World News
ISIS fanatics depict Big Ben on fire as chilling posters warn of ‘London attacks soon’ and show knife-wielding suicide bomber in New York
Daily Mail – Both posters use ‘Just Terror’ as a tagline, while the threat to London appears alongside a quotation from the Koran’s At-Tawbah 5 – or the ‘Sword Verse’.
ADVERTISING
‘And when the sacred months have passed,’ it reads, ‘then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and beseige them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush’.
Conveniently excluded from the quote is the next verse: ‘If any of the idolaters seeks of thee protection, grant him protection till he hears the words of God; then do thou convey him to his place of security.’
The final poster states: ‘Remember O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion…
Allah will bring forth in place of them a people he will love and who will love him… who are humble toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers… they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic.
‘That is the favor of Allah, he bestows it upon whom he wills. And Allah is all encompassing and knowing.’
The propaganda posters were created by the Ash Shaff Media Foundation – a pro-ISIS outlet and posted to Twitter by the Terror Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) – a terrorism watchdog.
The sight of Big Ben ablaze is reminiscent of images of last month’s fire that destroyed the roof and spire of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, after which ISIS-affiliated groups released posters calling the disaster ‘retribution and punishment’ and telling western countries to ‘Wait for the next’.
YOU’LL BE GURN IN THE MORNING – Theresa May faces new coup TODAY after gamble to force Brexit deal through by offering second referendum backfired
The Sun – THERESA May faces a new coup today after a gamble to force through her Brexit deal by offering Remainers a second referendum backfired spectacularly.
The offer was blasted by MPs on all sides — and left Brexiteers seething at her “betrayal”.
Senior Tory backbenchers will now try to force a confidence vote in the PM when the party’s grandees meet at 4pm on Wednesday.
Brexiteer Nigel Evans said: “She has U-turned on absolutely everything. We cannot put up with this any longer.
“I will be asking my colleagues tomorrow to agree to a rule change so we can hold an immediate confidence vote if Theresa is not prepared to stand down now.”
The new revolt comes after Mrs May offered Remainers in Parliament the chance of a “confirmatory vote” if they agree to pass her EU divorce “new deal” in two weeks’ time.
Mrs May said it gave MPs “one last chance” to deliver on the 2016 referendum result. She said failing to take it would lead to a “nightmare future of permanently polarised politics”.
The PM added that if they refused they risked Brexit “slipping away from us”. But No10 was shaken by the overwhelmingly negative reaction by MPs on all sides.
U.S. Says Signs Syria May Be Using Chemical Weapons, Warns of Quick Response
Reuters – The United States sees signs the Syrian government may be using chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack on Sunday in northwest Syria, the State Department said on Tuesday, warning that Washington and its allies would respond “quickly and appropriately” if this were proven.
“Unfortunately, we continue to see signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack in northwest Syria on the morning of May 19,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
“We are still gathering information on this incident, but we repeat our warning that if the Assad regime uses chemical weapons, the United States and our allies will respond quickly and appropriately,” she said.
US intercepts Russian bombers, fighter jets off the coast of Alaska
CNN – US F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska on Monday, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command.
The Russian nuclear capable long-range bombers flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska’s western coast.
The Russian bomber flights are seen by US military officials as part of Moscow’s effort to train its military for a potential crisis while simultaneously sending a message of strength to adversaries.
This latest intercept comes amid tensions with Russia on a wide range of geopolitical issues and a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Russian Vladimir Putin in the resort town of Sochi where he warned Russia about interfering in US elections, taking a tougher public line than President Donald Trump on the issue.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Impeachment talk intensifies as Trump’s ex-White House counsel is a no-show at Judiciary
NBC – The debate over whether to open an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump intensified among House Democrats on Tuesday as former White House counsel Don McGahn defied a congressional subpoena to provide testimony.
“There’s a growing understanding that the impeachment process is inevitable — when, not if,” House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., said to reporters as he entered a closed-door House Democratic Caucus meeting in the basement of the Capitol.
U.S. federal wall funding of US$1.57B yields 1.7 miles of fence
Bloomberg – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has put up just 1.7 miles of fencing with the US$1.57 billion that Congress appropriated last year for President Donald Trump’s wall along the Mexican border, a federal judge was told.
A lawyer for the U.S. House of Representatives provided the information Tuesday to the judge in Oakland, California, who is weighing requests from 20 state attorneys general and the the Sierra Club to block Trump from using funds not authorized by Congress to build the wall.
Nevada passes National Popular Vote bill in bid to upend Electoral College
Washington Times – The Nevada Senate approved Tuesday a National Popular Vote bill on a party-line vote, sending the legislation aimed at upending the Electoral College to the governor.
Assembly Bill 186, which passed the Senate on a 12-8 vote, would bring Nevada into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement between participating states to cast their electoral votes for the winner of the popular vote.
If signed as expected by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, Nevada would become the 16th jurisdiction to join the compact, along with 14 states and the District of Columbia. The compact would take effect after states totaling 270 electoral votes, and with Nevada, the total would reach 195.
New Mexico county rejects migrant relocation, asks Trump to close border
Washington Times – A New Mexico county has approved a resolution opposing the relocation of migrants within its boundaries as federal authorities grapple with the influx of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Sierra County Commission approved the resolution during a meeting Tuesday, saying there’s a crisis in southern New Mexico and that the thousands of migrants already released in Las Cruces, Deming and Lordsburg have strained local resources in those areas.
The resolution asks President Donald Trump to close the U.S.-Mexico border to immigration.
County officials say their position shouldn’t be viewed as political or racist. They described their community as impoverished with virtually no resources and said the resolution is about good governance.
They warned that if federal authorities release migrants in Sierra County, there are no buses, rail stops or commercial flights to transport them to sponsors elsewhere.
‘Babies Aren’t Babies Until They’re Born’: NPR Memo Instructs Staff to Dehumanize ‘Babies’
Infowars – Babies are not to be referred to as “babies” until after they’re born, a missive from an NPR style chief reminds writers and on-air personalities.
Amidst the freakout last week over Alabama’s passage of a pro-life bill effectively outlawing abortion, NPR Standards & Practices editor Mark Memmott issued a “guidance reminder” instructing employees that terms like “the unborn” and “baby” are not to be used because it tips the argument in pro-life proponents’ favor.
Instead, babies inside the womb are always to be referred to as “fetuses.”
Additionally, Memmott notes staff must avoid terms such as “LATE TERM ABORTION” and “abortion clinics,” which should be referred to as “medical or health clinics that perform abortions.”
“The point is to not to use abortion before the word clinic. The clinics perform other procedures and not just abortions,” Memmott claims in his note to editors.
Memmott insists twisting language with these Orwellian style rules – which work to dehumanize babies – enable NPR to appear “accurate and neutral” – and not at all like the leftist, Soros-funded propaganda machine it truly is.
The Pentagon finally admits it investigates UFOs
NY Post – The Pentagon has finally uttered the words it always avoided when discussing the possible existence of UFOs — “unidentified aerial phenomena” — and admits that it still investigates reports of them.
In a statement provided exclusively to The Post, a Department of Defense spokesman said a secret government initiative called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program “did pursue research and investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena.”
And while the DOD says it shut down the AATIP in 2012, spokesman Christopher Sherwood acknowledged that the department still investigates claimed sightings of alien spacecraft.
“The Department of Defense is always concerned about maintaining positive identification of all aircraft in our operating environment, as well as identifying any foreign capability that may be a threat to the homeland,” Sherwood said.
City sues business for flying giant American flag
WSOCTV – STATESVILLE, N.C. – The controversy over a massive American flag is now reaching a new level as the company responsible for flying the flag is rallying community support to fight the City of Statesville, which has reportedly filed a lawsuit to have the flag removed.
Camping World posted a message to its Facebook page on Saturday saying the city has filed an injunction against Camping World, fining the company $50 per day going back to Oct. 15, 2018. That totals nearly $11,000.
The company said it flies the 40-by-80-foot flag outside of its Gander RV location as a way of paying tribute to the country’s military veterans. The city had compromised last year by allowing an exemption for a larger flag than what city ordinance permits, but not the size that Camping World was seeking.
The company chose to fly the flag anyway and Camping World’s CEO has pushed for a change of the ordinance.
An online petition has also been started at Change.org in support of the company keeping the flag flying. As of Monday morning, more than 7,900 people had signed the petition.
MS-13 Teens Arrested for Murder After Being Released Under Sanctuary Policy
The Epoch Times – Two illegal alien teens who are both MS-13 gang members from El Salvador have been charged with first-degree murder after Prince George’s County Police found the body of a 14-year-old girl on May 13. A third female has also been charged with first-degree murder and a fourth suspect is still at large.
The two Salvadorans, Josue Rafael Fuentes-Ponce and Joel Ernesto Escobar, were arrested by local police in May 2018, but, under sanctuary policies, the department failed to turn them over after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for them.
Economy & Business
Home sales fall again despite lower mortgage rates
USA Today – Sales of existing homes fell for a second straight month in April, but the market should rev up soon, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Tuesday.
Home sales dipped 0.4% from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.19 million . Sales were down 4.4% from a year ago.
Student debt is still holding back many millennial buyers, says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. And prices for the entry-level homes that age group targets have risen sharply because of low supplies.
Meanwhile, a big drop in mortgage rates didn’t boost home sales. The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.14% in April from 4.27% in March, according to Freddie Mac, the mortgage loan company. The average rate in 2018 was 4.54%.
Yun believes sales will pick up later this year.
China’s other nuclear option in trade war with US – Rare earth materials
RT – Beijing has yet another economic weapon to use against Washington in the escalating trade row – a possible embargo on vital rare earth metals needed to make everything from high-tech devices to fighter jets.
A routine visit by President Xi Jinping to a Chinese rare earths facility earlier this week came amid rising tensions between the two countries and shortly after the US turned up the heat on Chinese tech giant Huawei. Despite the lack of any official announcement from Beijing, the visit has triggered fears that China is ready to use the materials, specifically a ban on their export, as an advantage against the US.
Rare earth materials are indeed one more way China can retaliate, independent political analyst, Alessandro Bruno, told RT.
“It could put heavy restrictions on the rare earth metals that are necessary to make all kinds of electronic equipment, especially phones. This is a significant threat because the West does not have its own supply,” he explained.
The minerals are unsurprisingly not included on the US list of $200 billion worth of Chinese goods facing higher import tariffs. Shortly after Chinese and other media reported that Beijing is considering an embargo, shares of rare earth miners skyrocketed.
On Tuesday, the rare-earth sector jumped by 8.5 percent, according to Global Times. China Rare Earth Holdings Ltd enjoyed the biggest gains in the industry as its shares soared 108 percent.
NY Times Editor Dean Baquet Predicts Doom For Local Newspapers: Most Will ‘Die’ in Next Five Years
Mediaite – New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet predicted that most local news outlets will die in the near future — if they are not saved by a local billionaire, that is.
In candid comments made while speaking before the INMA World Congress of News Media, Baquet expressed a fear that local newspapers are at a high risk of disappearing from the media ecosystem amid the rise of new media.
“The greatest crisis in American journalism is the death of local news,” Baquet said. “I don’t know what the answer is. Their economic model is gone. I think most local newspapers in America are going to die in the next five years, except for the ones that have been bought by a local billionaire.”
According to a recent analysis from the Associated Press via data from the University of North Carolina, over the 15 years, 1,400 towns and cities across America have lost a local news outlet. Additionally, the Pew Research Center found newspaper circulation has steadily dropped for the past 30 years and ad revenues generated by outlets tanked dramatically in 2006 and continue to decline.
Energy & Environment
Giant ‘island’ of plastic rubbish forms in sea off Corsica
The Local FR – A floating “island” of plastic rubbish several dozen kilometres long has formed off the coast of the French island of Corsica.
The cluster is currently located between Corsica and Elba, the Italian island perhaps best known for hosting the exiled French Emperor Napoleon.
The tonnes of plastic were carried there by currents in the Mediterranean that bore the rubbish north and then deposited it between the two islands, local media reported.
Science & Technology
Ford’s Way to Finish Driverless Deliveries: Package-Carrying Robots
Bloomberg – It’s a headless robot in a driverless car.
Ford is working on a way to resolve what self-driving researchers refer to as “the last 50-foot problem.” If an autonomous delivery vehicle arrives at your house, without any humans aboard, who’s going to carry the package, grocery bags or piping-hot pizza to your doorstep? A robot, of course, could be up to the task—with no tipping necessary.
In Ford’s case, the solution is Digit, an android with two stork-like legs, arms capable of carrying a 40-pound load and a camera-encrusted torso topped by a puck-shaped laser-radar sensor. It could be the headless cousin of a battle droid from the much maligned Star Wars prequels.
The business case for driverless delivery is even more compelling than robotaxis—and potentially easier to execute. For one thing, there’s no need to worry about the safety of human passengers. And the rise of online shopping has turned package delivery into a huge growth area. Just ask Amazon, which spent $27 billion on delivery costs last year.
Remove the human driver from the equation, and delivery costs could plunge by 60 percent or more. The benefits could be in the billions.
Ford would like to deploy Digit delivery robots as early as 2021, alongside the planned introduction of its autonomous vehicle fleets to ferry people and packages around the clock. “We’re going to have an AV fleet out there, and my goal is to get robots to be able to be there and ready at the same time,” said Craig Stephens, director of controls and automation in Ford’s research and advanced engineering.
How real humans will react to this delivery android is a key part of Ford’s research, which is just getting underway and will include real-world tests inside Ford factories, and on the sidewalks of Dearborn, Michigan, and Pittsburgh. “Digit looks actually pretty friendly to me,” Stephens said. The “inoffensive” appearance is “going to be a key thing for people to be able to trust a robot.”
Health
Woman Injured by Flu Vaccine Obtains $2.49 Million Settlement from U.S. Government
Health Impact News – The Knutson and Casey Law Firm in Minnesota recently published a Press Release about one of their clients who received a $2.49 million settlement from the U.S. Government Vaccine Court due to injuries related to the annual flu shot.
A woman who was injured after receiving a flu vaccine has been compensated by U.S. Vaccine Court for her injuries, totaling $2.49 million. 39 year-old Cheron Golding received the flu vaccination in October of 2013 and was subsequently diagnosed with transverse myelitis as a result of the vaccination. She suffered from paralysis, loss of vision, and other complex injuries. She was hospitalized for several months.
The Vaccine Court reviewed the matter, along with the U.S. Justice Department who defends the cases, and a settlement was reached for her injuries that included future payments for needed care.
Golding’s attorney Randy Knutson of the Knutson + Casey law office, explained that when U.S. citizens are injured by a vaccine, they can apply to the U.S. Vaccine Court which reviews cases and provides compensation when appropriate. “This is a great program for those injured by vaccines. While injuries from vaccines are rare, when they do occur the Vaccine Court can step in and compensate folks for their injuries, and their future care.”
Attorneys who practice in vaccine court do not receive any part of the settlements. Instead the attorneys are paid a reasonable amount decided by the vaccine court, after the case has settled and the injured person receives their compensation.
The annual flu shot is, by far, the most profitable and most widely distributed vaccine in the United States. As a result, it is also the most dangerous in terms of vaccine injuries and deaths. From 2006 through 2017 (latest statistics available), the U.S. Vaccine Court compensated nearly 3000 people who suffered injuries or deaths due the flu vaccine. This is more than all other vaccines in the U.S. market combined.
Do you suffer from adrenal fatigue? These 3 healthy sources of fat can relieve your adrenals
NaturalNews – In recent years, people have become increasingly aware of adrenal fatigue, a group of symptoms associated with chronic stress. If left unaddressed, adrenal fatigue can significantly impact a person’s daily life. The good news is, with a few dietary additions, the symptoms of adrenal fatigue can be alleviated.
The adrenal glands are best-known for secreting hormones that help the body cope with stress. Adrenaline spurs the body to act during stressful situations. Problems occur, however, when the body is repeatedly exposed to stress. The levels of cortisol – another hormone produced by the adrenal glands – remain consistently high, and this is not something the body is used to. High cortisol levels cause a range of symptoms collectively known as adrenal fatigue.
Symptoms that define adrenal fatigue
Adrenal fatigue has become even more common in modern life, with its constantly increasing pace and shifting social demands.
Here are some of the symptoms that define it:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping
- Nervousness
- Digestive problems
Having any of these symptoms can alter a person’s life; but with growing acceptance and understanding of adrenal fatigue comes potential relief.
Anti-stress fats to ease adrenal fatigue
Society’s understanding of fat has long been limited to the impression that it is bad for the body. While it is true that “bad” fats, such as trans fats and saturated fats, can increase the risk of certain diseases, “good” fats, such as unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, can boost a person’s physical and mental well-being.
These are the Best Foods for Fighting Seasonal Allergies
Care2 – Have you recently started experiencing itchy eyes and a scratchy throat? Sneezing? Runny nose? If you’re anything like your fellow 50 million Americans, you’re suffering from seasonal allergies. (Lucky you.)
Every spring, plants get frisky by releasing huge amounts of pollen into the air. The more pollen they release, the better their chances of survival, so hearty local plants will produce enough pollen to leave your car coated in a fine dusting of gold.
Inevitably, you’ll breath a lot of that stuff in, too, which our bodies don’t love. This overwhelm of pollen granules can trigger an inflammatory reaction in our bodies, leading to all those unpleasant symptoms that accompany pollen season.
It may be comforting to know that seasonal allergies aren’t just a modern day ailment. Over 5000 years ago, the ancient Chinese suffered from “plant fever”, which was essentially seasonal allergies. You can find similar ailments in ancient Greek and Egyptian medical texts.
Because we’ve been dealing with these issues for so long, humans have discovered some nutraceutical methods of gaining a little relief. So stop wasting your money on OTC meds with nasty side effects. Here are the best foods to help you get through allergy season without living at your local drugstore.
Dandelion Greens
Our liver needs all the support it can get when it’s dealing with environmental stressors, like pollen overload. Consuming dandelion greens can help the body process excess inflammation more easily, which supports both your immune system and your liver.
Raw Honey + Bee Pollen
This may sound counterintuitive, but bee pollen can actually soothe your pollen allergies. Bees collect pollen from local plant life and infuse it with enzymes to create honey, so consuming small amounts of local honey and bee pollen can actually help to ease allergy symptoms.
Think of it as a mini vaccine for your immune system. You consume small, digestible amounts of the irritant to allow your body to build up an immunity.
Pineapple Juice
Pineapple contains high levels of the enzyme bromelain, which boasts natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties—making it an allergy-fighting powerhouse.
Bromelain is also the enzyme that makes pineapple juice so beneficial to digestion, as it helps to quickly break down proteins and streamline the digestion process. Since immunity and digestion are so closely linked in the body, this is an added bonus for allergy season.
You don’t need much to reap the rewards of pineapple juice. Just a shot in your smoothie will do.
Turmeric
Bodily inflammation is at the root of seasonal allergy symptoms, and nothing fights inflammation quite like turmeric. It contains some of the most powerful anti-inflammatory properties of any plant on the planet. Bring on the curry and golden lattes!
Put all these ingredients together, and what do you get? The ultimate allergy-fighting smoothie! So go ahead, let thy food be thy medicine.
Pet News
Anti-Vax Movement Spreads To Pet Population
CBS – The growing anti-vax movement has spread to the pet population. Fewer dog and cat owners are opting to get their furry friends vaccinated.
One local dog owner told CBS13 when she got her dog his shots “his throat and face and eyes swelled up and he got hives all over his body.”
Veterinarians say that reaction is rare. They remind us most pets react just fine when they get vaccinated.
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