Today's News: January 29, 2020

World News

US evacuees from China head to California military base as coronavirus outbreak grows

CNN – A flight carrying about 200 American evacuees is headed to a US military base in Southern California after leaving the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China.
The flight chartered by the US State Department left Wuhan and touched down late Tuesday night at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska.
After refueling and passenger screenings, it left for the March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California. There, local officials will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to facilitate a thorough screening of the passengers to “ensure these people can get back home and not put anyone at risk,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser of the Riverside County Department of Public Health.
Once the plane arrives in California, the US Defense Department will work with the US Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC, to provide housing and, if any individuals are ill, care at a local civilian hospital, Defense Department spokeswoman Alyssa Fara said.
In Alaska, officials conducted two health screenings after prior screenings in China. The CDC cleared all passengers to continue on to California, Alaska officials said.
Passengers were screened in an isolated area of the Anchorage airport’s north terminal, which handles international flights, and had no impact on general travel, airport manager Jim Szczesniak said.
The CDC will work with airport officials to clean the terminal, and there are no international flights scheduled at the airport until May, he said.

Terrified passengers wear PLASTIC BOTTLES and motorbike helmets to protect themselves against coronavirus

The Sun – DESPERATE air passengers have been spotted wearing everything from plastic bottles to motorbike helmets in a bid to protect themselves from the deadly coronavirus.
It comes as airlines such as British Airways have axed all flights to China amid the terrifying outbreak which has killed more than 100 people.
Photos of terrified travellers have been shared on social media, with people seen covering themselves with plastic sheets and even bottles in public.
A mother and child were seen on the Hong Kong Metro system wearing makeshift “shields” fashioned from cut plastic bottles.
Others were also spotted in similar makeshift protection in airport queues.
On a flight from Shanghai to Perth, one man was pictured wearing a motorbike helmet in a bid to protect himself from the deadly bug.
Passengers on the same flight told The West Australian most people on board were wearing face masks as a minimum and the plane was sprayed once they landed.

How a Viral Pandemic Benefits The Globalist Agenda

Activist Post – The world today suffers from highly fragile economic and geopolitical conditions. This is not news to most people in the liberty movement that have been tracking the downward spiral for years, but it is news to a majority of average Americans who rarely venture to get in-depth information on any issue. The fact of the matter is, even though there are millions of us who are aware of the danger, we are still in a minority.
This creates a serious set of frustrations. When the common citizen is oblivious to the existence of a threat, trying to explain to them the source of that threat becomes a waste of time. How can they see the root of the problem if they don’t even know the problem is there?
Yes, the world is on the verge of a violent sea-change, but this is not the most important issue. The most important issue is that this precarious situation is not the product of random chance, simple greed, base human frailty or an “overly complex” system as mainstream experts will predictably claim; it is a deliberately engineered chaos box designed to serve the interests of a select few.
The globalist agenda is complicated in design but simple in its goals: Order out of chaos. Create or exploit every crisis to manipulate the public into consenting. But consent for what?
As Richard N. Gardner, former deputy assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations under Kennedy and Johnson, and a member of the Trilateral Commission, wrote in the April, 1974 issue of the Council on Foreign Relation’s (CFR) journal Foreign Affairs (pg. 558) in an article titled ‘The Hard Road To World Order’:
In short, the ‘house of world order’ will have to be built from the bottom up rather than from the top down. It will look like a great ‘booming, buzzing confusion,’ to use William James’ famous description of reality, but an end run around national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece, will accomplish much more than the old-fashioned frontal assault.
Global pandemic, whether a natural event or deliberately engineered, actually serves the purposes of the globalist establishment in a number of ways. First and foremost, it is a superb distraction. The general public, overcome with fears of an invisible force of nature that can possibly kill them at any moment, will probably forget all about the much bigger threat to their life, liberty and future – the subsequent collapse of the massive ‘Everything Bubble’ and the globalist “solution” that a pandemic can trigger.
The coronavirus is only a moderate threat in comparison to economic crisis. That said, I want to confront a few issues concerning the virus itself before we get to the economic question.

WATCH: Chinese Riot to Prevent Building Of Coronavirus Quarantine Center In Their Town

Information Liberation – Shocking videos circulating on social media purportedly show Chinese citizens rioting and fighting with police to prevent the construction of a coronavirus patient quarantine center in their community.

Australian scientists create lab-grown coronavirus in effort to develop vaccine and eventual cure (VIDEO)

RT – Scientists in Australia have successfully grown the coronavirus from a patient sample which they will now distribute to other disease control experts with a view to speeding up development of a vaccine and, hopefully, a cure.
The team created the cell culture from a patient sample that arrived at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne on Friday, and this can now be replicated and distributed for more in-depth analysis around the world.
It will now be used as a control – or more specifically as an antibody test on asymptomatic patients – in Australian public health laboratories, as well as being shipped to experts working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe. One of the main problems with containing the recent outbreak is that people can have – and pass on – the virus for up to a fortnight before showing symptoms.
The lab-grown coronavirus was dubbed “a major breakthrough” by Dr. Julian Druce, the institute’s virus-identification laboratory head, as it will allow for more accurate diagnosis around the world and afford scientists more insights to beat the disease.
While China did release the genome sequence of the virus, having an actual sample will allow researchers around the world to validate and verify their testing methods and thus improve diagnosis.

‘Utter chaos’: Coronavirus exposes China healthcare weaknesses

Al Jazeera – With more people infected with the coronavirus than had been with SARS, China’s healthcare system is feeling the strain.

Merkel Pushes for EU Accession Talks for Albania and Northern Macedonia

Breitbart – Following a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on the European Union to open negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia to join the bloc.
The call from the German leader comes following a meeting with the Albanian prime minister in Berlin earlier this week with Chancellor Merkel saying that the countries in the Western Balkan region should be considered for membership of the EU, Euronews reports.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Donald Trump: If I Listened to John Bolton, We’d Be in World War Six

Breitbart – President Donald Trump lashed out against his former National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday, as leaks from his tell-all book continued seeping in the media.
Trump said Bolton “begged” him for a job in his administration that did not require Senate approval because he believed he would never get it. He acknowledged he hired Bolton despite many in his administration advising against it.
“[F]rankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now,” Trump wrote, criticizing Bolton for “IMMEDIATELY” writing “a nasty and untrue book” about his time in the Trump administration.
“All Classified National Security,” Trump said. “Who would do this?”
Trump said Bolton should have brought up his concerns while he was in the White House.
“Why didn’t John Bolton complain about this ‘nonsense’ a long time ago, when he was very publicly terminated,” Trump said. “He said, not that it matters, NOTHING!”
Bolton’s book has yet to be published, but sources familiar with the manuscript told the New York Times the former national security adviser claims Trump personally told him the aid to Ukraine should be frozen until the Ukrainians announced the corruption investigations.

The List: 26 GOP Senators, 97 House Republicans Ask for More Foreign Workers to Fill U.S. Jobs

Breitbart – 123 Republicans in the Senate and House are pleading with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf to bring more foreign workers to the United States to compete against working-class Americans for jobs.
In a letter to Wolf, 26 Republican Senators and 97 Republican House members joined 66 Senate and House Democrats in demanding DHS allow businesses to bring an additional roughly 30,000 foreign workers on the H-2B visa program to take nonagricultural blue-collar U.S. jobs.
(CLICK ARTICLE LINK TO VIEW FULL LIST OF SENATORS)

House Democrats unveil $760B infrastructure plan

The Hill – House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a $760 billion framework to fund infrastructure investments over five years.
The framework, which is not a formal bill at this stage, does not offer proposals for how to pay for the investments in infrastructure like highways, rail, airports and expanding broadband access.
Democrats attempted to work with President Trump last year on a $2 trillion infrastructure plan, but the efforts collapsed due to a failure to agree on how to pay for it and the president’s frustration with lawmakers investigating him.
But Democrats are trying to set a marker for a top legislative priority for the 2020 campaign and move on from impeachment, which has now moved to the Senate for a trial.
The House Ways and Means Committee is set to hold a hearing later Wednesday on how to pay for infrastructure investments.
The Democrats’ framework proposes $329 billion for roads and bridges, $55 billion for passenger rail, $30 billion for airport investments, $50.5 billion for wastewater infrastructure, $86 billion for expanding broadband access for rural areas, and $12 billion for a “next generation” 911 system for emergency calls, according to a summary.

Pentagon Raises Number of Troops Injured in Iranian Attack to 50

WSJ – An additional 16 U.S. troops suffered concussions or traumatic brain injuries during Iran’s ballistic missile strike earlier this month, the Pentagon said Tuesday, raising the total to 50 and marking the fourth time in two weeks the military has increased its injury assessment.

Economy & Business

Trump Signs US-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal at White House

Sputink – The new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement will replace the North American Trade Agreement that came into force in 1994.
US President Donald Trump is signing the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) at the White House.
The new deal is going to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The USMCA was negotiated and agreed by US President Donald Trump, Mexican President Enrique Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in autumn 2018.
The US and Mexican legislatures ratified the bill last year, while Canada is yet to complete the ratification process that was hindered by some criticism from opposition parties.

BOEING posts first annual loss in more than two decades

NBC – Boeing on Wednesday reported its first annual loss in more than two decades as costs from the 737 Max crashes rise sharply.
Boeing said it lost $636 million in 2019, marking the company’s first annual loss since 1997. That’s in stark contrast to the $10.46 billion profit it posted in 2018 — before a second crash grounded its best-selling planes worldwide.
The stock price gained nearly 3% in early trading.
The manufacturer this month suspended production of the planes, which regulators grounded in March after the second of two Max crashes that killed 346 people.
In its earnings statement, Boeing reported a loss of $2.33 per share for the fourth quarter. Revenue in the last three months of the year dropped 37% to $17.91 billion from $28.34 billion in the year-earlier period.

Science & Technology

Army Wants Social Network Exploitation Services To Police Threats

Activist Post – Activist Post has previously reported how the Pentagon wants to police social media for fake stories and deep fakes. Now, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command wants to get involved in policing social media for “threats,” according to Nextgov.
According to a service job offer published by the Army, CID aims to acquire access to “social media exploitation” services.
“The solution shall be web-based with subscription to support the organizations’ ability to quickly unlock the value of social media and big data to assess risk, respond to threats and discover actionable intelligence,” officials wrote.
For those who don’t know, CID is the Army’s primary investigative organization used for looking into all serious felony related crimes relevant to the branch. Nextgov writes, “insiders engage in information collection for sensitive and serious violations of the law, the analysis and dissemination of criminal intelligence, protective service operations, forensic laboratory support, records maintenance, logistics security, force protection and beyond.”
CID seeks to acquire 62 separate subscriptions, 57 of which that are basic and five that are advanced for software licenses that will provide “secure and legal social media threat detection and risk mitigation.” The agency listed its requirements for a software service or services that provide “interactive datamining capabilities.” They also want the service to cover for at least 250 queries per day, and cover at least 70 web-based international platforms including — Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, VK, LinkedIn, Discord, Gab, Telegram, SoundCloud, Myspace, Google+ — and others.
Last year, DARPA announced it would deploy online cyber forces to watch for “large-scale, automated disinformation attacks,” using specialized software to detect deep fakes of photos, videos and audio clips, as Activist Post reported.
Here’s a friendly reminder for the reader that the blurred line between the CIA and Pentagon, which houses the umbrella of all armed services, exists from what was formulated during the Obama administration. Although, in the more distant past, the CIA has run clear disinformation operations on the American public during Operation Mockingbird.
Besides the CIA, other agencies in the U.S. government are allowed with impunity to run Press Packages (paid government releases), i.e., propaganda.
In fact, then-U.S. President George W. Bush himself exposed what are known as “Government press packages” in the early 2000s when Ken Harman of Cox News Service questioned him on the use of government-produced pieces aired on television stations across the United States.

Ring Doorbell App Packed with Third-Party Trackers

Activist Post – Ring isn’t just a product that allows users to surveil their neighbors. The company also uses it to surveil its customers.
An investigation by EFF of the Ring doorbell app for Android found it to be packed with third-party trackers sending out a plethora of customers’ personally identifiable information (PII). Four main analytics and marketing companies were discovered to be receiving information such as the names, private IP addresses, mobile network carriers, persistent identifiers, and sensor data on the devices of paying customers.
The danger in sending even small bits of information is that analytics and tracking companies are able to combine these bits together to form a unique picture of the user’s device. This cohesive whole represents a fingerprint that follows the user as they interact with other apps and use their device, in essence providing trackers the ability to spy on what a user is doing in their digital lives and when they are doing it. All this takes place without meaningful user notification or consent and, in most cases, no way to mitigate the damage done. Even when this information is not misused and employed for precisely its stated purpose (in most cases marketing), this can lead to a whole host of social ills.
Ring has exhibited a pattern of behavior that attempts to mitigate exposure to criticism and scrutiny while benefiting from the wide array of customer data available to them. It has been able to do so by leveraging an image of the secure home, while profiting from a surveillance network which facilitates police departments’ unprecedented access into the private lives of citizens, as we have previously covered. For consumers, this image has cultivated a sense of trust in Ring that should be shaken by the reality of how the app functions: not only does Ring mismanage consumer data, but it also intentionally hands over that data to trackers and data miners.

Warehouse Robot Learns to Sort Out the Tricky Stuff… Major Advance in AI.

DNYUZ – Inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Berlin, a long line of blue crates moved down a conveyor belt, carrying light switches, sockets and other electrical parts. As they came to a stop, five workers picked through the small items, placing each one in a cardboard box.
At Obeta, an electrical parts company that opened in 1901, it is the kind of monotonous task workers have performed for years.
But several months ago, a new worker joined the team. Stationed behind protective glass, a robot using three suction cups at the end of its long arm does the same job, sifting through parts with surprising speed and accuracy.
While it may not seem like much, this component-sorting robot is a major advance in artificial intelligence and the ability of machines to perform human labor.
As millions of products move through warehouses run by Amazon, Walmart and other retailers, low-wage workers must comb through bin after bin of random stuff — from clothes and shoes to electronic equipment — so that each item can be packaged and sent on its way. Machines had not really been up to the task, until now.
“I’ve worked in the logistics industry for more than 16 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Peter Puchwein, vice president of Knapp, an Austrian company that provides automation technology for warehouses.
Standing nearby at the Obeta warehouse, the California engineers who made the robot snapped pictures with their smartphones. They spent more than two years designing the system at a start-up called Covariant.AI, building on their research at the University of California, Berkeley.
Their technology is an indication that, in the coming years, few warehouse tasks will be too small or complex for a robot. And as the machines master tasks traditionally handled by humans, their development raises new concerns about warehouse workers losing their jobs to automation.

Health

Glyphosate Weedkiller a Primary Cause of Kidney Damage

Mercola – Research published in Environmental Pollution identified glyphosate in the urine of 11.1% of the infants and young children they tested, and this rose to 30% among newborns.
Significant bioaccumulation of glyphosate has been documented in the kidney, an organ with known susceptibility to glyphosate.
Glyphosate-induced kidney toxicity has been associated with disturbances in the expression of genes associated with fibrosis, necrosis and mitochondrial membrane dysfunction.
Glyphosate exposure may be associated with the epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin in farmworkers in Central America, Sri Lanka and central India.
Consumption of glyphosate-contaminated water may contribute to chronic kidney disease by facilitating the transport of heavy metals such as arsenic and cadmium into the kidneys
Power Mall Product of Interest: Strauss Kidney Support – 7.6 fl oz (NEW!)

Walnuts May Slow Cognitive Decline in At-risk Elderly

NaturalBlaze – Eating walnuts may help slow cognitive decline in at-risk groups of the elderly population, according to a study conducted by researchers in California and Spain.
The Walnuts and Healthy Aging Study, published this month in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that walnut consumption by healthy, elderly adults had little effect on cognitive function over two years, but it had greater effect on elderly adults who had smoked more and had a lower baseline neuropsychological test scores.
The study examined nearly 640 free-living elders in Loma Linda, California, USA, and in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. For two years, the test group included walnuts in their daily diet, and the control group abstained from walnuts.
Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, which have previously been found to counteract oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which are drivers of cognitive decline.
Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and the study’s principal investigator, said this was the largest and most well-controlled trial ever conducted on the effects of nuts on cognition.
“While this was a minor result, it could lead to better outcomes when conducted over longer periods of time,” Sabaté said. “Further investigation is definitely warranted based on our findings, especially for disadvantaged populations, who may have the most to gain from incorporating walnuts and other nuts into their diet.”

Software Company Strikes $145 Million Settlement In “Completely Insane” Opioid Kickback Scheme

NaturalBlaze – Families who have lost loved ones to opioid overdoses or other opioid-related deaths cheered last week when a judge sent the founder of drugmaker Insys to prison for more than five years over a scheme to effectively bribe doctors into prescribing more of an opioid painkiller called Subsys, a drug intended for advanced cancer patients with high tolerance for opioids.
The company insisted that the drug was less addictive and dangerous than other painkillers on the market, and encouraged doctors to prescribe it “off label” – that is, for reasons other than its intended purpose. The company’s aggressive sales team included a former stripper who specialized in showing doctors who heavily prescribed the drug a good time.
On Tuesday, the DoJ announced another action related to its campaign to hold those responsible for the opioid crisis to account. In a press release, the agency revealed that it had reached a $145 million settlement with Practice Fusion, a San Francisco-based developer of IT products for the healthcare industry. The company agreed to the payment to resolve criminal and civil investigations into whether it solicited kickbacks from “a major opioid manufacturer” in exchange for using its technology to push doctors toward prescribing more unnecessary opioids. $26 million of that settlement consists of criminal fines, while roughly $118.6 million will go to the federal government and the states.
Doctors relied on Practice Fusion’s system to make decisions about which drugs to prescribe. This relationship wasn’t just immoral, it was blatantly illegal, prosecutors said, having violated anti-kickback statutes.
“Across the country, physicians rely on electronic health records software to provide vital patient data and unbiased medical information during critical encounters with patients,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ethan Davis of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Kickbacks from drug companies to software vendors that are designed to improperly influence the physician-patient relationship are unacceptable. When a software vendor claims to be providing unbiased medical information – especially information relating to the prescription of opioids – we expect honesty and candor to the physicians making treatment decisions based on that information.”
The company has entered into the deferred prosecution agreement with the US attorney’s office of Vermont.