Today's News: June 22, 2018

World News

Masterpiece Mystery: Da Vinci ‘earliest’ work found after 600 years?
The Sun – LEONARDO da Vinci’s first painting may have been unearthed by eagle-eyed sleuths who claim to have found a fascinating detail unnoticed for 600 years.
Using infrared analysis, Italian experts claim to have found the words “da Vinci Leonardo 1471” written on the portrait of the Archangel Gabriel.

Lasers Harass US Military Pilots in East China Sea
Sputnik – Ocean-borne lasers have targeted US military pilots flying over the Pacific Ocean nearly two dozen times in recent months, according to a new report, drawing parallels to the Pentagon’s allegation earlier this year that Chinese military lasers were aimed at US pilots near Djibouti.

Russia: ‘Tough Response’ If US Creates Space Force
The Daily Caller – Russia will have a “tough response” if President Donald Trump’s order to create a Space Force is carried out, said the head of a Russian parliamentary committee on defense and security Tuesday.
“Let’s hope the American political elite still have the remnants of reason and common sense,” committee head Viktor Bondarev told Russian media. “But if the United States withdraws from the 1967 treaty banning nuclear weapons in outer space, then, of course, not only ours, but also other states, will follow with a tough response aimed at ensuring world security.”
The treaty Bondarev referred to was signed by more than 85 countries in 1967.
It states that parties to the treaty will “undertake not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.”

UN chief to meet with US secretary of state
AP – The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss “issues of mutual concern” that will likely include the Middle East peace process and North Korea.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Supreme Court rules law enforcement needs warrant to search cellphone data
The Hill – The Supreme Court ruled Friday that law enforcement in most cases has to obtain a warrant in order to search and seize long-term cell phone records that would show a person’s location.
In a 5-4 ruling, the court held that the Fourth Amendment’s protections against an unreasonable search protects people from having the government acquire their cell-site records from wireless providers in run-of-the-mill criminal investigations.

Crying migrant girl on TIME magazine cover was not separated from mother, family says
Fox – A little girl shown in a viral photo crying as a U.S. Border Patrol agent detained her mother – and used by TIME magazine to symbolize the Trump administration’s family separation policy – reportedly was never separated from her mom.
“Welcome to America,” declared a somber TIME cover, which showed the picture of the Honduran child Yanela Sanchez next to a towering President Trump.
TIME, which is standing by the cover despite the new information, originally called it “an image America could not ignore” and interviewed the photographer, as did other outlets. TIME followed up with another article entirely about the cover and “the story behind” it.

TOM ARNOLD: Cohen and I are teaming up to take Trump down
The Hill – Comedian Tom Arnold said Friday that he and President Trump’s former longtime personal lawyer are teaming up to “take down” the president.
Arnold tweeted a photo with Michael Cohen on Thursday with the caption “I Love New York,” which Cohen retweeted without comment.
Arnold then told NBC News that he met with Cohen as part of a show he is working on for Vice, in which he searches for incriminating videos of the president.

Republicans aim to make McCaskill wealth defining liability
St. Louis Post Dispatch – Recent published reports revealed that Sen. Claire McCaskill’s husband has profited handsomely from the very type of investments that the senator herself has legislated against.
It’s the kind of story that would create a speed bump for any political campaign. For McCaskill, a Democrat, it’s also the latest reminder of an ironic political liability — her substantial personal wealth — as she tries to convince regular Missourians that she’s “one of them” going into a tough re-election bid this year.
Roll Call lists McCaskill as the 24th wealthiest member of Congress overall, with an estimated net worth of almost $27 million — and the No. 1 wealthiest member who faces a tough campaign fight this fall.

Is the Nancy Pelosi era coming to a close? At least 20 Democrats running for the House oppose her
Salon – The number of Democratic candidates on the campaign trail hoping to be elected to the House of Representatives in this November’s midterm elections who openly oppose Nancy Pelosi’s desire to wield the speaker’s gavel once again has multiplied to at least 20.

Trump hosts ‘Angel Families’ to highlight crime by illegal immigrants
Washington Times – President Trump highlighted “American victims of illegal immigration” Friday, hosting families of people killed by illegal immigrants to tell their stories and hitting back at critics of his rescinded policy that separated illegal child migrants from their parents.
“These are the American citizens permanently separated from their loved ones,” Mr. Trump said at the White House. “These are the families the media ignores. These are the stories that Democrats and people that are weak on immigration don’t want to discuss.”

Exclusive: U.S. Attorney in West Texas Drops ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Charges Against Migrants Who Came With Children
Yahoo – The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas on Thursday dismissed nearly all outstanding criminal cases of illegal entry and illegal re-entry involving migrant parents who were apprehended with their children in that jurisdiction, effective immediately. The district includes several major border towns, including El Paso and Del Rio

Energy & Environment

Why does India’s air look different from space?
BBC – There is something very distinct about the air over India and the surrounding countries in South Asia.
It is the presence of formaldehyde – a colourless gas that is naturally released by vegetation but also from a number of polluting activities.
The elevated concentrations have been observed by Europe’s new Sentinel-5P satellite, which was launched last October to track air quality worldwide.

Lava From Kilauea’s Eruption In Hawaii Is Flowing Faster Than You Can Run
Forbes – If it isn’t obvious already, there’s one more reason not to go near the lava that has already covered nearly ten square miles of Kilauea Volcano’s Eastern Rift Zone on the southeastern corner of Hawaii’s Big Island: you might not be able to out-run it.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that “standing waves” were visible in a channel of lava flowing at speeds up to 17 miles per hour. Of course, the eruption slows down as it spreads out, forming so-called “pahoehoe” flows that creep along. But it’s important to know just how fast the stuff can move because there’s no reason a channel can’t suddenly change.

Science & Technology

Bill Gates donates to create mosquitos that kill each other using SEX
The Sun – An army of romping male mosquitos that kill off their female counterparts have received significant funding from Microsoft’s billionaire chairman
Tech mogul Gates will use funds from his own charity organisation – the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – to eradicate malaria “within a generation”.
The plan is to create genetically-modified male mosquitos that mate with their female counterparts in the wild.
Only female mosquitos bite, so Gates’ army of gene-engineered male mosquitos would be safe to humans.
What’s important is that these male mosquitos contain a self-limiting gene that gets passed onto female mates.

Bill Could Give Californians Unprecedented Control Over Data
Wired – Lawmakers in California have introduced a sweeping privacy bill to the state legislature that would give Californians unprecedented control over their data and reign in the power of their Silicon Valley neighbors.
Introduced by state assemblyman Ed Chau and state senator Robert Hertzberg, the bill would allow California residents to find out what information businesses and data brokers collect about them, where that information comes from, and how it’s shared. It would give people the power to ask for their data to be deleted and to order businesses to stop selling their personal information. It places limits on selling data on users younger than 16 years of age, and prohibits businesses from denying service to users for exercising their rights under the bill.

Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Starting Your Own Backyard Antioxidant Tea Garden
Off Grid News – With the popularity of tea these days, it is not difficult to find it at any grocery store, nearly anywhere in the world. You can buy inexpensive black teas or pricey, organic loose teas and everything in between. But, what about making your own? It is definitely possible to grow tea plants, harvest the leaves, and then create and brew several varieties of tea. In essence, you can easily create your own tea garden right in your backyard.
You can grow your tea plant from seed or from a cutting taken from an existing plant. You may also be able to find a plant at a local nursery. If you are growing from seed, germination will take about four weeks. Cover the seeds lightly with soil and keep it damp and warm. When starting from seeds, be prepared to wait a few years to make tea. It takes at least three years to get a plant that will produce enough leaves for you to make a harvest. If you are using a cutting, nurture it indoors for a year before transplanting outdoors.

Health

BREAKING NEWS: STATE BAR SUES LEADING VACCINE RIGHTS ATTORNEY IN CLASSIC WITCH HUNT!
GreenMedInfo – The North Carolina State Bar, the agency that licenses NC attorneys, has taken the unprecedented step of filing a lawsuit against the nation’s leading vaccine rights attorney, Alan Phillips, J.D., to force Phillips to hand over years of his clients’ files or risk being jailed for civil contempt…
Attorney Phillips is the nation’s leading Vaccine Rights attorney, the only attorney whose practice is focused solely on vaccine exemptions and vaccine legislative activism, and who works with clients, attorneys, legislators and activists nationally in virtually every possible U.S. exemption setting.
>> Note: Attorney Alan Phillips has been recurring guest on The Power Hour Radio Show.

Surprising Toothpaste Ingredient Linked to Colon Cancer
Care2 – You may be getting more than you bargained for when you brush your teeth: you could be absorbing triclosan, a chemical that has been linked to colon cancer.
Triclosan is a suspected endocrine-disruptor and a well-known antibiotic known to contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Sadly, the toxin is added to many common household and personal care products (toothpaste, mouthwashes, soaps, detergents, bedding, socks and toys) to prevent bacterial and fungal growth. Additionally, it is also found in some veterinary care products.
A recent study published in the medical journal Science Translational Medicine found that exposure to triclosan increased gut inflammation, which has been linked to a wide range of health conditions, including colitis. Colitis is a condition in which the inner lining of the colon becomes inflamed. Some of the symptoms of colitis include: abdominal pain, cramping, blood in the stools, fevers, diarrhea, fatigue, dehydration, eye inflammation, canker sores and joint inflammation.
The same study also found that among those with colitis, triclosan exposures increase the risk of colon cancer. In other words, triclosan increases intestinal inflammation, which is a causal factor for conditions like cancer. Then, among those with colitis, the compound increases the risk of colon cancer.
This chemical is also dangerous because it contributes to resistant bacteria and disorders that are the result of hormone imbalances. Because the use of triclosan is so common in the cosmetics and body care products industries as an antibacterial ingredient, this ingredient is contributing to the development of virulent superbugs that are resistant to our best drugs, which is why it was banned for use in hand soaps.
>> Be sure to check out all-natural Vita-Myr Zinc Plus Toothpaste at thepowermal.com

Study Finds Drinking Baking Soda May Combat Inflammation
Care 2 – A recent study found that drinking baking soda every day may help reduce inflammation over time. Researchers suggest this could be a potentially cheap and simple method to help combat inflammation-related diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or cancer.