Today's News: September 18, 2019

World News

Trump to ‘substantially increase’ sanctions on Iran, amid calls for war
RT – Donald Trump has instructed the Treasury Department to “substantially increase,” sanctions on Iran. The move comes in response to Iran’s alleged attacks on Saudi oil fields, and as the president’s confidants advocate war.
The president announced the planned sanctions on Wednesday, two days after saying “it is certainly looking” like Iran carried out drone strikes on two Saudi Arabian oil facilities over the weekend, although he did not name the entities to be sanctioned. The attacks knocked out around half of the country’s oil production, or five percent of the world’s supply.
Further sanctions are far from the ‘thaw’ some cautiously expected after Trump sacked hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton – a longtime proponent of military strikes on Iran – and declared his willingness to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. But neither are they the ‘fire and fury’ response some of the president’s confidants have been calling for.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo immediately blamed Iran for the “unprecedented attack,” while Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a strike on Iranian facilities in response, to “break the regime’s back.”
Trump, however, has signaled his aversion to war at several points in recent weeks.
Russia works on new missile that deactivates all enemy weapons
Pravada Report – Russia continues surprising the West with new weapons. According to recent reports, Russian engineers develop a jammer missile called Alabuga. Rumor has it that this weapon will be able to completely neutralize enemy without even opening fire at its forces. This weapon produces a very strong radio electric impact, the power of which is comparable to the power of a nuclear explosion.
The missile can literally disable all enemy weapons and military equipment, including missiles, missile defense systems, ships and tanks, as well as any type of air, sea and ground military hardware. The Alabuga missile causes all microcircuits to come out of order. In fact, the military hardware and equipment will simply freeze in place, whereas aircraft and missiles will fall down to the ground like rocks.
EU lawmakers vote to approve Brexit delay if UK requests one
AP – European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of another Brexit delay if Britain requests one and certain conditions are met, after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the chamber that a no-deal scenario remains “very real.”
After a three-hour debate, the lawmakers adopted a non-binding resolution supporting another extension to the Brexit deadline. Lawmakers voted 544-126 with 38 abstentions in Strasbourg.
Despite claims from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the U.K. will leave on the scheduled Oct. 31 date with or without a withdrawal agreement, EU leaders are expected to discuss the possibility of another postponement at a two-day summit in Brussels next month if no progress toward a deal has been made by then.
Britain’s departure from the 28-nation bloc has already been delayed twice.
Yemeni Houthis’ Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities is ‘Warning’ – Iranian President Rouhani
Sputnik – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that a recent attack on Saudi oil facilities by the Houthis was a warning to the kingdom to end the war in Yemen.
“The Yemeni nation was not the source of the conflict but it was Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the Americans, some European countries and the Zionist Regime that began the war and destroyed Yemen. The Yemenis did not target a school, hospital or market, but they attacked an industrial centre to warn their enemies,” Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting, as quoted by his website.
The president reiterated that “accusing Iran of being behind the Aramco attacks is groundless.” The accusations, he says, come in “the context of pressure” on Tehran in light of Washington’s attempts to start talks on a new nuclear deal.
“If Washington wants a dialogue with Iran, they must stop all the pressure, otherwise it’s not possible,” he added.
The Iranian leader urged the countries dubbed by him as “enemies of the region” to finally realize the “power of nations,” stressing that Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and others were still there, despite years of attempts to destroy them.
“Instead of admitting that Lebanon’s Hezbollah has high capabilities and power both in scientific and military knowledge and bravery in the field, or that a part of brave young people of Iraq have liberated different cities across the country from the hands of terrorists, and instead of admitting to the growth and greatness of nations like Syria and Yemen, they [‘enemies of the region’] are seeking to accuse others,” Rouhani said.
Iran’s defence minister, for his part, has denied that Tehran had any role in the attack.
“Quite obviously, it was a military clash between two countries. The Yemeni were one of the sides, they said themselves they did it”, the minister said as quoted by the news agency ISNA.
The statements come hours after the Saudi Defence Ministry said it would present evidence of Iran’s involvement in the recent attacks on Saudi Aramco’s oil facilities.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump names new national security advisor to replace Bolton
RT – President Donald Trump has named Robert C. O’Brien – a hostage affairs envoy he sent to Sweden to try and negotiate the release of jailed rapper A$AP Rocky this summer – as his new National Security Advisor
Trump announced O’Brien’s nomination on Wednesday, saying that he has “worked long and hard with Robert.”
The diplomat also compared the Obama Administration’s signing of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran to appeasing Nazi Germany. Given Trump’s promise on Wednesday to “substantially increase” sanctions on Tehran, O’Brien’s hiring likely signals no thaw in relations with the Islamic Republic.
Chaos on Capitol Hill: Judiciary Hearing with Corey Lewandowski Devolves into Bedlam, Democrats Lose Control
Breitbart – Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski frustrated House Judiciary Committee Democrats during a contentious hearing on Tuesday they had hoped would fuel support for President Trump’s impeachment but instead devolved into chaos.
Democrats repeatedly tried and failed to get Lewandowski, a close ally of the president, to talk about his conversations with the president. The White House has asserted those conversations should remain private due to executive privilege, and Lewandowski stayed within those limits.
The hearing quickly devolved into chaos just minutes into House Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler’s questioning of Lewandowski, with Democrats demanding the clock be stopped due to his “filibustering,” and Republicans calling for an adjournment of the hearing.
Rather than give Democrats any new ammunition, Lewandowski used the hearing as opportunity to recall President Trump’s historic campaign, tease a potential run for the Senate in 2020, and mock flustered Democrats.
D.C. prepares for 1st House statehood hearing in 25 years
CS Monitor – The House Oversight Committee will discuss H.R. 51, a bill which seeks to make the District of Columbia the 51st state.
bout 140 United States flags bearing an extra star are flying along Pennsylvania Avenue as Washington, D.C., prepares for its first House hearing on U.S. statehood in a quarter century.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser led a caravan toward the U.S. Capitol on Monday to symbolize the city’s fight for congressional voting rights.
The Washington Post reported that mayoral spokeswoman LaToya Foster said the event and flags cost about $31,200, which came out of the $1 million that city lawmakers set aside to fight for statehood.
The bill set to be discussed Thursday by the Oversight Committee has more than 200 co-sponsors and the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, both Democrats. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to block a companion bill that has more than 30 sponsors.
Major Democratic donor Ed Buck arrested, charged with running drug den – Fox News
Fox – Ed Buck, the California Democratic megadonor, was arrested Tuesday and charged with operating a drug house after a third man reportedly suffered an overdose inside his West Hollywood home last week and survived.
Buck has faced public scrutiny after two black men died from overdoses 18 months apart inside his home. He was not charged in those cases.
Buck is due in court Wednesday to respond to three counts of battery and injecting the alleged third victim with methamphetamine on Sept. 11, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Prosecutors wrote in court papers obtained by the Times that Buck used his position of power to manipulate his victims into participating in his sexual fetishes.
“These fetishes include supplying and personally administering dangerously large doses of narcotics to his victims,” the prosecutors wrote, according to the Times.
Migrant Mothers and Children Sue Over Trump’s Asylum Ban
Newsmax – More than 125 migrant mothers and children have sued the U.S. government, claiming the Trump administration has violated the rights of asylum-seekers through the arbitrary and capricious implementation of a virtual asylum ban at the southern border.
The lawsuit, filed late on Monday, was the first to challenge President Donald Trump over asylum since the U.S. Supreme Court decided last week that an anti-asylum rule will be allowed to take effect while a separate lawsuit on its underlying legality is heard.
New Mexico Puts Forward Bold Plan to Make College Free for Everyone in the State
Slate – New Mexico is set to announce an ambitious plan Wednesday to boost higher education and alleviate debt burdens on students by making all of its 29 two- and four-year public institutions tuition-free for all in-state students regardless of family income. The plan outlined by the state’s Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, aims to benefit about 55,000 students each year at an annual cost of $25 million to $35 million, according to New Mexico’s Higher Education Department. The proposal will now need to pass through both houses of the state Legislature, both of which are controlled by Democrats.
“This program is an absolute game changer for New Mexico,” Grisham said in a statement to the New York Times. “In the long run, we’ll see improved economic growth, improved outcomes for New Mexican workers and families and parents.” To cover the cost of tuition, New Mexico will rely on its increased revenue from oil production in the Permian Basin, which the state shares with Texas. The state higher education system’s flagship campus, the University of New Mexico, has annual tuition costs of $7,500 for New Mexico residents, while community college tuition generally tops out at $3,000 a year.
AZ Supreme Court rules in favor of religious and artistic freedom
The Daily Sheeple – In a win for religious and artistic freedom, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of two Christian artists who refused to create custom invitations for a same-sex wedding.
The state’s constitution, as well as its Free Exercise of Religion Act, provide protection for owners of a Phoenix art studio, the court ruled Monday, as it banned the city from forcing the artists to make the invitations which violated their core beliefs.
Brush & Nib owners Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski were represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit legal organization which challenged the Phoenix non-discrimination law, the Human Relations Ordinance, for coercion of religious believers by violating “the fundamental principle that ‘an individual has autonomy over his or her speech and thus may not be forced to speak a message he or she does not wish to say.’”
The women lost a case at trial level in 2016 which accused them of violating the local ordinance that protects homosexuals from discrimination while preventing the business owners from publicly explaining their convictions or even defending their decision lest they face jail time for that as well.
ADF Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs noted that the government “shouldn’t threaten artists with jail time and fines to force them to create custom artwork, such as wedding invitations, expressing messages that violate their beliefs, and that’s what the court has affirmed today.”
“Joanna and Breanna work with all people; they just don’t promote all messages. They, like all creative professionals, should be free to create art consistent with their convictions without the threat of government punishment,” Scruggs. who argued on behalf of the artists and business owners before the Arizona Supreme Court, said Monday.

Economy & Business

Trump says California cities ‘destroying themselves’ with homelessness
LA times – President Trump arrived in California on Tuesday with a new round of criticism over the homeless crisis gripping cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco but offering few concrete solutions or policy proposals.
Trump is in the state for a two-day visit, with stops for fundraising in Palo Alto, Beverly Hills and San Diego. The fundraisers are expected to bring in $15 million and will benefit Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee composedof the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. The trip sparked protests Tuesday both in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
While aboard Air Force One on Tuesday en route in San Francisco, he said he is considering the creation of an “individual task force” as a possible solution to homelessness, without providing more details.
“We can’t let Los Angeles, San Francisco and numerous other cities destroy themselves by allowing what’s happening,” he said, adding that the homelessness crisis is prompting residents of those cities to leave the country. “They can’t believe what’s happening.”
“We have people living in our … best highways, our best streets, our best entrances to buildings … where people in those buildings pay tremendous taxes, where they went to those locations because of the prestige,” he said. “In many cases, they came from other countries and they moved to Los Angeles or they moved to San Francisco because of the prestige of the city, and all of a sudden they have tents. Hundreds and hundreds of tents and people living at the entrance to their office building. And they want to leave. And the people of San Francisco are fed up, and the people of Los Angeles are fed up.”
The president said that he plans to discuss the topic further with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who joined him Tuesday in the Bay Area and then in L.A.

Energy & Environment

Just 38% of Americans Believe in Man Made Climate Change
Infowars – Despite relentless propaganda campaign about scientific “consensus.”
Despite relentless propagandizing about a global “consensus” on climate change, a new poll has found that just 38% of Americans believe in man-made global warming.
Asked by YouGov if they agreed that “humans are mainly responsible for climate change,” the majority of people in France, Germany and only a slight minority in the UK disagreed.
A minority of Americans, 38%, believe that human activity is driving climate change, which is even less than in China, where the figure is 45%.
It appears as though Greta Thunberg’s weeks-long virtue signalling tour to America is doing little to shift public opinion.
The fact that so many people reject the anthropogenic argument is quite remarkable given how intensively it is pushed by the media and the establishment scientific community.
As we highlighted last week, in a showcase of the ironies that surround the entire field of debate, a ship carrying passengers who included a group of ‘Climate Change Warriors’ who are concerned about melting Arctic ice got stuck in the ice halfway between Norway and the North Pole.

Science & Technology

Smart TVs Caught Sending Sensitive User Data To Facebook And Netflix
Activist Post – A study by researchers from Northeastern University and Imperial College London found that many popular smart TV models, including models by Samsung and LG, as well as streaming dongles Roku and Amazon FireTV, are leaking sensitive user data to advertisers.
The models listed above would share data like location and IP address with Netflix, Facebook and third-party advertisers, according to the FT.
Just when social media companies were starting to modify their data collection practices to better respect user privacy, the next threat is coming from the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart TVs are becoming increasingly popular in the US.
In some cases, users’ data were being sent to Netflix even though they didn’t have an account. And it’s not just smart TVs: other smart devices from speakers to cameras have also been caught sending user data to third parties like Spotify.
Nearly 70% of Americans have a smart TV or a Roku or Apple TV. Nearly all of these devices have recognition technology that tracks what you watch, and sells data approximating your interests to advertisers.
In a separate study of smart TVs by Princeton University, researchers found that some apps supported by Roku and FireTV were sending data such as specific user identifiers to third parties including Google.
Health fears prompt Swiss 5G revolt
AFP – Switzerland was among the first countries to begin deploying 5G, but health fears over radiation from the antennas that carry the next-generation mobile technology have sparked a nationwide revolt.
Demonstrators against the technology are due to fill the streets of Bern later this month, but already a number of cantons have been pressured to put planned constructions of 5G-compatible antennae on ice.
The technology has been swept up in the deepening trade war between China and the United States, which has tried to rein in Chinese giant Huawei — the world’s leader in superfast 5G equipment — over fears it will allow Beijing to spy on communications from countries that use its products and services.
But far from the clash of the titans, a growing number of Swiss are voicing alarm at possible health effects from exposure to the electromagnetic rays radiating from the new antennae, and are threatening to put the issue to a referendum in the country famous for its direct democratic system.

Health

Eat This Crunchy Veggie to Fight Metabolic Syndrome
Green Med Info – Metabolic syndrome is on the rise due to fast-food diets and inactivity, but you can fight back by adding more celery to your diet. This unassuming vegetable contains a surprising blend of antioxidants, flavonoids and other phytochemicals that work together, tackling metabolic syndrome via multiple pathways
Nature is full of powerful compounds that can boost your health, even in vegetables as unassuming as celery — and for conditions as complex and prevalent as metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is better described as a cluster of risk factors that can increase your risk of multiple chronic diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, chronic kidney disease and cancer. The risk factors — abdominal obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of fats in your blood) — combine to seriously undermine your health, even leading to early death in some cases.
Celery Compounds Decrease Oxidative Damage and Inflammation
An excess of reactive oxygen species (oxidative stress) is a major contributing factor to metabolic syndrome. Everything from poor diet to exposure to environmental pollutants can lead to excessive oxidative stress in your system, but celery (Apium graveolens) contains a wealth of phytochemicals and antioxidants that can decrease oxidative damage.
Celery Lowers Blood Pressure
Celery can also benefit the high blood pressure often seen along with metabolic syndrome, due to compounds called phthalides (3-n-butylphthalide). Phthalides not only cause celery’s odor but also help to expand smooth muscle, helping to lower blood pressure.
Celery Is Antidiabetic
Luteolin, a flavone flavonoid found in celery, is anti-obesity and anti-diabetic, helping to suppress inflammation. In an animal study, a luteolin-enriched supplement even prevented obesity and related metabolic disorders, such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and inflammation — the same ones seen along with metabolic syndrome.
Celery Fights Cancer, Boosts Brain Health
When you add whole foods like celery to your diet, the benefits are far-reaching — a sentiment that’s been understood since ancient times. Traditionally, celery has been used for stomach problems and as a heart tonic, as well as to treat joint problem.
Modern research has shown that beyond its role in fighting metabolic syndrome, celery also contains compounds, like the flavone apigenin, that have anticancer activity. It’s also heralded for being protective to the digestive tract, including protecting the gastric mucosa from ulcers, and can reduce high triglycerides, another hallmark of metabolic syndrome.
Not a fan of celery?
Not to worry, as metabolic syndrome responds to a wide range of natural foods and lifestyle changes. Pomegranate, rosemary, coffee and nuts are just a few examples of foods that, like celery, are beneficial for metabolic syndrome.
Combined with exercise and other positive lifestyle moves, such as avoiding sugary beverages and artificial sweeteners, you can support your health and even ward off chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome. View the latest evidence on natural substances for metabolic syndrome here.
General Mills recalls Gold Medal flour for possible E. coli contamination
CNN – Making cookies with Gold Medal flour this week? It may be best to check the date before you bake.
On Monday, General Mills announced a voluntary recall of its Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour for possible E. coli O26 contamination.
The recall applies to five-pound bags stamped with a “better if used by” date of September 6, 2020. No other bags with other dates are affected.
No illnesses linked to the product have been confirmed yet, General Mills said.
State health officials urge cancellation of outdoor events, 3 Michiganders die from rare virus
Detroit Free Press – Three Michiganders have died from the rare and dangerous mosquito-borne virus Eastern equine encephalitis and four others have been sickened by the disease, state health officials said Tuesday, amid the biggest outbreak in more than a decade.
Those who live in all eight of the affected counties — Kalamazoo, Cass, Van Buren, Berrien, Barry, St. Joseph, Genesee and Lapeer counties — are urged to consider canceling, postponing or rescheduling outdoor events that occur at or after dusk, especially those that involve children, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
This would include events such as late-evening sports practices or games or outdoor music practices “out of an abundance of caution to protect the public health and applies until the first hard frost of the year,” according to an MDHHS news release.
The three people who died were all adults, and lived in Kalamazoo, Cass and Van Buren counties, said Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The four other confirmed cases are in Kalamazoo, Berrien, and Barry counties.
Big Pharma Reeling Over Opioid Criminal Charges – Why Would we Trust These Companies to Produce Safe Vaccines?
Health Impact News – Del Bigtree and reporter Jefferey Jaxen covered the recent national news regarding the opioid criminal charges against Big Pharma.
Purdue Pharma is trying to file for bankruptcy to avoid more legal litigation, and Johnson and Johnson is facing serious charges of criminal intent over OxyContin.
Johnson and Johnson was also just convicted of including asbestos in its popular baby powder product.
This raises the question as to why the public is asked to believe that one class of pharmaceutical products is supposedly immune from the criminal intentions of Big Pharma, as they claim that these products are completely “safe and effective”: vaccines.
Heartburn Drug May Contain Known Carcinogen
Newsmax – A substance that could cause cancer has been found in some ranitidine heartburn and ulcer medicines, including the brand-name drug Zantac, and the source of this contamination is being investigated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
While preliminary tests found low levels of the nitrosamine impurity N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in some ranitidine products, the FDA said this does not mean patients taking the drugs should stop using them now.
NDMA is the same contaminant found in many brands of blood pressure and heart failure medicines during the past year, leading to recalls.
Patients who are taking prescription ranitidine and want to stop using it should discuss alternatives with their health care provider, the FDA advised. Those taking over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine could switch to other OTC medicines.