After Crushing Its Clients, JPMorgan Now Sees 50% Chance Of Zero Rates This Year
After telling its clients again, and again, and again to short US Treasurys, it's time to call it: anyone who listened to JPMorgan has been quietly taken to one of the hundreds of portable crematoriums in Wuhan and even more quietly disposed of. Starting in January…
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/after-crushing-its-clients-jpmorgan-now-sees-50-chance-zero-rates-year
'Turks are our brotherly people,' no reason for them to die in Syria – President Assad
Turks and Syrians are culturally intertwined and have no reason to be hostile towards each other, Bashar Assad said as violence escalates in Idlib. He said there is no reason for Turkish people to die in Syria.
"We talk about Turks as our brotherly people," the Syrian president said in an interview with a Russian news channel. "I am asking the Turkish people: what is your problem with Syria? What is the problem over which Turkish citizens need to die?"
He added that the two nations were bound through culture; there are many ethnic Turks living in Syria and vice versa, as well as cross-ethnic marriages.
This interconnection of cultures comes from our history, so having serious conflicts between us is illogical.
The interview, which Rossiya-24 channel will show in full on Thursday, was conducted just as Syrian and Turkish troops were killing each other in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. The last major stronghold of anti-government armed groups in Syria saw the advancement of forces loyal to Damascus over the past several months as radical jihadists were pushed back from the provincial border.
This year, hostilities spilled over onto Turkish troops stationed on Syrian soil under a deal struck with Russia in 2018 to de-escalate the conflict and establish a lasting ceasefire. After a Turkish convoy was shelled by Syrian troops, Ankara demanded the withdrawal of government forces by the end of February. The ultimatum was rejected, and now intensive fighting is underway in Idlib on the ground and in its airspace.
The Turkish government does not recognize its counterpart in Damascus as legitimate, and has a long record of supporting anti-Assad militants in Syria.
https://www.rt.com/news/482320-assad-interview-turks-brothers/
Iran Temporarily Frees 54,000 Prisoners As Covid-19 Devastates Overcrowded Jails
In under two weeks Iran's leaders have gone from denial, to a seeming attempt at cover-up, to in some cases getting sick themselves to now talking a major military and volunteer mobilized response. This as the official death toll as of Wednesday has risen to 92, including 2,922 confirmed cases as overnight 586 new cases were reported.
And in the latest sign that desperation and panic have kicked in as coronovirus victims' bodies pile up at local morgues, Tehran is actually freeing prisoners on a mass scale in what appears a sign that Covid-19 is rapidly spreading among the country's crowded prison population.
"Iran has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners in an effort to combat the spread of the new coronavirus disease in crowded jails," the BBC reports.
The stipulation, according to a statement from Iran's judiciary, is that inmates post bail but more importantly that they test negative for Covid-19.
Importantly, this could potentially lead to the freedom of some political prisoners and foreigners from the West who've long been languishing in Iranian jails, including the infamous Evin political prison in Tehran.
The deadly virus is reportedly spreading among the close-quartered inmate population, threatening at least one American detainee, as NBC reports:
The lawyer for an American held in Iran said on Monday that his client is at “serious risk” of contracting the coronavirus after another inmate held near his cell tested positive for the illness.
A detainee held in the same prison ward as Iranian-American Siamak Namazi was diagnosed with coronavirus and has been removed, Jared Genser, a U.S. lawyer working on behalf of Namazi, said in a statement.
Namazi has been held since 2015 after being charged with “collaboration with a hostile government,” the United States. His lawyer said further: “To keep Siamak at Evin prison in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak and without access to testing or even basic medicines constitutes cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in violation of Iran’s obligations under the Convention Against Torture,” according to the report.
There's also growing concern in the UK over British detainees at the prison, with a Foreign Office spokesman saying Tuesday: "We call on the Iranian government to immediately allow health professionals into Evin prison to assess the situation of British-Iranian dual nationals there."
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/iran-temporarily-frees-54000-prisoners-confirmed-covid-19-cases-near-3000
Cop Attempts Mass Shooting Inside Bar, Arrested for Attempted Murder and Is Set Free With NO BAIL
New York, NY — Early Saturday morning, Stephen Abreu, an investigator with the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, was arrested and charged with felony attempted murder, reckless endangerment in the first degree, attempted assault with intention to cause physical injury, menacing and a slew of other misdemeanors, according to reports. The charges came after he allegedly began shooting inside a Manhattan bar in an apparent fit of rage. Abreu’s case is a glaring example of “blue privilege” at work in our society.
According to witnesses who were partying and dancing inside Horses & Divorces late Friday night and into early Saturday morning, Abreu punched the bartender in his face before pulling out a firearm and shooting at people. Luckily, no one was killed, but that does not excuse this cop’s behavior—nor should it allow him such privilege.
According to the Gothamist, the cop went into a fit of rage after his attempt to grind on a woman was rejected.
“All of a sudden this guy is really, really close behind me,” Ana Yamel, a 32-year-old film director told Gothamist. “I gave him a look like: what the f*ck are you doing?”
After blowing off the creep who moved in behind her, Yamel walked over to her friends on the other side of the bar. With his tail between his legs and his anger fuming, Abreu reportedly walked to the bar in defeat. Instead of realizing he failed, this cop, likely not used to people disrespecting his authority, raged.
Witnesses say Abreu then grabbed an orange from a bowl on the bar and threw it at Yamel and her friends, shattering glasses in the process.
“He was clearly very drunk and annoyed that we were ignoring him,” said Annie Pearlman, a 31-year-old graphic designer and friend of Yamel. “It’s just another example of many of a man taking a rejection and turning it into violence.”
After watching a man hurl an orange at a group of women, the bartender told Abreu that he needed to leave. Again, having his authority questioned, Abreu raged on. Instead of leaving, this public servant smashed the bartender’s face in before pulling out his gun. He then started firing inside the bar sending patrons panicking for cover, according to multiple witnesses and the police report.
The women said they hid under a table after hearing the first shot, which was followed by a second shot, about fifteen seconds later.
The situation was quickly on its way to potential mass shooting status except that a brave bouncer inside the bar took action. Despite this psychopath shooting at people inside a bar, security guard Austin Barber jumped on Abreu, wrestling the gun from his hands before he could do anymore damage.
Bar owner Sal Fristensky called Barber “an absolute hero.”
“He completely kept his cool, even as he’s wrestling a gun out of this guy’s hands and holding him down,” Fristensky said.
Later that morning Abreu was arrested and hit with a slew of charges. When he went in front of the judge, however, despite multiple witness reports and all the evidence against him, this cop flexed his blue privilege and walked out of the court room, paying no bail.
As the Gothamist reports, Judge Hilary Gingold freed Abreu on supervised release, despite the fact that felony attempted murder remains a bail-eligible offense under the new laws. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s request of $50,000 bail was denied.
Not surprisingly, his mugshot was not publicly released either….
“It was really shocking and terrifying,” Pearlman said. “Someone like that should not be allowed to carry a gun.” She noted that Abreu entered the bar with a male friend, who fled the scene shortly after the altercation.
We agree. Unfortunately, however, this attempted murderer is part of the system so he gets treated far different than the rest of society.
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-attempts-mass-shooting-inside-bar-arrested-for-attempted-murder-and-is-set-free-with-no-bail/
Abortion Lobby Condemns Safety Law at Center of Landmark SCOTUS Case
Abortion lobbying groups took to Twitter this week to once again condemn what they say is the “medically unnecessary” Louisiana safety clinic law case that will be before the Supreme Court Wednesday.
In June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, the Court will consider the case of Louisiana’s 2014 “Unsafe Abortion Protection Act,” requiring abortionists to hold active admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles from the abortion clinic in order to provide continuity of care should a woman need emergency treatment as a result of an abortion.
NARAL, the abortion industry’s political action and advocacy organization, tweeted, “The medically unnecessary law at the center of this case is the SAME as the law at the center of Whole Women’s Health. The Court’s changed since 2016, but the legal reasoning has NOT.”
More
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/03/abortion-lobby-condemns-safety-law-at-center-of-landmark-scotus-case/
Migrant Crisis 2.0: People Smugglers Slash EU Passage Prices to £11 After Turkey Opens the Gates
Turkish people-smugglers are reportedly operating freely along the border with Greece, charging migrants as low as £11 a head to help them get past Greek border patrol guards.
Greece has stopped tens of thousands of migrants attempting to illegally enter the European Union through its land border with Turkey, yet many migrants are still attempting to cross into Greece illegally by crossing the Evros River near the Turkish town of Erdine.
The Greek military has installed loudspeakers along the river, playing a message telling the migrants to “go back”. However, people-smugglers operating in the area say that they have been given a free pass by Turkish President Erdogan to smuggle migrants across the border.
“We had these migrants who arrived to cross Greece. It has become something allowed from our Turkish side. In the past, we used to get them across for $200 or $300 (£150-£230) per person and now we do it for $15 (£11),” a people-smuggler named Semih told Euronews.
“Of course I see it as my duty. It’s money that motivates me. I want them to go away from here [the migrants] so that Turkey’s economy gets better. That’s all that matters to me,” he added.
Another migrant smuggler named Cevat said: “Currently, migrants continue to flock here. Thousands of people, it’s even hard to say exactly how many. Thousands of people pass through here from evening to morning.”
“Our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given instructions on this subject, he has given his agreement for them [migrants] to leave. But on the Greek side, we are rather experiencing difficulties. Just a short while ago, right over there, Greek soldiers pointed their guns at us,” he added.
There are approximately 3.6 million asylum seekers in Turkey, and last week President Erdogan said that he will “open the gates” to migrants seeking to enter into Europe if the EU does not support his military actions in Syria.
Following a visit to the Greek border by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, the EU pledged €700 million (£608m) in aid to Greece to protect the border from waves of migrants, according to The Telegraph. The bloc will also send 100 guards from Frontex, the European border security force, alongside two helicopters, a plane, and seven patrol boats to help deal with the growing crisis.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/04/people-smugglers-slash-prices-to-11/
Coronavirus: French Government Seizes All Stocks of Face Masks, Thousands Stolen From Hospitals
French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the seizure of all stocks and future production of medical face masks in the face of a growing threat from Coronavirus, and a spate of looting of masks from medical facilities.
The China-origin Coronavirus, which has already killed a known 3,190 people worldwide is becoming more established in Europe, with worst-impacted nation Italy’s death toll standing at 79. Neighbouring France has seen a comparatively modest four deaths, but the French government hasn’t baulked at launching a series of sweeping measures under the guise of public health.
In what may come as a surprise move, the French President Emmanuel Macron — who remains in a perpetual state of battling poor public ratings over his deeply controversial reforming policies — announced Tuesday the government was to requisition all stocks of face masks in the country, and was to seize all future stocks as they were produced. The government had previously asked the public to not buy masks unless they were in a group that needed them, but the instruction seems to have been avoided.
President Macron told a gathering of top health officials in a “crisis cell” at the so-called Minister for Solidarity and Health that he was announcing “the mobilisation of the whole country to fight against this epidemic.”
Reuters reported he had also “signed a decree” to make the seizure of face masks law.
The Associated Press reports the requisitioning is to prevent hoarding, which it claimed is “starting to become a problem”, and to ensure the masks could be given to health workers and infected members of the public.
The move came as reports emerged of thousands of masks being stolen from hospitals in France, presumably for resale on the black market. Agence France Presse reports a hospital in Marseille has seen 2,000 surgical masks stolen, while a Paris health authority said over 8,000 masks and 1,200 bottles of alcohol hand gel had been taken.
AFP reports the thefts followed similar looting in Japan, where 6,000 masks were stolen from a Kobe hospital.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for action to be taken to stop hoarding of medical supplies, which is says is putting healthcare workers at risk. Speaking Tuesday, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said of the increasing shortages: “Industry and governments must act quickly to boost supply, ease export restrictions and put measures in place to stop speculation and hoarding. We can’t stop COVID-19 without protecting health workers first.”
A WHO report said since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, the prices of face masks had increased sixfold, and that: “Supplies can take months to deliver and market manipulation is widespread, with stocks frequently sold to the highest bidder.”
With global healthcare demand for masks now standing at 89 million a month, industry producing them would have to boost output by 40 per cent, the WHO said.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/04/coronavirus-french-government-seizes-all-stocks-of-face-masks/
The Coronavirus hysteria is a scapegoat for the upcoming worldwide recession.
by TheConsciousObserver
I have a conspiracy theory. Here goes…
The Coronavirus hysteria is a scapegoat for the upcoming worldwide recession. Since September 2019, the US Fed has been pumping hundreds of billions of dollars of emergency funding into the financial system, after the repo rate spike to almost 10%. Now the Fed is again cutting interest rates. The Fed and central banks created this fiat currency debt bubble, which is now collapsing. They do not want to take responsibility for this mess and the recession that the world is about to experience. They need a scapegoat and that scapegoat is the Coronavirus. Mainstream media is now claiming that the Coronavirus is responsible for the collapsing stock markets (it is not), and that the Fed and central banks will save the economy by lending (printing) more money.
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/the-coronavirus-hysteria-is-a-scapegoat-for-the-upcoming-worldwide-recession/
Acting DNI Richard Grenell Stepping Down From Ambassadorship To Germany
Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell has notified the White House that he will resign from his role as U.S. Ambassador to Germany once Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) is confirmed by the Senate to the position.
Grenell notified the White House of his decision after President Donald Trump tapped Ratcliffe to be the next Director of National Intelligence.
Grenell was planning on coming home this spring but agreed to stay in the administration until a permanent DNI replacement could be nominated and confirmed.
Reached by phone, Grenell confirmed the news, saying, “Yes, it’s true. We were planning on coming home soon.”
Trump was widely praised by his supporters for naming Grenell, who holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, to the temporary role of acting DNI.
Grenell is also widely viewed as Trump’s favorite ambassador because of his aggressive efforts to advance the president’s agenda overseas.
“The mandate of a diplomat is usually to be diplomatic. Trumpian foreign policy is obviously more confrontational,” said former Senior Trump Adviser Cliff Sims. “Ric is willing to be publicly confrontational with his host country if it’s in America’s national interest in a way that is not typical historically but directly reflects the way Trump operates.”
Top Trump supporters praised Trump’s decision to name Grenell to acting DNI last month:
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted: “An amazing choice!!! @realDonaldTrump deserves someone he can trust and someone who knows how to get things done in this position. Congrats @RichardGrenell go get em.”
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) tweeted: “A great Patrot, exceptional Ambassador, and amazing selection to be the US’ next Acting Director of National Intelligence, Ambassador @RichardGrenell! Congratulations!!”
Former White House Adviser Andrew Surabian tweeted: “Great pick by the President. @RichardGrenell is a total rockstar and 100% all in on the President’s America First agenda. PS: Can you imagine how triggered Clapper, Brennan and Comey are right now over this?”
Former Senior Trump Adviser Cliff Sims tweeted: “For the last two decades, @RichardGrenell has worked at the highest levels of international affairs and national security. Total home run pick by @realDonaldTrump , and a big win for the American people.”
In 2018, Grenell played a key role in advancing a directive from the president to have the last known Nazi collaborator hiding in the U.S. deported back to Germany.
http://www.cuzzblue.com/2020/03/exclusive-acting-dni-richard-grenell.html
Where’s the outrage over Netanyahu trying to interfere in the US election?
For the last four years, there’s been a national debate regarding the scope of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The issue might end up dominating discourse in 2020 as well. Last month, intelligence officials warned House members that Russia is allegedly meddling in an effort to get Trump reelected.
Concerns about Putin’s impact on U.S. elections has generated countless articles and wall-to-wall cable news coverage. It also fueled an impeachment investigation. However, blatant election interference from other countries is certainly not treated in the same way.
This contradiction was on display over the weekend, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed AIPAC’s annual policy conference via video feed. Netanyahu repeatedly referenced Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders, who skipped the conference and claimed that the lobbying group promotes bigotry. At the most recent Democratic debate, Sanders called Netanyahu a “reactionary racist.”
“We were all reminded a few days ago that there are forces who seek to break our alliance,” said Netanyahu, “Last year, those who came to AIPAC were accused of dual loyalty. This year, AIPAC was accused of providing a platform for bigotry. These libelous charges are outrageous.”
Netanyahu wasn’t the only Israeli official to attack Sanders at the conference. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said, “We don’t want Sanders at AIPAC. We don’t want him in Israel. Anyone who calls our prime minister a ‘racist’ is either a liar, an ignorant fool or both.”
Responding to Danon’s comments on Face the Nation, Sanders said he was calling for a more evenhanded foreign policy. “I am not anti-Israel…but what we need in this country is a foreign policy that not only protects Israel but deals with the suffering of the Palestinian people as well,” said Sanders.
This certainly isn’t the first time that Netanyahu has intervened in United States politics. In 2015, the Prime Minister infamously visited Washington so that he could argue against former president Barack Obama’s Iran Deal in congress. Obama was never consulted about the visit and the administration called it a “departure from protocol.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2020/03/wheres-the-outrage-over-netanyahu-trying-to-interfere-in-the-us-election/
Honeywell says it built the world's most powerful quantum computer
It will share more details on it sometime in the next three months.
When it comes to quantum computers, we tend to think of companies like Google and IBM as the big players in the field, but there could soon be more competition in the space. Honeywell says sometime in the next three months it will unveil a quantum computer that is at least twice as powerful as any current device.
Breaking down that claim requires some context. As Protocol points out, most companies talk about qubits when they speak to the capabilities of their machines. For instance, Sycamore, the computer Google claimed last year achieved quantum supremacy, had 53 qubits. Honeywell is instead using a metric called quantum volume to talk up the capabilities of its machine. IBM coined the term, and here's how it defines it:
"Quantum Volume takes into account the number of qubits, connectivity, and gate and measurement errors. Material improvements to underlying physical hardware, such as increases in coherence times, reduction of device crosstalk, and software circuit compiler efficiency, can point to measurable progress in Quantum Volume, as long as all improvements happen at a similar pace."
The point here is that quantum volume attempts to measure the performance of a computer by taking a holistic view of its different parts. Raw qubits are important in the calculation, but so is how they interact with one another. For instance, the lower the error rate those qubits generate, the better the score. Ultimately, however, the larger the quantum volume value, the more complex problems the computer can solve.
Honeywell claims its upcoming computer will have a quantum volume of at least 64. To put that number in perspective, IBM recently announced a 28-qubit computer it built had a quantum volume of 32. The company was able to achieve this feat in part to thanks to a breakthrough it made in 2015 when it developed a technology that uses lasers to trap electrically charged atoms in a superpositioned state.
As exciting as Honeywell's achievement is, it's probably best not to get too excited until the company properly details the computer. Last year, Google generated conflicting amounts of hype and controversy when it announced that it had achieved quantum supremacy. IBM, in particular, called the company's claims "indefensible" based on the fact Google built Sycamore to solve one specific equation.
That said, it appears most other companies are at least optimistic about what Honeywell has managed to do. For instance, IBM's Research arm told Protocol, "Honeywell's paper shows exciting new progress in programmable trapped-ion quantum systems." The company has also gained the Microsoft seal of approval, with the two announcing a partnership that will give Azure clients access to Honeywell's quantum computer.
https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/03/honeywell-quantum-computer/
Hundreds of Israeli Settlers Storm al-Aqsa Mosque
On Monday, 226 Israeli Settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque while accompanied by a squadron of Israeli police. In 2016, protests erupted at the embattled area after Israeli sSettlers invaded the compound during the last 10 days of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, in contravention of tradition.
The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem reported that the intruders wandered brazenly in the courtyards of the mosque.
The Settlers entered the area through the Mughrabi Gate and made their way to the courtyard of the chapel of Mercy.
They wandered the al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, attended presentations on what they cal the “Temple Mount” and then left the site through al-Silsila Gate.
Meanwhile, Israeli police forces imposed tight restrictions on the Palestinian worshipers entering the site and ordered many of them to stay outside. This not an isolated incident.
On February 23rd, Israeli police had killed a young Palestinian man in the grounds of al-Aqsa.
On February 15th, a group of Palestinian worshipers were brutally attacked by Israeli occupation soldiers and prevented them from reaching the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque. .
In January, Israeli authorities banned the imam of the mosque from entering alAqsa for four months.
Israeli Settlers aggression has increased in frequency in recent years. Settlers have stated their intent to seize al-Aqsa and turn it into a Jewish temple.
https://imemc.org/article/hundreds-of-israeli-settlers-storm-al-aqsa-mosque/
Three Intravenous Vitamin C Research Studies Approved for Treating COVID-19
Intravenous vitamin C is already being employed in China against COVID-19 coronavirus. I am receiving regular updates because I am part of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board to the International Intravenous Vitamin C China Epidemic Medical Support Team. Its director is Richard Z. Cheng, MD, PhD; associate director is Hong Zhang, PhD. Among other team members are Qi Chen, PhD (Associate Professor, Kansas University Medical School); Jeanne Drisko, MD (Professor, University of Kansas Medical School); Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD; and Atsuo Yanagisawa, MD, PhD. (Professor, Kyorin University, Tokyo). To read the treatment protocol information in English: www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n07.shtml (Protocol in Chinese at https://www.doctoryourself.com/Coronavirus_Chinese_IV_C_Protocol.pdf
Direct report from China
OMNS Chinese edition editor Dr. Richard Cheng is reporting from China about the first approved study of 12,000 to 24,000 mg/day of vitamin C by IV. The doctor also specifically calls for immediate use of vitamin C for prevention of coronavirus (COVID-19). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC0SO9KDG7U
A second clinical trial of intravenous vitamin C was announced in China on Feb. 13th. In this second study, says Dr. Cheng, "They plan to give 6,000 mg/day and 12,000 mg/day per day for moderate and severe cases. We are also communicating with other hospitals about starting more intravenous vitamin C clinical studies. We would like to see oral vitamin C included in these studies, as the oral forms can be applied to more patients and at home." Additional information at https://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n11.shtml
And on Feb 21, 2020, announcement has been made of a third research trial now approved for intravenous vitamin C for COVID-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMDX0RSDp1k&feature=youtu.be
Dr. Cheng, who is a US board-certified specialist in anti-aging medicine, adds: "Vitamin C is very promising for prevention, and especially important to treat dying patients when there is no better treatment. Over 2,000 people have died of the COIV-19 outbreak and yet I have not seen or heard large dose intravenous vitamin C being used in any of the cases. The current sole focus on vaccine and specific antiviral drugs for epidemics is misplaced."
He adds that: "Early and sufficiently large doses of intravenous vitamin C are critical. Vitamin C is not only a prototypical antioxidant, but also involved in virus killing and prevention of viral replication. The significance of large dose intravenous vitamin C is not just at antiviral level. It is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that kills most people from coronaviral pandemics (SARS, MERS and now NCP). ARDS is a common final pathway leading to death.
"We therefore call for a worldwide discussion and debate on this topic."
https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/three-intravenous-vitamin-c-research-studies-approved-treating-covid-19-1?utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter%20-%20Intravenous%20Vitamin%20C%20%28PtAJ4f%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Daily%20Newsletter&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6I
The CIA Had Insect Drones in the 1970s … So What Do They Have Today?
If the CIA created a dragonfly drone in the 1970s we can only imagine what they have at their fingertips today!
In the 1970s, the CIA developed a dragonfly drone deemed the “insectothopter” to be used for spying during the Cold War. It could fly for only 60 seconds to deliver a payload. Now documents just recently declassified have revealed details about how the CIA created such an impressive micro-robotic insect controlled by lasers, Popular Mechanics reported.
The documents have been released thanks to the efforts of John Greenwald, founder of the government transparency website The Black Vault. Greenwald put in a request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
“I’ve learned over the years, the U.S. military and government often will acknowledge something or confirm something exists, and many times that largely satisfies the public’s curiosity,” Greenwald told Popular Mechanics. “However…we often don’t get the full story. So I go after documents never-before-released to tell either more of the story, or the real story.”
The CIA previously tried implanting a cat with a microphone, but the project ended in utter disaster. The agency also tried using birds for their spying prospects under Project Tacana, attaching a camera weighing 1 ¼ ounces to a pigeon. However, results for that haven’t yet been declassified.
The CIA has also explored using retroreflectors, tiny glass beads that reflect laser light back at its source. The CIA was then able to analyze the beam vibration in glass and recreate the vibrations that disturbed it, basically extracting sound from light.
According to the documents, it was the need to develop a smaller spying device that spurred the idea for a dragonfly drone equipped with these tiny glass beads. Don Resier, deputy head of the CIA’s Office of Research and Development, was the man who came up with the alternative. Resier assigned Charles Adkins to lead the project which had the goal of building a device that could fly 200 meters and deliver 0.2 grams of retroreflector beads under stealthy conditions.
To build the device scientists used a tiny fluidic oscillator, a device with no moving parts that is completely driven by gas produced by lithium nitrate crystals. Initial tests showed that the prototype was unable to carry the required 0.2 gram payload so the designers added additional thrusts by venting exhaust backward, much like modern-day jet propulsion. The robot’s “eyes” were the glass retroreflector beads that were to be used for spying on targets.
Next, the CIA needed a way to control a tiny drone without adding extra weight. So CIA scientists utilized the same lasers used for the retroreflectors and a portable laser unit, known as “ROME,” that produced an invisible infrared beam. The laser would then heat a bimetallic strip that would open or close the dragonfly’s exhaust. While effectively restricting the device’s “engine,” another laser would act as a rudder to steer the drone to its desired location.
It has been fifty years since, but advancements in insect robotics has continued full steam ahead, as Daily Mail reported in 2016 when the British military announced their own dragonfly drone. The U.S. hasn’t stopped its own aspirations either and in 2014, the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency said it wanted smarter insect drones.
In 2013, the technology they developed at the time was showcased and reported by the Atlantic in a now-deleted video. Then years later in 2017, the Pentagon reported having successfully tested micro-drone swarms. Finally, in 2019 last year it was reported by LA Times that “swarms of small attack drones that confuse and overwhelm antiaircraft defenses could soon become an important part of the modern military arsenal.”
Watch the CIA’s insectothopter below:
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/03/the-cia-had-insect-drones-in-the-1970s-so-what-do-they-have-today.html
The Graham-Blumenthal Bill: A New Path for DOJ to Finally Break Encryption
Members of Congress are about to introduce a bill that will undermine the law that undergirds free speech on the Internet. If passed, the bill known as the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act, will fulfill a long-standing dream of U.S. law enforcement. If passed, it could largely mark the end of private, encrypted messaging on the Internet.
The Department of Justice and the FBI have long seen encryption as a threat. In 1993, the Clinton administration promoted the installation of a “Clipper Chip” in consumer devices that would allow for easy government eavesdropping using key escrow. When researchers repeatedly demonstrated that this flawed idea would compromise privacy and security for everyone, not just criminals, the idea was scrapped. But U.S. law enforcement agencies spent the next 25 years villainizing the widespread adoption of encryption and highlighting a series of awful criminal acts in their efforts to scare elected officials into requiring backdoors.
In recent years, they’ve used acts of terrorism like the mass shootings in San Bernardino and Pensacola to press for draconian changes to the law. More recently, officials like Attorney General William Barr have blamed encryption for sexual crimes against children. Not only are these crimes horrific to hear about, but they are nearly impossible to get objective information about. Nearly all information that the public gets about these crimes is filtered through law enforcement and organizations that work closely with law enforcement. Because of that, it’s very hard for policymakers to make informed decisions that address both public safety and civil liberties concerns.
Meanwhile, we face immense challenges to building secure systems, and strong encryption is one the best tools we have available to protect ourselves. Encryption preserves the ability to have private, secure communications in an increasingly insecure world. Members of the government, the military and law enforcement themselves use encryption to protect their communications, as do journalists, activists and those at risk of domestic abuse, among many others. We should not sacrifice the power of these fundamental technologies, even in the name of important law enforcement goals.
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/03/the-graham-blumenthal-bill-a-new-path-for-doj-to-finally-break-encryption.html
The Bio-Patriot Act Is Near, Are You Ready for Mandatory Vaccinations? Dr. Paul Cottrell With an Update on COVID-19, Must Listen (the Michael Decon Program)
Paul Cottrell is a researcher in chaos theory and has interests in modeling financial markets. Some have considered him a polymath of sorts. Born in Detroit, Michigan he has extensive professional experience in engineering and design. After retiring from automotive engineering he pursued interests in corporate finance involving the publishing, retail, and non-profit industries. He currently is a proprietary trader specializing in currency and energy markets.
In addition to modeling financial markets, his research interests are in developmental economics, behavioral finance, complexity science, energy industry, risk management, and the uses of artificial intelligence in trading financial markets. He has been awarded a Ph.D. specializing in finance from Walden University. He has also earned a M.B.A. and B.S. from Wayne State University. Engineering certificates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) have also been awarded to him. Dr. Cottrell is currently at Harvard University as an ALM candidate specializing in Biology and has completed the Pre-Medical program at Fordham University.
https://youtu.be/f1rSaYrKFnA
Lawmakers clinch deal for $7.76 billion to combat coronavirus
Congressional negotiators clinched a deal on Wednesday to provide more than $7 billion in funding to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
The agreement is expected to quickly clear Congress, potentially as soon as this week, amid growing concerns about a widespread outbreak within the United States. The House is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday.
The bill, negotiated by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), provides $7.76 billion to combat the coronavirus — three times the $2.5 billion initially requested by the White House.
“This should not be about politics; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a potential pandemic. We worked together to craft an aggressive and comprehensive response that provides the resources the experts say they need to combat this crisis," Shelby said.
He added that President Trump is expected to sign the legislation once it passes Congress and "get the funding out the door without delay.”
Appropriators and their staff have been locked in days of behind-the-scenes negotiations as they've tried to quickly come together on a funding package.
The House had noted in a scheduling update on Wednesday morning that they expected to consider the coronavirus bill by the end of the day. But there were still signs of roadblocks, particularly over vaccine affordability, as both sides spent the morning accusing the other of playing politics.
"I’ve heard that Democratic leadership may be contemplating a last-minute demand that this funding legislation also test-drive some untried, untested, and controversial parts of their 'Medicare for All' proposal that relate to the pricing of new drugs and innovations," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said from the Senate floor just hours before the deal was announced.
In the end the bill includes more than $3 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services' Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund that could go broadly toward vaccines, the Strategic National Stockpile, diagnostics and hospital preparedness, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Included within that is $300 million specifically for purchasing vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. A House Democratic aide said the carve out would help ensure that "when a vaccine is developed, Americans can receive it regardless of their ability to pay."
"The legislation ensures that the federal government will only pay a fair and reasonable price for coronavirus vaccines and drugs and provides HHS the authority to ensure that they are affordable in the commercial market," the aide added.
Under HHS, the deal also provides $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—including providing each state a grant of at least $4 million to respond and prepare for the coronavirus—and according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. And $836 million for the National Institutes of Health.
It would also provide $1.25 billion to the State Department and USAID including providing money for evacuations and humanitarian assistance.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/485932-lawmakers-clinch-deal-for-776-billion-to-combat-coronavirus
Ukraine’s President Zelensky nominates Denis Shmygal as new prime minister
Earlier, Ukraine’s parliament approved resignation of Prime Minister Alexei Goncharuk, which entailed resignation of the government
KIEV, March 4. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has nominated Denis Shmygal as the new prime minister and asked Verkhovna Rada (parliament) to approve his candidate, says a draft decree posted on the parliament’s website on Wednesday.
The document is entitled ‘Draft Decree on Appointing D.A. Shmygal as Prime Minister of Ukraine.’
Earlier, Ukraine’s parliament had approved resignation of Prime Minister Alexey Goncharuk, which entailed resignation of the government.
In Goncharuk’s cabinet, Shmygal was a deputy prime minister and the Communities and Territories Development Minister.
Denis Shmygal was born in Lvov in 1975. He had been doing business until 2009, when he started his career in public service. He worked as an aide to Lvov’s regional governor and headed the Lvov regional administration’s economic department. In 2014, he served as deputy head of the regional tax service department. In January 2018, Shmygal took on the post of Director of Burshtyn thermal power plant in Ivano-Frankovsk Region, the region’s largest power producer owned by Ukrainian tycoon Rinat Akhmetov. On August 1, 2019, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky appointed Shmygal as Governor of the Ivano-Frankovsk Region. On February 4, 2020, he was appointed deputy prime minister and the minister for community and territory development.
https://tass.com/world/1126675
Turkish Human Trafficker Brags: ‘I’ve Filled Europe With Immigrants’
Says he is back in business as Erdogan warns.
A video shows a man alleged to be a human trafficker bragging about how he has ‘filled Europe with immigrants’ and how he is making thousands of euros after Turkey opened its borders.
The man said he had been trafficking people for 20 years and that he receives 500-600 euros per head for each migrant he successfully exports.
Despite serving 6 years in jail for the crime, he brags about how he is back in business following President Erdogan’s announcement that Turkey would be re-opening its border and encouraging millions of migrants to invade Europe.
“I have filled half of Europe with immigrants,” he declares.
Erdogan opened the floodgates in response to an airstrike in Syria which killed 30 Turkish soldiers. He is demanding NATO support in Turkey’s fight against the Russian-backed Syrian army.
“I told them it’s done. It’s finished. The doors are now open. Now, you will have to take your share of the burden,” he said in a televised speech.
“Hundreds of thousands have crossed, soon we will it will reach millions,” Erdogan warned.
As we highlighted earlier, a Syrian migrant was reportedly killed during clashes with Greek border police.
Another video shows Greek coastguards beating a dinghy full of migrants with a long poll and shooting warning shots into the water in an attempt to get them to head back to Turkey.
https://summit.news/2020/03/03/turkish-human-trafficker-brags-ive-filled-europe-with-immigrants/
https://theduran.com/turkish-human-trafficker-brags-ive-filled-europe-with-immigrants/
VIDEO: Turkish lawmakers brawl after opposition insults Erdogan
https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/03/video-turkish-lawmakers-brawl-after-opposition-insults-erdogan/
Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia pledge to help Greece deal with border crisis
KASTANIES, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities fired tear gas and stun grenades Wednesday morning to repulse a push by migrants to cross its land border from Turkey, as pressure continued along its frontier after Turkey said its own border with Europe was open to whoever wanted to cross.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia pledged to help Greece to deal with pressure along its border.
Speaking after meeting his counterparts from the other three countries, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the situation was serious and the EU must protect its borders.
“We’re ready to help,” Babis said.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country was ready to deploy guards at the Greek-Turkish border, while his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini said the growing number of migrants “poses a security threat not just for Greece.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that there are some 130,000 migrants on the move that the EU has to stop on its borders, and that “Hungary will take an active role in doing so.”
The four countries have been known for their tough stance against migrants and rejected an EU plan to redistribute refugees in member states.
Meanwhile, European Council head Charles Michel was meeting with Erdogan in Ankara Wednesday, while EU Vice President Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic were holding talks with Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Erdogan, Borell said that the EU delegation asked Turkey “not to encourage the further movement of refugees and migrants toward the EU borders.”
“We had the opportunity to express our understanding of the difficult situation Turkey is currently facing but also stressed that the current developments at the European borders is not leading to any solution,” he said.
Borell also told reporters that Turkish officials’ response was that Turkey was not encouraging people to move but that “they cannot prevent people from doing so.”
Greek authorities said there were about 15,000 people along the Greek-Turkish land border on Wednesday. They said that between Saturday morning and Wednesday morning, they had blocked 27,832 attempts to cross the border, and had arrested a total of 220 people who managed to cross.
Ankara has come under harsh criticism from some European countries.
“The people are being used by President Erdogan as a political football, as weapons and as instruments of pressure on the European Union,” Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday.
Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Elena Becatoros in Athens and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/03/hungary-poland-czech-republic-and-slovakia-pledge-to-help-greece-deal-with-border-crisis/
PRAY FOR EACH OTHER
It's 'a Certainty' That Trump Will Dump Pence and Replace Him With Nikki Haley, Begala Says
Long time Democratic aide and former Bill Clinton staffer Paul Begala told the AIPAC conference that it is a "certainty" that Donald Trump will remove Vice President Mike Pence on July 16 when the Democratic nominee is scheduled to give his acceptance speech at the Milwaukee convention. Begala says the president will replace Pence with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley "to try and get those suburban moms."
The Hill:
The former "Crossfire" co-host "guaranteed" Trump will throw Pence "under the bus" because of his handling of the coronavirus, which the president tapped Pence to lead a task force on last week.
“This is not a prediction. It’s a certainty. On Thursday, July 16 — that’s the date the Democrat gives his or her acceptance address — on that day, to interrupt that narrative, Donald Trump will call a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. He’s going to dump Mike Pence and put Nikki Haley on the ticket to try to get those suburban moms," Begala predicted during a panel discussion at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) conference in Washington, D.C.
"You watch. Guaranteed," Begala said. “Trump put Pence in charge of coronavirus to throw him under the bus."
Begala is supposed to be some kind of expert. Either he's been asleep or just hasn't been paying attention for the last three years if he's going to use the words "certainty" and "Donald Trump" in the same sentence.
This is not the first time that Haley's name has been floated to replace Pence. Haley denied it most recently last November.
"The vice president and the president are a great ticket together," Haley told "Fox & Friends" in November. "They're solid. Solid enough that they're going to win together. There is no truth whatsoever that I would ever in any way look to get that position. I think Mike is great for that job and I think that he's the right partner for the president."
"Mike Pence is a great vice president,” Trump said in November, while noting Haley would “absolutely” be involved in his 2020 campaign.
Trump admires Haley. She's one of the few people who actually stood up to Trump and maintained his goodwill.
But it's not going to happen. Chris Cillizza writing at CNN sees where Begala is going but dismisses the Pence-for-Haley scenario.
CNN:
Now, I see where Begala is coming from here. He's absolutely right that Trump is, at heart, a showman and provocateur. And that Trump likes nothing more than drawing attention away from his opponents to ensure the spotlight is shining on him. And that if Trump likes anything more than being the center of attention, it's freaking out the squares – doing something wildly unpredictable that no one saw coming.
Except, in this case, everyone saw this coming. It's been discussed ad infinitum in the media. It's said that Trump himself brings up the subject of replacing Pence with Haley on occasion.
Now, doing it just before the Democratic nominee goes on stage to deliver his acceptance speech is no doubt "wildly unpredictable." And it would be just like Trump to troll the nominee and make earth-shaking news at the same time.
But even with all that said, it's still a verrrry long shot. Like very long.
Here's why: Trump cares deeply about perception. And projecting an image of utter certainty and strength. A last-minute swap-out of your vice president because you think you can't win without someone new is the exact opposite of that message. It suggests weakness and, even worse, panic.
That's how the media would spin it, anyway. Trump could probably win in 2020 running with Bozo the Clown, given the circumstances.
Begala is a pretty smart politico, but he really goofed it up here.
https://pjmedia.com/election/paul-begala-says-its-a-certainty-that-trump-will-dump-pence-and-replace-him-with-nikki-haley/
Russia Censors Disney’s First Openly Gay Character From ‘Onward’
Russian distributors appear to have censored Disney and Pixar’s first LGBT character from their animated film “Onward,” the Kinopoisk.ru movie website reported Wednesday.
“Onward,” a fantasy-adventure that hits the big screens in Russia on March 5, introduces a cyclops police officer named Specter as the studios’ first-self identified lesbian character. Officer Specter appears in one scene, where she casually mentions having a girlfriend.
Viewers who watched “Onward” dubbed in Russian told Kinopoisk that the word “girlfriend” had been changed to the more neutral “partner” and avoids mentioning Specter’s gender.
“Presumably, Disney’s Russia branch tried to avoid unnecessary problems with the anticipated project’s release,” the website wrote.
A Disney spokesperson in Russia declined to comment on Kinopoisk’s queries.
This is at least the third known censorship of a gay scene from a foreign film in Russia since the country passed a controversial 2013 law banning “homosexual propaganda” to minors.
Last year, Russian distributors cut gay sex and kissing scenes from the Elton John biopic “Rocketman.” Similarly, Russia’s version of Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” altered a gay character’s description of a date to the less romantic “dinner.”
Non-LGBT scenes have also faced tweaks before hitting Russian cinemas.
Sergei, a Russian villain in the 2019 animated film “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” became a Frenchman named Serge in the film’s Russian version.
Last year’s superhero film “Hellboy” replaced the titular character’s mention of Stalin with Hitler.
Russia has also canceled screenings of other movies, including “The Death of Stalin” and “Child 44,” for their portrayal of sensitive subjects in the Soviet past.
https://russia-insider.com/en/russia-censors-disneys-first-openly-gay-character-onward/ri28370
Turkey Merged Its Observation Posts In Idlb With Terrorist Bases: Russian Military
Syrian government forces have pushed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists back from the M5 highway and Aleppo city, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on March 4.
Maj. Gen. Konashenkov recalled that the Ankara main responsibility in the framework of the 2018 Sochi agreements was the separation of terrorists from moderate rebels, and the withdrawal of terrorists and heavy weapons out of the 15-20km demilitarized zone.
He added that Turkish observation posts were merged with terrorist bases and attacks on settlements in the government-held area as well as Hmeimim airbase became regular. So, in Februarty 2020, he said, Syrian government forces had to contribute own efforts to turn the Sochi deal into reality.
The spokesperson noted that now, 18 months since the signing of the agreement, internationally-recognized terrorist groups Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Turkestan Islamic Party and Horas al-Din were pushed back to the north, the border with Turkey.
https://southfront.org/turkey-merged-its-observation-posts-in-idlb-with-terrorist-bases-russian-military/