Thousands of U.S. Judges Who Broke Laws or Oaths Weren’t Fired
June 30th, 2020Via: Reuters:
In the past dozen years, state and local judges have repeatedly escaped public accountability for misdeeds that have victimized thousands. Nine of 10 kept their jobs…
Flu Virus with ‘Pandemic Potential’ Found in China
June 30th, 2020Mmm hmm.
Via: BBC:
A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists.
It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say.
The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person, and trigger a global outbreak.
While it is not an immediate problem, they say, it has “all the hallmarks” of being highly adapted to infect humans and needs close monitoring.
As it’s new, people could have little or no immunity to the virus.
The scientists write in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that measures to control the virus in pigs, and the close monitoring of swine industry workers, should be swiftly implemented.
China: 83 Tons Of Fake Gold Bars
June 29th, 2020Via: ZeroHedge:
Kingold – whose name was probably stolen from Kinross Gold, one of the world’s largest gold miners – is the largest privately owned gold processor in central China’s Hubei province. Its shares are listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York (although its current market cap of just $10MM is a far cry from its all time highs hit when the company IPOed on the Nasdaq around 2010) . The company is led by Chairman Jia Zhihong, an intimidating ex-military man who is the controlling shareholder.
What could go wrong?
Well, apparently everything as at least some of 83 tons of gold bars used as loan collateral turned out to be nothing but gilded copper. That has left lenders holding the bag for the remaining 16 billion yuan of loans outstanding against the bogus bars. And as Caixin adds, the loans were covered by 30 billion yuan of property insurance policies issued by state insurer PICC Property and Casualty and various other smaller insurers.
The fake gold came to light in February when Dongguan Trust (one of those infamous Chinese shadow banks) set out to liquidate Kingold collateral to cover defaulted debts. As the report continues, in late 2019 Kingold failed to repay investors in several trust products. To its shock, Dongguan Trust said it discovered that the gleaming gold bars were actually gilded copper alloy.
The news sent shockwaves through Kingold’s creditors. China Minsheng Trust – another shadow banking company and one of Kingold’s largest creditors – obtained a court order to test collateral before Kingold’s debts came due. On May 22, the test result returned saying the bars sealed in Minsheng Trust’s coffers are also copper alloy.
And with authorities investigating how this happened, Kingold chief Jia flatly denies that anything is wrong with the collateral his company put up. Well, what else could he say…
Gun Battle in Seattle’s CHOP Zone
June 29th, 2020Via: Daily Mail:
One man has been killed and a teenager wounded following a gun battle inside Seattle’s CHOP zone after those inside the protest zone claim the two men plowed through and started shooting before armed protesters returned fire.
Police said they are investigating the shooting that unfolded just before dawn on Monday in the city’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone.
One of the wounded men was brought to the Harborview Medical Center at about 3.15am in a private vehicle before the second man was brought in about 15 minutes later by Seattle Fire Department medics.
The man brought in by medics died several hours later and the other remains in a critical condition. One of the victims had gunshot wounds to his hip, arm and temple.
The man and teenager have not been publicly identified.
Protesters claim the gun battle unfolded after the two men plowed their white Jeep Cherokee into the CHOP zone before opening fire on those inside the area.
Those inside the zone say self-appointed security guards, who are heavily armed, then returned fire.
‘The protesters responded quickly with CHOP security returning fire hitting both the driver and passenger in the front seat,’ a CHOP member, only known as Stitch, told DailyMail.com.
‘I’m not certain if anyone else was hit by gunfire, there were bullets flying all over the place.’
Another person, who refused to give his name but claimed to have witnesses the incident, said police responded and did a cursory investigation before quickly leaving the scene.
Police were at the scene on Monday morning photographing blood-soaked evidence and the bullet-ridden jeep.
It is the fourth shooting in, or near, the CHOP zone in nine days.
Members of CHOP security openly carry around pistols and other weapons. One member has previously been seen brandishing an AK-47.
In a previous fatal shooting in the zone, a 19-year-old man was killed on June 20 and a 33-year-old man was wounded.
Unidentified Wave-Glider Off U.S. Coast
June 29th, 2020I wonder if some rich person like Robert Bigelow could build a fleet of these to look for UFOs???
Via: Covert Shores:
A photo has been shared on Instagram asking ‘what is this?’ Well, it is a version of the Wave Glider with a previously unseen aerial attached. The small uncrewed surface vessel (USV) was found by civilians off Key West. The owner of the USVe is unclear but given its location and the nature of the antenna it appears possible that it is U.S. Navy related.
Mass-Tracking COVI-PASS Immunity Passports Slated to Roll Out in 15 Countries
June 29th, 2020Via: Mint Press:
A British cybersecurity company, in partnership with several tech firms, is rolling out the COVI-PASS in 15 countries across the world; a “digital health passport” that will contain your COVID-19 test history and other “relevant health information.” According to the company website, the passport’s objective is “to safely return to work” and resume “social interactions” by providing authorities with “up-to-date and authenticated health information.”
U.S. Military Electroshock Weapon Can Hit a Person 300 Feet Away
June 29th, 2020Via: The Sun:
THE US Marine Corps is testing a powerful electroshock weapon that can zap enemies from 300 feet away.
Dubbed “Specter”, the non-lethal projectile can be fired from a shotgun and downs targets using a taser-like electric shock.
Italy: Sewage Study Suggests COVID-19 Was There in December 2019
June 29th, 2020Via: Reuters:
Scientists in Italy have found traces of the new coronavirus in wastewater collected from Milan and Turin in December 2019 – suggesting COVID-19 was already circulating in northern Italy before China reported the first cases.
The Italian National Institute of Health looked at 40 sewage samples collected from wastewater treatment plants in northern Italy between October 2019 and February 2020. An analysis released on Thursday said samples taken in Milan and Turin on Dec. 18 showed the presence of the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
Research Credit: AP
Charting The $1.7B Transfer Of Military Equipment To Police Departments
June 29th, 2020Via: ZeroHedge:
In the wake of countrywide protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, questions around the militarization of police forces have taken center stage once again.
How did so many police departments across the United States end up with bomb-proof trucks and night vision goggles? Where are departments acquiring this equipment, and at what cost?
Visual Capitalist’s Nick Routley notes that these questions and more are answered by data from the Defense Logistics Agency, which oversees the 1033 Program. The visualization above tracks the flow of military equipment to law enforcement over the past decade.
A Cash Cliff Spells Trouble for U.S. Unemployed, and Everyone Else
June 29th, 2020Via: Reuters:
Judith Ramirez is bracing for July. That’s when the hotel housekeeper and her electrician husband – who have both been out of work for three months – expect their combined unemployment benefits to drop by more than half, and their deferred $1,500 monthly mortgage payment on their Honolulu home to come due.
It’s a cash cliff millions of Americans face this summer as the emergency benefits — which lifted U.S. consumer incomes by a record 10.8% in April — expire. The loss of that safety net looms in the weeks ahead, well before a sustained recovery is likely to take hold from the sudden and deep recession brought on by the novel coronavirus.
