March 28, 2024

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Knowledge is Power

Today's News: June 10, 2019

World News
“Last Fight For Hong Kong”: Over 1 Million March In Protests Against China Extradition Bill
ZeroHedge – Over 1 million Hong-kongers (according to the organizers; 240K according to the police), or one in seven, flooded Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday to oppose a proposed extradition bill that would allow Beijing to take people from Hong Kong to stand trial in mainland China.
According to the SCMP, it was the most unified protest march in the city in more than a decade, with some calling it the ultimate showdown over the bill, which goes to a vote on June 12 and if passed would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions.
If turnout numbers are accurate, it would represent the biggest protest since 2003, when 500,000 people demonstrated against national security legislation that was later withdrawn by the government.  The sea of marchers set off from Victoria Park just before 3pm and streets in nearby Causeway Bay were soon brought to a standstill as protesters clad in white chanted and sang songs as they walked in the oppressive heat, according to the SCMP.
Tensions escalated in recent weeks as Hongkongers from all walks of life have spoken out against the proposal. Petitions against the bill have circulated, thousands of lawyers staged a silent march and several chambers of commerce have voiced concerns. The bill’s proponents, mostly the city’s administration, see it as vital tool to fight transnational crime and maintain the rule of law.
“This is the last fight for Hong Kong,” the WSJ quoted Martin Lee, a veteran opposition leader who founded the city’s Democratic Party. “The proposal is the most dangerous threat to our freedoms and way of life since the handover” of sovereignty, he said.
ISIS plotted to send terrorists through US-Mexico border           
NY Post – ISIS plotted to smuggle English-speaking terrorists through the Mexican border to carry out a financial attack that would “cripple” the US economy, according to a new report.
Details of the terror group’s failed plan to exploit the southern border emerged in a confession last month from one recruit, Abu Henricki, who ultimately refused to go along with the mission.
“They were going to move me to the Mexican side [of the US southern border] via Puerto Rico. This was mastermind[ed] by a guy in America. Where he is, I do not know,” Henricki admitted to the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. “That information, the plan came from someone from the New Jersey state from America. I was going to take a boat [from Puerto Rico] into Mexico. He was going to smuggle me in.”
In the 90-minute interview on May 12, Henricki said he was enlisted to join ISIS by its intelligence wing, known as the emni, in 2016.
“What they wanted to do, basically, is they wanted to do financial attacks. Financial attacks to cripple the [US] economy,” Henricki said in the interview published by Homeland Security Today.
“They have their system of doing it,” the dual Canadian-Trinidadian citizen added. “It wasn’t me alone. They were sending you to Puerto Rico and from Puerto Rico [to Mexico].”
Henricki said he was booted from ISIS and thrown into a prison where he was tortured because he refused to carry out the plot.
“Please be advised, I was not willing to do it,” he said. “But this is one of their wicked, one of the plans that they had and which I would like to think I foiled the plan by not being part of it.”
Henricki said he wasn’t privy to specific details about the planned attack but that it was clear people were carefully recruited for the purported attack.
“They wanted to use these people [to attack within the US] because they were from these areas,” he explained, referring to English speakers from North America.
Watch the video interview here: https://www.theamericanmirror.com/video-repentant-isis-fighter-details-plot-to-infiltrate-u-s-through-mexico/
Britain agrees trade deal with S. Korea to maintain links after Brexit
RT – The UK government said on Monday it had concluded a trade deal with South Korea to maintain links after Brexit. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox agreed a preliminary deal with Korean Minister of Trade Yoo Myung-Hee in Seoul, according to the statement.
It is Britain’s first post-Brexit trade deal in Asia and follows similar agreements with nations including Chile, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, AFP said.
The UK and South Korea signed an in principle free trade agreement that will allow businesses to continue trading freely after Brexit, the government in London said.
“Trading on these terms rather than on World Trade Organization terms will deliver significant savings and help to safeguard British jobs,” it added.
Prime Minister of Poland Signs Global Appeal to Stop 5G
Activist Post – In what is surely an unprecedented and  groundbreaking action, the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, has personally backed an International Appeal to stop the controversial roll-out of 5G electromagnetic microwave telecommunication transmissions.
5G, a new millimetre band frequency range being introduced by the telecommunications industry worldwide has been identified by over 2,000 scientists and 1,400 medical doctors from all over the world, as presenting a direct threat to human health, as well as to animal, insect and plant life.
There have been no safety tests carried out to ensure its safety, in spite of the fact that 5G operates at between 10 and 100 times higher frequencies than current 3 and 4G cell phone tower transmitters.
In Poland, the public are being used as guinea pigs in a 5G experiment to test the efficacy of the technology. The following cities are being used in the trial: Warsaw, Lodz, Gliwice.
The same procedure is taking place all over Europe, North America and many other countries.
The world’s largest study ‘National Toxicology Program’ (NTP) revealed significant increases in the incidence of heart and brain cancer in animals exposed to EMF below the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines that are followed by most countries.
The Prime Minister of Poland has taken a highly responsible step in signing* the Global Appeal to Ban 5G in Earth and in Space. He has opened the way for leaders in other countries to take the same step, thereby protecting their citizens from a potentially highly dangerous and untested technology whose repercussions for health and welfare are without precedent.
Mexican military begins arresting migrants riding ‘The Beast’ train to US border
Washington Examiner – Mexican military deployed throughout the country as part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s vow to do more to apprehend migrants headed to the United States, have officially begun targeting foreigners who have hitched rides aboard a freight train known as “The Beast” to get to the U.S.-Mexico border, local media reported Sunday.
Mexican National Guard held up the “La Bestia” train in an unpopulated area near Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, a city north of the Mexico-Guatemala border, where migrants have been crossing into the country.
The operation marked the first of its kind since López Obrador and President Trump reached a deal late Friday, in which the U.S. would hold off on tariffs against Mexican imports if the government did more to prevent people from traveling through the country.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
California to become the first state to extend health benefits to some who live in US illegally
USA Today – California was poised Monday to become the first state to provide health care coverage to young, low-income adults living in the country illegally after legislative leaders provided a thumbs-up to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $98 million plan targeting almost 100,000 low-income adults.
The full Legislature still must sign off on the plan that would make such immigrants 19 to 25 eligible for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. The deal was a win for Newsom, who rejected as too expensive a state Senate plan to include adults 65 and older.
Anthony Wright, executive director of the advocacy group Health Access, said further expansion of the program could come in the future.
“We will continue to pursue steps towards the Governor’s & Legislature’s shared goal of getting to universal coverage in the next few years,” Wright posted on Twitter.
The move is part of a larger effort to ensure everyone in the state has access to health insurance. The proposal also makes California the first state to subsidize insurance for middle-income families. A family of four earning as much as six times the federal poverty level – or more than $150,000 a year – would be eligible for $100 a month from the government to help pay for insurance. Newsom had initially balked at the subsidy but ultimately relented.
Lawmakers have until Saturday to approve the budget or face losing their pay.
“California believes that health is a fundamental right,” said state Sen. Holly Mitchell, a Los Angeles Democrat who led the budget negotiations.
Wendy’s Backs Adoption, As Major Corporations Support Abortion
Infowars – While major corporations are throwing support behind Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups, the Wendy’s franchise is holding steadfast on its promotion of adoption alternatives.
In the midst of a high-stakes abortion debate currently playing out across the country, a picture of Wendy’s new cause cup went viral after it was uploaded to Instagram.
The restaurant is currently promoting its founders’ adoption foundation with cups allowing patrons to donate simply by using a Snapchat QR code.
Leftists who support abortion often argue in favor of the practice because they say it helps keep unwanted babies out of foster care. “Who’s going to adopt the unwanted babies?” is an argument frequently heard from abortionists.
But adoption as a pro-life alternative was important to Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, who was himself adopted at age six.
After establishing the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992 to raise awareness of children in need of adopting, the foundation in 2004 began helping foster children find homes, successfully placing over 6,100 in adoptive homes as of 2017.
Parents’ Nightmare: Social Worker’s ‘Feelings’ Contribute to Child Abuse Allegations
The Epoch Times – It’s one of the last things a parent wants to encounter—a social worker at the door with allegations of child abuse. What may come as a surprise to many is that such allegations can be based on little more than a “gut feeling.”
Those mandated to report potential child abuse are apparently encouraged to base their suspicions on signs that appear to have only a vague connection to child abuse and even may be based on the accuser’s feelings.
Authorities have operated under the mantra that the child’s health and safety, not preserving the family, “shall be the paramount concern,” as enshrined in the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act spearheaded by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. Yet in reality, Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies are investigating parents and often removing their children for questionable reasons—just to be on the safe side—resulting in drastic measures that have decimated families.
Case in point—Philadelphia.
In fiscal 2018, more than 5,500 cases of suspected child abuse or neglect were reported in Philadelphia—about one for every 63 children in the city (pdf). The local Department of Human Services (DHS) placed more than 2,700 children in the foster care system that year—one in 125 children in the city. That’s the highest rate among America’s 10 largest cities, about triple that of New York City, even when adjusted for poverty (pdf), according to the nonprofit National Coalition for Child Protection Reform (NCCPR).
However, only about 1,000 neglect/abuse reports that year were substantiated, meaning adjudicated in court or backed by evidence that “outweighs inconsistent evidence and which a reasonable person would accept as adequate,” according to the state law.
In some cases, the allegations were actually determined to be unfounded, but the children were still taken away, according to Philadelphia Councilman David Oh.
The question is, why?
‘Gut Feeling’
Oh, one of three Republicans on the 17-member City Council, saw up close how the DHS system works last summer when his 8-year-old son was hurt at judo practice.
Oh is a black belt in several martial arts and has been passing on the heritage to his four children. During one judo throw, the boy landed incorrectly and, despite the flood pads, broke his clavicle, Oh said.
At the hospital, a social worker told the parents to leave the room so that she could talk to the boy alone. From what Oh later gathered from his son, the woman didn’t inquire at all about what happened, but instead said, “You don’t like judo, do you?” The boy replied, “sometimes.”
The social worker then informed Oh that she would report him to the DHS, because his son didn’t want to learn judo and that an adult man shouldn’t be teaching judo to a child. “Is it cultural bias?” Oh said he asked her. “I mean, what if it was football or soccer, wrestling, or break dancing, or riding a bicycle?”
She said that she reports every instance where a child gets hurt in an activity done with an adult man, Oh said.
Oh explained the situation to the attending doctor, who agreed there was no need to report the case to the DHS, but when he talked to the social worker again, she said she’d reported it already.
Indeed, another social worker later came to Oh’s house to investigate what was reported as “abusive discipline.”
“If you get a complaint that this Asian man is forcing his son to learn judo so he can beat up on him, you will come out to my house with the idea, ‘Let me check and see if he’s really teaching judo or if he’s really just using it as an excuse to get his jollies by beating up his son,” Oh said in a phone interview. “And that’s the problem. There is only evidence that that is not the case … That’s a false report.”
Endorsed From the Top
Oh spoke to the hospital’s vice president and the supervisor of its social workers. He said he thought that perhaps the woman reporting his case had a “bad day” or was insufficiently trained, and he wanted to make sure others wouldn’t be put in a similar situation.
Yet, the officials told him the social worker did exactly what she was supposed to do.
“Any time she has a gut feeling that something is not right, she should report it to DHS,” Oh said he was told.
Breaking: Murdered Arkansas Former GOP State Senator Believed She Was Closing In On Child Trafficking Ring In Arkansas State Government
CD Media – Former Republican Arkansas state Senator Linda Collins-Smith, who was found murdered in her home this week in Pocahontas, Arkansas, believed she was closing in on a child-trafficking ring working from within the Arkansas state government.
A verified source close to Collins-Smith told CD Media that she was about to go public with incriminating information on sitting judges in Arkansas, who were involved in taking children from poor women via the Department of Human Services (child protective services) in Arkansas and selling them to wealthy individuals. The source also disclosed that Collins-Smith believed the perpetrators were using illegal aliens to facilitate the crimes which included murdering the mothers of the stolen children.
In another ominous twist to the story, former Oklahoma state Sen. Jonathan Nichols was found murdered in his home in Norman, Oklahoma yesterday. Our source believes the two murders are connected.
CD Media has much more information to release but we are in the process of verifying the information first. Please check back for further developments.
Univ. Of Alabama Returns $21.5 Million Gift; Donor Urged Boycott Over Abortion Law
NPR – The University of Alabama’s board of trustees has voted to return a $21.5 million gift from Hugh Culverhouse Jr. — the school’s biggest donor — and take his name off its law school. The move comes after Culverhouse urged businesses and prospective students to boycott the university and the state over Alabama’s new abortion law.
The school says the transaction to return the funds was processed Friday morning and that it will also return any accrued interest. Last fall, Culverhouse pledged to donate a total of $26.5 million over four years.
“The action taken by the Board today was a direct result of Mr. Culverhouse’s ongoing attempts to interfere in the operations of the Law School,” the university’s vice chancellor for communication, Kellee Reinhart, said Friday. “That was the only reason the Board voted to remove his name and return his money.”
Culverhouse issued a statement Friday in which he renewed his call for students “to protest and reconsider their educational options in Alabama.”
“I expected this response from UA,” he said. “I will not allow my family’s name to be associated with an educational system that advocates a state law which discriminates against women, disregards established Federal law and violates our Constitution.
“I want to make clear that I never demanded that $21.5 million be refunded and wonder if the University is attempting to silence my opinions by their quick response. I will not be silenced.”
The president of the university, Stuart Bell, said in a statement, “This decision was made for reasons of academic and institutional integrity. I appreciate the actions of the Chancellor and our Board of Trustees and their unwavering support of these intrinsic values.”
Culverhouse, a Florida lawyer and investor whose father was a longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, made the largest donation in the school’s 187-year history last September when he committed to give $26.5 million. The school had not yet received the remaining $5 million.
But months after the donation was announced, Culverhouse joined those calling for a boycott of Alabama after the governor signed a restrictive abortion law, which outlaws nearly all abortions and does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
Culverhouse’s attorney, Lawrence Kellogg, was quoted last month by Florida Politics as saying, “Sixty-six percent of the students at Alabama pay out-of-state tuition. A boycott by them could certainly be effective.”
While the university has acknowledged having a dispute with Culverhouse, it insists the decision about his donation is related only to concerns about matters at the school, not at the statehouse.
Google discrimination case first brought by James Damore can proceed   
Mercury News – A judge on Friday rejected Google’s motions to throw out a lawsuit brought by fired engineer James Damore accusing the internet company of discrimination against conservatives, men and white people.
The ruling by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Brian Walsh means the case, which Damore exited late last year in favor of arbitration, can move forward into the discovery phase.
“This ruling is a significant step forward for all California workers, and sends notice to Silicon Valley that discrimination of any kind will not be escape legal scrutiny,” lead plaintiffs’ attorney Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement.
Google fired Damore in 2017 after an internal memo he wrote came to light. In the memo, Damore criticized the company’s push for gender and racial diversity in its workforce, and suggested that the scarcity of women in tech could be explained by biological differences. Damore sued Google in January 2018 but opted to go into arbitration last October. He is still in arbitration talks with the company, a spokesman for the Dhillon Law Group said Friday.
Google did not immediately return a request for comment.
California Raids Christian School, Seeks to Change Its Beliefs or Shut It Down
Pacific Justice – acific Justice Institute (PJI) is fighting for the future of a Christian boarding school in Northern California that has been targeted by State officials. PJI believes the case has chilling implications for Christian schools throughout California.
On January 18, 2019, a raid was conducted of River View Christian Academy (RVCA), located in rural Northern California. The raid, which terrified students and staff, consisted of 16 armed law enforcement from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), 2 canine units, and 17 social workers. The State later admitted the raid was prompted by an internet rumor put forward by an online left-wing tabloid. The State was duped into thinking the school housed illegal drugs, stockpiled weapons, and was preparing for an end-times apocalypse. Yet the Waco-style raid turned up no such evidence.
Instead of apologizing for its dangerous blunder, the State doubled down and began imposing daily fines against the school for allegedly operating as an “unlicensed community care facility.” RVCA has actually operated as a private school for the past 25 years, filing an annual affidavit with the California Department of Education as do other private schools and homeschools in the State.
The State is now taking the position that, due to recent legislation, it is no longer possible for a private boarding school to operate without extensive licensing and oversight by the Department of Social Services. But licensing is more than just an administrative headache—it would require the Christian school to relinquish its moral standards. For instance, the State requires that licensed facilities allow students to have the right to engage in spiritual and sexual exploration, which contradicts the goals of many parents who enroll their kids in RVCA.
The school operates under the ministry of Teen Rescue, a non-profit that comes alongside parents who think a change of scenery and alternative educational environment is just what their teenagers need. Teen Rescue was founded in 1989 by Phil Ludwig and launched the school in 1993. After a wildfire destroyed its campus in Southern California, it moved to its present, 250-acre location in rural Northern California. The campus includes dormitories, classrooms, a cafeteria, athletic field, library, and offices.
PJI’s lead attorney in this case, Kevin Snider, commented, “Reading the State’s search warrant and legal filings in this case is chilling. This armed incursion on a faith-based school shows that the State wants nothing less than to take jurisdictional control over Christian education in California. This is rooted in its disagreement with millennia-old religious values.”
PJI filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the school in mid-March and sought a restraining order to prevent imposition of the fines. In April, the federal judge abstained and dismissed part of the case, believing it should first go through the State’s administrative process. With daily fines mounting, and as PJI then began vigorously pursuing an administrative appeal, the State abandoned its own process and filed suit against the school in Shasta County Superior Court. PJI is now defending against that suit.
“In 25 years of practice, I have never seen this level of aggressive, militant, and ideologically-driven conduct by a State agency against a religious institution,” Snider said. “For years, as the public schools have become increasingly hostile toward parents, the courts have insisted that the parents’ option is to instead choose private education. Now, that fundamental right is also under attack.”
Tim Pool: ‘Left Wing Media Activist Email Leak Shows How They Deplatform Political Rivals’
Information Liberation – Independent journalist Tim Pool was leaked an email showing Slate journo April Glaser appearing to threaten Chase Bank with negative press if they don’t deplatform the right-wing activist group The Proud Boys.From Tim Pool:
Following the Vox controversy with Steven Crowder, or #VoxAdpocalypse, and mass censorship hitting youtube I found it pertinent to show how these activists in media operate and how they use framing devices to target people like conservatives and other political groups.
The reporter in question has advocated for government regulation to restrict speech and I believe this shows her to be an activist acting to target and cause harm to political rivals.
The email was confirmed to me by Chase bank on two occasions and the contents of the email were referred to in my correspondence with Slate. While not directly confirming the email I believe this with Chase bank’s confirmation is sufficient to confirm the authenticity of the email.
UPDATE: Slate has provided an official comment
“In the course of her reporting about banks providing financial services for 1776.shop, an e-commerce site associated with the Proud Boys, April reached out to those banks for comment about their policies of providing services to a designated hate group. In both her email and in the subsequent reporting, April provided important context and we stand by her reporting on this newsworthy topic.”
Pool’s analysis was on the money. The key line is Glaser saying: “The Proud Boys are designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group and members have engaged in group violence in Portland and New York City.”
All these journo-ists use the same tactic. They’re telling you they’re going to accuse you of supporting a “SPLC designated hate group” if you don’t give in.
After Pool started digging into this story, Glaser locked down her Twitter account and allegedly started deleting tweets showing her bias.
Mark Meadows: FBI Knew ‘Within 60 Days’ That Russia Probe Was ‘Built On A Foundation Of Sand’
Daily Caller – North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said Friday night that the FBI knew within 60 days of opening the Trump-Russia probe that the investigation was “built on a foundation of sand.”
“Within 60 days of them opening the investigation, prior to [Robert] Mueller coming on, the FBI and the [Department of Justice] knew that Christopher Steele was not credible, the dossier was not true, George Papadopoulos was innocent,” Meadows said on Fox News’s “Hannity.”
“When you look at that foundation, it’s all built on a foundation of sand. That’s going to start to show up soon,” the Republican said.
Meadows, a close ally of President Donald Trump, did not say why he believes the FBI knew within two months that the investigation was on shaky ground.
The bureau opened its investigation of the Trump campaign on July 31, 2016, after receiving a tip about Papadopoulos from the Australian government. Within those two months, the FBI team leading the investigation received information from Steele’s dossier. The FBI also dispatched a longtime FBI informant, Stefan Halper, to meet with Papadopoulos.
The pair met in London in mid-September 2016 after Halper offered Papadopoulos $3,000 to write a policy paper. Halper, a former Cambridge professor, was accompanied by a woman he claimed was his assistant, Azra Turk. She is reportedly a government investigator.
Meadows in the past has suggested the FBI had exculpatory information on Papadopoulos that showed the Trump aide was not working with Russia.
Nancy Pelosi Hangs Her Head In Shame After Top Crime Committed In US Revealed; Trump Was RIGHT
I Love My Freedom – President Donald Trump has argued for quite some time that drugs and crime are pouring over the southern border and into the United States.
While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats have refused to admit Trump is correct, a new report from the United States Sentencing Commission reveals that the president has been right the entire time about the top crime committed in the country.
Immigration crime — mostly all involving illegal male, Hispanic immigrants — was the top offense in federal courts last year.
The commission found that immigration crimes accounted for 34.4 percent of all sentencing cases in 2018, up from 30 percent last year.
Overall, American courts last year saw 69,425 cases and most of them involved Hispanics and illegal aliens.
“In fiscal year 2018, 54.3 percent of all offenders were Hispanic, 21.2 percent were white, 20.6 percent were black, and 3.8 percent were of another race. Non-U.S. citizens accounted for 42.7 percent of all federal offenders,” said the federal commission.
“Immigration cases accounted for the largest single group of offenses in fiscal year 2018, comprising 34.4% of all reported cases. Cases involving drugs, firearms, and fraud were the next most common types of offenses after immigration cases. Together these four types of offenses accounted for 82.9 percent of all cases reported to the commission in fiscal year 2018,” said the report.
The commission said that immigration cases include, “trafficking in U.S. passports, trafficking in entry documents, failure to surrender naturalization certificate, fraudulently acquiring U.S. passports, smuggling, transporting, or harboring an unlawful alien, fraudulently acquiring entry documents, and unlawfully entering or remaining in the U.S.”
Trump has made immigration his top issue and has had to fight tooth and nail with Democrats to get funding for the border wall.
The president has also abundantly clear that he doesn’t want America to take in thousands of immigrants who will receive taxpayer-funded welfare while in the U.S.
The “Secret Research Project” – an IRS List, an NSA Database, and Resulting “Files” on Americans       
The Last Refuge – A carefully redacted footnote within a report by FISA Court Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer has always appeared to be a clue to a domestic surveillance program.  Now details behind the redactions tell a concerning story.
A brief refresher is needed for those new to the story. In April 2017 Judge Collyer wrote a highly critical FISA Court opinion following discoveries by Director Admiral Rogers of government contractors accessing the NSA database, and extracting illegal search results from the electronic records of every American.
The scale of abuse was incredible [SEE HERE] and the surveillance issues had been covered up for years.  Collyer cited the Obama administration as having “an institutional lack of candor” in their responses to her and the FISA court.  The judge focused her criticism after a review of the period 2012 through April 2016.
Using the non-compliant admissions by NSA Director Mike Rogers and the results of the compliance audit, Judge Collyer used the period of November 2015 through April 2016 to gauge the scale of abuse at 85 percent. Eighty-five percent of all database search queries were unlawful, and she extended her analysis to say:
“while the government reports it is unable to provide a reliable estimate of [these non lawful searches] since 2012, there is no apparent reason to believe the November 2015 [to] April 2016 period coincided with an unusually high error rate”.
Also this very important:
“many of these non-compliant queries involved the use of the same identifiers over different date ranges.
Eight-five percent of all use/extraction of the NSA database was unlawful; and they were searching many of the same Americans (“identifier”), repeatedly, over different dates. This means specific Americans were being targeted, tracked and monitored… unlawfully.
Within the 99-page opinion from Judge Rosemary Collyer  she noted none of this FISA-702 database abuse was accidental. In a key footnote on page 87: Collyer outlined the years of unlawful violations was the result of “deliberate decisionmaking“:
Economy & Business
Bitcoin Bull John McAfee Warns US Government: ‘I Will Bury You’
By CCN Markets: Bitcoin millionaire John McAfee — who’s a fugitive from the law for tax evasion — derisively taunted the U.S. government on Twitter. McAfee warned them to leave him alone or he will “f***ing bury” them.
In a dizzying weekend Twitter rant, McAfee claimed that the Department of Justice is compiling a bogus case against him for money-laundering, racketeering, and murder.
McAfee: The Government Is Conspiring Against Me
McAfee warned that if the feds don’t leave him alone, he’ll drop several bombshells that will reveal mass corruption within the government. So they’d better back off — or else.
“From friends in the State Department: The DOJ trumped up charges against me for murder, money laundering and racketeering…A conspiracy is unfolding. Proof coming.”
“I’ve collected files on corruption in governments. For the first time, I’m naming names and specifics. I’ll begin with a corrupt CIA agent and two Bahamian officials…If I’m arrested or disappear, 31+ terabytes of incriminating data will be released to the press.”
Months Ago, McAfee Dared the IRS to Come After Him
It’s hard to make sense of McAfee’s incoherent tweets, but basically, he warned the U.S. government that he’ll fight back if they keep pursuing him.
If it’s true that federal agents are trying to hunt McAfee down, it’s presumably because he admitted that he hasn’t paid taxes for almost a decade.
As CCN reported in January, McAfee confessed in a stunning tweetstorm that he hasn’t filed a tax return in eight years. Why? Because he explained:

  1. “Taxation is illegal.”
  2. “I paid tens of millions already and received [nothing] in services.”
  3. “I’m done making money.”
  4. “I live off of cash from McAfee Inc.”
  5. “My net income is negative.”

McAfee then insisted that he’s a “prime target for the IRS” before defiantly challenging the agency to pursue him. “Here I am,” he goaded.
Before that, McAfee provoked the IRS, saying that he’s ready to fight them because “I have prepared my entire life for this battle.”
McAfee to Feds Today: Leave Me Alone
Now, it seems that John McAfee has had a change of heart and wants the government to leave him alone. Interestingly, McAfee posted the tweets while sailing around his yacht (which is his home) in Cuba.
“Leave me the f**k alone, or go down with the corruption you have embraced, because I will f**king bury you if you continue. Doubt me at your own f**ing risk.”
John McAfee Is Still Running for President
It’s unclear how McAfee reconciles his desire to be left alone with the fact that he’s running for president of the United States. In January, McAfee announced his presidential bid — several weeks after proudly declaring that he’s a tax evader.
Unlike his rivals, McAfee has an unexpected slogan: “Don’t vote McAfee.”
Like many bitcoin enthusiasts, McAfee is a libertarian who believes in small government, unfettered political freedom, and personal autonomy.
Bullion the bully: Beijing answers Trump’s tariffs with massive gold-buying spree
RT – China’s vast gold stockpile saw another boost in May, marking an ongoing increase for a sixth straight month, according to the latest data published by the People’s Bank of China.
Last month, the central bank raised its bullion reserves to 61.61 million ounces from 61.10 million in the previous month. As of the end of May, the nation’s stockpile was valued at $79.83 billion compared to $78.35 billion a month earlier. In tonnage terms that marks an increase of 15.86 tons, after almost 58 tons of gold were added over the five months through April.
Energy & Environment
‘Rollie pollies’ remove heavy metals from soil, stabilizing growing conditions, protecting groundwater
NaturalNews – Turn over a brick or a board that has been lying in the yard for a while and underneath you may find a collection of pill bugs scurrying about. Also known as “rollie pollies” or woodlice, these grey-colored creatures can be found in many dark, moist environments feeding on decaying matter. What’s interesting about these critters is that they are not bugs at all. They are crustaceans and more closely resemble crabs and shrimp, not insects. They are characterized by their ability to roll up into a ball when they feel threatened. Another unique feature is that they have seven pairs of legs. They also act like kangaroos, toting their eggs around with them in a special pouch called a marsupium, located on the pillbug’s underside. Even stranger, they don’t urinate. Instead, they exchange gases through gill-like structures.
Pill bugs great for gardening, composting
Breeding or collecting pill bugs may be an important practice for homesteading and gardening. The guts of these pill bugs contain a number of microbes that help the critter feed on dead, organic matter. By releasing mass quantities of pill bugs into a mature garden, one can be assured that dead plant matter is being properly broken down and returned to healthy soil. Pill bugs literally speed up the process of decomposition. They circulate the soil. This can be very useful in composting. Treats for pill bugs include fungus and monocotyledonous leaves.
Pillbugs play an important role in the cycle of healthy plant life. They return organic matter to the soil so it can be digested further by fungi, protozoans and bacteria. This process produces a natural supply of nitrates, phosphates and other vital nutrients that plants need to thrive now and in future growing seasons. It is important not to introduce pill bugs into the garden too early, as they tend to munch on emerging plants. The grey soil workers often live up to three years.
Pill bugs clean up soil and protect ground water from heavy metal contamination
One very unique quality that these crustaceans possess is their ability to safely remove heavy metals from soil. For this reason, they are an important tool for cleaning up soil contaminated with pollutants like lead, cadmium and arsenic. In coal spoils and slag heaps, pill bugs come in handy. They take in heavy metals like lead and cadmium and crystallize these ions in their guts. The heavy metal toxins are then made into spherical deposits in the mid gut. With this special cleanup property, pill bugs survive where most creatures can’t, in the most contaminated sites.
The magic of the pill bugs helps reestablish healthy soil and prevents toxic metal ions from leaching into the groundwater. This means pill bugs are also protecting well water from becoming contaminated while stabilizing soils.
Science & Technology
USC Researchers Discover How to Regenerate Your Entire Immune System In Only 72 Hours
Healthy Holistic Living – It’s often used as a quick weight loss method – but fasting could also help the body to fight off disease.
Refraining from food for as little as two days can regenerate the immune system, helping the body to fight infection, according to a new study.
Scientists at the University of Southern California said the findings could have major implications for the elderly and people suffering from damaged immune systems, such as cancer patients.
Researchers tested the effects of fasting for two to four day periods over the course of six months on both mice and humans.
In both cases, long periods of not eating significantly lowered white blood cell counts.
And in mice, each cycle of fasting then “flipped a regenerative switch” that triggered stem cell-based regeneration of new white blood cells, thereby renewing the body’s defence system.
Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, said:“It gives the OK for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system.
“And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting.”
Psychopaths are more likely to drink their coffee black, study finds
An analysis of what we like to drink and how we feel about others revealed some interesting correlation.
If you like your coffee black rather than all milky, foamy and syrupy then many will say you’re simply drinking it as it’s meant to be drunk.
However, if you have a fondness for the bitter tipple then it could be a sign that you’re a psychopath, according to research.
Scientists studying taste buds have found parallels between the consumption of some of our favourite drinks like bitter IPAs, black coffee and tonic water and malevolent personality traits.
So you might want to be wary if you’ve got a friend or partner who shuns milk and sugar in their cup of Joe.
The study , published in the journal Appetite, surveyed 1,000 people and was was conducted at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
Participants ranked different foods on a six-point scale, and were then subjected to a test identifying their personality traits.
Authors Christina Sagioglou and Tobias Greitemeyer found that the more a consumer enjoyed bitter flavours, the darker their personality traits.
They write that: “The present research has demonstrated that bitter taste preferences are associated with more pronounced malevolent personality traits, especially robustly with everyday sadism.
They add: “… In preferring bitter tasting foods more than less sadistic people, everyday sadists may perceive them as positive due to their potential to cause distaste, that is, to cause a negative experience in other people.”
This is not the first time research has found a link between taste and personality.
Previous studies have shown sweet taste experiences increase “agreeableness” and eagerness to help, while bitter tastes increase hostility and elicit harsher moral judgments.
Health
Tyson Foods recalls more than 190,000 pounds of chicken fritters
CNN – Tyson Foods, Inc., has recalled more than 190,000 pounds of Tyson Fully Cooked, Whole Grain Golden Crispy Chicken Chunk Fritters that may be contaminated with hard plastic, the company said in a statement.
The product is not sold in retail grocery stores, and the voluntary recall is limited to food service customers, including schools nationwide, the Pennsylvania-based company said.
5 Ways Your Lack of Sleep is Destroying Your Health (and 7 Ways To Fix It)
The Hearty Soul -If there was one thing you could do to improve all aspects of your life, one thing that would improve everything else in a profound way…would that intrigue you?
We focus so much on yo-yo diets, calorie counting, fitness trackers, and finding the latest lifehacks on social media, that we end up overlooking the one thing that could have an immeasurable impact on the quality of our lives, and is simple to do. Sleep.
If you don’t already do everything possible to optimize your sleep, you’re wasting time trying to hack the rest of your life. I’m not talking about being perfect. There will be the odd late night party or work project, but when they become the rule instead of the exception, you’re setting yourself up for issues in the long-run.
Even if you stray from your circadian rhythm (i.e., sleep cycle) for one night, you throw your body into a frenzy. Like a music conductor that eats a sandwich during a concerto, getting out of sync messes with your flow.
From heightened brain function, to increased alertness, brain detoxification, and a bolstered immune system, sleep is the one thing we need to get right.
Most experts say we should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep. For a quick test to understand your sleep needs, go to sleep and wake up without an alarm clock for a few days. Averaging out how much you slept will provide a good target for the amount of sleep you need, and help you qualify what ‘lack of sleep’ means for you.
If you’re consistently getting less than your sleep target, you may be sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation is easy to notice, but you need to pay attention to the signs: [1]

  1. Chronic fatigue
  2. Feeling groggy or cranky
  3. Getting sick on a regular basis
  4. Trouble concentrating or completing tasks
  5. Weight gain

And the symptoms are the least of your worries.
Much like the canary in the coalmine, chronic sleep deprivation has a debilitating impact on your mind and body. Over time you can develop metabolic syndrome, a condition brought on by chronic inflammation in the body.  Metabolic syndrome is a key cause of heart disease, insulin resistance leading to diabetes, and excessive weight gain.
Sleep deprivation’s effects are also felt in the brain, where hormonal imbalances may lead to depression and anxiety. Many believe society’s mental health crisis to be heavily influenced by our inability to get ample sleep.
Lastly, how we deal with our ‘lack of sleep’ is falling short. A National Health Institute study of prescription sleeping pills showed their extremely marginal benefits (on average only minutes of improvement per night) versus a placebo. We’re trying to medicate our way to sleep, which is not only unhealthy, it’s futile. [2,3]
How to Sleep Longer and More Effectively
The great news is that there are several easy habits you can begin to practice that will give you the best odds at combatting a poor sleep routine. Here are a few that have the potential to improve not only your quality of sleep, but your quality of life:

  1. Black out your bedroom: the blue spectrum of light suppresses melatonin, our sleep hormone. Artificial light contains this wavelength, making us more alert. Alarmingly, even the smallest amount of light can have a negative impact on sleep, even when our eyes are closed. Ensure that no light can enter your room when you sleep.
  2. Avoid electronic or other artificial light within 60-90 minutes of bedtime: it can take up to 60-90 minutes for melatonin levels to recover after being exposed to artificial light, including that of your electronic devices. Many devices now have sleep settings that filter out the melatonin-suppressing wavelengths.
  3. Wind down before bed: a busy brain makes for a bad bedfellow. Calming the brain down before bed is crucial if you want to enter a deep sleep. Reading to candlelight, meditating, or a 5-10 minute deep breathing exercise, are all effective ways to quiet the mind.
  4. Maintain a routine: as it pertains to sleep, your body loves routine. While we are all different chronotypes (i.e., the propensity to sleep at a certain time), it’s the routine that’s important. While getting out of sync may happen now and again, be aware that even one night can throw your rhythm off for days. Try to avoid disturbing this routine by more than 1-hour in any direction
  5. Cool down your bedroom: your body temperature tends to dip when you sleep. Lowering the temperature in your bedroom can mimic this temperature shift, making it more comfortable to sleep

While I’m not a proponent of being dependent on supplements, there are a couple of supplements that may help you sleep, as you make the other changes above:

  1. Try magnesium. This has been shown to combat insomnia. Magnesium helps us get back in the rest-and-relax mode, reducing restlessness before sleep. [4,5]
  2. Supplement with melatonin. Exposure to artificial light before bed can suppress melatonin up to 90-minutes after the lights are off. Melatonin deficiency can compromise our immune system, and short-circuit the critical bodily processes that occur during our slumber. Supplementing with melatonin may help offset this deficiency, helping us get to sleep faster. Be sure to speak to a qualified professional to determine the proper dosage.

People Who Constantly Complain Are Harmful To Your Health
Real Farmacy – We all know that one person who likes to complain incessantly. No matter what they have going on in their lives, good or bad, they find a way to vent or grumble about something. Of course, everyone has their moments, as expressing complaints comes naturally to us, and it’s likely there are times where even you were the constant complainer. While it may seem harmless to air your frustrations, consistently vocalizing negative sentiments may become a subconscious habit leading to some overall harmful consequences for your health.
It’s not only unattractive to others and a total mood killer to the liveliness of those around you, but continuous complaining can cause damage in other ways too. Constant complaining over time can cause an immense impact on brain function and take an overall toll on your physical wellbeing.
So how about throwing in the towel on complaining for a whole month? The Complaint Restraint project established by Thierry Blancpain and Pieter Pelgrims was created to eliminate negative statements that plague our daily routines. The idea is as simple as it sounds…just stop complaining! The thought of not complaining for an entire month may seem impossible, and will likely be impossible to do perfectly. Perhaps, then, the goal of the challenge is not simply to give up complaining but to become more cognizant of our thoughts. When we hear ourselves complain, it can be empowering to shift our language in order to change the conversation and shift our perspective
So, why should you consider practicing the art of giving up complaining, or mastering transforming your negative thoughts into constructive ones? Aside from the obvious that constant complaining is just downright draining, why else would one consider giving up something that comes like second nature to us?
The Negative Effects Of Complaining
The more you complain, the more likely you are to choose negative over positive thinking in the long run. Fascinatingly so, for each time you complain, your brain is actually physically rewiring itself, making it easier to adapt to that reaction in the future. The results are clear: negativity breeds more negativity.
If the idea of breeding continual negative notions in your brain isn’t enough to get you to stop complaining, how about learning that it can also damage your memory? MRI scans have shown that constant complaining can lead to the shrinkage of the hippocampus, the region in your brain responsible for cognitive functioning. The smaller your hippocampus, the more likely you are to have your memory decline, as well as difficulty adapting to new situations.
The aftermath effects of complaining don’t stop there. The more you complain, the more your cortisol levels increase. High levels of cortisol are associated with health problems like increasing depression, insomnia, digestive problems, high blood pressure, and even increasing the risk of heart disease. There’s a reason they call it the stress hormone!
There’s an old adage that says you become like those you spend the most time with; sharing personality traits, quirks, and interests with the people who you surround yourself with most. While it’s unlikely you are surrounding yourself with unpleasant people, if you are the person who is constantly complaining, you may find that your peers either distance themselves from you or even begin to adapt to your negative habits. Hearing someone complain gives those around you permission to join in or even conjure up their own negative unhappy thoughts to add to the pity party.

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