Roseanne Barr Podcast Episode 2 with James O'Keefe
Jun 22, 2023
Roseanne interviews James O'Keefe about his ousting from Project Veritas, his commitment to journalism, his new venture OMG and his take on BlackRock's CEO "forcing behavior".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZbAObhwrFQ
>History Repeating
Gas Explosion In China Kills At Least 31 People
1:13 PM – Thursday, June 22, 2023
At least 31 people were found dead with seven others injured following an explosion at a barbeque restaurant in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, in the northwest Ningxia region.
The explosion was reportedly caused by a liquified gas tank that had a leak inside the restaurant.
The blast took place at around 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday night. Among the seven injured, one person is currently in critical condition. High school students and retirees were reportedly among those killed in the incident. The other six injured are being treated at a local hospital for minor cuts and burns.
Over 100 personnel along with 20 emergency vehicles were dispatched by local authorities to help fight the fire and start a search and rescue, which lasted until 4 a.m. Interviews by police and firefighters indicated that two staff members from the restaurant smelled a pungent gas aroma around an hour prior to the explosion, the Yinchuan government said in a statement.
The two employees found that the valve to the gas tank was broken, so they sent it off to another staffer to get the necessary parts to fix it. The explosion then purportedly took place as the valve was being replaced.
Chinese police have detained nine people and have frozen their assets, including the restaurant’s manager, employees, and shareholders, according to state media China Youth Daily.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that the incident was “heartbreaking” and that it was a “profound lesson,” state media reported.
Xi expressed that it is crucial to treat those injured and to comfort the families of those affected. He also ordered government authorities to carry out more safety-risk reviews and supervision in key sectors.
Explosions have not been uncommon in China with the incidents often being attributed to corruption and lack of safety training and regulations.
In January 2022, 16 people were killed by an alleged gas explosion in the city of Chongqing. A year prior, a gas pipe explosion at a market in Shiyan killed 26 people, injured 138, and led to 11 arrests. In 2019, 78 were killed with an additional 76 injured due to an explosion at a chemical plant in the eastern province of Jiangsu.
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/gas-explosion-in-china-kills-at-least-31-people/
Avoid mailing your checks, experts warn. Here's what's going on with the USPS
June 22, 2023
A surge in crimes targeting the U.S. Postal Service has some experts warning Americans against sending their checks through the mail.
The USPS last month cautioned that it has seen an increase in attacks on letter carriers and mail fraud incidents, with 305 mail carriers robbed in the first half of fiscal year 2023, on pace to exceed the previous year's 412 robberies. At the same time, fraudsters are targeting mailboxes, either stealing letters directly from residents' homes or from the blue USPS collection boxes, the postal service said.
The rise in crime targeting postal carriers and mailboxes heightens the risk that mailed checks could be stolen, as has been documented in incidents across the nation. For instance, a rash of thefts from blue collection boxes in Milwaukee led to the break up last month of a criminal ring. The suspects allegedly used stolen "arrow keys," or a universal USPS key that opens mail collection boxes, to pilfer mail, including more than 900 stolen checks, according to a criminal complaint.
The theft issues have prompted the USPS to advise that Americans avoid depositing mail in blue collection boxes or leaving it in their own mailboxes for a carrier to pick up. Instead, the agency is now recommending that patrons come inside their local post office to securely send mail.
Experts concur with the advisory to only mail checks at the post office.
"If you are choosing to mail a check, it is always recommended that you use a secure mail drop such as inside a post office versus an unsecured public-facing mailbox," Caitlin Driscoll of the Better Business Bureau told CBS Pittsburgh.
Why is mail theft on the rise?
In an email to CBS MoneyWatch, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said mail theft is increasing as part of a broader national trend of "increased crime patterns."
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported roughly 300,000 complaints about mail theft in 2021, more than double the prior year's total. In some cases, criminals are attacking mail carriers and stealing their deliveries. In others, fraudsters are using arrow keys to gain access to postal boxes to take letters, checks and other valuables.
A 2020 report from the postal service's Office of Inspector General found that the agency didn't know how many arrow keys were in circulation or how many had been stolen, raising concerns about the security of collection boxes.
What is the USPS recommending?
The U.S. Postal Service said that people should avoid allowing either incoming or outgoing mail from sitting in their mailboxes for too long.
"You can significantly reduce the chance of being victimized by simply removing your mail from your mailbox every day," the agency said in a statement.
The agency also recommends that people post mail inside their local post office or at their workplace; alternatively, they can hand their mail directly to a mail carrier. However, the USPS itself hasn't issued any specific guidance on mailing checks, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service told CBS MoneyWatch.
"Our recommendations are provided as an extra precaution for those who feel more comfortable taking their mail to the Postal Office," the agency said.
What could happen if my check is stolen?
Thieves use a technique called "check washing" to scam you out of your money. That involves using chemicals that erase your writing on the check, such as the name of the recipient and the amount of the check. Once the payment is blank, they can fill in new information, including the amount.
In one case, a man mailed a $42 check to pay a phone bill and was shocked when it was cashed for $7,000, paid out to someone he'd never heard of. In another case, nearly 60 individuals last year were arrested in Southern California on charges of committing more than $5 million in check fraud against 750 people.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-postal-service-warning-checks-mail-fraud-theft/