for Apple is bad news for the tech sector as a whole, and so just about every big tech stock was being pummeled in the aftermath of this surprise announcement. The following numbers come from Business Insider…

Amazon (AMZN) down 3%
Microsoft (MSFT) down 2%
Facebook (FB) down 1.5%
Alphabet (GOOG) down nearly 1%
Intel (INTC) down 2%
Advanced Micro Devices down nearly 3%
NVIDIA down nearly 2.5%
Qualcomm down 2%
Alibaba down 1.7%

State Media: China Building ‘Largest and Most Powerful’ Warship Ever Exported for Pakistan

Breitbart – China is building one of its “most advanced” naval warships, considered “the largest and most powerful combat vessel” it has ever exported, for its ally Pakistan as part of a major bilateral arms deal to maintain “the balance of power in the Indian Ocean” and strengthen Islamabad’s military capabilities, the state-run China Daily reported Wednesday.

Energy & Environment

CAFO California — One of the Most Polluted Places on Earth

Mercola – California’s San Joaquin Valley is an agricultural powerhouse in the U.S., producing more than $17 billion a year in crops on some 7 million acres of fields.

The region is also home to CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) animals, including cattle and dairy cows; at the valley’s largest feedlot, Harris Ranch, 100,000 cattle are packed in over a stretch of 800 acres.

Agriculture, and particularly agricultural soils treated with nitrogen fertilizer, are a major source of air pollution in California, contributing 20 to 51 percent of the total nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the state.

Almond harvesting, which stirs up copious amounts of dust, dairy CAFOs, oil fields and forest fires also contribute to the toxic state of California’s air

Science & Technology

1st PHOTO of moon’s ‘mysterious’ far side taken by Chinese probe

RT – China’s Chang’e 4 space probe has relayed its first image of the far side of the moon back to Earth, revealing a rocky surface blemished by small potholes and what appears to be a large crater.

Health

Lemon Verbena Oil: The Oldie but Goodie Culinary Herb

Mercola – Because of its trademark citrusy flavor and aroma, lemon verbena oil has gained popularity since ancient times. Did you know that this was Virgil’s favorite oil? He mentioned it frequently in his works, describing it as “rich” and “holy.”¹ Read on to learn more about lemon verbena oil and why the famous poet fell in love with it.

4 Benefits of Lemon Verbena Oil

Lemon verbena oil has been used in aromatherapy to help ease digestive problems and alleviate skin disorders such as acne, boils and cysts. The essential oil is said to have insecticidal and antibacterial properties.¹⁴ Some of the benefits of lemon verbena plant and its oil include:

Helping ease anxiety — A study published in the American Journal of Nursing Science notes that lemon verbena is one of the essential oils that may potentially alleviate anxiety. Others include neroli, levandula and citrus reticulate.¹⁵
Easing abdominal discomfort — Tea made from this essential oil is believed to help promote sleep, alleviate stomachaches and relieve muscle spasms and cramps.¹⁶
May help with weight management — A 2018 study published in the journal Nutrients found that a mixture of lemon verbena and hibiscus flower extracts reduced obesity and its complications in mice that were fed a high-fat diet. The researchers noted that “this formula may be a candidate for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its complications.”¹⁷
May protect against oxidative damage — A 2011 study found that taking lemon verbena extract supplement in moderation “decreases the signs of muscular damage in chronic running exercise without blocking the cellular adaptation to exercise.”

Lemon verbena oil works great in aromatherapy and in cosmetics. Just mix it with a base oil to make the perfect massage oil. The essence of the herb can add a lemony scent in colognes, toilet water, perfumes and soaps as well.

Wound Care 101: 7 Natural Ways to Assist Wound Healing

Dr. Axe – Cuts and scrapes are common wounds most of us experience here and there, but do you know the natural ways to make these wounds heal well and fast? Most minor wounds are harmless and go away after a matter of days, but sometimes they can become infected, which is why it’s important to promote healing with proper wound care.

A wound can be defined as any damage or break in the surface of the skin. Trauma or skin breakdown are the main causes of wounds, which can be open or closed. Wounds are considered to be acute wounds if they are new. Wounds are considered to be chronic if they last longer than three to four weeks

If you’re wondering how to heal cuts fast on the face and body, you’ve come to the right place. How does a wound heal faster? With proper initial wound care and continued attention to the wound, including some highly effective natural remedies, healing time can be shortened and unwanted side effects like infections and scarring can often be avoided.

The following factors can prevent or slow wounds from healing:

Infection
Diabetes
Poor blood flow
Obesity, which raises the risk of infection after surgery
Age … Older adults generally heal more slowly than younger people
Heavy alcohol, which can slow healing and increase infection risk
Smoking, which delays healing and increases the risk for complications such as infection and wounds breaking open
Stress, which can lead to a lack of sleep, an unhealthy diet and smoking/drinking more, which can slow healing
Taking certain medications including corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and some chemotherapy drugs

Can Vaseline heal cuts? Vaseline, which is just petroleum jelly, is not a proven way to heal wounds or prevent scarring. If anything, it is very clogging to the skin. It can provide moisture, but there are many natural moisturizers like coconut oil that you can use instead (more on that later).

7 Natural Wound Care Techniques

How can I make my wound heal faster? You may have been asking yourself this question before you came across this article. For minor wounds, clean your wound with running water and a gentle soap, dry it and then cover the wound with a sterile bandage. For more serious wounds, follow your healthcare provider’s wound care instructions.

If you’re looking for some additional natural remedies to help heal wounds fast, here are some great ideas:

1. Top Foods to Heal Wounds

If you’re looking for how to heal deep wounds faster, don’t forget about your diet! There are many healing foods that can help, including:

Green leafy vegetables: Kale, broccoli, spinach and other greens are high in vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting.
Clean, lean protein: The body cannot rebuild lost tissue without protein. Try to get at least four to five ounces of organic, lean protein (such as wild-caught fish or grass-fed beef) per meal.
Wild-caught fish: Essential fatty acids found in foods like wild-caught fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds are critical to help rapidly heal wounds.

2. Avoid Foods that Slow Healing

Then there are some foods you’ll want to avoid to encourage healing, including:

Alcohol: It can increase inflammation, which is counterproductive to healing.
Sugar and refined grains: These promote inflammation and can slow healing.
Hydrogenated oils: Hydrogenated fats promote inflammation and decrease the ability of your body to heal.
Processed foods: These can contain hydrogenated oils, chemicals, dyes and other questionable additives that can slow wound healing.

3. Collagen

If you’re wondering how to make a wound heal faster, you may want to consider collagen, which is the most abundant protein in the body, and gives structure to your skin. Internal use of collagen can help to boost wound healing, which includes the body’s synthesis of collagen to repair the wound area. Topical use of collagen in wound dressings is also known to encourage new tissue growth.

To incorporate collagen into your diet, try making homemade bone broth or using a protein powder made from bone broth, which is rich in collagen. Research demonstrates collagen powder may even be helpful as adjunctive therapy for chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers.

4. Raw Honey

Not surprising, a knee scrape healing time will be noticeably less than the healing time required for a deeper wound. If you’re wondering, how can I make my wound heal faster? Raw honey is an excellent remedy to help heal wounds quicker. Honey can helpto clean the wound, decrease signs of infection, including pus and odors, reduce pain and even speed up the healing process.

Research shows honey acts as an effective antiseptic wound dressing. The honey actually reacts with the body’s fluids to make hydrogen peroxide, creating an inhospitable environment for bacteria. In addition, “concentrations of hydrogen peroxide generated are very low in comparison to those typically applied to a wound, thus, cytotoxic damage by hydrogen peroxide is very low.” So in other words, honey can promote ideal levels of hydrogen peroxide rather than application of pure hydrogen peroxide, which can sometimes be too strong for wounds and cause tissue damage.

Some wounds have been known to heal with honey application when other wound care treatment is unsuccessful. Honey has been shown to help a large variety of wounds, including those that occur after surgery, chronic leg ulcers, abscesses, burns, abrasions and cuts. Honey seems to reduce odors and pus, help clean the wound, reduce infection, reduce pain and decrease time to healing. A mixture of honey and ghee has also been advocated for and used as dressing for infected wounds since 1991 in four Mumbai hospitals.

For the treatment of burns and wounds, a high-quality honey can be applied directly to the affected area or in a dressing that you should change every 24 to 48 hours. You can also make a homemade healing salve by mixing raw honey, tea tree oil and lavender oil.

5. Essential Oils

Essential oils like tea tree and rosemary have impressive antibacterial propertiesagainst a wide range of bacteria and fungi. Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil like coconut oil in a 1:1 ratio before applying it. You can do this up to three times per day.

This also increases the moisture level of the wound area, which is great for healing. Do wounds heal faster wet or dry? According to experts, wounds require moisture to heal. Do wounds heal faster covered or uncovered? By leaving a wound uncovered, the new surface cells that are forming dry out, which can make pain worse and/or slow down the healing process. So, make sure to apply essential oil diluted with a carrier oil and then cover the area with a sterile bandage.

Discontinue use of essential oils if sensitivity develops. In general, always keep essential oils away from your eyes and other mucous membranes.

6. Zinc

Zinc promotes immune function and improves skin healing. Having a zinc deficiencycan actually impair the wound healing process. As pointed out in a 2018 scientific article published in the journal Nutrients, “zinc plays a major role in regulating every phase of the wound healing process; ranging from membrane repair, oxidative stress, coagulation, inflammation and immune defense, tissue re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, to fibrosis/scar formation.” Researchers believe that with the need for improved wound care, “zinc and the proteins for which it serves as a cofactor will greatly advance the treatment and care of difficult-to-heal wounds.”

There are many zinc-rich foods you can incorporate into your wound healing diet plan including lamb, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds and cashews. You can also supplement with zinc.

7. Vitamin C

Another key nutrient that can really boost your wound care efforts, vitamin C helps to manufacture collagen, which as you now know is critical for healing damage to skin tissues and blood vessels. Vitamin C actually plays a key role in all phases of the wound healing process.