World News
Second migrant caravan in Guatemala heads toward Mexico
Reuters – A group of more than a thousand Central Americans in Guatemala headed toward the Mexican border on Tuesday as the first caravan of migrants paused in southern Mexico on its planned journey toward the U.S. border. U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America and called the caravan in Mexico a national emergency as he seeks to boost his Republican Party’s chances in the Nov. 6 congressional elections.
The caravan, which has been estimated at 7,000 to 10,000 mostly Honduran migrants fleeing violence and poverty in their homelands, is currently in the town of Huixtla in Chiapas state around 31 miles (50 km) north of the Guatemalan border.
Mexico’s government said in a statement on Tuesday that it had received 1,699 requests for refugee status, including children. The government estimates there are around 4,500 people in the group.
MS-13 Gang Members Amongst ‘Migrant Caravan’
Infowars – According to award winning reporter Sarah Carter, there are a number of MS-13 gang members amongst the 7,000+ migrant caravan heading towards the United States.
“Guatemalan intelligence discovered people from India, Bangladesh, Africa had also joined in with the caravan -I bumped into a number of young MS 13 gang members,” tweeted Carter, who is a Fox News contributor.
Carter’s report backs up President Trump’s claim yesterday that MS-13 members are part of the caravan.
“You’re going to find MS-13, you’re going to find Middle Eastern, you’re going to find everything,” he said.
There have been at least 200 murders by MS-13 gang members in the United States since 2012. The group is notorious for its grisly executions, as well as the rape and dismemberment of women and children.
However, such concerns were not shared by much of the left and the mainstream media back in May, when Trump was criticized for referring to MS-13 gang members as “animals”.
Mike Pence: Honduran President Told Me Venezuela Funding Migrant Caravan
Breitbart – Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández told him that the migrant caravan marching toward the U.S.-Mexico border is “financed by Venezuela.”
Pence made the allegation while defending President Donald Trump’s assertion that Middle Easterners make up a part of the 7,000-strong caravan in an interview with Washington Post national political reporter Robert Costa.
“It’s inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border,” Pence said. “In the last fiscal year, we apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border from countries that are referred to in the lexicon as ‘other than Mexico’ — that means from the Middle East region.”
The Vice President then revealed that Hernández told him that “leftist groups” from the Central American country organized the caravan, “financed by Venezuela” to “challenge our sovereignty, challenge our border.”
Pence also said he has held discussions with Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales and Mexican officials about the caravan and vowed to do “everything in our power” from preventing the migrants from “violating” the southern border.
US sticking to INF Treaty withdrawal, to be filed in due course – Bolton after Moscow visit
Infowars – Washington is determined to withdraw from the INF arms control treaty no matter what, but has not done so yet, US national security adviser John Bolton said after meetings with the Russian leadership in Moscow.
“There’s a new strategic reality out there,” Bolton told reporters, describing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty as a “bilateral treaty in a multipolar ballistic missile world,” that does not apply to countries like China, Iran or North Korea.
The US estimates that anywhere from a third to a half of all Chinese missile capability would be in violation of the INF, were Beijing a party to the treaty, Bolton added.
He argued that, with Russia in violation and other countries not bound by the INF, only the US remains limited by the treaty.
“On the conceptual possibility on universalizing the treaty, that’s something we’ve thought of as far back as 2004,” Bolton said. There were attempts to do so, but “they all failed.”
Bolton was scheduled to fly to Moscow on September 11, 2001, to give notice that the US was withdrawing from the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty, he reminded reporters. At the time, he joked, all the media would call it “the cornerstone of international strategic stability.” Yet there was no collapse of international stability, he argued.
“It was not true then, and it will not be true now, with this treaty,” he said.
Oldest intact shipwreck known to mankind found in Black Sea
Al Jazeera – An ancient Greek trading ship dating back more than 2,400 years has been found intact at the bottom of the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast, according to researchers, who hailed it as the world’s oldest known shipwreck. .
The ship, which is lying on its side with its mast and rudders intact, was dated back to 400BC – a time when the Black Sea was a trading hub filled with Greek colonies.
“A small piece of the vessel has been carbon dated and it is confirmed as the oldest intact shipwreck known to mankind,” the British-led Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project said in a statement on Tuesday.
CIA director Gina Haspel is in Turkey to talk Khashoggi murder… but why?
RT – IA Director Gina Haspel traveled to Turkey on Monday to assess and help with the investigation into the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi — but the timing and possible motives of the visit are raising some eyebrows.
With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatening to reveal the full “naked truth” about what happened to Khashoggi, Haspel touched down in Ankara on Monday. Why? A sign of panic from the Trump administration? A damage control mission as Erdogan prepares to reveal politically inconvenient information?
After initially denying any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi, Riyadh eventually admitted that the journalist had been killed inside its Istanbul consulate, but said that the death was accidental and happened after a “fist fight” broke out between the journalist and some rogue operatives acting in an “unsanctioned” manner.
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Turkey, however, claims that Khashoggi’s death was planned and brutal. Erdogan has said the journalist was killed in a “extremely savage” attack and called for suspects to be tried in Istanbul. What’s more, Ankara claims to have sufficient evidence to prove its version of events and has called on Riyadh to provide answers.
Washington, on the other hand, has been more circumspect about the Khashoggi case, with the Trump administration swaying back and forth between chastising and complimenting Riyadh. Overall, however, Trump has given the impression that he is eager to find a way to defuse the whole situation — even admitting that it would not be acceptable for the US to lose “massive amounts” of Saudi money over the death of a journalist who was not a US citizen, prompting accusations that he was part of a financially motivated cover-up with Riyadh. Those accusations grew louder when Trump said he found Saudi explanations credible and touted the country as a “great ally”
U.S. News, Politics & Government
U.S. authorities investigate bomb found in mailbox at Soros’ N.Y. home
Reuters – Federal agents on Tuesday were investigating an explosive device that was found in a mailbox outside a New York home owned by billionaire financier George Soros. Soros, one of the world’s biggest donors to liberal groups and causes, was not there at the time. He has become a hated figure among some right-wing activists in the United States and Eastern Europe, and the target of a hostile media campaign by the nationalist government in his native Hungary.
An employee at the home in Katonah, an upscale hamlet about 41 miles (66 km) north of New York City, opened a package at around 3:45 p.m. ET (1945 GMT) on Monday to find what appeared to be an explosive device, the Bedford Police Department said.
DC attorney general launches investigation of clergy sex abuse
CNN – Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine announced Tuesday that he has launched a civil investigation into whether the Archdiocese of Washington violated the law by covering up the sexual abuse of minors.
“While we generally don’t talk publicly about our confidential enforcement activity, I can report that our office has launched a civil investigation into whether the Archdiocese — which is a nonprofit institution — violated the District’s Nonprofit Act by potentially covering up allegations of sexual abuse of minors,” said Rob Marus, a spokesperson for Racine.
“According to the law, nonprofits are required to work for a public purpose; if they are in fact covering up child sex abuse, that is clearly not in the public interest.”
Racine also announced a new portal for victims of clergy abuse in D.C. to report their abuse to his office.
Newsmax – A South Florida police officer has been suspended after he claimed the massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High are lies, the SunSentinel is reporting.
North Miami Beach police officer Ericson Harrell was suspended for 40 hours and received a written reprimand, according to the newspaper. North Miami Beach is about an hour south of the Parkland high school where 17 people were gunned down in February.
He had been under investigation since April after questioning on Facebook if the shooting deaths in Parkland ever happened, the newspaper said. He had also called student activists “paid actors,” according to the Sentinel.
The paper said a review of his posts showed he questioned the deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. He also was reported to have posted a video about the Auschwitz death camp that claimed tour guides are told to tell lies.
Brothers Face $450,000 in Fines for Cutting Trees on Their Own Property Without Asking Gov’t First
Free Thought Project – In the land of the free, you must ask permission from government before you modify your own property. If you do not first ask for permission and pay them, you can face heavy fines and, or imprisonment. Two brothers in Michigan are learning this the hard way after they cut down trees on their own property. Now the state is telling them to pay up—a half million dollars.
Gary and Matt Percy have been told by their local rulers that because they failed to obtain the proper permit before cutting down 1,400 trees—on their own property—that they now owe $225-$450 per tree.
The brothers own a 16-acre plot of land that they cleared in preparation for planting a Christmas tree farm, according to their attorney Michael J. Pattwell. But they didn’t ask the government for permission first, so now they must pay up.
“Canton Tree Police showed up,” said Pattwell. “Canton Township’s tree removal ordinance prohibits landowners from removing trees from private property without government permission, which may be obtained by either payment into the township’s so-called tree fund or on-site replacement with trees of certain designated trunk diameters.”
What’s more, the property was full of invasive plants and not really trees.
The land was filled with “invasive plants like phragmites, buckthorn and autumn olive,” Pattwell said.
But the government disagrees. To assess the fines, local officials had their ‘expert arborist’ survey a nearby property which they claim had similar trees.
“They identified certain plots,” Township attorney Kristin Kolb said. “They identified the number or type of trees and did some math to figure out approximately how many trees.”
According to mLive, the arborist estimated 1,385 trees with trunk diameter of six inches or more were removed. That could mean $225 to $300 per tree in penalties. Anther 100 landmark trees were also removed, the township estimated, meaning another $450 each.
According to the brothers’ attorney, however, the government uses a broad set of terms to define “tree” which makes just about anything fit the definition, even invasive brush and dead trees.
“Canton Township defines ‘trees’ as ‘any woody plant with at least one well-defined stem and having a minimum diameter at breast height of three inches.’ The Percy parcel was used historically by a local farmer for dairy pasture, so much of the vegetation on the parcel was invasive buckthorn, scrub brush and dead ash trees.”
According to mLive, Patterson also points out an exemption in the township ordinance, which states “all agricultural/farming operations, commercial nursery/tree farm operations and occupied lots of less than two acres in size, including utility companies and public tree trimming agencies, shall be exempt from all permit requirements of this article.”
Based on the aforementioned ordinance, the brothers were clearly within the law. But this is irrelevant to the officials who want their money.
6 kids dead, 12 sickened in viral outbreak at New Jersey pediatric center
Fox – An outbreak of a viral illness has killed six pediatric patients and sickened 12 others at a New Jersey rehabilitation facility as health officials continue to investigate the cause. The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, located in Haskell, has been instructed by the state’s health department not to admit any new patients until the outbreak has ended.
Health officials confirmed the presence of adenovirus 7, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is most commonly associated with acute respiratory disease and can occur at any time throughout the year.
Economy & Business
Trump Threatens Tariffs If Countries Don’t Cooperate With US
Newsmax – President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his use of tariffs, saying they are “great” for negotiations with other countries, and threatening to impose tariffs on ones that “won’t give up a fair Trade Deal.”
Trump tweeted Tuesday morning: “Billions of dollars are, and will be, coming into United States coffers because of Tariffs. Great also for negotiations – if a country won’t give us a fair Trade Deal, we will institute Tariffs on them. Used or not, jobs and businesses will be created. U.S. respected again!”
Silicon Valley Spend Millions to Support Democrats in Midterms
Breitbart – According to Federal Election Commission filings, employees of Silicon Valley’s Masters of the Universe have donated millions to Democrat House and Senate candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
Fox News reports that while Silicon Valley tech firms continue to claim they are politically unbiased, employees from these company’s have donated a total of $2.4 million to House and Senate candidates. Of the $2.4 million dollars donated, only $176,000 — eight percent — of the money donated has gone to Republican candidates.
The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reports that in the 2014 midterms, employees from Google, Facebook and Twitter donated approximately $838,000 to congressional candidates. Even then, donations favored Democrats quite highly with $679,000 going to Democrats and $259,000 going to Republicans.
Global Banking Stocks Are Crashing Hard – Just Like They Did In 2008
The Economic Collapse – Global stocks are falling precipitously once again, and banking stocks are leading the way. If this reminds you of 2008, it should, because that is precisely what we witnessed back then. Banking stocks collapsed as fear gripped the marketplace, and ultimately many large global banks had to be bailed out either directly or indirectly by their national governments as they failed one after another. The health of the banking system is absolutely paramount, because the flow of money is our economic lifeblood. When the flow of money tightens up during a credit crunch, the consequences can be rapid and dramatic just like we witnessed in 2008.
Energy & Environment
A 14-year-long oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico verges on becoming one of the worst in U.S. history
MSN – An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history.
Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004, when an oil-production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the wells have not been capped, and federal officials estimate that the spill could continue through this century. With no fix in sight, the Taylor offshore spill is threatening to overtake BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster as the largest ever.
As oil continues to spoil the Gulf, the Trump administration is proposing the largest expansion of leases for the oil and gas industry, with the potential to open nearly the entire outer continental shelf to offshore drilling. That includes the Atlantic coast, where drilling hasn’t happened in more than a half century and where hurricanes hit with double the regularity of the Gulf.
Science & Technology
Mission to Mercury Launches
Sky & Telescope – The BepiColombo spacecraft launched October 19th, at 9:45:28 p.m. EDT, atop an Ariane 5 rocket from an equatorial launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, beginning a seven-year journey to Mercury. The voyage began perfectly, atop towering pillars of flame that lit up the early morning sky and remained visible until the side boosters burned out 2 minutes later, leaving the steady light of the main rocket stage visible as a greenish point in the sky.
BepiColombo’s journey will return it to Earth, past Venus twice, and take it by Mercury six times before finally settling in to orbit on December 5th, 2025. The mission is a combined effort of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
“Headless chicken monster” found swimming in Antarctica
Fast Company – As foretold, scientists have discovered a “headless chicken monster” swimming in the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean. The headless chicken-looking critter has a webbed veil for flapping, tentacles for crawling, and a transparent body that lets friends and foes alike take a gander at its internal organs. (Surely, it has a lovely personality, though.) Unsure what else to do in the face of such greatness, the Australian government wrote a press release.
The “monster” is technically a sea cucumber with the catchy scientific name of Enypniastes eximia, and while it has been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico in the past, this is the first time that the headless chicken monster has been spotted freaking out the penguin population in Antarctica.
Mystery of how black widow spiders create steel-strength silk is unravelled
Daily Mail – It’s stronger than steel, springier than rubber and can stretch up to four times its original length.
But this isn’t a new lab-built ‘wonder material’: It’s spider silk, and scientists say they have cracked a key part of the process arachnids use to make it.
The silk is built inside specialised glands that transform proteins into sturdy fibres using a series of complex chemical processes.
The finding could lead to a range of new ultra-tough materials that could be used to make everything from high-grade athletic or military clothing to new building materials for bridges and other construction.
‘One cannot overstate the potential impact on materials and engineering if we can synthetically replicate this natural process to produce artificial fibers at scale,’ said study author Dr Nathan Gianneschi, a researcher at Northwestern University.
‘Simply put, it would be transformative.’
Alongside colleagues at San Diego State University, Dr Gianneschi studied the web-spinning apparatus of black widow spiders.
Health
Study: Science Used to Approve Antidepressant Drugs Do Not Show Efficacy
Health Impact News – The largest, most expensive antidepressant efficacy study involving over 4,000 initial participants ended in 2006. The purported intention of the study was to provide real-life results instead of the shorter clinical trial results that are done to get antidepressant drugs approved.
But the results were not clear regarding antidepressants’ true efficacy compared to clinical trials. Safety was not a consideration, just efficacy at reducing depression.
A new study has recently re-analyzed this massive STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression) study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and found evidence that there was obfuscation, intended or unintended, that made antidepressant efficacy look better than it actually is.
Earlier this year, 2018, a published paper, Do outcomes of clinical trials resemble those “real world” patients? A reanalysis of the STAR*D antidepressant data set, demystified this study and provided a clearer picture of real-world antidepressant efficacy.
As one psychiatrist skeptical of antidepressants, Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, reported after reviewing the 2018 reanalysis of the STAR*D paper:
[The 2018 reanalysis was done] 14 years after the [STAR*D] study was finished. What in the world were the main findings of the world’s largest ever antidepressant trial doing being presented now in a little-known journal? The answer may lie in the fact that they show how miserably poor the results of standard medical treatment for depression really are!
… people taking antidepressants do not do very well. In fact, given that for the vast majority of people depression is a naturally remitting condition, it is difficult to believe that people treated with antidepressants do any better than people who are offered no treatment at all. (Source)
“Polio-like” illness continues to spread across the U.S. and is now far more widespread than previously reported
NaturalNews – The effects of a new debilitating virus that has “polio-like” symptoms spreading throughout the United States has been underestimated and under-reported thanks to voluntary reporting requirements and testing protocols that have been deemed substandard.
The NY Daily News reported that children in 22 states have been affected by the condition as health authorities continue to assess its spread and effects.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not known as a bastion of truth, says that so far this year there have been 62 confirmed cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis. The first known outbreak of the virus occurred in 2014 but has since reemerged as authorities identified and confirmed 50 cases of the condition between August and October in even-numbered years, the paper reported online.
The condition very often begins as what appears to be a respiratory infection but progresses from there very quickly. Over the course of just a few hours, patients have increased difficulty breathing as one or more limbs become paralyzed and they develop a “flaccid weakness,” according to medical definitions of AFM.
The exact cause of the condition is not known but scientists and health professionals say it can be triggered by viruses, genetic disorders, and environmental toxins.
“I think the challenge is that we haven’t found one specific virus that is causing these complications,” Dr. Devorah Segal, a pediatric neurology expert at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, told the Daily News.
“I don’t think we really understand why there have been peaks at these two-year intervals.”
Pet News
Essential Oils for Pets: The Best & Worst Oils to Help Your Furry Friends
Dr. Axe – Essential oils are naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds that come from the seeds, bark, stems, flowers and roots of plants. If you’ve used them before, I’m sure you’re already familiar with how incredibly potent, fragrant and beneficial they can be to your health, but have you ever tried essential oils for pets?
According to the American Kennel Club, “Preliminary research suggests that these potent oils may have some health benefits for dogs and humans, and many holistic veterinarians incorporate essential oils into their practices.” Many pet owners today are turning to essential oils for a variety of health concerns in their pets, including flea and tick prevention, skin issues, and behavior problems like anxiety. (1)
While using essential oils for pets is known to have its benefits, it’s vital to know which oils are safe to use, how to use them, and to remember that, like people, each animal is different and may react uniquely to a particular essential oil. Similar to the use of oils with children, it’s absolutely crucial to remember that a little goes a long, long way with pets.
Essential Oils for Pets: 5 Best Oils + Uses for Dogs
What essential oils are OK for dogs? The following oils are not only OK for dogs, but they’re also known to have some really impressive potential benefits!
Below is a short list of essential oils that experts say are safe to use on dogs:
- Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is a popular choice among humans so maybe you already have this incredible essential oil on hand for your furry friend. If you’re looking for essential oils for dog odor, lavender is a great scent that pet owners tend to love too. Plus, studies demonstrate lavender’s amazing helpful effects on cases of PTSD as well as its anti-anxiety ability, so it will likely calm both you and your pet.
- Peppermint Oil
You may already be familiar with this popular, refreshing essential oil. Will peppermint oil hurt dogs? Peppermint is one of the top recommended essential oils to get rid of fleas in dogs. You’ll actually find peppermint as one of the more commonly used essential oils for dog flea repellent for sale in pet shops and online today.
According to Dr. Janet Roark, a veterinarian and the owner of Hill Country Mobile Veterinary Service in Austin, Texas, “Peppermint essential oil can be used to cool sore muscles, energize tired animals, and soothe upset stomachs. It refreshes the air when diffused and can freshen breath with taken internally. This oil can open the airways and promote a healthy respiratory tract, as well as soothe aching joints.”
- Chamomile Oil
Roman chamomile oil is a well-known anti-inflammatory that is a great choice for both humans and dogs alike if the problem is a skin irritation, burns, wounds, ulcers or eczema. (7, 8) This is a very gentle essential oil that can also help calm a stressed-out dog. (9)
If you’re looking for essential oils recipes for dogs using chamomile oil, check out this super easy Calming Spray Recipe that also includes lavender oil.
- Frankincense Oil
Can you use frankincense oil for dogs? For most dogs, the answer is “yes!” In fact, Dr. Richard Palmquist, chief of integrative health services at Centinela Animal Hospital in Inglewood, Calif., says that using frankincense oil in some cases of cancer and tumors can be very helpful. (10) The use of frankincense oil in pet cancer isn’t that surprising when you consider that research has shown the powerful potential for frankincense oil to help fight some forms of human cancer, including bladder cancer. (11)
Frankincense oil is known to have potent antimicrobial abilities, making it a great choice for germ fighting and immune boosting too.
- Cedarwood Oil
According to Dogs Naturally Magazine, cedarwood oil (Cedrus Atlantica or Cedrus deodara) is a terrific natural pest repellent. Cedarwood essential oil when used in dogs also can act as an antiseptic for the lungs, expectorant for coughs (like kennel cough), circulation stimulator (making it helpful for bodily pains and arthritis), hair growth booster and dandruff reducer, diuretic, and a general calming agent that can help with behavior concerns like shyness or nervous aggression.
Essential Oils for Pets: 5 Best Oils + Uses for Cats
What are some of the best essential oils for cats?
According to Palmquist, the following oils can typically be safely used with cats (and dogs) on a short-term basis
- Spearmint Oil
Somewhat similar to peppermint oil in terms of its scent and uses, spearmint oil can really come in handy with cats for a lot of different concerns, including nausea and diarrhea. For overweight cats, some vets use spearmint oil to balance the metabolism, and in felines with gastrointestinal problems, the oil can be used to improve unwanted symptoms. Like most essential oils, spearmint oil should be diluted before application.
- Frankincense Oil
According Palmquist, frankincense essential oil has shown itself to be helpful in some cases of cancer. He’s also seen it reduce tumors and external ulcers. Frankincense oil may also boost blood supply to the brain, but it may make high blood pressure worse too so be careful when using it. You can check with your vet, but it’s probably best to refrain from using this oil if your cat has a history of hypertension.
- Cardamom Oil
Just like with humans, cardamom oil is a great digestive aid for pets. It can help ease heartburn while also encouraging a healthy appetite level. It also has natural antimicrobial properties and can be helpful for coughs.
- Helichrysum Oil
Helichrysum essential oil has many benefits to pets thanks to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal properties. (16) For pets, it’s excellent for decreasing bleeding due to accidents and for general skin rejuvenation as well. Helichrysum oil is also used to support the nervous system and boost heart health.
- Fennel Oil
Fennel essential oil has a sweet smell similar to licorice and is commonly employed to treat digestive issues in humans. In cats, it may be able to help balance the pituitary, thyroid and pineal glands. If your cat has a buildup of fluid and/or toxins in its tissues, topical application of diluted fennel may help break up that unhealthy buildup and get things back to normal.
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