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Today's News: January 25, 2019

World News

Permanent War: Congress Forbids NATO Withdrawal (Video)

RonPaulLibertyReport – The Democrat-controlled House followed the Senate yesterday in passing legislation forbidding the president from withdrawing from NATO and affirming undying US support for the outdated Cold War alliance. Is NATO really about defense? Or is it a jobs program for the military industrial complex?

Schools in China to Soon Use Brain-Scanning Headbands to Monitor Concentration in Class

The Epoch Times – China recently purchased technology that can monitor students’ attention levels on a mass scale.

Focus 1 headbands, developed by U.S. startup BrainCo, purport to monitor concentration by reading and translating brain signals.

BrainCo has signed a deal with a Chinese distributor to provide 20,000 devices.

The plan is to equip multiple students in order “to capture data from 1.2 million people,” BrainCo founder and chief executive Bicheng Han told The Independent newspaper.

Latin America’s first school for transgender children looks to expand

RT – The Amaranta Gómez Regalado school in Santiago, Chile, operates much like any other school, with a few key differences: It’s not funded by the Chilean government, and all of its pupils are transgender.

The school, which opened its doors in 2018, is the first of its kind in Latin America. Named after Amaranta Gómez Regalado, a Mexican transgender politician and LGBT activist, the school caters to 28 children aged between 6 and 17. They learn math, science, history, English and art, but for the children, the lessons are less important than the acceptance they find at the school.

Even in the liberal west, the idea of transgender children is a controversial one. At one British school with 17 transgender students, a whistleblowing teacher has claimed that children were pressured into identifying as trans to fit in with their peers. A London clinic also found that a third of its young transgender patients had “moderate or severe autistic traits,” and an expert recommended exploring this link before declaring a child ‘transgender’.

Still, transgender children in many western countries can access dedicated LGBT therapists, and even puberty-blocking hormones. The morality and legality of this treatment has been the subject of several high-profile court battles in the US.

Chile is a more conservative society, and the Catholic Church remains the country’s dominant religion, despite a sex-abuse scandal and coverup that led to all of the country’s bishops resigning last year. The church’s influence meant that Chile only legalized divorce in 2004, and lifted its blanket ban on abortion in 2017.

Transgender adults are allowed to change their names and gender on birth certificates since last year, but teenagers need their parents’ consent, and children under 14 are forbidden from doing so.

While the country is beginning to move in a more socially liberal direction, the Amaranta Gómez Regalado school is not funded by the Chilean government. Instead, Evelyn Silva, president of trans rights group the Selenna Foundation, and school coordinator Ximena Maturan funded the first year of operations out of their own savings. The school’s teachers are all volunteers.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump says he’ll sign bill to reopen government for 3 weeks

CBS – President Trump announced Friday he’ll back a move to reopen the government for a few weeks, so government workers can get paid while the debate over border security continues.

“I am very proud to announce that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government,” Mr. Trump said in an address from the White House Rose Garden, adding that he had the opportunity to declare a national emergency to build the wall but decided not to do so at this time. Mr. Trump also thanked the federal workers who had been furloughed or working without pay.

“In many cases you encouraged me to keep going because you care so much about our country and our border security,” he said to federal workers. He said federal workers would receive back pay “very quickly,” or “almost immediately.”

Mr. Trump said that he expected Democrats and Republicans to cooperate on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, although he reiterated that building a wall was important to border security.

“I really feel that in working with Democrats and Republicans, we can make a truly great and secure deal for everyone,” he said. “Walls should not be controversial.” He added that the wall he wanted to build were not “medieval,” as Democrats have contended, but that it would be a “smart wall.”

“We do not need 2,000 miles of concrete wall from sea to shining sea,” Mr. Trump said, although he has previously explicitly supported a concrete wall. However, he said that the wall he supports would be made of steel and see-through. He then discussed illegal immigration in stark terms to justify why the wall was needed

Trump ally Roger Stone arrested by Federal agents with GUNS DRAWN shouting ‘FBI!

Daily Mail – Roger Stone, a former longtime confidant of Donald Trump, insisted Friday afternoon that he is innocent of a string of criminal charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller – and said he would never turn on the president.

He walked out of federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after appearing in front of a judge, hours after FBI agents raided his home with guns drawn and arrested him on charges including lying to Congress and witness tampering.

Stone was spring from jali on a $250,000 bond and called the InfoWars conspiracy theory radio program to proclaim his innocence. he emerged from the federal court building flashing a V-for victory with both hands raised, Richard Nixon-style.

He addressed scores of reporters outside the court to say: ‘I am falsely accused’ while protesters around him shouted ‘lock him up’ and supporters chanted ‘Roger! Roger!’

‘I will plead not guilty to the charges,’ Stone said, shouting over the protests. ‘I will defeat them in court. I believe this is a politically motivated investigation.’

He added: ‘There is no circumstance whatsoever under which I will bear false witness against the president, nor will I make up lies to ease the pressure on myself. I look forward to being fully and completely vindicated.’

Attorney Robert Buschel, appearing with the defiant Stone, added: ‘He’s leaving, so it’s a good day.’

White House Drafting National Emergency Proclamation To Include $7B For Border Wall

ZeroHedge – Trump has not ruled out using his authority to declare a national emergency and direct the Defense Department to construct a border wall as Congress and the White House fight over a deal to end the government shutdown. But while Trump’s advisers remain divided on the issue, the White House has been moving forward with alternative plans that would bypass Congress.

“The massive amount of aliens who unlawfully enter the United States each day is a direct threat to the safety and security of our nation and constitutes a national emergency,” a draft of a presidential proclamation reads.

“Now, therefore, I, Donald J. Trump, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C 1601, et seq.), hereby declare that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States,” the draft adds.

The draft was updated as recently as last week, a US government official told CNN. –CNN

According to the plans, the administration could use $681 million from treasury forfeiture funds, $3.6 billion in military construction, $3 billion in Pentagon civil works funds and $200 million in funds from the Department of Homeland Security.

If Trump declares a national emergency, the US Army Corps of Engineers would construct the wall – which CNN then suggests might set the stage for potential lawsuits over eminent domain land seizures. The documents also convey a sense of urgency – as the draft reportedly allows for the wall to be built without environmental reviews, while DHS would be able to bypass contracting laws using waivers.

Innocent Teen Harassed, Threatened by Cops for Shoveling Snow Without a Permit   

Activist Post – Normandy, MO — Residents in Normandy, Missouri are questioning a new ordinance they are calling ridiculous which requires anyone who wishes to shovel snow for money—to have a permit. To be clear, this is not just for adults running businesses, but as the following case illustrates, it’s being enforced against children trying to earn some extra money.

Charles Shelton and his foster son Keyshawn Anderson learned about the police state bureaucracy the hard was last week when Anderson tried to raise some extra cash by shoveling snow.

Shelton dropped the boy off at his grandma’s home in Pasadena Hills last week to shovel snow and once he started, the police quickly rolled in to check if Anderson had a permit. He did not, so he was shut down.

“I feel like there are other ordinances that are more important that should be addressed verses some young man shoveling snow,” said Shelton.

According to Anderson, he was approached by police twice for shoveling his grandma’s driveway without a permit.

“I felt like that was unfair, I felt like I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” said Anderson.

When the officer came back the second time, Anderson was issued a warning, noting that if he attempted to shovel snow without scribbling on government paper again, he’d be extorted via a citation.

Naturally, police are claiming that the permits are there for public safety. They claim a video of two black youths ringing a doorbell with shovels in their hands is proof this town needs to be permitted.

Sgt. Tameika Sanders said residents allegedly called in over the weekend to report teens knocking on doors carrying shovels. She says—without any evidence of crime, mind you—that these teens were “casing” the homes by “pretending” to offer shoveling services.

Exactly how she knows they were pretending, when none of the residents actually hired them, remains a mystery. However, it is good enough to force aspiring entrepreneurs to fill out government paperwork before trying to earn an honest dollar.

New York ‘celebrates’ legalizing abortion until birth as Catholic bishops question Cuomo’s faith

Fox – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is under fire from faith leaders after he signed a bill into law that legalizes abortion up until birth in many cases. The Democratic governor directed the One World Trade Center and other landmarks to be lit in pink Tuesday to celebrate the passage of “Reproductive Health Act.”

Cuomo called it “a historic victory for New Yorkers and for our progressive values” on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. But New York Catholic bishops slammed him for the move just days after he touted his Catholic faith during the State of the State address.

“Your advocacy of extreme abortion legislation is completely contrary to the teachings of our pope and our Church,” Albany Bishop Rev. Edward B. Scharfenberger wrote in an open letter in the Evangelist on Saturday. “I shudder to think of the consequences this law will wreak. You have already uttered harsh threats about the welcome you think pro-lifers are not entitled to in our state. Now you are demonstrating that you mean to write your warning into law. Will being pro-life one day be a hate crime in the State of New York?”

Kate Hudson Raising Her Daughter ‘Genderless’: ‘We Don’t Know What She’s Going to Identify As’

Breitbart – Actress Kate Hudson says she and her partner are raising their daughter to be “genderless” and that they intend to let the child “choose” her gender, according to an interview with AOL.

With her boyfriend, musician Danny Fujikawa, Kate Hudson gave birth to Rani Rose three months ago, but the Almost Famous star said she is trying something new with her first daughter.

While insisting that having a girl is a bit different than having her two boys from a previous relationship, Hudson said, “It doesn’t really change my approach, but there’s definitely a difference.”

DOJ Study: Gun Control Laws Won’t Work Because Criminals Get Their Guns Illegally

SHFTPlan – It took the United States government’s Department of Justice an entire study dedicated to gun use and criminals to figure out what logical human beings have already understood for decades. The result of their own study found that gun control laws will never work because criminals will never use legal channels to obtain guns.

According to Fox 5, the findings based on the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates (SPI), discovered that about 1 in 5 or 21% of all state and federal prisoners reported they had “possessed or carried a firearm when they committed the offense for which they were serving time in prison.” The survey released by the DOJ this month declared that criminals unsurprisingly rely on the black market for their guns.

According to the study, an estimated 287,400 prisoners has possessed a firearm during their offense. The findings concluded 6 percent had stolen the weapon, 7 percent found it at a crime scene and 43 percent obtained it off the street or on the black market. More than 25 percent had received it from a family member or friend, or as a gift.

Economy & Business

Intel Tumbles After Earnings & Revenue Miss, Cuts Outlook

ZeroHedge – Intel is trading down over 6% in the after-hours after missing earnings and revenues (below the lowest estimate) and slashing its Q1 earnings and revenue expectations.

And the full year’s revenue guidance was cut to $71 billion (from a prior estimate of $73 billion).

The report comes as Intel is still searching for a permanent CEO. The company’s former head, Brian Krzanich, resigned in June after Intel discovered that he’d had a relationship with a company employee, in violation of its policies. Since Krzanich’s resignation, Bob Swan, the company’s chief financial officer, has been serving as its interim CEO.

Science & Technology

NASA Has A Plan To Knock An Asteroid Off Course For FIRST TIME In 2022

SHFTPlan – NASA will attempt for the first time, to knock an asteroid off course and away from our planet to prevent a collision with Earth in 2022. NASA has approved a mission that aims to slam a spacecraft into a “small” asteroid and bump it off course.

According to IB Times, the asteroid NASA will be attempting to punch is the 150-meter-tall moon asteroid named Didymoon. As hinted by its name, which originates from the Greek word for twins, Didymos, it is part of a double asteroid system and orbits another asteroid that is 800 meters tall.  The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the name given to this mission, would be the space agency’s first planetary-defense mission.

NASA has also touted lofty goals of drilling into Yellowstone to prevent a supervolcano eruption too, noting that one wrong move could set the caldera off.

Amazon Begins Testing Delivery Robots

ZeroHedge – On Wednesday, Amazon.com said its autonomous delivery robot, Amazon Scout, will begin delivering packages to a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington. The device, a prototype for a robotic delivery service so much needed by Amazon which has been struggling with “last mile” delivery, is the size of a small cooler and rolls along sidewalks at a walking pace.

According to a company statement, Amazon is starting with six Scout devices, delivering packages Monday through Friday during daylight hours; the devices will initially be accompanied by an Amazon employee.

t was not immediately clear what will happen if one of the “Scouts” causes a traffic accident, or worse, death, although we doubt that the company which is closest to monopolizing, well, pretty much everything, is wasting too much sleep over that possibility.

More details from the Amazon blog:

At Amazon, we continually invest in new technologies to benefit customers. We’ve been hard at work developing a new, fully-electric delivery system – Amazon Scout – designed to safely get packages to customers using autonomous delivery devices. These devices were created by Amazon, are the size of a small cooler, and roll along sidewalks at a walking pace. Starting today, these devices will begin delivering packages to customers in a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington.

Health

Arizona Vaccine Mandates on the Way

Freedom’s Phoenix – URGENT ALERT: BILL TO REMOVE PERSONAL VACCINE EXEMPTION FILED IN ARIZONA

Dear Arizona NVIC Advocacy Team Members,

HB 2162 has been introduced in the Arizona Legislature to COMPLETELY ELIMINATE the personal exemption to vaccines required for school in Arizona.  We need you to contact the bill sponsors and your own state Representative and Senator now to oppose this bill.

Because Arizona does not have a separate religious exemption for school, the only option to delay or decline one or more of the vaccines required for school would be a medical exemption if this bill passes.

HB 2162 is amending Section 15-873, of the Arizona Revised Statutes to delete the personal exemption to vaccine mandates.  You can see for yourself when you click on the bill text that the entire purpose of the bill is to delete the following from current law: “The parent or guardian of the pupil submits a signed statement to the school administrator stating that the parent or guardian has received information about immunizations provided by the department of health services and understands the risks and benefits of immunizations and the potential risks of nonimmunization and that due to personal beliefs, the parent or guardian does not consent to the immunization of the pupil.”  

The definition of “pupil” in the exemption section of the law being eliminated (15-871.10 Definitions) is very broad and it means: “…a person who is eligible to receive instruction at a school and includes pre-kindergarten age children receiving either services for children with disabilities or day care on a school campus otherwise exempt from day care rules pursuant to section 36-884.”  

HB 2162 to remove Arizona’s personal vaccine exemption is sponsored by Representatives Hernandez A (primary sponsor): Blanc, Butler, Chávez, Engel, Friese, Hernandez D, Longdon, Meza and Salman.

Is “biosludge” responsible for causing more cancer?

NaturalNews – Back when Bill Clinton was president in the 1990s, legislation was passed to allow for human sewage to be converted into “fertilizer,” which is now spread all over American food crops as “biosludge.” But as revealed in the new documentary film Biosludged – you can watch the trailer at Brighteon.com – biosludge isn’t safe, and could be contributing to increased rates of cancer.

Avocado Superfood: Targeting Leukemia Cancer Cells

Health Impact News – Did you know that avocados are technically fruits, specifically single seed berries, and not vegetables?

In addition to the wide array of nutrients avocados offer, they contain an anti-cancer compound that is beyond preventative with certain cancers. It’s called Avocatin B, and it has been extracted to undergo trials for targeting certain cancer stem cells.

There are many other health benefits offered by avocados that make it a true superfood.

Pet News

The Most Common Non-Food Things Your Dog May Eat, but Shouldn’t

Mercola Pet – Dogs can get into trouble where seemingly none exists, and this includes via the ingestion of foreign objects, one of the most common claims made to pet insurance companies.1 A foreign object includes basically anything that’s not food, and as you might imagine, such items can cause significant health problems in your pet.

If your pet is lucky, and the object is small enough, it may be vomited up or passed without causing any trouble. Still, even small objects can be dangerous, as they may cause choking (especially something that’s just small enough to fit in the back of your pet’s throat) or, in the case of button cell batteries, burns and perforation of the intestines that’s life threatening.

Story at-a-glance

  • The ingestion of foreign objects is one of the most common claims made to pet insurance companies
  • If your pet is lucky, and the object is small enough, it may be vomited up or passed without causing any trouble, but it can also lead to intestinal blockage, which is life-threatening
  • Non-food items that have been consumed by dogs include rocks, socks, razor blades, sticks, hair ties, underwear and batteries
  • While puppies naturally explore their environment by chewing, some dogs never outgrow the desire to eat strange items and may suffer from pica, a compulsive behavior
  • Proper species-appropriate nutrition, exer

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