March 28, 2024

The Power Hour

Knowledge is Power

Today's News: March 29, 2019

World News
Bolton warns Russia on military presence in Venezuela
Reuters – President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned Russia on Friday about its military presence in Venezuela, saying any move to establish or expand operations there would be considered a “direct threat” to international peace.
“We strongly caution actors external to the Western Hemisphere against deploying military assets to Venezuela, or elsewhere in the Hemisphere, with the intent of establishing or expanding military operations,” White House national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement.
“We will consider such provocative actions as a direct threat to international peace and security in the region,” Bolton added.
Russia said on Thursday it had sent “specialists” to Venezuela under a military cooperation deal but insisted they posed no threat to regional stability, brushing aside a call by Trump for Moscow to remove all military personnel from the country.
Trump said on Wednesday that “all options” were open to make Russia pull troops out of Venezuela after two Russian air force planes landed outside Caracas on Saturday carrying nearly 100 Russian troops, according to media reports.
Brexit deal REJECTED by MPs leaving UK trapped in EU
The Sun – SQUABBLING MPs today voted to block Britain’s EU exit AGAIN as they defeated Theresa May’s deal for the third time – on the very day we were supposed to leave at last.
The Commons defeated the PM’s bid to leave the EU on May 22, by 58 votes – plunging the country into the worst chaos yet.
The Government is now likely to request a long delay to Brexit, lasting up to a year which casts huge doubt on whether we will ever even leave.
Mrs May’s loss also ramps up the chances of a snap election dragging Brits back to the polls for the third time in four years. She hinted at this, saying “I fear we are reaching the limits of this process” after the numbers were called out.
On a day when Britain’s future hangs in the balance:

  • More than 30 Tory rebels joined the DUP and opposition parties to vote down the deal
  • Mrs May prepared a plan for a FOURTH “meaningful vote” next week
  • MPs warned that No Deal and a soft Brexit are now much more likely
  • The EU called an emergency summit as a top Eurocrat openly mocked Brexiteers
  • Pro-Brexit activists flooded Westminster in protest at MPs’ antics

Today’s result will spark huge anger directed at all sides from the majority of the British public who just want to see the country exit the EU.
China City Offers Cash for Information in Religion Crackdown
South China Morning Post – Guangzhou has become the first major city in China to offer financial rewards to people who report “illegal religious activities”, as authorities continue to crack down on underground gatherings.
An announcement was made recently by the southern city’s ethnic and religious affairs department, which said that members of the public could earn up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) for providing tip-offs about illicit groups.
The move comes amid a nationwide drive to sinicise foreign religious traditions, and after the country’s religious affairs regulation was amended in February last year to give grass-roots officials more power to act against religious practitioners and impose tougher penalties on worshippers.
Much of the crackdown has been directed at
unregistered Protestant churches
, which despite the restrictions have been flourishing in Chinese cities. But the religious controls have also seen the demolition of Catholic churches and convents, Buddhist statues, temples and mosques on the grounds they had not been approved.
Homelessness rises in Argentina’s capital amid crisis
Miami Herald – A smiling two-year-old Valentina Aleman runs down a sidewalk in Buenos Aires, dodging cardboard boxes, a worn-out sofa and a broken refrigerator without noticing the cars zooming dangerously close to her and others — risks of living on the streets.
A makeshift tent of cardboard and plastic bags on the side of a busy avenue in the Argentine capital serves as shelter for the girl, her four siblings and her parents, who sleep sharing two old mattresses laid out on the concrete.
“Being here with (the children) is not nice. The main risk is their health,” Valentina’s mother, Damiana, said while the kids played with used toys. “They want to watch TV. My oldest asks why we can’t be at home with our TV and our bed.”
Families living on the streets outside shopping malls, bus stations and parks have become an increasingly common sight in Buenos Aires, as an economic crisis, soaring inflation and a spike in utility bills fueled by austerity measures have left more people unable to afford a home. The long-running crisis sharpened in 2018 when the Argentine peso lost about half its value following a run on the currency.
Venezuela returns to ‘Middle Ages’ during power outages
AFP – Walking for hours, making oil lamps, bearing water. For Venezuelans today, suffering under a new nationwide blackout that has lasted days, it’s like being thrown back to life centuries ago.
El Avila, a mountain that towers over Caracas, has become a place where families gather with buckets and jugs to fill up with water, wash dishes and scrub clothes. The taps in their homes are dry from lack of electricity to the city’s water pumps.
“We’re forced to get water from sources that obviously aren’t completely hygienic. But it’s enough for washing or doing the dishes,” said one resident, Manuel Almeida.
Because of the long lines of people, the activity can take hours of waiting.
Elsewhere, locals make use of cracked water pipes. But they still need to boil the water, or otherwise purify it.
“We’re going to bed without washing ourselves,” said one man, Pedro Jose, a 30-year-old living in a poorer neighborhood in the west of the capital.
Some shops seeing an opportunity have hiked the prices of bottles of water and bags of ice to between $3 and $5 — a fortune in a country where the monthly minimum salary is the equivalent of $5.50.
Better-off Venezuelans, those with access to US dollars, have rushed to fill hotels that have giant generators and working restaurants.
For others, preserving fresh food is a challenge. Finding it is even more difficult. The blackout has forced most shops to close.
“We share food” among family members and friends, explained Coral Munoz, 61, who counts herself lucky to have dollars.
“You have to keep a level head to put up with all this, and try to have people around because being alone make it even harder.”
US asks Chile to extradite arms dealer who sold weapons to Iraq… in deals ‘set up by CIA’
RT – Washington has again shown that all is fair in war and business, calling for the extradition of a Chilean ex-arms dealer who sold cluster bombs to Iraq in the ‘80s, despite claims the CIA supported and approved the deals.
Before being inducted into Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’, Iraq’s war with neighboring Iran made it a useful proxy to help Washington crush the nascent revolutionary government in Tehran. To accomplish the task, Baghdad needed bombs, and wealthy businessman Carlos Cardoen happened to have supplies in stock.
According to former National Security official Howard Teicher, part of the reason Cardoen found himself in the right place at the right time to seal the lucrative deal was that the CIA had stepped in to help manufacture and facilitate the sale of cluster bombs to the Iraqi government.
However, as times changed and US relations with Iraq went south, weapons sold to Saddam Hussein ended up being turned on Washington during the Gulf War, at which point helping equip the now enemy-regime became a criminal act. That is how 76-year-old Cardoen found himself in US officials’ crosshairs since 1993, despite his claims to innocence, and the possible role the CIA itself played in helping him make his fortune.
India blew up its own helicopter while trying to target Pakistani jets, killing 7 – report
RT – In a scene that could have come right out of ‘Top Gun’, India seems to have knocked its own helicopter out of the sky with a missile aimed at intruding Pakistani jets, according to media reports.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Federal judge rules DOJ must hand over Comey memos
Washington Examiner – A federal judge ordered the FBI Thursday to turn over former Director James Comey’s memos, including the notes that he took during his infamous one-on-one meetings with President Trump.
Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of CNN, USA Today, Judicial Watch, and other outlets, telling the DOJ that it must hand over the Comey memos to the court for review and possible public release.
The memos include the notes that Comey said he leaked to the media to spark the appointment of a special counsel.
Media and watchdog groups have fought to obtain documents relating to Comey’s notes through the Freedom of Information Act since May 2017, when the existence of the Comey memos was first made public. The memos recount conversations between Comey and Trump that are hotly disputed, and the outlets argue that the public has a right to their contents.
Border Patrol begins releasing migrant families on streets
AZ Central – U.S. Border Patrol officials in Arizona said they have started releasing migrant families from their custody into the streets of Yuma because processing centers can’t cope with the large numbers of arriving families and minors.
Community groups in the Yuma area have set up temporary facilities to house the families and to provide food and shelter while they assist migrants with travel plans to leave the border city.
The Border Patrol issued a statement Thursday announcing its decision, which followed the lead of officials in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, who last week began releasing families from their custody.
“U.S. Border Patrol processing centers are not designed to house the current numbers of families and small children that we are encountering,” the Border Patrol’s Yuma sector said in a written statement. “Due to capacity issues at our stations and the ongoing humanitarian crisis nationwide, Border Patrol has begun identifying detainees for potential release in Yuma with a notice to appear for their immigration hearings.”
In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Carl Landrum, the Yuma sector’s deputy chief, explained Border Patrol made the decision as a dramatic surge in migrant families and minors overwhelmed their resources and holding spaces.
Trump threatens to close border ‘next week’ if Mexico doesn’t ‘immediately stop’ flood of illegal immigrants
Fox – President Trump on Friday threatened to close the Southern Border next week if Mexico does not “immediately stop” the record-breaking surge of illegal immigrants flooding into the United States.
Trump’s warning comes as Customs and Border Protection officials say March is on pace to exceed 100,000 border apprehensions — the highest monthly total in a decade. According to CBP, this week alone, agents have more than 12,000 migrants in custody.,
“The DEMOCRATS have given us the weakest immigration laws anywhere in the World. Mexico has the strongest, & they make more than $100 Billion a year on the U.S.,” Trump tweeted. “Therefore, CONGRESS MUST CHANGE OUR WEAK IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW, & Mexico must stop illegals from entering the U.S. through their country and our Southern Border.”
“Mexico for many years made a fortune off of the U.S., far greater than Border Costs. If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through[sic] our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week.”
He continued: “This would be so easy for Mexico to do, but they just take our money and ‘talk.’ Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add in drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!”
The president’s tweet comes after similar threats earlier in the week to close the Southern Border, with Trump accusing Mexico and Central American nations of doing “nothing” as illegal immigration surges.
New York City to give additional $1.6 million to city attorneys to defend immigrants slated for deportation
Fox  – Calling it a defensive fund against President Trump’s immigration policies, New York City officials plan to put an extra $1.6 million toward public defenders representing immigrants slated for deportation, according to the New York Daily News.
The move to bolster the funding arose from a deal between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
Attorneys and immigrant rights groups had pushed for money, saying that courts were rushing decisions on deportation and that immigrants were at a disadvantage if they did not have the help of an attorney.
“This emergency funding will help us provide more attorneys to New Yorkers in need,” Johnson said, according to the Daily News. “This is crucial right now as the ICE deportation machine has ramped up efforts to interfere with the necessary work NYIFUP is doing by pushing people through the system with zero regard for due process. I will continue to fight these un-American and horrific immigration policies.”
Avenatti Collared for Extortion, Embezzlement, Bank and Wire Fraud
The New American – If “one lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns,” as Don Corleone said, then Michael Avenatti was, federal authorities allege, a man the Godfather would want to hire.
Except that Avenatti got caught.
The peripatetic porn lawyer, erstwhile presidential candidate, and bloviating loudmouth was arrested twice on the same day on charges of extortion, embezzlement, and bank and wire fraud.
The extortion allegation stems from a scheme, feds in New York allege, to bilk Nike out of millions in exchange for not smearing the company publicly. The fraud charges, feds in California allege, stem from scamming a client and defrauding a bank with phony tax returns.
Avenatti became a household name when he falsely accused U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of gang rape and promised to take down Donald Trump in 2020.
Trump says FBI will review Jussie Smollett case: ‘It is an embarrassment to our Nation!’
Yahoo – President Trump announced on Twitter that the FBI and Justice Department will look into the Jussie Smollett case after prosecutors dropped all criminal charges against the “Empire” actor, who had been accused of staging and falsely reporting a hate-crime attack.
“FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “It is an embarrassment to our Nation!”
Chicago to send bill to Smollett for cost of hoax probe
Breitbart  – Appearing Thursday morning on WGN Radio, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel revealed the Chicago Police Department will seek to recover the money spent on investigating the alleged hate hoax carried out by Empire actor Jussie Smollett.
“The police are right now finalizing the cost that was used, police resources to come to the understanding this was a hoax and not a real hate crime,” said Emanuel. “What we spent. The corporation counsel, once they have the finalized and feel good about the numbers, will then send a letter to Jussie Smollett and his attorneys, trying to recoup those costs for the city.”
The mayor said Smollett repaying the money spent would an admission of “guilt” and funds the Chicago taxpayers deserve to see returned to the city’s coffers.
Economy & Business
WALMART quietly closing stores
Business Insider – Walmart is closing at least 11 US stores across eight states.
The closing stores include one Walmart Supercenter in Lafayette, Louisiana, and eight Walmart Neighborhood Market stores in Arizona, California, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
The closing date for most of the affected stores is April 19, according to employees of those stores, who confirmed the closings to Business Insider.
Walmart representatives had previously confirmed the closings to various local media outlets but did not immediately return Business Insider’s request for comment.
Federal Spending Hits Highest Level in Decade
CNS News – The federal government spent $1,822,712,000,000 in the first five months of fiscal 2019, the most it has spent in the first five months of any fiscal year since 2009, which was the fiscal year that outgoing President George W. Bush signed a $700-billion law to bailout the banking industry and incoming President Barack Obama signed a $787-billion law to stimulate an economy then in recession.
At the same time that federal spending was hitting this ten-year high, federal tax revenues in the first five months of the fiscal year were hitting a four-year low of $1,278,482,000,000.
According to the Monthly Treasury Statement for February, the Treasury spent $1,822,712,000,000 in the five months from October 2018 through February 2019, the first five months of the federal fiscal year.
China’s Huawei Slams US’ ‘Loser’s Attitude’, Inability to Compete Amid Row
Sputnik – Huawei is currently deeply embroiled in a lawsuit over a ban on the tech giant’s products being used by federal employees, while its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is still forced to remain in Canada awaiting her extradition to the US for a further legal process, condemned by both Huawei and Beijing.
Chinese tech giant Huawei lashed out at the White House on Friday, accusing the US federal government of what it called “a loser’s attitude” and dismissing rebukes that its cutting-edge technology could be accessed and exploited by Chinese intelligence.
Guo Ping, the company’s chairman, said on Friday that the US was persisting in its efforts to shape a false image of his company because of US tech firms’ inability to compete with its products, a Reuters report reads.
“The US government has a loser’s attitude. It wants to smear Huawei because it cannot compete against Huawei”, Guo noted, as cited by the edition, further expressing a hope that the Trump team would “adjust attitude” in the foreseeable future.
Energy & Environment
Florida utility to close natural gas plants, build massive solar-powered battery
Ars Technica – On Thursday, Florida Power and Light (FPL) announced that it would retire two natural gas plants and replace those plants with what is likely to be the world’s largest solar-powered battery bank when it’s completed in 2021.
FPL, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, serves approximately 10 million customers in Florida. The utility says its plan, including additional efficiency upgrades and smaller battery installations throughout its service area, will save customers more than $100 million in aggregate through avoided fuel costs. FPL also says its battery and upgrade plan will help avoid 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The plan calls for the construction of a 409 megawatt (MW) / 900 megawatt-hour battery installation at what will be called the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center. For context, the largest battery installation in the world was built by Tesla at a Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia; that has a capacity and power rating of 100 MW / 129 MWh.
Science & Technology
Personal info of BILLION people leaked in one of biggest breaches ever
Daily Mail – Almost one billion people’s personal data has been breached online by a shadowy marketing company that has since disappeared without a trace.
Email addresses from 982 million people were listed in what researchers are calling one of the ‘biggest and most comprehensive email database’ breaches ever.
Personal information including names, gender, date of birth, employer, details of social media accounts and even home addresses were listed.
Security researchers uncovered the breach in an online database created by Verifications.io that had no privacy protections in place.
The firm offered an ‘enterprise email validation’ service that let other marketing firms check whether lists of email addresses they have harvested are real.
Verifications.io took down their website after the leak was uncovered and they have refused requests for a comment on the situation.
Little is known about the people behind the business with its backers maintaining their anonymity due to the dubious tactics it employs.
BOSTON DYNAMICS shows off creepy avian robot for logistics work
Ars Technica – Boston Dynamics has a new YouTube video showing off its newest robot design. This one is a reimagining of the “Handle” robot that the company originally showed off in 2017. Back then the robot could jump four feet in the air and do all kinds of tricks; now its purpose is to load pallets.
Back in 2017 Handle was the company’s first public “wheel-legged” robot—that is, the robot is a bipedal design that stands on two legs, but instead of feet at the bottom, the design opts for a set of wheels. Boston Dynamics described the design decision on its website, saying, “Wheels are fast and efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere: by combining wheels and legs, Handle has the best of both worlds.” Wheel legs allowed the original Handle design to have a roughly human form factor (albeit with backward knees) and a top speed of 9MPH, just by rolling its wheel feet.
U.S. charges Facebook with racial discrimination in targeted housing ads
Reuters – The Trump administration accused Facebook Inc on Thursday of selling targeted advertising that discriminated on the basis of race, in violation of the U.S. Fair Housing Act.
Seeking damages and unspecified relief for harm caused, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said here in its civil charge that Facebook also restricted who could see housing-related ads based on national origin, religion, familial status, sex and disability.
Facebook said it had been working with the department to address the concerns and was surprised by the decision to issue the charge, having taken “significant steps” to prevent ads that discriminate across its platforms.
Health
3 Popeye-Approved Ways to Eat More Spinach
Care2 – Spinach is super versatile and packed with nutrients, but most people aren’t fans of this leafy green. Here’s how to eat spinach, even when you’re not a fan.
How to Buy Spinach
The first step is learning how to buy spinach.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), federal data shows that conventionally grown spinach has more pesticide residues by weight than all other produce tested. That means when it comes to buying spinach, organic is best.
The best place to get your hands on fresh, organic spinach is at your local farmers market. It’s generally fresher than store-bought, and you’re more likely to avoid plastic packaging. Plus, you’re supporting small business.
When you get home, transfer your green goodies to an airtight container and place it in the fridge. Don’t wash the spinach until you’re ready to use it, as exposure to water can speed up decay.
Pro tip: Be sure to check out EWGs Dirty Dozen list to see which other non-organic fresh produce you should be avoiding.
Delicious Ways to Eat Spinach
You can do a lot more with spinach than just stir-frying it with potatoes (as tasty as that option is). You can add it to smoothies, juice it or use it jazz up your salads. Spinach makes a great addition to dhal or curry and works well as a baked potato topping.
You can steam it, sauté it or blend it into a dip. Make soup or bread or pasta with it. Some people have even been known to make spinach ice-cream. With so many ways to use fresh spinach, you’ll wonder why you didn’t fall in love with it sooner.

  1. Green Smoothies for Breakfast (or Whenever)

A lot of people are put off by the idea of drinking something that’s green. The thing is, most of the time it doesn’t taste anything like you might imagine.
It all depends on the ingredients, but if you add things like almond milk, frozen banana, avocado and dates to the mix, you’re in for a creamy, sweet treat that’s jam-packed with nutritional goodness.
This beginner’s guide to green smoothies will get you started, if you’re new to the idea of drinking your leafy greens. If you’re already on board and just looking for fresh inspiration, give these delicious green smoothies a try.

  1. Superfood Salads to Wow

Because spinach is so unassuming, eating it raw in a salad is another great way to get more of this leafy goodness in your diet. Use it in place of lettuce in a traditional summer salad or chop it up and add it to quinoa or couscous for a hearty winter salad.
From there, all that’s left to do is add whatever other seasonal produce you have on hand and choose a vegan salad dressing. That’s the great thing about salad: you can do just about anything you like and the result will still be tasty.
A lot of folks are suspicious of mixing fruit and veggies, for example, but one mouthful of this strawberry spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette and you’ll more than likely change your mind. (Conventionally grown strawberries are yet again at the top of the Dirty Dozen list, so make sure you choose organic.)

  1. Baking With Spinach

If you’re really struggling with the idea of eating your greens, you can always follow my friend Julie’s example and bake your spinach. Try your hand at making vegan spanakopita (the well-known Greek pie made with phyllo pastry). If you’re more of a puff pastry fan (me too!), this chickpea spinach pie will have you salivating.
Don’t limit yourself to the oven, though. The next time you’re wondering what to make for brunch, have a go at these spinach crepes. Filled with sauteed mushrooms and drizzled with a creamy tahini sauce, you’ll win your friends over in spite of the color. (Or because of it—you never know.)
Keen for something a little sweeter? Give these spinach banana muffins a go. You could serve them with vegan cheese, tofu scramble or just enjoy them as an on-the-go snack.
All that’s left to do is decide how you’re going to eat your spinach.
Second Jury Links Monsanto’s RoundUp to Cancer
Care2 – After hours of deliberations and extensions, the jury in the latest lawsuit against Monsanto found that, indeed, there is enough evidence to link Monsanto’s RoundUp, to cancer, contrary to the current statements of alleged safety spewed by the company. This is the second time a jury has found sufficient evidence linking RoundUp to cancer. The first took place less than a year ago when a jury awarded Dewayne Lee Johnson $289 Million, an amount that was later reduced to $78 million. Mr. Johnson selflessly used the final months of his life to sue the corporate giant after his terminal cancer diagnosis.
In the current case, 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman of Santa Rosa, California, sued the company after developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using RoundUp for nearly 30 years. After delays in the case, the jury finally announced its unanimous decision linking glyphosate, the primary ingredient in RoundUp and many other pesticides, to cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared glyphosate a probable carcinogen back in 2015—after its expansive review of approximately 1000 studies.
Immediately after the decision by the most recent jury, investors began dumping Bayer AG stocks, which have now plummeted by over 12 percent as of the writing of this blog. Executives at Bayer AG claim that the recent decision will not impact other lawsuits, but many people, myself included, think this will open floodgates to new lawsuits as many people suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and possibly other types of cancer, may sue the company if they believe their cancer resulted from exposure to glyphosate-based products.
Eucalyptus: A Favorite of the Koala, It May Become Your Favorite Herb, Too
Mercola – Eucalyptus is a tree originating in Australia. Koalas are the only animals that can survive on this plant alone for their nutrition.
Studies have shown that eucalyptus can help fight bacteria, relieve pain and promote oral health.
Eucalyptus can help gardeners as well by keeping away insects from other plants

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