Today's News: June 11, 2019

World News
New Zealand Gun Control FAILS As “Kiwis” Ignore The New Bans
SHFTPlan – New Zealanders have decided to ignore the gun bans imposed on them by the government in the wake of the mass shooting at Christchurch. They have effectively nullified the law banning semi-automatic firearms and shotguns by completely ignoring it.
Politicians are left scratching their heads and wondering why New Zealanders won’t comply with their authoritarian edicts. The so-called “gun reform” was expected to rid the vast New Zealand countryside of most semi-automatic firearms, magazines over a specified limit, and shotguns. New Zealand’s political chatelaine, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, had an almost unanimous parliamentary vote to institute the gun buy-back, though as Liberty Nation Legal Affairs Editor Scott Cosenza asserts, “Buy-back is really a misnomer because the government never owned those guns in the first place.”
US Envoy: Israel Has ‘Right’ to Annex Palestinian Land in West Bank
21st Century Wire – As president-in-law Jared Kushner’s ‘Deal of Century’ draws near to being unveiled at the end of this month, one of the key centerpieces of the arrangement already brokered between Tel Aviv and the White House – is the annexation of large parts of Palestine’s West Bank.
Embattled interim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as already promised Israeli voters before the recent election that he will annex the internationally recognized Palestinian territory, and this week the plan looks to be proceeding with little or no resistance from the US, Britain or the EU. It’s just one more indication that the Trump-Kushner peace deal is destined to fail, just like every other US-brokered peace arrangement between Israel and Palestine.
Canada now ARRESTING Christian pastors and prosecuting them for teaching the Bible
NaturalNews – f you think the Leftist assault on freedom of speech and the First Amendment here in the United States is bad, consider the much worse situation transpiring in Canada, where a Christian pastor was recently arrested and charged with “disturbing the peace” simply for preaching the Word of God on a street corner.
According to reports, a group of violent protesters had approached and started to harass Pastor David Lynn when police arrived on the scene and proceeded to handcuff him, rather than the protesters, before taking him away in a squad car.
The violent mob that remained, which openly identified as LGBT, was seen and heard screaming, hollering, and cheering as Lynn was detained and removed from the premises by local law enforcement. Video footage of the incident that was captured by one of the police officers is available below, as well as on YouTube.
“It’s unfortunate that I am subject to this kind of discrimination and bullying and marginalization simply for saying God loves you, there is hope for you, I accept you and tolerate you,” Lynn said in a statement following his arrest.
“I shouldn’t be in this position. I didn’t do anything illegal,” he added.
If you’re a Christian, the Cult of LGBTQP now demands that you stay in the closet about your faith or else go to jail
Since nothing that Lynn was preaching about had anything specifically to do with LGBTQP, the only logical conclusion is that the angry LGBTQP mob that approached him acted purely out of anti-Christian hatred.
These Christphobes “had an event waiting for me,” Lynn told the media following the incident, adding that this LGBTQP mob clearly “had some form of hatred against me,” and wanted him to “stay in the closet” concerning his Christian identity.
Even though Lynn did absolutely nothing wrong, he’s reportedly now banned from being anywhere near the areas of Bloor Street, Yonge Street, Carlton Street, and Jarvis Street in the Church-Wellesley Village area of Toronto, Canada, as well as anywhere near the LGBTQP Pride march.
“I didn’t know this was the start of the pride month,” Lynn is quoted as saying. “I didn’t say anything specific to the LGBTQ community. It’s all on live stream.”
So, in essence, it’s now a crime to be an out-of-the-closet Christian in Canada, where the Cult of LGBTQP now has free reign to persecute Christians they don’t like as “criminals.” Pretty much anything that upsets the LGBTQP mafia, in other words, is now a prosecutable “crime” in Canada.
Labour discusses plans to bring in a 10-hour week and slash pay by 75 per cent under a radical scheme to tackle climate change
Daily Mail – Brits could work for just 10 hours a week and take home up to 75 per cent less pay under a radical scheme to tackle climate change being discussed by Labour.
The report by the Autonomy think-tank called for ‘rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society’ to cut carbon emissions, including dramatically limiting how long people spend at work.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said of the document: ‘This is a vital contribution to the growing debate around free time and reducing the working week.’
Leo Murray, who advises shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis, backed the report’s findings, saying: ‘I like this take a lot’.
The document, called The Ecological Limits of Work, was savaged by critics who said its suggestions would wreck the economy.
Brandon Lewis MP, Conservative Party Chairman, told The Sun: ‘The reality is this policy would slash people’s earnings and hammer the economy.
‘It could mean businesses having to cut jobs and wages. People could be left out of work and workers would take home less in their pay packet each month.
‘Labour don’t know how to handle the economy and it would be working people who would suffer with fewer jobs, lower wages and higher taxes.’
Will Stronge, director of Autonomy, said last month: ‘Becoming a green, sustainable society will require a number of strategies – a shorter working week being just one of them.’
It comes after Theresa May was locked in a row with Philip Hammond after he warned her plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 will cost the country £1 trillion.
The Prime Minister is expected to put the target into law in the next few weeks as one of her final acts before she leaves No 10.
But in a leaked letter to Mrs May, the Chancellor raised concerns that it will have profound implications for households, businesses and the Exchequer.
System to circumvent US sanctions on Iran ready soon: German FM
Al Jazeera – A European payment system designed to circumvent US sanctions on Iran will be ready soon, Germany announced on Monday.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran as part of European efforts to salvage the historic JCPOA nuclear pact and defuse rising US-Iranian tension.
Iran and Germany held “frank and serious” talks on saving the 2015 deal with world powers, Zarif told a joint press conference.
“Tehran will cooperate with EU signatories of the deal to save it,” Zarif said.
Maas said earlier the payment system, known as INSTEX, (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) will soon be ready to go after months of work.
US makes formal extradition request to Britain for Julian Assange of WikiLeaks
Washington Examiner – The Department of Justice has made its formal request to the United Kingdom to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The U.S. made this official extradition request to the U.K. last Thursday, June 6, according to “a U.S. official who spoke on background to discuss a sensitive matter” as initially reported by the Washington Post.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the request the Washington Examiner.
The extradition treaty between the U.K. and the U.S., signed in 2003 and made effective in 2007, required that “the formal request for extradition and the documents supporting the extradition request” had to be received within 60 days of Assange’s arrest back on April 11.
The next extradition hearing had been scheduled for June 12, although WikiLeaks says it has been moved to June 14.
‘We can’t prove sex with children does them harm’ says Labour-linked NCCL
Express – EVIDENCE has emerged that the views of the Paedophile Information Exchange influenced policy-making at the National Council for Civil Liberties when it was run by former Labour Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt.
PIE members were lobbying NCCL officials for the age of consent to be reduced and campaigning for “paedophile love”.
Their view that children were not harmed by having sex with adults appears to have been adopted by those at the top of the civil liberties group.
Today we publish extracts from an NCCL report written for the Criminal Law Revision Committee in 1976 when Mrs Hewitt was general secretary.
It says: “Where both partners are aged 10 or over, but under 14, a consenting sexual act should not be an offence. As the age of consent is arbitrary, we propose an overlap of two years on either side of 14.
“Childhood sexual experiences, willingly engaged in, with an adult result in no identifiable damage.
“The Criminal Law Commission should be prepared to accept the evidence from follow-up research on child ‘victims’ which show there is little subsequent effect after a child has been ‘molested’.
“The real need is a change in the attitude which assumes that all cases of paedophilia result in lasting damage.
“The present legal penalties are too high and reinforce the misinformation and prejudice. The duty of the court should be to inquire into all the relevant circumstances with the intention, not of meting out severe punishment, but of determining the best solution in the interests of both child and paedophile.”
Mrs Hewitt, 65, was general secretary between 1974 and 1983. After days of intense pressure, the former Labour MP for Leicester West finally admitted last week the NCCL was “naive and wrong” over its ties to PIE.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Missouri’s only abortion clinic to stay open after injunction issued
Reuters – The only abortion clinic in Missouri can stay open after a St. Louis judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday saying the state must make an “official” decision on the facility’s license before it can be reviewed, a court document showed.
Women’s healthcare and abortion provider Planned Parenthood sued Missouri two weeks ago after state health officials refused to renew the license of the Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis.
Court documents show state health officials said they did not renew because they were unable to interview seven of its physicians over “potential deficient practices.”
If the facility’s license is not renewed, Missouri would become the only U.S. state without an abortion clinic since the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide and recognized a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy.
The injunction issued by State Circuit Court Judge Michael Stelzer said Missouri must make a final decision by June 21 on whether or not to renew the clinic’s license to perform abortions, which was due to expire on May 31, before the decision can be reviewed.
The state must make an ‘official action’ in order for Planned Parenthood to be entitled to review, Stelzer wrote, and scheduled a status hearing for the same day.
He also wrote the state’s Administrative Hearing Commission and not the circuit court has exclusive jurisdiction and authority to rule on any decision denying the clinic’s license.
Eyewitness saw a second shooter firing an “automatic high-powered rifle” outside Route 91 venue on 1 October, FBI documents reveal
Intellihub – A female who attended the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on the night of October 1, 2017, where 58 people lost their lives to automatic gunfire told the investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she saw a second shooter firing a high-powered automatic rifle from a parking lot located to the east of the venue where country music singer Jason Aldean and his band were playing onstage at the time of the shooting.
The eyewitness told investigators with the bureau that she and about 20 other concertgoers managed to escape the venue grounds and head northeast toward the Tropicana during the third volley of gunfire.
“When she reached the parking lot, she saw a person whom she did not believe was an officer with an automatic high-powered rifle firing his gun,” the report says. “She ran past him and left the festival grounds ducking into the Tropicana.”
Moreover, the report mentions the presence of an additional shooter who the eyewitness believes was located underneath the kitchen or laundry room of the Tropicana the exact location that Joe Napoli and others saw brass shell casings strewn across the parking lot as I reported on November 12, 2017, in the article titled Route 91 massacre survivor saw brass shell casings strewn across Tropicana parking lot upon his retreat.
US Customs Agency Says Traveler Photos Were Stolen By Hackers
Vice – US Customs and Border Patrol said Monday that a hacker stole traveler photos and license plate images from one of its contractors. CBP did not name the contractor, mention how many photos were taken, or go into detail about the types of data stolen.
CBP declined to answer specific questions about the breach, but the hack sounds similar to one reported last month by Motherboard, in which a license plate reader company called Perceptics was compromised by a hacker known as “Boris Bullet-Dodger.” At least some data from that hack was being listed on the dark web. It is not yet known whether this is the same hack, but CBP said in a statement that it did not have indications that the images had been sold on the dark web.
“On May 31, 2019, CBP learned that a subcontractor, in violation of CBP policies and without CBP’s authorization or knowledge, had transferred copies of license plate images and traveler images collected by CBP to the subcontractor’s company network,” CBP said. “The subcontractor’s network was subsequently compromised by a malicious cyber-attack. No CBP systems were compromised.”
“Initial information indicates that the subcontractor violated mandatory security and privacy protocols outlined in their contract,” it continued. “As of today, none of the image data has been identified on the Dark Web or internet. CBP has alerted Members of Congress and is working closely with other law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity entities, and its own Office of Professional Responsibility to actively investigate the incident. CBP will unwaveringly work with all partners to determine the extent of the breach and the appropriate response.”
Perceptics did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Washington Post reported, however, that a Microsoft Word document sent to it by CBP includes the name “Perceptics” in the title. As Motherboard reported last month, Perceptics’s tools are designed to be used with users’ passport data.
WATCH: Congressman Lucy McBath Calls for a “Gun Free Society”
2nd Amendment Daily News – Georgia first term Democrat Congressman Lucy McBath from the sixth congressional district let her true intentions about the Second Amendment slip last week.
At a press conference touting the introduction of her “Red Flag Gun Confiscation” legislation, H.R. 3076, Lucy McBath concluded by saying she wants a “Gun Free Society” across America.
McBath ran and won in 2018 using gun control as her top issue.
Weak-kneed Republican Congresswoman Karen Handel just didn’t put up much of a fight against McBath, with many Republican voters in the district tired of her moderate stance on issues like the Second Amendment.
In 2017, Handel voted for Diane Feinstein’s “FIX NICS” (HR 4477) legislation that would pay states millions of dollars to send records of gun owners to the Feds in Washington, DC.
You’ll Be Shocked to Learn That Book Claiming ‘Married Women Are Less Happy’ is Total Bull***t
Information Liberation – “Happiness expert” Paul Dolan’s claim that married women admit to being less happy than unmarried women when their spouse is out of the room was based off a misreading of the data, adjunct professor Gray Kimbrough has revealed.
From Vox:
“Married people are happier than other population subgroups, but only when their spouse is in the room when they’re asked how happy they are. When the spouse is not present: f***ing miserable,” Dolan said, citing the American Time Use Survey, a national survey available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and used for academic research on how Americans live their lives.
The problem? That finding is the result of a grievous misunderstanding on Dolan’s part of how the American Time Use Survey works. The people conducting the survey didn’t ask married people how happy they were, shoo their spouses out of the room, and then ask again. Dolan had misinterpreted one of the categories in the survey, “spouse absent,” which refers to married people whose partner is no longer living in their household, as meaning the spouse stepped out of the room.
Oops.
LA’s Typhoid and Typhus Outbreaks Caused By the Willfully Negligent Democrat-run City Government
State of the Nation – As the homeless population in Los Angeles grows, so does the unfortunate revival of many third world diseases.
Despite hundreds of millions of dollars flowing through Los Angeles to stem the rising tide of homelessness, a resurgence of medieval diseases has the city – and neighboring states – on edge. Typhoid fever and typhus, borne by fleas, body lice, and feces, are turning the once glitzy and glamorous city into a third-world worthy environment. Yes, Typhoid Mary is back, in a sense, living on the streets and wreaking havoc on unsuspecting people in the Golden State.
These diseases, along with an uptick in tuberculosis, hepatitis A, and staph, are easily and rapidly spread and have wide-reaching consequences. They’re highly contagious and can infect anyone through casual contact.
An LAPD officer was recently diagnosed with typhoid, and several other city employees are exhibiting the classic symptoms of high fever, muscle pain, and weakness. Left untreated, the disease can be fatal – and let’s face it: The malady wiped out entire populations during the Dark Ages and took a heavy toll on American Civil War soldiers and early American settlers. Some historians blame the malaise for obliterating the Jamestown settlement.
Where The Heck Did They Come From?
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority recently released a report showing 59,000 people living on the streets in Los Angeles County – a 12% increase since 2018 – with 36,300 of them within the city limits of Los Angeles. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), reports that “California accounted for 30% of all people experiencing homelessness as individuals” throughout the United States.
The progress of these once eradicated and near eradicated diseases is so alarming that the politicians who once spent copious amounts of time covering up the warts and putrid pustules in their liberally run cities and state are now showing disbelief and disgust. California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) broke his silence during his state of the state speech in February: “Our homeless crisis is increasingly becoming a public-health crisis. Typhus, a medieval disease. In California. In 2019.”
Los Angeles Mayor Gil Garcetti (D), who many believed would be a 2020 presidential contender, calls the crisis, “the biggest heartbreak for me and my city.” Garcetti campaigned extensively for the initiative known as Proposition HHH, which designated $1.2 billion over the next ten years to build homeless housing. But now residents are howling about the pricey plan’s abject failure. One local L.A. news outlet polled residents and found that “Forty-five percent said it’s failing, with 18 percent saying it’s a complete failure.”
Voters passed Propositions 47 (2014) and 57 (2016), downgrading theft and drug offenses to misdemeanors and redefining many felonies from violent to nonviolent to release a horde of inmates – some addicted to drugs and suffering from now untreated mental illness. And they wonder why there are so many people on the streets living, sleeping, and breathing surrounded by urine-soaked sidewalks and piles of human feces? And, of course, they don’t have to show symptoms to carry and transfer these diseases – simple casual contact from a carrier will do just fine.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey Signs ‘Chemical Castration’ Bill into Law
Breitbart – Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed a bill into law Thursday evening that requires sex offenders whose victims are younger than the age of 13 to undergo “chemical castration treatment” as a condition of parole.
The treatment, which consists of taking medication, is meant to suppress or prevent the production of testosterone.
Rep. Steve Hurst (R-Munford), who sponsored the legislation, said his intention was to stop sexual abuse of children.
“I’m very serious,” Hurst said. “Not only did I want it to pass, I want to follow it on through to the future where we can try to improve it. One of the ultimate goals that I want to do is for us to track it and to make sure what medication works for what individuals.”
Hurst added, “People say this is inhumane. ‘How can it be any more inhumane than molesting a small child?’ Now that’s one of the most inhumane things there are.”
As reported by AL.com, “The chemical castration law says sex offenders whose victims were younger than 13 will have to take ‘medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment or its chemical equivalent, that, among other things, reduces, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone, hormones, or other chemicals in a person’s body.’”
Maine governor signs law expanding medical professionals allowed to perform abortions
CNN – Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill on Monday authorizing two non-doctor categories of medical professionals to perform abortions.
The legislation introduced earlier this year will allow both physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to perform abortions, which Mills said in a statement would increase access to abortion services for Maine women “especially those in rural areas.”
“These health care professionals are trained in family planning, counseling and abortion procedures, the overwhelming majority of which are completed without complications,” Mills said.
Maine’s move to expand authorized abortion providers stood in contrast to a wave of anti-abortion measures passed recently around the country. Those measures include laws seeking to ban abortions early into a pregnancy — as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected — and a particularly controversial law in Alabama that would punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison.
Elderly NY man kills repeat burglars, is charged for using inherited gun, loses his home
BPR – Imagine being arrested and losing your home after two repeat burglars break into your house again and rush toward you with the possible intention of murdering you. This exact scenario played out in New York late last month thanks to the far-left state’s draconian gun control laws.
A 64-year-old Deerfield homeowner was charged with illegal firearm possession and arrested after he used a gun he’d inherited from his deceased father to kill two repeat burglars. Then upon his release from a jail a couple of days later, he found himself homeless because his house had been condemned.
Around 3:00 pm or so on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 28, Deerfield resident Ronald Stolarczyk reportedly returned home, only to find a burglary in progress.
“He told me that when they were coming up the stairs, that as they approached him, that he was scared to death and he thought they were going to kill him,” his attorney, Mark Wolber, said to local station WKTV, describing what’d occurred that day.
“One of the troopers said, ‘Did you see anything in their hands?’ He said, ‘I didn’t look at their hands, I just saw them coming at me and I thought to myself, at that point, that it’s either them or me,’ and he just started firing.”
Top Execs of 180 Companies: Abortion Necessary to Be Successful in Business
Breitbart – The top executives of more than 180 companies have signed a letter that says abortion is essential in order for people to be successful in their businesses.
“When everyone is empowered to succeed, our companies, our communities and our economy are better for it,” the executives say in the letter posted on a newly launched website titled “Don’t Ban Equality.”
“Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health, independence and economic stability of our employees and customers,” they said, adding:
Simply put, it goes against our values and is bad for business. It impairs our ability to build diverse and inclusive workforce pipelines, recruit top talent across the states, and protect the well-being of all the people who keep our businesses thriving day in and out.
Access to reproductive care means everyone succeeds including; companies, communities, and the economy. Along with 180 companies, we’ve signed today’s historic @nytimes statement affirming the importance of reproductive health to equality in the workplace. #DontBanEquality pic.twitter.com/Ye4y2fg1Ec
— The Body Shop (@TheBodyShop) June 10, 2019
A full list of the companies who signed the letter can be found here. They include:

Slack Technologies
Bloomberg LP
MAC Cosmetics
H&M
Yelp
Square, Inc
Ben & Jerry’s
Atlantic Records & Warner Music Group
POPSUGAR
Hint, inc.
The Body Shop US

Report: International Planned Parenthood Allegedly Hired Prostitutes for Staff, Donors, Guests at Official Functions
Breitbart – International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) allegedly hired prostitutes for staff, donors, and guests at official functions, states a report by the Daily Mail that has received little attention by most media.
The explosive story has been developing since January as the U.K.’s Department for International Development has been embroiled in controversy over a donation of £132 million in aid to IPPF, despite an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and corruption at the abortion industry giant.
According to the Mail, Lucien Kouakou, a former IPPF regional director in Africa who had been fired over allegations of sexual misconduct, accused IPPF in an internal email sent to the organization’s London headquarters, of regularly providing “sexual gifts” to guests at official African events over a period of years.
Kouakou specifically accused Alvaro Bermejo, IPPF director general, of telling him that under a previous regime, “there was promoting of prostitution within the organisation, where prostitutes would be organised for IPPF staff, donors and partners during functions.”
The former IPPF regional director reportedly added in his email that “youth volunteers” were “given to … adult volunteers in sex relations.”
Kouakou repeated his accusations about what he said Bermejo told him in court documents filed in Kenya in February, stated the news report.
Breitbart News reached out to IPPF for comment. A spokesperson for the organization said the “specific allegations” in the Daily Mail story “are identical to and originate from court papers filed in Kenya in February by Lucien Kouakou in his attempt to stop a disciplinary process involving him, any dismissal and claim damages for alleged defamation.”
“Mr Kouakou’s interim application to stop his disciplinary hearing was dismissed by the court and costs awarded against him,” the IPPF spokesperson said. “Mr Kouakou was subsequently dismissed by IPPF after a full and fair disciplinary process.”
However, the Mail reported an IPPF spokesperson also said that, among members of the IPPF governing council, “there is strong agreement that reform is vital.”
“IPPF has kept all stakeholders aware of the issues it faces and welcomes their views and their involvement,” the spokesperson reportedly said.
The wide scope of the scandal and the firestorm it created led Bermejo to first resign his position, and then to rescind his resignation with the intention to reform the organization. Additionally, the scandal has led all 45 IPPF member associations in the Western Hemisphere, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, to break with the London-based IPPF.
New Cars To Be Equipped With Breathalyzers, Drivers Given Mental Health Assessments
Activist Post – If you thought the TAPS Act was bad, wait until you read this.
Our politicians are hard at work introducing bills that promise to turn America into a mirror image of China.
Rep. Kathleen Rice’s H.R. 3374 bill, otherwise known as the End Drunk Driving Act, would put breathalyzers and ignition interlock devices in every new car.
According to the LI Herald, Rice wants to force auto manufacturers to put breathalyzers and ignition interlock devices in new cars by 2029.
The End Drunk Driving Act would mandate that, within 10 years, all cars sold nationwide come equipped with technology that would detect a driver’s blood alcohol content and prevent the vehicle from moving if it is above the legal limit.
With close to 280 million cars in the U.S. and over 226 million drivers licenses, nearly every American will be affected by this and other bills.
If Rice’s bill is passed it would effectively turn 226 million people into suspects.
Judicial Watch Sues U.S. Dept. of Justice Regarding Bruce Ohr & Peter Strzok
Activist Post – The press room at Judicial Watch sent out a Press Release June 7, 2019 wherein JW stated:
DOJ Documents Show Bruce Ohr Was Given a $28,000
Bonus During Russiagate Investigation Plus a Raise.
Holy mackerel! But why?
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, which were filed by JW in January, 2018, were fulfilled recently, and this is what came back:
The documents show that on November 13, 2016, Ohr was given a performance award of $28,000. This was during the time of his deep involvement in the highly controversial Justice Department surveillance of the Trump presidential campaign. The bonus was nearly double the $14,250 performance award he was given on November 29, 2015.
Bruce Ohr was married to Nellie Ohr of Fusion GPS and was removed because of his conflict of interest and role as conduit for Fusion GPS material. The documents show that Ohr was removed from his position as Associate Deputy Attorney General on December 6, 2017. On January 7, 2018, Ohr was reassigned from his position of director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and shifted to Counselor for International Affairs in the Department of Justice Criminal Division. Ohr received a $2,600 pay increase.
“These documents will raise questions as to whether the conflicted Bruce Ohr, who the FBI used to launder information from Christopher Steele was rewarded for his role in the illicit targeting of President Trump,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. [CJF emphasis]
Judicial Watch has five current lawsuits pursuing information on Bruce Ohr.
Can anyone even imagine what eventual releases of the Mueller investigation documents by Attorney General William Barr will reveal further?
Economy & Business
Beijing Summons U.S. Tech Leaders to Summit With Threats of “Punishment” if They Follow Trump…
The Last Refuge – nteresting, albeit not surprising, report from the New York Times after they are debriefed by a group of U.S. tech industry executives about a compliance meeting in China.
The Beijing regime of Chairman Xi Jinping summoned leaders from the top of U.S. tech industry companies and informed them of consequences for complying with U.S. laws that relate to black-listed Chinese industry; ie. Hauwei. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out.
Beijing is counting on the far-left anti-American ideology within Silicon Valley to create a communist economic alliance on U.S. soil that will work against the interests of the American people.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Chinese government this past week summoned major tech companies including Microsoft and Dell from the United States and Samsung of South Korea, to warn that they could face dire consequences if they cooperate with the Trump administration’s ban on sales of key American technology to Chinese companies, according to people familiar with the meetings.
Held on Tuesday and Wednesday, the meetings came soon after Beijing’s announcement that it was assembling a list of “unreliable” companies and individuals.
[…] The meetings this week were led by China’s central economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, and attended by representatives from its Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, who addressed their remarks to a broad range of companies that export goods to China, according to the two people familiar with the gatherings.
[…] More broadly, the warnings also seemed to be an attempt to forestall a fast breakup of the sophisticated supply chains that connect China’s economy to the rest of the world. Production of a vast array of electronic components and chemicals, along with the assembly of electronic products, makes the country a cornerstone of the operations of many of the world’s largest multinational companies.
[…] To those from the United States, they warned that the Trump administration’s move to cut off Chinese companies from American technology had disrupted the global supply chain, adding that companies that followed the policy could face permanent consequences. The Chinese authorities also hinted that firms should use lobbying to push back against the government’s moves.
[…] Chinese officials explicitly warned companies that any move to pull production from China that seemed to go beyond standard diversification for security purposes could lead to punishment, according to the two people.
[…] The Chinese officials told companies from outside the United States that as long as they kept up their current relationships and continued to supply Chinese companies normally, they would face no adverse consequences. (read full article)
Energy & Environment
Southern California earthquake swarm takes an unexpected turn, and that’s reason to worry
LA Times – If you live in Fontana, you wouldn’t be blamed if you felt a case of the jitters.
A swarm of earthquakes has shown remarkable staying power in the area around the Southern California city. Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson said the chance that the series of tremors will turn into a large and destructive quake isn’t particularly high.
But that doesn’t mean residents shouldn’t be on their toes. The likelihood of a larger seismic event, given how many quakes that have occurred over such an extended period, is higher than normal, the scientist said.
“People ought to be concerned,” said Hauksson. “This is probably the most prolific swarm in that area of the Fontana seismic zone that we’ve seen in the past three decades.”
There have been more than 700 earthquakes recorded in the Fontana area since May 25, ranging from magnitude 0.7 to magnitude 3.2, recorded Wednesday at 5:20 p.m., according to Caltech staff seismologist Jen Andrews. Three of the quakes have been of magnitude 3 or greater.
The swarm initially moved northward, but something unusual began Friday when the swarm turned around and went south, back toward the middle of the activity and the 60 Freeway.
“This is somewhat of an unexpected evolution,” Hauksson said Friday evening. Furthermore, an analysis of the earthquakes shows that activity as of late Friday was fading pretty slowly — slower than would be expected for a typical sequence of aftershocks following a main shock, he said.
“That would suggest it’s going to continue for — I don’t know — at least several weeks,” Hauksson said Friday. “We’re watching what’s happening and trying to track that activity.”
700 Quakes Hit A Key California Seismic Zone, And Tar Is Literally Bubbling Up Through The Streets Of Los Angeles
Economic Collapse Blog – Scientists are quite “concerned” about the huge earthquake swarm that has been shaking southern California in recent weeks, and right at this moment bubbling tar is literally coming up through the streets in one section of Los Angeles. None of this means that a major seismic event is imminent, but it is certainly not a good sign either. We have been tracking quite a bit of unusual shaking along the Ring of Fire in recent months, and scientists assure us that it is just a matter of time before “the Big One” hits southern California. And if you follow my work on a regular basis, then you already know that I am extremely concerned about the potential for major seismic activity along the west coast. So when I came across a San Diego Union-Tribune article entitled “Southern California earthquake swarm takes an unexpected turn, and that’s reason to worry”, it definitely got my attention. According to that article, there have been “more than 700 earthquakes” in the Fontana seismic zone over the past few weeks…
There have been more than 700 earthquakes recorded in the Fontana area since May 25, ranging from magnitude 0.7 to magnitude 3.2, recorded Wednesday at 5:20 p.m., according to Caltech staff seismologist Jen Andrews.
That is certainly a lot of earthquakes, but is this sort of activity unusual?
Well, according to one scientist, this is the “most prolific swarm” to hit that area “in the past three decades”…
The likelihood of a larger seismic event, given so many quakes over such an extended period, is higher than normal, the scientist said.
“People ought to be concerned,” said Hauksson. “This is probably the most prolific swarm in that area of the Fontana seismic zone that we’ve seen in the past three decades.”
Science & Technology
Frightening Stuff Hidden in Your Street Light?
Liberation Nation – Such a benign and banal part of the urban landscape that city-dwellers may not even notice them, street lights are useful for brightening up a road and not much else – or so you might think. People these days are used to the idea of CCTV cameras, even hidden ones, but street lights tend to blend in to the background. Perhaps that is why they are finding new functions in the modern world, with its zealotry for surveillance. These seemingly innocuous devices can host anything from microphones and cameras to facial recognition and de facto compulsory 5G wifi transmission.
LED lampposts are being installed in cities and public places across the world, only partly because of their economical, energy-saving properties. With the new installations comes a wide range of sensors designed to capture data on public activity. As Chuck Campagna, CEO of lighting company Amerlux, told The New York Times, “We are opening up an entirely new area in lighting applications and services, including video-based security and public safety, parking management, predictive maintenance and more.”
“We see outdoor lighting as the perfect infrastructure to build a brand new network,” added Hugh Martin, chief executive of the company Sensity, which installed smart lighting at Newark airport. “We felt what you’d want to use this network for is to gather information about people and the planet.”
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading
5 Forgotten Things Grandma Did With Dandelions
Off The Grid News – In today’s world, people want everything to be neat, tidy and uniform – including their yards. The grass, we’re told, should be one smooth, green carpet.
But that’s easier said than done! Everyone knows that if you don’t pull them or spray them, “weeds” such as dandelions will be the first thing to pop up and ruin that lawn.
Perhaps the real problem here isn’t dandelions, but our unnatural expectations of what things “should” look like, as well as what constitutes a “weed.”
My grandmother loved picking dandelions out in the fields behind her home. She would collect them in her apron or a bucket and proceed to make the most amazing things.
Of course, there is no denying that dandelions can have a bitter aftertaste, especially if you aren’t accustomed to them, but given time and a few tweaks, they can be delicious.
When you consider that these “weeds” are chock full of vitamins, such as A, B, C and D, as well as minerals, including potassium, iron and zinc, it’s no wonder that our ancestors didn’t need multivitamins!
Here’s how our grandmothers used them:

Dandelions as food

Think of dandelions as you would other leafy greens, like lettuce or spinach. This means you can use them in:

Salads (fresh from the yard, but washed).
Soups or casseroles (fresh or dried).
Green juices
Stir fry (chopped up).

Dandelion tea

Yes, you can buy dandelion tea in almost every health food store, but why not learn how to make your own? My grandmother used both the greens and the root. Simply boil a little more than a cup of water, add about a tablespoon of dried leaves and/or root, and cover and allow to simmer for three or so minutes. Strain and add some honey. Speaking of honey……….

Dandelion honey

This isn’t actually a honey; this is more of a syrup. On occasion, when honey ran low, my grandmother would make this.
Start off by gathering a bunch (perhaps four cups) of dandelions, roots and all. Wash and place in a pot of boiling water. Allow to boil for about 3 minutes; cover, and turn off the fire. Allow to soak overnight. Strain out the dandelions, and put back on the stove under a very low flame. Add about a cup of sugar and the juice of one lemon. Leave the pot uncovered and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes or until it reaches a syrup-like consistency. Store in a glass jar and use like you would honey. This tastes so good, you won’t believe it! Try it on pancakes for a really different taste!

Dandelion wine

Everyone’s favorite, right? If you really want to taste some homemade goodness, you simply must try dandelion wine. For this recipe, you will only need fresh flowers, no roots or leaves. Be sure to pull the green little stem at the bottom of the flower. All you want are the yellow petals (nothing green or the wine is very bitter)! There are dozens of recipes online, including this one.

Medicinal uses

These little yellow flowering plants have a wide variety of medicinal uses:

Lower blood pressure.
Calm an upset stomach.
As a mild laxative.
Remove warts.

Our ancestors used dandelions for many years before they had access to doctors or pharmaceuticals. If the unthinkable should happen, a little bit of knowledge about this important little plant will go a long way.
Keep in mind that dandelions are a natural diuretic, so if you are already taking diuretics or any other prescription medicines, you should check with your doctor or pharmacist.
Dandelions greens are at their most tender and delicious when you pick them before they start to flower. If they flower before you pull them, don’t worry! They will just need to be boiled or steamed a bit longer to make them softer. Or, you can still dry the leaves, flowers, and roots for later use.
And one last reminder: If you collect dandelions in the wild, or from a neighbor’s yard, be sure you aren’t collecting plants that have been sprayed with pesticides or where systemic pesticides have been applied.
In Greece, a rebel organic farm goes against the grain
Al Jazeera – The Antonopoulos brothers are leading a farming revolution in Greece, which has Europe’s highest plant biodiversity.
On the Greek government’s list of certified organic farmers, Antonis Antonopoulos has the serial number one.
What makes Antonis and his brother Yiorgos a phenomenon, is not that their model farm pioneered organic methods in Greece; it’s that they were among the first to realise that organically grown, local varieties of wheat and barley other farmers had cast aside could be a commercial hit.
They have branded and shipped their organic flours made from indigenous grains to speciality shops and bakeries for years.
Two years ago, their Zea flour, derived from a double-kernelled wheat bred in their town of Dilofo, became the key ingredient in an eponymous sliced loaf that is distributed nationwide.
Zea’s commercial success has brought an ancient grain back from the brink of extinction.
“Demand is growing,” says Yiorgos, who won’t disclose his annual turnover or how many hectares he cultivates. “Suffice it to say that I’m better off than anyone else in the area.”
This success is important because Greece is a natural gene bank.
Its archipelago, varied terrain and microclimates favoured so many divergent evolutionary paths that today it has the highest plant biodiversity in Europe, with approximately 6,000 wild plant species or subspecies, and thousands of cultivated plants.
Should this vast genetic vocabulary be lost, scientists and farmers could lose a vital resource in the fight to keep feeding the planet in a rapidly-changing climate.
Gardening Is Good for Your Health in Many Ways
Mercola – Research shows gardening provides a number of valuable health benefits, including stress relief, improved brain health, better nutrition, exercise and weight loss.
Gardening counts as moderate-to-high-intensity exercise for children and adults alike, with activities such as digging being classified as high-intensity.
People who engage in community gardening projects have considerably lower body mass index than non-gardeners, suggesting an active lifestyle indeed translates into improved weight management.
Gardening has been shown to decrease depression severity by engaging effortless attention and interrupting rumination. Digging in the soil may affect your mental health by exposing you to beneficial microorganisms.
Research also shows gardening can help improve cognitive function by increasing brain nerve growth factors
Health
Juicing for Heart Health
Care2 – Many people have turned to juicing for weight loss, but there’s an added benefit that is often overlooked. Consuming fruits and vegetables is fantastic for your heart. While we have known for many years that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for overall health, there is specific evidence that links consuming fruits and vegetables to heart health. Those who juice are able to optimize the effects because they can pack a variety of produce into one beverage. Here are some things to take into consideration when juicing for heart health.
The Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables
Consuming raw fruits and vegetables is a great way to improve your heart health, as well as your overall body health. Raw produce contains amazing nutrients that are often lost in the cooking process. When you juice the raw fruits and vegetables, you can combine flavor profiles that you may not normally combine for cooking purposes, and gain all the nutritional value simultaneously. Instead of having to eat several products at one sitting, you can juice it into a tasty drink, reaping all the benefits.
Fruits and Vegetables That Benefit the Heart
Some fruits and vegetables are better for the heart than others. This list contains the best produce, along with the heart benefit:

Green Vegetables
Beets
Ginger
Red Grapes
Celery
Berries

How Often Should You Juice?
There is nothing wrong with juicing every day. The juice from fruits and vegetables are great for frequent consumption. However, you should also include lean protein in your diet. Protein is important for muscle growth and development.
While you can easily consume two to four servings of fruits and vegetables in one drink, having a balanced diet is just as important. If you are a vegetarian, you can get proteins from nuts and legumes. Otherwise, a serving a fish, such as salmon, can provide beneficial omega 3’s.
Also, make sure that you are getting enough fiber in your diet. When you juice, you are often stripping the fibrous components away to get the liquid. In order to maintain digestive health, adding fiber to your diet is vital. Whether you use a powder or consume it in another fashion, make sure you are getting enough daily fiber in your diet.
Healthiest Nuts You Can Eat
Newmax Health – From positive effects on cholesterol levels to reducing the risk of heart disease and even some cancers, nuts are good for you.
Ounce for ounce, they are nutrient powerhouses with beneficial fats and plant protein. Many studies recommend eating one and a half ounces of nuts a day. But which are best? High levels of nutrients put these varieties at the top of the list.
Pistachios have antioxidants including lutein, important for eye health, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. Eating pistachios might help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and maintain heart health, according to Penn State researchers. Shelling them yourself prolongs your enjoyment. One ounce is equal to 45 to 50 pistachios.
Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium, plus a good jolt of calcium. A Korean study found eating about two ounces of almonds a day can improve levels of all blood fats, including triglycerides. A University of Florida study found their fiber content could boost good bacteria in the gut and good health in general. One ounce is equal to about 24 almonds.
Hazelnuts, or filberts, are also rich in vitamin E as well as the minerals copper and manganese. They are being studied, along with almonds and walnuts, as a food to protect brain health. One ounce is equal to 15 to 20 hazelnuts.
Pecans are high in antioxidants and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. A recent Tufts University study found that pecans are part of a smart anti-diabetes diet. One ounce is equal to 15 to 20 pecans.
Walnuts top many lists with twice the antioxidants of other nuts and an abundance of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. In addition to the heart health benefits, eating walnuts might reduce the risk of depression. One ounce is equal to about 15 walnut halves.
Common wisdom has been to reach for raw and/or unsalted nuts to get the most nutrients without added sodium. But a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found dry roasting (which enhances nut flavor) and light salting doesn’t affect their nutritional content.
While great for nibbling, nuts make crunchy additions to salads, yogurt, and breakfast grains. They can be chopped fine and used instead of breadcrumbs, ground fine to use in place of flour, and processed into a nut butter.