Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Story Time

1:00 am 6:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Justice Department preparing to say it has received Mueller report: CNN

Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs after briefing the U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington
FILE PHOTO: Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs after briefing the U.S. House Intelligence Committee on his investigation of potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

February 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to announce as early as next week that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has given the attorney general his report on the federal Russia investigation, CNN said on Wednesday.

After the expected announcement, U.S. Attorney General William Barr will review Mueller’s findings and submit his own report to Congress, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.

(Writing by Tim Ahmann and Susan Heavey)

Source: OANN

0 0

‪CA Proposes a Carbon Tax to Replace Sales Tax‬

Spread the love

California lawmakers are proposing replacing California’s sales tax with a “carbon tax” based on the “carbon intensity” of specific products. The bill, SB 43 by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) would require the State Air Resources Board, in consultation with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, to submit a report to the Legislature on the results of a study, to propose and to determine the feasibility and practicality of, a system to replace the tax imposed pursuant to the Sales and Use Tax Law with an assessment on retail products sold or used in the state based on the carbon intensity of the product to encourage the use of less carbon-intensive products.

“The goal is to use higher prices to influence Californians to purchase products in a way that is supposed to help reduce climate change,” reportedSarah Boot at the Cal Chamber.

CARB has long wished for a carbon tax, but the United States Commerce Clause always got in the way. The Commerce Clause limits a state’s ability to tax out-of-state persons, and mandates that Congress shall have the power to regulate interstate commerce. Because the power to regulate interstate commerce is granted to Congress, states may not enact laws that discriminate against or substantially interfere with interstate commerce.

Additionally, the dormant Commerce Clause, which says states may not enact laws that discriminate against or substantially interfere with interstate commerce, prevents a state from imposing border tax adjustments as part of its carbon tax. This is something the CARB has been working to find a way around. Several studies such as State-Level Carbon Taxes and the Dormant Commerce Clause: Can Formulary Apportionment Save the World? have been published on the CARB website to address ways to accomplish a carbon tax.

Sarah Boot, whose area of expertise at the Cal Chamber is Privacy and Tax, asks some pertinent questions:

• Who within CARB or the CDTFA will determine the “carbon intensity” of every single product sold or used in California?  Would it be a team of scientists?  Would companies around the country and the world have to send the CDTFA some sort of form assessing the “carbon intensity” of every single one of their products sold in California?  How will the CDTFA verify the accuracy of such information?  How will they enforce this new requirement here in California when so many products come from out of state or from another country?

• Assuming they can do this, how will they convey the specific carbon sales tax for every single product to retailers in this state?  Could they assign the different rates of carbon sales taxes to categories of products?  Or would this be unfair because two companies could produce the same type of product with significantly different carbon intensities?

• What will be included in the determination of “carbon intensity”?   Some of the factors contributing to “carbon intensity” can include the amount of fuel combusted, the number of animals used, certain industrial processes, and distances traveled.  What else?

• What will be the impact of assessing a carbon sales tax based – in part – on how far a product must travel to get to our state?  If the same company produces a product in two different states, one closer to California than the other, will that same product from the same company have two different prices?    Will the distance to each local jurisdiction in our large state be part of the “carbon intensity” measurement?  For example, if a product is manufactured in Oregon and sold in San Diego, will it have a different “carbon intensity” measurement than the same product sold in Sacramento?

• How will the carbon sales tax impact lower income Californians?  Will there be some Californians who don’t have many options when trying to buy products with a lower “carbon intensity?”  Will it impact their ability to buy meat and dairy products, including milk and formula?  Will it increase the cost of their utilities and driving?  Will their cost of living go up?

• Per SB 43, the carbon sales tax has a goal of revenue neutrality.  Yet, if the carbon sales tax is successful at getting consumers to stop purchasing products with higher carbon emissions, via their higher tax rates, wouldn’t revenue ultimately be diminished?

• California’s sales and use tax is one of the state’s most stable forms of revenue.  How would a carbon sales tax impact budget volatility?

SB 43 will require the California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, to submit a report to the legislature by 2021.

The Carbon Tax Center reports on carbon taxes that have been enacted or proposed around the world, including in:

  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • Australia
  • Chile
  • Sweden
  • Other Nations (including Finland, Great Britain, and New Zealand)

A great deal of pressure is being applied on the United States to join in, but so far, President Donald Trump’s administration has been resistant. California, on the other hand, has taken a go-it-alone approach under former Governor Jerry Brown, partnering with Oregon, Washington and British Columbia forming an illegal compact when they signed the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, “to align climate change policies and promote clean energy.”

0 0

Texas’ high court keeps execution drug supplier secret

A supplier of Texas' execution drugs can remain secret under a court ruling that cited a risk of "physical harm" to the compounding pharmacy if the information became public.

The Texas Supreme Court's decision Friday ends a long-running legal battle that began in 2014 over the drugs used in the nation's busiest execution chamber.

Defense attorneys argued that the supplier identity was needed to verify drug quality and spare condemned inmates from unconstitutional pain and suffering. Texas officials have said disclosing the source would "threaten the death penalty's operation nationwide."

Availability of execution drugs has become an issue in many death penalty states. The Texas decision only applies to drugs used in a few past executions, since Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in 2015 making supplier records secret.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

The Number Of Americans With “No Religion” Has Increased By 266% Over The Last 3 Decades

Over the last 30 years, there has been a mass exodus out of organized religion in the United States. 

Each year the needle has only moved a little bit, but over the long-term what we have witnessed has been nothing short of a seismic shift.  Never before in American history have we seen such dramatic movement away from the Christian faith, and this has enormous implications for the future of our nation.  According to a survey that was just released, the percentage of Americans that claim to have “no religion” has increased by 266 percent since 1991…

The number of Americans who identify as having no religion has risen 266 percent since 1991, to now tie statistically with the number of Catholics and Evangelicals, according to a new survey.

People with no religion – known as ‘nones’ among statisticians – account for 23.1 percent of the U.S. population, while Catholics make up 23 percent and Evangelicals account for 22.5 percent, according to the General Social Survey.

In other words, the “nones” are now officially the largest religious group in the United States.

At one time it would have been extremely difficult to imagine that one day the “nones” would someday surpass evangelical Christians, but it has actually happened.

And the biggest movement that we have seen has been among our young people.  According to a different survey, two-thirds of Christian young adults say that they stopped going to church at some point between the ages of 18 and 22

Large numbers of young adults who frequently attended Protestant worship services in high school are dropping out of church.

Two-thirds of young people say they stopped regularly going to church for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, a new LifeWay Research surveyshows.


Alex Jones breaks down how the globalists are attempting to collapse civilization within the next six months by intensifying their migrant fueled destabilization of the west alongside the chemical castration of the population by targeting food, water, and air with toxic pollutants worldwide. Their goal is to cull the population down to an easily manipulated / controlled few under their technocracy.

These are the exact same patterns that we saw happen in Europe, and now most of those countries are considered to be “post-Christian societies”.

The young adults of today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, and they have a much higher percentage of “nones” than the population as a whole.  According to a study that was conducted a while back by PRRI, 39 percent of our young adults are “religiously unaffiliated” at this point…

Today, nearly four in ten (39%) young adults (ages 18-29) are religiously unaffiliated—three times the unaffiliated rate (13%) among seniors (ages 65 and older). While previous generations were also more likely to be religiously unaffiliated in their twenties, young adults today are nearly four times as likely as young adults a generation ago to identify as religiously unaffiliated. In 1986, for example, only 10% of young adults claimed no religious affiliation.

To go from 10 percent during Ronald Reagan’s second term to 39 percent today is an absolutely colossal shift.

Right now, only about 27 percent of U.S. Millennials attend church on a regular basis.  Most of them simply have no interest in being heavily involved in organized religion.

And even the young people that are involved in church do not seem very keen on sharing their faith with others.  According to one of the most shocking surveys that I have seen in a long time, 47 percent of Millennials that consider themselves to be “practicing Christians” believe that it is “wrong” to share the gospel with others

A new study from the California-based firm Barna Group, which compiles data on Christian trends in American culture, has revealed a staggering number of American millennials think evangelism is wrong.

The report, commissioned by the discipleship group Alpha USA, showed a whopping 47 percent of millennials — born between 1984 and 1998 — “agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.”

These numbers are hard to believe, but they are from some of the most respected pollsters in the entire country.

Politically, these trends indicate that America is likely to continue to move to the left.  Those that have no religious affiliation are much, much more likely to be Democrats, and so this exodus away from organized religion is tremendous news for the Democratic Party.

In a previous article, I documented the fact that somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 churches in the United States are dying each year.

That means that more than 100 will die this week.

And thousands more are teetering on the brink.  In fact, most churches in America have less than 100 people attending each Sunday

A majority of churches have fewer than 100 people attending services each Sunday and have declined or nearly flatlined in membership growth, according to a new study from Exponential by LifeWay Research.

The study, which was conducted to help churches better understand growth in the pews, showed that most Protestant churches are not doing well attracting new Christian converts, reporting an average of less than one each month.

But even among all the bad news, there are some promising signs for the Christian faith.  The home church movement if flourishing all over the country, and many of those home fellowships are focused on getting back to the roots of the Christian faith.  All throughout history there have been relentless attempts to destroy the Christian faith, and yet it is still the largest faith in the entire world.

However, there is no doubt that Christianity is in decline throughout the western world, and churches are dying one after another.

This is what one pastor had to say about the slow death of his church

‘My church is on the decline,’ he said. ‘We had 50 (congregants) in 2005 and now we have 15. We’re probably going to have to close (in a few years).’

‘Mainline Christianity is dying,’ he added. ‘It’s at least going away. It makes me feel more comfortable that it’s not my fault or my church’s fault. It’s part of a bigger trend that’s happening.’

John Adams, the second president of the United States, once said the following about our form of government…

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

As America has turned away from the Christian faith, we have become steadily less moral and steadily less religious.

If we continue down this path, many believe that the future of our nation is going to be quite bleak indeed.

Source: InfoWars

0 0

Trump hopes for 'great things' in Kim summit; Michael Cohen to deny direct evidence of Trump collusion

Welcome to Fox News First. Not signed up yet? Click here.
 
Developing now, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019

TRUMP HOPES FOR 'GREAT THINGS' FROM VIETNAM SUMMIT WITH KIM: President Trump was hopeful for "great things" as he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un were set to meet Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam, in a closely-watched second summit between the two leaders ... Though Trump and his administration at times tamped down expectations ahead of their planned two-day summit, the president remained optimistic about progress being made in efforts to get Kim and his rogue nation to denuclearize. Trump has praised Pyongyang for ceasing missile tests and has appeared to ease up on demanding a timeline for disarmament. He hopes that Kim, who is seeking relief from U.S. sanctions, will opt to give up his nuclear weapons program in exchange for help revitalizing his country's economy.

Trump's critics are skeptical that any real progress will be made in persuading Kim to denuclearize and believe, at worst, the president's summit with Kim will be nothing more than an elaborate, worldwide photo-op. Trump and Kim and scheduled to meet one-on-one before having a social dinner that will include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

COHEN TESTIMONY MAY OVERSHADOW TRUMP SUMMIT: Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, is set to testify publicly for the first time before the House Oversight Committee in a spectacle that could overshadow the president's second summit with Kim Jong Un ... According to reports, Cohen will call Trump a "racist" and a "con man"  in prepared testimony and will accuse the president of engaging in criminal activity related to a hush-money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels while in office. He will reportedly also accuse Trump of knowing that his adviser Roger Stone was reaching out to WikiLeaks concerning the publication of stolen Democratic National Committee emails. However, Cohen will specifically assert that he lacks direct evidence of improper collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia -- a significant admission.

Cohen's testimony comes as he prepares to begin a three-year prison sentence in May after pleading guilty to lying to Congress in 2017 and committing campaign finance violations while working for Trump. He testified for nine hours behind closed doors Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee and will appear in private before the House Intelligence panel on Thursday.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, speaks to the media as he departs after testifying before a closed door hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, speaks to the media as he departs after testifying before a closed door hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

NATIONAL EMERGENCY VETO  SHOWDOWN BREWS: Democrats on Tuesday pushed unprecedented legislation through the House to block President Trump's national emergency declaration to steer billions of extra dollars to the U.S.-Mexico border wall, raising the prospect that Trump might issue his first-ever veto to defeat the effort ... The vote was 245-182, with all Democrats voting yea and 13 Republicans joining them. Tuesday's vote marked the first time the House or Senate has tried to terminate a presidential declaration of a national emergency, using the provisions of the National Emergencies Act of 1976. Former Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., attempted a similar effort regarding a national emergency declared by then-President George W. Bush, but the measure never came to a vote on the House floor.

WHITE HOUSE SNUBS DEMS, 9TH CIRCUIT GETS ANOTHER TRUMP-PICKED JUDGE: The Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Trump's nominee to be a judge on the liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in a party-line vote -- and, in a historic snub, the White House ignored the input of the judge's two Democratic home-state senators in the process ... The aggressive and unprecedented move to bypass the traditional "blue slip" consultation process and plow ahead with the confirmation comes as the Trump administration seeks to systematically erode left-wing dominance on the key appellate court, which Trump has called "disgraceful" and politically biased.

ALABAMA ISIS BRIDE'S LAWSUIT EXPEDITED: A hearing date reportedly has been set concerning the lawsuit from the family of the Alabama woman who wants to come back to the U.S. after having joined ISIS ... Federal Judge Reggie Walton slated the court date for Monday, March 4 after Hoda Muthana’s family requested that the case be hastened, considering her current placement at a refugee camp in Syria, according to the Associated Press. Muthana’s family launched a legal campaign against President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr after the administration said she was not an American citizen and would be prohibited from coming into the country with her young son.

THE SOUNDBITE

DEMS PLAY SPOILER WITH COHEN TESTIMONY - "For the Democrats to try to counter-program that kind of progress, to try to perhaps somehow distract him with this nonsense by a convicted felon who’s been lying to those same committees? It just goes to show you how much those Democrats really disdain Trump, but also America." – Donald Trump Jr., on "Tucker Carlson Tonight", on Democratic lawmakers scheduling former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's testimony on the same day as the start of the Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam. WATCH

TODAY'S MUST-READS
Warrant sought in UC Berkeley attack on conservative activist as Citizens United Foundation offers big reward.
Woman who attacked man wearing 'MAGA' hat was illegal immigrant, taken into ICE custody: officials.
Oprah Winfrey takes big financial hit as Weight Watchers stock tanks.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Fed Chair Powell calls Ocasio-Cortez-floated theory on government debt 'just wrong.'
New York might not want Amazon's second headquarters, but these cities do.
Auto workers sue General Motors over plant closures.

STAY TUNED

On Fox Nation:

The Big Story: The Shocking Story of Susan Smith
Two little boys go missing, their mother pleads for help, and law enforcement sets out on a frantic search. But as new evidence surfaces, see how a helpless mother became the prime suspect in this shocking true crime case! Watch a preview of the show now.
Not a subscriber? Click here to join Fox Nation today!

On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Fox News' Ed Henry and Daniel Hoffman, Fox News contributor, and former CIA chief of station, on the latest from the Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam; Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio.

Special Report, 6 p.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Live coverage of President Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Gen. Jack Keane, retired four-star general and former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army.

Making Money with Charles Payne, 2 p.m. ET: Special guests include: Morgan Ortagus, Fox News contributor and national security and global affairs analyst.

Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman, 3 p.m. ET: Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations

Kennedy, 9 p.m. ET: Andrew C. McCarthy, Fox News contributor and a contributing editor of National Review.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: "GOP Candidate Drops from N.C. New Election" - North Carolina Republican Mark Harris will not be running again following a decision by the state board to hold a new election because of ballot fraud claims. Bryan Llenas, Fox News' national correspondent, breaks down the latest developments. The "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act," which requires doctors to provide medical care to infants born alive after a failed abortion attempt, faced much criticism from pro-choice advocates and ultimately failed in the Senate on Monday. Melissa Ohden, an abortion survivor, joins the podcast to share her story. Plus, commentary by Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: The Trump-Kim summit and the Michael Cohen hearing will be debated with the following guests: Gen. Jack Keane, retired four-star general and former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army; David Bossie, former deputy manager of the Trump campaign; Andrew C. McCarthy, Fox News contributor and a contributing editor of National Review.

The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd Starnes will have live coverage of the Michael Cohen hearing and will talk to U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., about the defeat of his "Born Alive" bill in the Senate.

The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Tom Shillue discusses his surprise appearance on "The Tonight Show," singing with Jimmy Fallon and Weezer! Plus, Fox Business host Kennedy discusses the top stories of the day.

#TheFlashback
1991: Operation Desert Storm comes to a conclusion as President George H.W. Bush declares that "Kuwait is liberated, Iraq's army is defeated," and announces that the allies would suspend combat operations.
1982:  Wayne Williams is found guilty of murdering two of the 28 young blacks whose bodies were found in the Atlanta area over a 22-month period. (Williams, who was also blamed for 22 other deaths, has maintained his innocence.)
1968: At the conclusion of a CBS News special report on the Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite delivers a commentary in which he says that the conflict appeared "mired in stalemate."

Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Thursday morning.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Artist probes Russia's toxic legacy through family history

Pavel Otdelnov recalls how as a child he saw his mother boil his parents' bedding every day. His father worked in the factories of Dzerzhinsk, the center of Soviet chemical manufacturing, and the chlorine and phosgene that yellowed the sheets seeped through protective gear into his skin.

"Dad was born in a workers' camp and gave his entire life to chemical industries around Dzerzhinsk," Otdelnov wrote in the notes for "Promzona", a new exhibit at Moscow's Museum of Modern Art that features his paintings of industrial ruins interspersed with objects from workers' daily lives.

The artist's huge, architecturally precise paintings of decayed factories in his hometown, some overgrown as nature reclaimed the land, show what he calls "the ruins of a Soviet mythology." Many of the chemical plants, once a proud part of Soviet history, sit abandoned in a city fouled by toxic waste, the result of a utopian mythology which never translated into reality, least of all for its people.

"People who worked in those factories understood a long time ago, in the 1970s, that the Soviet idea, communism, was a myth and would never be realized," Otdelnov, whose post-Soviet landscapes also are in the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery and private international collections, said in an interview. "They understood that a long time before the collapse of the Soviet Union."

Otdelnov was born into a "labor dynasty" that gave Dzerzhinsk several generations of chemical workers, starting with his great-grandfather. Just before World War II, his grandmother came from a remote village to the former secret city located 355 kilometers (220 miles) east of Moscow and named for a feared Bolshevik secret police chief.

After the Soviet Union started making chemical weapons starting in Dzerzhinsk in 1941, the artist's grandmother worked on the shop floor assembling lethal payloads. She met her husband after the war in the same factory, Orgsteklo, where he was in charge of quality control of the plexiglass it produced for military and civilian needs.

Otdelnov's father and aunt worked in the same factory after they finished school. Otdelnov's cousin currently works in a Dzerzhinsk factory lab.

Reports vary as to when Dzerzhinsk factories stopped making lewisite, mustard gas and other chemicals designed as weapons of war. Some accounts put the date as late as 1965. Huge stocks of the deadly compounds were sealed and kept in the city's industrial zone until they were moved to dismantling facilities and destroyed under an international chemical weapons ban in the 2000s.

Dzerzhinsk still has a chemical industry producing compounds for munitions along with fertilizers, pesticides and plastics. Many plants that were part of the military industrial complex didn't survive the collapse of the Soviet Union, but their toxic waste remains buried in underground dumps or seeping from landfills.

Dzerzhinsk often is listed as one of the world's most-polluted cities. The Ecology Committee of the lower house of Russia's parliament put it among the 10 with the worst pollution in Russia. Last year, Otdelnov used a drone to record the industrial ruins from the air, capturing a huge multicolored lake of chemical waste, open to the sky, nearby.

The Museum of Modern Art exhibit includes a room decorated like a local museum with everyday objects like factory newsletters and safety instruction films. Gas masks from the old chemical workshops litter the floor of another room. Brown chemical bottles labeled with the names of gases also are displayed.

Running through the whole show are the voices of the people whose lived reality was so far from the Soviet mythology, their stories recorded by Otdelnov's father and written on the exhibition walls.

Otdelnov's grandmother describes an explosion in the caprolactam plant in 1960 that killed 24 workers and never was made public. The workers were buried in different parts of the city cemetery to avoid questions from other residents about why 24 people who worked in that factory died on the same day.

These personal stories are a telling counterpoint to the official Soviet narrative of "Glory to Labor and Science" in Dzerzhinsk, striking in the stoicism and often humor factory workers displayed in a hazardous environment.

"Humor helped them come to terms with their reality but they weren't especially heroic. They just got used to it," Otdelnov said.

In a memoir written for the show, Otdelnov's father, Alexander, recalled random accidents workers had in the chemical factories, due to faulty equipment or simple human error.

Sometimes they escaped unharmed. Sometimes they died. On New Year's Eve in 1981, as the men hurried to get home, carbon monoxide from an overflow pump filled a gas holding tank to capacity, then burst into the pipe system and through to the employee showers. The 12-man crew that had just completed a shift was killed.

Many of the exhibition's viewers on a cold February evening were young people from Moscow and other cities. Otdelnov's pared-down industrial aesthetic is certainly part of the appeal, but 23-year-old Anna Kiselyova said the exhibit held valuable political lessons for Russia's younger generation. Not just workers

"Our present government tells us this all happened such a long time ago" Kiselyova, a Russian teacher from Moscow, said. "It may seem like a very different world, but I don't think it's just a problem of the past, and we need to be aware of that."

Source: Fox News World

0 0

Thai navy tows floating home of fugitive U.S. ‘seasteader’

A Royal Thai navy ship drags a floating home, lived in by an American man and his Thai partner, in the Andaman Sea, off Phuket Island in Thailand
A Royal Thai navy ship drags a floating home, lived in by an American man and his Thai partner, in the Andaman Sea, off Phuket Island in Thailand, April 22, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

April 22, 2019

By Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s navy on Monday began towing to shore the floating cabin of a fugitive U.S. citizen and his Thai girlfriend, both prominent members of the “seasteading” movement who face possible death sentences for setting up their offshore home.

The cabin set on top of a spar 14 nautical miles off the Thai island of Phuket had been touted as milestone in the movement to build floating communities in international waters as a way to explore alternative societies and governments.

Authorities have revoked the visa of bitcoin trader Chad Elwartowski, 46, and charged him and his partner, Supranee Thepdet, with violating Thai sovereignty, punishable by the death penalty or life in prison.

The Royal Thai Navy dispatched three boats on Monday to dismantle the structure and bring it back to shore for use as evidence in the government’s case against the couple.

“The couple announced on social media declaring their autonomy beyond the jurisdiction of any courts or law of any countries, including Thailand,” Rear Admiral Vithanarat Kochaseni told reporters, adding they had invited others to join them.

“We see such action as deteriorating Thailand’s independence,” he said.

HTMS Mannai, a landing craft utility ship, was expected to return to Phuket with the six-meter (20 ft) wide, hexagon-shaped cabin by late Monday.

Elwartowski and Supranee lived in the cabin for two months and left before the Thai navy raided the structure on April 13.

Their whereabouts are unknown, though the government has said the pair is believed to be in Thailand.

Elwartowski has referred requests for comment to Ocean Builders, which funded and built the cabin, and the Seasteading Institute, which advocates building offshore floating cities and originally received backing from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.

Ocean Builders said on its website the cabin was in international waters and beyond Thailand’s jurisdiction. Thai authorities say the structure is within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone and therefore a violation of its sovereignty.

Joe Quirk, president of the Seasteading Institute, said the couple had achieved a milestone for the movement.

“They proved a single-family seastead can float stably in international waters for less than the cost of the average American home,” Quirk said in a statement.

Elwartowski also conducted valuable research on ecosystems over the two months the couple lived in the cabin, he said.

“You can demolish the seastead, but you can’t demolish the knowledge that was gained,” said Quirk, who is described by his group as a “seavangelist” and an “aquapreneur”.

(Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat. Editing by Kay Johnson and Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Story Time

1:00 am 6:00 am



FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

April 26, 2019

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – China’s Huawei Technologies said Britain’s decision to allow the firm a restricted role in building parts of its next-generation telecoms network was the kind of solution it was hoping for in New Zealand, where it has been blocked from 5G plans.

Britain will ban Huawei from all core parts of 5G network but give it some access to non-core parts, sources have told Reuters, as it seeks a middle way in a bitter U.S.-China dispute stemming from American allegations that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Washington has also urged its allies to ban Huawei from building 5G networks, even as the Chinese company, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipment, has repeatedly said the spying concerns are unfounded.

In New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network that includes the United States, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in November turned down an initial request from local telecommunication firm Spark to include Huawei equipment in its 5G network, but later gave the operator options to mitigate national security concerns.

“The proposed solution in the UK to restrict Huawei from bidding for the core is exactly the type of solution we have been looking at in New Zealand,” Andrew Bowater, deputy CEO of Huawei’s New Zealand arm, said in an emailed statement.

Spark said it has noted the developments in Britain and would raise it with the GCSB.

The reports “suggest the UK is following other European jurisdictions in taking a considered and balanced approach to managing supplier-related security risks in 5G”, Andrew Pirie, Spark’s corporate relations lead, said in an email.

“Our discussions with the GCSB are ongoing and we expect that the UK developments will be a further item of discussion between us,” Pirie added.

New Zealand’s minister for intelligence services, Andrew Little, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday that he would report to parliament the conclusions of a government review of the 5G supply chain once they had been taken.

He added that the disclosure of confidential discussions on the role of Huawei was “unacceptable” and that he could not rule out a criminal investigation into the leak.

The decisions by Britain and Germany to use Huawei gear in non-core parts of 5G network makes it harder to prove Huawei should be kept out of New Zealand telecommunication networks, said Syed Faraz Hasan, an expert in communication engineering and networks at New Zealand’s Massey University

He pointed out Huawei gear was already part of the non-core 4G networks that 5G infrastructure would be built on.

“Unless there is a convincing argument against the Huawei devices … it is difficult to keep them away,” Hasan said.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: The logo commodities trader Glencore is pictured in Baar
FILE PHOTO: The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company’s headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Glencore shares plunged the most in nearly four months on Friday after news overnight that U.S. regulators were investigating whether the miner broke some rules through “corrupt practices”.

Shares of the FTSE 100 company fell as much as 4.2 percent in early deals, and were down 3.5 percent at 310.25 pence by 0728 GMT.

On Thursday, Glencore said the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating whether the company and its units have violated some provisions of the Commodity ExchangeAct and/or CFTC Regulations.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Well, Joe Biden didn’t exactly clear the field.

I don’t think it matters much that Biden waited until yesterday to become the 20th Democrat vying for the nomination, even though it exposed him to weeks of attacks while he seemed to be dithering on the sidelines.

A much greater warning sign, in my view, is the largely negative tone surrounding his debut. He is, after all, a former vice president, highly praised by Barack Obama, who has consistently led in the early primary polls, and beating President Trump in head-to-head matchups. Yet much of the press is acting like he’s an old codger and it’s just a matter of time before he keels over politically.

This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that the vast majority of journalists and pundits know and like Joe Biden and his gregarious personality.

The reason is that Biden, after a half-century in politics, lacks excitement, and the press is magnetically attracted to novel and unorthodox types like Beto and Mayor Pete. You don’t see Biden on the cover of Vanity Fair, and a grind-it-out win by a conventional warrior doesn’t set journalistic hearts racing.

JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCES 2020 PRESIDENTIAL BID: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT

For many in the media, Biden isn’t liberal enough, at least not for the post-Obama era. He doesn’t promise free college and free health care and has a history of working with Republicans, such as John McCain (whose daughter Meghan loves him, and Biden will hit “The View” today.)

What’s more, Biden’s campaign style — speak at rallies, rack up union endorsements — seems hopelessly old-fashioned when we measure popularity by Instagram followers. News outlets are predicting he’ll have trouble getting in the online fundraising game, leaving him reliant on big donors, which used to be standard practice.

And then there’s the age thing. Biden would be the oldest president to be inaugurated, at 78, and he looked a step slow in encounters with reporters yesterday and a few weeks ago.

But what if the journalists are in something of a Twitter bubble, and the actual Democratic Party is much more moderate? We saw that with the spate of allegations by women of unwanted touching, which dominated news coverage until polls showed that most Dem voters weren’t concerned. In that wider world, the Scranton guy’s connection to white, working-class voters could help him against Trump in the industrial Midwest.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF OF THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Biden denounced the president’s term as an “aberrant moment” in his launch video, saying four more years would damage the country’s character and “I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”

But first, he’d have to win the nomination in the face of an unenthusiastic press corps.

A New York Times news story said Biden would be “marshaling his experience and global stature in a bid to lead a party increasingly defined by a younger generation that might be skeptical of his age and ideological moderation.”

The Washington Post quoted Democratic strategists as saying that Biden faces an “uphill battle” and “isn’t necessarily the heir apparent to Obama, despite being his No. 2 in the White House for eight years. They argue voters will judge Biden by the span of his decades-long career and are worried the veteran pol hasn’t yet found a winning formula for his own candidacy.”

The liberal Slate said the ex-veep’s rivals view him as a “paper tiger”:

“Biden is something more like a 2016 Jeb Bush: a weak establishment favorite whose time might be past … Biden’s biggest challenge in the primary will be a compromised past spanning nearly 50 years.”

“Compromised” suggests a history of scandal, yet what Slate means is political baggage, such as his backing of a Clinton-era crime bill unpopular with black voters today. Yet I think the rank and file isn’t as concerned about a vote back in 1994, or even the Anita Hill hearings, as the chattering classes.

BIDEN’S SENATE RECORD, ADVOCACY OF 1994 CRIME BILL WILL BE USED AGAINST HIM, EX-SANDERS STAFFER SAYS

One of the few left-leaning pundits to suggest the press is underestimating Biden is data guru Nate Silver at 538:

“Media coverage could nonetheless be a problem for Biden. Within the mainstream media, the story of Biden winning the nomination will be seen as boring and anticlimactic. That tends not to lead to favorable coverage. Meanwhile, some left-aligned media outlets may prefer candidates who are some combination of more leftist, more wonkish, more reflective of the party’s diversity, and more adept on social media.

“If Biden is framed as being out of touch with today’s Democratic Party and that narrative is repeated across a variety of outlets, it could begin to resonate with voters who don’t buy it initially. If he’s seen as a gaffe-prone candidate, then minor missteps on the campaign trail could be blown up into big fumbles.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Look, it’s entirely possible that Biden could stumble, get lapped in fundraising and just be outclassed by younger and savvier rivals. He was hardly a great candidate in 1987 and in 2008.

But if the former vice president finds his footing and the field narrows, the press will be forced to change its tune, and we’ll see a spate of stories about how Joe Biden has “grown.”

Source: Fox News Politics

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
South Africa's 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston
South Africa’s 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston, South Africa, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

April 26, 2019

GERMISTON, South Africa (Reuters) – Olympic 400 meters champion Wayde van Niekerk has backed South African compatriot Caster Semenya in her battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which now appears to have taken a new twist.

Semenya, a double 800 meters Olympic gold medalist, is waiting for the outcome of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of new regulations by governing body IAAF that would require her to take medicine to limit her natural levels of testosterone.

The IAAF wants female athletes with differences of sexual development who run in events from 400 meters to a mile, to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five (5) nmol/L for a period of six months before they can compete, saying they have an unfair advantage.

“She’s fighting for something beyond just track and field, she’s fighting for woman in sports, in society and I respect her for that,” Van Niekerk told reporters.

“I will support her and with the hard work and talent that she’s been putting into the sport. With what she believes in and what she’s dreaming for, I’ve got a lot of respect for her.

“I really hope and pray that everything just goes from strength to strength for her.”

Semenya has sprung a surprise at the on-going South African Athletics Championships though, ditching the 800 meters and instead competing over 1,500 and 5,000-metres – the latter one would not require her to medically lower her testosterone level.

She stormed to victory in the 5,000-metres final in a modest time of 16:05.97, but looked to have lots left in the tank as she passed the finish line.

Semenya beat fellow Olympian and defending national 5,000m champion Dominique Scott in Thursday’s final but the latter admitted she is unsure whether the 800m specialist could be a serious Olympic contender over the longer distance.

“Honestly‚ I have no idea‚” Scott said. “Before today I probably would have said no. It’s hard to compare a 5,000 at altitude to a 5,000 at sea level.

“But I think she’s an amazing runner and I don’t think there’s any limit or ceiling on what she can do.”

Van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder, had to abort his comeback from a knee injury, that had sidelined him for 18 months, following a combination of cold weather and a wet track.

“We are trying to take the correct decisions now early in the year so as not to put myself in any harm,” he said.

“It was a bit chilly this entire week prepping and coming through here as well it was quite cold and it caused bit of tightness in my leg. We decided to not risk it.

“My recovery is going well and I would like to be back in competition this year, but will only do so if I can deliver a good performance.

“I am a competitor and respect my opponents, so I need to be at my best when I return.”

(Reporting by Nick Said, additional reporting by Siyabonga Sishi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

The suspected leader of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka died in the Shangri-La hotel, one of six hotels and churches targeted in the attacks that killed at least 250 people, authorities said.

Police said Mohamed Zahran, leader of the National Towheed Jamaat militant group, had been killed in one of the bombings. The group’s second in command was also arrested, police said.

Zahran amassed an online following for his hate-filled sermons. Some were delivered before a banner depicting the Twin Towers.

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people. 

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people.  (YouTube)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that the attackers responsible for the bombings were supported by the Islamic State group. Around 140 people in Sri Lanka had connections to ISIS, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said.

“We will completely control this and create a free and peaceful environment for people to live,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Investigators determined the attackers received military training from someone called “Army Mohideen.” They also received weapons training overseas and at some locations in Sri Lanka, according to authorities.

A copper factory operator arrested in connection with the bombings helped Mohideen make improvised explosive devices, police said. The bombings have led to increased security throughout the island nation as authorities warned of another attack.

Source: Fox News World

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist