GOYIM KNOWING REACHING LEVEL NEVER BEFORE THOUGH POSSIBLE
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roslynlayton/2022/02/02/team-usa-warns-athletes-about-using-personal-tech-at-the-beijing-olympics/?sh=6aeb017ac227
Team USA Warns Athletes About Using Personal Tech At The Beijing Olympics
forbes.com
Team USA Warns Athletes About Using Personal Tech At The Beijing Olympics
Roslyn Layton
5-7 minutes
Edit Story
Feb 2, 2022,09:29am EST|32 views
Roslyn Layton
International Tech Policy
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games - Previews
BEIJING, CHINA - JANUARY 29: Athletes from the United States arrive at the Olympic Village for the … [+] Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on January 29, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by He Penglei/China News Service via Getty Images)
China News Service via Getty Images
Leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games next week in Beijing, Team USA told athletes to bring burner phones (disposable prepaid phones) to safeguard their privacy and security against Chinese government. "Like computers, the data and applications on cell phones are subject to malicious intrusion, infection and data compromise,” noted the advisory. Just days ahead of the opening ceremonies, FBI Director Christopher Wray calls threats from China are “more brazen” than ever before and notes 2000 ongoing investigations into crime emerging from China.
While the Olympic warning is necessary and appropriate, threats to personal safety and security from technology from firms owned and affiliated with the Chinese government are just as real and prevalent to ordinary Americans every day in the USA. No matter where one is logged in or plugged in, privacy and security is at risk when using Chinese tech. By China’s own decrees, its firms violate data protection practices of the US and European Union.
Using tech in China during the Olympics
Reportedly China will unblock parts of its Great Firewall to allow athletes and visitors to access Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and so on. Voice of America details the restrictions.
Along with guidance on burner phones to athletes, coaches, family members and others, Team USA warns that "performing mission critical business and personal communications will be difficult at best while operating in China . . . [I]t should be assumed that all data and communications in China can be monitored, compromised or blocked."
The US is not alone in issuing warnings. The Olympic Associations of the UK, Australia, and Canada issued similar warnings. The Dutch instructed its athletes not to bring personal devices to Beijing.
Chinese tech threats in USA
It is welcome that Team USA looks out for athletes, but the US government should adopt the same standard for Chinese tech used in the USA. Many commercial off-the-shelf products used every day by Americans in their homes and businesses pose significant security threats. Devices and software embedded in equipment produced by firms owned and affiliated by the Chinese government can facilitate intrusion through “backdoors” and “backchannels.”
Consider Lenovo’s Chromebook which has become a popular computer for children learning remotely. Lenovo, China’s national champion for computers and one-third owned by the government, is part of the country’s long-term effort for “techno-nationalism” and military supremacy.
Lenovo is also facing new scrutiny for its work to originate China’s facial recognition technology that is being used to identify Uighur Muslims and automatically report them to the police. While it is restricted in many parts of the U.S. federal government including intelligence agencies, the State Department, the U.S. military, and the Department of “Defense Restricted List,” Lenovo PC’s are currently on desks in homes, offices, and government buildings throughout the U.S and using that same facial recognition technology.
If they use a Motorola smart phone, athletes may not even see a significant security benefit to swapping it for a burner phone during the games. Motorola, once a storied American brand, is now owned by Lenovo. When it comes to government surveillance practices, there is no differences between a smartphone by Motorola or Huawei. The Federal Communications Commission has sought to address these challenges through its Covered List restrictions, but presently it restricts just five firms when there are literally hundreds, if not thousands to worry about.
Use at your own risk
In the countdown to the games, new technology warnings continue to be issued. The mandatory app athletes, journalists and other attendees of the games are required to use to track health and vaccination information related to COVID-19 is now face scrutiny. According to a new report, the MY2022 app, which was built by the Beijing Organizing Committee, contains serious flaws which could leave open information to being intercepted by a malicious host, leaving sensitive data even unrelated to medical information exposed to leaks. The growing list personal and technology is so pervasive, even Saturday Night Live is calling attention to the surveillance threats. Though the host network doesn’t think it is a laughing matter and announced it is not sending any correspondents to cover the games.
China’s leaders are trying to use the winter games to put the communist nation in a positive light with ploys like seemingly uncensored access to the internet. Team USA warnings for athletes should also be heeded by all Americans wherever they are.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/us-to-move-3000-troops-closer-to-ukraine-as-russia-crisis-escalates.html
U.S. to move 3,000 troops closer to Ukraine as Russia crisis escalates
cnbc.com
U.S. to move 3,000 troops closer to Ukraine as Russia crisis escalates
Amanda Macias
10-12 minutes
This Cookie Notice (“Notice”) explains how NBCUniversal and its affiliates (“NBCUniversal” or “we”), along with our partners, including advertisers and vendors, use cookies and similar tracking technologies when you use our websites, applications, such as games, interactive TV, voice-activated assistants, and other services that link to this policy, as well as connected devices, including those used in our theme parks (“Services”). This Notice provides more information about these technologies, your choices, and is part of the NBCUniversal Privacy Policy available here . You should read the Privacy Policy and this Notice for a full picture of NBCUniversal’s use of your information.
WHAT ARE COOKIES AND HOW ARE THEY USED?
Like many companies, we use cookies (small text files placed on your computer or device) and other tracking technologies on the Services (referred to together from this point forward as “Cookies”, unless otherwise stated), including HTTP cookies, HTML5 and Flash local storage/flash cookies, web beacons/GIFs, embedded scripts, ETags/cache browsers, and software development kits.
First-party Cookies
First-party Cookies are placed by us (including through the use of third-party service providers) and are used to allow you to use the Services and their features and to assist in analytics activities.
Third-party Cookies
Certain third parties may place their Cookies on your device and use them to recognize your device when you visit the Services and when you visit other websites or online services. These third parties collect and use this information pursuant to their own privacy policies. Third-party Cookies enable certain features or functionalities, and advertising, to be provided on the Services.
Types of Cookies
The Services use the following types of first and third-party Cookies for these purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies: These Cookies are required for Service functionality, including for system administration, security and fraud prevention, and to enable any purchasing capabilities. You can set your browser to block these Cookies, but some parts of the site may not function properly.
Information Storage and Access: These Cookies allow us and our partners to store and access information on the device, such as device identifiers.
Measurement and Analytics: These Cookies collect data regarding your usage of and performance of the Services, apply market research to generate audiences, and measure the delivery and effectiveness of content and advertising. We and our third-party vendors use these Cookies to perform analytics, so we can improve the content and user experience, develop new products and services, and for statistical purposes. They are also used to recognize you and provide further insights across platforms and devices for the above purposes.
Personalization Cookies: These Cookies enable us to provide certain features, such as determining if you are a first-time visitor, capping message frequency, remembering choices you have made (e.g., your language preferences, time zone), and assist you with logging in after registration (including across platforms and devices). These Cookies also allow your device to receive and send information, so you can see and interact with ads and content.
Content Selection and Delivery Cookies: Data collected under this category can also be used to select and deliver personalized content, such as news articles and videos.
Ad Selection and Delivery Cookies: These Cookies are used to collect data about your browsing habits, your use of the Services, your preferences, and your interaction with advertisements across platforms and devices for the purpose of delivering interest-based advertising content on the Services and on third-party sites. Third-party sites and services also use interest-based Advertising Cookies to deliver content, including advertisements relevant to your interests on the Services and third-party services. If you reject these Cookies, you may see contextual advertising that may be less relevant to you.
Social Media Cookies: These Cookies are set by social media platforms on the Services to enable you to share content with your friends and networks. Social media platforms have the ability to track your online activity outside of the Services. This may impact the content and messages you see on other services you visit.
We and third parties may associate Measurement And Analytics Cookies, Personalization Cookies, Content Selection, Delivery Cookies, and Reporting, Ad Selection, Delivery and Reporting Cookies, and Social Media Cookies with other information we have about you.
COOKIE MANAGEMENT
Depending on where you live, you may be able to adjust your Cookie preferences at any time via the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of relevant websites. You can also use the methods described below to manage Cookies. You must take such steps on each browser or device that you use. If you replace, change or upgrade your browser or device, or delete your cookies, you may need to use these opt-out tools again. As some Cookie-management solutions also rely on Cookies, please adjust your browser Cookie settings carefully, following the relevant instructions below.
Browser Controls: You may be able to disable and manage some Cookies through your browser settings. If you use multiple browsers on the same device, you will need to manage your settings for each browser. Please click on any of the below browser links for instructions:
Google Chrome
Apple Safari
Mozila Firefox
Microsoft Internet Explorer
If the browser you use is not listed above, please refer to your browser’s help menu for information on how to manage Cookies. Please be aware that disabling cookies will not disable other analytics tools we may use to collect information about you or your use of our Services.
Analytics Provider Opt-Outs: To disable analytics Cookies you can use the browser controls discussed above or, for some of our providers, you can use their individual opt-out mechanisms:
Google’s Privacy Policy and Google Analytics Opt-Out
Omniture’s Privacy Policy and Omniture’s Opt-Out
Mixpanel’s Privacy Policy and Mixpanel’s Opt-Out
The above are examples of our analytics providers and this is not an exhaustive list. We are not responsible for the effectiveness of any other providers’ opt-out mechanisms.
Flash Local Storage: These cookies are also known as local shared objects and may be used to store your preferences or display content by us, advertisers and other third-parties. Flash cookies need to be deleted in the storage section of your Flash Player Settings Manager.
Interest-Based Advertising: Most third-party advertisers offer a way to opt out of their interest-based advertising. For more information or to opt out of receiving interest-based advertising from participating third-party advertisers, depending on your country of residence, please visit:
Digital Advertising Alliance in the US
Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada
European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
Australian Digital Advertising Alliance
You can also opt out of some of the advertising providers we use by visiting their opt-out pages:
Google’s Privacy Policy and Google Analytics Opt-Out Page
Facebook Privacy Policy and Facebook’s Opt-Out Page
Twitter Privacy Policy and Twitter’s Opt-Out Page
Liveramp’s Privacy Policy and Liveramp Opt-Out Page
These are examples of our advertising providers and this is not an exhaustive list. In addition, we are not responsible for the effectiveness of any of these providers’ opt-out mechanisms.
After you opt out, you will still see advertisements, but they may not be as relevant to you.
Mobile Settings: You may manage the collection of information for interest-based advertising purposes in mobile apps via the device’s settings, including managing the collection of location data. To opt out of mobile ad tracking from Nielsen or other third parties, you can do so by selecting the “Limit Ad Tracking” (for iOS devices) or “Opt out of Ads Personalization” (for Android devices) options in your device settings.
Connected Devices: For connected devices, such as smart TVs or streaming devices, you should review the device’s settings and select the option that allows you to disable automatic content recognition or ad tracking. Typically, to opt out, such devices require you to select options like “limit ad tracking” or to disable options such as “interest-based advertising,” “interactive TV,” or “smart interactivity”. These settings vary by device type.
Cross-Device Tracking: If you would like to opt out of our browser-based cross-device tracking for advertising purposes, you may do so by using the various methods described above. You must opt out separately on each device and each browser that you use. For more information about cross-device matching, please visit the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance. If you opt out of cross-device tracking for advertising purposes, we may still conduct cross-device tracking for other purposes, such as analytics.
Consequences of Deactivation of Cookies: If you disable or remove Cookies, some parts of the Services may not function properly. Information may still be collected and used for other purposes, such as research, online services analytics or internal operations, and to remember your opt-out preferences.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-ukraine-conflict-satellite-images-reveal-extent-of-military-buildup
foxnews.com
Russia-Ukraine conflict: Satellite images reveal extent of Moscow’s military buildup
Greg Norman
3 minutes
Newly-released satellite images are revealing the scope of Russia’s massive military buildup in Crimea and along the Ukrainian border.
The photos, captured by Maxar Technologies, appear to show tanks, missiles and troops in positions close to Ukrainian territory or within Russian-annexed Crimea. More than 125,000 Russian forces overall are believed to be in those areas.
Troops and vehicles are seen gathered at Bakhchysarai, Crimea, on Tuesday.
Troops and vehicles are seen gathered at Bakhchysarai, Crimea, on Tuesday. (AP/Maxar Technologies)
"Troop tents and shelters for personnel have been seen at virtually every deployment location in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia, which suggests that the units are now accompanied by troops and have increased their overall readiness level," a spokesperson for the company told Sky News.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows troops gathered at a training ground in Novoozernoye, Crimea, on Tuesday.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows troops gathered at a training ground in Novoozernoye, Crimea, on Tuesday. (AP/Maxar Technologies)
"Over the past couple of months, military equipment/units have been deployed at or near a number of garrisons and to existing military training areas within Russia and Crimea and adjacent to the border with Ukraine," he added.
Tents, shelters and deployments are seen at a training ground in Angarsky, Crimea, on Tuesday.
Tents, shelters and deployments are seen at a training ground in Angarsky, Crimea, on Tuesday. (AP/Maxar Technologies)
Some of the images were released on the same day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that a "full-scale war" could break out if Russia invades his country.
SS26 Iskander missiles are gathered in the Osipovichi training area, at Brestsky, Belarus, on Sunday.
SS26 Iskander missiles are gathered in the Osipovichi training area, at Brestsky, Belarus, on Sunday. (AP/Maxar Technologies)
"Nobody needs a war. But we do not invite anyone with weapons to our land," Zelenskyy said Tuesday after meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "I can say for sure that the state has changed, society and the army have changed. And now there will be no occupation of any city or territory. And there will be, unfortunately, a tragedy if the escalation against our state begins.
Tanks are seen on a firing range at a training ground in Pogonovo, Russia, on Jan. 26.
Tanks are seen on a firing range at a training ground in Pogonovo, Russia, on Jan. 26. (AP/Maxar Technologies)
"That is why I openly say: this will not be a war between Ukraine and Russia – this will be a war in Europe," he continued. "Full-scale war, because no one will give up their territories and people anymore."
https://www.businessinsider.com/sen-lujan-stroke-democrats-majority-senate-empowers-gop-2022-2
businessinsider.com
With Sen. Luján in the hospital after a stroke, Democrats have no Senate majority and can't pass anything without GOP help
Tom Porter
4-5 minutes
Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján's office announced Tuesday he had suffered a stroke.
His absence means that Democrats' razor-thin Senate majority is gone.
Depending on the length of his absence, it could hamper Democrats' ability to pass laws.
News that Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico had suffered a stroke shocked Congress Tuesday, with colleagues expressing concern for his welfare and relief when his office announced he was expected to make a full recovery.
But with the duration of his recovery time unknown, his absence also exposed the fragility of the Democratic Party's control of the Senate.
Currently, the Senate is divided 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding a tie-breaker vote, the narrowest pMost Impressive Anonible way for a party to have control of the chamber.
The filibuster rule, requiring at least 60 votes for many measures, already put many actions beyond the reach of Democrats with Republican help.
But there were other steps, including so-called reconciliation bills devoted to finance and approving nominees to the Supreme Court, which could be done with 50 votes and the tie-breaker.
Without Luján, that can only be done with help from at least one Republican senator.
Justice Stephen Breyer announcement last week that he was retiring from the Supreme Court, meant that President Joe Biden will be able to make the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency.
It was a much-needed boost for Democrats after a string of legislative setbacks, and bad news on issues ranging from the Ukraine crisis to inflation badly dented Biden's poll ratings.
Also on the cards was passing some form of Biden's signature Build Back better bill, a sweeping climate social care and climate change package that has stalled amid the the opposition of Democratic moderate Sen. Joe Manchin.
Democrats had discussed breaking up the bill and passing key parts of the package that Manchin had signaled he could back.
Luján's absence casts doubt over the ability of Democrats to deliver.
CNN projected that if Biden moved according to the timetable he has mapped out, and nominates a new justice by the end of the month, the Senate could still proceed as planned even with Luján out of action for two months.
Having lost his majority for the time being, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will only be able to press ahead with bills likely to gather some Republican backing, which could perhaps be found on measures such as extra sanctions for Russia.
Former President Donald Trump may further complicate matters.
Trump has attacked Senate Republicans for any compromises with Democrats, and could perceive Luján's absence as another area where he will push the party to obstruct Biden's party at all costs.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/losing-war-wokeness-washington-football-team-officially-changes-its-name-commanders
zerohedge.com
Losing The War On Wokeness: Washington Football Team Officially Changes Its Name To "Commanders"
by Tyler Durden
2 minutes
Having lost the war on wokeness, the former Washington Redskins have officially changed their name to the "Washington Commanders".
The news was announced on Wednesday morning, about a year and a half after the company "announced they would be known as the Washington Football Team until the team chose a permanent name," according to fan site Hogs Haven.
The site called the renaming an "ugly process that has caused division in the fan base, and left people feeling like they lost a part of their childhood, their family history, and their community."
Or, as the left-wing lunatics who complained about the name in the first place call it: "a great success".
The process to change the name included fans being asked for submissions and fan ambassadors being created "in an attempt to figure out how the team could win back a fanbase that was tired of losing, and tired of being used and ignored."
Fans fixated on the names "Warriors and Redwolves," according to the fan site, but they were promptly shut down by Team President Jason Wright.
The team wanted a "military connection" with its name, the site says. And, according to the pulse of the fan base, not everyone is excited about the name change.
"To some fans this is the final straw that will allow them to cut ties to the organization that they don’t recognize anymore," Hogs Haven wrote.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) February 2, 2022
With the important stuff behind the team now, the only minor detail left is to figure out a way to start winning games again.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-congress-canada-trucker-convoy-vaccine-mandates-trudeau
foxnews.com
Congressional Republicans back Canada 'Freedom Convoy' protest: 'Not some fringe minority'
Tyler Olson
4-5 minutes
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The massive Canadian "Freedom Convoy" protest against crMost Impressive Anon-border vaccine mandates is gaining supporters among U.S. congressional Republicans, who say they back the demonstrators' message against coronavirus restrictions.
"The Freedom Convoy embodies how we should stand up for our values in a democracy: peaceful protest, and, when necessary, peaceful noncompliance," Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said in statement to Fox News. "I'm proud to stand with them."
"The truckers in Canada have done more for freedom than the entire Democrat party the past two years," Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said. "They are not some ‘fringe minority’ with ‘unacceptable views.’ The American people, and freedom loving people acrMost Impressive Anon the globe, are tired of the Left’s tyrannical policies. By standing against vaccine mandates, these truckers are simply standing up for liberty. We are behind them."
Protesters in a show of support for the truckers. (Jim Torma)
Protesters in a show of support for the truckers. (Jim Torma) ( )
CANADIAN GROUPS COORDINATING DELIVERY OF FUEL, FOOD AND RESOURCES TO TRUCKERS PROTESTING VACCINE MANDATE
The protest began on Jan. 23 when the convoy left Vancouver for Ottawa, Canada's capital, to air grievances against the country's policy of not letting unvaccinated truckers crMost Impressive Anon the U.S.-Canada border. The convoy reached the capital on Saturday and was joined by thousands of other Canadians protesting the mandates as it blocked traffic around Parliament Hill.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the group a "fringe minority" and said it reflected the proliferation of "disinformation and misinformation online, conspiracy theorists, about microchips, about God knows what else that go with the tinfoil hats."
But the protesters and their backers argue Trudeau and other leaders worldwide – including in the U.S. – are abusing government authority with heavy-handed vaccine mandates.
Trucks block traffic near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Trucks block traffic near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates. (Jim Torma)
CRITICS MOCK ‘PUPPET’ TRUDEAU FOR FLEEING CAPITAL DURING TRUCKERS PROTEST: ‘TYRANT ON THE RUN’
"I stand with all Montanans, Americans and our neighbors to the north who are fighting for FREEDOM against overreaching vaccine mandates!" Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont, said.
"Canadian truckers love freedom. Where are most Americans? #EndVaxMandates," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said in a tweet.
"Throughout the last two years, while so many had the luxury of working from home, our truckers never slowed down," Buck added. "They were in their cabs on the road, making sure our families had food on the table and society kept moving. Now, it’s our turn to have their backs and keep them moving while saying ‘no’ to liberal, government-imposed mandates."
CANADA FREEDOM CONVOY: PREMIER OF ALBERTA SHARES HIS MESSAGES TO THE TRUCKERS
Other figures like former U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk have expressed their support.
Trucks sit parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and their supporters take part in a convoy to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates for crMost Impressive Anon-border truck drivers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 29, 2022.
Trucks sit parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and their supporters take part in a convoy to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates for crMost Impressive Anon-border truck drivers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 29, 2022. (REUTERS/Patrick Doyle)
Ottawa police said in a statement Tuesday that two people were arrested in connection with the protest so far and there are 13 active investigations into those involved with the protest.
One of the men was charged with mischief to property and another man was charged with "Carry a Weapon to a Public Meeting," according to police.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Ottawa police also said they're investigating three complaints through their Hate and Bias Crime Unit, looking into people who desecrated a war monument, and reported there are fewer demonstrators than when the protest first began.
With snow on the way and the potential for sub-zero temperatures in Ottawa by the end of the week, several Canadian groups are organizing to provide fuel, food and more to the demonstrators.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/02/02/richfield-minnesota-school-shooting-suspects-custody/9312308002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomnation-topstories
usatoday.com
2 suspects in custody after Minnesota school shooting leaves 1 student dead, 1 injured
2-3 minutes
Police Chief Jay Henthorne said the students were shot shortly after noon Tuesday outside South Education Center.
Two arrests were made several hours after the shooting.
A vigil was held Tuesday night.
Two suspects were in custody Wednesday and police in the suburban Minneapolis town of Richfield were trying to determine the motive behind a shooting at an alternative high school that left one student dead, one critically wounded and a community in shock and mourning.
Police Chief Jay Henthorne said the students were shot shortly after noon Tuesday outside South Education Center. About six hours later, police executed search warrants at two homes, arresting two suspects and seizing a handgun, Henthorne said.
Family friend Damik Bryant and others identified the student killed to local media outlets as Jahmari Rice, 15, who had just transferred into the school. Damik Bryant is the brother of Daunte Wright, whose fatal shooting by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter last April fueled protests around the nation.
"I know how it feels to lose somebody,” Damik told WCCO-TV. “We’re going to stand here in solidarity with the family.”
The name of the suspects or motive were not released. Police were scheduling a news conference for sometime Wednesday.
1 STUDENT KILLED, 1 INJURED: Shooting outside Minnesota school
Friends and classmates gathered Tuesday night at an impromptu memorial of flowers, balloons and candles.
“I’m just shocked and heartbroken this happened, especially a close friend of mine,” classmate Malcolm Peterson told KSTP-TV.
South Education Center serves several school districts, providing students from pre-K through post-secondary with "unique needs in a variety of programs," the school's website says.
Superintendent Sandra Lewandowski said the students were shot near the school’s front entrance.
"We are deeply saddened by this incident," Lewandowski said in a statement. "We will work to support the family, classmates, and staff as much as we can."
Contributing: The Associated Press
https://www.theepochtimes.com/steny-hoyer-tests-positive-for-covid-19_4251299.html
Steny Hoyer Tests Positive for COVID-19
House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) leaves after a House Democrats Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced on Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19.
“This afternoon, I tested positive for COVID-19, and I am experiencing mild symptoms,” the 82-year-old congressman said in a statement. “Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and already received my booster shot.”
He continued, “I’m very grateful to the researchers, scientists, and medical experts who worked hard to develop the COVID-19 vaccines and to all the extraordinary public health workers and volunteers in our communities who have tirelessly worked to get shots into arms.”
Hoyer said he will be working from home for the upcoming week during his isolation period and will be using proxy voting to “protect the safety” of other Congress members at the Capitol. Proxy voting was approved in May 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and involves a lawmaker authorizing another lawmaker to vote on their behalf.
steny hoyer
U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) speaks at a press event at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has called proxy voting a “patently unconstitutional practice” and mounted a legal challenge to such rules set by the Democrat-led House. The Supreme Court on Jan. 24 declined to take up the challenge.
Hoyer is the second House Democrat leader to have tested positive recently for COVID-19—House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) had tested positive in December 2021.
Other lawmakers who have tested positive include Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), each of whom announced they had tested positive for the virus in January.
He is among at least 54 House members who tested positive for COVID-19 after having had the COVID-19 vaccine. At least 12 U.S. senators have also contracted breakthrough cases of COVID-19. More than half of the breakthrough cases have been from December 2021, when the Omicron variant became the dominant strain in the United States.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/paypal-stock-falls-after-company-blames-inflation-for-weak-guidance.html
PayPal shares dive 25% after company blames inflation for weak guidance
Shares of PayPal were down more than 25% on Wednesday, a day after the company provided weak guidance that it blamed in part on inflation.
PayPal reported mixed results for the fourth quarter. Earnings per share of $1.11, ex-items, missed the $1.12 expected. It beat on revenue estimates, though, reporting $6.92 billion vs. $6.87 billion expected, according to Refinitiv.
But it also said it expects first-quarter non-GAAP earnings per share of 87 cents, while analysts had been projecting $1.16. It also anticipated that revenue would grow about 15% to 17% for full-year 2022, on a spot and foreign currency-neutral basis. Analysts expected year-over-year revenue growth of 17.9% for 2022.
The PayPal logo displayed on a smartphone.
SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images
In an interview with CNBC, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said the company took "a measured approach" to guidance, but expects revenue to accelerate in the second half of the year.
He pointed to challenges including the transition of former owner eBay to its own payments platform and "exogenous factors" like inflation bringing down consumer spending and supply chain issues "disproportionately impacting" crMost Impressive Anon-border payments.
PayPal also missed user growth targets due in part to 4.5 million "illegitimate" accounts that joined the platform, which "affected our ability to achieve our guidance in the quarter," CFO John Rainey said. The company also walked back its user growth goals, which Rainey said was a "choice" to focus on "sustainable growth and driving engagement."
Block, the fintech service formerly known as Square, was also down more than 8% on Wednesday morning. And buy now pay later service Affirm was down more than 7%.
Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets analysts, who maintained a buy rating on the stock but lowered their price target from $315 to $215, wrote in a note Tuesday that PayPal's challenges are mainly "short-term headwinds."
"While the pace of growth in net new accounts is expected to moderate in 2022, we are seeing a steady increase in user engagement metrics and expect to see more marketing behind driving engagement in 2022," the Canaccord note said. "And already PYPL has shown that it remains nimble despite its size in exploiting rapidly emerging opportunities: scaling an impressive Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) offering and launch of equity trading."
The analysts expressed optimism about the previously announced Venmo partnership with Amazon, which they expect "could be the largest single catalyst for PYPL in 2022."
BTIG analysts, who downgraded the stock to neutral and removed their $270 price target, said in a note Tuesday that PayPal is now a "'show me' story." They cited new areas of "uncertainty" including the "significant shift in the company's approach to customer acquisition and engagement." They also pointed to the company's comments that the full-year forecast was cautious due in part to inflation and supply chain issues, which the analysts said "offered a sharp contrast with the more upbeat annual outlooks offered recently by the card networks."
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-said-criminal-part-out-loud-pence-overturn-election-jamie-raskin-2022-2
Jan. 6 committee member says Trump 'said the criminal part out loud' when he said Pence could have overturned the election
Bill Bostock
5-6 minutes
Trump on Sunday repeated the untrue claim that Pence could have overturned the 2020 election.
Rep. Jamie Raskin said on Tuesday that Trump had "said the criminal part out loud."
Raskin is part of the House committee probing whether Trump is criminally complicit in the Capitol riot.
Former President Donald Trump "said the criminal part out loud" when he said former Vice President Mike Pence could have overturned the 2020 election, a January 6 committee member said.
Trump made the claim on Sunday, falsely saying that newly-proposed amendments to the 1887 Electoral Count Act showed Pence could have overturned President Joe Biden's victory.
"What they are saying, is that Mike Pence did have the right to change the outcome, and they now want to take that right away. Unfortunately, he didn't exercise that power, he could have overturned the Election!" Trump said in a statement.
Members of the House's January 6 committee are investigating Trump's role in the Capitol riot, and have narrowed in on his attempt to overturn the election.
In January 2021, Trump tried to use the Electoral Count Act to get Pence not to certify Biden's victory, but Pence declined, saying he didn't have the "unilateral authority" under the Constitution.
The certification process at the US Capitol, over which Pence presided on January 6, 2021, was disrupted by a crowd of Trump supporters, many of whom believed Pence could overturn the election and wanted to punish him.
When asked by CBS News whether Trump's comment makes it easier to show that Trump actively sought to overturn Biden's legitimate election victory, committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin said it "makes it simple in the sense that Donald Trump said the criminal part out loud."
"That makes it very clear what he was up to," he said.
In recent days, the January 6 committee reportedly interviewed Pence's former chief of staff, Marc Short, and now hopes to get Ivanka Trump, the former president's daughter, to testify.
"I personally am expecting everybody who was asked to come and testify to come and do it. And most people are doing it without a subpoena," Raskin told CBS News.
Raskin told CBS News that Trump was refusing to give testimony to the commission, as well as discouraging his allies from doing so.
"Trump has been trying to sandbag and obstruct us by getting his greatest intimates in his entourage — like Roger Stone and Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows — not to testify," Raskin said.
Lawmakers are proposing reforms to the 1887 law to avoid confusion over the vice president's electoral powers.
"We saw, on 6 January 2021, how ambiguities, simple law, were exploited. We need to prevent that from happening again.," GOP Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday.
"I'm hopeful that we can come up with a bipartisan bill that will make very clear that the vice-president's role is simply ministerial, that he has no ability to halt the count."
Trump claimed in January 2021 that Pence would be able to deny Biden's victory by rejecting certain electors if there was evidence of fraud, which Trump claimed there was. However, this is untrue. "He's a presider, not a decider," Trevor Potter, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, told NBC News at the time.
Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the two Republicans on the January 6 committee, tweeted Monday: "Trump uses language he knows caused the January 6 violence; suggests he'd pardon the January 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy; threatens prosecutors; and admits he was attempting to overturn the election."
"He'd do it all again if given the chance."
Trump had told supporters at a rally in Texas over the weekend that he would pardon convicted Capitol rioters if he wins the 2024 election.
https://www.businessinsider.com/50-rnc-members-support-resolution-expel-cheney-kinzinger-house-gop-2022-2
50 RNC members are co-sponsoring a resolution to expel Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from the House GOP, report says
At least 50 RNC members support expelling Reps. Kinzinger and Cheney from the House GOP.
The RNC could vote on a resolution supporting such a move at its winter meeting, CNN reports.
Fellow Republicans are criticizing Cheney and Kinzinger for serving on the January 6 Committee.
Fifty Republican National Committee members have signed onto a resolution calling for Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming to be expelled from the House GOP Conference, CNN reports.
If the resolution passes through a committee, all 168 RNC members could vote on it later this week at the committee's winter meeting, which kicks off on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah, CNN said.
One of the resolution's co-sponsors, Jonathan Barnett of Arkansas, told CNN that the resolution is intended to rebuke Kinzinger and Cheney's membership on the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot, an effort that he described as "an inquisition" and "one-sided."
"We don't understand Liz and Adam. There's just a lot of frustration with the January 6 committee and we don't think there's any representation on the Republican side. We'd like to see [House Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy take care of these issues, but it's something we feel we need to talk about," he told CNN.
Kinzinger, who represents Central Illinois, announced in October that he would not seek reelection to Congress in 2022. Cheney, who was voted out of her House leadership position as chair of the Republican conference in May 2021, is facing a primary challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump in August.
The movement to kick Cheney and Kinzinger out of the Republican caucus altogether has gained steam among members of the House Republican caucus more aligned with Trump. Those members have been calling for McCarthy to expel Cheney and Kinzinger from the House GOP caucus since summer 2021.
In a statement to CNN, Cheney slammed "leaders of the Republican Party" who "have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy."
Kinzinger's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/02/02/quebec-abandons-policy-of-taxation-on-the-unvaccinated/
VaxTax Rollback! Quebec Abandons Policy of Taxation on the Unvax'd
The Quebec government has abandoned its proposed plan to implement a ‘Health Contribution’ tax on unvaccinated residents as the government looks to relax Wuhan coronavirus restrictions this month.
The government of the French-speaking Canadian province led by Premier François Legault of the conservative Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) has dropped the proposal to tax residents not vaccinated against the coronavirus after the measure was proposed last month.
Christened a ‘Health Contribution’, the government had initially proposed a “significant” tax of between $100-800 Canadian dollars (£58-466/$78-630 USD) but according to a report from the Quebec newspaper La Presse, the measure has now been scrapped by the government.
“I understand this divides Quebecers,” Legault said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon and added, “It’s time to rebuild bridges. It’s time to work together.”
Majority of Canadians Want All Pandemic Restrictions to End https://t.co/jmmA7nt8ww
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 1, 2022
Opposition party leaders had criticised the announcement of the unvaccinated tax, with Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade stating, “Mr Legault improvises constantly. He came up with this idea that was not only irresponsible, that was not thought through, that didn’t have any legal support to it.”
Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) leader Eric Duhaime labelled the tax on the unvaccinated a “bluff” by Legault saying, “I think the government is bluffing. I do not think there will be a vaccine tax in Quebec. I think this government is putting pressure that is obviously not working, but it is still in a mode of wanting revenge.”
Duhaime has also previously called for Quebec to lift all of its Wuhan coronavirus restrictions as soon as pMost Impressive Anonible, a sentiment that is now expressed by a majority of Quebecers according to an Angus Reid poll released this week.
Quebec’s scrapping of the mooted unvaccinated tax comes as thousands of people joined the truck Freedom Convoy in Canada’s capital city Ottawa over the weekend to protest vaccine mandates and coronavirus restrictions.
UNVAX TAX: Coming to a government near you https://t.co/U07tkW2Cq6
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 12, 2022
While the Freedom Convoy has seen widespread support from some and has raised nearly ten million Canadian dollars on the fundraising platform GoFundMe, Canadian politicians have pushed back against the protestors.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labelled the truckers and their allies a “fringe minority” and blasted a select few, including a man carrying a confederate flag and men carrying Nazi flags in an area away from where protesters were gathered.
“We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. We won’t cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonour the memory of our veterans,” Trudeau said on Monday after allegedly fleeing his official residence in Ottawa and isolating after allegedly testing positive for the coronavirus.
Ontario Conservative Party Premier Doug Ford has also called on the protestors to leave Ottawa, saying residents of the city should be allowed to get on with their normal lives.
“There’s a million people that live in Ottawa,” Ford said and added, “I hear you. I hear the protesters, the province hears the protesters, the country hears the protesters. Now it’s time to let the people in Ottawa get back to their lives. These businesses that have been closed for a while now, the restaurants want to reopen.”
Protestors remain in the heart of the capital as of Tuesday and Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly has stated that “all options are on the table” to end the protest including “enforcement.”
https://www.rt.com/news/548100-us-deploys-ship-uae/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
US to deploy warship & 5th generation fighter jets to UAE
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that the US will deploy the USS Cole – a guided missile destroyer – and fifth-generation fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates to defend against the Houthi rebels.
Austin spoke with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammad Abu bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday, and promised the prince that the USS Cole would be sent to collaborate with the UAE Navy “before making a port call in Abu Dhabi.” Austin also pledged to send fifth-generation fighter jets, referring to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 or F-22 Raptor jets.
I spoke with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince @MohamedBinZayed of the UAE to condemn recent Houthi attacks. To support the UAE against these threats, I will deploy 5th Gen Fighters to the region and send the USS Cole to conduct a joint patrol with the UAE Navy and a port call to Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/rf4ubqqGqT
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) February 2, 2022
Around 2,000 US soldiers and airmen are stationed at Abu Dhabi’s al-Dhafra airbase, and both countries supported Saudi Arabia’s ongoing war against the Houthis in Yemen, though the US ceased “offensive” operations there last year, and the UAE withdrew its ground troops in early 2020.
Yet the UAE continues to back anti-Houthi groups on the ground, and the US continues to support Saudi Arabia and its allies with arms sales, intelligence sharing, and defensive support.
In response, the Houthis have recently turned their attention to the UAE and the US troops stationed there. Monday saw Houthi missiles fly toward Abu Dhabi and drones target Dubai. The rebel group claimed to have successfully struck important sites with these attacks, but the US and UAE insist that the projectiles were intercepted.
What the Houthi strike on the UAE means for Iran and Israel
Less than a week earlier, two Houthi ballistic missiles were shot down over Abu Dhabi before they could cause any casualties. Several days before that, three people were killed and at least six wounded in a Houthi drone strike on Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Three attacks in short succession – the first Houthi attacks to target the Emirates since 2018 – have caught the attention of military leaders in Washington and Abu Dhabi, and reprisals have been brutal. The Saudi-led coalition responded to the fatal attack on Abu Dhabi Airport by launching devastating airstrikes in Yemen, with reported strikes on an airport, a prison, and various government facilities in the northern city of Saada, killing at least 70 people and injuring hundreds more.
Yemen’s civil war – which pits the Houthis against the Saudi-backed government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and several other factions – is currently in its eighth year. The conflict has been described by the UN as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” At the end of 2021, the UN Development Program estimated a death toll of 377,000 people, with around 70% of those killed under the age of five, and 60% killed by indirect causes like hunger and preventable disease following the Saudi-led blockade and sanctions by Western governments.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/02/01/fbi-director-wray-scale-of-chinese-spying-in-the-u-s-blew-me-away/
FBI Director Wray: Scale of Chinese Spying in the U.S. 'Blew Me Away'
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday on NBC’s “Nightly News” that when he learned how widespread Chinese spying in the U.S. was, it blew him away.
Reporter Pete Williams said, “Christopher Wray said when he became FBI director, the sheer amount of Chinese spying to steal American technology was a huge surprise.”
Wray said, “This one blew me away. And I’m not the kind of guy that uses words like ‘blown away’ easily. We are opening a new China-related counterintelligence investigation about every 12 hours. We probably have over 2,000 of those investigations.”
He continued, “There is no country that presents a broader, more severe threat to our innovation, our ideas and our economic security than China does. I’m referring not to the Chinese people, not to people of Chinese descent or heritage. What we’re talking about here is the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.”
He added, “The scale of their hacking program and the amount of personal and corporate data their hackers have stolen is greater than every other country combined. China may be the first country to combine that kind of authoritarian ambition with cutting-edge technical capability. It’s like the surveillance nightmare of East Germany combined with the tech of Silicon Valley.”
Wray concluded, “We don’t investigate based on race, or ethnicity, or constitutionally protected activity. In fact, in many cases, Chinese Americans are some of the people most victimized by the Chinese government’s tactics that we’re describing.”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/south-dakota-legislature-passes-ban-on-boys-competing-in-girls-sports_4252117.html
South Dakota Legislature Passes Ban on Boys Competing in Girls’ Sports
Athletes in primary schools and colleges in South Dakota will have to compete in sports with peers of their own gender if Gov. Kristi Noem signs legislation that lawmakers in both state chambers have passed.
South Dakota’s House of Representatives, in a 50–17 vote on Tuesday, approved the bill, Senate Bill 46.
No Democrats voted for the bill and 10 Republicans voted against it.
The state’s upper chamber passed the legislation in January with a 26–7 vote.
The bill says that any sports teams at schools must be based on the biological sex at birth of the participating athletes. If a team is designated a girls team, for instance, biological boys will not be allowed to participate.
It was introduced at the request of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican.
“This is about fairness,” Noem said during a recent appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” “This is about making sure that our girls have a chance to be successful and to compete, to win scholarships, potentially go on to play professional sports beyond that. We want them to have the opportunity to do that.
“Title IX fought for that years and years ago and I’ve been doing this for years, which started, man, almost five years ago now in the sport of rodeo, where we protected girls’ events,” she added. “So now I’m bringing a bill to the legislature that will be the strongest bill in the nation in protecting fairness in girls’ sports, and I’m hopeful that my legislators will support it.”
A spokesman for Noem confirmed in an email to The Epoch Times that the governor will be signing the legislation.
South Dakota lawmakers rejected a similar bill last year after Noem proposed changes they found untenable.
Democrats and some groups said the new legislation will negatively impact youth who identify as a different sex than their biological sex.
The bill “will harm transgender kids, adding to a dangerous wave of violence against transgender and gender non-binary people acrMost Impressive Anon the country that is being fueled by misinformation, discriminatory laws, and divisive political talking points,” Cathryn Oakley, the Human Rights Campaign state legislative director, said in a statement.
The South Dakota House also passed House Bill 1005, which would require students to use bathrooms and locker rooms assigned to their biological sex.
Under the bill, students would be able to file a request for reasonable accommodation with school officials and may be granted the use of a single-occupancy bathroom or changing room.
That bill is heading to the state Senate.
Morning and o7
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/explosion-fears-remain-carolina-fertilizer-plant-burns-82624169
Explosion fears remain as N. Carolina fertilizer plant burns
An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant has continued to burn in North Carolina
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant in North Carolina continued to burn early Wednesday, forcing firefighters and thousands of evacuated residents to remain at least a mile (1.6 kilometers) away because there could be a large explosion.
“The pMost Impressive Anonibility of an explosion has not gone down,” Winston-Salem Fire Division Chief Bobby Wade told reporters at a 4:30 a.m. news conference.
“We still have some active burning on the scene,” Wade said. “Conditions overnight have not improved.”
The fire is at the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant on the north side of Winston-Salem. The blaze began Monday night, shooting bright orange flames and thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
The fire quickly consumed the entire building and it collapsed. At least 90 firefighters had fought the fire for about 90 minutes Monday. But the risk of an explosion forced them to retreat. No injuries were reported.
Since then, drones and a helicopter have monitored the fire from above, and teams of firefighters have been on standby.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper plans to meet with local leaders in Winston-Salem early Wednesday afternoon and attend a news conference in the city.
It will be a “slow process” before the fire begins to run out of fuel, Wade said. He could not offer a timeline for when people can return to their homes and said fire officials planned to reevaluate the fire Thursday morning as the blaze continues to burn out.
The area that's been evacuated includes about 6,500 people in 2,500 homes, the Winston-Salem Fire Department said.
Wake Forest University, most of which lies just outside the evacuation zone, canceled classes and urged students in dormitories to stay indoors with windows closed.
An estimated 500 tons (454 metric tons) of combustible ammonium nitrate were housed at the plant and another 100 tons (91 metric tons) of the fertilizer ingredient were in an adjacent rail car. That's more of the chemical than was present at a deadly blast at a 2013 Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people, Winston-Salem fire officials said.
Authorities warned of smoke and poor air quality in the city of about 250,000. Matthew Smith, a hazardous material expert with a regional state task force, said the gases released by the blaze are more of an irritant than something that could cause serious harm, barring an underlying lung condition.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/02/trump-lindsey-graham-rino/
Trump calls Lindsey Graham a "RINO"
Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.
Donald Trump, a man with few to no real friends, was quick to label Lindsey Graham a “RINO”—Republican in name only—after learning that the South Carolina senator, one of the former president’s staunchest defenders, mildly criticized his suggestion that he’d pardon those prosecuted for participating in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol if he were to retake the presidency in 2024.
“Well, Lindsey Graham’s wrong,” Trump told Newsmax on Tuesday when presented with Graham’s comments that the idea of pardons for insurrectionists was “inappropriate.”
“I mean, Lindsey’s a nice guy—but he’s a RINO,” Trump said, adding that “Lindsey Graham doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about if he says that.”
It was the latest turn in the strange friendship between the two men. As a 2016 presidential candidate, Graham famously compared the choice between Trump and Ted Cruz to being “shot or poisoned.” The South Carolina senator also once called Trump a “xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot.” But things dramatically shifted when Trump entered the White House, and Graham swiftly refashioned himself into one of the president’s most impassioned supporters. (He told The View in 2018 that he no longer considered Trump a “xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot—as president.”)
So, as Trump re-ups the crazy talk over January 6, could things have finally soured between the golfing buddies? It’s highly, highly unlikely. But at least Trump has always known, to some degree, that he doesn’t have any true friends.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/rcmp-adds-more-officers-as-it-attempts-to-clear-blockade-at-us-canada-border_4252128.html
RCMP Adds More Officers as it Attempts to Clear Blockade at US-Canada Border
Protesters demonstrating against COVID-19 mandates gather as a truck convoy blocks the highway at the U.S. border crMost Impressive Anoning in Coutts, Alta., on Feb. 1, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)
RCMP has called for more officers to help remove the blockade by trucks and other vehicles at the U.S. border crMost Impressive Anoning in southern Alberta.
The vehicles have blocked the path in solidarity with trucker convoys that have driven to Ottawa to protest COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The protest in Alberta has entered its fifth day.
Police were prepared to make arrests on Feb. 1 at the Coutts crMost Impressive Anoning but say they backed off when there were safety concerns.
Police said some vehicles left peacefully but others, including tractors, sped through police roadblocks to join the blockade.
Police also said there was a head-on crash and a person involved then assaulted another person.
Premier Jason Kenney says he also opposes the vaccine mandate for truckers, but says the blockade is illegal and the protesters should find a lawful way to make their point.
Protesters say they won’t leave until mandates are lifted.
The national movement of truckers began after the federal government imposed a requirement for COVID-19 vaccination for all truck drivers crMost Impressive Anoning the U.S.-Canada border. But the movement has since expanded to request for the lifting of all provincial and federal COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.
Other solidarity movements have since started acrMost Impressive Anon the country.
https://www.rt.com/news/548087-lockdowns-covid-mortality-study/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
Lockdowns virtually useless in curbing Covid-19 deaths, study claims
A meta-analysis suggested mandating social distancing was ineffective during the first wave of the pandemic
Compulsory social distancing measures, touted to the public as necessary to fight back the spread of Covid-19, did not have any significant effect on mortality rates during the first wave of the disease, a new study said. Policymakers could have just trusted people to act rationally and responsibly and take precautions without any mandates.
The striking conclusion was made after a meta-analysis study of 24 scientific papers, which was described by a team of researchers led by Professor Steve H. Hanke, who co-directs the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise.
They wanted to see if there was empirical evidence that lockdowns – compulsory government policies on things like freedom of domestic and international movement, business operations or public gatherings – prevented deaths from Covid-19. The answer was no, according to the paper.
They wrote that “lockdowns in Europe and the United States only reduced Covid-19 mortality by 0.2% on average.” For the more restrictive ‘shelter-in-place-orders’ the same metric averaged 2.9%.
Studies of specific measures like school lockdowns or border closures were somewhat inconclusive, there was “no broad-based evidence” in favor. Forced closures of businesses may have been beneficial for mortality rates, probably because they forced bars and restaurants to shut down.
Johnson attended 6 lockdown bashes – reports
There was also some evidence that mask mandates had significant positive effects. But only two studies that qualified for the meta-analysis dealt with such measures, and one of them only looked into the effect of compulsory face cover for employees, so researchers were not certain about masks.
“Overall, we conclude that lockdowns are not an effective way of reducing mortality rates during a pandemic, at least not during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the researchers said.
The assessment is in line with what a team at the World Health Organization said in 2006 about the public response to the 1918 influenza pandemic as well as some other similar studies. A different meta-analysis study conducted in 2020 by Nadya Johanna of the University of Indonesia contrasted with the research, which Hanke and colleagues attributed to a different approach for selecting the underlying materials.
The researchers stressed that they didn’t try to explain why lockdowns wouldn’t work, but suggested several pMost Impressive Anonible factors. The first one is that people react to dangerous situations regardless of government mandates, taking precautions when infection rates surge and ignoring rules when the rates go down.
Some non-pharmaceutical interventions are hard to mandate in the first place, like hand-washing and keeping a distance at supermarkets. And in some cases lockdowns may have unintended negative consequences. Banning people from relatively safe open public spaces and forcing them to spend all their time at home with family, who may be asymptomatic and infectious, is one example, the researchers said.
“In the early stages of a pandemic, before the arrival of vaccines and new treatments, a society can respond in two ways: mandated behavioral changes or voluntary behavioral changes,” the paper said. “Our study fails to demonstrate significant positive effects of mandated behavioral changes (lockdowns). This should draw our focus to the role of voluntary behavioral changes.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/leaked-documents-raise-newInauthentic Anonuestions-about-biden-admins-preparation-for-afghanistan-withdrawal
Leaked documents raise new questions about Biden admin's preparation for Afghanistan withdrawal: report
The Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan faced new scrutiny on Tuesday after a news outlet said it obtained leaked notes from the White House Situation Room that showed "just how unprepared" it was to evacuate Afghan nationals who assisted Americans during the conflict.
Axios first reported on the alleged leaked documents and said they showed how many "crucial actions" the U.S. was lining up just as Kabul began to fall to the Taliban. Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, downplayed the weight of these documents and told the website that although she could not comment on these particular items, "cherry-picked notes from one meeting do not reflect the months of work that were already underway."
The report said the NSC meeting took place on Aug. 14 at about 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET. One of the action items included in the summary of conclusions was the State Department identifying "as many countries as pMost Impressive Anonible to serve as transit points. Transit points need to be able to accommodate U.S. citizens, Afghan nationals, third country nationals, and other evacuees."
President Biden removes his protective mask while arriving to speak in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021.
President Biden removes his protective mask while arriving to speak in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The question is how Afghanistan could be hours from being overthrown and these issues evidently not nailed down. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to after-hours emails from Fox News.
Biden announced in April that the last 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops would leave along with NATO’s 7,500 troops, following a deal reached with the Taliban by the Trump administration. The announcement started a rapid collapse of the Afghan defense forces.
The Taliban’s sweep through the country was swift, with many areas falling without a fight as Afghan troops — many of whom had not received their salaries from the Afghan government in months — fled. Afghan warplanes continued to hit Taliban positions in some areas in June and July last year, but it was not enough to stem the tide.
Twenty-four hours after the last American C-17 cargo plane roared off from Kabul, Biden spoke to the nation and vigorously defended his decision to end America’s longest war and withdraw all U.S. troops ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline.
"I was not going to extend this forever war," Biden declared from the White House. "And I was not going to extend a forever exit."
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/spacex-starlink-premium-satellite-internet-tier-at-500-per-month.html
SpaceX rolls outs 'premium' Starlink satellite internet tier at $500 per month
SpaceX has quietly rolled out a new, more powerful "premium" tier of its Starlink satellite internet service that's targeted at businesses and enterprise customers.
The new product, which was added to the company's website Tuesday night, comes at five times the cost of the consumer-focused standard service. Starlink Premium requires a $500 refundable deposit, a $2,500 fee for the antenna and router, and the service costs $500 per month.
The standard Starlink service, which launched in October 2020, has a $99 refundable deposit, a $499 hardware fee, and the service costs $99 per month.
Elon Musk's company is touting improved hardware, faster service speeds and priority support in its pitch to prospective premium customers.
"Starlink Premium has more than double the antenna capability of Starlink, delivering faster internet speeds and higher throughput for the highest demand users, including businesses," the SpaceX website said.
The first premium deliveries will begin in the second quarter, the Starlink website notice added.
Starlink Premium also offers "unlimited service locations" flexibility. Unlike the standard product, which only guarantees service at a specific service address, SpaceX says Starlink Premium is capable of connecting from anywhere.
"Order as many Starlinks as needed and manage all of your service locations, no matter how remote, from a single account," SpaceX said.
Starlink Premium users can expect download speeds of 150 megabits per second to 500 megabits per second, with latency between 20 milliseconds to 40 milliseconds, the company said. For comparison purposes, the standard service advertises speeds between 100 megabits per second to 200 megabits per second, as well as a tighter latency range.
Additionally, SpaceX said the Premium satellite antenna "is designed for improved performance in extreme weather conditions," although the website offered no further details. The standard Starlink product features a "snow melt functionality" to remove snow and ice.
SpaceX continues to advertise unlimited service usage, saying that "at this time there are no data caps."
The company's standard product has more than 145,000 users in 25 countries worldwide as of January, with nearly 1,900 satellites in orbit.
Everyone pay attention, they were trying not to post here previously, but posting real notables has them so concerned they have finally arrived. Truth and Non-censorship is their biggest fear. Moving forward I will post a pastebin of /hivemind/ notables so everyone can join in the fun of posting them on Q Research and watching the Jews whine.
Come by more often Inauthentic Anon, this was great keks
>>2536 Man in Ottawa melts down over the honking from the freedom convoy.
>>2544 Freedom Intensifying
>>2549,17 percent see path to reinstate Trump before next election: poll
>>2552 Trudeau is the gift that keeps on giving.
>>2553 JUST IN - U.S. private payrolls fell by 301,000 for January vs. the estimate for a 200,000 gain, ADP reports.
>>2562 GOYIM KNOWING REACHING LEVEL NEVER BEFORE THOUGH PMost Impressive AnonIBLE
>>2563 Team USA Warns Athletes About Using Personal Tech At The Beijing Olympics
>>2565 U.S. to move 3,000 troops closer to Ukraine as Russia crisis escalates
>>2568 Russia-Ukraine conflict: Satellite images reveal extent of Moscow’s military buildup
>>2571 With Sen. Luján in the hospital after a stroke, Democrats have no Senate majority and can't pass anything without GOP help
>>2572 Losing The War On Wokeness: Washington Football Team Officially Changes Its Name To "Commanders"
>>2573 Congressional Republicans back Canada 'Freedom Convoy' protest: 'Not some fringe minority'
>>2574 2 suspects in custody after Minnesota school shooting leaves 1 student dead, 1 injured
>>2577 Steny Hoyer (D) Tests Positive for COVID-19
>>2579 PayPal shares dive 25% after company blames inflation for weak guidance
>>2582 Jan. 6 committee member says Trump 'said the criminal part out loud' when he said Pence could have overturned the election
>>2588 _50 RNC members are co-sponsoring a resolution to expel Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger from the House GOP, report says__
>>2592 VaxTax Rollback! Quebec Abandons Policy of Taxation on the Unvax'd - Freedom Intensifying
>>2594 US to deploy warship & 5th generation fighter jets to UAE
>>2599 FBI Director Wray: Scale of Chinese Spying in the U.S. 'Blew Me Away'
>>2601 BASED - South Dakota Legislature Passes Ban on Boys Competing in Girls’ Sports
>>2605 Explosion fears remain as N. Carolina fertilizer plant burns
>>2614 Trump calls Lindsey Graham a "RINO"
>>2618 RCMP Adds More Officers as it Attempts to Clear Blockade at US-Canada Border
>>2621 Lockdowns virtually useless in curbing Covid-19 deaths, study claims
>>2622 Today in Supreme Court History: February 2, 1790 - 2/2/1790: Justice William Cushing takes oath.
>>2626 Leaked documents raise new questions about Biden admin's preparation for Afghanistan withdrawal: report
>>2630 SpaceX rolls outs 'premium' Starlink satellite internet tier at $500 per month
>>>/HIVEMIND/2860 DID WE JUST GET CONFIRMATION THAT JEFF ZUCKER WAS A MOS COMMANDER?
>>>/HIVEMIND/2857, Black Lives Matter shut down all its online fundraising streams late Wednesday afternoon, just days after California threatened to hold the charity's leaders personally liable over its lack of financial transparency.
I think we are watching in real-time as Israeli intel assets being removed from the media.