Robert Kennedy, Jr. Bravely Points Out the Connection Between SSRI Antidepressant Use and Mass Shootings – Something Trump Also Touched On in His CNN Town Hall

Robert Kennedy, Jr. recently sat with Mark Steyn for an interview. Kennedy continues to share his time discussing his campaign with conservatives, independents, and Democrat media outlets.

During their discussion Robert Kennedy, Jr. wisely pointed out the connection between SSRI antidepressant users and mass shootings. Bobby Kennedy, Jr. continues to think out of the box and look for real solutions to America’s problems.

Robert Kennedy Jr.: “With all of these shootings nobody’s looking at the pharmaceutical contribution to that. Anecdotally, it appears that almost every one of these shooters were on SSRIs or some other psychiatric drug. And this is only happening in America where all of these people are taking these psychiatric drugs. We take four times as many [psychiatric drugs] as any other country in the West.

The average European country, something happened. Prior to the introduction of Prozac, those shootings just were almost unknown, and now they’re an everyday affair. But NIH will not study that because it will offend the pharmaceutical industry. And it’s something that we ought to be studying.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/robert-kennedy-jr-bravely-points-out-the-connection-between-ssri-antidepressant-use-and-mass-shootings-something-trump-also-touched-on-in-his-cnn-town-hall-video/

It's Official: Top NBCUni Ad Exec And World Economic Forum Taskforce Chair Is Twitter's New CEO

Update: It's official - moments ago NBC confirmed that its head of advertising is leaving the company…

NBCUniversal today announced that Linda Yaccarino is leaving the company, effective immediately. Mark Marshall, currently President, Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships, will become interim Chairman of NBCUniversal's Advertising and Partnerships group, reporting to Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation said, "We are grateful for Linda Yaccarino's leadership of NBCUniversal's Advertising Sales business, and for the innovative team and platform she has built. Linda has made countless contributions to the company during her twelve year tenure, and we wish her the best."

Linda Yaccarino said, "It has been an absolute honor to be part of Comcast NBCUniversal and lead the most incredible team. We've transformed our company and the entire industry—and I am so proud of what we've accomplished together, and grateful to my colleagues and mentors, especially Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh and the entire NBCU leadership team."

Mark Lazarus was named Chairman, NBCUniversal Telvision and Streaming in May

Musk has finally tweeted to confirm her position, noting that Yaccarino will focus primarily on business operations, while he will focus on product design & new technology

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/top-nbcuniversal-ad-exec-and-world-economic-forum-taskforce-chair-become-twitter-ceo

Target

Major American Retailer Puts Wokeness on Full Display: Pride Books for Kids, Rainbow Items for Babies

One would think that multi-billion dollar conglomerates could take one look at the ongoing malaise of Bud Light and parent company Anheuser-Busch and notice the perils of overt LGBT advertising.

One would be dead wrong based on the gay pride line of merchandise that retail titan Target has been promoting in-store and online.

A quick look at the company’s website shows an entire section dedicated to “PRIDE,” and it’s the rainbow-drenched drivel that you’d expect.

Only, this might actually be worse than whatever nonsense Bud Light is peddling and it might be high time for conservatives to push back on another massive brand.

To wit, Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch have been the target of a concerted and effective boycott effort, spearheaded by conservatives, who were furious that the beer was working with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

It was a swift and visceral response to swathes of Americans being sick and tired of being told that men can be women with some make-up and mutilation.

But at the end of the day, Bud Light is meant for adults.

As wrong and sickening as Bud Light’s tacit approval of transgender nonsense is, at least that’s a product that’s not aimed at children.

If an adult male comes to the disturbed conclusion that they’re actually a woman, that’s a mental issue to deal with on their own time.

But how does an adult reach that point?

By being bombarded by LGBT propaganda anytime mom needs to pick up some groceries from Target.

Seriously, look at this stuff.

There’s an entire section dedicated for pride apparel meant for kids and babies. That is so wrong and backwards, it’s hard to know where to begin.

The absolute most divisive issue a child that age should be grappling with is who would win in a fight between Superman and Godzilla. It should not be about subverting God’s natural order of creation.

And it’s not just clothes.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/major-american-retailer-puts-wokeness-full-display-pride-books-kids-rainbow-items-babies/

New FDA Guideline Allows More Gay and Bisexual Men to Donate Blood Without Abstaining from Sex

This proposal is in line with policies in place in countries like the United Kingdom and Canada.

Under the new proposed guidelines, time-based deferrals for men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with MSM would be eliminated.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is proposing a change from time-based deferrals to assessing blood donor eligibility using gender-inclusive, individual risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV,” the agency said in a statement

“These draft recommendations are based on the FDA’s careful review of available information, including data from other countries with similar HIV epidemiology that have instituted this approach, as well as ongoing surveillance of the U.S. blood supply. Based on the available data, the agency believes the implementation of the proposed individual risk-based questions will not compromise the safety or availability of the blood supply,” the agency continued.

Under the revised guidelines, all potential donors, regardless of sexual orientation, sex, or gender, will be screened for HIV using a new questionnaire.

“The revised recommendations in this guidance reflect the Agency’s current thinking on donor deferral recommendations for individuals with increased risk for transmitting HIV infection,” FDA said in a statement.

“Based on our review of the available science, we recommend eliminating the screening questions specific to men who have sex with men (MSM and women who have sex with MSM. Instead, we recommend assessing donor eligibility using the same individual risk-based questions relevant to HIV risk for every donor regardless of sex or gender,” the agency added.

Below is the new guideline:

The time-based deferrals for men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with MSM would be eliminated.

The current donor history questionnaire would be revised to ask all prospective donors about new or multiple sexual partners in the past three months.

Prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months, would then be asked about a history of anal sex in the past three months.

All prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner and had anal sex in the past three months would be deferred from donation.

Under this proposal, a prospective donor who does not report having new or multiple sexual partners, and anal sex in the past three months, may be eligible to donate, provided all other eligibility criteria are met.

Other considerations in the guidance include:

No change in the donor deferral time periods for other HIV risk factors, including for individuals who have exchanged sex for money or drugs or have a history of non-prescription injection drug use.

Any individual who has ever had a positive test for HIV or who has taken any medication to treat HIV infection would continue to be deferred permanently.

Blood establishments would still be required to test all blood donations for evidence of certain transfusion-transmitted infections, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Proposed guidance related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP):

Those taking oral medications to prevent HIV infection such as PrEP or PEP would be deferred for three months from their most recent dose.

Those taking injectable PrEP to prevent HIV infection would be deferred for two years from their most recent injection.

Some blood establishments currently have deferral policies related to the use of medications to prevent HIV infections.

The available data demonstrate that the use of PrEP and PEP may delay detection of HIV by licensed screening tests for blood donations, potentially resulting in false negative results.

“The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Dr Peter Marks, director of the FDA center for biological therapies.

https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/recommendations-evaluating-donor-eligibility-using-individual-risk-based-questions-reduce-risk-human

Top Erdogan Official Accuses US Of Meddling In Turkish Elections

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu (of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party/AKP) on Friday charged that the United States is meddling in the country's elections, set to take place Sunday. The national election is shaping up to be the biggest challenge to President Erdogan's grip on power in years.

"The United States is meddling in these elections… Everyone in this country already knows this, US President [Joe Biden] himself declares this. The attack on [presidential candidate of Turkiye and leader of the Memleket party] Muharrem Ince… it is clear where it came from, it is clear where it was coordinated. This is America. In recent days, Biden has stepped up his people in Turkiye," Soylu said in an interview, as translated in regional media.

He further charged that Washington's efforts of trying to subjugate Ankara have failed. "Turkey has a clear position in its foreign policy. The US says 'Come and obey me.' We obey the Turkish interests," Soylu said.

"I am among the most exposed to attacks and insults, and a big part of them comes from foreign accounts," he explained, while also saying the government is taking extra precautions to defend against cyberattacks.

Soylu's reference is to Muharrem Ince, whose pullout is being widely seen as a huge boost to Erdogan's main challenger, the CHP's Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The Associated Press reported Thursday:

The candidate who pulled out, Muharrem Ince, is the leader of the center-left Homeland Party. He was one of four contenders running in Sunday’s presidential election. Turkey holds a parliamentary election the same day.

Ince had faced criticism for potentially ciphering support from the six-party Nation Alliance, which has united behind the candidacy of opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and thereby forcing the presidential contest into a second-round.

"I am withdrawing from the race," Ince told reporters in front of his party’s headquarters, following weeks of resisting calls to step down. "I am doing this for my country."

Ince's announcement came a mere three days before the May 14 election, and while his polling reportedly slid down to 2%. He didn't throw his support behind any other candidate, given he was popular among voters dissatisfied with either of the two main contenders. His dropping from the race hurts Erdogan, given Ince was seen as siphoning off crucial votes from Kilicdaroglu.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/top-erdogan-official-accuses-us-meddling-turkish-elections

Defiant 7th-grader sent home for 'There Are Only Two Genders' T-shirt wears it to school again — with 'censored' on it. He's told to remove shirt; now he's suing.

After seventh-grader Liam Morrison was sent home from his Massachusetts school in March for wearing a "There Are Only Two Genders" T-shirt — and later gave the school board an earful about it — he defiantly wore the shirt to school again last Friday.

The kid adds a little plot twist

Only this time, the plucky 12-year-old's shirt included the word "Censored" over part of the verboten slogan.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Liam's in-your-face trolling made blood boil among staff at Middleborough's Nichols Middle School. Indeed, he was told to remove the shirt.

He did so — but a law firm representing Liam said he's now suing.

"At this point, Liam and his parents have decided to take legal action because we believe this is a clear violation of his First Amendment rights. So, we're in the process of getting ready to file a lawsuit against the school," Sam Whiting of the Massachusetts Family Institute told the Enterprise.

The Enterprise said several members of the Middleborough School Committee, as well as Superintendent Carolyn Lyons, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the matter.

What's the background?

Whiting told the Enterprise that the school said the message on Liam's T-shirt is tantamount to bullying and harassment and that staff told the seventh-grader it targets a "protected class" of students.

The paper added that the district's dress code says “clothing must not state, imply, or depict hate speech or imagery that target groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other classification.”

Whiting in a demand letter said the school's acting principal Heather Tucker indicated to Liam's father that amid the March dust-up, "several" staff members and students complained about his son's T-shirt "but did not cite a particular number" and "did not give any examples of disruptions or potential disruptions that the shirt had caused or was likely to cause."

In fact, Liam told the school board last month that no students or staff told him they were bothered by what he was wearing — and some students even said they supported him and wanted a similar T-shirt.

What's more, Liam added to the board that he didn't complain about diversity posters and pride flags in the school "because others have rights to their beliefs just as I do."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/defiant-7th-grader-sent-home-for-there-are-only-two-genders-t-shirt-wears-it-to-school-again-with-censored-on-it-hes-told-to-remove-shirt-now-hes-suing

Obama Phone 2.0: Illegal Aliens Get Free Cell Phones Courtesy of US Taxpayers

The Biden Administration is handing out free cell phones, paid for by American taxpayers, to the illegal aliens overwhelming the southern border.

Video released Thursday from Brownsville, Texas, shows illegal aliens receiving free cell phones from the Biden Department of Homeland Security. In April 2022, then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that the Biden Administration was providing free cell phones to illegals. Biden seems to be greatly expanding the “Obama Phone” program. The average American cell phone bill is $127 dollars a month.

The video recorded in Brownsville, Texas stars a large group of all-male illegal aliens who’d just illegally crossed into the United States. In the video, federal employees hand bags over to the illegals, who become excited when they open them and discover that US taxpayers have gifted them free new iPhones.

Interestingly the illegals, who are claiming to need asylum in the United States, began using the phones like they had owned a smartphone before. Leading many to wonder how poor and mistreated these people really were in their homelands.

On April 6th, 2022, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked if illegal immigrants were receiving free American taxpayer-funded smartphones. Psaki answered the question with yes and stated that the Biden Administration was providing illegal immigrants with free government-funded smartphones for the reason of ” contacting them.”

The average American pays $127 dollars a month for their cell phone and service. Rising inflation due to Joe Biden’s economy has caused great financial strain on American families. Biden’s solution to American families struggling is to buy generic. The Biden Administration has not made public how much money the free smartphones are costing the American taxpayer.

https://nationalfile.com/obama-phone-2-0-illegal-aliens-get-free-cell-phones-courtesy-of-us-taxpayers/

“This [Covid shot] is the smoking gun…” - Edward Dowd Testimony [03 May 2023]

https://www.bitchute.com/video/8liibrixtk3y/

House Homeland Security Committee Chair Reveals He Has Evidence Of Mayorkas’ ‘Potential Fraud’

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green revealed that he has evidence of “potential fraud” allegedly committed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that could be grounds to build an impeachment case, he said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday.

Green told the DCNF that he has confidential sources sharing information with him that purportedly shows that Mayorkas may have committed fraud, but he refused to divulge further details at this time. Several House Republicans, including Reps. Pat Fallon of Texas and Andy Biggs of Arizona, previously filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

“We’ve got some people that are sharing some information with us that there’s potential fraud, so we’re going to look very hard at all of these things, prepare a packet, show it to the American people, and then if it warrants impeachment, we’ll hand it off to Chairman Jordan. I think it will, based on the information I know,” Green told the DCNF.

The situation at the southern border is expected to worsen with the lifting of Title 42, the Trump-era expulsion order, Thursday at 11:59 p.m. EST. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have already encountered more than 1.2 million migrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2023.

“I think if he fails to enforce the laws written on the books that in and of itself is enough for him to be removed. He is in the executive branch. He doesn’t get to make the laws, we do,” Green said. “And if he can’t enforce and live by the Constitution of the United States, why is he a cabinet secretary,” Green added.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has yet to move forward with a formal push for Mayorkas’ impeachment. However, Green said he would be willing to build an impeachment case against the DHS secretary.

“I’m quite alright owning that responsibility and doing it, but, when we’re done with that, and my gut tells me it’s gonna be enough for him to not be in the job,” Green said.

In a statement to the DCNF, a DHS spokesperson said, “Secretary Mayorkas is proud to advance the noble mission of this Department, support its extraordinary workforce, and serve the American people.”

The spokesperson added: “The Department will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border, protect the nation from terrorism, improve our cybersecurity, all while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. Instead of pointing fingers and pursuing a baseless impeachment, Congress should work with the Department and pass legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in over 40 years.”

https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/11/exclusive-house-homeland-security-committee-chair-says-he-has-evidence-of-mayorkas-potential-fraud/

Serbians Hand Over Firearms, Ammo, After ‘Almost Total Disarmament’ Enacted

Serbians have begun handing over firearms, ammunition, and “pieces of mines and explosive devices” following President Aleksandar Aleksandar Vučić’s May 5 announcement of “almost total disarmament.”

The Washington Post reported that nearly “6,000 unregistered weapons, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and 470 pieces of mines and explosive devices have been voluntarily surrendered” so far this week.

Serbia’s Ministry of the Interior used a May 11, 2023, Instagram post to say, “Surrender your weapons!”

Reuters noted that an amnesty period to hand over firearms to authorities began on Monday.

The Serbian gun control push comes after two mass shootings, one carried out by a seventh grader and a second by a terrorist, earlier this month.

The first of the two shootings occurred on the morning of May 3 when a seventh grader with two handguns opened fire in a school. Eight students and a security guard were killed in the attack.

The The New York Times noted that the seventh grader also had four Molotov cocktails. Belgrade police chief Veselin Miljic indicated the seventh grader had “planned the execution of this criminal offense for a long period of time.”

The second shooting occurred May 4, when a man opened fire on members of the public from inside his car, killing eight and wounding 14.

Reuters pointed out this is not the first time the Serbian government has demanded its citizens hand over their guns. There have been other gun amnesties enacted “over [the] past two decades” in which “people handed over banned military-grade arms, hunting weapons, handguns, and also barrels, locking mechanisms and other parts.”

https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2023/05/12/serbians-hand-over-firearms-ammo-after-almost-total-disarmament-enacted/

Germany Changes Mind Again, Will Sell Major Stake in Top Port to China Government Owned Shipping Giant

China is to acquire a major stake in a container terminal in Hamburg, one of the most important ports in Europe, despite a last-minute intervention by regulators who questioned the wisdom of the deal.

China’s shipping giant Cosco is to acquire a 24.9 per cent share — down from 35 per cent in the original bid of 2021 — in the Hamburg Tollerort container terminal, one of four terminals that make up the Port of Hamburg, after a German government spokesman said the had decided the deal could go ahead.

The purchase by the Chinese state-owned company had been initially approved by the left-wing German government of Olaf Scholz, who was reported to have personally intervened to push it through in the opposition of some in government who warned selling critical national infrastructure to China could be a bad idea. Yet an investigation into Cosco buying a near-quarter of Tollerort put the idea on ice earlier this year over “national security concerns” after it found the port had not been placed on the government register of critical infrastructure.

But now the purchase is back on again, and according to Politico, it is thanks once again to the Scholz who they say “was strongly pushing for the 24.99 percent deal to remain valid” in October. The publication cites critics who claim: “partial port acquisition is part of a targeted investment strategy through which Beijing wants to bring infrastructure throughout Europe under its influence.”

The Port of Hamburg is the third-largest port in Europe, a major point of ingress for manufactured goods from countries like China. It is the 19th largest port in the world, one of only a handful in that list which aren’t in Asia.

Port Technology News reports of the anticipated impact of the purchase: “This development is expected to concentrate the flow of goods between Asia and Europe, which is significant considering China’s status as Germany’s and the Port of Hamburg’s primary trading partner. Approximately 30 per cent of the goods handled at the Port of Hamburg are either from China or destined for the country.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/05/12/germany-changes-mind-again-will-sell-major-stake-in-top-port-to-china-government-owned-shipping-giant/

Border Patrol Migrant Processing Centers Filled After Trump-Era Policy’s End

Border Patrol migrant processing centers are filled with more than 25,000 migrants hours after the expiration of Title 42, the Trump-era expulsion policy, according to internal agency data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Title 42, which was responsible for the expulsion of more than 2 million migrants, ended at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The early Friday morning data show that several sectors of the southern border, including Arizona’s Yuma and Tucson sectors, are 219% and 269% over capacity, respectively.

The custody numbers show that processing centers are mostly full of single adults.

One week ago, processing centers had more than 20,000 migrants in custody, according to an internal document previously obtained by the DCNF. At the time, Tucson sector was at 154% capacity and Yuma’s sector was at 136% capacity.

“We’re already getting hammered,” a Border Patrol agent working along the southern border, who requested anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, recently told the DCNF.

“Agents are being pulled of the line again to work at the tents. We have no agents in the field again other than transport and buses,” the agent added.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/12/border-patrol-migrant-processing-centers-filled-trump-policy-end/

USGS Alert Levels Up at Volcanoes in the United States: ORANGE and YELLOW in Effect

The USGS continues to monitor volcanoes around the United States; of the more than 160 they watch, 7 are experiencing elevated activity. Due to that activity, two of them are at an elevated WATCH / ORANGE status while five are at an ADVISORY / YELLOW level. All of the other volcanoes USGS is monitoring today are either at GREEN or unrated conditions.

The seven volcanoes showing signs of unrest or activity are the Great Sitkin volcano, Semisopochnoi, Kilauea, Aniakchak, Takawangha, Tanaga, and Trident. The two volcanoes earning the elevated WATCH/ORANGE status are Alaska’s Great Sitkin and Semisopochnoi volcanoes.

Within the United States, the USGS tracks dozens of potentially active volcanoes, most of which are in Alaska. In Alaska alone, there are more than 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields which have been active within the geologically young last 2 million years. 50 have been active since the mid 1700s and AVO studies those too.

Another place famous for its volcanoes is Hawaii; on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai are considered active and potential threats. As of today, none are erupting but that could change in the coming days with signs of increased activity at Kilauea, the most active of the Hawaiian bunch. The U.S. is only home to a fraction of the world’s volcanoes: according to USGS, there are normally around 2 dozen erupting volcanoes around the world at any given time. The USGS says there are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, with about 500 of the 1,500 erupting in modern historical times.

The Hawaii volcanoes are monitored by the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) while the Alaska volcanoes are monitored by the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO.) In addition to the AVO and HVO, there are also the California Volcano Observatory , Cascades Volcano Observatory, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, and the Northern Mariana Islands Volcano Observatory. Each of those additional volcano observatories within the USGS are monitoring volcanoes in their respective regions. At this time, none of those other observatories are reporting unusual activity or signs of anything more than background noise for now.

In the U.S., the USGS and volcano observatory units are responsible for issuing Aviation Codes and Volcanic Activity Alert Levels. Aviation Codes are green, yellow, orange, or red. When ground-based instrumentation is insufficient to establish that a volcano is at a typical background level of activity, it is simply “unassigned.” While green means typical activity associated with a non-eruptive state, yellow means a volcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest above known background levels. When a volcano exhibits heightened or escalating unrest with the increased potential of eruption, it jumps to orange. Finally, when an eruption is imminent with significant emission of volcanic ash expected in the atmosphere or an eruption is underway with significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, the code becomes red. Volcanic Activity Alert levels are normal, advisory, watch, or warning. As with aviation codes, if data is insufficient, it is simply labeled as “unassigned.” When the volcano is at typical background activity in a non-eruptive state, it is considered normal. If the volcano exhibits signs of elevated unrest above background level, an advisory is issued. If a volcano exhibits heightened or escalating unrest, a watch is issued while a warning is issued when a hazardous eruption is imminent.

https://weatherboy.com/usgs-alert-levels-up-at-volcanoes-in-the-united-states-orange-and-yellow-in-effect/

Jake Sullivan Meets With China’s Top Diplomat in Vienna

The meeting marks the highest-level in-person engagement between the two sides since Biden met Xi in Bali last November

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with China’s top diplomat for two days in Vienna this week, marking the highest level of in-person engagement between the two nations since President Biden and President Xi Jinping held talks in Bali last November.

According to a White House readout, Sullivan and Wang Yi, director of China’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission, met from May 10-11 and held “candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on key issues in the US-China bilateral relationship.”

The readout said the topics discussed included “global and regional security issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine,” and Taiwan. “This meeting was part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition,” the White House said.

According to China’s Xinhua news agency, Wang and Sullivan held “candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive” discussions in Vienna. “The two sides held discussions on removing obstacles in China-US relations and stabilizing the relationship from deterioration,” Xinhua said.

Wang also expressed “China’s solemn position on the Taiwan question,” which has been a major source of tensions as the US has been increasing support for Taipei. According to both readouts, the two sides agreed to maintain communication.

The US and China made a point to hold high-level talks after the Biden-Xi meeting, but the progress was reversed after Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned trip to China over the Chinese balloon that wound up in US airspace in February. Beijing effectively froze high-level talks with Washington after Blinken called off his visit.

The Sullivan-Wang meeting came after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke with US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns on Monday. Qin told Burns that in order to foster communication, the US must respect China’s positions, including its red line on Taiwan.

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/05/11/jake-sullivan-meets-with-chinas-top-diplomat-in-vienna/

California Reparations Task Force demands racial discrimination is LEGALIZED: Panel wants state constitution to be amended so they can discriminate against other races and hand up to $1.2m to black residents

California's Reparations Task Force is now seeking to legalize discrimination by repealing Proposition 209

The group wrote in their final report that the law should be amended to allow pro-black discrimination in colleges and employment

Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who established the task force, refused to back the committee's recommend handout of $1.2 million to black residents

The California Reparations Task Force has demanded the state legalize racial discrimination in favor of black people.

Final recommendations from the panel, established by Gavin Newsom in 2020, were accepted last weekend and will be forwarded to the California Legislature before heading to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

Earlier this week, Newsom refused to back the committee's recommended $1.2 million to be given to those who meet the criteria. He said on Tuesday he felt there were better ways of addressing systemic inequality than cash handouts. The entire package would cost around $800 billion.

Buried deep in the committee's report are a series of quiet recommendations, including the proposed repeal of Proposition 209.

Prop 209 is a a 1996 voter-approved law that banned 'preferential treatment' for minority groups applying to state colleges and government jobs, leaving the liberal state as one that did not recognize affirmative action.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12076993/California-Reparations-Task-Force-wants-legalize-racial-discrimination.html

MSM is blind

'Brits are dying in their tens of thousands - and we don't really have any idea why'

Tens of thousands more Brits died than usual from May to December 2022, excluding Covid as a cause of death, raising serious questions as to why so many died

Tens of thousands more Brits were dying than expected and experts aren’t quite sure why that is.

From May to December last year, there were 32,441 excess deaths in England and Wales, excluding deaths from Covid.

Excess deaths are defined as the number of people who died above the five-year average - worked out excluding 2020 due to how Covid spiked death figures that year.

This means that over 32,000 Brits would’ve been expected to be alive, but died according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures across this period.

These shocking figures raised a number of important questions about what is happening to the country’s populations, how it's changing, and why so many more people are dying.

It isn't quite clear why so many more Brits than expected have died recently (stock image) ( Image:

Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Ever since the Covid pandemic, excess deaths have fluctuated wildly month on month, tumbling well below the five-year average or spiking far above it.

The spikes in excess deaths can be attributed to a number of causes, but it isn’t clear what’s driving these spikes or causing these drop-offs.

Similarly, earlier in 2022, excess deaths dipped well below average levels, with one expert group speculating to the Mirror that a ‘mortality displacement’ effect might explain why so many deaths are bunched up in the space of several months, being passed on from the months prior.

Professor David Coleman, Emeritus Professor of Demography at Oxford University, told the Mirror that no one knew for certain what had caused so many deaths throughout last year.

He pointed out that, post Covid, the UK’s population had been changed through the deaths of a significant proportion of elderly due to the virus.

He explained: “Once those poor people have been packed off, the remaining population should be healthier, there should be a period afterwards where deaths are lower than usual but that hasn’t happened.”

But he highlighted two key reasons that could contribute towards spiking excess deaths, the fact Britain’s getting older, and gaining a larger average body-mass index.

“The population is getting older, and also the population in Britain is the fattest in Europe and rather vulnerable to diseases notably heart disease and diabetes; some people have been forecasting separately from Covid that death rates would continue to get worse because the country is so unhealthy,” he said.

One of the noted causes behind a number of the excess deaths were ischaemic heart diseases - which would track with the professor’s warnings of a fatter population.

Similarly, when looking at the leading cause of death across much of 2022, it’s dementia and Alzheimers - further supporting theories of an increasingly greying, and dying, population.

Dementia and Alzheimers often aren’t the leading cause of excess deaths, when that data is available, according to ONS figures, it’s often pneumonia and influenza during the winter or symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions in other parts of the year.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/brits-dying-tens-thousands-dont-29955386?utm_source=substack

End of Title 42 has not led to ‘substantial increase’ at border, Biden officials say

Biden administration officials said Friday they have yet to see an uptick of migrants at the southern border in the wake of Title 42’s termination, but asylum officers have been told they must work throughout the weekend to help process claims.

While officials are expected to see an increase of migrants at the border following the end of Title 42, which barred migrants from seeking asylum, flows have not yet altered in the immediate hours following the lift of the policy.

“Overnight we saw similar patterns to what we’ve seen over the past several days. We continue to encounter high levels of non-citizens at the border but we did not see a substantial increase overnight or an influx at midnight,” Blas Nuñez-Neto, chief operating officer at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said on a call Friday with reporters.

Asylum officers at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), however, were notified they must work mandatory overtime on both Saturday and Sunday.

“Developments emerging over the course of the day made clear that more resources are needed, and we must take immediate steps to increase the number of staff available on both Saturday and Sunday to meet the need,” a USCIS official told staff in an email obtained by The Hill.

The email states the move is needed to “ensure full operational readiness.”

“We are clear eyed about the challenges we face in the days and weeks ahead and we are ready to meet them. We expected to see large numbers of encounters initially, we are already seeing high numbers of encounters in certain sectors. This places an incredible strain on our personnel, our facilities and our communities,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a Thursday White House press briefing ahead of Title 42’s lifting.

The Biden administration has surged resources to the border, including sending 24,000 border agents, along with military troops and asylum officers.

Still, Nuñez-Neto cautioned that conditions could change.

“The men and women from the U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Field Operations who are on the frontlines are experienced in managing these types of situations and are doing outstanding work. It is still early, however,” he said.

Migrants arriving at the border have been encouraged to use the CBP One app operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but the app, which has been in use for months, has faced complaints that it’s been glitchy and not offered in a sufficient number of languages.

Nuñez-Neto said to speed processing they are expanding the number of appointments through the app, devoting half the slots to those who have already requested an appointment, while the rest will be randomly assigned to newcomers as well as those who have already applied.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/4002103-end-of-title-42-has-not-led-to-substantial-increase-at-border-biden-officials-say/

IDF: Iron Dome malfunction to blame for deadly Rehovot rocket strike

Interceptor launched, but did not hit its target, spokesman says, week after system failed to activate in Sderot; 4 civilians killed in Gaza by rockets falling short, army claims

The Israel Defense Forces said an Iron Dome interceptor missile suffered a “technical fault” Thursday, missing a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip that ultimately struck a home in Rehovot, killing one Israeli and injuring several others.

However, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari described the issue — the second to plague the system in just over a week — as likely isolated, claiming that the missile defense system managed to down 91 percent of targeted projectiles.

“There was a technical fault, the interceptor was launched and did not hit the rocket,” Hagari told reporters Friday. He noted that the malfunction would be investigated further.

He said the deadly rocket was similar to the hundreds of other crudely made projectiles launched from Gaza over the recent escalation, but it hit the apartment building at “a complex angle,” causing widespread destruction.

The direct hit blew a massive hole in an apartment on the third story of a building in Rehovot, a city of 150,000 some 45 kilometers (27 miles) north of Gaza, raining rubble on the street below.

The malfunction came after the Iron Dome had a separate issue that kept it from activating during a flareup with Islamic Jihad earlier this month. The malfunction led to several rockets landing in populated areas, including one that hit a construction site in the city of Sderot and wounded three foreign nationals.

The Iron Dome has seen malfunctions in the past. In May 2021, a technical issue with an Iron Dome battery during a massive rocket barrage toward the coastal city of Ashkelon prevented some rockets from being intercepted and may have been responsible for the deaths of two women and the injury of dozens of people.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-iron-dome-malfunction-to-blame-for-deadly-rehovot-rocket-strike/

NY gov. announces $25 million in funding for hate crimes prevention

The announcement was made at New York's first-ever Unity Summit, a statewide convening of more than 500 New Yorkers representing community groups.

New York state will provide $25 million to organizations that are considered vulnerable to hate crimes, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday. Her announcement comes as Jews in New York City and the state face a surge of antisemitic incidents.

"This is our defining moment — a moment to stand up as one New York and make clear there is no place for hate in our communities," Hochul said. "I was proud to convene New York's first-ever Unity Summit to bring together leading experts working to fight hate and bias. Working together, I know we can make this state safer and more welcoming for all."

The funding will go to organizations serving communities at a high risk of hate crimes and vandalism, and will be used to fund security measures, training, public awareness campaigns and outreach measures. The state's 2024 financial year package also includes a $3.5 million in funding for a newly-formed hate and bias prevention unit.

The announcement was made at New York's first-ever Unity Summit, a statewide convening of more than 500 New Yorkers representing community groups, faith leaders and public safety experts sharing their perspectives on how New York can come together to fight the rising hate.

Speakers at the summit included former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Rabbi Moshe Hauer of the Orthodox Union.

https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-742873

Israel's Operation Shield and Arrow: Is blowing stuff up a strategy?

MILITARY AFFAIRS: So far there are no signs that the IDF’s masterful tactical wins against Islamic Jihad will yield any extended period of quiet.

Several times in the last 17 years Israel has fought wars where it “won” tactically, but achieved little or nothing in the longer-term strategic picture.

Some of that comes from using the same playbook of blowing things or people up. If Israel uses the same playbook as in the past, why should it expect a different result?

In significant conflicts (where usually hundreds or more rockets were fired on Israel in a short period) with Hezbollah and Hamas, and more recently in multiple run-ins with Islamic Jihad, in 2006, 2008-9, 2012, 2014, November 2018, May 2019, November 2019, February 2020, May 2021, August 2022, every time the IDF killed far more “top commanders” and fighters on the other side than were killed on the Israeli side.

However, each time, the IDF’s tactical dominance failed to prevent the other side from firing rockets extensively throughout the civilian home front, both in volume and in reaching larger cities beyond the Gaza corridor.

Why can't Israel deter Gazan terrorist groups from firing rockets?

The IDF and many commentators have felt it achieved a strategic win by keeping Hamas out of this latest round of fighting.

And from the perspective of preventing this specific round from needlessly and arbitrarily deteriorating into a longer war like in 2014 or 2021, keeping Hamas out of the mix was in fact a wise and strategic win. It is also true that killing a terrorist group’s leader slows it down for some amount of time.

However, since November 2019, four of the last five conflicts with Gaza have been between Israel and Islamic Jihad, despite many rounds of killing that group’s leaders.

Certainly, Islamic Jihad can do far less damage to Israel than Hamas, but if Jerusalem has to fight Gaza’s weaker terrorist group four times in less than four years, including its big brother Hamas an additional time in May 2021, how much has Israel really accomplished?

After 2006 and 2014, top Israeli officials shifted mentally from telling the public that the IDF could achieve decisive “victory” to talking merely about “restoring deterrence.”

Back then, the idea was to fully deter any and all terrorist groups in Gaza. Now Israel cannot even deter Islamic Jihad, the weaker group, for more than a year or so at a time.

And is Hamas really deterred? Or, if it is facilitating Islamic Jihad fighting Israel, is it merely using other means to fight against Jerusalem, while avoiding the full blowback it would get if it were fully engaged?

Some observers are also saying that Hamas is just playing for time to build a more powerful rocket arsenal so that when it does decide to join another round with Israel, it will be able to hurt the home front far more.

So the Jewish state could easily come out of this conflict having “won” just like in August 2022 and some of the other recent rounds, but with no real ability to deter Islamic Jihad from another round in the near future.

https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-742798

Liberal media circles the wagons around Biden’s corruption

Some people say that democracy dies in darkness.

But it can die in the full light of day, too.

Especially if people are prevented from seeing what’s in front of them.

This week, two bombshell events happened.

On the Republican side, the candidate still most favored by the party’s base to be its nominee for the presidency lost a civil case against writer E. Jean Carroll.

A New York jury found that Donald Trump had sexually abused and defamed the woman and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages.

You may have heard about this.

After all, the story was splashed on the front page of The Post the next day.

It also led the news around the world.

Although Trump denies the charges, it will be up to American voters to decide what they think about this.

Is this the sort of thing they´ve already factored in with Donald Trump?

Or will they deem it yet another mark against him in a long list that anyone — of any political stripe — could now compile?

It’s up to the American public.

But the other political bombshell of the week had a different landing.

I listened to Wednesday morning´s report of the House Oversight Committee on the Biden family‘s business dealings with amazement.

It has been perfectly clear for some time that while Joe Biden was vice president, his son Hunter and brother James enriched themselves through various pay-to-play schemes.

But the House committee’s findings revealed far worse than even those familiar with the story had expected.

The range of foreign donors included a corrupt Romanian businessman who gave the Biden family over $1 million.

But more scandalous was the revelation that as many as nine members of the Biden family were benefiting from the money that came from this influence-peddling scheme.

New revelations included the claim that even one of Joe Biden´s grandchildren had received six-figure wire transfers from a foreign national.

https://nypost.com/2023/05/11/liberal-media-circles-the-wagons-around-bidens-corruption/

Balkans' biggest drug lords arrested after investigation into encrypted phones

An international operation across three countries has resulted in the takedown of the biggest drug trafficking criminal organisation in the Balkan region.

On 11 May, coordinated raids were carried out in Serbia and the Netherlands, targeting both the cartel’s leadership and distribution infrastructure. Seven other members of this criminal organisation were already arrested in Belgium in 2021. Two individuals were previously arrested for other offences in Serbia and Peru. Another suspect was arrested in the Netherlands on 8 May 2023.

A total of 23 individuals have been arrested, including the 3 leaders of this criminal organisation, considered as High Value Targets by Europol.

Results of the action day in brief

13 arrests in Serbia including 3 High Value Targets

35 house searches

Seizures include:

15 high-end cars and luxury jeweller and watches for an estimated amount of about EUR 2 million and almost EUR 3 million in cash

Weapons and explosives including 2 sniper rifles, 3 automatic rifles, guns, silencers, 24 detonator capsules and 5 devices for remote initiation of detonators, 13 packages of plastic explosives, several hundred pieces of ammunition.

Sky ECC intelligence development

This cross-border sting is the result of intelligence development in the framework of Europol’s Operational Taskforce looking into the usage of the encrypted communication platform Sky ECC, taken down by in March 2021.

In cooperation with France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and with the support of Europol’s Drugs Unit, Serbia was able to identify the key targets on its territory, and map out their criminal activities across the world.

This criminal organisation, is believed to be behind multi-tonne cocaine shipments that made their way to Europe directly from Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, or by transiting via logistical infrastructures in West Africa.

This gang was known in the criminal underworld for its violence and involvement in high-end robberies. One of the targets arrested in Serbia was a former leader of the infamous Pink Panther criminal group.

Thanks to the analysis carried out on Sky ECC data, at least seven tonnes of cocaine seized in European ports in 2020 were traced back to this cartel, including:

700 kilos of cocaine seized in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

1.2 tonnes of cocaine seized in Hasselt, Belgium

5 tonnes of cocaine seized in Aruba, the Dutch Antilles

The criminal kingpins, arrested in Belgrade as part of this operation, were the biggest cocaine traffickers in the Western Balkans identified as part of the ongoing analysis work carried out on Sky ECC data.

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/balkans-biggest-drug-lords-arrested-after-investigation-encrypted-phones