Drain the Swamp: Donald Trump Picks Scott Bessent, a Former Soros Money Manager, for Secretary of the Treasury
November 23rd, 2024Via: CBC:
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he’ll nominate former George Soros money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary.
Trump said online Bessent would “help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States.”
Bessent, 62, is the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991.
“This Malaria Vaccine Is Delivered by a Mosquito Bite”
November 22nd, 2024Flashback 2008: Bill Gates Funds Research Into ‘Flying Syringe’ Mosquitoes to Deliver Vaccines:
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded 100,000 dollars each on Wednesday to scientists in 22 countries including funding for a Japanese proposal to turn mosquitos into “flying syringes” delivering vaccines.
Via: Nature:
Scientists have developed a new vaccination strategy for malaria — boosting immunity through bites from mosquitoes carrying a genetically engineered version of the parasite that causes malaria. In a trial, the approach reduced participants’ susceptibility to malaria, potentially paving the way for more effective ways to stop the disease, which infects some 250 million people a year.
“These findings represent a significant step forward in malaria vaccine development,” says Julius Hafalla, an immunologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “The ongoing global malaria burden makes the development of more effective vaccines a critical priority.”
The study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine on 20 November, exposed participants to bites from mosquitoes that had a modified version of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which causes malaria. In humans, the parasites travel to the liver and then infect red blood cells. The parasites were engineered to stop developing shortly after delivery into a human. Nearly 90% of participants exposed to the modified parasites avoided contracting the disease after being bitten by malaria mosquitoes.
There are two approved malaria vaccines. Both aim to provide long-term immunity by producing antibodies that block malaria parasites from infecting liver cells, as well as targeting breakthrough infections.
But the vaccines are only about 75% effective, and require booster shots. So immunologists are continuing to explore alternative strategies.
Russia Fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in Attack on Ukraine, Kyiv Says
November 21st, 2024Update: “But this kind of a strike might have a value as a signal”
Via: ZeroHedge:
Although RS-26 Rubezh can be used to deliver a thermonuclear warhead or an Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, Thursday morning’s attack on the Dnipro region was non-nuclear, instead some sort of conventional warhead.
“Using these kinds of missiles, whether RS-26 or a true ICBM, in a conventional role does not make a lot of sense because of their relatively low accuracy and high cost,” Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, wrote on X.
“But this kind of a strike might have a value as a signal,” Podvig added.
And yes, it does.
—
Via: Reuters:
Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on Ukraine on Thursday, Kyiv’s air force said, in the first known use in the war of a powerful weapon designed to deliver nuclear strikes thousands of kilometres away.
The launch was the latest sign of rapidly mounting tensions in the 33-month-old war after Ukraine fired U.S. and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation.
Australia: “Everyone to be Age Verified for Social Media”
November 20th, 2024Where this path leads…
Via: Information Age:
The federal government has confirmed its forthcoming youth social media ban will require Australians of all ages to confirm their age when accessing social media.
Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed the government will be ploughing ahead with its plans for a social media ban preventing under-16-year-olds from accessing such platforms as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and video streaming platform YouTube.
The unprecedented ban has drawn swathes of criticism – not only for threatening pivotal community and educational resources for youth social media users – but also for the logistics of how it will be implemented.
During a Senate Committee hearing last week, Greens senator David Shoebridge probed the means of delivery for an age-based social media ban – revealing the technology currently trialled for the initiative would effectively require users of all ages to run through an age assurance check.
Sen. Rand Paul: Military Should Not Be Used for Deportations
November 20th, 2024Via: NewsMax:
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has voiced strong opposition to using the U.S. military to enforce deportation measures, emphasizing that immigration enforcement should remain the responsibility of domestic law enforcement agencies on Newsmax Tuesday.
Paul, a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, criticized the idea of deploying the military to enforce immigration policies, calling it a “terrible image” for the United States.
Violating His Own Policy, Biden OKs Antipersonnel Mines For Ukraine
November 20th, 2024Via: ZeroHedge:
Determined to leave an even bloodier legacy, President Biden has violated his own policy and approved the shipment of antipersonnel mines to Ukraine, two US officials have told the Washington Post. The move — which threatens to cause civilian injuries and deaths even after the war ends — comes in the face of months of Russian battlefield success in which its army has posted the fastest pace of territorial gains since 2022.
Pentagon Fails Another Financial Audit
November 20th, 2024Oh, “Making good progress,” is it?
Mmm hmm.
Via: The Hill:
The Pentagon on Friday failed its seventh audit in a row, with the nation’s largest government agency still unable to fully account for its more than $824 billion budget, though officials stress they are making good progress toward a clean audit in 2028.
Ukraine Strikes Munitions Storage Facility Inside Russia with U.S.-Supplied ATACMS Missile
November 19th, 2024Update: British Storm Shadow Missiles Fired Into Russia
Via: Daily Mail:
Ukraine has used the British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles in Russia for the first time, a Western official has reportedly confirmed.
Up to 12 missiles were launched into the Kursk region on Wednesday, according to Russian reports.
—
Via: The War Zone:
Ukraine has used the U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for the first time against a target inside Russia, according to U.S. officials, as well as military sources in Russia and Ukraine. The confirmation comes soon after Moscow warned that the use of Western-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine against Russia could trigger a nuclear response after Russian nuclear war plans were updated.
…
The ATACMS strike is said to have targeted a munitions storage facility near the town of Karachev in the Bryansk region of western Russia, early this morning. The target is around 70 miles from the Ukrainian border. The ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles can hit targets up to about 190 miles away, while earlier variants feature a shorter range.
…
After the policy change was announced, Russia issued a series of threats, although talk of any kind of military response had been expressed in only vague terms.
Today, however, Moscow has said that the use of missiles like ATACMS against Russia could lead to a nuclear response, as part of a newly unveiled nuclear doctrine.
Speaking at his regular daily press briefing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied conventional missiles against Russia could be met by Russian use of nuclear weapons — although the kinds of targets were not specified.
Peskov said that the Kremlin considers the use of nuclear weapons to be an extreme measure, but that updating the doctrine was a necessary response to the current political situation.
HarperCollins Confirms It Has a Deal to Sell Authors’ Work to AI Company
November 19th, 2024Via: 404 Media:
HarperCollins, one of the biggest publishers in the world, made a deal with an “artificial intelligence technology company” and is giving authors the option to opt in to the agreement or pass, 404 Media can confirm.
A spokesperson for HarperCollins told 404 Media in a statement:
“HarperCollins has reached an agreement with an artificial intelligence technology company to allow limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance. While we believe this deal is attractive, we respect the various views of our authors, and they have the choice to opt in to the agreement or to pass on the opportunity.
“HarperCollins has a long history of innovation and experimentation with new business models. Part of our role is to present authors with opportunities for their consideration while simultaneously protecting the underlying value of their works and our shared revenue and royalty streams. This agreement, with its limited scope and clear guardrails around model output that respects author’s rights, does that.”
Trump To Declare National Emergency To Conduct Mass Deportations
November 18th, 2024Via: ZeroHedge:
President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he will declare a national emergency to carry out mass deportations.
In response to Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton’s post on Truth Social that Trump was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program,” Trump replied “TRUE!!”
