Beijing Says "No!" To Washington's Attempted "Robbery" Of TikTok

In what is perhaps the most compelling sign yet that Beijing has put the kibosh on the Oracle-TikTok deal, the Global Times on Tuesday published a scathing editorial attacking President Trump for attempting a "robbery" of TikTok and violate China's "dignity."

The paper's editorial writers echoed claims made in an editorial published more than six weeks ago by the People's Daily - that Beijing would never tolerate Trump transferring majority ownership of TikTok to the US. Furthermore, as Kyle Bass explained earlier, anything that would require the company to fork over its content-recommendation algorithm is an instant deal breaker. Beijing has previously said it would rather shut down TikTok US than hand the business to the Americans.

Writers explained that by turning over source code from TikTok to Oracle, Americans would also gain insight into the operations of Douyin, TikTok's counterpart built for the Chinese market (which, remember, runs on an entirely separate, cordoned-off internet).

Throwing Trump's words back in his face, the writers insisted Beijing didn't appreciate the president's characterization that the new TikTok would have "nothing" to do with China.

Because even more than money, China must have the credit. Like Bass explained, the CCP is fighting a narrative war against the US.

And in case the point wasn't clear, the Global Times editor, Hu Xijin, drives it home with a tweet.

Stop extorting. You think TikTok is a company from a small country? There's no way the Chinese government will accept your demand. You can ruin TikTok's US business, if US users do not object, but you can't rob it and turn it into a US baby. pic.twitter.com/Jskn9PjIFU

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) September 22, 2020

Here are some more excerpts courtesy of Bloomberg:

"China as a big country will not accept blackmail from the US,” the Global Times said

"Nor will it hand over control of an outstanding high-tech Chinese company to extortionists"

"We cannot let these Chinese companies be arbitrarily slaughtered by the US"

"We are ready to fight resolutely against the bullying and gangster-like logic of the US"

Read the editorial below:

• • *

It was reported Sunday, Beijing time, that US President Donald Trump approved a deal in principle between TikTok's parent company ByteDance, and Oracle and Walmart. The main content of the deal was later disclosed. From the information provided by the US, the deal was unfair. It caters to the unreasonable demands of Washington. It's hard for us to believe that Beijing will approve such an agreement.

Although people can have various interpretations, some articles in the agreement show what the problems are.

For instance, American citizens will take up four of the five board seats for TikTok Global and only one can be Chinese. The board of TikTok Global would include a national security director, who will have to be approved by the US.

Oracle will have the authority to check the source code of TikTok USA and updates. As the TikTok and Douyin should have the same source code, this means the US can get to know the operations of Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

TikTok Global will control the business of TikTok around the world except China. It will block IP from the Chinese mainland to access it. This means the Americans can take control of the global business of TikTok and reject Chinese to access it.

It is clear that these articles extensively show Washington's bullying style and hooligan logic. They hurt China's national security, interests and dignity. ByteDance is an ordinary company in China. The US suppresses it with all its national strength and forces it to sign a deal under coercion. China, also a major country, will not yield to US intimidation and will not accept an unequal treaty that targets Chinese companies.

When Trump said he had approved the new TikTok deal, he noted the new company would have "nothing to do" with China and would be fully controlled by the US. On Monday, he said Oracle and Walmart would have total control of the service; otherwise, "we're not going to approve the deal."

It seems this is not his campaign language, but the Trump administration's real attitude toward restructuring TikTok. Washington is way too confident and has underestimated China's determination to defend its basic rights and dignity.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/beijing-says-no-washingtons-attempted-robbery-tiktok

UK Leader OKs Use Of Troops To Support Police Enforcement of New Strict COVID-19 Restrictions

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced that he will make the Army available to help police enforce strict new coronavirus rules he is putting in place for up to six months.

Johnson said police will have the “option to draw on military support where required” as he warned Britons not to expect a return to a normal life any time soon.

“We will provide the police and local authorities with the extra funding they need, a greater police presence on our streets, and the option to draw on military support where required to free up the police,” he said.

The PM’s spokesman later clarified Johnson’s statement, the BBC reported. “This is not about providing any additional powers to the military, or them replacing the police in enforcement roles, and they will not be handing out fines. It is about freeing up more police officers.”

The BBC put out a list of the stringent new rules:

Pubs, bars, and restaurants to close at 22:00 BST (10 p.m.)

They will also be restricted to table service only

People should work from home wherever possible

Face masks compulsory for bar staff and non-seated customers, shop workers, and waiters

Limit on guests at weddings reduced from 30 to 15

Plans to allow fans to return to sporting events paused

“Rule of six” now applies to indoor team sports

Fines for not wearing masks or following rules increased to £200 for first offense

Johnson said, “we have to take drastic action now — to avoid the risk of more drastic action later on.”

The PM also sought to explain why bars need to close at 10 p.m., saying the government has seen evidence that transmission of COVID-19 “does tend to happen later at night after more alcohol has been consumed.” And he said, “we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower, with significantly greater restrictions.”

Top officials this week announced a plan to fine people up to 10,000 pounds ($13,000) if they refuse an order to self-isolate, Stars and Stripes reported.

The new rule orders all residents to undergo quarantine if they test positive for COVID-19 — or even if they are traced to have had contact with someone who tests positive. The rule takes effect Sept. 28.

“The government will help those on lower incomes who face a loss of earnings as a result of self-isolating with a one-time support payment of $633,” Stars reports.

The new move comes as COVID-19 cases are rising in the U.K., hitting 4,422 one day last week, the highest since early May.

Said Johnson: “People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines.”

“We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS and save lives. And while most people are doing their absolute level best to comply with the rules, I don’t want to see a situation where people don’t feel they are financially able to self-isolate,” the prime minister said.

http://www.scoopyweb.com/2020/09/uk-leader-oks-use-of-troops-to-support.html

Britons Are Swamping Police Line to Rat on Neighbours: Report

Britons have allegedly been inundating the police non-emergency number 101 with reports of their neighbours breaking the ‘rule of six’ coronavirus law.

It would appear that the case of a woman calling the police on a funeral wake in a pub garden because she thought people were standing too close together was not an isolated incident.

Senior police officers have had to put more telephonist staff on call to deal with the rising numbers, according to sources speaking to The Times. The need followed senior ministers instructing Britons to call the police if they see people gathering in groups of larger than six under recently-imposed coronavirus laws.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock even said that the police would “come down hard” on people who fail to self-isolate after receiving a positive test result for coronavirus.

Senior sources told the newspaper of record that people were informing on their neighbours over minor transgressions, intimating that some were doing so because they held grudges.

“There are discussions about how the 101 system can cope, and whether increased resources need to be looked at across the board. We don’t want a situation where people calling about Covid-19 breaches are blocking others from getting through about other serious crimes,” one source said.

Police are also reportedly concerned about the strain that enforcing the new social distancing rules will have on constabularies’ abilities to tackle real crime.

Boris Orders Pubs Shut at 10pm, But Stops Short of National Lockdown https://t.co/ol7SxugKEB

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 22, 2020

Further rules were announced on Tuesday that will result in pubs, restaurants, and other social venues facing a curfew of 10 pm. Bar service will be outlawed, with only table service available, as of Thursday.

Police were reportedly briefed on Monday that they will be given the power to fine establishments £1,000 if tables are not distanced six feet apart or if patrons are found to be intermingling.

A government source told The Sun that Boris Johnson is planning an “enforcement blitzkrieg”, saying that “police and councils will be told to act immediately when they see the rules being broken,” and that those restaurants and pubs that break the law “will be shut down”.

Some ministers reportedly also want police to increase their enforcement strategy. Officers currently instructed to “engage, explain” and “encourage” those found breaking the law to stop, with “enforcement” — the final option — giving police the power to “remove a person to the place where they live, using reasonable force only if it is a necessary and proportionate means of ensuring compliance”.

The culture of snitching Britons is broadly in line with recent polling that shows citizens back the government on coronavirus measures. In early September, nearly two-thirds of Britons said they would support some form of a national curfew, with more than three-quarters saying they backed the introduction of the ‘rule of six’.

Delingpole: Boris Johnson Wants You to Play with His Dodgy Hockey Stick https://t.co/v2OW6HN6Vp

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 22, 2020

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/09/22/britons-are-swamping-emergency-services-line-rat-neighbours-report/

Google Pushes Conservative News Sites Far Down Search Lists

It has long been feared that Google, which controls almost 90% of U.S. Internet search traffic, could sway an election by altering the search results it shows users. New data indicate that may be happening, as conservative news sites including Breitbart, the Daily Caller, and the Federalist have seen their Google search listings dramatically reduced.

The data come from the search consultancy Sistrix, which tracks a million different Google search keywords and keeps track of how highly different sites rank across all the search terms.

The tracker shows that Google search visibility for Breitbart first plunged in 2017, before falling to approximately zero in July 2019:

Googling the name "Breitbart" still pulls up the website, but it is nearly eliminated from any searches that don't explicitly name it. For example, Googling the names of Breitbart's reporters sometimes forces users to click through page after page of less-relevant results before hitting a Breitbart link. In the case of Joel Pollak, the first Breitbart link appears on the bottom of page 7 of Google search results. In comparison, a search on the small Google competitor DuckDuckGo gives multiple links to Pollak’s Breitbart work on the first page.

Breitbart saw that stark reduction in search, even as little else in the news outlet’s reporting model changed. Other conservative news sites, such as the Daily Caller, also were de-ranked at similar times.

More

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/09/20/google_pushes_conservative_news_sites_far_down_search_lists_144246.html

Texas Border County Sheriff Says He Received Ricin Letters

MCALLEN, Texas – Federal authorities are investigating letters addressed to a Texas border county sheriff’s office filled with what is believed to be ricin. The incident follows days after a letter also containing a similar poison was sent to the White House.

On Monday afternoon, Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra confirmed that several envelopes sent to himself and to three of detention staffers contained ricin. Guerra said there is a federal investigation and was unable to provide further detail.

The South Texas ricin incident comes days after a woman from Canada allegedly sent a ricin-laced package to President Donald Trump. According to the Associated Press, the woman behind the attack has since been arrested at the Canadian border.

Ricin is a poisonous substance derived from the castor oil plant.

According to the AP, “a Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt.”

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/09/21/texas-border-county-sheriff-says-he-received-ricin-letters/

Why Do Americans Give Away So Much Control To Corporations?

The American people own most of the wealth – private and public – and most of the information in the country. The top one percent do not.

The American people have most of the power in the country. The top one percent do not.

These assertions may surprise you, because the top one percent and the giant corporations work overtime to control what you own. This means they do not have to seize what you own so long as their control provides them with both riches and power over you.

Let’s spell this out with specifics. Our Constitution starts with the words, “We the People…”; it doesn’t start with ‘we the corporations’ or ‘we the Congress’ or ‘we the super-rich.’ The sovereign authority under the Constitution is us; we the people are the bosses. But we give our power away to the Big Boys who run the big companies that control most of our elected politicians. The politicians in turn proceed to corrupt our elections with campaign money, gerrymandering, deceitful ads, voter obstructions, and a totally dominant two-party duopoly. This corporate state destroys competitive democracy which would give our votes meaning, choices, and effectiveness.

Shouldn’t we be discussing why, when we own the vast federal public land, one-third of America – and the vast public airwaves, do we give control of these resources to corporations every day of the year to profit from at our expense? We give the television and radio stations, that block our voices, free control and use of the airwaves, 24/7. We receive very little in royalties from the energy, mining, timber, and grazing companies extracting huge wealth from our federal lands.

We send our tax dollars to Washington, D.C., and the federal government gives trillions of these dollars to companies in the form of subsidies and bailouts.

Trillions of dollars are devoted to government research and development (R&D), which has built or expanded private companies. These include such industries as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, military weapons, computers, internet, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and containerization.

Our taxpayer-funded R&D is essentially given away free to these for-profit businesses. We the People receive no royalties nor profit-sharing returns on these public investments. Worse, we pay gouging prices for drugs and other products developed with our tax dollars.

https://popularresistance.org/why-do-americans-give-away-so-much-control-to-corporations/

Police officer who helped turn round South Yorkshire force during Rotherham sex abuse scandal takes senior Scotland Yard job

Matt Jukes is to be made assistant commissioner, starting work in November

More than 1,000 children were exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013

A report said Mr Jukes' leadership helped police become proactive in the case

A senior police officer who led Rotherham during part of the sex abuse scandal will take a top post at the Metropolitan Police.

Matt Jukes, who was borough commander in the Yorkshire town from 2006 to 2010, is to be made assistant commissioner, starting work in November.

More than 1,000 children were exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, with local authorities, schools and police among agencies that failed to tackle the problem.

A report on the scandal by Professor Alexis Jay suggested that Mr Jukes' leadership marked a point where police became more proactive in dealing with the abuse.

After serving in South Yorkshire Police, he moved to South Wales, with the police and crime commissioner there Alun Michael backing him as an outstanding leader.

Mr Jukes worked his way up to the top post in South Wales Police, becoming Chief Constable in January 2018.

He has also held national positions including in counter-terrorism and Welsh health, and is chairman of Police Sport UK.

http://www.mr-mehra.com/2020/09/police-officer-who-helped-turn-round.html

Are the additives in our food making us ill? Scientists say a diet of highly processed meals is fuelling harmful inflammation that can lead to heart disease, arthritis, dementia and even cancer

Our lives are being cut short by the toxic effects of our ‘ultra-processed’ diet, according to new research buried by the attention on Covid-19.

Ultra-processed food products — which studies suggest now make up to 60 per cent of the average diet in the UK — are invariably high in fat or sugar (or both) and contain a cocktail of food additives.

Although all factory-produced foods contain at least some artificial preservatives, the new generation are packed with additives such as artificial sweeteners, colourings, emulsifiers to mix ingredients that would not naturally combine, preservatives to ensure foods don’t discolour and have months of shelf life — plus a variety of chemicals to disguise the sour or bitter taste of other additives.

Scientists estimate that Britons, on average, now consume 8 kg (18 lbs) a year of chemical additives.

The theory is that the body struggles to process these foods, leading to chronic — and harmful — inflammation, which is already linked to serious conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Nor is swapping to ‘healthier’ food products necessarily the answer, say experts, because those who have switched to vegetarian or vegan diets may also be increasing their health risks by consuming the highly processed meat substitutes now widely available.

These health risks have been highlighted in the latest results from NutriNet-Santé, the world’s biggest ongoing study of the effect of food on health, which is monitoring the food intake of up to 500,000 people.

Results show that even in France, the home of haute cuisine, processed food consumption has become normal.

In a study involving more than 100,000 people, the researchers found that those eating the highest levels of ultra-processed food radically increased the risk to their health.

Over a ten-year period, for every ten per cent increase in ultra-processed food in the diet, there was a 12 per cent increase in the number of people with heart disease and an 11 per cent increase in strokes.

Processed food is hardly new — we have been curing, smoking and pickling for centuries, and even canning foods is a relatively old technique (first introduced more than 200 years ago).

The difference with ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is that they contain few, if any, recognisable intact food ingredients, as you can see on their labels. The range of UPFs is vast, from savoury snacks to breakfast cereals, meat substitutes and baked goods.

There is no strict definition of a processed as distinct from an ultra-processed food — but a label on cheese, for example, will generally list recognisable food ingredients such as milk or cream first. A UPF will often list something called ‘crème’ to disguise an ingredient derived from pig lard.

The latest findings from the NutriNet-Santé project, reported earlier this year in the journal Nature, showed that more than 330 chemical additives have now been approved for use in foods across Europe, including Britain, and, worryingly, that have been linked to health problems, were all among the top 50 most frequently used.

‘Food manufacturers use studies that are based on laboratory animals to show these products are safe but it’s not the same, because we are talking about long-term exposure in humans via all the food and drink we consume over many years,’ says Dr Bernard Srour, an epidemiologist at the Institute of Health and Medical Research in France, who is one of the leaders of the NutriNet- Santé project.

‘We are seeing more and more ultra-processed products with messages about how healthy they are. The food industry is trying to demonstrate that its products are low in sugar and salt and fat but it is replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners, for example, which may cause all sorts of other problems,’ he says.

‘The cocktail effect of all these additives has also never been investigated. They may generate a health effect that doesn’t happen when the additives are used individually.’

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2020/09/are-additives-in-our-food-making-us-ill.html

>>10745224

Continuing to let the rich buy elections is bad for democracy, change my mind

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/09/continuing-to-let-rich-buy-elections-is.html

How CDC/WHO will fake the effects of the COVID vaccine to make it look like a success

Making a vaccine look like it’s a champion isn’t difficult for public health agencies. There are a number of strategies.

Of course, these fraudulent strategies would be serious crimes. But when has that stopped the CDC or the World Health Organization?

In no particular order—-

ONE: Rework the definition of a “COVID case.” Presently, the CDC absurdly allows doctors to diagnose a person with COVID who has a cough, or chills and fever, and lives in an area where cases are being claimed. No test necessary.

So change this practice, once the vaccine is approved. Demand testing for a diagnosis. State that cough alone is not enough. Chills and fever must also be present. Require fever to be above 100.

These and other changes would automatically shrink the number of cases. The drop in numbers would be attributed to the vaccine.

This “definitional shrinking” was, in fact, deployed in the 1950s, after the introduction of the polio vaccine.

TWO: Order a change in the way the PCR diagnostic test is done. The practice of amplifying the original test sample from the patient occurs in cycles, or jumps. The greater the number of cycles, the more likely the test will result in a COVID diagnosis. Therefore, order a reduced number of cycles for all testing labs.

Outcome? Fewer COVID diagnoses. Fewer case numbers. “The vaccine is working.”

THREE: Quietly restrict the present hospital practice of arbitrarily writing “COVID” on patient case and death files.

FOUR: Cook up and publish false studies showing more and more people are developing immunity to the virus. Attribute this to the vaccine.

FIVE: Another type of false study—“the transmission of the virus from person to person is slowing, thanks to the vaccine.”

SIX: Pump up the success of issuing Immunity certificates after vaccination. “People are feeling safer now. More businesses are reopening…”

SEVEN: Using the compliant press, simply issue bald declarations that the vaccine is a success.

EIGHT: Hide the many instances of injury and death from the vaccine. When necessary, claim COVID was the cause.

NINE: Warn that the wonderful vaccine-derived immunity is not permanent, and frequent booster shots are necessary.

TEN: Rework the definition of “vaccine-acquired immunity.” Even a very weak antibody response from the shot would qualify as “protective immunity.”

ELEVEN: Huge numbers of people with ordinary flu-like illness, pneumonia, and other traditional lung infections are being called “COVID.” Change this practice. Go back to calling many of these people “flu,” “pneumonia,” etc. COVID case numbers will drop. Claim the drop is the effect of the vaccine.

TWELVE: Presently, millions of so-called COVID cases have “co-morbidities.” These are prior serious health conditions which are, in fact, the true causes of illnesses and death. Of course, this is denied. But after the vaccine is introduced… scale back the practice of counting all these ill and deceased co-morbid patients as “COVID.” Case and death numbers will drop. Claim the vaccine is the reason.

THIRTEEN: After the vaccine is introduced, slow down testing for a brief period. This will automatically reduce the rate of new cases. Attribute the decline to the vaccine.

Committing these crimes are a walk in the park for public health agencies.

And appointing official mouthpieces to carry lies to the public is as easy as training little Faucis to sit up and bark.

https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/09/22/how-cdc-will-fake-effects-of-covid-vaccine-make-it-look-like-success/

Camp Pendleton Marines, SoCal Civilians Charged In Alleged Drug Trafficking Ring Linked To Marine’s Death

LOS ANGELES – Two active-duty United States Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton were arrested today on a federal grand jury indictment charging one Marine and three civilians with conspiring to distribute narcotics – including oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl – to civilians and members of the United States Marine Corps, one of whom suffered a fatal drug overdose in May. The second Marine is charged in the indictment with being an accessory after the fact.

The 14-count superseding indictment charges five defendants:

Jordan Nicholas McCormick, 26, of Palmdale, the lead defendant and the conspiracy’s alleged supplier who provided LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to co-conspirators;

Gustavo Jaciel Solis, 24, of Sylmar, who allegedly distributed McCormick’s drugs to civilians and military personnel;

Anthony Ruben Whisenant, 20, a lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps, who allegedly distributed narcotics to active service members, including an active-duty Marine who died after ingesting an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl purchased from Solis;

Jessica Sarah Perez, 23, of Pacoima, who allegedly distributed narcotics including fentanyl and cocaine to the conspiracy’s civilian customers; and

Ryan Douglas White, 22, a lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps, who is charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly attempting to hinder law enforcement’s apprehension of Whisenant and Solis.

Whisenant and White were taken into federal custody today and are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

On August 11, Solis and Perez were indicted on fentanyl and cocaine distribution charges, and Solis was indicted on firearms-related charges. They have pleaded not guilty to these charges and their trial date is scheduled for October 27. Solis is in federal custody and Perez is free on $25,000 bond. Today’s superseding indictment adds McCormick, Whisenant and White as defendants, in addition to adding charges to the original indictment. McCormick also is in federal custody.

According to the indictment, the conspiracy lasted from November 2019 to September 2020 and involved multiple sales of fentanyl-laced oxycodone to an undercover buyer, often for amounts exceeding $1,000 per buy.

On May 22, Solis sold 10 pills of oxycodone laced with fentanyl to an active-duty Marine who died of a drug overdose in the early morning hours of May 23, the indictment alleges.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, McCormick, Solis, Whisenant and Perez face substantive charges of distribution of narcotics, including fentanyl. McCormick and Solis are also charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of drug crimes.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, McCormick and Solis would face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Whisenant and Perez would face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. White, if convicted, would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

This matter was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

https://breaking911.com/camp-pendleton-marines-socal-civilians-charged-in-alleged-drug-trafficking-ring-linked-to-marines-fatal-overdose/

PUBLIC HEALTH “EXPERTS” SUGGEST MASK WEARING IS PERMANENT

Many public health officials have stated that the “new normal” of muzzling oneself in public could be permanent, meaning we’ll be wearing masks forever. Even with a vaccine, the rulers want the faces of the public masked and dehumanized.

Even with a vaccine, certain political puppets want humans to be wearing masks for the foreseeable future.

Are Face Masks & COVID Rituals Occultist Symbols For Submission?

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday during testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies that face masks may be more protective than a vaccine. “We have clear scientific evidence they work, and they are our best defense,” he said. “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine.” –Yahoo

Dr. Anthony Fauci has been out in force lately too propagating the public into wearing masks and attempting them to submit to the vaccine. Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently told Business Insider that “a combination of an effective vaccine and adherence to certain public health principles will get us to the point where we want to be, by the end of 2021.”

However, Yahoo makes a point of stating that the dehumanizing mask-wearing is likely here forever.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life that he’s thought about this “a lot” lately, and there are a few reasons why he thinks masks have staying power.

“Most of us think that a COVID-19 vaccine will be a good — but not perfect — vaccine,” he says. If a COVID-19 vaccine is 70 percent effective, which is more effective than the flu vaccine has been in recent years, “that means for every 10 people vaccinated, three will remain as susceptible as they were before they were vaccinated,” Schaffner says. “That means the only way they can be protected and the only way we can protect them is to keep wearing masks,” he adds. –Yahoo

Dr. Amesh A. Adalja says that getting the population fully vaccinated once a vaccine is developed will also take some time and, with that, mask-wearing may become more ingrained in our culture. As people get used to being muzzled, the dehumaniztion will become easier to enforce.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/public-health-experts-suggest-mask-wearing-is-permanent/

House Stopgap Bill Includes $1.6 Billion For Columbia-Class Submarines

Hugely expensive sub program was expected to face cuts

House Democrats released a stopgap funding for the US military included a substantial anomaly. While traditionally stopgap funding puts weapons programs on hold, this bill will set aside $1.6 billion to buy a pair of Columbia-class submarines, and also authorizes the Navy to keep funding the incredibly expensive Columbia-class program.

This was one of several anomalies sought by the White House and the Pentagon. The US Navy made it clear that the hugely expensive Columbia program is what they consider their top priority. That’s not to say funding it was a no-brainer.

Funding any weapons program with a stopgap is unusual. $1.6 billion for two submarines may seem a quibble, but it is part of a $109.8 billion weapons program, which is expected to yield 12 submarines that won’t begin patrols until the 2030s.

In a world where nuclear submarines are less and less of an issue, this expensive of a program is very controversial, which is why the Navy is pushing so hard to save it. Stopgap or no, Columbia was always going to be on the chopping block because of the huge costs of Covid-19.

Stopgap funding doesn’t prevent that in the future, and economic necessity probably will keep Columbia near the top of any potential cuts list. That may make including it in the stopgap particularly foolish, because they are paying for orders may never be delivered.

The stopgap was a perfect opportunity to stall funding on this latest weapons boondoggle. Instead Congress is taking Pentagon talk of top priorities at face value and funding them, even though the most expensive programs are always the top priorities.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/09/21/house-stopgap-bill-includes-1-6-billion-for-columbia-class-submarines/

Afghanistan: Over 100 Killed in Deadliest Clashes Since Intra-Afghan Talks Began

At least 57 Afghan government soldiers and 80 Taliban fighters reportedly killed across the country

The Afghan government said on Monday that at least 57 Afghan soldiers were killed in overnight clashes with the Taliban, the bloodiest day of fighting since intra-Afghan talks began in Doha earlier this month.

The Taliban has not confirmed any casualties, but an Afghan military spokesman said 54 Taliban fighters were killed in Kunduz, Takhar, and Baghlan provinces. A spokesman from the local government of Maidan Ward Province said 26 Taliban members were killed there, bringing the total to 80.

The Afghan government took the heaviest casualties in the central province of Uruzgan, where at least 24 Afghan soldiers were killed after the Taliban attacked security checkpoints.

The fighting came after the Afghan government carried out airstrikes in the Kunduz Province, killing 24 civilians. According to witnesses, the initial airstrike hit a Taliban member’s home and started a fire at a neighboring house. Villagers rushed to help those trapped inside, and another airstrike hit, killing many of them.

The warring parties currently have delegations in Doha for intra-Afghan peace talks, as arranged by the US-Taliban peace deal signed in February. Since the intra-Afghan talks started, there has been some fighting, but this weekend saw the largest spike in violence.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/09/21/afghanistan-over-100-killed-in-deadliest-clashes-since-intra-afghan-talks-began/