Today's News: March 16, 2018

World News

Jawsdropping: Giant 20ft great white shark dwarfs three divers in underwater cage
Mirror – A 20ft long great white shark dwarfs a research cage as it swims through a spool of shimmering mackerel. The giant shark, which weighs more than two tonnes, can be seen circling the shark cage time and time again.
The photos, captured off of the Guadalupe Islands, Mexico, were taken for a shark identification project by Water Safety Specialist John Maher.
The 35-year-old from La Jolla, California, travelled more than 24 hours on the research vessel and spent three days documenting the different great white.

Top US Commander Sees Peace Possibilities in Afghanistan
Newsmax – The top American commander in Afghanistan is talking up prospects for peace talks with the Taliban. Gen. John Nicholson suggested in an interview that after 16 years of war, the militants are weary and see slim chances of making new gains on the battlefield.
Nicholson spoke Wednesday at Bagram air base north of Kabul, shortly after consulting with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The general said that if peace talks begin between the Taliban and the Afghan government, the effort is likely to take years before bearing fruit.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Surveillance Video Released of Parkland Shooting—Does Not Show Shooter
Activist Post – More than 27 minutes of surveillance footage has been released from security cameras at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, for the purpose of showing former deputy Scot Peterson standing outside of the building, while students and teachers were murdered inside.
The shooting reportedly lasted 7 minutes, which included enough time for a freshman student named Chris McKenna to find Cruz loading his rifle, and then to flee to get help when Cruz told him, “things are gonna start getting messy.”
The school confirmed that Cruz exited the building at 2:28 p.m. and blended in with other students who were fleeing campus. A teacher at the school who witnessed the shooting said she initially thought the shooter was a police officer because he was dressed in full body armor, and was carrying a rifle she had never seen before.
Given that he may have set off more warning signs if he had been fully clothed in body armor when he was riding in an Uber or entering the school, the timeline gives Cruz just 7 minutes to load his rifle, put on his body armor, shoot 31 people, discard the gun and the body armor and then exit the building.
The surveillance footage released by the Broward County Sheriff’s office ends at 2:50 p.m., and while it does show some students walking by as they exit the building, it fails to show Cruz entering or exiting—details that would arguably help to put the public’s mind at ease.
As The Free Thought Project has reported, it has been one month since the shooting occurred, and even though 17 innocent people were killed, the surveillance footage that has just been released serves as a reminder that some of the most glaring questions and inconsistencies are the ones that both law enforcement and the mainstream media refuse to address.
What the release of this footage highlights is the insulting attempt to appease the public and media’s demands for actual video that shows the actual crime. Until this is released, authorities in Florida are doing an injustice the victims and their families alike.

Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: report
Yahoo – Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand and the United States.
Plastic was identified in 93 percent of the samples, which included major name brands such as Aqua, Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Nestle Pure Life and San Pellegrino.
The plastic debris included nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene, which is used to make bottle caps.
Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand and the United States.
Plastic was identified in 93 percent of the samples, which included major name brands such as Aqua, Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Nestle Pure Life and San Pellegrino.
The plastic debris included nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene, which is used to make bottle caps.
Don’t buy bottled water, purify your own with the Aqua Pail from NuManna OR
Aquanetics H2O Hydro Water Purification System

California high school teacher put on leave after asking whether schools would allow students to walk out to protest abortion
Fox News – California high school history teacher Julianne Benzel was put on paid leave after questioning in front of her students whether school administrations would let a group of students protesting abortion walk out of class in the middle of the school day like they did with students who did so on Wednesday in protests over school shootings.
“I opened up the discussion for if schools … are going to allow one group of students to get up during class and walk out to protest on one issue, would they still give the same courtesy to another group of students who wanted to get up and walk out in protest. And I used the example of abortion,” Rocklin High School teacher Benzel said on Fox News Friday morning.
Benzel said two students and one parent took issue with her comment and complained to the administration who then placed her on leave for two days.

East Texas gun store now offering backpack armor for students
East Texas Matters – After the Florida School Shooting there was a call for more protection for East Texas students. Because of the demand, Superior Firearms in Tyler stocked up on armor for student’s backpacks.
The armor is similar to that of military style material. The two types they have in stock are designed to stop pistol style weapons, like a glock or a .44 Magnum, with the thicker armor designed to stop AR caliber rounds.
Cody Kincaid with Superior Firearms explained the body armor is simple to use. “You take the armor, and put it in your backpack with the face of it pointed toward the possible threat. You put it on your back and it can defeat any threat from the back. For any reason that you have to go toward the fight, you can defeat a threat from the front.”

Good Grief – Palm Beach “Known Wolf” Teenage Jihadist Had Extensive FBI Monitoring…
The Conservative Treehouse – A 17-year-old Jihadist in Palm Beach Florida stabbed three people, killing one, over the weekend – BACKSTORY HERE.
Corey Johnson admitted to police he was inspired by ISIS and carrying out the attacks on behalf of Islam. Yesterday local, state and FBI officials also admitted that he was “on their radar“, uh huh.
Well, you’re likely not going to believe how extensive their radar contact and monitoring was.
As an example: they were mirroring his social media in real time; they knew he had contacts with ISIS; they knew he was behind international threats; the FBI was ‘actively‘ monitoring him; and all the officials met several times to discuss the likelihood his unstable behavior might lead to much worse. But they didn’t want to take action, because he was a minor, and preferred “redirection” or diversionary programs to change his behavior.

Illinois Governor Vetoes Bill to License Gun Stores
Newsmax – Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have required gun retailers to be licensed by the state of Illinois, calling it “unnecessary, burdensome regulation” that would have hurt small business owners and wouldn’t have made communities safer.”

Veteran News

4 charged with using ‘Wounded Warrior’ name to raise over $150,000 for personal profit
CNN – Dan Cristiani of Clark County, Indiana, thought he was helping veterans. His late father had been awarded two Purple Hearts, so when Cristiani received a call from the “Wounded Warrior Fund” asking for a donation to help Indiana vets, he felt it was his duty to give. And give again. Over two years, the 69-year-old donated more than $1,000. But the money never made it to veterans, and instead is believed to have fueled the lifestyle of suspected crooks.
The man picking up the checks from Cristiani was 44-year-old James Linville of Clark County. He incorporated the Wounded Warrior Fund in 2011 and Wounded Warrior Foundation in 2014, which presented themselves falsely as nonprofit organizations serving veterans in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Linville worked with three associates to defraud more than 1,000 victims and collect more than $150,000 in traceable donations over six years, according to investigators. The indictment alleges they told donors 100% of their contributions would go to veterans and their families. Investigators say no money went toward veterans.
The Justice Department publicly announced the charges Friday morning.

Economy & Business

Walmart to Expand Grocery Delivery as Amazon Battle Intensifies
Newsmax – Walmart Inc. will expand its grocery home delivery services to more than 100 metro areas this year from an existing six cities as the retailer steps up a fight against rival Amazon.com Inc.
Walmart said on Wednesday the service would be rolled out to more than 40 percent of U.S. households by the end of the year. Deliveries will cost $9.95 with a minimum $30 order and companies like Uber Technologies Inc. will provide transport. Other delivery companies will be added later this year.
The move will complement Walmart’s rollout of curbside grocery pickup, which is currently available in 1,200 stores and will be added to a 1,000 more stores this year. It also allows Walmart to compete with Amazon’s two-hour Prime Now service for shoppers of its loyalty program.

New Jersey’s Budget Would Raise Taxes on Almost Everything
Newsmax – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy proposed taxing online-room booking, ride-sharing, marijuana, e-cigarettes and Internet transactions along with raising taxes on millionaires and retail sales to fund a record $37.4 billion budget that would boost spending on schools, pensions and mass transit.
The proposal, 4.2 percent higher than the current fiscal year’s, relies on a tax for the wealthiest that has yet to be approved and lacks support from key Democrats in the legislature. It also reverses pledges from Murphy’s predecessor, Republican Chris Christie, to lower taxes in the state where living costs are among the nation’s highest.

Energy & Environment

The U.S. hasn’t learned its lessons from the toxic mining of uranium
NaturalNews – As the U.S. moves closer towards increasing domestic mining operations of uranium, an EcoWatch article warned that bitter lessons about unreliable regulation and volatile economic patterns will be forgotten. Inevitably, the public will end up paying for the profits of the uranium industry.
In the past, the U.S. mined and milled radioactive uranium within its borders. Those domestic operations left lasting scars on local communities in the form of abandoned mines, radioactive contamination, and health issues linked to uranium exposure.
Uranium hurts poor, isolated, ethnically-marginalized Americans
Southwestern states have suffered the worst of uranium’s negative effects. The hardest-hit communities also happen to be some of the poorest, most remote, and ethnically-marginalized peoples in the U.S.
At least 500 abandoned uranium mines are located on tribal lands owned by the Navajo Nation. This concentration of radioactive sites led to cancer clusters, irradiated water, and other negative consequences for the Diné (Navajo) people.
According to a 2015 study, uranium contaminated around 85 percent of homes owned by the Diné. Tribe members who dwell near the closed-down mines have more uranium in their bones than everyone else in the U.S.

Science & Technology

YouTube To Introduce Conspiracy Theory Debunking Information Boxes On Videos
Activist Post – YouTube has announced a crackdown on conspiracy themed videos, which will soon feature informative debunking boxes linking back to Wikipedia and other sources, Yahoo News reported.
In light of the recent conspiracy driven narratives after shootings, with many claiming mere minutes after an event that a situation was a false flag attack, YouTube has taken measures into its own hands.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki detailed what the company has deemed a “potential solution.” YouTube will now begin displaying links to supposedly fact-based content to combat conspiracy videos.

Astronaut Scott Kelly is no longer an identical twin: How a year in space altered his DNA
Fox News -In March 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a historic 340-day stint on the International Space Station a changed man – his time in orbit had permanently altered part of his DNA.
During his time on the ISS, Scott took part in a study with his twin brother Mark back on Earth. Scientists studied the differences between Scott and Mark, who was also an astronaut at the time. The brothers provided blood, saliva and urine samples, underwent ultrasounds and bone scans, got flu shots and more, all in the name of science.
Researchers recently confirmed the study’s preliminary findings, which revealed that part of Scott’s genetic makeup actually changed during his year on the orbiting space lab.
In particular, scientists highlighted the presence of the so-called “space gene” in Kelly. “Researchers now know that 93 percent of Scott’s genes returned to normal after landing,” the space agency, explained, in a statement. “However, the remaining 7 percent point to possible longer term changes in genes related to his immune system, DNA repair, bone formation networks, hypoxia, and hypercapnia.”
During a recent interview with Fox News, Scott Kelly explained that his microbiome, the bacteria that live inside the human body, also altered dramatically during his year in space. “Mine is completely different to my brother’s – mine, of course, is better than his,” he quipped.

McDonald’s Staff Quit – New Tech Makes Taking Orders ‘Too Complicated’
Infowars – McDonald’s staff are quitting their jobs in their droves as the new menu and technology are making their work too complicated, former employees have said.
The fast-food chain has been updating their customer experience with new technology, mobile app, a revamped menu and a curb side pick up in the US, but according to Bloomberg, the updates could backfire.
McDonald’s employees have said they are handling more tasks without pay rises or sufficient staffing, leading to stressful working conditions and complicated procedures.

Health

Without Magnesium, Vitamin D Supplementation May Backfire
Mercola – Magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, is a component necessary for the activation of vitamin D, and without sufficient amounts of it, your body cannot properly utilize the vitamin D you’re taking.1,2,3,4
This may actually help explain why many need rather high doses of vitamin D to optimize their levels — it could be that they simply have insufficient amounts of magnesium in their system to activate the vitamin D. As noted by co-author Mohammed Razzaque, professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania:5
“People are taking vitamin D supplements but don’t realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, vitamin D is not really useful. By consuming an optimal amount of magnesium, one may be able to lower the risks of vitamin D deficiency, and reduce the dependency on vitamin D supplements.”
Get your Magnesium & Vitamin D from www.thepowermall.com or by calling 877-817-9829 today!

FDA Threatens Homeopathy – Congressional Action Needed
Green Med Info – The FDA has tossed out the guidance that previously governed homoeopathy and has proposed a new framework that threatens the entire industry.
Long-time natural health champion Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA) are spearheading efforts in Congress to correct this overreach. They are preparing sign-on letters which argue that the FDA should not completely withdraw the previous regulatory framework (Compliance Policy Guide 400.400) for homeopathic products.
A few weeks ago, we told you about the FDA’s latest action against homeopathic products. The agency’s new position is technically that every homeopathic product on the market is being sold illegally because 1) no homeopathic drug has been determined to be generally recognized as safe and effective (which is required for a drug to be sold over-the-counter) and 2) no homeopathic drug has gone through the FDA’s new drug approval process.
With the FDA’s new guidance, homeopathic products will be subject to the same rules as other over-the-counter drugs or new drugs—a move that could eliminate many homeopathic products from the market. New drug approval for homeopathic products is burdensome, duplicative, and inappropriate.
We must encourage our senators and representatives to sign on to the Hatch and Costello letters and send a clear message to the FDA: the previous regulatory policy was sufficient to ensure consumer access to safe homeopathic remedies, and we don’t need to fix what isn’t broken.
Action Alert! Write to your elected officials and urge them to support reigning in FDA overreach in regulating homeopathic products. Please send your message immediately.
>> TAKE ACTION HERE

Chinese Food so Salty it Should Carry Warning Labels: Study
Newsmax – You might want to pass on that sweet and sour pork, if your blood pressure is high. A new analysis of more than 150 Chinese dishes has found many of them contain such high levels of salt they should carry a warning label because they may pose heart risks.
The analysis — by the advocacy group Action on Salt, backed by 25 expert scientific members — found some some popular some popular Chinese food dishes are more salty than a Big Mac.
The study authors are calling on policymakers to make health labeling mandatory.