Navy conducts freedom of navigation operations off Venezuelan coast

The guided-missile destroyer William P. Lawrence, shown here in an undated photo, conducted a freedom of navigation operation off of the Venezuelan coast Wednesday. (Navy)

A U.S. Navy warship steamed off the Venezuelan coast Wednesday to challenge what it calls “excessive maritime claims” by Caracas.

The guided-missile destroyer William P. Lawrence became at least the third Navy vessel to conduct a freedom of navigation operation, or FONOP, near Venezuela this year.

Sent by U.S. Southern Command, the FONOP aims to challenge Venezuela’s claims to waters that extend three miles beyond their lawful territorial rights, the combatant command said in a statement.

“The U.S. Navy conducts freedom of navigation operations worldwide to demonstrate the United States' commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms, access and lawful uses of international waters and airspace guaranteed to all nations,” SOUTHCOM said.

William P. Lawrence and other Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships are currently operating in the Caribbean Sea as part of an ongoing counter-narcotics operation.

The operation sought to challenge "excessive maritime claims" by Venezuela, the command said.

While such FONOPs are mostly conducted in the South China Sea to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims, the sea service has conducted several off Venezuela this year.

The destroyer Pinckney conducted a FONOP off Venezuela in July, and a few weeks before that, the warship Nitze conducted a similar operation.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/10/01/navy-conducts-freedom-of-navigation-operations-off-venezuelan-coast/

University of California Retreats on Mandatory Flu Vaccine After Lawsuit Filed

As you may know, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and I (with the able assistance of Children’s Health Defense chief legal guru Mary Holland, Physicians for Informed Consent’s human vaccine encyclopedia aka Greg Glaser and San Diego ace litigator Ray Flores) filed an injunction lawsuit to stop the University of California’s (UC) executive order requiring all students, faculty and other employees to get the flu shot by Nov. 1 or face not being able to work or register for class.

We filed on Aug. 27, the executive order having been published on Aug. 7.

On Sept. 17, we filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the executive order. The most outrageous part of the executive order, and the part that befits the constitutional phrase of something which “shocks the conscience,” was the fact that students were treated differently from faculty and staff in two important respects.

First, unlike staff and faculty, students did not have a “religious accommodation” (more about that later).

Second, while faculty could remote teach and staff could remote work and not have to take the shot, remote learning students still had to get the stick.

That seemed to me to be a textbook equal protection and First Amendment violation. Whatever idiot UC lawyer came up with that should have to take some con law CLE (continuing legal education).

Well, it seems like the UC has finally opened its con law books (and with all its law school libraries, it’s about time).

The UC filed its response to our motion (and there are a lot of papers, but more about that later) AND GUESS WHAT? TWO DAYS AGO, THE UC (apparently secretly so far) ISSUED A NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER REVISING THE MANDATE!

And, guess what it doesn’t have in it? Correct, students are now treated the same as faculty and staff, well sort of.

Bottom line, students attending all classes online who do not live on campus do not have to get the flu shot. That is very good news for those students. Of course, if you live on campus, you still have to get the shot, at least unless and until the judge grants our preliminary injunction motion.

For perspective, this is just the opening skirmish (ok, maybe a tad bit more than that; the UC backed down probably after reviewing our fourth cause of action for equal protection violations on behalf of the students). This was a just tactical retreat for the UC. They gave up something to protect the core mandate requiring the flu vaccine for everyone who comes to the campuses.

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/10/university-of-california-retreats-on-mandatory-flu-vaccine-after-lawsuit-filed.html

Five European States Urge Russia to Disclose Details in Navalny Case in a Letter to UNSC

Five European countries at the UN have sent a letter to the UN SC and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying the alleged use of the Novichok chemical agent to position Russian opposition Figure Alexey Navalny represents a threat to international peace and security and Russia should urgently shed light on the case.

"We consider that the use of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group in the abhorrent poisoning of Mr. Alexey Navalny constitutes a threat to international peace and security," Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom said in the letter sent on September 30 and seen by Sputnik.

The five countries called on Russia in the letter "to disclose urgently, fully and in a transparent manner the circumstances of this attack and to inform the Security Council in this regard."

Navalny fell very ill during a domestic flight in Russia and was treated in Omsk after the airplane made an emergency landing. After two days of treatment, the Russian doctors approved Navalny as being fit for air transport to a hospital in Berlin, Germany.

The German authorities soon claimed traces of a nerve agent from the Novichok family were found in Navalny’s organism, but did not provide proof to back up their claim. The doctors in Russia have insisted they found no signs of toxins prior to Navalny’s departure.

Russia has denied any involvement and has repeatedly asked for evidence, which has so far not been provided. The Kremlin has rejected Navalny’s own accusations being poisoned as groundless, insulting and unacceptable.

https://sputniknews.com/world/202010021080637291-five-european-states-urge-russia-to-disclose-details-in-navalny-case-in-a-letter-to-unsc/

OPCW still refuses to provide proof of the poisoning tho

Pelosi says she would take coronavirus vaccine if approved

The speaker said she trusts U.S. health officials and drug companies to ensure safety and efficacy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., confirmed she would take the coronavirus vaccine if it’s approved, after some Democrats have expressed alarm that President Trump is rushing its approval.

“I’m not a big needle taker. I mean, I had a hard time getting my ears pierced. I’m not a big needle fan,” she told reporters at a press conference.

“I mean, they have to talk me into the flu shot under great duress each year — but if it serves as a model to other people, yes I would take the vaccine if it is approved by the regular order of things.”

The speaker alleged that the Trump administration wants to bypass Phase Three trials that prove the safety of the vaccine, but said she trusts U.S. health officials and drug companies to ensure safety and efficacy.

“I don’t like the pressure that the White House is bringing on all of this and the statements that ‘Maybe we don’t need clinical trials as we normally do, we can just do it two instead of three’ and all that,” she said.

Pelosi added: “Let me salute the scientists at the FDA, and even some of the people at the CDC … who have been there for a long time about the highest caliber of science now backing the FDA working on this initiative."

“Let science determine this, not politics, and then people will have confidence in the product,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential ticket has been criticized for sowing fear related to the coronavirus vaccine.

“We can’t allow politics to interfere with the vaccine in any way,” Biden said last month. “Americans have had to endure President Trump’s incompetence and dishonesty when it comes to testing and personal protective equipment. We can’t afford to repeat those fiascos when it comes to a vaccine, when it occurs. The stakes are too high.”

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-would-take-coronavirus-vaccine-if-approved

>>10879558

do you still left right Anon?

>>10879622

THIS