World News
‘President against his people’: Salvini openly backs Yellow Vest protesters, lashing out at Macron
RT – In an extraordinary public EU feud, Italy’s Matteo Salvini and his coalition partner have thrown their support behind France’s Yellow Vest movement, while Salvini also accused President Emmanuel Macron of being against his people.
“I support honest citizens who protest against a governing president [who is] against his people,” said the Italian deputy prime minister.
However, the leader of the Northern League added that he “firmly” condemns the recent violence that has marred the protests.
Britain testing ‘no-deal’ scenario as Brexit vote nears
AP – Britain is testing how its motorway and ferry system would handle a “no-deal” Brexit by sending a stream of trucks from a closed local airport to the port of Dover — even as some legislators try to pressure the government to rule out the scenario.
The tests began Monday morning and are intended to gauge how severe the disruption would be if Britain leaves the European Union on March 29 without an agreed-upon withdrawal deal.
It is widely expected that an abrupt departure would lead to the introduction of tariff and customs barriers that would slow fast-moving ferry and rail traffic that links Britain to continental Europe. There are concerns that major traffic jams leading in and out of ferry ports like Dover would greatly hamper trade and leave Britain without adequate food and medicine.
Parliament is expected to resume its debate over the government’s planned withdrawal deal Wednesday, with a vote widely expected a week later.
‘Demented pantomime’: UK govt stage ‘fake traffic jam’ to test no-deal Brexit event, Twitter erupts
RT – The UK government staged a “fake traffic jam” in Kent on Monday morning, with lorries queuing all the way to Dover, to establish the implications of Britain leaving the EU without a deal, leading to ridicule on social media.
In the first significant test for border disruption, the UK Department for Transport’s (DfT) experiment, named ‘Operation Brock’, saw nearly 100 lorries from the disused Manston Airport, in Kent, on a 20-mile journey to Dover – Europe’s busiest roll-on roll-off ferry port – at around 8am, the Evening Standard reports.
Pope Francis warns of resurgent nationalism, urges help for migrants
Reuters – Pope Francis warned on Monday against a resurgence of nationalist and populist movements and criticized countries that try to solve the migration crisis with unilateral or isolationist actions.
The pope, speaking to diplomats in an annual speech known informally as his “state of the world” address, suggested such movements and closed-door policies were turning the clock back 100 years to the dangerous period between the world wars.
Relationships within the international community “are experiencing a period of difficulty, with the resurgence of nationalistic tendencies,” he said, making dialogue between countries and hurting the most vulnerable members of society, including migrants.
NYT editorial argues that extinction of the human race would be good for planet Earth\
NaturalNews – The mainstream media is now trying to “normalize” the depopulation agenda. In a recent NYT editorial, Would Human Extinction Be a Tragedy?, Clemson University professor Todd May argues that the end of humanity wouldn’t be so bad after all. The left-wing has been using the global warming narrative to conjure up fear about imminent human extinction for years now, but declaring that the end of humanity would be good for the planet is taking the global depopulation agenda to a whole new level.
It would seem that the left-wing media is now launching the next phase of this grand extinction scheme. By publishing the opinion of Mr. Todd May, The New York Times is at the very least showing that this point of view is worthy of such a lofty platform, if not a full-blown endorsement. As Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, recently reported, there are many, many signs that the “extermination agenda” has already begun — and with headlines like Mays’ NYT piece floating around, it’s clear that the media is trying to push depopulation as the new “normal.”
What starts off as a “fringe” idea can very quickly become mainstream thought, if its publicized the right way. And it looks like the globalist Left is moving towards adopting depopulation as the next big thing on the party line.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Trump says he may declare national emergency over US-Mexico border wall
USA Today – As the partial government shutdown enters its third week, the White House is exploring other options to secure funding for the construction of a barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border, including using the president’s emergency powers to circumvent Congress altogether.
“We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly,” President Donald Trump said Friday. “But if we can do it through a negotiated process, we are giving that a shot.”
The president repeated that assertion Sunday and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Trump had directed “every single Cabinet secretary and the Office of Management and Budget to go out and find money that can be used legally to guard the southern border.”
“Presidents have authority to defend the nation,” Mulvaney said, adding that he was personally involved in the hunt to find funds that could be steered toward a border wall.
White House Already Planning With Army to Build Wall
Newsmax – The White House has declared for the first time that the U.S. Army will be the main contractor building the southern border wall, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.
‘It the president declares a national emergency, the Army Corps of Engineers will kick into high gear,” a White House official said. “They’re already handing out contracts, and that would speed up a lot.”
Trump has said that he would consider declaring a national emergency to circumvent Congress, although such a move would almost certainly be challenged legally.
Trump Doubles Down: Coverage By ‘Crazed Lunatic’ MSM ‘Has Never Been Worse’
Infowars – President Trump criticized the mainstream corporate media’s ongoing negative coverage of his presidency amid the partial government shutdown, saying some pundits have become “crazed lunatics” who have abandoned honest reporting.
“With all of the success that our Country is having, including the just released jobs numbers which are off the charts, the Fake News & totally dishonest Media concerning me and my presidency has never been worse. Many have become crazed lunatics who have given up on the TRUTH!” he tweeted Monday.
USA: Teacher who fed puppy to snapping turtle found not guilty of animal cruelty
RT – Jurors in Idaho have found a science teacher not guilty of feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle as students looked on. The incident sparked huge public outcry and spawned a petition to have the teacher fired.
Robert Crosland, the Preston Junior High School teacher, was charged with a misdemeanor and could have faced 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine for feeding the newly-born puppy to the turtle in full view of the students in March last year.
Golden Globes: Christian Bale Thanks ‘Satan’ for Inspiration to Play Dick Cheney
Breitbart – Actor Christian Bale thanked “Satan” for helping him prepare for his role as former Vice President Dick Cheney in his Golden Globe acceptance speech Sunday after winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Vice.
Christian Bale, who previously won a Golden Globe for his 2011 role in The Fighter, thanked his wife early in his speech, saying she had advised him to say less while he was up there because she knew how much trouble he could get in to. The actor then thanked Satan for providing inspiration on how to play Cheney.
“Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role.” the Dark Knight star also suggested portraying another high-profile Republican, naming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Woman in vegetative state suddenly gives birth, sparking sex abuse investigation
RT – The unexpected birth of a baby boy to a woman who has spent the last 14 years in a vegetative state has sparked a sex abuse investigation at a Phoenix nursing facility.
Staff at Hacienda HealthCare were reportedly unaware the woman was even pregnant “until she was pretty much giving birth,” a source familiar with the situation told KPHO. “From what I’ve been told she was moaning. And they didn’t know what was wrong with her.”
The baby, a healthy boy, was delivered on December 29.
The mother has “lived” at Hacienda ever since a near-drowning incident left her brain-damaged over 14 years ago. She requires 24-hour care, meaning many of the facility’s staff would have had access to her room, and is incapable of communication or voluntary movement.
Since the birth, Hacienda has adopted a policy requiring female employees to accompany male employees to female patients’ rooms, most likely mandated by the Arizona Department of Health Services, which said in a statement that it has implemented “heightened safety measures” that include “increased staff presence during patient interactions” as well as increased surveillance of patient care locations.
A Hacienda spokesperson said the facility was cooperating with law enforcement and regulatory agencies on the “unprecedented matter,” as well as reviewing its own “processes, protocols, and people.”
House Democrats to Target Trump Tax Returns
Newsmax – House Democrats are clamoring to target President Donald Trump’s tax refunds with new House and Ways Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., planning to first build a case.
Democrats Move to Block ‘Mega’ Pro-Israel Bill, Prolong Gov’t Shutdown
Town Hall – Democratic leaders late Sunday evening vowed to derail a vote on a package of pro-Israel bills despite those measures having received broad bipartisan support in previous Congresses, essentially ensuring the partial government shutdown continues.
Giuliani pushes back on suggestion Mueller report could be suppressed
Fox – President Trump’s legal team is pushing back on the suggestion the White House could seek to keep parts of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe report under wraps.
“We prefer that as much of the report as possible is public,” Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Fox News on Monday. “We believe a selective release would be problematic.”
Earlier Monday, Bloomberg ran a story saying the president could block portions of the report, which is believed to be in the final stages of completion. The article said the White House could attempt to use executive privilege to prevent parts of the report from being released publicly.
Giuliani said there are no plans to block the material. Still, Giuliani did not definitively rule out the president invoking executive privilege after lawyers review the report.
Economy & Business
Greenspan: Ocasio-Cortez’s 70 Percent Tax Plan ‘Terrible Idea’
Newsmax – Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said an to tax the richest Americans at 70 percent would be a “terrible idea.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is suggesting a tax rate as high as 70 percent on the very rich to help pay for a major plan to fight climate change. She floated the idea during an interview on the CBS show “60 Minutes,” which will be shown on Sunday.
The new lawmaker calls the plan the “Green New Deal.” It aims to eliminate carbon emissions within 12 years. Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives have pushed for the climate change plan that includes thousands of jobs in renewable energy such as wind and solar party.
“If you’re willing to take a significant drop in economic activity, I would suggest that,” Greenspan told CNBC. “Maybe I better make myself clear,” he then added. “I think it would be a terrible mistake.”
Amazon’s HQ2 in New York ‘isn’t a done deal,’ says City Council Speaker
Fox – When Jeff Bezos’ company announced that half of its second headquarters known as HQ2 would be on the Queens, N.Y., waterfront, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the deal’s benefits, which include a pledge from Amazon to create 25,000 jobs, paying an average of $150,000 per year in exchange for a slew of city and state tax breaks and subsidies worth up to $3 billion.
However, the backlash from local officials, labor leaders, activists and some residents – wondering why so much public funding was going to Amazon, whether gentrification would increase and how HQ2 might overburden the city’s already-beleaguered subways and buses – was swift.
“I don’t think anyone should assume that this is a fait accompli, and that this is a done deal,” New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson told Business Insider. “This is the beginning of a process where the public and the City Council and other elected officials are going to continue to seek answers and understand whether or not this is a good deal for New York City, or if we got played.”
Science & Technology
AP – One day, finding an oven that just cooks food may be as tough as buying a TV that merely lets you change channels.
Internet-connected “smarts” are creeping into cars, refrigerators, thermostats, toys and just about everything else in your home. CES 2019, the gadget show opening Tuesday in Las Vegas, will showcase many of these products, including an oven that coordinates your recipes and a toilet that flushes with a voice command.
With every additional smart device in your home, companies are able to gather more details about your daily life. Some of that can be used to help advertisers target you — more precisely than they could with just the smartphone you carry.
“It’s decentralized surveillance,” said Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, a Washington-based digital privacy advocate. “We’re living in a world where we’re tethered to some online service stealthily gathering our information.”
Yet consumers so far seem to be welcoming these devices. The research firm IDC projects that 1.3 billion smart devices will ship worldwide in 2022, twice as many as 2018.
There are plants and animals on the Moon now (because of China)
Live Science – China’s Chang’e-4 lander touched down on the far side of the moon (Jan. 3 Beijing time, Jan. 2 US), and it’s got some living things on board.
A small “tin” in the lander contains seeds of potatoes and rockcress (Arabidopsis thaliana, a flowering plant related to cabbage and mustard, as well as a model organism for plant biology), as well as silkworm eggs. The idea, according to a report in The Telegraph earlier this year, is that the plants will support the silkworms with oxygen, and the silkworms will in turn provide the plants with necessary carbon dioxide and nutrients through their waste. The researchers will watch the plants carefully to see whether the plants successfully perform photosynthesis, and grow and bloom in the lunar environment.
“We want to study the respiration of the seeds and the photosynthesis on the moon,” Xie Gengxin, chief designer of the experiment, told Xinhua, a Chinese state-run news agency. [See Spectacular Lunar Mission Images in 3D (Photos)]
Volcanoes erupting on Jupiter’s moon? NASA’s Juno spacecraft captures shocking fiery images
Fox – Jupiter’s moon lo was once again partially illuminated with a fiery red glow in late December as a volcano erupted, spewing plumes of gases and lava.
NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured images of the volcanic plume during its 17th flyby of the planet, the Southwest Research Institute recently confirmed in a news release. The gas giant’s moon, which is considered the most active volcanic body in existence, was observed by researchers for more than an hour on Dec. 21 — the halfway point of Juno’s years-long mission.
“We knew we were breaking new ground with a multi-spectral campaign to view Io’s polar region, but no one expected we would get so lucky as to see an active volcanic plume shooting material off the Moon’s surface,” Scott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission, said in an online statement. “This is quite a New Year’s present showing us that Juno has the ability to clearly see plumes.”
Energy & Environment
Earthquake early warning app now available in Los Angeles
Fox – Before the ground shakes beneath their feet, residents in the nation’s second-largest city are now able to brace seconds after officials launched the nation’s first earthquake early warning app on Thursday.
Health
Hearing Loss Linked To Depression In Older Adults
Study Finds – lderly people suffering from hearing loss are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, and the greater the degree of hearing loss, the more intense those symptoms are, a new study finds.
The findings by researchers at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center suggest that the treatment of age-related hearing loss, which is chronically undervalued by the elderly community, could also help with those struggling with late-life depression.
Top 3 foods you’ll be surprised to find out are infused with ARTIFICIAL COLORS to boost sales
NaturalNews – Natural food colors are super important to consumers when shopping for fresh food and quality food, so the richest companies and corporations in America create illusions to steal your hard-earned money and convince you to purchase aging, cheaper food at “quality pricing.” You’ve heard of Kellogg’s and McDonald’s right? These two companies are constantly trying to win over customers with their latest “health claims” – consumers who realize most of what these Big Food giants manufacture and sell is processed, genetically modified, and causes health decay.
The latest claim these junk-science giants propagate is that they will purge artificial coloring from their sales tricks, thus admitting to fraud and false advertising in the process. Did you know every burger at McDonald’s was artificially colored up until a few months ago? Yep. You probably also know that most kid’s cereals are jacked up with artificial coloring from petrochemicals, but we won’t bore you with all that old news. Let’s get to the fake, juicy stuff you probably don’t know about.
- Bright pink flesh of salmon often an illusion created when farm-raised fish are fed synthetic astaxanthin
- Tuna steaks are often gassed with carbon monoxide to maintain that bright red hue and keep them from turning brown
- Some food companies use cell-mutating coal-tar-derivative dyes to keep pickle skins bright green
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