Ecuador Caves to US Government — Hands Over Julian Assange to UK Authorities INSIDE THE EMBASSY

The Ecuadorian government who has protected 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and award-winning publisher Julian Assange has caved to pressure from the U.S. government and allowed him to be arrested by the UK government inside the embassy.

A lawyer for Assange told the Gateway Pundit that the arrest was really quick.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/04/urgent-breaking-ecuador-caves-to-us-government-hands-over-julian-assange-to-uk-authorities-inside-the-embassy/

Assange charged with helping Manning crack password to leak classified US docs – DOJ statement

The US indictment against Julian Assange alleges that the whistleblower engaged in “conspiracy” with US Army soldier Chelsea Manning in 2010, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice.

The statement said Assange is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and alleged attempts to break the password for a classified US government computer.

https://www.rt.com/usa/456244-assange-manning-us-indictment/

Coinbase Crypto Exchange Launches Visa-Enabled Payments Card

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-11/coinbase-crypto-exchange-launches-visa-enabled-payments-card

One world currency?

Most likely

Here’s Why the Book Julian Assange Was Holding When He Was Arrested is Vitally Important

As he was dragged from the embassy in handcuffs, Julian Assange managed to grab a very important book.

On Thursday, several men in black suits, surrounded by a dozen cops, raided the Ecuadorian embassy in London and kidnapped Julian Assange. Moments later, the Department of Justice released a statement charging Assange with computer hacking “conspiracy” for allegedly working with US Army soldier at the time, Chelsea Manning. Assange was in handcuffs when he was brought out and as he was being dragged from the embassy, he managed to grab the book, Gore Vidal: History of the National Security State. As he was shoved into the van, Assange held the book facing forward so that it could be seen by the camera.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/heres-why-the-book-julian-assange-was-holding-when-he-was-arrested-is-vitally-important/

Every House Democrat but one cosponsors bill intended to let biological male athletes compete against females in pubic schools

Only two Republicans are cosponsoring the Equality Act

All the Democrats in the House of Representatives except one are cosponsoring a bill that's intended, in part, to allow biological male athletes who identify as females to compete against biological females in public schools.

The Equality Act would broadly amend civil rights legislation to outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, education, federal programs and credit, NBC News reported. The bill's specific language prohibits discrimination based on peoples' "sexual orientation and gender identity."

But some cosponsors and supporters of the bill are looking at the bill as an avenue to allow transgender athletes in public schools to compete on teams that match their gender identities — which has become a contentious issue nationwide of late.

What do supporters and cosponsors say regarding transgender athletes?

Democratic House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) offered the following in his opening statement last week about the Equality Act:

Many states have sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination laws, and all of them still have women's sports. Arguments about transgender athletes participating in sports in accordance with their gender identity having competitive advantages have not been borne out. Sports have positive impacts on physical, social, and emotional well-being, and we should not be denying transgender athletes those opportunities simply because sometimes they may win. Nor should their occasional success be used as a roadblock to advancing civil rights legislation for LGBT people as a whole.

Sarah Warbelow — director of the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group — championed the Equality Act in written testimony to the House and echoed Nadler's words, saying it's a myth that transgender female athletes have unfair advantages over biological female athletes:

Opponents of equality in athletics for transgender athletes have argued that girls who are transgender have unfair physiological advantages over cisgender girls and as a result, will dominate women's competitive sports. Some have also suggested that girls who are transgender pose a threat to their cisgender teammates both on the field and in shared locker rooms. None of these arguments are rooted in fact. Existing evidence shows that denying opportunities and access to students based on their gender identity causes actual harm to those students, while there is no data to suggest that girls who are transgender are dominating athletics or posing a harm to their cisgender counterparts.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/democrats-push-bill-intended-to-let-males-compete-in-womens-sports

Microsoft Worked with Chinese Military University on AI Development

Tech giant Microsoft has reportedly been working on artificial intelligence research with a Chinese military-run university, recent reports claim that the research could be used for both surveillance and censorship.

Tech giant Microsoft has been working with a Chinese military-operated university on research relating to A.I. which could be used for surveillance and censorship practices, according to the Financial Times. Between March and November, three scientific studies were published which were co-written by academics from the Microsoft Research Asia in Beijing. Other researchers involved in the studies had close affiliations to China’s National University of Defense Technology (NUDT).

Senior fellow at the New America think tank and China tech expert Samm Sacks commented on the possible issues of collaboration between Microsoft and the Chinese military-run university, stating that the recently published papers raised “red flags because of the nature of the technology, the author affiliations, combined with what we know about how this technology is being deployed in China right now.” Sacks added: “The [Chinese] government is using these technologies to build surveillance systems and to detain minorities [in Xinjiang].”

The director of cyberspace policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, Adam Segal, commented on the collaboration saying: “US-China academic partnerships are increasingly under the microscope as the FBI focuses on the threat of espionage from students and scientists, and the Defense Department [focuses] on the possibility that frontier technologies might eventually make their way to the PLA [the Chinese military].”

MIT cut ties with Chinese telecoms group Huawei recently and began an “elevated risk” review process for its Chinese projects, showing that there is increased scrutiny around Chinese tech and surveillance issues.

Worryingly, some of the recent projects Microsoft researchers worked on with the NUDT have direct surveillance applications. One of the papers that was co-authored by Microsoft and NUDT researchers investigated a new A.I. method of recreating detailed environmental maps through the analysis of human faces which experts believe could have direct applications for surveillance.

Pedro Domingos, a professor of A.I. at the University of Washington, commented on such applications stating: “Let’s suppose I’m an intelligence agency and I have pictures of people of interest; I can use the system to tell something about the place they’re in that they didn’t realize they were giving away.”

Other papers that Microsoft researchers worked on with NUDT researchers related to machine learning, an area of technology that could be used for censorship according to experts. Chinese military technology expert and fellow at the think-tank the Center for a New American Security, Elsa Kania, commented on this aspect, stating: “Machine reading comprehension may not seem directly concerning but it could be used for censorship, which is an interest of the Chinese government. They see natural language processing as a way to enable censorship at scale.”

Microsoft commented on the issue stating that its “researchers, who are often academics, conduct fundamental research with leading scholars and experts from around the world to advance our understanding of technology.” The company added: “In each case, the research is guided by our principles, fully complies with US and local laws, and . . . is published to ensure transparency so that everyone can benefit from our work.”

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/04/11/microsoft-worked-with-chinese-military-university-on-ai-development/

London’s Khan Says May Should Have Cancelled Brexit

Labour’s London mayor Sadiq Khan has said the prime minister should have cancelled Brexit by revoking Article 50 after Theresa May returned from Brussels with a second delay.

Speaking to LBC radio host James O’Brien on Thursday, Mr Khan said that instead of negotiating for a delay to October 31st, “what the prime minister should have done was to stop the clock… by withdrawing Article 50.”

Continuing, the left-wing mayor said, “And what Theresa May should have done is first work out what sort of relationship we want with the European Union, what will the future terms of that deal be, and once we knew that, once we were comfortable with that, then serve the notice to quit with a maximum of two years and we could have left before then.”

However, the British people had already decided nearly three years ago what “sort of relationship” they wanted with the EU when they voted to leave the bloc.

Leftists and globalist-progressive Tories have been engaged in a continuity Remain campaign since June 2016 to either soften Brexit or stop it, such as by calling for a second referendum on Brexit in true Brussels fashion that if an electorate is asked enough times, they will eventually make a decision preferable to the EU.

Khan has demanded on a number of occasions a so-called “People’s Vote” on any withdrawal treaty agreed in the House of Commons, raising the issue again in Thursday’s LBC interview.

“I think we have reached a position where we are aware we are a million miles away from the promises made during the referendum campaign, and in those circumstances what the British public should be given is a final say.

“Do we accept the deal negotiated by the prime minister and/or the most popular option MPs voted for or the option for the British public to stay in the European Union as imperfect as she is?” Mr Khan said.

Earlier in the week, Tory Brexiteer MP Iain Duncan Smith criticised “puffed-up politicians” who attempt to frustrate Brexit and deny the directives of British people.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/04/11/londons-khan-says-may-should-have-cancelled-brexit-second-referendum/

1,000 Pounds of Meth Seized by Mexican Authorities

Elements of the Mexican Federal Police, Mexican Army, and Mexican Navy seized more than 1045 pounds of methamphetamine and 3.5 tons (7054.7 pounds) of marijuana. The seizures took place in three separate operations during the last week in the northern Mexican border states of Baja California and Sonora.

The first incident took place on April 3 at the Tijuana airport when Mexican federal police assigned to customs inspections in the section which received incoming parcels. During random inspections, agents received an alert from a K-9 drug detection dog on a substance contained within seven large plastic containers. The containers originated from Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes — a state located in central Mexico. The K-9 alerted to a second container which originated from Campeche, Campeche which was also determined to contain, methamphetamine. The total weight of both seizures totaled 201 kilograms, or 443 pounds, according to local media reports. The methamphetamine seized was in liquid form.

The next seizure occurred on April 4 when Mexican Navy personnel assigned to the San Felipe and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) sector seized approximately four tons of marijuana and methamphetamine in the vicinity of the Gulf of Santa Clara, Baja California. According to the government officials, Mexican Navy (SEMAR) carried out surveillance in the area north of San Felipe, BC based on intelligence developed on illegal drug activity in the area where organized crime has been transporting illicit cargo by sea. Navy personnel spotted two suspicious vessels which fled after being spotted. Navy personnel eventually located the two abandoned vessels containing more than 3,200 kilograms (7,054 pounds) of marijuana and 160 kilograms (352 pounds) of methamphetamine.

The final seizure took place in the Mexican border city of San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, which sits directly across the border from San Luis, Arizona. According to local media reports, personnel of the Federal Attorney General’s office executed a search warrant at a residence in San Luis Río Colorado after being tipped off by elements of the Mexican Army. According to a statement from the state attorney general’s office, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at a residence after an individual fled from security elements into the house. A search by investigators resulted in the discovery of granular substance believed to be methamphetamine with a weight of 39 kilograms (86 pounds) and a liquid substance believed to be methamphetamine with a weight of just over 74 kilograms (163 pounds). The total weight of both the granular and liquid meth came out to 250 pounds. Investigators also seized an AR-15 rifle with extra ammo and magazine.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/04/11/1000-pounds-of-meth-seized-by-mexican-authorities/