FDA Authorizes Updated COVID-19 Vaccine for Children as Young as 6 Months Old

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency authorization to the updated Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for children as young as 6 months old, even though Pfizer has produced no clinical efficacy data for any age group.

FDA officials on March 14 said the emergency clearance was based on trial data that showed 60 children had “an immune response” after receiving the updated bivalent booster, and trial data that found 60 young children experienced side effects such as fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting after bivalent vaccination.

None of the trial data has been released to the public.

The authorization means children aged 6 months to 5 years will be encouraged to get a booster dose just two months after the final dose of a three-dose Pfizer primary series.

The bivalent vaccines protected well against symptomatic infection for children aged 5 and older initially, but the protection waned to close to 50 percent after several months, according to federal data. There were no estimates for protection against severe illness.

Children are less likely to experience severe COVID-19 and many have already been infected, giving them protection that’s similar to or superior to vaccination.

The authorization provides parents “an opportunity to update their children’s protection by receiving a booster dose” of the updated vaccine, Dr. Peter Marks, an FDA official, said in a statement. “Currently available data show that vaccination remains the best defense against severe disease, hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 across all age groups, and we encourage all eligible individuals to make sure that their vaccinations are up to date with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine.”

Regulators were more cautious in their formal letter to Pfizer updating the emergency authorization. They said that, based on the scientific evidence available, “it is reasonable to believe” the bivalent “may be effective” and that it “is reasonable to conclude” the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks.

The authorization is for the prevention of COVID-19 disease.

The expanded authorization was also based on data for people who aren’t in the age group in question, including elderly people, and safety and effectiveness data for the monovalent vaccines, which were first rolled out in late 2020.

Some experts have said the vaccines shouldn’t be authorized without clinical efficacy data. Some have said the new vaccines aren’t necessary for most or all people, especially those who recovered from COVID-19. Others say the updated shots are a good option for people to have to boost antibodies, which are believed to protect against the disease.

Bivalent shots from Pfizer and Moderna were authorized and recommended in the fall of 2022 for adults. Access has since been expanded to all age groups. Regulators authorized Pfizer’s bivalent as the third dose of the three-dose primary series, and Moderna’s bivalent as a booster after a two-dose primary series, in late 2022.

Pfizer and BioNTech said earlier in the month that among 60 participants under 5, a fourth dose of the bivalent elicited a higher level of neutralizing antibodies compared to children in the age group who received three doses of the monovalent vaccine. The companies also said that the safety profile of the updated shot was “similar to that of the original vaccine.”

https://www.ntd.com/fda-authorizes-updated-covid-19-vaccine-for-children-as-young-as-6-months-old_907489.html

Cop Gets 14 Years for Responding to Child Rape Case by Raping the Child Himself

A cop with a history of misconduct was never fired and eventually assigned to a case involving a child victim who he sexually assaulted.

New Orleans, LA — As frequent readers of the Free Thought Project know, police officers are arrested weekly in this country for sex crimes involving children. This is a massive problem but becomes even worse when victims of child sex abuse seek out help and run right into the arms of someone even worse than they are trying to report. For one girl in New Orleans, Louisiana, this is exactly what happened to her.

In 2020, the New Orleans Police department arrested one of its own officers for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old child. Rodney Vicknair, 55, was arrested and charged with sexual battery, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and malfeasance for sexually assaulting the child while investigating a sexual assault that she reported. After fighting the case for two years and pleading not guilty, last, Vicknair changed his tune.

Vicknair finally admitted to grooming and raping the girl while taking her to the hospital to have a rape kit done for a previous sexual assault she had just endured. On Tuesday, he was sentenced in federal court to 14 years in prison.

“We are grateful to this young survivor for coming forward, even though she thought no one would believe her,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Had she not been willing to do so, we would not have been able to hold the defendant accountable for his heinous crime. This case should send a strong message to law enforcement officers who sexually abuse victims, particularly children, that they are not above the law and will be held accountable.”

“The public must be able to trust that law enforcement will faithfully execute their sworn duties or face the consequences for failing to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Our office, along with the Department of Justice, the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies, will continue to investigate and prosecute any violations of constitutional rights.”

As we reported at the time, this officer had a history of discipline problems, and he should have never had his job when the child's sexual assault took place.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-watch/cop-gets-14-years-for-responding-to-child-rape-case-by-raping-the-child-himself

Shocking Evidence Shows Dr. Fauci Contributed Directly and Significantly to China’s COVID R&D and Propaganda

Shocking evidence about China’s control of U.S. virus research, courtesy of Anthony Fauci

Guest post by Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D.

There is overwhelming evidence that Anthony Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), through its funding decisions, has contributed directly and significantly to the success of China’s research and development programs.

Here is one such example.

Lishan Su, a graduate of Shandong University in China, is now a Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

According to his publication record, Lishan Su has been in the United States for over 30 years, but has maintained active research collaboration with scientists in China, including those with links to the People’s Liberation Army. During that time, Lishan Su received more than $5 million in research grants from Fauci’s NIAID.

Part of Lishan Su’s research collaboration with China produced the 2021 U.S. patent US11136399B2 assigned, not to the University of Maryland, but to the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/exclusive-shocking-evidence-shows-dr-fauci-contributed-directly-and-significantly-to-chinas-rd-and-covid-propaganda/

“THEY LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING” – A 96-Page DC Police Report UNCOVERED – Shows Govt Knew MAGA Was Coming on Jan 6 and Entrapped Them ALL

According to attorney Joe McBride who uncovered the report, the government knew MAGA was coming to DC and so they entrapped them. It was all a setup.

The report is included in the first tweet below from Jan 6 attorney Joe McBride.

The DC Police were told not to fire projectiles into the crowd – but they did and two Trump supporters likely had heart attacks and died when flash bombs unexpectedly blew up in their faces.

McBride notes that the police knew Antifa was coming.

THEY KNEW ANTIFA WAS COMING

Expected Protests Overview:

A number of individuals and groups are calling for their supporters to travel to Washington, DC, on or before January 6, 2021, to show support for POT US and for overturning the election results. The protests/rallies are expected to be similar to the previous Million MAGA March rallies in November and December 2020, which drew tens of thousands of participants. It is also expected that members of the Proud Boys (who intend to wear plainclothes and not their traditional yellow and black clothing)l3, white supremacist groups,14 Antifa, and other extremist groups will rally on January 6, 2021. Multiple arrests were made as a result of clashes between pro-Trump and opposing groups during each of the November and December rallies. Charges included assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on police, simple assault, weapons violations, riotous acts, and destruction of property, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and crossing a police line. A number of law enforcement officers were injured in the skinnishes . Many of the confrontations occurred after the rallies ended.

Julie Kelly discussed this report on the War Room (see below).

She said the report had been “designated highly sensitive government information just like all the surveillance video”.

But again it’s more evidence that undercuts the idea that law enforcement was completely unprepared – They had no idea what was going to happen that day.

There were at least two anti-Trump rallies in Washington on the same day including an Antifa rally scheduled at about the same time that the joint session was scheduled to convene. TGP reported on this previously.

The government knew this was happening. It was a setup.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/huge-they-lied-about-everything-a-96-page-dc-police-report-uncovered-shows-govt-knew-maga-was-coming-on-jan-6-and-entrapped-them-all/

Signature Bank Hosted Seminar On Gender Pronouns Like ‘Ze’ And ‘Hir’ 6 Months Before Collapse

Six months prior to its collapse, Signature Bank kicked off its “Social Impact” training series during which employees underwent training to learn how to “properly” use “gender-neutral pronouns.”

At a “Know Your Pronouns” company seminar hosted by Signature Bank chairman Scott Shay, employees were lectured on how to pronounce “Ze” and “Hir.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/signature-bank-hosted-seminar-on-gender-pronouns-like-ze-and-hir-6-months-before-collapse/

Credit Suisse Shares Tumble to New Record Low, Saudis Pull Funding, Trading Halts

Credit Suisse shares tumbled by as much as 30% to a new record low on Wednesday after Saudis pulled funding.

Trading in the Swiss banking giant’s stock was halted several times on Wednesday.

Saudi National Bank, which holds 9.88% of Credit Suisse said it is unable to purchase anymore shares because of regulations.

“We cannot because we would go above 10%. It’s a regulatory issue,” Saudi National Bank Chairman Ammar Al Khudairy told Reuters.

Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner told Reuters the Swiss bank’s liquidity base is “very, very strong.”

CNBC reported:

Shares of Credit Suisse on Wednesday plunged to a fresh all-time low for the second consecutive day after a top investor in the embattled Swiss bank said it would not be able to provide any more cash due to regulatory restrictions.

Trading in the bank’s plummeting stock was halted several times throughout the morning as it fell below 2 Swiss francs ($2.17) for the first time.

Swiss-listed Credit Suisse shares traded 17% lower at around 3 p.m. London time (11 a.m. ET), paring some of its earlier losses after dropping more than 30% at one point.

The share price rout renewed a broader sell-off among European lenders, which were already facing significant market turmoil as a result of the Silicon Valley Bank fallout. Some of the biggest decliners included France’s Societe Generale, Spain’s Banco de Sabadell and Germany’s Commerzbank.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/credit-suisse-shares-tumble-to-new-record-low-saudis-pull-funding-trading-halts/

FDIC Seeks Help To Restart Sale Of Silicon Valley Bank After First Attempt Falters

US banking regulators have been placed in a challenging situation following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, as they are now responsible for protecting depositors and preventing further bank runs. Regulators are now facing the daunting task of attempting to auction off the failed bank for a second time, but this time have sought the assistance of an investment bank to explore potential options.

Regulators at the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) tapped advisors at the investment bank Piper Sandler Companies to relaunch a failed auction of SVB, according to Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.

Officials from the FDIC seized SVB last Friday after $42 billion of deposit withdrawals one day prior caused the bank to fail. A weekend auction of the bank to top institutions proved to be unsuccessful.

On Monday, sources informed about the situation told WSJ that FDIC officials had told Senate Republicans that they now had more flexibility to sell the bank after it was declared a failure and threat to the US financial system.

Fast forward to Wednesday, these latest updates reveal that the FDIC is making arrangements for a potential second sale, with the possibility of considering selling the bank as a whole or exploring piecemeal deals.

Meanwhile, the parent of Silicon Valley Bank, SVB Financial Group, has been separately searching for a buyer for its investment bank and investment business.

It is worth noting that there were potential buyers for SVB over the weekend, but FDIC officials prevented the sale.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/fdic-seeks-help-restart-sale-silicon-valley-bank-after-first-attempt-falters

Former Pakistani PM alleges assassination plot

Imran Khan claims the arrest ordered by his country’s authorities has “mala fide intent”

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan says the “real intent” of police is to “abduct and assassinate” him after security forces attempted to detain him on Wednesday despite resistance from hundreds of the politician’s supporters in the eastern city of Lahore.

Khan, 70, made the claim on social media amid clashes between police and his supporters outside his residence, which prompted authorities to deploy water cannons and tear gas. Police have since withdrawn from the scene following the standoff after the Lahore High Court ordered authorities to suspend the operation until 10am local time on Thursday.

“Clearly ‘arrest’ claim was mere drama because real intent is to abduct & assassinate,” he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “From tear gas & water cannons, they have now resorted to live firing.”

He added: “There is no doubt of their mala fide intent.”

Khan is wanted by authorities following the issuance of two non-bailable arrest warrants for alleged corruption related to the sale of state gifts received while in office, as well as for comments made about a female judge.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader was ousted from power in Islamabad last year and has since been embroiled in legal disputes as he calls for early elections in the country in a bid to return to political office.

However, Khan has maintained that the plot to arrest him is “not because I broke any law” but rather to ensure he “cannot contest elections.”

Khan, who survived an assassination attempt in November, was also notified by authorities of another arrest warrant in recent weeks after he missed scheduled court dates, with his legal advisers citing security concerns. The initial attempt to arrest him was unsuccessful, with police saying he was “reluctant to surrender.”

The dispute at the summit of the political ecosystem in Islamabad comes amid the country’s severe economic downturn, which is forecasted to result in financial default if aid cannot be secured from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There have also been a number of attacks at police stations which have been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban.

https://www.rt.com/news/573018-pakistan-imran-khan-assassination-claim/

Judge Rejects Request From Moderna, Moving Key COVID-19 Vaccine Case To Discovery

A key COVID-19 vaccine case is moving to the discovery phase after a U.S. judge rejected a bid by Moderna to dismiss some of the patent infringement claims against it.

Moderna and the U.S. government, which backed the company, failed to prove that claims involving the company’s COVID-19 vaccine contract with the government should be dismissed, U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg ruled on March 10.

Goldberg in late 2022 rejected a similar effort but Moderna revived its bid after the government filed a statement asserting it, not the company, should face the claims relating to the contract.

The parties, though, have failed to prove that the government’s interpretation “trumps a court’s analysis of this issue,” Goldberg said.

Moderna and the government had argued that under 28 U.S.C. 1498, the claims should be dismissed and moved to the Court of Federal Claims. That would mean the government was inserted as the defendant, replacing Moderna, and leave the government responsible for paying any damages awarded.

The law in question states that any infringement claims relating to inventions being used “by or for the government” and with “the authorization and consent of the government” must be handled in the Court of Federal Claims.

The 2020 vaccine contract between Moderna and the U.S. Army stated that it was “for the United States government … and the U.S. population.”

While Moderna and the government said that evidence supported the contract being “by or for the government,” Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences said the dispute “can only be resolved on a fully developed record” and urged the court to allow discovery.

Goldberg, a George W. Bush appointee, agreed.

“I will consider the [Section] 1498(a) issue after both parties have engaged in discovery, which will provide Plaintiff an opportunity to review the entire unredacted version of the ’-0100 Contract and discover facts regarding that Contract,” he said.

New Developments Highlight Need for Discovery

New developments in the case highlight the need for discovery, the judge said.

The original contract, or the ’-0100 Contract, was for the government, both Moderna and U.S. officials say. But the parties have also acknowledged that a second contract, reached in 2022 and known as the ’-0017 contract, doesn’t fall under the law because it lacks certain language.

The position on the second contract wasn’t known when the judge ruled in 2022 on the motion to dismiss.

“Had I granted the relief Moderna sought in its original motion to dismiss, this fact would not have come to light and the relief ordered could have been incorrect,” the judge said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/judge-rejects-request-moderna-moving-key-covid-19-vaccine-case-discovery

Ukraine invites Ron DeSantis to visit after his claim war not ‘vital’ to US

A Ukrainian official has invited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to visit the war-torn country after the Republican said the year-old Russian invasion was a “territorial dispute” that was of no “vital” interest to the US.

Oleg Nikolenko, the main spokesman for Kyiv’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tagged DeSantis in a tweet Tuesday while noting the would-be presidential candidate’s service in the US Navy.

“We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor [DeSantis] knows the difference between a ‘dispute’ and war,” Nikolenko wrote of the governor’s dismissive categorization.

“We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to US interests,” Nikolenko said.

The invite followed pushback on DeSantis from several high-profile Republicans after the Florida governor claimed the US was giving “virtual ‘blank check’ funding” to Ukraine while ignoring “our country’s most pressing challenges.”

https://nypost.com/2023/03/15/ukraine-invites-desantis-to-visit-after-he-dismissed-war/

Rep. Chip Roy Formally Endorses DeSantis For President Although He Has Not Announced

Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy sent out an email Wednesday afternoon formally endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for President in 2024, despite the fact he has not announced a bid for the presidency yet.

Former President Donald Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, national polling shows, however DeSantis is polling right behind him despite not announcing a campaign run. In the email Wednesday, Roy said DeSantis “is a man of conviction” who “loves freedom and the rule of law even more.”

“The next President of the United States must be a vibrant and energetic leader with the faith, vision, and courage to chart a new course. America needs a leader who will truly defend her and empower the people against the destructive force of unrestrained government and corporate excess, profligate spending, and woke cultural indoctrination,” Roy states in his email.

“That leader is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Governor DeSantis is a man of conviction — a man who puts his faith in God first as a dedicated husband and father. He grew up a blue collar kid who worked hard, got a great education, and used it immediately to serve his country,” he continued.

“He loves America unapologetically but loves freedom and the rule of law even more, with the courage to fight for both. As Governor, he unequivocally has made Florida stronger and freer. Economic growth and prosperity in Florida surged upon his firm rejection of the devastating COVID mandates foisted upon us by foolishly empowered Washington bureaucrats. He stared down woke corporate America and higher education. And he stood with Texas in defense of our border – sending a message to elites in Martha’s Vineyard that they cannot ignore the human and economic toll of open borders,” Roy added.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/15/rep-chip-roy-formally-endorses-desantis/

‘Utter Lunacy’ — Transgender Child Sex Offender Found Guilty of Raping Friend with ‘Her Penis’

A convicted child sex offender who later claimed to identify as transgender woman has been convicted of raping a woman with “her penis” shortly after being released from prison.

Dominic Risden, 24, who now claims to be a transgender woman named ‘Lexi-Rose Crawford’, has been found guilty at the Bristol Crown Court of raping a female friend in April of 2019.

Following the conviction, the release of previous court records revealed that in 2017, Risden, then identifying as a man, was found guilty of having sex with a 15-year-old girl whom he met on the internet, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the paper, shortly before being released from prison in 2019, after serving just half of his four-year sentence, Risden began to claim to identify as a woman, using female pronouns and adopting the name ‘Lexi-Rose Crawford’.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/03/15/utter-lunacy-transgender-child-sex-offender-found-guilty-of-raping-friend-with-her-penis/

Elementary school teacher says confusing kids about gender is ‘the goal’

A teacher claims in a video that her "goal" is to confuse children about gender. Parents have identified the woman as a Mounds View Public Schools teacher.

An undated video has surfaced of a public school teacher saying that her goal is to confuse kids about gender. The teacher, whom parents have identified as a Mounds View Public Schools teacher, explains in the video that some of her students can’t tell if she’s a boy or a girl.

Alpha News reached out to the district multiple times to confirm the identity of the teacher but received no response.

In the video, the teacher is wearing a school lanyard reading “Valentine Hills Elementary.”

“The students asked the other teacher if I’m a boy or a girl,” she says in the video. The “other teacher” allegedly asked the students if this really mattered, to which one student responded, “No, I just can’t figure it out. It’s just so hard. I can’t figure it out.”

“And I was just like, yes, that’s the goal,” the teacher says in the video.

The woman in the video has been identified by parents and former students as Kourtney Ryan, a Valentine Hills Elementary school music teacher. One parent said she believes the 2021-22 school year was Ryan’s first year at the school.

“I am very upset that this teacher is saying that her goal is to confuse kids. Her personal life has no place in an elementary school,” the parent told Alpha News. “She is wearing a mask and her lanyard, which she wears while on the clock as a teacher paid by taxpayers.”

The parent shared that her only concern about the teacher when her children attended the class was a project they did about protest through music, related to the book “Change Sings” by Amanda Gorman. The parent recalled that the two choices for topics were a prison hunger strike and Colin Kaepernick. “This project felt more appropriate at the middle school or high school level,” she said.

A second parent of another former student of Ryan’s told Alpha News that he pulled his youngest daughter from Valentine Hills because of teachers and lesson materials like this. “These are discussions about life, sexuality, and human development that parents should have with their children,” he said.

He told Alpha News that the parent-child relationship is one of the most important and fundamental relationships for a child’s growth and development. “When an elementary teacher injects herself into that relationship between a parent and a child by making the child confused about gender and sexuality, they are violating the trust and relationship between a parent and child,” he said.

“When a school allows professional staff to behave this way there are negative consequences in learning,” the parent added. “The classroom is no longer an equal and safe place for everybody.”

Ryan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

https://alphanews.org/elementary-school-teacher-says-confusing-kids-about-gender-is-the-goal/

Microsoft Scraps AI Ethics Team As It Rolls Out ChatGPT

Microsoft’s commitment to AI ethics has been called into question after the software giant laid off a team dedicated to guiding AI innovation in a manner that respects privacy, transparency, and security. The company’s decision to ditch its AI ethics team is especially questionable given its rapid expansion of ChatGPT-powered AI in its software products.

TechCrunch reports that Microsoft’s commitment to ethical and responsible AI practices has come under scrutiny after reports emerged that the company has disbanded its team dedicated to guiding ethical AI innovation. According to Platformer, the elimination of the ethics and society team is a result of a recent round of layoffs that affected 10,000 workers throughout the company.

Microsoft’s Office of Responsible AI (ORA), which sets rules for responsible AI development through governance and public policy work, still remains. However, the ethics and society team that was responsible for ensuring Microsoft’s responsible AI principles were reflected in the design of products has been laid off. The group had recently been focusing on identifying dangers brought on by Microsoft’s adoption of OpenAI technology across a range of its products.

The majority of the employees involved in AI ethics were assigned to other teams within the company during the reorganization last year. John Montgomery, corporate vice president of AI, informed the remaining candidates that they would be laid off on March 6. Team members told Platformer that they thought they were let go as Microsoft seemed less concerned with long term, socially responsible thinking and aimed to ship its AI products ahead of the competition.

The elimination of the ethics and society team comes as Microsoft begins to invest billions of dollars into its partnership with OpenAI.

https://www.activistpost.com/2023/03/microsoft-scraps-ai-ethics-team-as-it-rolls-out-chatgpt.html

NBA owners have $10 billion in China, afraid to criticize Communist regime

Owners of NBA teams have collectively invested more than $10 billion in Communist-controlled China, giving them a personal interest in a country increasingly at odds with the U.S. as the league’s lucrative business expands there.

NBA China now contributes about $150 million to the value of each of the league’s 30 teams, ESPN reported last year. But that is only one part of that $10 billion figure, which also accounts for team owners’ various other financial ties to the world’s second-largest economy.

The NBA owner with by far the highest percentage of their net worth tied to China is Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, according to ESPN. He has 53.5 percent of his fortune there, largely because he co-founded the Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba.

The next highest is Sacramento Kings co-owner Paul Jacobs, with an estimated 30 percent of his net worth linked to Chinese business, according to ESPN.

The NBA has come under increasing scrutiny for its China ties since former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters in 2019. NBA players and officials distanced themselves from the tweet, but China still banned NBA broadcasts for 18 months, exposing the league’s increasing dependence on Chinese goodwill.

READ MORE: Navy intel chief says average Americans are ‘naive,’ have ‘blindness’ on China threat

Robert Kuhn, who advises Chinese political leaders and multinational corporations doing business in China, highlighted the incentive not to criticize China as “a significant issue and problem that American companies have.”

“It’s a tension between those two poles … to see companies promoting social justice in the U.S. but staying silent on what would be perceived to be far worse issues in China,” he said. “This is going to be an issue for the rest of our working lives.”

An example of that came in 2021 after Nike, the longtime sponsor of legendary player and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, faced allegations that its cotton came from forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. The U.S. State Department has declared that China is committing an ongoing “genocide” against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Nike said it was “concerned” but “does not source products” from the region, a response that drew a boycott from Chinese consumers, ESPN reported.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2023/03/nba-owners-have-10-billion-in-china-afraid-to-criticize-communist-regime/

Researchers oversold Israeli COVID shot, wasted millions on flop — comptroller

State ombudsman faults Defense Ministry institute for mishandling project and misleading officials on costs, timetable and ability to produce homegrown vaccine

Israel’s bid for a homegrown vaccine against COVID-19 was a “failed” boondoggle that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of shekels, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said Tuesday, accusing the Defense Ministry research lab that ran the project of misleading officials on its progress and costs.

The Brilife vaccine was touted in the early stages of the pandemic as Israel’s answer to a global outcry for a way to combat the deadly virus. Even after Israel secured vaccine supplies from Pfizer, Moderna and other major pharma firms, the Defense Ministry’s Institute for Biological Research in Ness Ziona continued to develop the project until it was scrapped in July 2022 without having produced a shot approved for use.

“The project failed,” Englman wrote.

The report found NIS 230 million ($63.5 million) of public money was invested in the project.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who was not minister during the vaccine development period, nonetheless defended the project, saying it was a reasonable idea under the circumstances, while the Defense Ministry said that the development had nonetheless produced valuable results.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/researchers-oversold-israeli-covid-shot-wasted-millions-on-flop-state-report-finds/

9 million AT&T customer accounts breached – Is your data included?

Over 9 million AT&T customers have been notified of a data breach exposing their data shared with the company. Those that use its services have likely received an alert detailing the attack. We recommend checking your inbox to see if you’ve gotten the message.

Here’s what you need to know if you’ve been affected.

Is your personal information in jeopardy?

According to AT&T’s data breach notification, the problem began when a third-party marketing vendor was attacked by hackers earlier this year. Fortunately, much of the data procured through the breach appears only to include customers’ business with AT&T.

Data in the breach includes first names, wireless account numbers, phone numbers and email addresses.

While the personal data exposed may seem tame compared to other data disasters, it’s worth mentioning that information of this nature could lead to a stolen identity. The brand promises that if any customer information is found on the Dark Web, the affected party will be notified immediately.

AT&T is urging you to be responsive to security alerts coming from the defensive measures it has in place. The company also asks that anybody impacted be on the lookout for suspicious phishing messages and change their passwords immediately, just in case.

https://nypost.com/2023/03/15/9-million-att-customer-accounts-breached-is-your-data-included/

Judicial Watch Sues Federal Trade Commission for Communications about Twitter Owner Elon Musk

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for communications of its chair, Lina Khan, regarding Twitter and Twitter’s owner Elon Musk (Judicial Watch Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission (1:23-cv-00692 (ABJ))

Judicial Watch sued after the Federal Trade Commission failed to respond to a November 14, 2022, FOIA request for:

Records and communications maintained by Lina Khan, Chairperson, U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) including memoranda, reports, briefings, hand-written notes, email communications, email chains, email attachments and other form of records or communications exchanged regarding or referring to Mr. Elon Musk, CEO, Twitter, or the company Twitter with the below named individuals:

(a) Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips

(b) Commissioner Christine S. Wilson

(c) Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter

(d) Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya

Khan, nominated by President Biden in March 2021, has reportedly been aggressive in investigating Twitter after its purchase by Elon Musk in October 2022. According to the New York Post:

The Federal Trade Commission has asked Twitter to turn over internal communications related to owner Elon Musk, detailed information about layoffs and other business decisions as part of an investigation into the social media company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing documents.

The FTC, chaired by Lina Khan, sent 12 letters to Twitter and its lawyers since Musk’s takeover in October. It also asked the company to “identify all journalists” who were granted access to company records and to provide information about the launch of the revamped Twitter Blue subscription service, the report said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Trade Commission’s letters to Twitter “were obtained by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which published excerpts of them Tuesday in a staff report about the FTC’s investigation.”

“The leftists now running the Biden administration don’t hesitate to use the power of the state to silence their critics,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “And we will use the power of the courts to expose them.”

Judicial Watch is heavily involved in countering government and big tech censorship.

In February it filed a FOIA lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for records of communication related to the work of the Election Integrity Partnership that could detail coordinated censorship activities.

In a separate lawsuit, Judicial Watch is suing the DHS for all records of communications between the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) and the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP), which was reportedly active during the 2022 midterm elections. Among the news outlets flagged by EIP were websites for Just the News, New York Post, Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Epoch Times and Breitbart.

Judicial Watch recently sued the DOJ for records of communications between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and social media sites regarding foreign influence in elections, as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story.

In September 2022, Judicial Watch sued the Secretary of State of the State of California for censoring a Judicial Watch election integrity video.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/jw-sues-ftc-for-communications/

Woman who thinks she's Madeleine McCann submits DNA for forensic tests

Julia Wendel took to social media last month claiming to be missing toddler Madeleine McCann.

Julia Wendel, who thinks she's missing toddler Madeleine McCann, submitted DNA samples for forensic testing, her Private investigator Dr. Fia Johansson told Radar Online last week.

Johansson said that Wendel submitted DNA for three forensic tests as well as a 23andMe-style genetic test. The results of the test will give investigators more information on Wendel's DNA and help determine whether she is McCann or not.

“We have a lot of evidence right now that shows Julia was definitely trafficked to Poland from another country by an international sex trafficking group,” Johansson told Radar Online. “We are still conducting an investigation but Julia is definitely not the biological daughter of her parents in Poland.”

Wendel, who lives in Poland, opened an Instagram account in February called @IamMadeleineMacCann, and she posted videos on the account claiming to be the girl who went missing in Portugal when on holiday with her family in 2007.

Why does Wendel think she's Madeleine McCann?

She said her reason for believing this was that she thought they looked similar and that she was suspicious of details regarding her childhood that her parents had told her.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-734420

New Zealand: Response to Freedom of Information request shows mRNA boosters increase risk of death by 11%

Information obtained from Health New Zealand via the Freedom of Information Act shows that people who receive a third dose of Pfizer’s covid injection increase their risk of death by 11%.

The policy of encouraging booster injections should cease immediately.

Information concerning mortality in 2021, 2022, and 2023 correlated with vaccination status has been released by Te Whata Ora, Health New Zealand, following a Freedom of Information (“OIA”) request. The figures are signed off by Astrid Koornneef, Interim Director of Prevention, National Public Health Service.

A copy of the response to the OIA is attached below.

https://expose-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/New-Zealand-OIA-response-HNZ00007453.pdf

https://expose-news.com/2023/03/15/new-zealand-mrna-boosters-increase-risk-of-death/

https://expose-news.com/2023/03/15/new-zealand-mrna-boosters-increase-risk-of-death/

James O'Keefe launches O'Keefe Media Group after ouster from Project Veritas

O'Keefe launched the OMG website on Wednesday and urged viewers to sign up.

James O'Keefe appeared on the Charlie Kirk Show to promote his newest project since being ousted from Project Veritas, the O'Keefe Media Group, or OMG.

O'Keefe launched the website on Wednesday and urged viewers to sign up, as did Kirk.

https://rumble.com/v2d9neo-james-okeefe-reveals-his-new-venture-to-charlie-kirk-okeefe-media-group.html

O'Keefe said that he's received thousands of emails asking how they can join the cause and how they can help. O'Keefe said that viewers can subscribe to the website, and they can sponsor and pay for a camera that they can use to do their own undercover reporting.

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-james-okeefe-launches-okeefe-media-group-after-ouster-project-veritas

New gatekeeping operation

Justice Department Investigation Leads to Takedown of Darknet Cryptocurrency Mixer that Processed Over $3 Billion of Unlawful Transactions

Vietnamese Operator of ChipMixer Charged with Laundering Money for Ransomware Perpetrators, Darknet Markets, Fraudsters, and State-Sponsored

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-investigation-leads-takedown-darknet-cryptocurrency-mixer-processed-over-3

Black Lives Matter Movement Received Nearly $83 Billion from Corporations

Who is behind the movement against racism and poverty in America.

We are dealing with a network of corporate funding of so-called “progressive” organizations.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and related causes received an astonishing $82.9 billion from corporations, a new funding database from the Claremont Institute has found.

The Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life explained the necessity of their report in an article published in Newsweek, where the Center asserted that the 2020 BLM movement was about more than just “rioting and destruction.”

The Center explained that “The BLM pressure campaigns, harassment, and moral blackmail also amounted to possibly the most lucrative shakedown of corporate America in its history.”

“As a point of reference, $82.9 billion is more than the GDP of 46 African countries. In 2022, the Ford Motor Company’s profits were $23 billion,” they also noted. The sum of $82.9 million includes “more than $123 million to the BLM parent organizations directly,” as well as much more to other organizations supporting BLM’s agenda.

The list reveals that several popular corporations from a wide range of different industries supplied the movement with large sums of cash. Walmart, for example, which is based in Arkansas, gave a whopping $100 million in support of BLM and related causes focusing on “racial equity.” Amazon gave even more, supplying the movement with an astonishing $169.5 million. Silicon Valley Bank gave the movement $73.45 million.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical company Abbvie gave the movement over $62 million in funding. Allstate gave $7.7 million to the cause and American Express gave $50 million. Apple gave $100 million while AT&T gave $21.5 million. The movement and its causes received another $90 million from Nike.

United Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Airlines all gave money to BLM and related causes as well.

Bank of America, meanwhile, provided $18.25 million to BLM and related causes while Wells Fargo diverted $210 million towards BLM and related causes. Deloitte gave $85 million to BLM and related causes.

Asset management giant BlackRock put a shocking $810 million towards BLM and related causes, while other powerful financial institutions also bankrolled the movement, with Capital One Financial giving $10 million, Morgan Stanley giving $30 million, US Bank giving $160 million, and Goldman Sachs giving $10.1 million.

Meanwhile, Prudential Financial supplied the movement and its related causes with a sum of $450 million but was outdone by Mastercard, which gave $500 million.

The database found that Boeing gave $15.6 million, while Northrop Grumman gave $2 million and Raytheon gave $25 million.

The Walt Disney Company gave $8.8 million to BLM and related causes while the Pokémon Company gave $200,000.

The Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life also explained how the funds have been used, remarking that

“The Global Network is investing tens of millions of dollars to support future operations, purchasing luxury real estate, engaging in nepotism, disbursing grants to dozens of BLM chapters and revolutionary organizations, and operating a PAC to “elect progressive community leaders, activists, and working-class candidates fighting for Black liberation.”

Meanwhile, “Local BLM chapters are spending millions on activism and initiatives to defund police departments” and “BLM At School is indoctrinating children around the country in critical race theory and queer theory, teaching them to hate themselves, their peers, and their country.”

“Left-wing nonprofits are effecting wholescale societal change too radical for normal legislative avenues, constituting a form of shadow governance,” they went on to note.

The agenda has also seeped into the financial industry’s loan operations, the Center explains, pointing out that “banks are issuing billions of dollars in subprime loans ‘to help end systemic racism,’” all while “corporations are funding leftist bail funds that release violent rioters and criminals onto our streets and collaborating to create racialized, anti-meritocratic hiring schemes.”

The shakedown “may be viewed as a form of reparations made to self-declared enemies of the American nation and way of life,” they added.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/black-lives-matter-movement-received-nearly-83-billion-from-corporations/5812107

First Republic Bank Downgraded to Junk by S&P

First Republic Bank was downgraded to “junk” by the S&P on Wednesday.

“We believe the risk of deposit outflows is elevated at First Republic Bank despite the actions of federal banking regulators and the bank actively increasing its borrowing availability to mitigate risk associated with the bank failures over the last week,” S&P said in a statement.

“Still, if deposit outflows continue, we expect First Republic would need to rely on its more costly wholesale borrowings. This would encumber its balance sheet and hurt its modest profitability,” said S&P, according to Market Watch.

As of December 31, First Republic Bank had $176.4 billion in deposits – 68% of which are above the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit, according to Market Watch.

Customers were lined up at a First Republic Bank in Los Angeles on Saturday to withdraw their money after Silicon Valley Bank failed.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/new-first-republic-bank-downgraded-to-junk-by-sp/

GEN. MILLEY ON DOWNED DRONE: "As far as an act of war goes, I'm not gonna go there. Incidents happen. Clearly, we do not seek armed conflict with Russia."

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1636080055443922945

DEFENSE SEC. AUSTIN: "I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu. As I've said repeatedly, it's important that great powers be models of transparency & communication. The United States will continue to fly & operate wherever international law allows."

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1636075652343377921

Biden Gang Executed Hostile Takeover of FDIC – Now FDIC Bails Out SVB and Signature Bank But Won’t Say If They’ll Bailout All Banks

One year ago the FDIC suffered a hostile takeover from the Biden gang. A year later the FDIC is bailing out banks with a significant number of Chinese venture capital accounts.

In February of 2022 President Trump’s FDIC Director resigned after what she claimed was a hostile takeover by the Biden regime. She was appalled with the actions taken by those close to Biden.

A year later two banks fail that were run by woke liberals who donated to the Democrats. Silicon Valley Bank had a large number of deposits that were related to Chinese venture capitalists. Barney Frank was on the board of the other bank bailed out by Biden, Signature Bank.

Senator JD Vance says that community banks will take the fall for the bailouts of SVB and Signature Bank failures.

Vance was on with the War Room and he shared that over 90% of SVB deposits were uninsured deposits.

What we basically did is we’re going to charge community banks higher fees to put more money into Silicon Valley Bank to bail out depositors. I think that’s a catastrophic decision.

And I actually talked to the Treasury Department and the FDIC yesterday Steve, and the question that I asked them, and I did not get a good answer was, ‘Are we now a country where there is not such a thing as an uninsured bank deposit?’ … They did not give me a good answer.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/biden-gang-executed-hostile-takeover-of-fdic-now-fdic-bails-out-svb-and-signature-bank-but-wont-say-if-theyll-bailout-all-banks/

Russia Says Bombs Found At A Druzhba Pipeline Station In Latest Sabotage Attempt

Officials with the Russian oil company Transneft say they've uncovered a failed bomb plot to sabotage the Druzhba oil pipeline and maim civilians in the western Bryansk region of Russia.

Transneft spokesman Igor Demin told TASS on Wednesday that two explosive devices were found at a pumping station. The devices, while they didn't detonate, had some degree of damage due to the likelihood they were dropped from drones, he explained.

"The character of the explosive parts — metal balls — indicates that the organizers of this sabotage did not intend to damage equipment, but rather to kill people, namely civilian workers at a pumping station on the Druzhba [pipeline]. Investigations are underway," Demin said.

The station in question, identified in Bloomberg as the Novozybkov station, "hasn’t been used for oil pumping so far this year; its reservoirs are empty," according to reports. Demin noted that no part of the station was damaged.

The Russian Defense Ministry didn't immediately comment on Transneft's statements, but the Kremlin has of late ratcheted its accusations that Ukrainian saboteurs are engaging in cross-border attacks. President Putin has recently ordered his federal security services (FSB) to tighten border security after a string of brazen cross-border incidents.

This year has also seen an unprecedented number of drone incursions over Russian territory, and Moscow has gone so far as to allege Western state backing of such operations.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-says-bombs-found-druzhba-pipeline-station-latest-sabotage-attempt

Silicon Valley Bank - Trump & The Cartel Drug Money Bank