May 31, 2022

A confused President Biden targets ‘high-caliber’ 9 millimeter bullets in gun control comments. “[The doctors] said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life,” Biden said. “A 9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.”    https://nypost.com/2022/05/30/biden-goes-on-anti-gun-tirade-suggests-theres-no-rational-basis-for-9mm-pistols/   This is really scary, because Biden is a seasoned politician (extremely well-seasoned, in fact) who has helped write and voted on many firearms-related bills, but he clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about. So, a .22 caliber bullet is 5.6 mm in diameter. The bullets fired out of a AR-15 are .223 caliber or 5.7 mm in diameter, almost the same diameter as the .22 bullets used for shooting squirrels and rabbits. The reason the AR-15 ammunition is so much more powerful and dangerous is that these bullets are driven by a LOT more propellant/gunpowder, so they travel a LOT faster, creating a huge shock wave and massive damage when they hit something. Although 9 mm bullets are bigger in diameter (i.e., they are ‘higher caliber’), they are also heavier and are not driven by such a disproportionate amount of propellant. Most police and military officers are armed with 9 mm pistols, and these are also the most popular civilian pistols. If I had to choose between being hit with 5.7 mm AR-15 round or a 9 mm police round, I’d rather be hit by the latter. I’d also rather be hit by a bullet from an old-style AK rifle, because although the caliber of the bullets is larger (7.62 mm) they don’t travel at such high speed, so they are less likely to inflict as much damage as they travel through your body. Here’s a comparison of different sizes of bullets and the cartridges that hold the propellant:    https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bullets-different-calibers-names-2032301579   “Routine handgun injuries leave entry and exit wounds and linear tracks through the victim’s body that are roughly the size of the bullet. If the bullet does not directly hit something crucial like the heart or the aorta, and the victim does not bleed to death before being transported to our care at the trauma center, chances are that we can save him. The bullets fired by an AR-15 are different: They travel at a higher velocity and are far more lethal than routine bullets fired from a handgun. The damage they cause is a function of the energy they impart as they pass through the body. A typical AR-15 bullet leaves the barrel traveling almost three times faster than—and imparting more than three times the energy of—a typical 9mm bullet from a handgun.”   https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/what-i-saw-treating-the-victims-from-parkland-should-change-the-debate-on-guns/553937/

Canadian government proposes ban on sales of handguns. “Canada’s government introduced legislation Monday to implement a ‘national freeze’ on the sale and purchase of handguns as part of a gun control package that would also limit magazine capacities and ban some toys that look like guns…. ‘We need only look south of the border to know that if we do not take action firmly and rapidly it gets worse and worse and gets more difficult to counter,’ [Prime Minister Justin Trudeau] said…. Authorities do not expect a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, in part because they are so heavily regulated already, an official said in a briefing.”   https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-trudeau-announces-legislation-prevent-buying-selling-handguns-2022-05-30/

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s multi-millionaire husband arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after two-car traffic accident. “Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken into custody shortly before midnight Saturday in Napa County, according to a sheriff’s office online booking report. He was driving a 2021 Porsche into an intersection near the town of Yountville and was hit by a 2014 Jeep, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement late Sunday. No injuries were reported, and the 48-year-old driver of the Jeep was not arrested.”   https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-paul-napa-california-government-and-politics-c546792362e9391b9d6831e73dd2ab87   “Paul Pelosi was arrested at 11:44 p.m. and charged with driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher as well as driving under the influence of alcohol, both misdemeanors…. Paul Pelosi has accumulated more than $100 million from his San Francisco-based venture capital firm, Financial Leasing Services, according to Celebrity Net Worth…. if he was leaving Napa to travel to San Francisco, where the Pelosi family owns multiple properties, and had chosen Uber instead of driving, it would have cost approximately $103.90…. There are also several hotel options in the Napa area that start around $150…. A first-time drunken driving offense can cost a driver upwards of $10,000 in fines and legal fees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/driving-under-influence-pelosis-husband-uber   Unlike most Americans, he can probably afford it.

Wayne LaPierre re-elected as president of the NRA, despite financial scandal. “T​he National Rifle Association’s board ​of directors voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Wayne LaPierre as the head of the powerful gun rights advocacy group amid investigations into its finances and allegations that its officers — including LaPierre — diverted millions of dollars to fund their lavish lifestyles.”   https://nypost.com/2022/05/30/scandal-scarred-wayne-lapierre-re-elected-as-nra-ceo/

Chicago man accused of lighting random homeless person on fire. “Also known as ‘The Walking Dude’, Joseph Kromelis was on fire for three minutes and remains sedated at hospital, Hanichak said. Doctors say the 75-year-old is not expected to recover…. ‘This defendant did not target someone he had an argument with, someone who wronged him or someone that he even knew,’ [Assistant State’s Attorney Danny] Hanichak said [of Joseph Guardia]. ‘This defendant decided to target the most vulnerable person possible, a 75-year-old homeless man sleeping on the street.'”   https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2022/5/30/23147737/walking-man-charges-joseph-kromelis-guardia-burned

Two mass shooting hoaxers arrested in Florida, one of whom is only 10 years old. “… [ten year-old] Daniel [Marquez] told a friend in a text message about ‘wads of cash’ and to ‘get ready’ for him to carry out the mass shooting…. Daniel then allegedly shared an image of four assault rifles he said he bought and told his buddy to ‘get ready for water day’ — referencing a recent school-sponsored event in which students participate in water activities…. Corey Anderson, 18, was busted Sunday at a home in Lutz after… posting photos of himself with what appeared to be a rifle, handgun and tactical-style vest, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The chilling photo was accompanied by a caption that read, ‘Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school’, authorities said. Investigators later determined the handgun and rifle in Anderson’s photo were airsoft guns, which shoot pellets rather than bullets.”   https://nypost.com/2022/05/30/mugshot-released-for-10-year-old-daniel-isaac-marquez-after-threat-to-shoot-up-florida-school/

Texas governor Greg Abbott reportedly diverted almost $211 million from state agency responsible for mental health programs. “‘We as a state – we as a society – need to do a better job with mental health. Anybody who shoots somebody else has a mental health challenge. Period. We as a government need to find a way to target that mental health challenge and do something about it,’ [said Abbott] … Abbott diverted the funds to add to his effort to send [the state’s] National Guard to the Texas-Mexico border, currently known as Operation Lone Star. No other Texas agency received a more significant cut than the [Health and Human Services Commission] when Abbott slashed funding…. Texas ranks 4th in the U.S. for the prevalence of mental illness and ranks last out of all 50 states in access to mental health care, according to the 2022 State of Mental Health in America report.”   https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/05/30/gov-abbott-attributes-mass-shootings-to-mental-health-issues-a-month-after-cutting-211-million-from-mental-health-commission/

U.K. to offer visas to foreign graduates of top universities. “From Monday, the U.K. government has said people who have graduated, in the last five years, from one of the eligible leading universities… will be able to apply for the U.K.’s ‘high potential individual’ visa. Successful applicants will be granted a two-year visa, while those with a PhD will be offered a three-year visa…. The application fee for the visa is £715 ($904), along with £210 to verify that their qualification is valid…”   https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/30/uk-launches-new-visa-for-worlds-top-graduates.html   They should call this the ‘no commoners’ visa. Under this plan, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet and Jack Dorsey would not have been eligible.

Egyptian opposition politicians sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. “An Egyptian court has sentenced former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and several prominent figures from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to lengthy jail terms on Sunday for ‘spreading false news’ and plotting to overthrow the state, reports Agence France-Presse and the Reuters news agency…. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say the arrests and trials of the likes of Aboul Fotouh and el-Kassas are part of a government crackdown on dissent that targeted not only Islamist political opponents but also pro-democracy activists, journalists, and online critics.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/29/egypt-court-jails-former-presidential-candidate-for-15-years

Researchers suggest tactics for reducing mass shootings. “I don’t think most people realize that these are suicides, in addition to homicides. Mass shooters design these to be their final acts. When you realize this, it completely flips the idea that someone with a gun on the scene is going to deter this. If anything, that’s an incentive for these individuals. They are going in to be killed…. This is really about, what is the pathway to violence for these people, where does this come from? …. We need to build teams to investigate when kids are in crisis and then link those kids to mental health services. The problem is that in a lot of places, those services are not there. There’s no community mental health and no school-based mental health…. In Uvalde, there was an army of good guys with guns in the parking lot. The hard approach doesn’t seem to be getting the job done.”   https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/27/stopping-mass-shooters-q-a-00035762

Fleeing car-jacking suspect shot multiple times by Kansas City, Missouri police officers. “Cops have shot a 26-year-old black woman who claimed she was pregnant as they searched for a vehicle involved in an armed car jacking. Kansas City police fired at Leonna Hale five times after she told them there was a gun in the car and as a man who was with her fled just before 8pm on Friday…. ‘She ran and they shot at her one, two, three, four.'”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10869877/Pregnant-black-woman-shot-FIVE-TIMES-Kansas-City-police-looking-stolen-car.html

May 30, 2022

Russian officials won’t be invited to this year’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration events. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki officials have decided not to invite representatives from Russia to their annual ceremonies marking the atomic bombing of the cities in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.”   https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14631439   American officials are presumably still welcome.

President Biden offered to ‘raze’ Robb Elementary School and replace it, says state senator. “In an interview with KSAT 12 anchor Steve Spriester, the Democratic senator who represents Uvalde [Roland Gutierrez], said that President Biden told him that ‘we’re going to look to raze that school and build a new one.'”   https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/05/29/feds-considering-razing-rebuilding-robb-elementary-school-state-sen-roland-gutierrez-says/   Hopefully AFTER the investigation is completed. “… 50,000 tons of mangled metal from the twin towers have been sold and shipped to China as scrap…. The families had made emotional appeals to the city of New York to stop the recycling until further clues could be found about the towers’ collapse. New York officials said the investigation could continue without the physical wreckage.”   https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-01-27-0201270268-story.html   Note that the Towers came down in September 2001 and this story is dated January 2002. There has been some dispute over whether the fire was actually hot enough to weaken or shift the steel beams enough to cause a collapse. Many architectural engineers find that unlikely.

Jewish nationalists create havoc during march through Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa mosque. “The annual flag march, in which Israelis enter the highly symbolic Damascus Gate and walk through the Muslim Quarter to the Western Wall waving the national flag, takes place around sunset on what Israel calls Jerusalem Day, the celebration of the capture and annexation of East Jerusalem in the 1967 war…. As the afternoon call to prayer rang out, the crowd began chanting ‘Death to the Arabs’ while banging on the metal shutters of Palestinian shops and restaurants with sticks and flag poles. Israeli media estimated that 70,000 people were in attendance on different routes, making it one of the largest flag march turnouts recorded.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/29/jerusalem-israeli-parade-old-city-flag-march

100 Starbucks now unionized claims Starbucks Workers United. “The milestone was achieved after successful votes Friday at two stores in Seattle. The Eastlake store employees won their effort to collectively bargain in a landslide 12-0 vote, while the Union Station store voted 6-3 in favor, local KOMO News reported.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/29/organizers-herald-100th-win-starbucks-unionization-wave-continues

New documentary and book blame Marilyn Monroe’s murder on Robert Kennedy. “A new Netflix documentary, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, and a book published by former LAPD officer Mike Rothmiller and Douglas Thompson, Bombshell: The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe (London: Ad Lib Publishers, 2021), puncture the official narrative about Monroe’s death, detail corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and expose liberal icon Robert Kennedy as a murderer…. When her affair with Bobby was ended, Marilyn became fearful for her life, telling her friend Robert Slatzer that Bobby had underworld killers in his employ—they had been assigned by secret elements of the CIA to perform assassinations and other ‘dirty tricks’.”   https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/05/25/bombshell-sixty-years-after-her-death-new-evidence-suggests-that-marilyn-monroe-was-murdered-by-bobby-kennedy-and-lapd-covered-up-murder/

May 29, 2022

Firearm fatalities now the leading cause of death for American children. “According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in 2022, firearms are the leading cause of death among young people in the USA, due to both a sharp increase in firearm fatalities (83% increase since 2013) and a progressive decrease in motor vehicle fatalities (51% decrease since 2000).¹ The increase in firearm deaths is largely due to increased firearm homicides, as nearly 60% of firearm deaths among young people since 2010 were homicides. Firearm injuries and deaths in young people show serious racial and ethnic disparities in the USA…. In 2020, Black, non-Hispanic adolescent boys (aged 15–19 years) died by firearm homicide at a rate that was 21 times higher than that for White, non-Hispanic adolescent boys (90·3 per 100 000 vs 4·2 per 100 000).”   https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(22)00158-4/fulltext   A CNN cable news program on this story failed to mention the drop in traffic fatalities or that non-white, adolescent boys were at the greatest risk, i.e., that gang-related shootings were largely responsible for the increase.

Teacher at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde inexplicably left back door propped open. “At 11:27 a.m. Tuesday morning, a teacher at Robb Elementary School propped open a door to the building, [director of the Texas Department of Public Safety Steven] McCraw said. One minute later, the gunman crashed a vehicle into a ditch nearby. The teacher ran to one of the classrooms to retrieve a phone and then walked back to the exit door, which was still propped open. Meanwhile, two men at a nearby funeral home heard the crash and went to the scene, where they saw a man with a gun and backpack exit the vehicle. The men “immediately” began running as the gunman shot at them, McCraw said…. The teacher, ‘in a panic’, called 911 at 11:30 a.m. to report a crash and a man with a gun, McCraw said…. The gunman entered the school through the open door two minutes later, at 11:33 a.m., McCraw said. ‘That back door was propped open. It wasn’t supposed to be propped open. It was supposed to be locked, and certainly the teacher that went back for her cellphone, they propped it open again.'”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/05/27/uvalde-texas-shooting-police-response/9964966002/   I can only guess that she made no connection between the events she had witnessed and a possible attack on the school, but it still seems very strange, as if there is more to this story that we aren’t being told. Was the door possibly broken? Who was this teacher, and what does she have to say about this? What does the school’s   principal have to say about this? The only mention I can find of the principal is a news story saying she provided police with the key to the classroom, while most sources are saying it was the janitor. And where was the school resource officer before he arrived at the school?

San Francisco police officers break up knife fight by shooting both men dead. “Police responded to an aggravated assault in progress under the overpass of Interstate 280 at Mariposa Street and found the two men locked in a struggle on the ground, with one, later identified as Michael MacFhionghain, 57, holding a knife over the other man, identified as Rafael Mendoza, 49. Police later saw that the other man also had a knife — and they ordered both to drop their weapons before they opened fire, fatally striking both men…. Officers deployed less-lethal rounds of bean bags and 40mm foam baton projectiles during the altercation…. Three officers used department-issued handguns and one officer used a department-issued rifle.”   https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/San-Francisco-police-expected-to-release-new-17204070.php

Man opens fire on party in Charleston, WV park, is shot dead by bystander. “A woman carrying a pistol shot and killed a man with an AR-15-style firearm that opened fire on a party, Charleston police said…. They identified a victim, 37-year-old Dennis Butler…. Butler had been at the apartment complex earlier in the day… he was approached ‘about speeding while there was a birthday party and graduation party going on’ nearby at the park across the street…. Shortly after, he drove back…. pulled an AR-style rifle and started firing into the crowd…”   https://news.yahoo.com/woman-lawfully-carrying-pistol-shot-195026624.html

Gun manufacturer who made Uvalde gunman’s rifle offers ‘buy now, pay later’ financing. “If you visit the website for gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, the first thing you’ll see is a pop-up message offering condolences to the victims of a gunman…. If you scroll down and click on a panel promoting a financing option from the company, you’ll get a different message: ‘Enter to win $15K when you buy now, pay later with Credova,’ with an explanation of how to enroll in the sweepstakes in three easy steps.”   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-28/gun-sellers-offer-quick-buy-now-pay-later-financing

Life in a developed market economy: Fresh strawberries linked to hepatitis A infections. “The FDA, along with CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, state, and local partners are investigating a multi-state outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States and Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo and HEB, purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022…. These products were sold at the following retailers, including, but not limited to: Aldi, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weis Markets [and] WinCo Foods.”   https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/05/fresh-organic-strawberries-likely-spread-hepatitis-a-in-u-s-and-canada/

Democratic Party-aligned political action committee says it will spend $1 million to unseat progressive U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib. “Politico does not mention UEA’s biggest contributor: According to OpenSecrets.org, the New York-based hedge fund Third Point LLC, founded by multibillionaire investor Daniel S. Loeb, has given $76,355 to the PAC…. According to Politico, [Bakari] Sellers—the former South Carolina state lawmaker and failed lieutenant governor candidate who regularly appears on CNN as a political analyst—is fundraising for [the Urban Empowerment Action] PAC. When asked about his endorsement of [Detroit City Clerk Janice] Winfrey, he told Politico‘s ‘The Recast’ that ‘we are hoping that we can have a candidate that doesn’t have varying distractions.'”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/27/wall-street-funded-democrat-pac-spend-1-million-bid-unseat-tlaib-report

May 28, 2022

More details emerge on Uvalde mass shooting, school officer was not on-site when gunman arrived, children called 911 from classroom, some survived. “The bottom line is that officer was not on scene, not on campus, but had heard the 911 call about the man with a gun, drove immediately to the area, sped to what he thought was the man with the gun, to the back of the school, to what turned out to be a teacher and not the suspect.”   https://www.insider.com/texas-police-change-timeline-of-uvalde-shooting-retract-key-claim-2022-5   “Students who were in the classroom with the gunman called 911 several times, including a lengthy call during which some shooting and other sounds of the attack could be heard, according to Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/us/texas-shooting-911-call-press-conference.html   “Some of the mostly 9- and 10-year-old students trapped with the gunman survived the massacre, including at least two who called 911, [Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven] McCraw said. He did not offer a specific tally. There were at least eight calls from the classrooms to 911 between 12:03 p.m., a half hour after Ramos first entered the building, and 12:50 p.m., when Border Patrol agents and police burst in and shot Ramos dead. It was unclear whether officers at the scene were aware of those calls as they waited, McCraw said…. A girl whom McCraw did not identify called at 12:16 p.m. and told police that there were still ‘eight to nine’ students alive, the colonel said. Three shots were heard during a call made at 12:21 p.m.”   https://www.reuters.com/world/us/police-response-texas-massacre-under-scrutiny-details-remain-murky-2022-05-27/   The latest version of the official timeline can be read here:   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-school-shooting-timeline-robb-elementary-school-attack/   It’s unclear if the door the teacher used is the same door the shooter used to enter the school. Officers did enter the school two minutes after the gunman, but had to retreat after coming under fire. Officers did move back into the school at some point, but exactly when is unclear.

Progressive candidate declared winner in Oregon U.S. Congress primary election. “Seven-term U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, a centrist who was endorsed by President Joe Biden, has been ousted in the Democratic primary in Oregon by progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner after results were delayed more than a week by a ballot-printing issue…. Schrader has voted against some of Biden’s priorities, including a money-saving plan to let Medicare negotiate the price it pays for prescription drugs. A year ago, he was one of only two members of his party to vote against a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill because, among several reasons, he did not support including an increase to the minimum wage.”   https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-oregon-portland-congress-kurt-schrader-0bce17b40f80f96950358b5c4ee1862e   AP article fails to cite the vote totals.   “Schrader joined other moderate Democrats in helping decouple the ambitious Build Back Better legislation from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which many observers believe undermined the former’s chances of passing…. By March, a number of labor unions, already unhappy with Schrader’s vote against a bill making it easier to unionize, backed McLeod-Skinner over Schrader.”   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jamie-mcleod-skinner-unseats-pharma-democrat-primary_n_6284629de4b003ed29680574   No numbers there either!   “McLeod-Skinner, who was declared the winner with a lead of 57% to 43%, will face Republican nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer in November…. ‘This is a David and Goliath moment,’ said Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, which backed McLeod-Skinner in the race. ‘This win proves that voters are hungry for leaders who will fight for working families, not billionaires and Big Pharma.'”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/27/manchin-house-kurt-schrader-officially-defeated-oregon-primary

Dept. of Homeland Security appoints Michael Chertoff to review the agency’s Disinformation Board plans. “The aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks led to widespread federal abuses. At the time, Chertoff was head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, where he supported actions that led to the baseless detention of hundreds of Muslims. He was also one of the principal authors of the Patriot Act—legislation that granted the government sweeping surveillance powers, which were promptly abused by federal agencies…. As was revealed later, the [CIA] understood that waterboarding and other ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, as they were euphemistically known, exposed it to legal jeopardy…. Chertoff furnished the agency with guidance that led to the continuing use of such torture techniques. And as was noted in The Nation, he also appeared to have taken steps to keep the torture program concealed from the public eye.”   https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/michael-chertoff-torture-disinformation-dhs/

New book examines the history of government surveillance in the U.S. “According to Brian Hochman’s The Listeners: A History of Wiretapping in the United States, Americans have held many attitudes toward surveillance over the years…. By the 1960s, Americans were divided, with law-and-order conservatives arguing that police needed the right to surveil and progressives pushing to protect privacy. The fraught relationship between privacy and security is at the crux of The Listeners, which covers the history of eavesdropping from the Civil War to 9/11. Throughout that long history, the threat—real or imagined—of crime almost invariably took priority over civil liberties…. Hochman does not address our current world of digital surveillance beyond a handful of brief passages that bookend his study.”   https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/the-listeners-wiretap-history-review/   This is a pre-Snowden history of government surveillance.

Rights activist calls for ‘Church Committee 2.0’. “… the FBI is employing another domestic investigative authority not thus far publicly revealed by name or function…. While the exact nature of the “mystery” authority or guidance remains unknown outside the FBI, one thing is clear: the need for a complete, wide-ranging investigation of the FBI’s domestic surveillance and related activities is long overdue. The Raskin-Mace initiative is a very good and welcome first step. But it’s clear that a “Church Committee 2.0” is required to uncover the myriad of federal surveillance activities targeting Americans by multiple agencies and departments of the Executive branch, and to enact laws with real teeth to put an end to domestic surveillance that targets people on the basis of their political beliefs, religious affiliation, or ethnic identity.”   https://www.rightsanddissent.org/news/a-threat-to-liberty-fbi-domestic-surveillance-practices/

Biden tells Naval Academy graduates they will be defending U.S. democracy – around the world. “On Friday, Biden reiterated that he believed democracies would prevail against autocracies like China and Russia. He used the war in Ukraine to bolster his argument, saying that while Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to ‘Finlandize all of Europe’ and force nations to be neutral, Putin’s actions actually ‘NATOized’ the continent…. ‘Each of you, as you go out into the world, will not only be a proud member of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, you’ll be representatives and defenders of our democracy,’ Biden said…”   https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-naval-academy-speech-china-democracy-warning-1710966   As George W. Bush once said, “See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don’t attack each other. Free nations don’t develop weapons of mass destruction.”   https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031003-4.html

Geophysical survey revealed likely presence of gold in western Pennsylvania before FBI excavation. “The report, by a geophysicist who performed microgravity testing at the site, hinted at an underground object with a mass of up to 9 tons and a density consistent with gold. The FBI used the consultant’s work to obtain a warrant to seize the gold — if there was any to be found. The government has long claimed its dig was a bust. But a father-son pair of treasure hunters who spent years hunting for the fabled Civil War-era gold — and who led agents to the woodland site, hoping for a finder’s fee — suspect the FBI double-crossed them and made off with a cache that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.”   https://www.yourbasin.com/news/fbi-records-on-search-for-fabled-gold-raise-more-questions/

Thousands protest outside National Rifle Association meeting and gun show. “The NRA protests follow a Thursday demonstration by faith leaders outside the convention center as well as a walkout by students at scores of elementary, middle, and high schools across the country. On Wednesday, the organizers of March for Our Lives—the nationwide student-led gun control protests first held in the wake of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida—announced they were organizing a second such event for June 11.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/27/enough-enough-thousands-protest-outside-nra-convention-texas   If we ban the public from owning modern firearms, what’s the plan if a future Donald Trump succeeds in overturning an election, declares himself ‘president for life’, sets up a right-wing dictatorship and launches a reign of terror against his opponents? Pussy hats? Petitions? Memes?

Witness testifies that Hillary Clinton approved releasing Alpha Bank Russiagate allegations to the press. “Robby Mook, the former campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, testified on Friday that the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee agreed to provide information about a link between her opponent Donald Trump and Russian Alfa Bank to a reporter, despite the fact that her campaign was not certain about the truth of the allegations….  Mook took the stand during the trial of Michael Sussmann who is charged in special counsel John Durham’s probe with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation after he brought the FBI unverified evidence concerning Trump and Alfa Bank. The scope of the trial is narrow, focusing on whether or not Sussmann, whose law firm represented Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, was acting on behalf of a client.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-durham-investigation-robby-mook/

May 27, 2022

U.S. Supreme Court bars federal appeals of state convictions if based on new evidence. “The state [of Arizona] argued that the condemned men should not be allowed to present new evidence to a federal judge when they had failed to do so previously in state court. Lawyers for the condemned men pointed out that they had only failed to present the evidence in state court because the legal counsel they had been assigned by the state was woefully inadequate.”   https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/may/23/us-supreme-court-prisoners-ineffective-counsel-challenges

Media accused of using misleading school shooting numbers. “The [NPR] headline, ’27 school shootings have taken place so far this year’, probably gave many readers the impression that gun-related killings in schools have been especially high this year, even before Uvalde…. The problem here is that three very differently defined terms are being used somewhat incautiously and interchangeably: school shooting, mass shooting, and mass school shooting. Uvalde was a mass school shooting; the 26 previous tragedies at schools this year were not…. Many of the 26 previous shootings involved disputes between students in parking lots, or after athletic events, and all of them resulted in one or zero deaths. These deaths are still incredibly tragic, of course. But they are fundamentally unlike what happened in Uvalde…. A stricter tally of mass school shootings, conducted by criminologists for Scientific American, only includes incidents where the shootings resulted in at least four deaths. Using their criteria, the number of mass school shootings in the U.S. since the year 1966 is 13. These crimes claimed the lives of 146 people in total.”   https://reason.com/2022/05/26/uvalde-texas-mass-shooting-statistics-gun-crimes-misleading/

Governor of Rhode Island signs law legalizing recreational marijuana in 19th state. “Gov. Dan McKee, a Democrat, signed a bill that immediately allows adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of cannabis in public and grow up to three plants at home. State-licensed recreational sales are supposed to start on December 1, beginning with the state’s three existing medical marijuana dispensaries. The law also requires automatic expungement of marijuana possession convictions.”   https://reason.com/2022/05/26/rhode-island-becomes-the-19th-state-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana/

Texas Dept. of Public Safety now says there was no school resource officer at Uvalde elementary school. “‘He walked in [to Robb Elementary School] unobstructed initially,’ Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Regional Director Victor Escalon said. ‘So from the grandmother’s house, to the (ditch), to the school, into the school, he was not confronted by anybody.’ …. Inside, the suspect walked into a classroom and fired more than 25 times, Escalon said. The majority of the gunfire was in the beginning of the attack, he said. Officers arrived at the school at 11:44 a.m., but when they went to confront the gunman, they received fire and took cover, Escalon said…. at some point [police] entered ‘negotiations’ with the suspect, Escalon said. After about an hour, a US Border Patrol tactical team came to the classroom, forced entry and fatally shot the suspect, he said.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/26/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting-thursday/index.html

Official account of Uvalde mass shooting has changed dramatically. “Authorities had initially said the attacker exchanged gunfire with a school police officer on Tuesday before entering the school…. Authorities had previously seemed to suggest that little time elapsed between the gunman crashing his vehicle near the school and heading inside…. But on Thursday, Escalon said there was actually a considerable gap officials had not previously disclosed. After crashing his vehicle, the gunman instead remained outside for 12 minutes, firing his gun at nearby people and the school…. Officials had initially said the gunman was wearing body armor, before reversing course and saying this was not the case.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/05/26/uvalde-shooting-official-accounts/   It’s unclear whether the officers who initially engaged in a gun battle with the suspect did so from inside or outside the school. “The Uvalde Police Department and the Independent School District Police Department attempted to enter the school building four minutes [after the shooter], but they heard gunfire and took rounds so they moved back, took cover and called for additional resources, Escalon said.”   https://abc7.com/uvalde-texas-robb-elementary-school-active-shooter-district-lockdown/11896237/

Texas Dept. of Public Safety official claimed fictitious school resource officer had been interviewed by Texas Rangers. “The gunman first encountered an armed school district police officer, DPS officials have said. But what happened between them still isn’t fully known — including how far away the school resource officer was from the gunman, if he was in a vehicle or if he fired his weapon, DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez told CNN on Thursday…. The Texas Rangers interviewed the officer Wednesday evening, Olivarez said, adding he hoped to get more information within hours about his response.”   https://www.wevv.com/news/did-the-school-resource-officer-fire-at-the-shooter-what-we-know-and-dont-know/article_57e2cbd1-106d-52e4-b9b8-c26247fe6b41.html

Uvalde shooter allegedly abused animals. “[Salvador] Ramos also allegedly committed animal abuse and displayed videos of the cruelty to users on a social media platform, according to two users who spoke to ABC News. In some instances, the alleged animal abuse was committed in public and then posted for online viewing, and Ramos allegedly boasted about how he and his friends did it ‘all the time’, according to one user. The allegations of animal abuse are similar to what authorities have learned about Payton Gendron, the white 18-year-old suspect in who allegedly committed the May 14 racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket that left 10 Black people dead.”   https://abc7.com/uvalde-texas-robb-elementary-school-active-shooter-district-lockdown/11896237/   Animal abuse is a red flag for future crimes against humans, including serial killings.

Governor of Oklahoma signs law that bans abortion ‘from the moment of conception’. “The law, H.B. 4327, bans all abortions after the moment of conception except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life. The bill bans any procedures that ’cause the death of an unborn child’, which it defines as a ‘human fetus or embryo in any stage of gestation from fertilization until birth’.”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/oklahoma-abortion-law-conception-legal-challenge-planned-parenthood   Thus, the bill also bans ‘morning-after’ pills and drug-induced abortions.

Senate Republicans vote against considering domestic anti-terrorism bill. “The vote to begin debate on the bill, known as the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022, failed by a margin of 47 to 47, falling far short of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome Republican opposition in the 50-50 Senate. Similar legislation passed the House in 2020 only to stall in the Senate…. The bill passed the Democratic-led House days after the Buffalo shooting, when a self-described white supremacist targeted a grocery store in a largely Black neighborhood and killed 10 people. One House Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, voted with Democrats to approve the bill.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-domestic-terrorism-bill-vote/

Minnesota fines 3M Corporation $2.8 million for more than 20 years of hazardous waste violations at Cottage Grove facility. “Among the findings from its two-year investigation, the [Minnesota Pollution Control Agency] said it found repeated years where 3M inaccurately identified hazardous waste sent to its incinerator as non-hazardous waste. Investigators also cited 3M for storing 1,300 containers of hazardous waste in unapproved areas and for releases from compromised storage containers…”   https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/05/26/3m-mismanaged-waste-at-cottage-grove-plant-minnesota-says

Tennessee to add city property to law that bans camping on state property, which can result in felony charges. “The felony charge is punishable by up to six years in prison and the loss of voting rights…. Although camping has generally been regulated by local vagrancy laws, Texas passed a statewide ban last year. Municipalities that fail to enforce the ban risk losing state funding. Several other states have introduced similar bills, but Tennessee is the only one to make camping a felony.”   https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-politics-nashville-cookeville-tennessee-fc4c7eb121929856d3a466030f2502e4

FBI agents testify that errors in Russiagate investigation launch document were ‘typos’. “As revealed in trial that is part of John Durham’s special counsel inquiry, the electronic communication marking the opening of the investigation wrongly cited a nonexistent ‘referral’ from the Justice Department rather than correctly saying the Alfa-Bank allegations came from a lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. The opening communication, titled ‘Alfa Bank’, was authored by FBI agents Curtis Heide and Allison Sands, both of whom testified this week in Washington, D.C., and the investigation initiated on Sept. 23, 2016, four days after [Michael] Sussmann’s meeting with FBI General Counsel James Baker…. The Alfa Bank investigation was closed in January 2017 and the closing communication was written by Sands. It also contained multiple errors.”   https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/durham-trial-fbi-agents-who-opened-alfa-bank-inquiry-testify-about-typos-in-launch-document

Local police and federal agencies investigating suspected arson at Casper, Wyoming abortion clinic. “Authorities say the fire was intentionally set, and they found several areas in the building where an accelerant was used…. The women’s health clinic was slated to open mid-June, director Julie Burkhart said on Wednesday…. She said security cameras had been installed and were active in the building.”   https://oilcity.news/community/2022/05/26/fbi-atf-assisting-casper-police-on-suspected-arson-at-casper-abortion-clinic/

Retired federal agent may have mentored Buffalo supermarket shooter. “The former agent, believed to be from Texas, was one of six people who regularly communicated with accused murderer Payton Gendron, 18, in an online racist hate forum, law enforcement sources told The Buffalo News. He has not been named, and further details of the exact agency he worked for have not been shared. But the agent and Gendron’s other online friends would regularly chat online about their hatred of Jews and non-whites, investigators say.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10859677/Retired-federal-agent-known-Buffalo-supermarket-shooters-plan-ahead-massacre.html

George W. Bush administration revised secret directives that give presidents extraordinary powers during national emergencies. “Several of the files, provided to The New York Times by the Brennan Center for Justice, show that the Bush-era effort partly focused on a law that permits the president to take over or shut down communications networks in wartime…. The newly disclosed documents show that there were 48 of the directives when the Bush administration took office; by 2008, that number had grown to 56…. The documents do not indicate any consultation with Congress…. For several years, the Obama-era Justice Department mentioned in budget documents submitted to Congress that its Office of Legal Counsel in 2012 had begun to review the legality of the 56 presidential emergency action documents. In 2017, the Trump Justice Department repeated that reference in its own budget request, after which it fell out of the annual submissions.”   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/documents-shed-light-on-secret-u-s-plans-for-apocalyptic-scenarios/ar-AAXLmoW   One of the directives allegedly gives the government the power to round up and imprison its political opponents in the event of a national emergency. What could go wrong? How about a ‘president for life’ Donald Trump?

Egyptian government allegedly charged more than 16,000 of its citizens with political crimes in 2020 and 2021. Among the accusations brought against the defendants are ‘joining a terrorist group’ and ‘attempting to overthrow the regime’…. More than half of all prisoners in Egypt are political, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-prosecuted-thousands-political-reasons

May 26, 2022

In aftermath of Uvalde mass shooting, in which 21 students and teachers were killed, renewed pressure to tighten gun laws. “[President Biden] pleaded for action to address gun violence after years of failure — and bitterly blamed firearm manufacturers and their supporters for blocking legislation in Washington. ‘The idea that an 18-year-old can walk into a store and buy assault weapons is just wrong. What in God’s name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone? …. It’s just sick that gun manufacturers have spent two decades aggressively marketing assault weapons which make them some of the biggest profits. For God’s sake, let’s have the courage to stand up to the industry.”   https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/05/25/president-biden-demands-action-on-gun-control-legislation/   Japan bans ALL guns (except for people with difficult-to-obtain licenses, like professional hunters), and even large knives are banned (in public places). And yet, mass murders continue to occur:

• A Japanese man has been sentenced to death for a stabbing rampage in 2016 which resulted in the death of 19 disabled people at a care home.
• At least 33 people died and dozens were injured after a man set fire to an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, officials say.
• At least 27 people were feared dead after a fire swept through a psychiatry clinic in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday, and police were investigating possible arson after reports a man had spilled liquid that fueled the blaze.
• A man police said was on a murder mission ploughed into pedestrians with a truck in a crowded Tokyo neighbourhood yesterday and then stabbed 17 people in three minutes, killing at least seven.
• Japanese man in Joker costume injures 17 in knife attack on Tokyo train

What do all of these attacks have in common? Not guns; it’s mental illness.

Counselors more effective than cops at preventing school shootings, says expert. “What does keep schools safe is having more well trained mental health counselors, social workers, and alternative resolution dispute programs,” [Justice Policy Institute executive director Marc] Schindler said. But schools already lack the resources for necessary mental health services and social supports, and education budgets have been slashed while police funding continues to climb. Police officers usually cost more than counselors and social workers, Schindler added, so “you’re paying [police officers] more to do this job.”   https://theintercept.com/2022/05/25/texas-uvalde-shooting-school-police/

Mayor of Uvalde says the city needs a mental hospital. “[Mayor Don McLaughlin] said the need for mental health resources is something ‘we’ve been screaming about for a long time in our communities’. ‘The city donated land. We’ve been trying to get this mental health hospital built here,’ McLaughlin said. ‘When we have kids that are suicidal or kids that have thoughts like this or even adults, we have no place to take them.’”   https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/05/25/uvalde-mayor-says-focus-should-be-on-mental-health-not-gun-control-in-wake-of-school-shooting/   I’m not sure if the schools in Uvalde are lucky enough to have school counselors, but I imagine the schools have some idea who their troubled students are. Why not target these kids with some free counseling? A former FBI profiler (sorry, didn’t catch her name) told CNN that researchers know exactly who these mass shooters are: angry, unhappy, suicidal young men who want revenge on society.

Conflicting timelines of Uvalde mass shooting emerge. “A school resource officer had heard the reports about the crashed vehicle, so he confronted [the shooter, Salvador Ramos], according to [Texas’ Director of Public Safety Steve] McCraw. The gunman entered the school anyway. ‘[The school resource officer] followed him right in immediately,’ McCraw said. At that point, ’rounds were exchanged’. Then officers from the Uvalde Police Department arrived. There was more shooting, and the officers were wounded…. Another spokesperson for DPS offered a different version of events. Lt. Chris Olivarez said that when law enforcement, including the school resource officer, responded to the scene, they could already hear gunshots coming from inside the school, according to multiple news outlets.”   https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkp7gm/police-timeline-texas-school-shooting   “Frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman’s rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday…. Officials say [the shooter] ‘encountered’ a school district security officer outside the school, though there were conflicting reports from authorities on whether the men exchanged gunfire. After running inside, he fired on two arriving Uvalde police officers who were outside the building, said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine…. Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said 40 minutes to an hour elapsed from when Ramos opened fire on the school security officer and when the SWAT-like Border Patrol team shot him. But a department spokesman said later in the day that they could not give a solid estimate of how long the gunman was in the school or when he was killed.”   https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/05/25/gunman-kills-19-children-2-adults-in-uvalde-school-rampage/

President Biden sign executive order intended to reduce use of excessive force by police officers. “The order directs all federal agencies to revise their use-of-force policies, creates a national registry of officers fired for misconduct and will use grants to encourage state and local police to restrict the use of chokeholds and neck restraints…. The White House police order [also] restricts the use of no-knock entries to a limited set of circumstances, such as when an announced entry would pose an imminent threat of physical violence.”   https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-signs-police-order-second-anniversary-george-floyds-death-2022-05-25/   Not very bold, but better than nothing I guess. How about a ban on shooting unarmed, fleeing suspects? A ban on tasering or pepper spraying handcuffed suspects or prisoners in restraint chairs? A ban on tasering suspects on their genitals? A ban on targeting protesters with projectiles? A ban on hitting, kicking or beating suspects with police batons after they are on the ground? A ban on kicking or punching handcuffed suspects in the head?

21 out of 27 Republican primary election candidates endorsed by Donald Trump won, but 8 ran unopposed. “[Georgia candidates] who supported the former president’s efforts to overturn the election results were rewarded with endorsements. Those who didn’t — including Gov. Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr — ended up with Trump-backed primary challengers. But things didn’t go quite the way Trump planned. Kemp won big over former Sen. David Perdue on Tuesday. Carr and Insurance Commissioner John King also won by huge margins. Raffensperger won the primary outright — he didn’t even get forced into a runoff, as many expected.”   https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/25/trump-backed-candidates-2022-primary-results-00034435

Multiple sources claim President Trump expressed his support for Capitol riot participants chanting ‘Hang Mike Pence’. “Matching the story in the [New York] Times, Politico reported that ‘three people familiar with the matter’ confirmed that Trump had ‘expressed support for hanging his vice president’.”   https://news.yahoo.com/trump-suggested-mike-pence-should-be-hanged-for-refusing-to-overturn-2020-election-witness-testified-212041987.html

44 women accused the same Southern Baptist pastor of inappropriate sexual conduct. “The [Southern Baptist Convention] Executive Committee said it became aware that ’44 women had reported being victims of sexually inappropriate conduct’ by [Pastor Darrell] Gilyard. The letter on page 146 [of the sex abuse report] says, ‘In almost every case, they were reportedly shamed for it and left feeling they were not believed.’”   https://www.news4jax.com/news/2022/05/25/southern-baptist-convention-sex-abuse-report-44-women-made-allegations-against-jacksonville-pastor/

Customs and Border Protection worried about Americans traveling to Ukraine to fight with neo-Nazi groups against Russia. “The Department of Homeland Security is worried about white supremacists returning to the U.S. with battlefield experience…. The document, titled ‘United States Citizens Joining the Fight for Ukraine’, is an intelligence bulletin from CBP…. dated March 7, 2022 — roughly two weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion…. ‘Ukrainian nationalist groups including the Azo[v] Movement are actively recruiting racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist-white supremacists (RMVE-WS) to join various neo-Nazi volunteer battalions in the war against Russia,’ the report said.”   https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/24/american-fighters-ukraine-white-supremacists-00034860

Jehovah’s Witnesses leader released after five years in Russian prison. “Russia officially banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017, and designated the religious denomination “an extremist organization” in connection to its alleged “propaganda of exclusivity.” Dennis Christensen, a 49-year-old Dane, was arrested that year for leading a prayer meeting, and was handed a six-year prison sentence in 2019.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/released-from-russia-jehovahs-witness-returns-to-denmark/2022/05/25/0411c6c0-dc0c-11ec-bc35-a91d0a94923b_story.html

Twitter agrees to $150 million settlement over deceptive use of personal information. “The settlement [with the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission], announced today, covers a complaint that Twitter deceptively used members’ email addresses and phone numbers for targeted advertising. On top of the fine, Twitter must also accept audits of its data privacy program among other restrictions…. The company encouraged users to add a phone number or email address to enable security measures like two-factor authentication. In reality, however, Twitter also incorporated that information into its ad targeting data.”   https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/25/23141968/ftc-doj-twitter-settlement-phone-number-security-ad-targeting

Former reality show star Josh Duggar sentenced to 12 years in prison, 20 years of probation and more than $50,000 in fines for downloading and viewing child pornography. “… prosecutors presented evidence that Duggar repeatedly downloaded and viewed child pornography from a hidden part of his work computer in May 2019.”   https://people.com/tv/josh-duggar-sentenced-child-pornography-convictions/   Watching child porn is apparently the new witchcraft, heresy, treason or crack cocaine. This seems more like a sentence for someone caught making child porn than for viewing it.   “Last year, an investigation by the National Criminal Justice Training Program found [Dept. of Defense] computers were among the top networks nationwide for peer-to-peer sharing of pornographic images of minors. DoD’s network ranked 19th out of 2,891 computer networks studied.”   https://reason.com/2019/07/03/defense-department-computers-among-top-sharers-of-child-pornography/   “The ‘End National Defense Network Abuse’ (END Network Abuse) was introduced in the wake of in an investigation called Project Flicker carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This investigation identified over 5,000 individuals, including many affiliated with DOD, who were subscribed to child porn websites. The Pentagon’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service subsequently identified hundreds of DOD-affiliated individuals as suspects involved in accessing child pornography, several of whom used government devices to view and share the images.”   https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/451383-house-bill-aims-to-stop-use-of-pentagon-networks-for-sharing-child/   Clearly, not everyone who gets caught viewing child porn is being sentenced to 12 years in prison plus 20 years of probation. For comparison:  “A man in France was sentenced to two years in prison this week for repeatedly visiting pro-ISIS websites, even though there is no indication that he planned to stage a terrorist attack. The 32-year-old, whose name has not been released, was convicted by a court in the department of Ardèche on Tuesday under a new law that has drawn scorn from civil liberties groups. According to French media, police discovered the man’s browsing history after conducting a raid on his house. During the investigation, they found pro-ISIS images and execution videos on his phone, personal computer, and a USB stick.”   https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/1/13805168/france-isis-website-browsing-history-prison-conviction

Physicists find that climate change could lead to climate chaos. “In the best cases, once humanity [limits its carbon output], Earth’s climate stabilizes at a new, higher average temperature. This higher temperature is overall bad for humans, because it still leads to higher sea levels and more extreme weather events. But at least it’s stable…. But in the worst cases, the researchers found that Earth’s [warming] leads to chaos. True, mathematical chaos. In a chaotic system, there is no equilibrium and no [repeating] patterns. A chaotic climate would have seasons that change wildly from decade to decade (or even year to year). Some years would experience sudden flashes of extreme weather, while others would be completely quiet. Even the average Earth temperature may fluctuate wildly, swinging from cooler to hotter periods in relatively short periods of time. It would become utterly impossible to determine in what direction Earth’s climate is headed.”   https://www.livescience.com/humanity-turns-earth-chaotic-climate-system

Video of U.S. diplomats discussing who will lead Ukraine’s post-coup government is taken down from YouTube. “It was one of the most watched versions of the intercepted and leaked conversation between then Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt, the then U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, in which the two discuss who will make up the new government weeks before democratically-elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in a violent coup on Feb. 21, 2014…. The U.S. State Department never denied the authenticity of the video, and even issued an apology to the European Union after Nuland is heard on the tape saying, ‘Fuck the E.U.’…. The video was posted on April 29, 2014 and had 181,533 views before it was taken down…. Removing the video would be consistent with the suppression of any information that falls outside the enforced narrative of events in Ukraine, including whitewashing any mention of the U.S.-backed coup.”   https://consortiumnews.com/2022/05/25/nuland-pyatt-tape-removed-from-youtube-after-8-years/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2022

Massachusetts man who heckled district attorney during press conference reportedly charged with witness intimidation. “[Joao] DePina repeatedly interrupted then-Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins during a November press conference to criticize Rollins’ professional and personal behavior. His shouts were picked up on local news broadcasts, and Rollins paused on several occasions to ask DePina to stop interrupting her… While DePina’s behavior during the press conference was clearly uncivil and rude, prosecutors say it’s also criminal. DePina was charged in November with one count of witness intimidation in connection to his antics at Rollins’ press conference. He could face between 2.5 and 10 years in prison if convicted.”   https://reason.com/2022/05/24/he-heckled-a-district-attorney-on-tv-now-he-faces-10-years-behind-bars/

Iraqi man accused of plotting to kill George W. Bush, smuggle immigrants. “The FBI uncovered the plot through confidential informants, one of whom recorded discussions about the assassination plot with [Shihab Ahmed] Shihab in meetings late last year and through the spring, the documents show…. During the November meeting, Shihab is alleged to have told an FBI informant that ‘they wished to kill former President Bush because they felt that he was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking apart the entire country of Iraq.'”   https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/24/politics/george-w-bush-fbi-threat/index.html

Governor of Delaware vetoes bill that would have legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. “Gov. John Carney announced on Tuesday that he will veto a bill that would legalize the possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana, setting up a historic showdown with the General Assembly…. He cited his decision to veto due to questions surrounding ‘long-term health and economic impacts’ of marijuana and ‘serious law enforcement concerns’…. The legislation will be returned to the General Assembly, where it would need to receive a three-fifths vote in each chamber to override the veto. The initial vote surpassed that benchmark…”   https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/health/2022/05/24/delaware-governor-vetoes-marijuana-bill-showdown-looms-legislature/9908695002/

Ford to settle deceptive advertising lawsuit brought by 40 states. “The company agreed to pay $19.2 million to the states and refrain from making misleading advertising claims as part of the settlement…. The attorneys general said Ford misled consumers about [the range and fuel efficiency of] its 2013-2014 C-Max hybrid cars and [cargo capacity of its] 2011-2014 Super Duty pick-up trucks.”   https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/ford-pays-19m-settle-claims-fuel-economy-payload-84944404

U.S. State Dept. concerned over planned Turkish invasion of northern Syria. “We are deeply concerned about reports and discussions of potential increased military activity in northern Syria, and in particular, its impact on the civilian population there,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. “We recognize Turkey’s legitimate security concerns on Turkey’s southern border, but any new offensive would further undermine regional stability and put at risk US forces and the coalition’s campaign against ISIS.”   https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/us-raises-concern-over-turkeys-plans-new-offensive-along-syria-border

Sweden’s foreign minister clarifies that aid to Kurds in Syria is part of the country’s humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians in general. “Cooperation in northeastern Syria is carried out primarily through the United Nations and international organizations,” [Ann Linde] said. “Sweden does not provide targeted support to Syrian Kurds or to the political or military structures in northeastern Syria, but the population in these areas is, of course, taking part in these aid projects.”   https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-24/sweden-says-its-not-providing-money-military-aid-to-kurds

Three of the nine centrist Democrats who killed Build Back Better have been defeated by primary challengers. “The group was dubbed the ‘Unbreakable Nine’. The bill, known as the Build Back Better Act, was paid for in part by tax increases on the wealthy and on private equity, and was opposed by the dark-money group No Labels, funded by private equity moguls and the extreme rich…. By Tuesday night, three of those nine had been ousted in primaries, with a fourth having already quit Congress for K Street…”   https://theintercept.com/2022/05/24/carolyn-bourdeaux-primary-loss-josh-gottheimer/

No Labels calls January 6th committee’s investigation ‘a partisan exercise‘. “No group that claims to be looking for real solutions to the problems facing our country can be taken seriously when it tweets out a video that undermines the only real effort to hold perpetrators of the deadly January 6 insurrection accountable, including getting to the bottom of the role of the then-sitting Republican president in inciting a coup attempt to overturn the election,” [Rep. Pramila] Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “The select committee’s work is essential to helping prevent another insurrection from happening—and potentially succeeding—and to investigating how a former sitting president managed to incite an insurrection to overturn a free and fair election.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/24/jayapal-says-corporate-friendly-no-labels-shows-true-colors-undermining-jan-6

Alexei Navalny loses appeal of fraud conviction over campaign donations. “In March, he was sentenced to nine years in a… case alleging that he defrauded supporters by seeking donations to run for president even though he knew the previous conviction [for violating the terms of his suspended sentence] disqualified him from being a candidate.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalnys-9-year-sentence-appeal-rejected/   Nine years?

Davos speakers say no excuse for continued reliance on fossil fuels. “‘We should not allow a false narrative to be created that what has happened in Ukraine somehow obviates the need to move forward and address the climate crisis,’ said U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday, speaking on a panel about the ‘net zero’ goal…. Meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made a different argument to urgently move toward renewable energies: she warned the 27-nation bloc should avoid becoming dependent on untrustworthy countries, like it did with fossil fuels from Russia, as it moves toward a greener economy…. Von der Leyen added that the war in Ukraine has strengthened Europe’s determination to get rid of Russian fossil fuels rapidly…. the head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said the urgent energy needs of the moment should not turn into an excuse to make long-term investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction, which has spiked in recent months…. ‘That will forever close the door to [reaching] our climate targets.'”   https://www.courthousenews.com/at-davos-climate-debate-over-role-of-oil-in-going-green/

May 24, 2022

Henry Kissinger pushes for negotiated settlement in Ukraine conflict in Davos speech. “Veteran U.S. statesman Henry Kissinger has urged the West to stop trying to inflict a crushing defeat on Russian forces in Ukraine, warning that it would have disastrous consequences for the long term stability of Europe…. European leaders should not lose sight of the longer term relationship, and nor should they risk pushing Russia into a permanent alliance with China. ‘I hope the Ukrainians will match the heroism they have shown with wisdom,’ he said, adding with his famous sense of realpolitik that the proper role for the country is to be a neutral buffer state rather than the frontier of Europe.”   https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/henry-kissinger-warns-against-defeat-174812366.html   It will be interesting to see how (and if) his remarks are covered by the western news media. So far, I’m not seeing any coverage at all. This article is originally from the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph. By the way, do people in the U.K. really say “and nor” or was that a typo? Apparently they do! “Of course, nothing comes from nothing, and nor can we tell if the chicken or the egg came first.”

Pharmaceutical companies accused of dropping unprofitable generic drugs, resulting in life-threatening shortages. “In 2011, when norepinephrine, an old, low profit drug used to treat septic shock, was in short supply, hundreds of people around the country died…. Vincristine was one of 16 chemo drugs in short supply last year. Dr. Schwartz told us the shortages are forcing doctors to ration scarce drugs…. Months before the shortage, one of the two remaining vincristine manufacturers, Teva Pharmaceuticals, announced it would stop making vincristine for U.S. hospitals. ‘They indicated that it was a business decision.'”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/generic-drugs-pharmaceutical-companies-60-minutes-2022-05-22/

Number of executions and death sentences rose sharply in 2021. “The number of executions globally rose 20 percent in 2021, while the number of death sentences handed down increased by 40 percent, rights group Amnesty International has said. Its annual report, Death Sentences and Executions, said at least 579 people were killed by states that retain capital punishment while at least 2,052 had a death sentence passed against them…. The figures do not include China, where thousands are thought to be executed or sentenced to death each year in a system shrouded in secrecy. Amnesty said secrecy in North Korea and Vietnam, as well as the difficulty in accessing information on the use of the death penalty ‘continued to impair a full assessment of global trends’. The rights group noted that executions in Saudi Arabia in 2021 were also more than double the number recorded in 2020…”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/24/executions-surge-20-percent-in-2021-led-by-china-iran-amnesty

Activision Blizzard studio Raven Software’s quality assurance workers vote in favor of unionization. “Activision Blizzard was persistent in its attempts to stymie the unionization movement. Days after the [Game Workers Alliance] formed, Raven QA employees were broken out of their single department and distributed across multiple teams…. ‘Our biggest hope is that our union serves as inspiration for the growing movement of workers organizing at video game studios to create better games and build workplaces that reflect our values and empower all of us. We look forward to working with management to positively shape our working conditions and the future of Activision Blizzard through a strong union contract.'”   https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/23/23138412/activision-blizzard-union-vote-game-workers-alliance

Toyota to idle 16 production lines over disruption of parts sourced from Shanghai, China. “Rival carmakers Honda and Mitsubishi are also reducing output at some plants this month. They, too, are citing difficulty in getting parts from Shanghai.”   https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220524_28/

Tesla owner says he was trapped in smoke-filled car. “After the car lost power, it became filled with smoke through the air vents, and [Jamil] Jutha said the doors to his vehicle would not open…. After kicking through the driver’s door window, Jutha said he escaped the vehicle and it began to catch fire.”   https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-y-owner-fire-break-window-vehicle-shutdown-video/   I thought advanced technology was supposed to make stuff safer.

Justice Department to require federal law enforcement officers to intervene if they witness use of excessive force. “‘Officers will be trained in, and must recognize and act upon, the affirmative duty to intervene to prevent or stop, as appropriate, any officer from engaging in excessive force or any other use of force that violates the Constitution, other federal laws, or Department policies on the reasonable use of force,’ the memo states. The policy, which is slated to take effect July 19, does not compel state and local police — or federal law enforcement agencies outside the Justice Department — to follow a similar standard.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/05/23/justice-force-policy-intervene-garland/

New York City to settle wrongful conviction case of man imprisoned for 23 years for $7 million. “Grant Williams, now 51, was sentenced to 25 years to life for the slaying of Shdell Lewis, 28, in Long Island. He maintained his innocence for more than two decades and was finally exonerated earlier this month after a 2017 probe by District Attorney Michael E. McMahon’s Conviction Integrity Review Unit revealed stunning new evidence pointing out he was not their guy.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10846627/NYC-pays-Grant-Williams-7M-spent-23-YEARS-prison-1996-murder-didnt-commit.html

Hacked data from Uyghur detention camps leaked. “Photographs show weeping detainees watched closely by officers clutching night-sticks, camp indoctrination sessions, and police armed with rifles, riot shields and clubs training how to subdue inmates who are shackled with hoods over their heads. Papers discuss the positioning of sniper and machine gun nests in the camps. Combined with classified speeches in which top Communist Party officials say up to two million Uyghur are infected with ‘extremist thought’ and praise Xi Jinping for re-educating them, it blows apart the government’s official line that such camps are actually ‘schools’ that people are attending voluntarily.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10848301/Chinas-Uyghur-detention-camps-exposed-huge-leak-Xinjiang-police-data.html

Donald Trump shares ‘civil war’ post that mentions the country being destroyed by ‘the enemy within’. “‘Nothing to see here. Just a former president of the United States sharing a social media post advocating or predicting civil war in the United States. No biggie,’ anti-Trump conservative George Conway wrote on Twitter.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10846123/Trump-reshares-post-saying-U-S-heading-CIVIL-WAR.html

Some U.S. billionaires accused of funding an ‘anti-democracy’ movement. “The [previous] generation of wealthy conservatives backed candidates like Barry Goldwater, who wanted to conserve American institutions. [Peter] Thiel and his fellow billionaires in the anti-democracy movement don’t want to conserve much of anything – at least not anything that occurred after the 1920s, which includes Social Security, civil rights, and even women’s right to vote…. If we want to guard what is left of our freedom, we will need to meet today’s anti-democracy movement with a bold pro-democracy movement that protects the institutions of self-government from authoritarian strongmen like Trump and his wannabes, and from big money like Peter Thiel’s.”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/23/americas-billionaire-class-is-funding-anti-democratic-forces

Activists mobilize to fight ‘stealth privatization’ of Medicare program. “As the campaign to protect traditional Medicare explains, the Direct Contracting scheme ‘invites profit-seeking middlemen to ‘manage’ care for seniors and people with disabilities, allowing companies to keep up to 40% of what they don’t spend on care as overhead and profit.’ All sorts of corporate actors can become middlemen, including Medicare Advantage insurance companies, private equity firms, and other Wall Street profiteers. Seniors who picked traditional Medicare are being enrolled without their knowledge or consent, as the program automatically assigns beneficiaries to a Direct Contracting Entity (DCE) as long as their primary care physician has joined one.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/23/campaign-launches-summer-action-protect-medicare-stealth-privatization

Oxfam International report describes widening gap between the super-wealthy and the working class. “The super-rich have rigged the system with impunity for decades and they are now reaping the benefits,” [executive director Gabriela Bucher] said. “They have seized a shocking amount of the world’s wealth as a result of privatization and monopolies, gutting regulation and workers’ rights while stashing their cash in tax havens—all with the complicity of governments.” At the same time, she added, hundreds of millions of regular workers and their families “are skipping meals, turning off the heating, falling behind on bills and wondering what they can possibly do next to survive. Across East Africa, one person is likely dying every minute from hunger. This grotesque inequality is breaking the bonds that hold us together as humanity. It is divisive, corrosive and dangerous. This is inequality that literally kills.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/23/tax-billionaire-wealth-and-pandemic-profits-says-oxfam-end-inequality-literally

May 23, 2022

Some east coast cities hit by record high temperatures. “This weekend’s weather broke or tied temperature records at numerous locations throughout the East Coast Saturday during a sweltering heat wave that brought summer-like weather, the National Weather Service said. Richmond, Va., and Georgetown, Del., reached a stifling 95 degrees, shattering previously records for May 21 that were set in 1966, according to the National Weather Service’s Eastern Region office. Philadelphia, Pa., also hit 95 degrees, which tied the city’s May 21 record established in 1934.”   https://www.silive.com/weather/2022/05/record-high-temperatures-tied-broken-during-east-coast-heat-wave.html

President Biden promises to defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion. “… you didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?” a reporter asked the president during a news conference in Japan. ‘Yes,’ Biden replied. ‘You are?’ the reporter pressed. ‘That’s the commitment we made,’ the president said.”   https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-troops-defend-taiwan-china-invades-biden   “President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States would intervene militarily if China attempts to take Taiwan by force, a warning that appeared to deviate from the deliberate ambiguity traditionally held by Washington.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/23/politics/biden-taiwan-china-japan-intl-hnk/index.html

Massachusetts State Police, some on horseback, clear beach after 8:30 pm closing time. “Officials estimated that thousands of people were at Carson Beach at closing time Saturday, with WCVB reporting that officials were trying to disperse a crowd by corralling them…. ‘The unruly crowd became a major safety concern. Our troopers were confronted with a large crowd, some of whom attacked the responding troopers while they were effecting arrests…. When our troopers arrived, they were met with violence, disrespect, and criminal behavior.'”   https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/05/22/twelve-arrested-massachusetts-beaches-increased-patrols/   “Twelve individuals were arrested at two Boston-area beaches on Saturday night, state police said. Seven arrests were made at Revere Beach while five were made at Carson Beach in South Boston.”   https://whdh.com/news/police-12-arrested-at-boston-area-beaches/

Survivors of El Paso Walmart white nationalist mass shooting hold vigil in solidarity with Buffalo white nationalist mass shooting victims. “The El Paso community knows the heartbreak perhaps better than any other: The mass shooting in Buffalo and the tragedy that occurred in El Paso on August 3rd have similarities that are troubling and obvious.”   https://kvia.com/news/2022/05/22/el-paso-community-holds-healing-vigil-to-unite-with-buffalo/   “The gunman accused in each of the attacks both traveled hours to reach their target – supermarkets filled with shoppers on a Saturday – and both young white men posted hate-filled screeds online before their deadly rampages…. The Healing Garden is in El Paso’s largest public park. Twenty-three trees are surrounded by brightly colored flowers.”   https://www.kgou.org/politics-and-government/2022-05-20/the-mass-shooting-in-buffalo-is-hitting-home-for-some-people-in-el-paso-texas

U.N. refugee agency says a record 100 million people world-wide have been displaced from their homes. “The UNHCR data includes refugees, asylum seekers, and those displaced within their own countries. Last week, a humanitarian body said internally displaced people reached a record of nearly 60 million people by the end of last year. The number of forcibly displaced people rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, spurred by violence in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, DRC, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Nigeria…”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/23/un-more-than-100-million-people-forcibly-displaced-in-the-world

Areas of Spain hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit. “Spain is feeling the heat after temperatures soared this weekend, reaching up to 15 degrees (27 degrees F) above average for the season. With some areas reaching a scorching 44ºC on Saturday, this unprecedented heatwave could make May the hottest month of the century.”   https://www.euronews.com/2022/05/22/spain-endures-record-heatwave-as-may-to-become-hottest-month-of-the-century

Israel begins evictions of more than 1,000 Palestinians. “After decades of demolition, rebuilding and a more than 20-year legal battle, Israel’s highest court this month gave the military permission to permanently evict more than 1,000 Palestinians here and repurpose the land for an army firing range.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/22/israel-palestinian-masafer-yatta-biden/

Life in a developed market economy: Nationwide recall of Jif peanut butter due to possible salmonella contamination. “The recalled peanut butter was distributed nationwide in retail stores and other outlets. Recalled products include the products with lot codes 1274425 – 2140425. Lot codes are included alongside the best-if-used-by date…. The FDA reports there has been 14 reported cases of illness…. Two people have had to be hospitalized.”   https://bronx.news12.com/jif-peanut-butter-products-recalled-for-potential-salmonella-contamination

Progressive News Service hit by another cyberattack, taken off-line for several hours. While commenting on a Facebook post by Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins, congratulating Australia’s Green Party for their success during the recent election, my computer shut down and I was unable to reboot it. I had just pointed out that the Australian Green party presents itself as a left-of-center party rather than as a far-left or ultra-liberal party, like the U.S. Greens do. Then my browser locked up and crashed, then my computer screen went black. I tried a ‘hard reset’ by turning the computer off and on several times, but I got a black screen every time. Switching to my backup computer, which has an Ubuntu operating system, I received an error message from WordPress that my Firefox browser was an unsupported browser, which is strange because it’s on the list of supported browsers. After messing around with it for a few hours, I decided to update to the latest version of Ubuntu, which is risky but my options were limited. While that has been going on for several hours, I gave my Windows OS computer another try and ‘voila’ it booted up normally. No apparent damage or ransomware demand, which leads me to believe this was the work of a state actor. Not sure what provoked it though. You may think this sound paranoid, but U.S. intelligence agencies have much more latitude to operate against ‘threats’ from abroad, so since I live in Japan that apparently means they can mess with me for exercising my First Amendment rights. While updating Ubuntu, THAT computer suddenly shut down, and now I’m unable to restart it! I thought perhaps it had overheated, since it had taken hours and hours to uninstall the old version and install the updates, but an hour later I still can’t boot it up. It was supposed to automatically restart after updating. Very weird. What are the chances of two different, seemingly working, computers crashing on the same day?

I should also point out that I had set up a group on Facebook called ‘U.S. Greens for a Viable Party’. Facebook disabled the group for ‘violating community standards’. Usually this means someone who doesn’t like your point of view flagged your group (or someone’s post), and usually, if you can figure out how the system works, you have an opportunity to appeal. After a real person looks at the alleged offense, in my case at least, your page or post is generally restored, but in this case I was not given an opportunity to appeal. I contacted Facebook’s ‘support’ or ‘help’ center several times to appeal their decision, but did not receive any response. So apparently there is something about a viable Green Party in the U.S. that someone finds extremely threatening. Or else it’s just a huge coincidence.

May 22, 2022

Labor Party wins biggest share of seats in Australian election. “Australian voters have delivered a sharp rebuke to the center-right government, ending nine years of conservative rule, in favor of the center-left opposition that promised stronger action on climate change. Australian Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese claimed victory Saturday, though it was unclear as counting continued if his party would have the 76 seats required to form a majority. Early counting showed a strong swing towards Greens candidates and Independents who demanded emissions cuts far above the commitments made by the ruling conservative coalition.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/21/australia/australia-election-results-morrison-albanese-intl-hnk/index.html

Sen. Marco Rubio accuses Google of sending Republican campaign emails to spam folders. “Rubio tweeted on Saturday morning that 66% of his campaign emails to ‘registered supporters’ with a Gmail address have been sent to a spam inbox since a ‘Pelosi Puppet’ announced she is running against him…. [Google says that] mail classifications in Gmail automatically adjust to match Gmail users’ preferences and actions. Gmail users can move messages to spam, or to any other category. Gmail automatically adjusts the classifications of particular emails according to these user actions,’ a Google spokesperson told Fox News Digital.”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-marco-rubio-google-campaign-emails   In other words, the people on Rubio’s mailing list have apparently been marking his campaign emails as spam, triggering Google to automatically sort subsequent emails from Rubio into their spam folders.

Monkeypox reportedly suspected of being spread at gay clubs and bathhouses, appears to be mild. “Madrid authorities have been working on tracing the cases mainly from a single outbreak in a sauna, regional health chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero told reporters on Friday. The word sauna is used in Spain to describe establishments popular with gay men looking for sex rather than just a bathhouse…. The UK Health Security Agency has said a notable proportion of recent cases in Britain and Europe have been found in gay and bisexual men.”   https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/spain-reports-14-new-confirmed-monkeypox-cases-total-21-2022-05-20/   “According to information published by [the World Health Organization], ‘cases have mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) seeking care in primary care and sexual health clinics.'”   https://www.newsweek.com/monkeypox-outbreak-prompts-who-explore-sexual-contact-theory-adviser-1708901

Harris county, Texas deputy fired after being caught using taser on her own children. “A Texas deputy has been relieved of her duties after she was allegedly found using her boyfriend’s taser on her three children aged 8, 11, and 12…. Prosecutors say that the children told their father, who is divorcing their mom, about the alleged abuse. They said they were tasered in the bottom, hand and shoulder…. He then reported [Xochitl] Ortiz to authorities on April 14. Ortiz was taken into custody on May 18.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10841143/Texas-deputy-fired-using-boyfriends-taser-three-children.html   Article doesn’t explain why it took police about a month longer to charge her than it would a non-law enforcement member of the public.

Osceola county, Florida sheriff’s department releases some body camera video of traffic violation suspect catching fire when a deputy tasers him, igniting gasoline pouring from his knocked over dirt bike. “… dirt bike rider Jean Barreto, 26, was ‘cooked alive’ in the fireball which left him with third-degree burns on approximately 75% of his body…. Footage shows gasoline pouring onto the ground after the officers failed to allow Barreto to put on his gas [cap] before they tackled him…. [Deputy David] Crawford… picks [the other deputy’s taser] up, warning: ‘You’re about to get tasered again, dude,’ the fires the Taser. Moments later, you can hear the Taser and see the flames erupt, forcing Crawford to roll around on the ground and scream as he catches fire for about 30 seconds…. Eventually, [Deputy] Koffinas calls for an ambulance and walks over to Barreto, who is handcuffed on the ground with much of his clothing apparently burned off.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10841249/Bodycam-cop-setting-dirt-bike-rider-alight-shows-officer-shouting-kill-pump-theres-gas.html   It’s unclear if he was handcuffed before they tasered him, or if he was handcuffed after being set on fire and extinguished, but either way it’s outrageous.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison reportedly participated in ‘big lie’ conference call with Trump supporters looking for voting fraud in 2020 election. “Ellison, a Trump-supporting GOP megadonor, dialed in to the call on November 14, 2020 to discuss how to frame allegations of electoral fraud he and other supporters believed cost Donald Trump a second term in office…. Also on the call were Trump’s former attorney Jay Sekulow, as well as James Bopp Jr. Bobb Jr is an attorney for Texas nonprofit True the Vote, which has pushed claims of voter fraud.”   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10840203/Billionaire-Oracle-founder-joined-2020-call-Hannity-Graham-Trump-lawyers-Bidens-win.html

Government mass surveillance programs not very effective at stopping terror attacks, but may have other uses. “… when pressed, the only example the government would give of the [NSA’s] controversial phone metadata collection program actually being central to foiling a terrorist plot was that of a Somali cab driver in San Diego sending $8,500 to terrorist group al-Shabaab…. What it is useful for is gathering private, intimate information about the lives, thoughts, and personal habits of high-profile dissidents and political figures. You may not be able to detect the next attack while swimming in this ocean of data, but if there’s someone whose communications, movements, or Internet browsing habits you want to take a look at — perhaps so you can find something damaging to discredit or blackmail them with, as US officials once tried to do with Martin Luther King, Jr and Daniel Ellsberg, among others — you can just search their name and pull up a handy dossier.”   https://www.jacobinmag.com/2022/05/buffalo-attack-mass-surveillance-terrorist-security-state-protection   They wouldn’t need to be high-profile dissidents. The FBI has long kept track of all kinds of dissenters and activists. Another potential use is to map relationships. Let’s say you want to round up all of your political opponents, or a particular set of ‘troublemakers’. Just see who is calling, emailing, texting or friending who, and then start knocking on doors in the middle of the night. During the occupation of Iraq, U.S. forces would grab a suspect during night raids, download the contacts from his phone, and then immediately grab all those people, and so on, and so on. Strange that Google isn’t turning up any search hits on this….