Political Infighting on Display as Chinese Leader and Premier Give Conflicting Comments on State of Economy

During a recent inspection tour of villages in the region of Ningxia, Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized his goal for China to become “a moderately prosperous society.” This catchphrase was coined soon after he took power in 2012, and is his flagship economic policy.

Xi also penned a May 31 article in Qiushi, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s official magazine, that China is advancing toward achieving that goal, with “400 million people in the middle class.”

His standard for middle class was: an annual household income of 100,000 to 500,000 yuan ($14,160-$70,810). But in China, multi-generational households living under one roof are not uncommon.

Meanwhile, Chinese premier Li Keqiang has recently highlighted the unemployment and poverty crisis in the country, which have been exacerbated by the CCP virus pandemic.

Li said during a meeting of China’s rubber-stamp legislature on May 28 that 600 million Chinese only earn 1,000 yuan ($140) per month, which is not enough to pay for monthly rent on a one-bedroom apartment in a mid-sized Chinese city.

Li then promoted the idea of setting up a “street vendor economy” to alleviate the rising unemployment as a result of the pandemic.

On June 1, Li again said at an economic seminar in Qingdao city: “The challenges that [China] is facing is unprecedentedly difficult.” Li emphasized that hundreds of millions of Chinese people need financial support.

After Li’s speeches, state-run media first promoted the street vendor economy, but began running articles criticizing the idea on June 5.

Since then, each provincial and city government delivered conflicting information on whether or not street vendors would be allowed to sell their wares.

Observers have interpreted the openly contradictory messaging of late as an indication of the power struggle between Xi’s political faction and Li’s.

“Xi and Li fighting with each other in public certainly made it difficult for lower-ranking officials to position themselves,” said U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/political-infighting-on-display-as-chinese-leader-and-premier-give-conflicting-comments-on-state-of-economy_3384853.html

Credibility of Anti-Malaria Drug Studies for COVID-19 Falls Apart

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/hydroxychloroquine-hcq-resaeach-covid-19/2020/06/04/id/970654/

Two large COVID-19 studies of a drug touted by President Donald Trump that warned of the risk of dangerous side effects and death have now been retracted after the credibility of the database used came under question.

The paper about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine appeared in late May in The Lancet, warning of cardiac side effects associated with the drugs, and clinical trials were halted worldwide while investigators began safety reviews.

But questions arose about the data, as well as the analysis of the data in Dr. Mandeep Mehra's earlier heart study of the drugs, which had appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times reported.

"It is now clear to me that in my hope to contribute to this research during a time of great need, I did not do enough to ensure that the data source was appropriate for this use," Mehra said in a statement to the Times on Thursday.

"For that, and for all the disruptions — both directly and indirectly — I am truly sorry."

Mehra is the medical director of Brigham and Women's Hospital Heart and Vascular Center. Her retraction note was published by The Lancet on Thursday.

While the company that produced the original data, Surgisphere Corp., had signaled it would cooperate with an independent review, it ultimately reneged and said doing so would violate confidentiality agreements, the Times reported.

"We all entered this collaboration to contribute in good faith and at a time of great need during the COVID-19 pandemic," the authors said, the Times reported. "We deeply apologize to you, the editors, and the journal readership for any embarrassment or inconvenience that this may have caused."

The earlier study looking at the drug's use as a preventive treatment showed it did not stop at-risk people from being infected by the coronavirus.

The data also came from Surgisphere, which claims to have granular patient-level information shared by 1,200 hospitals and health facilities on six continents, the Times reported. The founder and chief executive, Dr. Sapan Desai, was listed as an author on both papers, the Times noted.

In an interview earlier this week, Dr. Desai defended the Surgisphere database.

"We did this because there was an opportunity to help," he told the Times. "We're not making any money from this; we're doing it at our own expense. This is why I went into medicine."

Country Trio Lady Antebellum Changing Name 'to Be More Inclusive'

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/country-music-band-lady-antebellum-lady-a/2020/06/11/id/971738/

Country-pop group Lady Antebellum have changed their name to “Lady A” following the widespread protests over the killing of George Floyd and racial injustice in the United States.

The trio announced the decision in a statement tweeted on Thursday, noting that they chose their name, which refers to the pre-Civil War period in the South, because of their connection to the region and the style of the house where the took their first pictures as a band.

“As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge … inclusive of all,” the group tweeted. “We’ve watched and listened more than ever these last few weeks, and our hearts have been stirred with conviction, our eyes opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases black women and men have always faced and continue to face everyday. [sic]

“When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the Southern ‘Antebellum’ style where we took our first photos … But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused.”

The trio has won multiple Grammy Awards, including the award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2010 for their song “I Run to You,” the award for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Need You Now" in 2011, and the award for Best Country Album in 2012 for “Own the Night.”

Ousted Inspector General Was Investigating Award Pulled From Trump Critic

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/state-department-mike-pompeo-steve-linick-inspector-general/2020/06/11/id/971667/

Before President Donald Trump fired him, the State Department’s inspector general was looking into why an award was stripped away from a Finnish journalist who was critical of the president, NBC News reports.

A congressional transcript and officials familiar with the incident revealed that former Inspector General Steve Linick was reviewing the State Department’s role in rescinding an International Women of Courage Award from a recipient.

During a hearing with lawmakers, Linick did not elaborate on the details of the probe, but NBC reports the investigation could have been looking into whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s office was involved in the 2019 decision to take the award away from a finalist.

“These matters involve the Office of the Secretary in some way,” Linick said during the hearing.

Several officials told NBC News that the State Department frequently checks social media accounts of guests attending official events to see if there are any anti-Trump comments. Invitees who are publicly supportive of Trump tend to make the invite list ahead of those who have been vocally opposed to the president, they told NBC.

“It’s very common for us to Google these people to see — have they said anything bad about Trump or Pompeo?” a state official told NBC News.

Linick was allegedly following up on a request from some Democrat senators to look into why the State Department withdrew its invitation to investigative journalist Jessikka Aro, who was slated to be honored during a ceremony with First Lady Melania Trump last year.

The senators said they had obtained documents that indicated Aro’s award was scrapped after officials found she criticized Trump on social media.

At the time, a State Department spokesman said Aro had been “incorrectly notified” that she was a finalist for the award due to an error.

Linick said he was looking into the matter when he was fired on May 15. He told lawmakers he has no idea if the probe is still taking place.

Aro told NBC News said she was “shocked and disappointed to learn that internationally well-reputed Mr. Linick was fired in shady circumstances.”

“At this point, I sincerely hope that all the investigations he launched will be continued and finalized professionally under the new IG's command,” Aro said. “There's a wide international interest in finding out who gave the order to cancel my courage award, and I hope one day we all learn his name."

Lawmakers are looking into why Linick was fired.

==Customs and Border Protection Spent Humanitarian Money on ATVs, Boats

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https://www.newsmax.com/us/customs-and-border-protection-humanitarian-equipment-funding/2020/06/12/id/971854/

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spent a portion of money marked for food and medicine on dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and other piece of equipment, according to a new report.

NBC News cited a report from the Government Accountability Office that said the federal law enforcement agency used part of a $112 million fund set aside to help migrants on the items.

"If CBP lacks sufficient budget authority to make the adjustments, then it should report a violation of the Antideficiency Act as required by law," the GAO wrote in its report on the matter.

The money was included in the 2019 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairs the House Homeland Security Committee and said CBP "broke the law."

"Congress provided this additional funding for the primary purpose of improving conditions for migrants at the border and ensuring migrants were receiving adequate healthcare after the deaths of multiple children in custody," Thompson said, according to NBC. "Instead of helping migrants and improving conditions on the ground, CBP then broke the law by spending this taxpayer money on things that were not authorized — such as ATVs, dirt bikes, and computer systems."

The GAO report also claimed CBP used some of the money on its canine program, IT infrastructure, boats, vans, and other things.

The agency responded to the report by saying, "CBP charged a small subset of expenses in fiscal year 2019 to the incorrect account. We are working to itemize all such expenses, and correct our accounts as recommend by the GAO."

One year ago, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., noted that Congress approved $400 million in funds to address humanitarian issues at the U.S.-Mexico border but that the situation was still "gruesome and inhumane."

Republican FCC Member Casts Doubt on Trump Social Media Crackdown

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/social-media-twitter-facebook/2020/06/12/id/971915/

A regulator whose vote could be needed to advance President Donald Trump’s order to reduce legal protections for Twitter Inc. and other social media companies has expressed doubt about the change.

Michael O’Rielly, a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, which is slated to write the social-media rules, said he wasn’t sure the agency has power to grant Trump’s request. Republicans hold a 3-2 edge at the FCC.

“Did Congress provide us authority to act?” O’Reilly said in an interview for the C-SPAN television show “The Communicators” airing Saturday. O’Rielly said he hadn’t taken a position on the merits of the issue, which he said also involved questions of First Amendment free-speech protections.

He said that he sympathizes with the president's notion that conservatives have been treated unfairly by social media, but added that "what we do about that is a different story," Axios reported.

Trump on May 28 signed an executive order to reduce liability shields for social media after Twitter began selective fact checks of his posts on the platform. The order directs the U.S. Commerce Department to ask the FCC to being a rulemaking this summer.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, has said the agency will review the proposal. The third Republican commissioner, Brendan Carr, called Trump’s executive order “really welcome news” on the day it was signed, and said he looks forward to acting on the administration’s request.

The idea met a cool reception from the agency’s two Democrats, including Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel who said that to “turn the Federal Communications Commission into the President’s speech police is not the answer.”

==Amazon Considers Pulling 'Dukes of Hazzard' Over Confederate Flag

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https://www.newsmax.com/us/amazon-dukesofhazzard-confederateflag/2020/06/12/id/971959/

Popular TV series “Dukes of Hazzard” may no longer be available on Amazon’s streaming library, Fox News reports.

Amazon is considering removing the series, which ran for seven seasons on CBS from 1979-1985, as it reviews its offerings, a source familiar with the situation told Bloomberg.

The show follows Bo and Luke Duke and their adventures in the fictional town of Hazzard County, Ga. The boys travel around in their car, “The General Lee,” which features a confederate flag on the roof.

As people call for racial justice across the country, Amazon and other companies have been taking inventory of their movies and shows that contain controversial or possibly offensive themes.

HBO Max recently decided to remove “Gone with the Wind” from its library temporarily. The 1939 film focuses on an Atlanta plantation and has been accused of romanticizing slavery and the Civil War-era South.

HBO Max announced when it is added back it will have “historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions, but will be presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed."

On Tuesday, the Paramount Network dropped "Cops” after 31 years in wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man, who was killed by a white police officer.

The BBC removed episodes of “Little Britain," a comedy series that featured a character in blackface, from its streaming service.

Actor James Woods Censored for Posting Video of Potential Racial Crime

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/techwatch/corinne-weaver/2020/06/10/actor-james-woods-censored-posting-video-potential-racial

Twitter has gone after actor James Woods for violations at least four times in the past two years. And the platform just did it again.

Woods tweeted a screenshot of his lock, which said, “Your account, @RealJamesWoods has been locked for violating the Twitter Rules.” No specification for the lock was given. However, Woods was given a warning from Twitter that said, “Please note that repeated violations may lead to a permanent suspension of your account. Proceed to Twitter now to fix the issue with your account.”

A spokesperson from Twitter confirmed to the Media Research Center that Woods had indeed been locked out, but declined to explain why. Woods then posted a tweet later about the item in question which had been reported. “The infamous video in question,” he said, “was the beating of a nursing home resident in Detroit.” In the video, a young man appears to be beating an elderly nursing home resident in his bed.

Twitter told Woods that it was “writing to ask you to remove your tweet out of concern for the privacy of the victim depicted in the video contained in your tweet.”

Woods tweeted that he knew another “conservative verified user” who had also been locked out and then immediately unlocked. He said, “I’m guessing other free thinkers have had the same experience. Probably practicing for the upcoming purge of conservative speech during the election cycle.”

He said that Twitter had given him no reason for the account lock, and stated further, “I had started posting the names of all police officers who have died in the line of duty this year. I was nowhere near going through the 97 names (as of this date), but I’m guessing it irked one of the lefties in charge.”

Woods has been suspended for posting news photos of former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, posting a paraphrased quote from poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, and a meme that joked that men shouldn’t vote in midterm elections.

The actor has posted several screenshots of what he said were attempts made to hack into his Twitter account. He has also pointed out that many of his tweets get reported for seemingly no reason.

Trump Opens New Front in War on Big Tech: Microsoft

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/techwatch/alexander-hall/2020/06/12/trump-opens-new-front-war-big-tech-microsoft

Now that Microsoft has joined other Big Tech companies in refusing to help police, President Donald Trump has retweeted a call to have them barred from government contracts.

Microsoft followed the lead of IBM and Amazon in vowing to stop supplying police with facial recognition technology. An emailed letter from 250 Microsoft employees may also have forced their leadership’s hand. Since then, former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell slammed Microsoft for caving in, writing that they should be “barred from federal government contracts.” Grenell added that "there should be consequences for not selling technology to police departments." Trump since retweeted the June 12 post in what appears to be an agreement.

Grenell himself retweeted a Twitter thread by the ACLU’s Twitter account. The ACLU observed how “Microsoft just announced it will not sell face recognition technology to the police.”

The same thread by the ACLU was unabashed in its preaching:

When even the makers of face recognition refuse to sell this surveillance technology because it is so dangerous, lawmakers can no longer deny the threats to our rights and liberties.

The thread explicitly brought this move into context of the George Floyd riots:

It should not have taken protests against police brutality and for Black lives, and the deployment of military-grade surveillance equipment on those protests, for these companies to wake up to the everyday realities of police surveillance for Black and Brown communities.

Microsoft President Brad Smith responded to the letter from approximately 250 of his employees by proclaiming his company’s commitment to social justice in an interview during a Post Live event. “We’ve decided that we will not sell facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place grounded in human rights that will govern this technology,” he said.

Smith later added: “The bottom line for us is to protect the human rights of people as this technology is deployed.”

The email Microsoft employees sent to their leadership was a wishlist of politically radical requests, which included, as OneZero summarized as “increasing Microsoft’s employee donation matches; the cancellation of contracts with SPD and other law enforcement agencies; support for defunding the SPD; signing a petition for the resignation of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan; and support for a list of demands from BLM Seattle.”

PRE-FILLED COVID-19 VACCINE SYRINGES MAY HAVE RFID CHIP

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77186/prefilled-covid19-vaccine-syringes-may-have-rfid.html

While pharmaceutical companies worldwide test an estimated 70 possible coronavirus vaccines, the US government is making plans to get the vaccine to the American public as quickly as possible.

The Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with the Department of Defense awarded Apiject Systems America a $138 million contract to supply 100 million pre-filled syringes for the coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year and to supply more than 500 million next year.

Apiject CEO Jay Walker told CBN News the prefilled syringes will be manufactured using the "Blow, Fill, Seal" technology used to make pre-filled, single-use eyedrops with which many consumers are familiar.

"There are eyedropper facilities in the US, not many, but a few, that we are going to upgrade so they can handle vaccines," he said. "Then what will happen is those facilities will make the containers that will hold the vaccine, we will add a needle hub to them and you have a pre-filled syringe that's ready to use."

There is space on each pre-filled syringe for an optional Radio Frequency Identification Chip containing a unique serial number for each dose. It would not be injected or touch the patient. The chip would be scanned by health care workers in order to better track overall vaccine information.

"It is designed so there is no counterfeiting. It's designed so we'll know the right dose hasn't expired," Walker explained. "However that chip only refers to the dose. There's no personal information, no patient information, it's simply like a bar code, only we know instantaneously where and when that dose has been used. That also helps public health officials know, when there are outbreaks, 'Have we vaccinated enough people in those areas?'"

The pre-filled syringes will add to the limited number of traditionally manufactured vaccine supplies such as small glass vials used for every dose, specialized equipment necessary to fill each glass jar, stoppers, needles, and syringes.

The Disturbing Campaign against Tucker Carlson

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/re-re-re-re-the-disturbing-campaign-against-tucker-carlson/

Rich writes: “You could subject a lot of prime-time hosts on other networks to such fine-grained interrogation and they’d be found wanting, yet for some reason there’s no campaign to get compliant advertisers to ruin their TV careers, and no mobs show up at their homes.”

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There are plenty of valid criticisms to make of Tucker Carlson as a practitioner of the forensic arts. But if Tucker had always behaved with perfect intellectual probity and had treated his opponents and their arguments with absolutely perfect charity, the same people would be trying to destroy him, using the same tactics and the same arguments, for the same two reasons: The minor reason is that they think that this will help them to hold political power, and the major reason is that they enjoy hurting people and will take any opportunity to do so.

To be clear: They do not desire to hurt people because they hate them — they hate them because they desire to hurt people. What we call “cancel culture” is very little more than free-floating sadism in search of a target. Nobody gets up in the morning hating Justine Sacco or some obscure data analyst nobody’s ever heard of. Sadists get up in the morning wanting to hurt people as a form of recreation, and they find targets, and construct reasons to hate those targets, retrofitting the moral justification onto the sadism, because sadism with self-righteousness is much more enjoyable than sadism on its own — it’s bacon and eggs. These are people who don’t get enough of a kick out of pulling the wings off of flies but who don’t have the stomach to torture stray cats or cannibalize hitchhikers or whatever it is that more ambitious sadists did before there was Twitter.

Preliminary Research Says 70% of Those Infected With Coronavirus Don't Pass It On

https://www.sciencealert.com/70-of-those-infected-with-the-coronavirus-don-t-pass-it-on-says-preliminary-research

A group of epidemiologists in Hong Kong found that just 20 percent of cases studied there were responsible for 80 percent of all coronavirus transmissions.

The researchers also found 70 percent of people infected with the coronavirus didn't pass it to anyone else and that all superspreading events involved indoor social gatherings.

"That's the picture we have so far," Ben Cowling, one of the study coauthors, told Business Insider.

"Superspreading events are happening more than we expected, more than what could be explained by chance. The frequency of superspreading is beyond what we could have imagined."

The research has been published in a preprint publication, which means it's yet to undergo peer review - so more work needs to be done to confirm this result.

But that information could inform how policymakers craft rules to keep people safe.

"Now we know which measures might give you the most bang for your buck – if we could stop the superspreading from happening, we'd benefit the most people," Cowling said.

G'night bros and hoes.