December 2023 – Page 2

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-15

Voices, The Peoples News

December 15, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Indigenous / Global
Brazil’s congress weakens protection of Indigenous lands, defying Lula: While Brazil vows to fight climate change, lawmakers approved a law making it harder for Indigenous tribes to block deforestation https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/brazil-congress-indigenous-rights-fffc3e9ed5ccade64dd0064d375f763a__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfAWxIVgq$

In the Ecuadorian Amazon, oil threatens decades of Indigenous-led conservation: Ecuador’s Socio Bosque project has been key to safeguarding the rainforest. Now, the country’s state-owned oil company is exploiting its many loopholes.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://grist.org/global-indigenous-affairs-desk/in-the-ecuadorian-amazon-oil-threatens-decades-of-indigenous-led-conservation/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfP0iiEPl$

# Animals / Pets / Alerts
1,200 tonnes of fish washing ashore is unknown, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’: The sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea near the fishing port of Hakodate in Hokkaido. Experts have speculated that the migratory fish in both areas had become stranded after being chased to the point of exhaustion by amberjack and other predatory fish. Mass mortality events can also occur when there are sudden drops in the water temperature, causing the fish to go into shock, they added.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/14/ive-never-seen-anything-like-this-japan-says-reason-behind-1200-tonnes-of-fish-washing-ashore-is-unknown__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfHrqDfVN$

# Border / Immigration / Migrants
Multiple IEDs Discovered at the US-Mexican Border After Threat Levels Heightened: The United States-Mexico border has become the scene of violence normally associated with countries such as Iraq and Syria. The Mexican military has recovered no fewer than 10 improvised explosive devices at the international frontier this week
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.westernjournal.com/multiple-ieds-discovered-us-mexican-border-threat-levels-heightened/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfO5wRCaK$

Chicago threatens to impound buses dropping migrants in the middle of traffic: An influx of migrants from border cities has put Chicago at the center of the immigrant debate in the U.S. as it and other large sanctuary cities struggle to shelter and care for new arrivals. Alders voted to allow local officials to impound buses that bring migrants to the area outside official hours and the official landing zone, effective immediately. Buses have violated the rules at least 77 times, according to the city’s law department.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_ffedbd0c-9aa4-11ee-8cda-f34c7bd8f09e.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfBUWXXcl$

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals / Global
COP28 Punts on Emissions and Migration Challenges: Negotiations went off the rails and barely recovered, if that. Protesters at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, December 12, 2023. Inside the conference, participating nations most at risk from climate change and related sea level rise pressed for a commitment to phase out fossil fuels.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/environment/2023-12-14-cop28-emissions-migration-challenges/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfBTYsA5i$

# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure # Food / Farming / GMOs / Chemicals / Technology Deep Sand Technology and GEODNET Foundation collaborate to enhance precision agriculture in rural North America: Deep Sand Technology (DST) has become the go-to source for affordable Autosteering and GPS Guidance for new and older equipment. It announces the immediate availability of a GEODNET-compatible RTK base-station, supporting centimeter-accurate operations without the need to install a UHF radio link.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231212361438/en/Deep-Sand-Technology-and-the-GEODNET-Foundation-Join-Forces-to-Bring-Affordable-Precision-Agriculture-RTK-Services-in-Rural-North-America__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfGk68RG7$

# General News
Revealed: Trump reportedly plans to deploy hundreds of thousands of troops in U.S: In his first term, Trump’s plans to send troops to “war” on the southern border were thwarted. This time, he’s talking about sending up to 300,000 there. Donald Trump’s plans to give himself sweeping powers on “day one” of a new administration include sending vast numbers of U.S. troops, potentially “hundreds of thousands,” to close the southern border and to help build a new network of immigrant detention camps. “If he gets re-elected, I think it would be foolish to think he would just let it go again,” Taylor says.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rawstory.com/trump-deploy-us-troops/*:*:text=The*20outlet*20spoke*20to*20multiple,makeshift*20detention*20camps*20to*20quarter__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfHCQTR-V$

# Gov / Politics
The world is at war, and America is exhausted: Many things are wearing out Americans these days, from security anxieties to real-world conflicts. German and Dutch authorities just foiled a major attack planned against Jews by Hamas, during a holiday season where many people may be traveling to Europe. News that a 13-year-old allegedly plotted to blow up a synagogue in Ohio is beyond disturbing. The fatigue is real; it is not surprising that the Biden administration reportedly is pressing Israel to wrap up its war in Gaza.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4361892-the-world-is-at-war-and-america-is-exhausted/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfEYR-eMV$

Senate Sticks Around To Help Ukraine As House Republicans Skip Town: A bipartisan deal that includes sharper immigration limits and a tougher border policy in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine is proving elusive on Capitol Hill. The Senate delayed the start of its holiday break Thursday to allow for more time to reach a deal on the emergency spending bill that lawmakers hope will pair U.S. assistance to Ukraine with major immigration reforms. But the GOP-controlled House recessed and isn’t scheduled to return until 2024.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ukraine-immigration-senate_n_657b70c3e4b08e9b4109a178?utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hp-us-reg-morning-email_2023-12-15&utm_term=us-morning-email&email_hash=a0fc9b12cacd32ea6c05c417239d9ca02ed55e16__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfHWqueuq$

Progressive Caucus Opposes Defense Bill Over Excess Spending, FISA Extension: The caucus is recommending that members vote against the perennial defense authorization bill, in part because it could extend warrantless spying through this Congress https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/civil-rights/2023-12-13-progressive-caucus-defense-bill-fisa-extension/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfPvPiJmn$

A ‘black hole’ exists in state lobbying disclosures: There’s “a yawning disclosure black hole” around corporate lobbying at the state level, according to a new report that relied on corporate governance data from company and state government websites, as well as state-level lobbying data
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thehill.com/lobbying/4357754-state-level-corporate-lobbying-disclosures-report/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfC7Ygq7N$

A Wealthy President Biden Nominee Raises‌ Concerns Over Campaign Donations: A wealthy nominee for a key transportation board appointed by President Joe Biden has come under scrutiny for his dual role as a campaign donor and bundler, according to Federal Election Commission records. The nominee, Samuel Slater, was chosen by President Biden in 2021 to serve on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which ‌oversees the Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International airports in Virginia. However, his nomination faced obstacles in the Senate Commerce Committee, leading to his renomination by Biden earlier this year. During a November hearing, Slater expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity to serve on the‌ MWAA’s Board.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/jet-owning-biden-nominee-poured-major-cash-into-presidents-campaign-swampy/?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=conservnewsd__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfAAsd8LE$

Texas Independence Vote Is Imminent, Group’s Leader Says: The leader of a movement advocating Texan independence says that a referendum vote on the issue is close. Daniel Miller and members of the Texas National Movement delivered 139,456 signatures to the Republican Party headquarters in Austin.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/15/texas-secession-texit/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfEghjZmm$

Risk of war with China is real and rising: There has been no shortage of dire predictions of how a war with China might go, especially now that the war in Ukraine has revealed the inability of the U.S. defense base to supply and resupply the millions of rounds of munitions that are required by modern warfare, the asymmetric advantage of cheap drone warfare
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.airandspaceforces.com/escalation-china-war-taiwan-strait/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfEI9kSLM$

Democracy is a culture, and Trump is destroying it: As worrying as the prospect of a second Trump term is, the damage he and his allied movement have already done to American democratic culture is not hypothetical: It’s already here, it’s getting worse, and it will likely persist, even if Trump loses in 2024. Trump has already robbed us of our sense of security and faith in our democracy. The consequences of that theft are not abstract, but rather ones we’ll all have to deal with for years to come.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.vox.com/2023/12/15/23990986/trump-2024-democracy-consolidated-culture-campaign__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfJl4Z5J8$

Michigan Islamic scholar calls on Western Muslims to embrace jihad: Michigan imam is seen on video praising jihad and blaming the US for the ‘genocide in Palestine’ – as experts say it’s another example of the rising danger of extremism and more than TWO MILLION people are added to America’s terror watchlist
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12868223/Michigan-imam-jihad-genocide-Palestine-extremism.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfK5LSP2u$

# Juvenile / Children / Youth
# Law Enforcment
She miscarried in her bathroom. Now she’s charged with abuse of a corpse: Ohio woman’s miscarriage leads to case before grand jury: Forensic pathologist testified the fetus was “non-viable” due to “premature ruptured membranes” as Watts water broke early. “The fetus was too young to be delivered,” Sterbenz said. The forensic pathologist added that the autopsy report found no injury to the fetus and the baby had died before passing through the birth canal.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nypost.com/2023/12/06/news/ohio-womans-miscarriage-will-go-before-grand-jury-after-birthing-stillborn-in-toilet/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfEpdSt-7$

Attorney To File Federal Lawsuit Over Black Child Arrested For Urinating In Mississippi: An attorney in Mississippi is preparing to file a federal lawsuit after a 10-year-old Black child was arrested and sentenced to a three-month probation for urinating in public, outside his mother’s car. Police took the child to a jail cell and questioned him without her present
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mississippi-child-arrested-urinating_n_657b77fee4b0e142c0bcf5e1__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfHX9VTAY$

“A Slippery Slope”: NYPD Is Relocating Reporters From Police HQ to a Trailer: Officials say the move is for space reasons. But it comes “against a backdrop of complaints about the coverage of crime,” says one veteran crime reporter, which has “raised everybody’s antenna.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.vanityfair.com/news/nypd-reporters-trailer*:*:text=Officials*20say*20the*20move*20is,has*20**Braised*20everybody’s*20antenna.**B__;I34lJSUlJeKAnCUl4oCd!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfCxnea7L$

# Legal / DOJ
Billionaires Are Bankrolling Judges’ Luxury Travel: In 2021 and 2022, two conservative, billionaire-funded legal interests sent more than 100 federal judges on 251 trips to conferences and seminars in cushy locations around the country and overseas, according to a review of hundreds of federal financial disclosure forms.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.levernews.com/billionaires-are-bankrolling-judges-luxury-travel/*:*:text=In*202021*20and*202022*2C*20two,of*20federal*20financial*20disclosure*20forms__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfGEIgzWw$

Charge Upgraded Against Senator’s Son After Deputy’s Death: Ian Cramer faces new drug charges, including cocaine and methamphetamine possession. A judge on Thursday approved new charges against Ian Cramer, the son of Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who was accused of leading police in a car chase on Dec. 6 that led to the death of North Dakota sheriff’s deputy Paul Martin. While Ian Cramer had initially faced a manslaughter charge, the judge upgraded that offense to a homicide charge which says that the death was caused negligently instead of recklessly, according to the Associated Press.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/15/n-d-senators-son-faces-homicide-charge-after-car-crash-kills-deputy/71929252007/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfK0wTB7T$

# LGBTQ / Gender
An Ohio bill cracking down on health care and sports participation for transgender youth is headed to the desk of Gov. Mike DeWine (R). It’s unclear if DeWine will sign it. The Ohio legislature gave its final approval Wednesday to House Bill 68, which would ban transgender youth from accessing gender-confirming surgery and non-surgical interventions, including hormone treatments and puberty blockers. (The latter is how medical providers typically treat transgender youth with the approval of the patient’s parents.)
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ohio-anti-trans-youth-bill-dewine_n_657b51e2e4b00e36d2d69126__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfOmExEJW$

# Medical / Health
Major health insurance company faces disturbing allegations of ‘fraudulent scheme’: Health insurance company Humana is being accused of allegedly wrongfully denying care to elderly patients, who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans, using an augmented intelligence model “to override” physicians’ orders on “necessary care patients require,” according to a new lawsuit.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/health/major-health-insurance-company-faces-disturbing-allegations-of-fraudulent-scheme__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfH3pHHAB$

‘Long flu’ has emerged as a consequence similar to long COVID: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, extensive research has emerged detailing the virus’s ability to attack multiple organ systems, potentially resulting in a set of enduring and often disabling health problems known as long COVID. New research from Washington University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System indicates that people hospitalized with seasonal influenza also can suffer long-term, negative health effects, especially involving their lungs and airways.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12-flu-emerged-consequence-similar-covid.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfARQn_RA$

# Military / DOD
‘We saw him try to do it’: Expert raises alarm over Trump’s plan to co-opt the military: Trump in his one term tried to impose his will on the Pentagon but didn’t know enough to be successful. Giving him a second bite of the apple would be dangerous.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rawstory.com/trump-military-2666591701/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfCXxjCbL$

# Military / Global
China’s risky maneuvers around the US military are part of a long-running plan to use ‘the enemy to train the troops’: US officials are alarmed by a sharp increase in unsafe interactions with Chinese jets and ships. Close encounters raise the risk of an accident that could escalate to conflict, the officials say.3
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.businessinsider.com/with-close-calls-china-uses-us-to-train-its-troops-2023-12__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfE9_0Pba$

Israeli Troops Kill Child, Block Ambulances and Tear-Gas Hospital in Occupied West Bank: Israeli forces killed an unarmed 17-year-old boy inside the Khalil Suleiman Hospital. Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, also witnessed Israeli soldiers blocking medical workers in ambulances carrying discharged patients home.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/15/headlines/israeli_troops_kill_child_block_ambulances_and_tear_gas_hospital_in_occupied_west_bank*:*:text=In*20the*20occupied*20West*20Bank,ambulances*20carrying*20discharged*20patients*20home__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfJw8_gMX$

Israeli army kills unarmed Palestinian teen in Jenin hospital: Medical charity MSF: MSF accuses Israeli forces of blocking ambulances, humiliating, harassing medical staff Israel’s Military Chief Says Gaza Assault Will Last “More Than Several Months”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-kills-unarmed-palestinian-teen-in-jenin-hospital-medical-charity-msf/3082735__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfBQQV4Mh$

West Bank: Spike in Israeli Killings of Palestinian Children: End Systematic Impunity for Unlawful Lethal Force. The Israeli military and border police forces are killing Palestinian children with virtually no recourse for accountability.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/28/west-bank-spike-israeli-killings-palestinian-children__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfE5hCmAT$

# Social
Nearly 1.7 million Texans lose Medicaid as state nears end of ‘unwinding’: Texas has booted the most people from Medicaid of any state in the country. A majority of those removed lost their health insurance coverage because of procedural errors. The state’s health agency has neared the end of a chaotic process to remove people from state Medicaid insurance who became ineligible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 1.7 million Texans have lost their health insurance. In Texas, Medicaid mainly covers poor children, their mothers, and disabled and senior adults.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/texas-medicaid-unwinding/?utm_source=Texas*Tribune*Newsletters&utm_campaign=4a088b3609-trib-newsletters-thebrief&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4a088b3609-*5BLIST_EMAIL_ID*5D&mc_cid=4a088b3609&mc_eid=6f15633605__;KyslJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfDxk71m0$

# Space
Strongest Solar Flare in Years Disrupts Radio Signals: Multiple pilots complained about communication difficulties. A NASA telescope has captured the biggest solar flare in years, which temporarily knocked out radio communication on Earth. The sun spit out the huge flare along with a massive radio burst on Thursday, causing two hours of radio interference in parts of the U.S. and other sunlit parts of the world.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.voanews.com/a/7400188.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfBcPaWvU$

NASA Study Finds Life-Sparking Energy Source and Molecule at Enceladus: A study zooms in on data that NASA’s Cassini gathered at Saturn’s icy moon and finds evidence of a key ingredient for life and a supercharged source of energy to fuel it.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/nasa-study-finds-life-sparking-energy-source-and-molecule-at-enceladus/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfPoPTVTB$

China’s Shenlong space plane embarks on another secretive mission in space: The launch comes just seven months after the spacecraft’s last mission, a much quicker follow-up compared to the first and second launches which happened 23 months apart, SpaceNews reports.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.space.com/china-space-plane-launch-x-37b-delay__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfI4IyWso$

What Korea discovered about the Moon: One half of the Moon is more electrically conductive than the other, according to measurements from a South Korean spacecraft. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, nicknamed Danuri, has been studying the Moon since beginning its orbit last December. Scientists speculate that the far side of the Moon is hotter, or perhaps contains more water in its interior than does the near side. Among the observations reported at the meeting were the results of the gamma-ray spectrometer aboard Danuri. This instrument measures high-energy electromagnetic radiation coming from the lunar surface, which can reveal the chemical make-up of the minerals there.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-04005-2?utm_source=Live*Audience&utm_campaign=9920bbc34c-briefing-dy-20231215&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b27a691814-9920bbc34c-50037248__;Kw!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfELy2E90$

# UFO Disclosure / Other
The Senate Just Passed Its Massive Defense Bill: Here’s What That Means for UAP Disclosure: The new legislation, currently referenced as the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Disclosure Act of 2023, will provide “the expeditious disclosure of unidentified anomalous phenomena records,” according to a version that appeared online on Friday. The legislation is expected to be introduced as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thedebrief.org/the-uap-disclosure-act-of-2023-what-we-know-about-chuck-schumer-and-the-senates-new-push-for-uap-transparency/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfGkSt5Kh$

US Congress Gives Government Authority to Keep UFO Information Secret: If the truth about UFOs is out there, the American government doesn’t want you to see it yet. Just months after US space agency Nasa appointed a research director of unidentified anomalous phenomena, and promised more transparency about what it knows, the US Congress has acted to throttle the flow of information that ultimately reaches the public.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/15/ufo-records-release-congress__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfOx_ghal$

Congress scraps provision to declassify information about UFOs, aliens: Congress dropped a provision to release government secrets about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) from the National Defense Authorization Act. The move came as a big disappointment for Democrats and Republicans who want the government to share more of what it knows regarding aliens. “The United States government has gathered a great deal of information about UAPs over many decades but has refused to share it with the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “That is wrong, and additionally, it breeds mistrust.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://san.com/cc/congress-scraps-provision-to-declassify-information-about-ufos-aliens/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!3MqcenA11ww2Iot8MGeVVdICdO2n6m8ghcDcQS932lG6Cq-nGFoIQOqAqnu7xtgqe7oqO77QIwbHVo_bkxORiuLLfGgJY7-Y$

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Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-14

Voices, The Peoples News

December 14, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Border / Immigration / Migrants
Hispanic groups ready to ‘resist’ Texas’ push to detain migrants: Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, talks about how grassroots groups plan to “resist” SB4 once Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs it. On Wednesday, they announced a “Know-your-rights campaign” to report abuses once Gov. Greg Abbott signs SB4 into law. The bill approved this year by the Texas Legislature empowers peace officers in the state to inquire about immigration status and bans local governments from limiting assistance to federal immigration agencies. Immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers say Texas is usurping federal authority and likely will face lawsuits once Abbott signs the bill. They expect that to happen in the coming days.
https://www.blair.com/john-blair-aviator-leather-jacket/8854127.html?cid=rt_bl_criteo_nca_cvn_bnr_simaud&cto_pld=sZ1Yz9jeAAAgCGEKEGtY6Q

LAPD chief says department is leading nationwide movement to arm DACA police officers: As the United States experiences a record number of migrant encounters at the southern border, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore says his Department is taking the nationwide lead on a unique immigration challenge: allowing non-citizen DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients who become sworn officers the ability to carry a firearm full-time.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/lapd-chief-says-department-leading-nationwide-movement-arm-daca-police-officers

# Chemicals
A Texas Community is Being Bombarded by Cancer-Causing Benzene. State Officials Have Known for Nearly Two Decades: In 2005, Texas regulators documented startling amounts of benzene in a community outside Houston. Instead of solving the problem, they allowed a known benzene polluter to expand — a decision scientists worry could haunt residents for years to come.
https://publichealthwatch.org/2023/12/13/houston-chemical-air-pollution-benzene/

Never heard of the Heartland Health Research Alliance? Here’s how the organic and tort-lawyer funded sham research center generates disinformation about glyphosate and other farm chemicals. The objective behind creating HHRA was for it to run the Heartland Study (which was already raising funds from organic and litigator special interests prior to the HHRA formation). When public-funding opportunities for the Heartland Study started becoming more lucrative, the group quickly erased any links with tort law firms and removed references to the wily maverick, Benbrook and his family members staffing these efforts.
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2023/12/13/viewpoint-never-heard-of-the-heartland-health-research-alliance-heres-how-the-organic-and-tort-lawyer-funded-sham-research-center-generates-disinformation-about-glyphosate-and-other-farm-chemical/?mc_cid=6bb1ac0516&mc_eid=c87bac2a19

# Corporations / Industry
Are ESG, environmental, social and governance, goals the next step in corporate citizenship or an activist imposition? Many see it as the next evolutionary step in corporate citizenship after product stewardship and Corporate Social Responsibility while others see it as an activist imposition of certain subjective concepts of sustainability encouraged by consultants and investment fund managers.
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2023/12/14/viewpoint-are-esg-environmental-social-and-governance-goals-the-next-step-in-corporate-citizenship-or-an-activist-imposition/?mc_cid=6bb1ac0516&mc_eid=c87bac2a19

# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
One-Third of Bank Tellers Are on Public Assistance: They handle great sums of money each day, but they’re not earning enough to live on. Fast food and Wal-Mart workers are not the only ones scraping by on minimum wage and depending on public assistance to make ends meet. Bank tellers also often make barely living wages and have to rely on government aid to get by. The report’s findings were based on research conducted by the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California at Berkeley. The committee also interviewed 5,000 bank tellers, customer service representatives and technicians on the details of their employment, including salary and benefits.
https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/one-third-of-bank-tellers-are-on-public-assistance-12206109

# Education / School
Outraged parents and church leaders criticize new Satanic Temple after-school club due to start at an elementary school in January saying: ‘Satan has no room in this district.’
https://thehill.com/homenews/education/3990175-after-school-satan-clubs-gain-popularity-amid-legal-victories/

# General News
Poll finds few likely voters want Trump to be exiled or put to death if convicted: Poll finds few likely voters want Trump to be exiled or put to death if convicted. Almost half of likely voters think former President Donald Trump is guilty of trying to overturn the 2020 election
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_fc0e5be2-99fa-11ee-8e2d-3b5e67766184.html

Poll Worker: Rudy’s Election Lies Sparked Lynching Threats: Ruby Freeman said one emailer said they wanted to hear her “neck snap” when she was hung for what they alleged was treason. Ruby Freeman, one of two Georgia poll workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defaming them after the 2020 election, recounted a slew of horrifying emails in federal court Wednesday, including emails where election deniers threatened to lynch her. “You are dead,” she recalled one email saying, according to Law & Crime.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2023/dec/12/harvard-president-antisemitism-us-politics-giuliani-zelenskiy?page=with:block-6578899b8f0889f38750a762

# Gov / Politics / Global
Zelenskiy to meet Nordic leaders vowing support for Ukraine: Meeting in Oslo comes on the heels of Zelenskiy’s DC trip. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Oslo to meet some of this strongest supporters, having left Washington without a clear commitment on $61 billion in aid
https://news.yahoo.com/zelenskiy-meet-nordic-leaders-vowing-102131447.html#:~:text=(Bloomberg)%20%2D%2D%20President%20Volodymyr%20Zelenskiy,on%20%2461%20billion%20in%20aid.

Nordic nations vow to back Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’ during Zelenskiy visit: The five Nordic nations told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during talks in Oslo on Wednesday that they would support his country “for as long as it takes” in its struggle to drive out Russian forces.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-president-zelenskiy-surprise-visit-norway-2023-12-13/

China’s Xi meets with Vietnamese prime minister on second day of visit to shore up ties Chinese leader Xi Jinping has met with Vietnam’s prime minister and the head of the country’s National Assembly on the second day of his visit to shore up Beijing’s relationship with Hanoi
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/chinas-xi-meets-vietnamese-prime-minister-day-visit-105613709

China, Vietnam hail upgrade of ties; agree to boost security efforts: China and Vietnam agreed to step up co-operation on security matters in their move towards becoming a community with a “shared future”, they said on Wednesday, as Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a visit to Hanoi. On Xi’s two-day trip, the Communist-ruled neighbours, close in economic areas but at odds over boundaries in the South China Sea, signed dozens of co-operation pacts and agreed to set up more hotlines to defuse any emergencies in the contested waters.
https://www.reuters.com/world/chinas-xi-meets-vietnam-leaders-second-day-state-visit-hanoi-2023-12-13/

# Gov / Politics
Republicans Are Sending a Dangerous Message to the Rest of the World: The Ukrainian president had flown 5,000 miles to patch up his fraying relationship with Washington legislators. On his previous two trips, they’d practically hoisted him on their shoulders, cheering him as democracy’s great brave hope. But this time, in a series of meetings, the Republican lawmakers brushed him off, shrugged that the romance was over, then tacked on that hoariest of evasions: It’s not you, it’s us.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/republicans-are-sending-a-dangerous-message-to-the-rest-of-the-world/ar-AA1ltjtQ?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=df581af8138c49e9b2f3fc973b74dd0a&ei=11

‘A dangerous game’: Republican chaos and indecision as crises shake the world: Israel and Gaza explode, Ukraine asks for more help and other predicaments demand US attention while Republicans quarrel among themselves
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/14/house-speaker-republican-leadership-absent-us-aid-israel-gaza-ukraine

Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn avoid questions about Kate Cox abortion case Both Republican senators, who are fierce anti-abortion advocates, declined to comment on their state Supreme Court’s decision to deny Cox an abortion despite a fatal fetal diagnosis.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/ted-cruz-john-cornyn-avoid-questions-kate-cox-abortion-case-rcna129407

Satanic Temple altar at the Iowa state capitol has Republicans seething: Outcry emerged after the un-Christian-like altar was erected on the first floor of the Iowa State Capitol earlier this month, prompting the public and lawmakers to call for its removal. Others have maintained keeping the shrine up is a matter of free speech and freedom of religion.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/satanic-temple-altar-iowa-state-capitol_n_6579d801e4b0db9d2ab7d349

House votes to back impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden: The House on Wednesday authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, with every Republican rallying behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-impeachment-inquiry-mike-johnson-94884b322da40ca9315ac5f4e73a3e86

Hunter Biden defies congressional subpoena: Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena Wednesday by refusing to appear for a deposition with the House Oversight Committee, the latest development in the impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/13/hunter-biden-appearance-capitol-hill-testimony-00131508

This Is Not a War Against Hamas, Israel’s Dystopian Game Show: The horrifying nature of the October 7 attacks led by Hamas do not in any way, morally or legally, justify what Israel has done to the civilian population of Gaza, more than 18,000 of whom have died in a 60-day period. Nothing justifies the killing of children on an industrial scale. Biden and other U.S. officials continue to defend the indefensible by rolling out their well-worn and twisted notion of Israel’s right to “self-defense.” This justification only works for Israel because the Palestinians can enact no such destruction upon Israel and its people. It has no army, no navy, no air force, no powerful nation states to provide it with the most modern and lethal military hardware. It does not have hundreds of nuclear weapons. Israel can burn Gaza and its people to the ground because the U.S. facilitates it, politically and militarily.
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/11/israel-hamas-war-civilians-biden/

Senate to Delay Holiday Recess in Hopes of Reaching Border Deal: The Senate will delay its planned holiday recess and return to the Capitol next week in an attempt to give negotiators more time to reach an elusive deal on a $110.5 billion supplemental spending bill including border policy changes and aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4360737-border-deal-senate-recess/

# Law Enforcment
How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras: Hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars have been spent on what was sold as a revolution in transparency and accountability. Instead, police departments routinely refuse to release footage — even when officers kill.
https://www.propublica.org/article/nypd-mulkeen-police-body-camera-footage-denied

Behind bars and beyond burgers: Exposing Alabama’s prison labor exploitation: This lawsuit seeks not only to compensate those who have been exploited, but also to dismantle a system that generates an estimated $450 million annually from this coerced labor.
https://www.nationofchange.org/2023/12/14/behind-bars-and-beyond-burgers-exposing-alabamas-prison-labor-exploitation/

# Media
Video: ‘Civil War’ movie where president bombs American citizens in near future to premiere in 2024: A different kind of “Civil War” will debut in 2024 ahead of the presidential election, courtesy of a new movie whose trailer just came out. Written and directed by Alex Garland, “Civil War” is described in a tagline as “a race to the White House in a near-future America balanced on the razor’s edge.”
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/a24-civil-war-trailer-asks-141222285.html

Mother Jones Merging With Center for Investigative Reporting: The progressive magazine and the investigative nonprofit will complete the merger next year. Most of the news about the journalism business right now is grim. Storied newsrooms are being hollowed out and sold to hedge funds. Once-hot digital startups are cutting back and closing down.
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2023/12/mother-jones-reveal-center-investigative-reporting-merger-non-profit-newsroom/

# Military / DOD
Senate passes final defense policy bill: The Senate overwhelmingly passed 87-13, a compromise annual defense policy bill, teeing up a final vote in the House before it heads to the White House for the president’s signature. The compromise bill authorizes limited assistance for Ukraine, implements AUKUS and institutionalizes a nuclear weapon.
https://www.defensenews.com/congress/budget/2023/12/14/senate-passes-final-defense-policy-bill/#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%95%20The%20Senate%20on%20Wednesday,House%20for%20the%20president’s%20signature

Ukraine, Mideast conflicts place renewed pressure on Patriot units: The U.S. Army worked for the better part of a decade to reduce the pressure on troops operating Patriot air defense systems, but the increasing demand for the technology has mostly undone that progress, according to the service’s director of institutional planning for fires and joint capabilities
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2023/12/13/ukraine-mideast-conflicts-place-renewed-pressure-on-patriot-units/

Robots in the ranks: Army integrating robots in two platoons: Soldiers at both the Maneuver Center of Excellence and the National Training Center are testing out new platoon formations that integrate robots and other technology into dangerous combat scenarios.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/12/13/robots-in-the-ranks-army-integrating-robots-in-two-platoons/

Global conflicts spur a ‘race’ to develop, field electronic warfare systems: “It is imperative that we, in concert with our allies and partners, remain committed to prioritizing our warfighters’ freedom of action and ability to achieve spectrum superiority,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said, citing the prominence of EW capabilities in Ukraine and the Middle East.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/12/global-conflicts-spur-a-race-to-develop-field-electronic-warfare-systems-navy-secretary/

US Navy subs are getting a drone that can launch through a torpedo tube: For the first time, a U.S. Navy submarine has tested an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that can leave and re-enter the sub through a torpedo tube. The capability to deploy a drone through an existing hatch creates new opportunities for surveillance, scouting and other missions. A U.S. Navy submarine has tested an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that can leave and re-enter the sub through a torpedo tube. The capability to deploy a drone through an existing hatch creates new opportunities for surveillance, scouting and other missions.1
https://maritime-executive.com/article/us-navy-subs-are-getting-a-drone-that-can-launch-through-a-torpedo-tube#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20time%2C%20a,surveillance%2C%20scouting%20and%20other%20missions

Pennsylvania Army National Guard members to deploy to Horn of Africa: Members of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team are being called up for overseas deployment
https://www.pa.ng.mil/Site-Management/News-Article-View/Article/2867230/28th-id-soldiers-deploy-to-africa/

Let’s bring that margin back: China, Russia too close for comfort in electronic warfare, say generals: Be afraid; be moderately afraid. That’s the bottom-line assessment of where the US and its allies stand on electronic warfare compared to Russia and China, as distilled from a host of statements by current and former Air Force generals at the Association of Old Crows’ annual EW conference. After decades of neglect, jamming enemy radars and communications — and defending against enemy jamming in turn — is back on the agenda for the US and its allies. But China has had its eye on this ball much longer, even creating a Strategic Support Force in 2015, focused on EW, cyberwar and space, as the institutional equal of the traditional Army, Navy and air services.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/12/lets-bring-that-margin-back-china-russia-too-close-for-comfort-in-electronic-warfare-say-generals/

‘It’s not translating’: Army general says to focus on realistic robotic integration: “Every time it’s like, go watch one [robotic tactical vehicle] follow another one around the parking lot and it runs over the curb and I’m like, ‘Come on, we got to do better than this,” Gen. James Rainey said today.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/12/with-robotic-tank-formations-out-for-now-army-general-focuses-on-near-term-gains/

# Military / Global
UK, Italy, Japan ink GCAP stealth fighter treaty, reveal new program details: The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) partners of Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom have signed a new treaty that will now be sent to their elected representatives for approval, the partners announced today, while also revealing some new details about how the program is to be structured.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/12/uk-italy-japan-ink-gcap-stealth-fighter-treaty-reveal-new-program-details/

Norway to provide more air defense systems to Ukraine: Norway will donate more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, better known as NASAMS, to Ukraine, this time with a value of 335 million kroner (U.S. $31 million), the government said in a statement. Some will be donated from Norway´s own storage in order to ensure fast delivery to Ukraine, while additional systems will be ordered from the industry for later delivery.
https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/noreg-donerer-meir-luftvern-til-ukraina/id3018411/

Dismayed by Moscow’s war, Russian volunteers are joining Ukrainian ranks to fight Putin’s troops: When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ignited into war, back in Moscow, a young Russian who now goes by the name of Karabas was plunged into despair. Shocked by images of what was happening to Ukrainians in Russian-occupied areas, he decided to act — against Russia, his home and country.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-volunteer-troops-014f24506a74161e054b3947ef262873

# Pharmaceuticals / Drugs
Big Pharma Continues To Raise Drug Prices: CAP found that in July 2023, drug companies raised their list prices above the annual inflation rate of 3 percent for 112 drugs. Drug list prices exclude rebates and discounts applied throughout the drug financing supply chain, and these manufacturer-set prices apply across all payers.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/drug-companies-continue-to-hike-prices-above-inflation/#:~:text=CAP%20found%20that%20in%20July,prices%20apply%20across%20all%20payers.

# Science
CRISPR and other new technologies open doors for drug development, but which diseases get prioritized? It comes down to money and science: Drug development takes a great deal of time, money and effort. While future profits play a big factor in which diseases gets prioritized, advocacy and research incentives can also tilt the scale. Sickle cell disease made a great target for this technology because it was caused by a single genetic issue. It was also an attractive disease to focus on because it affects around 100,000 people in the U.S. and is costly to society
https://news.yahoo.com/crispr-other-technologies-open-doors-131022349.html

# Security
Trump Allies Are Giddy About House Intelligence Committee’s Surveillance Bill: The committee is pushing a bill that civil liberties experts say would amount to the largest expansion of domestic surveillance in decades. The federal government’s domestic spying powers come from Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which was revamped after 9/11 to create mass data collection powers, has been routinely abused and manipulated, and is set to expire at the end of this year.
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/11/house-intelligence-committee-section-702-surveillance/

# Space
NASA’s Space Station Laser Comm Terminal Achieves First Link: NASA’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) and the new space station demonstration, ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal), successfully exchanged data for the first time. LCRD and ILLUMA-T are demonstrating how a user mission, in this case the space station, can benefit from a laser communications relay located in geosynchronous orbit.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/tech-demonstration/laser-communications-relay/nasas-space-station-laser-comm-terminal-achieves-first-link/

# Veterans / VA
Members of Congress push San Diego VA to give more housing vouchers to homeless veterans: Four members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation are asking the local Veterans Affairs office to issue more housing vouchers amid a rise in homelessness among people who served in the military. The request comes after a Union-Tribune story showed that hundreds weren’t reaching the people who need them.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/story/2023-12-13/members-of-congress-push-san-diego-va-to-give-more-housing-vouchers-to-homeless-veterans

Top Republicans roll out bill to bar VA healthcare processing systems from being used for illegal migrants: Top GOP lawmakers roll out bill to weed out services for illegal migrants provided by VA healthcar
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-republicans-roll-out-bill-bar-va-healthcare-systems-used-illegal-migrants?utm_source=Newswav&utm_medium=Website

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Attention Readers:
Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.
NOTE: Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monitory gain to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the material for research and educational purposes. At any point, you can select the link in every email to subscribe, unsubscribe, or send news items: j.selman.1234@livingston.net
All content is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are not necessarily the views of Voices, The Peoples News, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and not Voices, The Peoples News. Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of International Copyright Law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
This email cannot be considered spam as long as we include: Contact information & a Remove Link. Reprinted under the Fair Use Law: Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-13

Voices, The Peoples News

December 13, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

‘Groundbreaking’ Legal Action Demands EPA Finally Ban Glyphosate: “EPA lacks a legal human health assessment of glyphosate to support its current use,” said a lawyer for the Center for Food Safety. “This petition is a blueprint for the Biden administration to do what the law and science require and finally cancel glyphosate’s registration,” said Pegga Mosavi, an attorney at the Center for Food Safety and counsel for the petitioners. “There is a wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that glyphosate endangers public health, and poses cancer risks to farmers and other Roundup users.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/farmworkers-environmental-groups-file-legal-action-demanding-roundup-ban__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD_Co-F4Z$

# Corporations / Industry
Ranchers suing Colorado, federal agencies over wolf reintroduction: A pair of trade groups representing Colorado ranchers are suing state and federal wildlife agencies to delay reintroducing gray wolves to the Western Slope. Two Colorado ranching organizations have filed a complaint against state and federal agencies requesting the reintroduction of wolves into the state be delayed.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coloradosun.com/2023/12/12/colorado-rancher-sue-block-wolves/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD5Wbz0Ug$

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Final COP28 Deal Riddled With ‘Cavernous Loopholes’ for Fossil Fuel Industry: The world agreed the centerpiece deal of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai on Wednesday, making an unprecedented call for transitioning away from fossil fuels. The agreement, known as the Global Stocktake, however, contains many loopholes that will allow for the continued use of coal, oil and gas.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.commondreams.org/news/cop28-final-deal__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD2AlCHv-$

COP28 names and shames fossil fuels: The United Nations climate conference, COP28, in Dubai has come to an end with a historic agreement that for the first time calls out fossil fuels by name. The deal includes a commitment to “transition away” from these fuels. It’s a painful compromise https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2023/dec/13/cop28-live-updates-news-agreement-outcomes-draft-text-fossil-fuels__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD87HY59o$

# Food / Farming / GMOs / Chemicals
Bill for wide-open retail sales of raw milk is introduced in Missouri: An up-and-coming conservative in the Missouri House of Representatives wants to upend raw milk safety in the “Show Me” state. Rep. Adam Schnelting has pre-filed House Bill 1711 for the next session of the Missouri Legislature, which gets underway in January. The raw milk products will require a “warning” label.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/12/bill-for-wide-open-retail-sales-of-raw-milk-is-introduced-in-missouri/*:*:text=HB*201711*20would*20make*20**BGrade,require*20a*20**Bwarning**C20label__;I34lJSUl4oCcJSXigJzigJ0l!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD_amW4xs$

FDA inspecting plant in Ecuador in applesauce lead situation; more children reported sick: Federal officials have begun an onsite inspection of a company in Ecuador that exported cinnamon applesauce to the United States that was used in three brands of applesauce traced to an outbreak of lead poisoning in children
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/wanabana-fruit-pouch-cinnamon-applesauce-ecuador-8a7bba763e7fdb79688dea6b2be79007__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD0VfvnjP$

# General Recalls / Alerts
Tesla Recalls 2 Million Cars to Fix Autopilot Safety Defect: A government investigation found the need for more alerts for drivers and a limit on situations where the Autopilot could be used.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/tesla-autopilot-recall-driver-monitoring-system-8060508627a34e6af889feca46eb3002__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDzrvXEtl$

# Gov / Politics / Global
UN Members Support Gaza Cease-Fire in Overwhelming 153-10 Vote: “Humanity has prevailed,” said Egyptian Ambassador Osama Abdel Khalek. “The Israeli aggression on Gaza must end. This bloodshed must stop.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.commondreams.org/news/united-nations-ceasefire-vote__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD80kz-5P$

Ukraine Is on the Cusp of Losing This War: ‘We’re Screwed’: Nearly three centuries of belligerences later, and with more than $200 billion of Western cash gambled on Ukraine beating Russia, the military academy that once trained Napoleon last week assembled 100 military, political, finance, academic, and business leaders with intimate knowledge of the war to privately game out what happens next. Before long, amid steely glances and chattering wine glasses, you’ll hear the anguished and morally obtuse story on the four lethal conflicts taking place in Ukraine: diplomatic, military, economic, and information.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dnyuz.com/2023/12/12/ukraine-is-on-the-cusp-of-losing-this-war-were-screwed/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDyKIkGxv$

UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly in favour of Gaza ceasefire: The United Nations General Assembly has passed a non-binding, symbolic resolution to demand an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, with the United States and Israel voting against it but an overwhelming number of member states in favour of an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/12/un-general-assembly-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-gaza-ceasefire__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD8kUZXOo$

PMs of Canada, Australia, New Zealand back ‘efforts’ toward Gaza ceasefire in joint statement: “We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza. The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” the three prime ministers said in a joint statement.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/13/albanese-calls-for-gaza-ceasefire-in-joint-statement-with-nz-and-canada-pms__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDwqpLVbK$

# Gov / Politics
GOP Rep. Secretly Sold Boeing Stock Ahead of Damning Report: In August 2020, Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) sold up to $50,000 in shares of aerospace giant Boeing, weeks before his committee released the damning results of its investigation into deadly crashes involving the company’s 737 Max airliner.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-rep-mike-garcia-secretly-sold-boeing-stock-ahead-of-damning-report*:*:text=In*20August*202020*2C*20Rep.*20Mike,the*20company’s*20737*20Max*20airliner__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD5iH6jnp$

Senators Accused Of Insider Trading, Dumping Stocks After Coronavirus Briefing: While telling the American public that there wasn’t much to worry about, they bailed out of their stock holdings to avoid large losses. In a bizzare quirk, we’ve permitted our politicians to do things that we can’t.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/03/20/senators-accused-of-insider-trading-dumping-stocks-after-coronavirus-briefings/?sh=21d16ab34a45__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD4CrIWQS$

Secret donors should be U.S. campaign issue: lawmaker: The influx of millions of dollars from unnamed donors to influence elections is a growing problem in U.S. politics and Democrats should make it an election issue, a senior Democratic lawmaker said. Representative Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, told the Reuters Washington Summit that more and more campaign advertising is coming from groups that are not required to disclose their donors’ identities.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.reuters.com/article/us-washington-summit-disclose-idUSBRE85Q00320120627/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDxIQ-RgD$

Republicans Brush Off Zelensky Plea for More Aid to Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with leaders in Washington on Tuesday to urgently plead his case for continued U.S. funding for his nation’s war against Russia. It didn’t make much difference, as key Republicans insisted that no Ukraine aid bill would pass unless border changes are included, and that time had run out to reach a deal by year’s end.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/newsletter/20231212-Republicans-Reject-Zelensky-Plea-More-Aid-Ukraine*:*:text=Republicans*20Brush*20Off*20Zelensky*20Plea*20for*20More*20Aid*20to*20Ukraine&text=It*20didn’t*20make*20much,a*20deal*20by*20year’s*20end__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD_pzsMXu$

Biden warns of “Christmas gift” to Putin as GOP shrugs off Zelensky visit: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disappointing visit to Capitol Hill confirmed his worst fears: The future of U.S. aid to Ukraine has become firmly affixed to one of the most intractable debates in American politics.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.axios.com/2023/12/12/biden-zelensky-ukraine-aid-republicans__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD8oSHrqS$

# Legal / DOJ
SCOTUS Will Hear Jan. 6 Appeal That Could Affect Trump Case: It could also have an impact on hundreds of other people charged over the Capitol riot. The Supreme Court indicated Wednesday it will take up a challenge to an obstruction law used against scores of Jan. 6 rioters, and former President Trump, this term. Joseph Fischer, a former police officer accused of being a Jan. 6 rioter, petitioned the high court to eliminate one of the several counts he faces: obstruction of an official proceeding.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4357873-supreme-court-will-hear-challenge-to-jan-6-obstruction-charge/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD2Fg-Y0d$

Senate Dems Push Thomas to Recuse Himself From Trump Case: Rep. Dick Durbin argued that the Supreme Court justice “ought to think twice” about whether to join in considering if Trump has immunity from federal prosecution. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and other Democrats on the panel argue that Thomas faces a conflict of interest because his wife Ginni was outspoken in support of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4356111-clarence-thomas-recuse-trump-immunity-senate-democrats/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD8cyUr8r$

# Media
Community in Shock as News Anchor’s Cause of Death Revealed: Tributes are flowing in for Emily Matson, who was described in a statement as a “shining light in our newsroom.” Emily Matson, who died after being hit by a train Monday morning in Fairview Township, according to The Erie Times-News and The New York Post.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://people.com/emily-matson-cause-of-death-ruled-suicide-anchor-8415173__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD4VAjN8U$

# Medical / Health
A Dallas mom’s attempt to get an abortion in Texas for her non-viable pregnancy showcases just how far the state is willing to go to enforce its abortion laws and puts a spotlight on the Texas Supreme Court. After a Travis County district judge cleared the way for Kate Cox, 31, to terminate her pregnancy, Ken Paxton petitioned the state’s highest court to halt the ruling.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/11/texas-abortion-lawsuit-kate-cox/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDyab_Ko_$

Republicans Want to Ban All Abortions, Even if It Kills Mothers: The anti-choice mask comes off in Texas
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/health/2023-12-13-republicans-would-ban-all-abortions/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDxI4hHjf$

The US Supreme Court Now Decide the Fate of Medication Abortion: The justices will decide whether to ban mifepristone, a drug used in half of US abortions. Mifepristone is part of a two-drug treatment that causes the uterus to expel pregnancy tissue. This two-drug regime, which may be taken up to the 70th day of a pregnancy, is often a safer alternative than surgical abortion, and it is also a less invasive procedure. More than half of all US abortions are medication abortions, which use mifepristone.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/12/13/23992173/supreme-court-abortion-ban-mifepristone-danco-fda-alliance-hippocratic-medicine__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD3j0Wibk$

# Pharmaceuticals / Drugs
Sanofi Ends Deal With Maze For Rare Disease Drug After FTC Monopoly Suit: Agency says Maze license would cement Sanofi monopoly. $755 million Maze deal involved drug for rare Pompe disease
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-11/ftc-sues-to-block-sanofi-purchase-of-maze-for-rare-disease-drug__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD4sjTX5c$

FTC Seeks to Block Sanofi’s Acquisition of Rare Disease Drug that Threatens Sanofi’s Monopoly Deal with Maze Therapeutics would eliminate a nascent competitor to Sanofi in Pompe disease drugs, threatening to stall innovation and deprive patients of lower drug prices
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/12/ftc-seeks-block-sanofis-acquisition-rare-disease-drug-threatens-sanofis-monopoly__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD494BleQ$

# Transportation
Boeing releases ‘provocative’ internal emails about 737 MAX: Boeing this evening released a trove of documents related to its grounded 737 MAX, including emails among company employees related to simulator qualification that House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) called “incredibly damning.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2020/01/boeing-releases-provocative-internal-emails-about-737-max-1859530__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDya9t3eh$

# Veterans / VA
Toxin Exposure Found In Nearly Half Of Veterans Screened So Far: Announcing the 5 million screening milestone, the VA revealed that 2.1 million veterans, or 43 percent of those screened, were potentially exposed to such substances during their service. A variety of toxic exposures can come up in these screenings, but the most common were exposures to burn pits and Agent Orange
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fox59.com/news/national-world/nearly-half-of-5-million-veterans-screened-found-to-have-potential-toxic-substance-exposure/*:*:text=Announcing*20the*205*20million*20screening,such*20substances*20during*20their*20service.&text=A*20variety*20of*20toxic*20exposures,burn*20pits*20and*20Agent*20Orange__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYD_ILTcR3$

Texas attorney general sues company accused of preying on veterans: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit seeking damages and a permanent injunction against the Austin-based company VA Claims Insider, alleging it engaged in “deceptive acts and practices.” The complaint claims that the company inaccurately promotes certain services as “free” before locking veterans into contracts that demand large sums of money. The charges echo allegations from a Texas Tribune investigation published in July.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/12/texas-attorney-general-va-claims-insider-veterans/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!0kg0uVGO6Bi932zoY5XdRhPGCUiBPYwsYDhPmiddfgwkLFVW9WxANHHRZ9yLUWlSV8fsnsVdW5IZeiqHYSox-nxYDx3A9C4v$

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-12

Voices, The Peoples News

December 12, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Corporations / Industry
Project Veritas CEO Abandons Ship: ‘Unsalvageable Mess’: Hannah Giles, who was named chief executive after founder James O’Keefe’s ouster earlier this year, said she’d found “strong evidence of past illegality” at the nonprofit. “Though I had high hopes when I joined the organizations, I stepped into an unsalvageable mess — one wrought with strong evidence of past illegality and past financial improprieties,” Giles wrote in a post on X. “Once such evidence was discovered, I brought the information to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.” Project Veritas did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.dailynews.com/2023/12/11/citing-strong-evidence-of-illegality-project-veritas-ceo-quits/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L93fYD9o$

Google’s App Store Ruled an Illegal Monopoly, as a Jury Sides With Epic Games: A jury in San Francisco unanimously found that Google stifled competition for its app store. A judge will now decide on what fixes to require at the company, but appeals could delay the impact of the case for years. A jury ruled on Monday that Google had violated antitrust laws to extract fees and limit competition from Epic Games and other developers on its Play mobile app store, in a case that could rewrite the rules on how thousands of businesses make money on Google’s smartphone operating system, Android.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4354920-jury-decides-against-googles-app-store-in-antitrust-lawsuit/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L7gWusIT$

# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
Want to tax the rich for real? Pay attention to this Supreme Court case: The case Moore v. United States arose over a disputed $15,000 tax bill. It could cost the United States billions. Based on oral arguments, Harlan Crow and Paul Singer might need to think about buying additional Supreme Court justices. There’s only so much Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito can do to protect the financial interests of their fishing buddies.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thenation.com/article/society/moore-v-united-states-tax-case/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L6y5DuDX$

# Education / School
LA County Invests Big in Free Virtual Mental Health Therapy for K-12 Students: Spearheaded by the county’s Medi-Cal plans — which provide health insurance to low-income residents — in collaboration with its Office of Education and Department of Mental Health, the LA school program relies on teletherapy services provided by Hazel Health, one of a clutch of companies that have sprung up to address a nationwide shortage of mental health services that grew much worse during the covid-19 pandemic.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231212/LA-County-invests-big-in-free-virtual-mental-health-therapy-for-K-12-students.aspx__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L8wSLO_P$

Washington, DC Will Not Allow Unvaccinated Students to Get a Public School Education: The D.C. Council unanimously voted Tuesday to repeal a mandate requiring students who are eligible for the COVID-19 shot to be fully vaccinated to attend public school.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dcist.com/story/23/11/07/dc-council-dcps-covid-vaccine-mandate-repeal/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L9KB20hM$

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals
COP28: Draft language for a final COP28 climate agreement softens calls for a “phase out” of fossil fuels and instead calls for “reducing” consumption and production “in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4353739-cop28-climate-summit-fossil-fuels-phaseout-reduction-draft/?utm_source=U.S.*Energy*News&utm_campaign=9c400c9f69-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_11_11_42_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d13c6d7397-9c400c9f69-89685480__;Kys!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L20FU_PM$

# General News
Donald Trump’s “Dictator” Promise Is No Joke: The MAGA base is cheering on Trump’s antidemocratic rhetoric, which the media should take very seriously. Whether he was joking or deadly serious or something in between, saying you’ll be a dictator for any amount of time is no laughing matter, particularly for a former president who likes to test-drive real desires by pretending he’s joking.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-12-12/trump-2024-election-dictator-day-one__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L3wpGITT$

# Gov / Politics / Global
Anti-Putin Activist Alexei Navalny Now Missing From Prison: His team believes he may have been transferred to a special regime colony, but no one has been able to reach him. Top aides to Navalny have sounded the alarms that they do not know where he is located, why authorities opted to move him, and what the Russian government plans on doing to him.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/jailed-putin-rival-alexei-navalny-missing-moved-undisclosed-location__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L0t8gvq5$

Kremlin: We Know Nothing About Alexei Navalny’s ‘Fate’: Vladimir Putin’s spokesman says no one in the presidential administration has any interest in the jailed Kremlin foe. Russia moves Navalny to prison hospital amid outcry over Kremlin critic’s health. Russia’s penitentiary service on Monday said it was transferring ailing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to prison hospital, as the EU warned it would hold Moscow “responsible” for the state of his health.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210419-russia-moves-navalny-to-prison-hospital-amid-outcry-over-kremlin-critic-s-health__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L5q-6Lih$

Israel’s Strategic Calamity: Its brutal war on Gaza is turning it into a pariah state and risking regional war. Most Gazans are packed into desperately crowded refugee camps in the south after being driven from the north, and many of those locations have been bombed repeatedly. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have concluded that an October 13 strike that killed several journalists, including a Reuters videographer, was done deliberately.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/world/2023-12-11-israels-strategic-calamity/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L2QX7GuN$

Israel Rounds Up Palestinians for Social Media Posts: A new national security task force has initiated 250 prosecutions, mostly against Palestinian students. Detainees have been held in maximum security prisons for weeks.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/world/2023-12-12-palestinians-imprisoned-social-media-posts/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L2iqJzDd$

# Gov / Politics
Speaker Mike Johnson Colludes With Democrats to Raid Medicare: But as previously outlined in September, these provisions amount to lipstick on the proverbial pig. The measure contains various “health extenders” that House Republican “leaders” consider, wrongly, “must-pass” legislation. While those “leaders” are trying to sell the measure as a transparency bill, the engine driving this legislative train is its new spending, nearly $15 billion worth.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thefederalist.com/2023/12/11/speaker-mike-johnson-colludes-with-democrats-to-raid-medicare/*:*:text=He*20claimed*3A,money*20out*20of*20Social*20Security__;I34lJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L_tNFNwU$

Biden to Host Zelensky in Bid to Boost Support for Ukraine: Biden wants the visit to “underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine.” The visit comes as discussions on a Ukraine aid deal remain stalled in Congress, with Republicans insistent the aid be paired with changes to America’s border policies.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-to-host-zelenskyy-amid-congressional-impasse-on-ukraine-aid-/7394263.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L48edkyQ$

# Medical / Health
First came fentanyl. Now, this state is counting the casualties from another deadly drug: Dealers mix fentanyl with the powerful animal sedative xylazine. Xylazine is now present in one out of every nine overdose deaths nationwide involving illicit fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fentanyl-xylazine-west-virginia-rcna128327__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L11T_acR$

DEA Laboratory Testing Reveals that 6 out of 10 Fentanyl-Laced Fake Prescription Pills Now Contain a Potentially Lethal Dose of Fentanyl: The DEA Laboratory has found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-laboratory-testing-reveals-6-out-10-fentanyl-laced-fake-prescription-pills-now-contain__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L-Rb36Li$

Heroin and fentanyl in Washington state: Opioids are a class of drugs that bind to opioid receptors and have opioid-type effects similar to the classic compound morphine. There are many types of opioids and they differ in important ways including how strong the drug is, how quickly it takes effect, and how long it lasts. Heroin is a drug long used internationally and in Washington State, despite associated negative health outcomes and its status as a Schedule 1 drug (illegal in the United States). Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used medically for severe pain and during surgery. It is a schedule 2 drug and can be prescribed or dispensed for medical purposes.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://adai.washington.edu/WAdata/heroin_versus_fentanyl.htm__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L7STX6ee$

Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Dealing Fentanyl Analogue that Caused Fatal Overdoses in Oregon: A Pennsylvania man who completed more than 7,800 individual darknet fentanyl sales in less than two years and was linked by investigators to dozens of fatal overdoses across the United States was sentenced to life in federal prison today for distributing a fentanyl analogue on AlphaBay, a former darknet marketplace, that caused the overdoses of three people in Oregon, two of whom died.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/pennsylvania-man-sentenced-life-federal-prison-dealing-fentanyl-analogue-caused-fatal__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L8NLXILP$

In 2010, Purdue Pharma replaced the original version of OxyContin, an extended-release oxycodone pill, with a reformulated product that was much harder to crush for snorting or injection. The reformulation of OxyContin was instead associated with an increase in deaths involving illicit opioids and, ultimately, an overall increase in fatal drug overdoses. OxyContin also was associated with rising suicides among children and teenagers
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://reason.com/2023/12/04/oxycontins-reformulation-linked-to-rising-suicides-by-children/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L5rUcgHT$

‘Don’t get sick. It’s too expensive’: medical debt is putting more Americans in financial crisis: Although both leading presidential candidates have discussed healthcare, neither has directly tackled its biggest issue
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/dec/11/medical-debt-healthcare-affordability-inflation__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6Lxaa534n$

# Medical / Health / Global
‘We are all sick’: Infectious diseases spread across Gaza: Cold, wet weather combined with a lack of clean water, toilets and food have fueled a spike in respiratory, stomach and other ailments. Infectious diseases are ravaging the population of the Gaza Strip, health officials and aid organizations said Monday, citing cold, wet weather; overcrowding in shelters; scarce food; dirty water; and little medicine.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://news.yahoo.com/sick-infectious-diseases-spread-across-124244896.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L5vob6Wc$

# Military / DOD
Air Force Punishes 15 Airmen in Pentagon Leak Investigation: Investigators said members of Jack Teixeira’s unit “had information about as many as four separate instances of his questionable activity.” The announcement coincided with the release of an Air Force inspector general report that found members of Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira’s unit failed to take proper action after becoming aware of him seeking the intelligence, but it found no evidence that any of his supervisors knew that he was allegedly leaking the information online.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/11/air-force-punishes-15-service-members-wake-of-teixeira-leak-massachusetts-guard-base.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LxxJpl9I$

AFRL’s Oracle Developing Nation’S 1St Cislunar Space Situational Awareness Capabilities: Over the last several years, the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, unveiled two programs, Defense Deep Space Sentinel, or D2S2, and Oracle, to develop cislunar space situational awareness
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/AFRLs_Oracle_Developing_NationS_1St_Cislunar_Space_Situational_Awareness_Capabilities_999.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L_pivObu$

# Military / Global
U.S.-Made White Phosphorus Used by Israel in Lebanon: At least nine civilians were injured in the attack. Amnesty International said one attack on the town of Dhayra on 16 October must be investigated as a war crime because it was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians and damaged civilian objects, and was therefore unlawful, said the organization.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/lebanon-evidence-of-israels-unlawful-use-of-white-phosphorus-in-southern-lebanon-as-cross-border-hostilities-escalate/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L5ubtzOW$

Ukraine allies provide ships to ward off Russia in the Black Sea: (Defense News) The U.K. and Norway will lead a coalition aimed at helping Ukraine secure its maritime export routes against Russian interference, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said on Dec. 11. The long-term goal is to help Ukraine transform its Navy to become more compatible with Western allies and to bolster security in the Black Sea, the ministry said. The U.K. is transferring two minehunter ships to Ukraine as a first step.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/12/11/ukraine-allies-provide-ships-to-ward-off-russia-in-the-black-sea/*:*:text=PARIS*20**C20The*20U.K.*20and*20Norway,Defence*20Ministry*20said*20Dec.*2011__;I34l4oCUJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L8Qudq8G$

Inside the unit deploying small explosive drones in Ukraine’s cash strapped war: Zip-tying old grenades and mortars to tiny, online-bought drones, and using virtual reality headsets to direct them into Russian targets. It is not the war this four-man drone unit initially signed up for, but it is as effective as it is cheap
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://abc17news.com/news/national-world/cnn-world/2023/12/11/inside-the-unit-deploying-small-explosive-drones-in-ukraines-cash-strapped-war/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L46AJ4d6$

Russia targets Kyiv with ballistic missiles as fears increase of attacks on energy infrastructure: A Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s capital early Monday destroyed several homes and left more than 100 households without electricity. The predawn attack on Kyiv came amid warnings that Russia will step up its attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure as winter sets in with freezing temperatures. A series of loud explosions followed by air raid sirens broke the silence in Kyiv just after 4 a.m. as the city was under its nightly curfew.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/11/russia-targets-kyiv-ballistic-missiles-fears-increase-of-attacks-energy-infrastructure.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LwjaLaMb$

Iraq scrambles to contain fighting amid attacks on US troops: Dozens of attacks on U.S. military facilities by Iran-backed factions in Iraq over the past two months have forced Baghdad into a balancing act.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/12/11/iraq-scrambles-to-contain-fighting-amid-attacks-on-us-troops/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LwYqJNCI$

Afghans again being flown to US base in Germany before resettlement: For the first time since 2021, Afghan nationals are being brought here to the largest overseas American military community, where they’re waiting for long-sought documents that will allow them to move to the United States.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2023-12-11/afghans-resettlement-visa-germany-12325469.html*:*:text=KAISERSLAUTERN*2C*20Germany*20**C20For*20the*20first,move*20to*20the*20United*20States__;I34lJSXigJQlJSUlJSUl!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L7PXmLhz$

# Nuclear
Southwest Virginia Residents Question Nuclear Shift: Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to build next generation nuclear plants and data centers. But he won’t tell Virginia residents what he’s doing. Is it good to be first? In early November, Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his nuclear “moon shot” plan, a major public-private energy project to build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/environment/2023-12-11-southwest-virginia-residents-question-nuclear-shift/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LwWQOlx3$

# Pharmaceuticals / Drugs
Big Pharmacy Chains Give Customers’ Records To Police Despite No Warrants: The prescriptions you have in your medicine cabinet might not be as private as you believe they are. Thirty-one states grant law enforcement warrantless access to databases containing drug histories, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is pushing hard to search records even in states that have privacy safeguards.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://scripps.com/scripps-washington-bureau/your-prescriptions-arent-private/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LzZ-etTh$

# Security
Congress Clashes Over the Future of America’s Global Spy Program: Competing bills moving through the House of Representatives both reauthorize Section 702 surveillance—but they pave very different paths forward for Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-section-702-congress-ca84a405ac700718990bbab7ef5db1e6__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L0Y6cobA$

Spying Extension Angers Broad Majority Favoring Reform: Speaker Mike Johnson inserted a four-month extension of a warrantless spying program into the annual defense policy bill.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/civil-rights/2023-12-12-mike-johnson-ndaa-surveillance-reform/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LyAwVsdc$

# Space
US, UK, Australia Collaborate on Deep Space Radar Initiative for Enhanced Space Domain Awareness: This collaboration aims to bolster space domain awareness by providing 24/7, all-weather capabilities to detect, track, identify, and characterize objects in deep space.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/US_UK_Australia_Collaborate_on_Deep_Space_Radar_Initiative_for_Enhanced_Space_Domain_Awareness_999.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6LwaG06UU$

# Technology
China’s cyber army is invading critical US services: The intrusions are part of a broader effort to develop ways to sow chaos or snarl logistics in the event of a U.S.-China conflict in the Pacific, officials say. China allegedly targets US critical infrastructure, while a small Irish village goes without water due to an Iranian CyberAv3ngers attack. The EU sets a global precedent with new AI regulations. Unraveling the latest maneuvers of the Lazarus Group. The Sandman APT’s links to Chinese cyber threats. “5Ghoul” vulnerabilities represent a new challenge in telecom security.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/daily-podcast/1964/notes__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6L_1Sxphf$

The Generative AI Copyright Fight Is Just Getting Started: The Authors Guild and other artists’ groups say that it’s unfair to train AI algorithms on their work without permission. Tech companies generally argue that it counts as “fair use.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.axios.com/2023/12/01/ai-copyright-law-biden-executive-order__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6Lz8zA_Ih$

# Technology / Global
The EU Just Passed Sweeping New Rules to Regulate AI: Today’s agreement effectively addresses a global challenge in a fast-evolving technological environment on a key area for the future of our societies and economies. And in this endeavour, we managed to keep an extremely delicate balance: boosting innovation and uptake of artificial intelligence across Europe whilst fully respecting the fundamental rights of our citizens.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/12/09/artificial-intelligence-act-council-and-parliament-strike-a-deal-on-the-first-worldwide-rules-for-ai/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!x3_QKRt7WW5ZnzwAScTznuRgWZ7cojL7Kre9ZTX6e_AFzolExcR57egNJxx11sZm1_1yw8LZqaeRGc8naJSr4OQ6Lw52euxW$

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Attention Readers:

Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-11

Voices, The Peoples News

December 11, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Indigenous
Navajo Nation faces possible new threats after decades of uranium mining: Miles from the site of the 1979 Church Rock Mill spill, the largest nuclear disaster in U.S. history, uranium extraction operations could resume. A Canadian company is working to move forward with uranium extraction.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://abcnews.go.com/US/navajo-nation-faces-new-threats-after-decades-uranium/story?id=105270472*27__;JQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQueGyGPi-$

# Border / Immigration / Migrants / Global
Chinese migrant encounters raise red flag for CCP infiltration at southern border: Chinese migrant encounters raise red flag for CCP infiltration at southern border. Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang discusses the national security risks of open border policies and Taiwanese concerns that the U.S. is ill-equipped to provide weapons and deter Chinese aggression.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nypost.com/2023/08/31/chinese-illegal-migrant-numbers-boom-as-beijing-tensions-grow/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuX8bLtkm$

# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
New Regulations Will Cut Small Businesses From Affordable Capital: The Biden administration has proven to be the gang that can’t shoot straight. The president’s signature economic policy has led to a perfect storm of spending, debt and inflation. Loan program updates will advance equity for rural, veteran, women, and minority-owned businesses
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.sba.gov/article/2023/04/12/us-small-business-administration-implements-rules-address-persistent-capital__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuVNaoAKl$

# Education / School
Texas superintendents say lack of school safety funding may lead to budget cuts: Superintendents across the state say they are facing significant budget cuts to pay for newly mandated school safety measures after lawmakers were unable to pass additional school safety funding.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/11/texas-school-safety-funding/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuRdcAaxj$

Largest U.S. Teachers Union Allows Private Equity To Prey On Educators: The National Education Association’s benefits arm is pushing high-fee, poorly performing retirement plans run by a firm accused of fraud and mismanagement.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.levernews.com/largest-u-s-teachers-union-allows-private-equity-to-prey-on-educators/*:*:text=The*20National*20Education*20Association’s*20benefits,accused*20of*20fraud*20and*20mismanagement__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuQeU7dhL$

‘Taking away parental rights!’ California is demonising parents who want children to learn rather than be indoctrinated – Ex-Trump adviser: “Whether that’s information about gender transition or information on what the kid is being called in school, parents are being left in the dark. “You know what those parents are doing? They’re suing. Some of those lawsuits are not getting to the court system because the schools are caving and settling.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/california-parent-children-indoctrinate-may-mailman-trump__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuZe_V3ht$

# Employment / Labor
Fed lawsuit: Hire old people for heavy manual labor — or else! Uncle Sam wants YOU … to hire Grandpa as a piano lugger. Or else. That’s the latest madness from the federal government’s woke bowels: an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit against Fresno-based Meathead Movers after the company refused to comply with a demand for a $15 million settlement.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nypost.com/2023/12/11/opinion/meathead-movers-eeoc-lawsuit-says-seniors-must-do-manual-labor/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQubIWr0rM$

# General News
Former President Donald Trump has said that he will no longer testify today in his civil trial as previously planned, reflecting his growing frustration with the New York case. Trump already spent one day of the trial on the witness stand while state prosecutors presented their case last month. Trump’s Counsel said Attorney General Letitia James is “continuing her rabid and unreasonable pursuit of President Trump. Under such circumstances, there is no valid reason for President Trump to testify further in this case.” However, Trump’s critics on X, formerly Twitter, seemed to have plenty to say following Sunday’s announcement.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/onald-trump-mocked-x-after-reversing-decision-testify-new-york-trial-1851108__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuYVCZjS6$

Al Gore’s chilling warning as Donald Trump doubles down on ‘dictator’ comments: Trump Doubles Down on Dictator Vow as Critics Continue Sounding Alarm. Trump raises dictator threat again, promising to build a wall and ‘drill, drill, drill.’ The former president earned cheers from the Republican crowd as he made light of the Hannity moment — but his critics continue to sound the alarm over the “dictator” vow, and Trump’s repeated vows to seek retribution from political enemies if he regains power.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://themessenger.com/politics/donald-trump-dictator-one-day-republicans-2024__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQue0xca1V$

Trump ‘could launch a war’ to justify cracking down on Americans’ rights: Multiple experts on authoritarianism who spoke with the Washington Post expressed alarm at former President Donald Trump’s stated willingness to be a “dictator” and one outlined some of the extreme measures that Trump could take to justify expanding his power.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rawstory.com/trump-fascism-2666534362/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuYP1cW9z$

# Gov / Politics / Global
The Forcible Transfer of 85% of Palestinians in Gaza Is a Crime Against Humanity: The biased chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court condemns Hamas but ignores Israel’s atrocious crimes. There is no legal or moral justification for Israel to forcibly displace 85 percent of the population of Gaza. The Rome Statute also classifies the “transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory” as a war crime.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://truthout.org/articles/the-forcible-transfer-of-85-of-palestinians-in-gaza-is-a-crime-against-humanity/*:*:text=There*20is*20no*20legal*20or,territory**C20as*20a*20war*20crime__;I34lJSUl4oCdJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuRqVUiKI$

No hostage will leave Gaza alive unless demands are met, Hamas warns: “Neither the fascist enemy and its arrogant leadership… nor its supporters… can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the demands of the resistance,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, said in a televised broadcast, referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/12/10/israel-hamas-war-latest-news-updates-gaza1/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQueUeooK5$

How Israel has grown up as the spoiled boy of the world: Israel has spied on the US, betrayed its trust, killed its soldiers, murdered its citizens, broken internal laws and dragged it to become a war-monger and still remains the spoiled kid of Washington.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231207-how-israel-has-grown-up-as-the-spoiled-boy-of-the-world/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuQmu7jQ-$

# Gov / Politics
Massachusetts Blues: Massachusetts has a Democratic trifecta, but can’t pass even the most popular progressive reforms. Democracy is broken at all levels of government in the Bay State. It’s not just far-right Republicans who undermine democracy. A majority of voters in the Bay State favor progressive policies, but don’t get them. Why not?
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/politics/2023-12-04-massachusetts-blues-progressive-policies/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuQpTPbUV$

U.S. approves $106.5M sale of tank equipment to Israel, bypassing Congress: The Biden administration on Saturday approved the $106.5 million sale of nearly 14,000 tank ammunition cartridges and related equipment to Israel, invoking an emergency declaration to bypass a congressional review period for weapons sales.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/09/biden-administration-emergency-authority-tank-shells-israel__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuUNW184Q$

Why is the US still sending an endless supply of arms to Israel without conditions? Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, joined a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv last week, where, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 12 News on Sunday, he delivered an ultimatum to the Israeli government
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/07/us-israel-military-support-scrutiny-human-rights__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQueLLNNp3$

# Legal / DOJ
Trump Has Found a Dangerous Workaround to Gag Orders: Donald Trump is, once again, outmaneuvering the American court system. No, his New York bank fraud trial is unlikely to end favorably for the former president.
But that trial is quickly becoming a blueprint for defying gag orders—an issue that will only become more pressing as several criminal cases loom on the horizon.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-has-found-a-dangerous-workaround-to-gag-orders?ref=wrap__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuaMGx-ru$

# Media
The US Condemned Stalin’s Prosecution of Journalists. Now It Uses His Playbook: The prosecution of Julian Assange in 2023 mirrors the prosecution of journalist Bill Oatis during the Cold War. The prosecution of Julian Assange in 2023 mirrors the prosecution of journalist Bill Oatis during the Cold War. 2024 is going to be the most important year yet for fearless, trustworthy journalism.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://truthout.org/articles/the-us-condemned-stalins-prosecution-of-journalists-now-it-uses-his-playbook/*:*:text=Prosecution*20of*20Journalists.-,Now*20It*20Uses*20His*20Playbook.,Oatis*20during*20the*20Cold*20War.&text=2024*20is*20going*20to*20be,yet*20for*20fearless*2C*20trustworthy*20journalism__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuQp52Xwi$

Thousands of employees say the USPS is failing to protect them from major heat: The Postal Service allegedly doctored heat training records of thousands of mail carriers. One of them died on a blistering day in June. The mail service has long denied that heat threatens its carriers. It has spent nearly a decade fighting OSHA citations when couriers died or fell seriously ill when delivering mail in extreme heat.5
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/11/usps-major-heat-deaths-00128875*:*:text=Heat*20is*20the*20second*2Dleading*20cause*20of*20injury*20to*20USPS*20workers&text=Yet*20the*20mail*20service*20has,delivering*20mail*20in*20extreme*20heat__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuYkmxOOm$

US slides down global press freedom rankings amid warning of ‘climate of fear’ for journalists: A climate of fear is gripping U.S. newsrooms as a growing list of journalists have been fired, suspended, or otherwise sidelined after refusing to abide by the pro-Israel bias across the U.S. news media.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/18/us/reporters-without-borders-2019-index-intl/index.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuX7EPFfn$

# Medical / Health
Missouri Republicans Propose Legislation To Allow Women Who Receive Abortions To Be Charged With Murder: Some Missouri lawmakers are renewing a call for the state to take an anti-abortion step that goes further than prominent anti-abortion groups want to go and that has not gained much traction in any state so far: a law that would allow homicide charges against women who obtain abortions. “If we do not expand Traditional Medicare coverage, private insurers and equity firms will continue to plunder the Medicare Trust Fund that workers pay into, and Traditional Medicare will continue to shrink.” Medicare Advantage Plans Disadvantage Many Elderly and Disabled People For-profit Medicare Advantage program restrictions routinely result in delays and the denial of necessary health care.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://truthout.org/articles/medicare-advantage-plans-disadvantage-many-elderly-and-disabled-people/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuWNexIM4$

Cigna Abandons Merger Talks With Humana: Health-insurance providers couldn’t agree on financial terms for deal that would have created $140 billion giant
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/cigna-abandons-merger-talks-with-humana/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuX4nl6Ih$

There’s been an uptick in anecdotal reports of a brutal, long-lasting cough going around. As one TikTok user put it: everyone seems to have “a hacking cough that’s been going on for weeks.” Doctors around the country have noticed it, too. “We have been seeing an unusually large number of patients who had typical viral upper respiratory infections, but have had a lingering cough that has lasted weeks to months,” Dr. Scott Braunstein, a double-board certified internal medicine and emergency medicine physician and the national medical director of Sollis Health
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.huffpost.com/entry/persistent-cough-not-covid_l_656f1f74e4b0f3e5f44aca8f?utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hp-us-reg-morning-email_2023-12-11&utm_term=us-morning-email&email_hash=a0fc9b12cacd32ea6c05c417239d9ca02ed55e16__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuS579AVp$

Supreme Court Weighs Hearing High-Stakes Abortion Pill Case: Supreme Court justices were expected to discuss on Friday whether to hear a case that would counter or uphold federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. If the court fails to take up the appeals, a lower court decision to limit the availability of the drug by mail would go into effect.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.npr.org/2023/04/21/1170742958/u-s-supreme-court-blocks-lower-court-decision-in-fda-approval-of-abortion-pill-c__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuUNQQ_1W$

Dr. Paula Johnson Is Breaking Down the Barriers to Better Health: An accomplished cardiologist and the first Black woman president of Wellesley College, Dr. Johnson’s life’s work is improving quality of care for women and women of color around the world.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.wired.com/story/women-in-science-paula-johnson/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuQuTQw_n$

Medicare Recipients Blocked From Receiving Care: A growing number of Americans are being blocked from health care despite being covered under Medicare, a new survey shows. A yearly KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance found that while most Americans are satisfied with their Medicare experiences, one group is consistently struggling.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/medicare-under-65-disabilities-blocked-coverage-1851450__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQufZHg7bA$

# Science
Dr. Dara Norman Wants to Bring More People Into Science: From data access to scientific merit, Dr. Norman is working to make astronomy—and all STEM fields—more inclusive.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://news.mit.edu/news-clip/wired-435__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuXzUhyeO$

# Technology / Global
EU’s AI Act faces criticism for omitting a ban on live facial recognition, raising concerns of dystopian surveillance. Privacy advocates on Saturday said the AI Act, a sweeping proposed law to regulate artificial intelligence in the European Union whose language was finalized Friday, appeared likely to fail at protecting the public from one of AI’s greatest threats: live facial recognition.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://truthout.org/articles/eus-ai-act-falls-short-no-ban-on-live-facial-recognition-raises-concerns/*:*:text=News-,EU’s*20AI*20Act*20Falls*20Short*3A*20No*20Ban*20on*20Live*20Facial,raising*20concerns*20of*20dystopian*20surveillance.&text=2024*20is*20going*20to*20be,yet*20for*20fearless*2C*20trustworthy*20journalism__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zMW_8-ijgNWEvwQ3wUG34N8VX9L9F49YeZ6jAcdhnRiPnnngMyHhvr6GV8-IMuqTsB6E9Nrx9P0DaDj_fd5Y8gsQuSELsQ7l$

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Attention Readers:

Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-08

Voices, The Peoples News

December 8, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Border / Immigration / Migrants
Private Prison Firms Set To Cash In On Immigrant Surveillance Boom: As one analyst with financial information company S&P Global wrote in a recent memo on the private prison industry, prison companies have looked to ankle monitors and other forms of surveillance technology as one way to recoup lost revenue from lower prison populations in some of their facilities, a long-term trend over the past decade that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.levernews.com/private-prison-firms-set-to-cash-in-on-immigrant-surveillance-boom/*:*:text=As*20one*20analyst*20with*20financial,facilities*2C*20a*20long*2Dterm*20trend__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjBU1eMzU$

“The Feeling Of Constantly Being Watched”: This report highlights the excruciating toll that ICE electronic monitoring takes on immigrant communities, underscoring the need for a transformative shift in our approach to immigration. Despite ICE’s claims to the contrary, digital prisons are physically inhibitive and harmful to health and wellbeing.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://notechforice.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TrackedTrapped_final.pdf__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjImNRL9D$

“Gross Private Incentivization To Detain More Immigrants”: Could A Slowdown Shackle The U.S. Prison Industry? In addition to macroeconomic pressure, these companies also face legislation reform, ongoing litigation, and heightened investor sensitivity to ESG concerns. In this piece, S&P Global Ratings answers frequently asked questions about how a challenging economy and legislative actions could influence the credit quality of entities with ties to the U.S. prison industry (see company list in appendix).
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.spglobal.com/_assets/documents/ratings/research/101587525.pdf__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjJ2ugBh5$

# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
The Conference Board report projects a recession. “After a pause in September, the LEI resumed signaling recession in the near term,” Monica said in a statement, adding that it will be a “very short” recession.
“We forecast that real GDP will expand by just 0.8 percent in 2024.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_e03beb1a-8879-11ee-8136-2740bfe50add.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjFTDcA9g$

America is now paying more in gross interest on its record $33 trillion debt than on national defense: America’s gross national debt hit an eye-watering $33 trillion for the first time in September, and in fact is currently closer to the $34 trillion mark. In response, the U.S. is now spending more in gross interest on Treasury debt securities than it does on national defense, according to the Treasury’s latest monthly statement.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pgpf.org/infographic/the-national-debt-is-now-more-than-33-trillion-what-does-that-mean__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjDUd2_v2$
See also: The US national debt sits at $33 trillion, but here’s why the country won’t pay it down https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://moneywise.com/news/top-stories/why-us-wont-pay-its-debt?utm_source=syn_oath_mon&utm_medium=Z&utm_campaign=33461&utm_content=oath_mon_33461_national*debt__;Kw!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjHuzC5ab$

# Education / School
Federal law guarantees an equal education for children with developmental disabilities. Despite this, students, parents, teachers and advocates say the system is broken.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/12/america-promises-equality-for-disabled-students-its-failing/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjHsChWRm$

Columbia University to Set Up $100 Million Fund for Patients of Predator OB-GYN: A New York Magazine revealed that Columbia had failed to act on years of warnings as Robert Hadden, an OB-GYN, abused at least hundreds of patients during his 25-year career at the university.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.propublica.org/article/columbia-university-settlement-fund-obgyn-robert-hadden__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjKUYjEvO$

# Employment / Labor
A Gaming Company’s Workers Unionized. But the Union Busting Didn’t End There: TCGplayer, a subsidiary of eBay, has stalled negotiations on a first contract, despite the union winning an election in March.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/labor/2023-12-08-gaming-company-union-busting/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjDunhadT$

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals Exxon and Chevron, two Big Oil giants, want to get even bigger. Exxon is attempting to buy up Pioneer Natural Resources for $60 billion. Chevron is trying to purchase Hess for $53 billion. That’s why Senator Elizabeth Warren recently sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking the agency to protect consumers and workers by reviewing these potential blockbuster mergers.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ogv.energy/news-item/chevron-to-buy-hess-for-53-bn-as-biggest-us-oil-firms-get-even-bigger__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjB2m0Gow$

# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure Protesting at UN Climate Talks Is Becoming Increasingly Difficult, Activists Say: Activists who have long played a role in shaping the tone and direction of the United Nations’ flagship climate summit say they’re being increasingly restricted at the annual event, complicating their ability to influence the talks.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/cop28-climate-youth-activists-restrictions-dubai-91fe6d8a712af484b56336cf9b3f8988__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjJjHO8zi$

# Gov / Politics / Global
Two close associates of Vladimir Putin assassinated within hours: Kyiv officials took credit for the killing of ex-Ukrainian politician Illia Kyva, a 46-year-old pro-Russia politician, whose body was found in a suburb near Moscow. The Russian Investigative Committee also told the news outlet that an “unknown person fired shots” at the former lawmaker and that a case had been opened into his death.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/two-putin-allies-killed-within-hours-each-other-1850247*:*:text=Two*20allies*20of*20Russian*20President,in*20a*20suburb*20near*20Moscow__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjAOtgXsC$

Missing Chinese Foreign Minister Died by Suicide or Torture: The revelation comes amid claims of a Stalin-like purge of allegedly disloyal officials in Beijing by Chinese leader Xi Jinping
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://themessenger.com/news/missing-chinese-foreign-minister-died-by-suicide-or-torture-report__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjHyixyz0$

Putin Confirms He’s Running for President Again in 2024: It means he’ll stay in the Kremlin until at least 2030. Vladimir Putin moved to prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for at least another six years, announcing his candidacy in the presidential election next March that he is all but certain to win.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/russia-vladimir-putin-president-election-f68dfd9139d232929e3da8db639a55c4__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjG78pI0z$

War for Oil Fears Grow as US Holds Military Drills in Guyana Amid Venezuela Dispute: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva offered to help forge a diplomatic solution, saying, “If there’s one thing we don’t want here in South America, it’s war.” U.S. forces held joint military drills within Guyanese airspace on Thursday as a longstanding and intensifying territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana sparked fears of war in South America. At the center of the dispute is Essequibo, an oil-rich region that Guyana has controlled for more than a century
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.commondreams.org/news/guyana-venezuela__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjOoLTD4-$

# Gov / Politics
Brutal GOP Math: Trump May Win Nomination Before Conviction: To win a third straight GOP nomination, Trump only needs 1,235 delegates to win outright. From the Iowa caucus on Jan. 15 to Super Tuesday on Mar. 5, when 15 states will hold primaries, 1,151 delegates will be up for grabs.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thedailybeast.com/gops-brutal-math-donald-trump-could-secure-2024-nomination-before-criminal-conviction*:*:text=To*20win*20a*20third*20straight,will*20be*20up*20for*20grabs__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjBXkSic7$

Judge Rules Election Results Void After Illegal Votes Are Discovered: A judge has ruled an extremely tight election between Republicans and Democrats for a Louisiana parish sheriff is void because of voter fraud.
The race to become Caddo Parish sheriff was closely fought between Democrat Henry Whitehorn and Republican John Nickelson.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/louisiana-sheriff-election-voter-fraud-1849952*:*:text=A*20judge*20has*20ruled*20an,Whitehorn*20and*20Republican*20John*20Nickelson__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjJy217NZ$

‘Should have been done six months ago’: GOP insiders scramble to stop Trump: Donald Trump may have captured the Republican base to build an insurmountable lead in the 2024 presidential primary, but many GOP insiders are hoping there’s still a chance to stop him from locking down the nomination.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rawstory.com/trump-republican-primary-2666482333/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjGhgjk2q$

Judge Appointed By Obama Hands Trump Another Victory: Afederal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama dismissed a challenge to former President Donald Trump being on the 2024 ballot in Arizona. The challenge was based on the claim that Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot made him ineligible to hold elected office under the 14th Amendment.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/trump-scores-major-victory-obama-appointed-judge-1824052__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjDG0fM5t$

America is returning to the colonial era: Illegal immigrants are flooding into America faster than ever before. Dec. 5 set a record, with more than 12,000 encounters at the Mexican frontier. That would be 4.4 million annually, adding 1.3% to the population in just one year, if the pace stayed constant. It will obviously fluctuate, sometimes below that number, but there is every reason to expect record highs in the next 12 months.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/america-returning-colonial-era__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjJbH_ZvD$

Group calls out Trump’s Social Security whopper: A Washington policy group has called out former President Donald Trump on his plan to use U.S. oil revenue to save the nation’s Social Security program. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Trump’s plan wouldn’t come up with nearly enough money to help the troubled program.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_e88feb18-9549-11ee-8588-3bd5a7cab5d1.html?a&seyid=105877__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjOANBMg2$

Trump Furious Over Ruling: ‘This Radical Left Ideology Is A Threat To The Presidency’: The former president vowed to target communists and Marxists, ideological groups that he described as “radical left lunatics,” and, “rout the fake news media until they become real.” “The real threat is not from the radical right. The real threat is from the radical left, and it’s growing every day, every single day,” Trump claimed. “The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than the threat from within.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-root-out-leftists__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjGEW5ZY0$

A deluge of violent messages: How a surge in threats to public officials could disrupt American democracy: Editor’s Note: This story contains graphic content.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/politics/threats-us-public-officials-democracy-invs/index.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjGICShGV$

Sen. Vance’s latest trolling is telling, and deeply dangerous: The Ohio senator’s letter to the attorney general is a trolling attempt to discredit the Justice Department’s case against former President Donald Trump.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/jd-vance-robert-kagan-washington-post-doj-rcna128560__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjHmM4mwr$

Coup admission: Trump’s new ‘dictator’ talk with Hannity may boomerang in Jack Smith trial: There are new warnings about Trump’s threat to democracy as he plans an “authoritarian” second term and eyes MAGA loyalists for top cabinet positions. MSNBC’s Ari Melber reports and is joined by Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance to discuss it.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/coup-admission-trump-s-new-dictator-talk-with-hannity-may-boomerang-in-jack-smith-trial/vi-AA1lavjK?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=e54bb093ea5d4d13ac0677852509003b&ei=143__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjFQKrklt$

Growing threat of political violence looms over 2024: former members of Congress: Former members of Congress are deeply concerned about political violence ahead of the 2024 presidential election, former Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama and former Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia said at a Thursday joint appearance sponsored by the liberal Center for American Progress and the nonpartisan McCain Institute.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rawstory.com/political-violence-2024/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjDLqogsw$

Trump’s ‘Guard the Vote’ Seen as Language of Warfare and Distrust: Former President Donald Trump is urging supporters to “guard the vote” during next year’s election, a phrase that has set off alarm bells among pro-democracy advocates who say it signals permission to take extreme measures that could intimidate voters and threaten election workers. The phrase is a relatively novel one for Trump, though activists in the far-right movement have been setting the groundwork for it to be deployed more widely.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/trump-guard-vote-election-2024-flynn-39d41fe4f7229d4ab7e1956efc428e10__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjJvCeSoT$

Trump Co-Defendant Cooperating in Fake Electors Probes: He’s reportedly hoping to avoid further charges. An attorney who has already pleaded guilty to involvement in the so-called fake electors scheme in Georgia to overturn the state’s 2020 election result is now also cooperating with investigations into the conspiracy in other states
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.americanprogress.org/article/trump-and-his-allies-are-starting-to-face-accountability-for-their-plot-to-overturn-the-2020-presidential-election/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjBbiDURe$

Texas GOP Sues Its Lawyer Over Failed Election Challenges: Elizabeth Alvarez is accused by the party of lying about the existence of a “data model” which would prove the 2022 election in Harris County was rigged against Republicans. The justice system is beginning to bring a measure of accountability for the events surrounding the unconstitutional conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a welcome development for the rule of law.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.americanprogress.org/article/trump-and-his-allies-are-starting-to-face-accountability-for-their-plot-to-overturn-the-2020-presidential-election/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjBbiDURe$

# Juvenile / Children / Youth
Gaps in social services are leaving homeless youth with ‘no good choices’: Little age-appropriate support is available for the many unaccompanied teens and young adults experiencing homelessness. One teenager offers a window into his years-long struggle to escape housing insecurity.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://publicintegrity.org/education/unhoused-and-undercounted/gaps-in-social-services-are-leaving-homeless-youth-with-no-good-choices/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjM9u44Ug$

# Law Enforcment
Police Harassment. When a new Chicago police team was created to rebuild community trust, drivers of color ended up facing harassment instead
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://news.wttw.com/2023/10/03/stops-chicago-police-create-fear-and-sow-distrust-finds-survey-conducted-federal-court__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjE_ewudL$
See also: Consultant Report: Community Engagement Results https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/article/file-attachments/2023.10.03-Consultant-Report_-Community-Engagement-Results*20*281*29.pdf__;JSUl!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjFMgFrdd$

Jailed Navalny Collapses, Loses Contact With Legal Team: His press secretary said prison officials have banned his team from visiting him and that he has been absent from virtual court hearings. Russian lawyer and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who collapsed in his prison cell last week and was put on an IV, has not been in touch with his team for three days.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/26/russias-navalny-loses-appeal-against-19-year-jail-term__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjMpqfPBS$

# Legal / DOJ
Hunter Biden hit with new indictment in California: Hunter Biden, 53, was hit with three felony and six misdemeanor tax offenses, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court, Central District of California. He faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted. The Justice Department said its investigation into Biden is ongoing. Faces 17 years in prison after spending millions on lavish hard-partying lifestyle while dodging taxes: special counsel
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nypost.com/2023/12/07/news/new-criminal-case-filed-against-hunter-biden-report/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjOxGL-Om$

DOJ Backs Tenants in Case Alleging Price-Fixing by Big Landlords and a Real Estate Tech Company: Last year, a Texas-based software provider that utilized algorithms to recommend rents to landlords across the country to maximize profits, a practice that experts said may violate antitrust laws. A lawsuit alleging that real-estate software company RealPage illegally fixes rents at millions of apartments should go forward, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.propublica.org/article/doj-backs-tenants-price-fixing-case-big-landlords-real-estate-tech__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjDNA9dVx$

# Media
Biden Is Overseeing the Silent Death of the First Amendment: By continuing the persecution of Julian Assange, the US government is signaling how little it cares about press freedom. Julian Assange, the publisher of Wikileaks, could board a plane for extradition to the United States, where he faces up to 175 years in prison on espionage charges for the crime of publishing newsworthy information.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/julian-assange-belmarsh-tribunal/*:*:text=By*20continuing*20the*20persecution*20of,it*20cares*20about*20press*20freedom.&text=A*20mural*20depicting*20Julian*20Assange,the*20Scampia*20neighborhood*20of*20Naples__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjKw_IP38$

# Medical / Health
Trump Sure Seems Eager To Do What He Couldn’t His First Term: Repeal Obamacare: A lot of people were surprised two weeks ago when Donald Trump started posting on social media about trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I certainly was. The attempt to wipe out “Obamacare” in 2017 was one of his administration’s most spectacular policy failures, and one of its most damaging political failures too.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://news.yahoo.com/trump-sure-seems-eager-couldnt-213828453.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjBxxNDk2$

# Medical Science
The First Crispr Medicine Is Now Approved in the US: The one-time gene editing fix is meant to halt debilitating pain crises for sickle cell patients, who formerly could only be cured with a risky stem cell transplant. Four decades later, the arrival of the first CRISPR therapy establishes a new industry benchmark that could deliver cures for an array of inherited diseases. “Casgevy’s approval by the FDA is momentous: It is the first CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy to be approved in the U.S.,” Vertex CEO Reshma Kewalramani said.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.statnews.com/2023/12/08/fda-approves-casgevy-crispr-based-medicine-for-treatment-of-sickle-cell-disease/*:*:text=Four*20decades*20later*2C*20the*20arrival,Vertex*20CEO*20Reshma*20Kewalramani*20said__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjP-hUWIC$

# Military / DOD
Attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria have resumed, Pentagon says: After a Thanksgiving weekend break that coincided with a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war, Iran-backed militias have resumed attacking bases housing American troops in Iraq and Syria, although less frequently than in October and November
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/12/07/attacks-on-us-troops-in-iraq-and-syria-have-resumed-pentagon-says/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!zP7T6v4tYqhhjQWax0yAG_9rmw3tdqrZPyos8OjKpyFwWtQQjQoIKOyVQqsod0sKRSMxebmsU6cVHUI0ZX4C2PaLjMQW7w1g$

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Attention Readers:

Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-07

Voices, The Peoples News

December 7, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Indigenous
Tribes in Maine Spent Decades Fighting to Rebury Ancestral Remains. Harvard Resisted Them at Nearly Every Turn. The university’s Peabody Museum exploited loopholes to prevent repatriation to the Wabanaki people while still staying in compliance with NAGPRA. The tribes didn’t give up.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-wabanaki-tribes-struggle-to-reclaim-ancestral-remains-from-harvard__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3uhCttpU$

Arizona Border Overwhelmed by Migrant Crossings Shuts Down: So many migrants are crossing from Mexico into the United States around remote Lukeville, Arizona, that U.S. officials say they will close the port of entry there so that the operations officials who watch over vehicle and pedestrian traffic going both ways can help Border Patrol agents arrest and process the new arrivals.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/u-s-border-officials-are-closing-a-remote-arizona-crossing-because-of-overwhelming-migrant-arrivals__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3rbz7wCB$

# Animals / Pets / Alerts / Food Recalls US Government Wants Hunters to Shoot 500,000 Owls: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants hunters to shoot more than 500,000 barred owls to help protect other native species. Barred owls are an invasive species in the Pacific Northwest, originating on the U.S. East Coast, and they pose a huge threat to native protected species, including northern spotted owls.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/invasive-species-barred-owl-cull-pacific-northwest-1850348__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3q1-vfCU$

# Archaeology / Anthropology
Scientists race to save ancient cave paintings: Some of the oldest pictures in the world were drawn more than 45,000 years ago in caves on the southwestern peninsula of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Despite having lasted so long, they’re now disappearing as the surface of the cave walls is peeling off from the white limestone underneath. France races to save 30,000-year-old undersea Stone Age cave art from rising sea levels and plastic pollution. Archaeologists are in a race against time to save a collection of undersea Stone Age cave art from rising sea levels and plastic pollution.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://phys.org/news/2022-05-undersea-stone-age-cave-art.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3hToLB1Y$

# Covid / Pandemics / Biologicals
‘Shock after shock’: A visit to China’s secret biolab in California: According to the report, thousands of vials containing potentially dangerous or unknown substances, including some labeled “Ebola” and “HIV,” were uncovered during an inspection of what was initially thought to be a vacant warehouse. The facility was uncovered in December 2022 by Jesalyn Harper, a Reedley code enforcement official who spotted a green hose sticking out of the building, and then went in to investigate. Inside, Harper found an array of laboratory equipment, medical-grade freezers, mice for experiments and vials containing writing in English, Mandarin and an unknown code. Several individuals wearing lab coats were also discovered who claimed to be Chinese nationals.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/cdc-responds-claims-about-chinese-biolab-california-1844760__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3hbE9hYj$

# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
IRS Demands 20,000 People Pay Back Money They Got During COVID: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiated a crackdown on dubious Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims, mailing over 20,000 disallowance letters to taxpayers and entities that did not exist or had no employees during the eligibility period.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/irs-demands-repayment-20000-covid-erc-fraudulent-claims-1850228__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3s65HEvy$

Employee Retention Credit: The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) – sometimes called the Employee Retention Tax Credit or ERTC – is a refundable tax credit for businesses and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The requirements are different depending on the time period for which you claim the credit. The ERC is not available to individuals. IRS Turns Down 20,000 Refund Claims for Covid Tax Credit Agency denies requests from employers that didn’t exist or have workers during the pandemic
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/irs-turns-down-20-000-refund-claims-for-covid-tax-credit-feb47115__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3vMWejQx$

# Education / School
Black Student Suspended for Hair Style Returns to School, Is Immediately Suspended Again: Darryl George has spent 80% of the school year outside the classroom. A Texas teenager who was taken out of school and sent to an off-campus disciplinary program earlier this year for wearing locs that his school says violates its dress code was given 13 days of in-school suspension just hours after returning to the classroom Tuesday. Darryl George, 18, will spend the remainder of the year in in-school suspension, extending a punishment that was first imposed in August over his hairstyle that district officials maintain violates their dress code policy.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/locs-hairstyle-texas-crown-act-racial-discrimination-929f38ec279b672efd78ba61422f4ca8__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3sNTXLsg$

# General News
Donald Trump is already assembling a shortlist of loyalists for the most powerful jobs in government if he’s re-elected to a second term. “Trump hasn’t settled on specific roles for specific figures, and hates it when his staff and friends speculate otherwise,” the website reported. “It’s not in his DNA to do detailed personnel planning, and a lot depends on the last few people he’s talked to. But in rolling conversations with friends and advisers, he’s been clear about the type of men — and they’re almost all older, white men — he’d want to serve at his pleasure if he were to win a second term.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.rawstory.com/trump-loyalists-2666470600/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3uI2OR1w$

Michael Cohen: Trump ‘will do whatever is necessary for him to take power’: Donald Trump saying that he would only behave like a dictator on “day one” of a second presidency is slammed by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. “He wants to use the presidency of the United States as a ‘get out of jail free’ card,” Cohen tells Joy Reid.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_q_uSkvuk__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3vcLiswi$

Kevin McCarthy’s Not the Only One Quitting Congress: More than 30 representatives have already announced their intention to bolt—and the year’s not over yet. Apparently, becoming the first House speaker to be voted out of the job was a bit rich for Kevin McCarthy’s blood—he won’t even be sticking around for the rest of his term. But he’s not the only member of Congress getting the hell out of Dodge. “Republicans have finally managed to make members of Congress hate the institution as much as the average American does,” Alexander Sammon writes. He takes a look at what’s behind the near-record rate of defections from the House of Representatives.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/12/kevin-mccarthy-resigns-congress-members-fleeing-record-pace.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3qgbnDe4$

# Gov / Politics / Global
A new academic study has made a shocking and highly controversial finding. Suspicious Israeli stock market activity in the days preceding Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 indicates that a particular party had foreknowledge of the impending attack and used that information to directly profit from the panic that ensued. The paper concludes that based on a “significant spike” in short selling of listed Israeli companies, persons unknown were aware of the operation was impending, and sought to profit illicitly. Short selling – or shorting – allows traders to bet a stock will perform poorly and reap rewards if they’re correct.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.mintpressnews.com/just-like-9-11-israeli-stock-market-trends-hint-at-foreknowledge-of-operation-al-aqsa-flood/286407/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3qxT7_G2$

Russia Is Reaping Political Benefits From the Israel-Hamas War: The conflict has boosted the Kremlin’s hopes of changing the mood around the Ukraine war and strengthened its belief that the Western-centric system of international relations is breaking down. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 put an end to most internal Western disagreements when it came to Russia, uniting countries on both sides of the Atlantic. But the Israel-Hamas war has seen divisions resurface at a state level: while the United States insists Israel has a right to self-defense https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/91189__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3jOs0Yra$

# Gov / Politics
Texas claims in new court filings that the lawsuits challenging the November election were improperly served and are therefore invalid. The state argued in court filings that the lawsuits were improperly served and because Gov. Greg Abbott canvassed the results a day earlier, the lawsuits are now effectively invalid. The law requires such lawsuits to be filed and served before the canvass.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/06/greg-abbott-constitutional-amendments/*:*:text=The*20state*20argued*20in*20court,and*20served*20before*20the*20canvass__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3sHC7Y3W$

What We Learned, And Wished We Learned, From The Last GOP Debate: This debate, just weeks before the Iowa caucuses, didn’t reflect much progress in the presidential field from the first time we did this. Just six weeks from the first nominating contest in Iowa, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie unleashed on Donald Trump during Wednesday’s GOP primary debate, calling the absent former president a “dictator.” Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) used what may be the last televised debate of the Republican primary to light into Donald Trump, and the Republicans unwilling to criticize him.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-presidential-debate-takeaways-2024-election_n_65714827e4b0f96b99da07be__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3puteuI8$

Senate Republicans Block Ukraine Aid Bill Over Border Policy: Republican senators on Wednesday blocked a procedural vote on a $111 billion national security package that includes roughly $61 billion in aid for Ukraine as well as funds for Israel and immigration enforcement. All 49 Republicans plus independent Sen. Bernie Sanders voted against moving forward on the bill, leaving Democrats well short of the 60-vote threshold.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-republicans-block-ukraine-and-israel-aid-as-they-demand-border-policy-changes__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3tecQ2wA$

Rand Paul wants to end undeclared war in Syria: “The United States cannot fix Syria,” an Obama administration official said. “I simply fail to understand why we have U.S. troops there.” Paul’s resolution, introduced on November 15, cites the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which was ‘designed to limit the U.S. president’s ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad’ and directs the Biden administration to remove U.S. military from hostilities in Syria
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://theintercept.com/2023/12/05/rand-paul-syria-war-troops/*:*:text=Paul’s*20resolution*2C*20introduced*20on*20November,there*20has*20been*20neither*20a__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3qu6uQfz$

US Risks Being Dragged Into Third War: The U.S. could be heading toward involvement in another global conflict as tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana skyrocket following a controversial referendum that sparked fears of a land grab in South America. The U.S. military said on Thursday that its Southern Command forces would carry out “flight operations within Guyana” later in the day, and that Washington would “continue its commitment as Guyana’s trusted security partner.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.newsweek.com/us-military-venezuela-guyana-essequibo-nicolas-maduro-1850475__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3j-XJF_6$

# Law Enforcment
Jailed for Their Own Safety, 14 Mississippians Died Awaiting Mental Health Treatment: Local officials often say they have no choice but to jail people awaiting treatment for mental illness and substance abuse, even if they’re not charged with a crime. But some people have died in the system that’s supposed to protect them. Since 2006, at least 14 Mississippians have died after being placed in jail during the civil commitment process, purportedly for their own safety. Nine of them, including those three men, died by suicide. Twelve had not been charged with a crime.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://en.pressbee.net/show2454497.html?title=jailed-for-their-own-safety-14-mississippians-died-awaiting-menta__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3tVViOKw$

‘I Don’t Want to Be George Floyd’: Another African American dies in Mobile, as police shootings multiply in Alabama. Two days before Independence Day, two Mobile, Alabama, police officers went to a mobile home park after receiving a report of a suspected burglary. Al.com reported that officers confronted Jawan Dallas, who was sitting in a vehicle. After exiting his car, Dallas replied that he had done nothing wrong and tried to run away. Police caught and wrestled with him, and then tased him. When Dallas arrived at the hospital, doctors pronounced him dead.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://prospect.org/civil-rights/2023-12-07-police-killings-alabama-jawan-dallas/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3mJHhk2c$

# Legal / DOJ
Senate Committee Authorizes Subpoenas of Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo as Part of Supreme Court Ethics Probe: The subpoenas ask for details on gifts, travel and other perks the two men provided or helped arrange for Supreme Court justices and their relatives, but Senate Democrats will need help from their GOP colleagues if Crow and Leo defy the subpoenas.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.propublica.org/article/senate-judiciary-harlan-crow-leonard-leo-subpoenas-scotus-thomas-alito*:*:text=The*20Senate*20Judiciary*20Committee*20voted,of*20the*20subpoenas*20is*20uncertain__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3uV5Qbaz$

Trump Says He Will Stop Participating in the DC Federal Criminal Case Based on His Understanding: Trump Makes Direct Challenge to DC Federal Judge’s Authority in New Motion. In addition to filing a notice of appeal of DC Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan’s order denying his motion to dismiss the criminal indictment based on presidential immunity, Donald Trump filed a motion to stay the entire district court criminal case. Even before Judge Chutkan could address Trump’s request for a stay, Donald Trump unilaterally states in his stay motion: “Trump will proceed based on that understanding and the authorities set forth herein absent further order of the Court.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.meidastouch.com/news/trump-says-he-will-stop-participating-in-the-dc-federal-criminal-case-based-on-his-understanding__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3ogF8Zgn$

‘Straight up flout the law’: Trump declares Judge Chutkan no longer has power over his case: Attorneys for the criminally-indicted ex-president declared the judge no longer has any power over the case while they appeal her ruling.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/straight-up-flout-the-law-trump-declares-judge-chutkan-no-longer-has-power-over-his-case/ar-AA1law6t?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=6a27c89d706343b0bee48294ca1a3f4b&ei=14__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3oeIlMoO$

NY appeals court upholds Judge Engoron’s ruling that Trump committed ‘widespread fraud’: Former President Donald Trump was dealt a major blow by the New York Court of Appeals on Thursday in the midst of his ongoing civil fraud trial in the Empire State.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.alternet.org/ny-appeals-trump-fraud/__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3rXjWxpz$

# LGBTQ / Gender
Rep. Jim Banks introduces bill to place trans foster kids into abusive homes: His bill, the Sensible Adoption for Every (SAFE) Home Act, would cut federal funding to any child welfare agencies and groups that refuse to place trans kids with transphobic foster parents. “The Biden administration is cruelly preventing countless children in the foster care and adoption system from going to loving homes just because parents are opposed to irreversible sex change procedures on kids,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “This isn’t a liberal or conservative issue. This is just plain wrong, and every sane person knows it.”
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/12/rep-jim-banks-introduces-bill-to-place-trans-foster-kids-into-abusive-homes/*:*:text=His*20bill*2C*20the*20Sensible*20Adoption,kids*20with*20transphobic*20foster*20parents__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSU!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3loRg9yx$

# Medical / Health
“The first child is the one that pays the most”: How one family carved out Medicaid coverage for a rare treatment: Gabe Nolasco was born without a vital immune system gland. His family spent years in quarantines and advocating to state insurance so they could keep him alive. Texas Medicaid had pulled their coverage of Gabe’s surgery because of clerical issues. The state had once again blocked the Nolascos from helping their four-year-old son survive.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-medicaid-thymus-transplant/*:*:text=Gabe*20Nolasco*20was*20born*20without,they*20could*20keep*20him*20alive__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3tDiN8wA$

Texas Threatens Doctors After Judge Says Woman Can Get Emergency Abortion: After a judge tearfully granted permission for an abortion, Ken Paxton threatened “anyone” who would aid the 20-week-pregnant mother of two https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.barrons.com/news/texas-judge-allows-woman-with-risky-pregnancy-to-have-abortion-ba1247a3__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3hi8fZlm$

# Military / DOD
As U.S.-Funded Wars Rage in Israel and Ukraine, Pentagon Watchdog Warns of Military Failures: While Congress weighs sending more aid to both countries, a new inspector general report details oversight issues and waste within the U.S. military.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://theintercept.com/2023/12/06/pentagon-military-failures-waste/*:*:text=While*20Congress*20weighs*20sending*20more,waste*20within*20the*20U.S.*20military__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3iu4atnK$

US sends Ukraine new $175M aid package of missiles, artillery shells, vehicles and spare parts: The Pentagon announced a new round of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday worth close to $200 million that includes mostly rockets and artillery shells and other needed equipment.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2023-12-06/ukraine-military-aid-pentagon-russian-war-12277293.html__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3stC5-0N$

US to conduct military flights over Guyana as fears of a Venezuela invasion grow: US to conduct military flights over Guyana as fears of a Venezuela invasion grow. The U.S. is putting on a show of force in the skies above Guyana on Thursday, as the Biden administration said it was standing with the country amid growing fears that Venezuela was about to launch an invasion.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/07/guyana-venezuela-land-dispute-us-britain-support__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3sUnJXA2$

# Military / Global
# Nuclear
# Pharmaceuticals / Drugs
# Planetary
A Gigantic Hole Just Opened Up in the Sun: Earlier this week, a giant hole opened up in the face of the Sun, unleashing powerful streams of electromagnetic material onto our planet. It sounds like the beginning of the end of the world, but it’s an ordinary phenomenon called coronal holes which are fascinating but not dangerous.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-sun-opens-up-a-coronal-hole-60-times-the-size-of-earth__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3mvRFkn_$

# Technology
US ‘hemorrhaging sensitive technology’ to China, congressional report finds: Federal officials who oversee commercial exports largely have given Beijing a free hand in acquiring microchips and other high-value technology, according to congressional investigators, with the result that Western allies continue to enable China’s growing military power, long after national security leaders have identified the communist regime as a dangerous threat.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/us-hemorrhaging-sensitive-technology-china-export__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3rj1DN8j$

Google launches Gemini, the AI model it hopes will take down GPT-4 Google has been an ‘AI-first company’ for nearly a decade. Now, a year into the AI era brought on by ChatGPT, it’s finally making a big move.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/6/23990466/google-gemini-llm-ai-model__;!!On18fmf1aQ!xxjhGdRKpFFY5zPSFQ06jP2n_1OREmSESqKQL0VfLx6usC0RvGYHRi4Z1HYdGgfhQGlXy23Izu2ebnZbHowhTnYj3mU8bthS$

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Attention Readers:

Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-06

Voices, The Peoples News

December 6, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Archaeology / Anthropology
Those unfamiliar with Gaza and its history are likely to always associate Gaza with destruction, rubble and Israeli genocide: The history of Gaza is also a history of great civilizations and a history of revival and rebirth. Shortly before the war, archaeologists in Gaza announced that four Roman-era tombs had been unearthed in Gaza City. They include “two lead coffins, one delicately carved with harvest motifs and the other with dolphins gliding through the water,” ARTNews reported. According to Palestinian and French archaeologists, these are Roman-era tombs dating back 2,000 years. The finding was preceded, two months earlier, in July, by something even more astonishing: a major archaeological discovery of at least 125 tombs, most with skeletons still largely intact, along with two extremely rare lead sarcophaguses.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/history-gaza-conquerors-resurgence-rebirth/286399/

# Corporations / Industry
Amid a nationwide housing crisis, Texas developers and city officials see an opportunity to convert vacant office spaces into affordable housing. Not every downtown high-rise is a good fit for an office-to-housing conversion, but some officials and developers see benefits in turning unused space into new residential units.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/06/texas-office-space-housing-conversion/

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has decided to stop pursuing eminent domain to take back the land Fairfield Lake State Park sits on, effectively throwing in the towel on a monthslong battle to buy or seize the 5,000-acre property. The property was purchased in June by a Dallas-area developer who plans to turn it into a luxury subdivision.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/05/texas-fairfield-lake-state-park-eminent-domain-developer/

# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
SCOTUS reviews couples’ income tax suit some say could nullify tax code: While the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to announce whether it will take up a case regarding whether or not a Washington state capital gains tax is an income tax, it is currently reviewing the legality of a federal tax that poses its own legal challenge. The lawsuit filed by a couple disputes whether they owe $15,000 under a one-time tax enacted in 2017 that applies to the earnings of U.S. residents who generated income from shares in foreign companies.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/scotus-reviews-washington-couples-income-tax-suit-some-say-could-nullify-tax-code

# Education / School
Vance introduces bill to stop discrimination in higher ed: U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance wants to take funding from colleges and universities that discriminate on race and create a new federal department to investigate those allegations. “Universities should accept students based on merit and achievement, not the color of their skin. Race based admissions have divided our country further and we must pull the plug on this unjust social engineering once and for all.”
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/gop-senators-introduce-legislation-end-racial-discrimination-college-admissions

The War Over a MAGA Rep’s ‘Secretive’ Hiring as College Prez: When the board of trustees at Youngstown State University selected an anti-abortion, election-denying, Trump-endorsing Republican congressman late last month as the school’s next president, faculty, students, and alumni immediately opposed the “secretive” move.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-war-over-maga-congressman-rep-bill-johnsons-secretive-hiring-as-ysu-president#:~:text=When%20the%20board%20of%20trustees,opposed%20the%20%E2%80%9Csecretive%E2%80%9D%20move

# Employment / Labor
Federal Agencies Can Disable Employer Debt TRAPs: Advocacy groups offer a road map for how agencies can use existing authority to ban contracts that force workers to pay employers if they leave their job.
https://prospect.org/labor/2023-12-06-federal-agencies-employer-debt-traps/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals / Global
What Was COP28 President Thinking With His “No Science” Fossil Fuel Claim? The president of the COP28 climate summit, the UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber, made an absurd claim about fossil fuels.
https://newrepublic.com/post/177292/climate-summit-head-cop28-outrage-no-science-fossil-fuel-claim

Cop28 president forced into defence of fossil fuel phase-out claims: Sultan Al Jaber, who is state oil CEO, had said phase-out of fossil fuels would take world ‘back into caves’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/04/cop28-president-says-no-science-for-fossil-fuel-phase-out-claim-was-misinterpreted

Al Jaber says comments claiming there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels were ‘misinterpreted,’ Cop28 as it happened: Cop28 president and oil chief says phase-down and phase-out of fossil fuels is essential and says his comments were misrepresented
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2023/dec/04/cop28-backlash-after-president-claims-no-science-behind-fossil-fuel-phase-out

# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure
The Desert of Ghost Ships: Only 30 years ago, this was home to our planet’s 4th largest inland water mass; an ancient sea so vast, even Alexander the Great wrote of his struggles to cross it; where fishing commerce boomed and holidaymakers once flocked to its seaside spa town. Now, for the first time in 600 years, the Aral Sea is (almost) bone dry, and the fleet of giant, rusted ships left in its wake have become some of the only proof of the past. The Aral Sea is (or was) so large, it spreads over two Eurasian countries that now straddle its dusty remains: Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
https://www.thetravel.com/aral-desert-dried-up-sea-ghost-ships-tour/

A Tree-Dwelling Shrimp Has Been Discovered In The Cyclops Mountains: In a groundbreaking expedition to the Cyclops Mountains in Papua, Indonesia, scientists stumbled upon not just one, but two astonishing discoveries that are rewriting the biological narrative. While the world marveled at the rediscovery of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, thought to be extinct since the 1960s, another, more obscure finding took place, a new genus of ground- and tree-dwelling shrimp.
https://hasanjasim.online/a-tree-dwelling-shrimp-has-been-discovered-in-the-cyclops-mountains/?fbclid=IwAR3A_KMNO0_2ll4Zpa55YIh0TPri_qMtMtAZXll9W-HSz88BoL5hHbORZao

# Food / Farming / GMOs / Chemicals
A bill aims to block ‘ethical pork’ from taking effect in California: California is considering Proposition 12 products already in the pipeline. After that, the state plans to close its market to pork products from locations that don’t comply with California animal housing standards. If passed, the bill would prevent state and local entities from regulating the production, raising or importation of livestock and livestock goods from other states. States would still be allowed to regulate imports in the event of an animal disease.
https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-policy/another-bill-takes-aim-at-california-prop-12–

# Food Recalls / Alerts
FDA steps up enforcement on imported cantaloupe, cheese and seafood: The Food and Drug Administration is continuing its use of import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/10/fda-steps-up-enforcement-on-imports-of-cantaloupe-dates-cheese-and-seafood/

Food Safety and Imports An Analysis of FDA Food-Related Import Refusal Reports: This report examines U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data on refusals of food offered for importation into the United States from 1998 to 2004. Although the data do not necessarily refl ect the distribution of risk in foods, the study found that import refusals highlight food safety problems that appear to recur in trade and where the FDA has focused its import alerts, examinations (e.g., sampling), and other monitoring efforts.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44258/11766_eib39.pdf?v=0

# General News
Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined to say that he wouldn’t abuse power should he be elected to another term next year during a town hall hosted by Fox News host Sean Hannity. Trump added he planned to act like a “dictator” only on “day one” of a new administration
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-hannity-abuse-power-dictator_n_656fe51be4b01a04ad9106f4#:~:text=Former%20President%20Donald%20Trump%20repeatedly,one%E2%80%9D%20of%20a%20new%20administration

How will you feel if Donald Trump becomes president again? The United States is “sleepwalking into dictatorship,” warns Liz Cheney. Donald Trump has already apparently locked up the Republican nomination, and he’s leading Joe Biden in both national and battleground state polls—despite the fact that Trump has openly called for vengeance, violence, and a dangerous escalation of presidential power. As a recent Washington Post headline put it, “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.”
https://newrepublic.com/article/177318/stop-trump-boycott-businesses?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tnr_daily&utm_term=slate_trade&utm_content=

‘Apocalyptic’ Horror in Gaza Called ‘Total Failure of Our Shared Humanity’: “How is it that these atrocities are beamed across the world for all to witness, and yet so little is done to stop them?” “Each day we see more dead children and new depths of suffering for the innocent people enduring this hell,” he added, calling for an immediate cease-fire. “The situation in Gaza is a total failure of our shared humanity. The killing must stop.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/6/un-warns-of-horror-and-atrocities-as-israel-steps-up-gaza-assault

# Gov / Politics / Global
Israel – USA ‘How many kids did you kill today?’ They are, in your name, savagely slaughtering doctors and nurses, teachers and students, whole families, workers, clergymen, worshippers.
https://informationclearinghouse.blog/2023/12/06/israel-usa-how-many-kids-did-you-kill-today/

China’s Agenda Is to ‘Destroy’ the US Is Gaining Momentum: Governor Kristi Noem expressed concern about China’s increasing land purchases near U.S. Strategic Air Force bases, stating that their agenda is to “destroy” the United States and become the world’s dominant power. She urged aggressive action to address the issue, supporting a bill to evaluate and potentially halt land purchases near national security sites.
https://www.analyzingamerica.org/2023/12/718362/

# Gov / Politics
This Senator Has A New Idea To Curb Mass Shootings, And Gun Reformers Are Actually Optimistic: A new bill introduced by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) aims to limit easy access to high-powered rifles that can fire dozens of rounds with blazing speed. The legislation reflects a more sophisticated understanding of how guns work and has spread optimism among gun reformers that it could garner bipartisan support
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gosafe-act-mass-shootings-gun-reform_n_656f7990e4b0f3e5f44b2095#:~:text=Sen.%20Martin%20Heinrich%20(D%2DN.M.)%20introduced%20a,on%20their%20internal%20firing%20mechanisms

Republicans’ Dangerous New Bill Would Try to Muzzle All Criticism of Israel. The resolution would equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism: The four-page resolution “clearly and firmly” cements the false conflation that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” That would plaster any Jewish anti-Zionist as an antisemite, and would likely warrant character attacks on any lawmaker who objects to the current iteration of the bill.
https://newrepublic.com/post/177308/republicans-dangerous-new-bill-try-muzzle-criticism-israel

Mike Johnson Did Legal Work for the Leader of the “Largest Militant Antiabortion Group” in America: Disturbing revelations about the House Speaker just keep coming. The Daily Beast reports that before he got into politics, the man who is two heartbeats away from the presidency did legal work for clients “affiliated with some of the nation’s most extreme antiabortion and anti-LGBTQ groups in the country—including agitators connected to militant movements with a penchant for violence
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/12/mike-johnson-clients-anti-abortion#:~:text=The%20Daily%20Beast%20reports%20that,with%20a%20penchant%20for%20violent

Mike Johnson Says He Has to “Blur” Some of the Faces of People Who Appear in January 6 Footage So the DOJ Can’t Charge Them With Crimes: So much for those “legitimate political discourse” claims. This was obviously an incredibly damning moment, as evidenced by the fact that Johnson’s office immediately sought to clarify his comments
https://www.rawstory.com/mike-johnson-capitol-riots/

Johnson Insists on Sweeping Border Changes in Exchange for Ukraine Aid: Republican and Democratic lawmakers appear to be moving further apart on a $111 billion supplemental spending package that includes billions in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as changes in immigration and border policy. Senate Democrats released a version of the package late Tuesday after negotiations on a bipartisan deal stalled.
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/12/05/johnson-republicans-border-ukraine-aid-biden

McHenry, who led U.S. House in October, will not seek reelection: North Carolina’s first 24 hours of filing for the 2024 election cycle is becoming more known for who is not than is, according to published reports. For three weeks in October following the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, McHenry led the chamber in the interim. During that time, he said he was focused on getting the next speaker and did not want the position himself.
https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-congress-election-retirement-2024-dd24d2b7bd772ec4dacd5e76a32a8d4d

Classified Senate Briefing Devolves Into Shouting Match: Some Republicans even stormed out of the meeting early. A classified briefing on Ukraine devolved into a shouting match about border security as senators described a tense meeting that did little to break the Senate’s stalemate over whether to include tighter immigration policies in the aid package.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/politics/senate-classified-briefing-devolves/index.html

Sanders challenges US aid to Israel, citing Gaza conflict and domestic needs: Senator Bernie Sanders stands against the $10 billion military aid to Israel’s Netanyahu government amidst Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, urging focus on U.S. domestic challenges.
https://www.nationofchange.org/2023/12/06/sanders-challenges-us-aid-to-israel-citing-gaza-conflict-and-domestic-needs/

Kevin McCarthy Says He Will Retire From Congress This Month: The California Republican and former House Speaker announced Wednesday that not only is he retiring, he’s stepping down next month instead of finishing the second half of his term.
https://nypost.com/2023/12/06/news/former-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-announces-he-will-retire-at-the-end-of-2023/

# Legal / DOJ
Pence Added to Witness List in Trump’s Georgia Case: It means the former vice president could be called to testify in the trial. Prosecutors in the Georgia election subversion case against former President Donald Trump have officially listed former Vice President Mike Pence as one of the witnesses who could be called to testify at trial, according to multiple sources familiar with court documents that remain under seal.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-pence-georgia-witness-list-1234917896/

# Media
Washington Post strike: More than 700 Washington Post employees plan to walk off the job Thursday for a 24-hour strike after Post Guild expressed frustration over its ongoing contract negotiations with Post management. The Guild also released a statement asking readers to refrain from interacting with Post journalism in any form over the strike’s duration.
https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/12/05/washington-post-staffers-will-go-on-strike-thursday/

# Medical / Health
Texas woman asks judge to let her terminate pregnancy after lethal fetal diagnosis: The Texas Supreme Court is currently considering that case, which asks whether the state’s abortion bans apply to women carrying non-viable pregnancies like Cox’s. A Travis County judge previously ruled that the laws should not apply to patients with medical complications that could become life-threatening or those who have received lethal fetal diagnoses.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/05/texas-abortion-lawsuit/

Republicans in New Hampshire introduced a 15-day abortion ban, one of the most extreme anti-choice bills in the country: With a Republican trifecta in the Senate, House and governor’s mansion, the bill has a real chance of becoming law next month. The bill includes a felony penalty and a $100,000 fine for any provider who performs or induces an abortion after 15 days’ gestation. The ban will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, if it successfully passes through the state legislature and the governor signs it into law.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-hampshire-15-day-abortion-ban_n_656f66dee4b0f3e5f44b124c#:~:text=The%20bill%20includes%20a%20felony,governor%20signs%20it%20into%20law

# Pharmaceuticals / Drugs
CVS Says It Will Overhaul How It Prices Prescription Drugs: Drugstore giant CVS Health announced it is dramatically changing the way its pharmacies are reimbursed for prescription medications, shifting to a model that it says is simpler and more transparent. Under the new model, branded CVS CostVantage, the company’s thousands of pharmacies will get paid based on what CVS paid for the drug plus a set markup and a flat fee to cover its services.
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/06/cvs-drug-pricing-overhaul

Medicare is overpaying for generic drugs: The researchers found evidence that the private insurers that sponsor Medicare Part D are artificially inflating the costs of certain generic drugs by overpaying pharmacies. The findings published December 5, 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The concern: that patients are ultimately impacted by these reimbursement practices because of how out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments and deductibles, are calculated. “For instance, if a patient pays 30% as a copayment for a drug, that 30% would be applied to the inflated price, which could mean higher out-of-pocket costs for seniors.”
https://today.ucsd.edu/story/medicare-is-overpaying-for-generic-drugs#:~:text=The%20researchers%20found%20evidence%20that,of%20the%20American%20Medical%20Association

# Security
‘Disgraceful’: Sen. Mike Lee blasts FBI monitoring of U.S. citizens without a warrant: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, blasted FBI Director Christopher Wray during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday over the agency’s spying on Americans without a warrant
https://www.offthepress.com/disgraceful-sen-mike-lee-blasts-fbi-monitoring-of-citizens-without-a-warrant/

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Attention Readers:

Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-05

Voices, The Peoples News

December 5, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Indigenous
Proposed hydrogen pipeline could diminish Navajo Nation’s water supply: Forty percent of families on the reservation live without access to running water, according to the Navajo Nation Water Management Branch. TallGrass Energy, a multi-billion-dollar energy infrastructure company, has been attending local meetings for communities with their elected Navajo delegate over the past two years, to advocate for its plan to mine blue hydrogen and construct the largest pipeline in the country, from the Navajo Nation to Mexico. According to the Pipeline Safety Trust, hydrogen is more flammable and at risk of explosion than natural gas.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/proposed-hydrogen-pipeline-could-diminish-navajo-nations-water-supply/ar-AA1jaKD4

Navajo advocates push back against proposed hydrogen pipeline: Advocates push back against a proposed hydrogen pipeline that would cross the Navajo Nation, saying it is a perpetuation of the energy colonialism that has ravaged the region for over a century.
https://energynews.us/newsletter/navajo-advocates-push-back-against-proposed-hydrogen-pipeline/

# Border / Immigration / Migrants
Mexico halts deportations and migrant transfers citing lack of funds: The head of Mexico’s immigration agency has ordered the suspension of migrant deportations and transfers due to a lack of funds amid a record-setting year for migration through the country’s territory. The suspensions were outlined in an agency memo dated Dec.
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-immigration-migrants-venezuela-17615ace23d0677bb443d8386e254fbc

Even Democrats Are Joining GOP To Block Biden’s Use of Federal Land For Migrants: House passes bill to ban migrant housing on public lands. The legislation would also revoke a lease that allows migrants to be housed at Floyd Bennett Field, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York.
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2023/12/01/house-passes-bill-to-ban-migrant-housing-on-public-lands-00129419

Stunning images show Arizona border crossing overrun by massive surge of adult male migrants from across globe: The Tucson Sector saw over 17,000 encounters in a week, a new record. A remote part of the Arizona border is being overrun by a massive surge of mainly adult male migrants from across the globe, including countries in Africa and the Middle East — just as the state’s Tucson Sector has seen record numbers of crossings in recent days.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stunning-images-arizona-border-crossing-overrun-massive-surge-adult-male-migrants-from-across-globe?utm_source=Newswav&utm_medium=Website

# Covid / Pandemics / Biologicals
FDA Shuts Down Enquiries About COVID Vaccines Contaminated With DNA Fragments: The recent findings of DNA fragments in the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines has led many to question why the FDA, which is responsible for monitoring the quality and safety of the vaccines, has failed to sound the alarm.
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/fda-shuts-down-enquiries-about-dna-contamination-covid-vaccines

NGO with Ties to Wuhan Lab Received over $50 Million from Federal Agencies since Pandemic, GOP Congressman Says: Representative Paul Gosar (R., Ariz.) demanded answers from four federal agencies concerning their ongoing funding of EcoHealth Alliance, the Wuhan lab-associated nongovernmental organization that has received upwards of $50 million in taxpayer money since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/ngo-with-ties-to-wuhan-lab-received-over-50-million-from-federal-agencies-since-pandemic-gop-congressman-says/

# Education / Schools
“Someone Tell Me What to Do”: Across the country, states require more training to prepare students and teachers for mass shootings than for those expected to protect them. The differences were clear in Uvalde, where children and officers waited on opposite sides of the door. One thing that seemingly unites all sides is the notion of better training for law enforcement. But, in actuality, few laws exist requiring such instruction.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/05/uvalde-officer-student-trainings-mass-shootings/
See also: Why we’re publishing never-reported details of the Uvalde school shooting before state investigators. Over a year after the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the community still doesn’t know what went wrong. It’s a key reason we’re publishing findings based on a trove of materials investigators have yet to release.
https://www.propublica.org/article/uvalde-school-shooting-investigation-details-publishing-decision

Texas judge orders release of Uvalde shooting records: The state Department of Public Safety has blocked the release of records that could offer more clarity into the police response. The agency can appeal the ruling. A state district judge in Travis County has ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to release law enforcement records related to the May 2022 Uvalde school shooting, more than a year after news organizations sued for access.
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-judge-orders-release-of-uvalde-shooting-records

A Sweeping Report on a Michigan School Shooting Finds Multiple Failures and a Troubled Aftermath Parents, already shaken by the fatal incident at Oxford High School, lost confidence in the school district when it hesitated to find and acknowledge accountability for the 2021 shooting. In the end, it took 699 days to account for what went wrong before, during and after a deadly shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan.
https://www.propublica.org/article/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-report-guidepost

# Employment / Labor
California Poultry Supplier Illegally Employed Kids, Stole Wages: Labor Department: A California poultry supplier agreed to pay nearly $3.8 million to settle allegations that it endangered child workers as young as 14 and committed wage theft while processing chickens for major U.S. supermarkets, according to the Labor Department. Earlier this year, the Labor Department said its investigators found that another company, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., had employed children in cleaning roles at meatpacking plants, including using “back saws, brisket saws and head splitters.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/california-poultry-supplier-child-labor-department_n_656e1112e4b0dcfcc980e661#:~:text=Earlier%20this%20year%2C%20the%20Labor,brisket%20saws%20and%20head%20splitters.%E2%80%9D

The Pilots Delivering Your Amazon Packages Are Ready to Strike: Pilots for Amazon’s largest air freight provider voted to strike, complaining of low pay and high turnover. If a strike happens in the new year, Amazon deliveries could be impacted.
https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-air-pilots-vote-strike-delays/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals
From fracked gas in Pennsylvania to toxic waste in Texas, tracking vinyl chloride production in the U.S: Appalachia’s fracking boom is fueling the expansion of American plastics manufacturing, including production of vinyl chloride, the carcinogen used to make PVC that burned in East Palestine, Ohio.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05122023/appalachia-fracking-boom-vinyl-chloride-production-in-the-us/

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals / Global
An Inevitable Showdown With the Fossil Fuel Industry Is Brewing at COP28: At COP28, More and More Scientists Say Overshooting 1.5 Degrees Is ‘Inevitable’
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05122023/todays-climate-cop28-scientists-say-overshooting-1-5-degrees-is-inevitable/

More Than 100 Countries at COP28 Call For Fossil Fuel Phaseout: Cop28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels. Exclusive: UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber says phase-out of coal, oil and gas would take world ‘back into caves’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/03/back-into-caves-cop28-president-dismisses-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels

# Food / Farming / GMOs / Chemicals
Florida’s Food Fight Over Tomatoes Could Send Your Grocery Bill Higher: Some of those tomatoes are grown in Florida, where the Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) is asking the Department of Commerce to step in and reduce the flow of tomatoes grown in Mexico. Florida farmers don’t like the competition, and they’re in a stew over it. They want the Biden administration to terminate the Tomato Suspension Agreement (TSA), a 2019 deal that ensures producers sell Mexican tomatoes at or above the TSA reference price to “eliminate the injurious effects of exports of fresh tomatoes to the United States.” According to the Florida Tomato Exchange, the TSA does not work and instead keeps Mexico from facing any retribution for dumping tomatoes onto the United States.
https://dcjournal.com/floridas-food-fight-over-tomatoes-could-send-your-grocery-bill-higher/

# General News
A judge has finally made it clear that a president can be put in prison: Former prosecutor and #SistersInLaw co-host Joyce Vance said that for the first time in all of the cases involving Donald Trump, a judge has made the case that the former president could be sent to prison if convicted.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-prison-possibilities/

Can Trump run for president from prison? Yes, and it’s been done before: He could follow the playbook of the socialist firebrand Eugene V. Debs, who in 1920 received nearly a million votes while behind bars. The indictment and other ongoing criminal investigations of Donald Trump raise the real, if still remote, prospect that a leading contender for the 2024 presidential nomination could face prison time.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/06/trump-running-for-president-prison-00090931

Is Trump running for president mostly to avoid prison? Mr Trump has made clear that no verdict or sentence will halt his campaign. That he will carry on running for president from behind bars. Mr Trump has made clear that no verdict or sentence will halt his campaign. That he will carry on running for president from behind bars if he has to. But trying to escape his legal difficulties by running for president will soon become a scheduling nightmare.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66402180

‘A very embittered man’: Experts alarmed by ‘menacing’ Trump rhetoric: Among the many threatening or violent comments in the list include comparing his opponents to “vermin,” declarations that Ret. Gen. Mark Milley deserved to be executed, and threats to prosecute President Joe Biden and his family. Experts who spoke with the Times about this rhetoric said they were deeply alarmed.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/a-very-embittered-man-experts-alarmed-by-menacing-trump-rhetoric/ar-AA1l2Yfl#:~:text=Among%20the%20many%20threatening%20or,said%20they%20were%20deeply%20alarmed

Donald Trump’s ‘Deadly Serious’ Ruling Could Poison All His Other Cases: A judge’s ruling that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the U.S is a “deadly serious” problem for the former president, a law professor has told Newsweek. Appeals by both sides of a Trump ballot dispute are to go before the Colorado Supreme Court for oral arguments on Wednesday. The former president is appealing Judge Sarah Wallace’s insurrectionist ruling, while his opponents are appealing Wallace’s decision to keep Trump on the Colorado ballot for the 2024 presidential election.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-serious-insurrection-ruling-jan-6-1849595

# Gov / Politics / Global
Netanyahu says the Gaza war has entered a new stage and will be ‘long and difficult.’: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the nation Saturday night that the military has opened a “second stage” in the war against Hamas by sending ground forces into Gaza and expanding attacks from the ground, air and sea. Casting the war as a fight for his country’s very survival, he warned that the assault would only intensify ahead of a broad ground invasion into the territory.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-10-28-2023-c9bd7ecc5f4a9fe9d46486f66675244c

Israel expands ground operation in Gaza, hitting underground targets: Israel’s military said it continued to find and target Hamas commanders who directed the attack on October 7. The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it expanded a ground operation hitting around 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip. Some forces remained in Gaza, Scripps News has learned.
https://scrippsnews.com/stories/israel-expands-ground-operation-in-gaza-hitting-underground-targets/

Dutch lawyers seek a civil court order to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel: The organizations allege that delivery of parts for F-35 jets makes the Netherlands complicit in possible war crimes being committed by Israel in its war with Hamas. The civil case in The Hague opened as the Israeli military renewed calls for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.
https://www.wdio.com/front-page/world-national/dutch-lawyers-seek-a-civil-court-order-to-halt-the-export-of-f-35-fighter-jet-parts-to-israel/

Reality Check for Putin as Russians Get Damn Tired of War: Tired or not, any dreams of a potential reprieve were extinguished when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree boosting Russia’s troop numbers by 15 percent or some 170,000 people. This will bring the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops. The Russian Defense Ministry blamed NATO for the required increase and claimed that it would be achieved solely through the recruitment of volunteers and not through conscription or mobilization.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/reality-check-for-vladimir-putin-as-russians-get-damn-tired-of-ukraine-war?ref=home?ref=home

Appropriate response to follow: Putin starts threatening Latvia: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has reportedly begun threatening Latvia this evening, December 4th. The alleged reason behind this is the supposed “pressure on the Russian-speaking population,” according to the dictator’s statement. “I don’t think that happiness will come to those who pursue such policies
https://bnn-news.com/appropriate-response-will-follow-putin-threatens-latvia-251981

Freed Hostages Drugged to ‘Look Happy’: Israeli Official: The captives were allegedly given a tranquilizer to appear relaxed as they were released. Hamas drugged the hostages who were released during the ceasefire so that they would “look happy” during the transfer to the Red Cross in Gaza, according to Israel’s Health Ministry
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/hamas-drugged-hostages-to-look-happy-israeli-officials-say

State Dept. Spox Speculates on Why Hostage Deal Fell Apart: Matthew Miller asserted that Hamas didn’t want women to reveal how they were treated while in captivity—then walked back that explanation. During a Monday press briefing, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department claimed that Hamas declined to release all of its hostages during the temporary ceasefire from Nov. 24 through Nov. 30 because the militant group didn’t want the women to reveal how they were treated
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/04/hamas-israeli-women-hostages-release

# Gov / Politics
My friend wants a Dictator: I have a friend who told me recently that democracy doesn’t work and “our country needs a dictator.” We are now at the point in our country when people really do understand what Trump is saying, and they like it. They want what he is offering, and he is offering fascism. And that’s the problem. Trump condemns immigration for a reason that frightens me: because it is “poisoning the blood of our country.” What? He is rejecting everything our Founders stood for by saying that our country is based on purity of blood rather than on a set of principles. This should be shocking, but people love it because they know what he is saying. The fact that this clearly echoes Hitler is not a problem for them. They embrace the message and want to be a part of it.
https://dcjournal.com/my-friend-wants-a-dictator/

Joe Biden Moves To Lift Nearly Every Restriction On Israel’s Access To U.S. Weapons Stockpile: With the WRSA-I, Biden is looking to lift virtually all the meaningful restrictions on the stockpile and the transfer of its arms to Israel, with plans to remove limitations to obsolete or surplus weapons, waive an annual spending cap on replenishing the stockpile, remove weapon-specific restrictions, and curtail congressional oversight. All of the changes … would be permanent, except for lifting the spending cap, which is limited to the 2024 fiscal year.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/26/biden-seeks-to-expand-israeli-access-to-us-weapons-stockpile

Nikki Haley wants to reform Social Security and Medicare. Donors are paying attention [Video]
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/politics/nikki-haley-social-security-medicare-reform/index.html

Haley’s Plan to Gut the Government Is Even Worse Than Trump’s: Among Donald Trump’s many second-term aspirations is his planned assault on the federal civil-service system. He wants MAGA bravos to take over the “deep state,” replacing thousands of allegedly disloyal civil servants to reduce resistance to his other outrageous proposals.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/12/haleys-plan-to-gut-the-government-is-worse-than-trumps.html

New York Mayor Stripped of Emergency Migrant Powers, Heads Back to DC in Makeup of FBI Raid-Aborted Visit: New York City Mayor Eric Adams has had his power to award migrant-related emergency contracts taken away from him, days before heading back to Washington, D.C., to discuss the crisis.
https://themessenger.com/news/new-york-mayor-stripped-of-emergency-migrant-powers-heads-back-to-dc-in-makeup-of-fbi-raid-aborted-visit

Defund the Chinese Communist Party in America: As first reported by the Daily Caller, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) today introduced the Dump Investments in Troublesome Communist Holdings Act (DITCH Act). This bill would force non-profits, university endowments, public pension plans, and any other tax-exempt entity to divest from Chinese companies or lose their tax-exempt status.
https://gallagher.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-hawley-introduce-bill-help-defund-chinese-communist-party

The Chinese Communist Party’s Threat to America: China’s supreme leader and the Party he commands are masters at disguising their true intentions. They are masters at presenting an illusory image to the outside world while speaking, planning and acting in very different ways behind closed doors.
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/02/28/the-chinese-communist-partys-threat-to-america/

How To Defund The Chinese Communist Party: Despite the growing bipartisan consensus on the need for selective technological and financial decoupling from the CCP, and despite dealing with a pandemic from Wuhan that exposed our dangerous dependency on China, Wall Street cannot seem to get enough of the Chinese market.
https://thefederalist.com/2022/01/11/how-to-defund-the-chinese-communist-party/

US Braces for Potential Government Shutdown Under Speaker Mike Johnson – Is America’s Global Reputation at Risk? White House could threaten to veto bill over two-step approach. Disappointed conservatives may block plan in committee
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-12/us-shutdown-risk-lingers-despite-house-speaker-s-compromise-plan

Another Republican Drops Out Of 2024 Race: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum became the latest Republican candidate to drop out of the 2024 presidential race when he announced Monday that he was suspending his campaign. Despite his underdog status since launching his bid in June, Burgum had rejected growing calls for him to exit the crowded field of GOP hopefuls.
https://apnews.com/article/tim-scott-drops-out-2024-race-b9cc8fbeba57a123789d8d0484164e38

# Legal / DOJ
Legal experts predict Supreme Court won’t spare Trump from trial and verdict: Legal experts say the Supreme Court is unlikely to intercede in the criminal cases against former President Trump to stave off convictions on multiple felony counts, even though Trump appointed three of the six conservative justices on the court.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4138507-legal-experts-predict-supreme-court-wont-spare-trump-from-trial-and-verdict/

Families Rally for Opioid Accountability as Supreme Court Hears Purdue Case: “I don’t want their money,” one woman who lost a son to the opioid crisis said of the Sackler family. “I want them in prison.” U.S. Trustee Program, a watchdog at the Justice Department, has joined some families in arguing that the Sacklers should not be shielded from liability for the opioid crisis. “No Sackler immunity at any $$,” read one sign held by a woman outside the Supreme Court on Monday, while another said, “My dead son does not release Sacklers.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/supreme-court-opioids

Ex-conservative judge forms task force to uphold the judiciary and the law in Trump era: Freedom and democracy in the U.S. are being threatened by Trump 2.0, and a conservative judge says it’s going to take all hands in many sectors to prevent its demise.
https://www.rawstory.com/american-bar-association-donald-trump/

No more ‘special favors’ for Trump — ‘the full range of punishment has to be on the table’:
https://www.alternet.org/msn-uk/no-more-special-favors-trump/

# Medical / Health
Ron DeSantis, Like Trump, Wants to “Replace” Obamacare. But Don’t Ask for the Details: Needless to say, the Florida governor’s plan is not likely to give him the boost he needs in the polls. “Here’s what I will do. What I think they’re going to need to do is have a plan that will supersede ObamaCare, that will lower prices for people so that they can afford health care while also making sure that people will preexisting conditions are protected. And we’re going to look at the big institutions that are causing prices to be high: Big Pharma, big insurance and big government,” he said Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4339833-desantis-health-care-plan-supersede-obamacare/

Hospitals and Doctors Increasingly Rejecting Medicare Advantage: Across the country, health care providers are refusing to accept some Medicare Advantage plans, even as the coverage offered by commercial insurers increasingly displaces the traditional government program for seniors and people with disabilities.
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-202-hospitals-doctors-medicare-advantage/

# Medical Technology
Patients expected Profemur Artificial Hips to last, then they snapped in half: Profemur artificial hips were once considered innovative for a feature known as “dual modular necks,” intended to modernize total hip replacement surgery. Hundreds of thousands of Americans undergo hip implant surgery each year and devices are expected to last at least 20 years. The Profemur necks, available in an array of lengths and angles, made it easier to customize the hip implants for patients. But the neck also proved to be a weak point
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/profemur-artificial-hips-recalled-patients-fractures/

# Military / DOD
Another U.S.-China conflict is escalating. It could be thThere’s a growing need for international agreements and norms governing the use of AI in military applications.e most serious of all: The U.S. and China are locked in an arms race to develop AI-controlled weapons.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/another-u-s-china-conflict-is-escalating-it-could-be-the-most-serious-of-all-3dd21f4f

NATO Ally Suddenly Blocks Weapons for Ukraine: Bulgarian President Rumen Radev vetoed the transfer of 100 decommissioned armored vehicles from Sofia to Ukraine on Monday just weeks after Bulgaria’s parliament approved the agreement.
https://www.newsweek.com/nato-ally-suddenly-blocks-weapons-ukraine-1849437

The Air Force is expanding its study of whether service members who worked with nuclear missiles have had unusually high rates of cancer after a preliminary review determined that a deeper examination is needed. The initial study was launched in response to reports that many who served are now ill.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2023/12/04/air-force-expanding-review-of-cancers-in-nuclear-missile-community/

Meet the Army’s first female active duty sniper: Though her childhood nickname was “Sniper,” there was no guarantee that’s what Army Sgt. Maciel Hay would become. Maciel Hay, a cavalry scout with 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, poses for a photo with her family after graduating sniper school at Fort Moore, Ga., Nov. 3, 2023. With this accomplishment, Hay becomes the first active duty female U.S. Army sniper.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/12/04/meet-the-armys-first-female-active-duty-sniper/#:~:text=Maciel%20Hay%2C%20a%20cavalry%20scout,Courtesy%20photo%2F173rd%20Airborne

Backpack jammer prototyped by CACI’s Mastodon passes early Army test: Preliminary testing of a portable jammer soldiers can sling to their backs and use to manipulate electronic signals while on the move was successful, according to its makers and a U.S. Army official. The service in November put the Terrestrial Layer System-Brigade Combat Team Manpack, or TLS-BCT Manpack, through an operational demonstration at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. CACI International-owned Mastodon Design months earlier won a $1.5 million contract to prototype the system, built utilizing the company’s existing Beast and Kraken electronic-warfare products.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2023/12/04/backpack-jammer-prototyped-by-cacis-mastodon-passes-early-army-test/

U.S. to deploy Tomahawk anti-ship missiles on submarines to counter China: The US Navy plans to begin arming submarines next year with ship-targeting versions of the widely used Tomahawk missile, part of Washington’s push to ramp up military capabilities to challenge Chinese maritime forces, particularly around Taiwan.
https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/world/us-to-deploy-anti-ship-missiles-on-subs-in-2024-to-counter-china/article_1f413756-ffd1-507d-acac-f36aec6c958a.html

# Military / Global
Putin to discuss Israel-Hamas war during a 1-day trip to Saudi Arabia and UAE: Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a one-day trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia focused on the Israeli-Hamas war and host the Iranian president in Moscow this week. Putin has sought to increase Russia’s influence in the Middle East, and experts say he is emboldened by growing international criticism of Israel amid its bombardment of Gaza, which has left at least 15,500 people dead.
https://time.com/6342604/putin-saudi-uae-israel-hamas/

Deadly but tricky to fly, suicide drones have Ukraine putting thousands of soldiers through pilot training: Private schools are churning out troops who can use hobbyist racing quadcopters as deadly loitering munitions. As Ukraine leans on suicide drones to wear down Russia’s invading forces, private, civilian-run training schools are working to supply the Ukrainian army with thousands of pilots. That’s no mean feat. The drones are extremely hard to fly, requiring weeks of training before a pilot is ready to fight on the front line
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2023/12/loitering-munitions-use-rises-across-ukraine-pilot-training-becomes-new-key-task/392433/#:~:text=As%20Ukraine%20leans%20on%20suicide,fight%20on%20the%20front%20line

After Middle East attacks on ships, US considers naval task force in Red Sea: The White House said the U.S. is considering the plan to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea. . The White House said the U.S. is considering the plan to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea.
https://news.usni.org/2023/12/04/u-s-in-talks-to-form-new-red-sea-task-force-to-guard-commercial-ships-in-the-red-sea-says-white-house

Israel Used U.S. Arms in Deadly Airstrikes on Gaza: Amnesty: The organization said that the munition fragments displayed codes that suggest they were Joint Direct Attack Munitions made by Boeing, which guide bombs by GPS. US-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) were used by the Israeli military in two deadly, unlawful air strikes on homes full of civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip, Amnesty International has found based on a new investigation into those strikes
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/12/israel-opt-us-made-munitions-killed-43-civilians-in-two-documented-israeli-air-strikes-in-gaza-new-investigation/

# Social
Black Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans and White Americans: America Is No Longer The ‘Land Of Opportunity’: When the governors of Texas, Arizona and Florida took advantage of the welcoming traditions provided by sanctuary cities, it was meant to get rid of an unwanted problem. More than 23,000 asylum seekers have been bused to Chicago from Texas since the beginning of the year. As the cold weather sets in, people in the nation’s third-largest city are sheltering on sidewalks, at police station foyers and at the city’s airport.
https://thyblackman.com/2023/12/04/black-americans-asian-americans-mexican-americans-and-white-americans-america-is-no-longer-the-land-of-opportunity/

Systemic Inequality: Displacement, Exclusion, and Segregation: How America’s Housing System Undermines Wealth Building in Communities of Color. The United States must reckon with the racism built into its housing system in order to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to build wealth.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/systemic-inequality-displacement-exclusion-segregation/

Systematic Inequality and Economic Opportunity: Eliminating racial disparities in economic well-being requires long-term, targeted interventions to expand access to opportunity for people of color. The U.S. economy was built on the exploitation and occupational segregation of people of color. While many government policies and institutional practices helped create this system, the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and the New Deal—as well as the limited funding and scope of anti-discrimination agencies—are some of the biggest contributors to inequality in America.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/systematic-inequality-economic-opportunity/

# Space
James Webb Space Telescope pierces through dust to find an ancient ghostly galaxy: “It’s potentially telling us there’s a whole population of galaxies that have been hiding from us.” You are looking at a very blurry, highly dust-obscured resident of the cosmos whose name is only a string of numbers and letters. It even sits at a distance so far from Earth that it slips in and out of the watchful eyes of various telescopes. The image, captured by the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, spotlights galaxy AzTECC71 — but what’s striking here is that we’re seeing AzTECC71the way it was just 900 million years after the Big Bang. That’s when the universe was turning on its very first stars, absolute eons before our solar system was born.
https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-ghostly-galaxy-early-universe

# Technology
AI doesn’t cause harm by itself. We should worry about the people who control it: We already live in societies in which power is exercised by a few to the detriment of the majority, and that technology provides a means of consolidating that power. As advanced systems like ChatGPT captivate the public imagination, debates intensify over who should guide powerful new technologies — and for what aims. A thoughtful perspective comes from writer Kenan Malik, who argues AI itself does not directly cause harm; rather, we should worry about the humans who control it.
https://original.newsbreak.com/@acv-amor-1789566/3243301389844-who-s-really-in-control-of-artificial-intelligence-ai-how-our-choices-shape-it

Secretive White House Surveillance Program Gives Cops Access to Trillions of US Phone Records: A surveillance program now known as Data Analytical Services (DAS) has for more than a decade allowed federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to mine the details of Americans’ calls, analyzing the phone records of countless people who are not suspected of any crime, including victims.
https://www.wired.com/story/hemisphere-das-white-house-surveillance-trillions-us-call-records/

# Veterans / VA
Thousands of troops may be caught in medical debt. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants the Pentagon to find out how many. The Pentagon isn’t tracking medical debt among troops despite federal recommendations that it should, and now Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the chairwoman of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel panel, wants to change that. “Given service members’ frequent relocations, some service members may not discover these charges in a timely manner,” Warren wrote. A CFPB report published in June 2022 found that more than 5,000 troops and family members reported medical billing issues to the agency from 2018 to 2021.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/04/sen-elizabeth-warren-implores-pentagon-keep-better-track-of-service-members-medical-debt.html#:~:text=%22Given%20service%20members’%20frequent%20relocations,agency%20from%202018%20to%202021.

# Water
US Sewage, Water Systems Under Attack By Iranian Cyberhackers: Authorities are aware of a campaign of hacks targeting multiple drinking water and sewage systems across the country, Bloomberg reports, with efforts underway to limit the impact. The hackers, calling themselves Cyber Av3ngers, compromised an ICS associated with a booster station that monitors and regulates water pressure, but the water facility said there was no risk to the water supply or drinking water.
https://www.securityweek.com/ics-at-multiple-us-water-facilities-targeted-by-hackers-affiliated-with-iranian-government/

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Attention Readers:

Due to the nature of independent content, Voices, The Peoples News cannot guarantee content validity.

Voices, The Peoples News No. 2023-12-04

Voices, The Peoples News

December 4, 2023
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net

# Animals / Pets / Alerts / Food Recalls
War on Dog Breeding Punishes Responsible Breeders: Responsible dog breeding is under attack with efforts at the federal and state levels to limit or end breeding. Don’t Buy the Doggy in the Window: Ending the Cycle That Perpetuates Commercial Breeding With Regulation Of The Retail Pet Industry
https://www.animallaw.info/article/dont-buy-doggy-window-ending-cycle-perpetuates-commercial-breeding-regulation-retail-pet

Puppy Wars: The Fight to Shut Puppy Mills Without Hurting Genuine Breeders: Advocates of pending legislation say it will help prevent puppy mills from selling animals in New Jersey, while opponents argue it will make things much tougher on genuine breeders
https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2017/04/17-04-27-puppy-wars-the-fight-to-shut-down-puppy-mills-without-hurting-legitimate-breeders/

The Dog Factory: Inside the Sickening World of Puppy Mills: An investigation into the underworld of America’s overcrowded dog farms, the secret shame of the pet industry. In puppy mills, in order to produce as many puppies as possible, female dogs are frequently bred under bad conditions. Puppies are taken aback from their mothers when they’re as young as 4 weeks old. These cute little puppies are sold online or in pet stores, where buyers purchase them being unaware of where they’re actually coming from.
https://www.pawfa.org/post/puppy-mills-the-ugly-truth-about-illegal-force-breeding

# Border / Immigration / Migrants
Biden wants open borders all the way south to Guatemala: Biden won’t help Guatemala protect its border and fight illegal immigration: The Biden administration wants not just the United States’ border with Mexico kept open, he’d like to see the borders all the way south to Guatemala wide open.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2023/12/04/heritage-biden-wants-open-borders-as-far-south-as-guatemala-to-continue-illegal-immigrant-flow-1417234/

Mainstream Media Is Finally Waking Up To The Crisis At The Border: The mainstream media appears to be waking up to the effects of President Biden’s border policies as reporters not often heard challenging the White House are suddenly interested in the topic, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Thursday.
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/3653928-the-real-migrant-tragedy-the-media-are-missing/

The Senate’s border security farce: Specifics have not been released, but reports indicate that in exchange for $61 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, Republicans would get $14 billion for “border security” and reforms to the asylum process that allegedly would help bring order to the border.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/the-senates-border-security-farce

Kamala Harris: “Under No Circumstances” Will US Allow Forced Relocation of Palestinians: As fighting resumes in Gaza, the vice president said that “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1794682

Biden Pushes to Allow Illegal Aliens to Live in National Parks Using Federal Funds: If the White House wants to bail themselves out of the border crisis using federally owned land, the House of Representatives just gave them a serious reality check. In a bill passed on Thursday, The Daily Signal reported, the GOP-controlled lower chamber specifically prohibited any Washington funding to house illegal immigrants on land managed by the federal government.
https://www.westernjournal.com/bidens-push-allow-illegal-aliens-live-national-parks-using-federal-funds-results-house-gop-block/
See also: U.S. House of Representatives: Debate on Banning Migrant Housing on Federal Land. House lawmakers debated legislation prohibiting federal funding to house undocumented immigrants on federal lands.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?532091-5/debate-banning-migrant-housing-federal-land

Arizona congressman demands National Guard be deployed to border as 10,000 illegal migrants cross in single day: Juan Ciscomani, who serves as the US representative for Arizona’s 6th congressional district, made the request after nearly 10,000 people crossed the border in a single day last week.
https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/us-migrant-crisis-arizona-national-guard-border-crossings

Arizona border crossing temporarily closing over high migrant arrivals: According to border officials, the move is to address a surge in migrant encounters at the border “fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,” and to redirect personnel to help border patrol take migrants into custody.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-closing-remote-arizona-border-crossing-citing-overwhelming-migrant-arrivals-/7381362.html

The number of Chinese smuggled into the U.S. has increased since the start of Xi Jinping’s third term: Over 24,000 illegal Chinese immigrants enter the U.S., surpassing the combined number over the past decade. More than 22,000 have entered by September this year, a staggering 12.7 times increase compared to last year. Despite the long and perilous journey through Central and South America, the success rate of entering the U.S. is high. Driven by despair over Xi Jinping’s oppressive regime and harsh COVID-19 lockdowns
https://www.kangnamtimes.com/world/article/61156/

US Lawmakers Want to Use a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families: Legislation set to be introduced in Congress this week would extend Section 702 surveillance of people applying for green cards, asylum, and some visas—subjecting loved ones to similar intrusions.
https://www.wired.com/story/section-702-immigrant-families-surveillance/#:~:text=Legislation%20set%20to%20be%20introduced,loved%20ones%20to%20similar%20intrusions

# Covid / Pandemics / Biologicals
Death of 12-Year-Old Boy in France Following HPV Vaccination Triggers Probe Into Gardasil Safety and School Vaccine Campaigns: French prosecutors have launched an investigation into the death of a 12-year-old boy who collapsed minutes after receiving Gardasil’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a school setting and subsequently died of head trauma, according to French media.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/gardasil-hpv-vaccine-12-yr-old-death-school-france/

# Education / Schools
Uprooted: Virginia Universities have expanded by dislodging Black communities: In the second half of the 20th century, the establishment and expansion of public universities across Virginia uprooted Black families, hindering their efforts to accumulate wealth in the most American way, homeownership. [Reading list]
https://www.propublica.org/series/uprooted?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=event

# Employment / Labor
Spotify Cuts 1,500 Jobs in Third Layoff Round This Year: The headcount reduction amounts to 17 percent of its workforce. Spotify will lay off 1,500 in third round of job cuts this year. Music streaming app Spotify plans to lay off 1,500 workers, the company announced Monday. The staff reduction represents 17% of its global workforce and is the third layoff of the year as the Swedish firm works to improve profitability.
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/04/1216950219/spotify-layoffs-17-percent-tech

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals
Biden Admin Announces New Rules Targeting Oil, Gas Industries Amid Projected Energy Price Increases: The Biden administration issued a new rule Saturday that it claimed would both fight climate change and improve the U.S. economy, despite arguments — some from within President Joe Biden’s own party — that the rule would do neither.
https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-admin-announces-new-rules-targeting-oil-gas-industries-amid-projected-energy-price-increases/

Biden’s EPA launches crackdown on planet-warming methane: The action came amid a series of international and oil industry pledges during the U.N. climate summit to address the potent greenhouse gas.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/02/bidens-epa-launches-crackdown-on-planet-warming-methane-00129433

# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Chemicals / Global
Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated: The world’s biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in operation was inaugurated in Japan on Friday, a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity’s future energy needs. World’s biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor launched in Japan. The world’s biggest operational experimental nuclear fusion reactor – a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity’s future energy needs – has been inaugurated in Naka, Japan.
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-biggest-nuclear-fusion-reactor-just-came-online

# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure
World’s biggest iceberg filmed as it floats into Southern Ocean: Incredible footage has provided a new view of the world’s biggest iceberg as it begins its journey out into the Southern Ocean. Iceberg A23a measures 40 by 32 nautical miles, according to the U.S. National Ice Center. For comparison, Hawaii’s island of Oahu is 44 miles long and 30 miles across. And New York City’s Manhattan Island is about 13.4 miles long and spans around 2.3 miles at its widest point.
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/01/1215141574/antarctica-iceberg-a23a-location

# Food / Farming / GMOs / Chemicals
The Most Harmful Groceries For Your Health In The US: Practice moderation with these cereals, pastries, processed meats, and frozen meals at the grocery store.
https://www.eatthis.com/unhealthiest-grocery-foods/

# Food Recalls / Alerts
Many Ready-to-Eat beef and poultry products recalled by New York producer: Swan Lake, NY-based Pelleh Poultry Corp., is spending the weekend recalling approximately 708 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) beef and poultry products that are likely contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/12/many-ready-to-eat-beef-and-poultry-products-recalled-by-new-york-producer/

More Than 700 Pounds of Poultry and Beef Recalled in 3 States: The affected products were distributed to retail and institutional establishments in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The recall was initiated after the establishment’s laboratory tests raised concerns about the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the products.
https://www.thehealthy.com/food/news-poultry-beef-recall-new-york-new-jersey-pennsylvania-december-2023/

# Foodie Tips, Tricks and How To’s
Health Benefits of Oranges Backed By Science: Science now confirms the orange has a broad range of medicinal properties, which is why the ancients knew it both as a food and a medicine.
https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/9-evidence-based-medicinal-properties-oranges

Potential Health Benefits Of Using Ginger: Ginger may have numerous health benefits due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea, and other properties. It may help you lose weight, manage arthritis, reduce menstrual symptoms, and more.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger

# General News
Trump Could Legally Use the U.S. Military as Domestic Law Enforcers: Could a second-term President Donald Trump legally use military forces to conduct domestic law enforcement activities? The simple answer to the question is “yes.” Beginning with George Washington, more than a dozen presidents have deployed troops more than two dozen times for law enforcement purposes.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-could-legally-use-us-military-as-domestic-law-enforcers

Trump Wants to Use the Military Against His Domestic Enemies. Congress Must Act: The Insurrection Act, which gives the president unchecked power to deploy the military on American streets, is a threat to democracy.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/trump-wants-use-military-against-his-domestic-enemies-congress-must-act

Trump attempts to spin anti-democracy, authoritarian criticism against Biden: Trump calls Biden the ‘destroyer’ of democracy despite his own efforts to overturn 2020 election
https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-democracy-election-2024-f2f824f056ae9f81f4e688fe590f41b4

Trump Sounds Off After Bank Executive’s Testimony: ‘We Have Become A Communist Country’: Former President Trump says the U.S. has devolved into being a communist nation, but it will be a free country if he is reelected president.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5074104/president-trump-us-communist-country

Trump just admitted to “waging an all out war on American democracy”: While attempting to speak about the Democrats and his supposed opponents Trump said: “From that day on our opponents and we have a lot of opponents but we’ve been waging an all out war on American democracy.”
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-speech-gaffe-sparks-avalanch-jokes-memes-iowa-1849035

“This Is the Final Compromise”: Donald Trump and the Implosion of the American Evangelical Movement: How American Evangelicalism Became ‘Mister Rogers With a Blowtorch.’ Alberta, a staff writer for The Atlantic, asks how so many devout Christians could be in thrall to a figure like Donald Trump, whom he calls a “lecherous, impenitent scoundrel.” Under the veneer of Christian modesty simmers an explosive rage, propelling Americans who piously declare their fealty to Jesus to act as though their highest calling is to own the libs. No wonder the popular image of evangelicalism, according to one disillusioned preacher, has devolved into “Mister Rogers with a blowtorch.”
https://dnyuz.com/2023/12/02/how-american-evangelicalism-became-mister-rogers-with-a-blowtorch/

Trump Allies Want to Make Sure Potential Administration Officials Are “Red-Pilled”: They are already screening prospective staffers to determine their loyalty, and their openness to his expansive vision of executive power.
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/01/trump-government-job-applications-2025

Trump Wants The End Of The World As We Know It, And Corporate Media Feels Fine: Trump’s brazen climate denialism is being ignored or downplayed, have news outlets given up on even pretending they care about climate chaos? The Financial Times reported that the Trump campaign is embracing what it calls Project 2025, a 920-page conservative policy blueprint by the Heritage Foundation that, among other radical goals, urges the elimination of several energy department agencies and would overhaul the whole of the federal government to not only deny climate change, but actively promote it.
https://www.levernews.com/trump-wants-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-corporate-media-feels-fine/

Trump shares warning that his own re-election will plunge America into dictatorship: “If the Heritage Foundation has its way, and there is no reason to believe it won’t, many of those career bureaucrats will be gone, replaced by people carefully ‘vetted’ to ensure their loyalty to Trump.” A number of reports have already outlined how Trump, and GOP interest groups aligned with him, have laid out a plan for stripping away all civil service protections and basing employment in the executive branch on loyalty to the president and fealty to his orders.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-dictatorship/

During a recent rally, Donald Trump called on his MAGA base to “guard the vote” during the upcoming 2024 presidential elections, which is sparking concerns of political violence. the former president gave a speech in Iowa further pushing his long debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and argued that he wants his base to help him make sure it doesn’t happen again. “We have all the votes we need. What we have to do is guard the vote.”
https://www.tag24.com/politics/politicians/donald-trump/donald-trump-calls-to-maga-base-and-sparks-concerns-of-new-violence-guard-the-vote-3031327

# Gov / Politics / Global
Netanyahu’s goal for Gaza: “Thin” population “to a minimum”: The White House requested billions to support refugee resettlement from Ukraine and Gaza in October. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tasked his top adviser, Ron Dermer, the minister of strategic affairs, with designing plans to “thin” the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip “to a minimum,” according to a bombshell new report in an Israeli newspaper founded by the late Republican billionaire Sheldon Adelson.
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/03/netanyahu-thin-gaza-population/

Two Months That Shook the World: The First Phase of the Gaza War: As Israel resumes its bombing of Gaza, the risk of a wider regional war grows. Mouin Rabbani analyzes the military and propaganda battles between Hamas and Israel. Despite meekly worded suggestions from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel make an effort to reduce civilian deaths, the U.S. position remains one of full-throttled support for a military campaign that has killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them children and other civilians.
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/02/intercepted-gaza-war-israel-hamas/

‘Declaration Of War’: North Korea Threatens To Eliminate U.S. Satellite Programme: “In case the U.S. tries to violate the legitimate territory of a sovereign state by weaponizing the latest technologies illegally and unjustly, the DPRK will consider taking responsive action measures for self-defence to undermine or destroy the viability of the U.S. spy satellites,” the statement said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOMJ5WcsVuE

IDF ‘Close To Completing’ Northern Gaza Operations: IDF close to completing northern Gaza operations, Israeli general says. The commander of Israel’s Armored Corps said on Monday that he and other ground forces were close to achieving their war mission in the northern Gaza Strip and were operating elsewhere in the Palestinian enclave against Hamas.
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/israel-gaza-hamas/2023/12/04/id/1144628/

Putin Sets His Sights on the Next Country: “Russia is Preparing for War”: A senior Russian diplomat confirms: “Russia is preparing for war” – is anybody listening? Andrei Belousov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, has recently made an important statement which I shall quote in full and then provide a translation.
https://thesaker.is/a-senior-russian-diplomat-confirms-russia-is-preparing-for-war-is-anybody-listening/

Putin ally Medvedev warns NATO of nuclear war if Russia defeated in Ukraine: An ally of President Vladimir Putin warned NATO on Thursday that a defeat of Russia in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war, while the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said the world would end if the West tried to destroy Russia.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/19/medvedev-warns-of-nuclear-war-if-russia-defeated-in-ukraine

China grabs neighbor’s land while negotiating border deal: Satellite imagery revealed Chinese expansion into territory previously controlled by Bhutan even as China continues to negotiate a border agreement with its neighbor to the south.
https://www.newsweek.com/china-border-map-neighbors-reaction-territorial-claims-1823648

China Is Building Entire Villages in Another Country’s Territory: Since 2015, a previously unnoticed network of roads, buildings, and military outposts has been constructed deep in a sacred valley in Bhutan.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/07/china-bhutan-border-villages-security-forces/

# Gov / Politics
Eligible voters being swept up in conservative activists’ voter roll purges ahead of 2024 vote: Far-right activists are fighting to purge voter registration rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election — and eligible voters are getting caught in the crosshairs. Fueled by doubts about the 2020 election, an army of conservative activists is poring over state voter lists, looking for registration errors that can be used to file what are known as voter challenges — questioning the registrations of thousands of Americans.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-voter-intimidation/

President Biden stunned listeners Wednesday by bragging about his ability to launch nuclear weapons — before calling Donald Trump a “congressman” and seeming to forget the names of the current Chinese and South Korean leaders. “Now look, my Marine carries that, but it has the code to blow up the world,” the 81-year-old commander-in-chief said while introducing himself to factory workers in Colorado.
https://nypost.com/2023/11/29/news/biden-brags-my-marine-has-a-code-to-blow-up-the-world/

Turns out a new speaker didn’t solve House GOP’s problems: Government funding, Ukraine funding, aid to Israel, and a complete lack of accomplishments—Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t solved any of it. And Republicans are noticing it.
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3252245333276-turns-out-a-new-speaker-didn-t-solve-the-house-gop-s-problems

Top US General Warns Everyone Should Be ‘Worried’ About War With China: During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Brown was asked by host Shannon Bream about growing concerns over a war between the United States and China, citing recent Reagan Institute polls finding that 51 percent of Americans view China as the biggest foreign threat to the country and 74 percent are concerned about such a conflict breaking out within five years.
https://www.newsweek.com/top-us-general-warns-everyone-should-worried-about-war-china-1849085#:~:text=General%20Charles%20Q.%20Brown%20Jr,about%20a%20war%20with%20China

On the brink: Supreme Court may endanger Voting Rights Act’s legacy: Facing a historic legal challenge, the Voting Rights Act’s future hangs in balance. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, a cornerstone of American civil rights legislation, faces a pivotal moment that could redefine its future. A recent ruling by the Eighth United States Circuit Court of Appeals has triggered alarms, signaling that the Supreme Court may now be poised to further erode this crucial act, potentially undermining decades of progress in voting rights.
https://www.nationofchange.org/2023/12/04/on-the-brink-supreme-court-may-endanger-voting-rights-acts-legacy/

# Law Enforcment
Ex-U.S. Ambassador Arrested, Accused of Spying: Manuel Rocha has been accused of working as an agent for Cuba. A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation, accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-cuba-bolivia-former-ambassador-arrested-af9d80a4f268099364dff249dd74b3ec

There’s no reason to send these 3,000 people in home confinement back to federal prison: Unfortunately, some in Congress want to return nearly 3,000 of these people to prison, even though they have caused no problems since their release. This is neither fiscally responsible nor smart public safety policy.
https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4336678-theres-no-reason-to-send-these-3000-people-in-home-confinement-back-to-federal-prison/

# Legal / DOJ
Trump Doesn’t Have a “Get-Out-of-Jail-Free” Pass in 2020 Election Subversion Prosecution: Donald Trump is not entitled to absolute presidential immunity against criminal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge ruled, saying the office doesn’t come with a “lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/trump-denied-immunity-against-jan-6-charges-judge-rules

U.S. Judge Warns Public of Possible Authoritative Rule: The judge who spearheaded the judiciary’s response to the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, blamed that event on “big lies” and warned that the country is in danger of turning toward authoritarianism.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/28/jan-6-authoritarian-threat-democracy-00129013

Texas Sues Pfizer for Misrepresenting COVID Vaccine Claims, Censoring Americans: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that he’s suing pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for “misrepresenting COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.”
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4336013-texas-ken-paxton-pfizer-lawsuit-covid-19-vaccine/

# Medical / Health
Doctor gives verdict on ‘white lung syndrome’ as children are hit by illness in US: “What we know so far is that these are not novel, so not new, viruses. These are all things that we have seen before in seasons past.” The doctor went on to explain that most of the spikes were due to illnesses like RSV, influenza and Rhinovirus, all common conditions with plenty of treatment options
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/white-lung-syndrome-child-pneumonia/

# Military / DOD
U.S. supplied bunker-buster bombs to Israel: The U.S. has shipped approximately 15,000 bombs, including 100 of its 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs. Apart from ground-penetrating munitions, US has also given Israel several other types of bombs and artillery shells for its war on Gaza, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-sends-israel-2-000-pound-bunker-buster-bombs-for-gaza-war-82898638

US Warship Fires In Self-Defense After Commercial Ships Attacked In Red Sea: Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hours long assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/4340160-american-warship-multiple-commercial-vessels-come-under-attack-in-red-sea/

Battle for Arctic territory pits US against China and Russia: “The Arctic’s rich natural resources, crucial shipping routes, fishing waters, and the opportunity for future development make the region a flashpoint in geopolitical competition between the United States and its near-peer competitors, including an emboldened and aggressive Russia,” said House Homeland Security
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/battle-for-arctic-territory-against-china-russia

# Military / Global
Kids in Occupied Ukraine Forced to Join Russian War Effort: Ukrainian children are pressured into joining the Young Army program where they are brainwashed, trained to fight, and forced to make supply packages for the Russian invaders.
https://www.voanews.com/a/thousands-of-ukrainian-children-forcibly-taken-to-belarus-yale-research-finds/7358858.html

North Korean Missile Explodes, Presidential Office and Military Clash Over Details: According to a Defense Department official, the missile that was launched was land-based, and there was a high degree of confidence that it was not an ICBM, but an assessment was still underway.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/north-koreas-attempted-missile-launch-reportedly-fails/story?id=46821714

Rocket Hit Israeli Base With Suspected Nuclear Weapons: A visual investigation by The New York Times showed that the rocket caused a fire at Sdot Micha Airbase, but spared the nuclear warheads believed to be housed there. A rocket most likely fired by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel struck an Israeli military base where, experts say, many of the country’s nuclear-capable missiles are based, according to a visual analysis of the attack’s aftermath
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/12/04/hamas-hit-israeli-base-containing-nuclear-missiles-report/

# Nuclear
Don’t Let Government Get Away With Poisoning Americans: For decades, the federal government poisoned an untold number of its citizens through our atomic program. It happened everywhere, impacting uranium mine workers in Texas, Native Americans living downwind from nuclear tests in the Mountain West, and communities exposed to Manhattan Project waste in Missouri. And that’s just a small sample. Thousands more were poisoned, sickened, and died. Lives were broken – all because our government was careless, and then covered it up.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2023/12/04/dont_let_government_get_away_with_poisoning_americans_150144.html

# Space
After 50 years, US to return to moon on January 25: More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, the United States will try once again to land a craft on the moon on January 25, said the head of what could be the first private company to successfully touch down on the lunar surface. After 50 years, US to return to moon on January 25
https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/after-50-years-us-to-return-to-moon-on-january-25/#:~:text=More%20than%2050%20years%20after,have%20no%20one%20on%20board

Sierra Space’s Shooting Star Module Begins Rigorous Testing at NASA Facility: Sierra Space, a leading pureplay commercial space company building the first end-to-end business and technology platform in space, announced today the commencement of a comprehensive testing campaign for the Shooting Star™ cargo module at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Sierra_Spaces_Shooting_Star_Module_Begins_Rigorous_Testing_at_NASA_Facility_999.html

# Weather
National Weather Service on red alert as it monitors major solar flares: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasts additional geomagnetic storms after a recent spectacle of the northern lights, generated by a geomagnetic storm.
https://www.the-express.com/news/weather/120200/national-weather-service-solar-flares-warning

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