Month: March 2023

Billionaires Brin, Pritzker, Zuckerman And Ovitz Issued Subpoenas In Epstein Lawsuit

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– Billionaires Brin, Pritzker, Zuckerman And Ovitz Issued Subpoenas In Epstein Lawsuit:

Billionaires Sergey Brin, Thomas Pritzker, Mortimer Zuckerman and Michael Ovitz were issued subpoenas this week by the US Virgin Islands as part of its lawsuit against JPMorgan over the bank’s relationship with now-deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.

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US Extends Carrier Deployment To Provide Military “Options” In Syria

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– US Extends Carrier Deployment To Provide Military “Options” In Syria:

Following last week’s deadly attacks on US bases in northeast Syria by what the Pentagon called pro-Iran forces, the United States has announced an extension of the George HW Bush Carrier Strike Group’s deployment in the Mediterranean region.

“The extension of the George HW Bush Carrier Strike Group, inclusive of the USS Leyte Gulf, the USS Delbert D. Black, and the USNS Arctic, allows options to potentially bolster the capabilities of CENTCOM to respond to a range of contingencies in the Middle East,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Colonel Joe Buccino said Friday.

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China Outpacing US Military At ‘Disturbing’ Rate: Gen. Milley

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– China Outpacing US Military At ‘Disturbing’ Rate: Gen. Milley:

Authored by Samantha Flom via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

China is on a trajectory to achieve military superiority over the United States by midcentury, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley warned members of Congress on March 29.

Testifying at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of Defense’s 2024 budget requests, Milley noted that China has a national goal to be a “global coequal” with the United States and “militarily superior” by 2049.

“They’re on that path to do that, and that’s really disturbing,” he said. “That’s really bothersome. And we’re going to have to not only keep pace, but we have to outpace that, and that will assure the peace.”

Of particular concern is China’s nuclear development program, Milley said, holding that there is little the United States could do to “stop, slow down, disrupt, interdict, or destroy” it.

Read moreChina Outpacing US Military At ‘Disturbing’ Rate: Gen. Milley

Yellen Warns Next Crisis Could Come From ‘Shadow Banks’ And Regulators Must Act

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– Yellen Warns Next Crisis Could Come From ‘Shadow Banks’ And Regulators Must Act:

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said banking rules may need to be tightened after the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, while warning of structural vulnerabilities that must be addressed in the “shadow bank” sector that includes things like hedge funds and money market funds.

Read moreYellen Warns Next Crisis Could Come From ‘Shadow Banks’ And Regulators Must Act

Bearded Male Powerlifter Self-Identifies As Woman In Protest, Destroys Women’s Record

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– Bearded Male Powerlifter Self-Identifies As Woman In Protest, Destroys Women’s Record:

Sometimes, you just need to fight lunacy with more lunacy.

That’s what a male powerlifting coach by the name of Avi Silverberg must have thought when he decided to protest new “trans policies” in the sport by “self-identifying” as a woman and then destroying a women’s record during a recent event.

Prior to Silverberg taking action, “the women’s bench press title holder in the 84+ kilogram category [was] Anne Andres, who is a biological male”, Fox News reported this week.

Read moreBearded Male Powerlifter Self-Identifies As Woman In Protest, Destroys Women’s Record

Simon Black: I Love How Everyone Pretends The Bank Crisis Is Over…

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– I Love How Everyone Pretends The Bank Crisis Is Over…:

Practically on cue, politicians began their public hearings yesterday about the recent banking crisis.

This was so predictable; every time there’s a major crisis, Congressmen book a committee meeting to express their shock and outrage. They pass new laws to prevent a future crisis. Then their new laws fail to work properly, so they hold another public hearing to express more outrage.

This is the cycle of political problem solving, and yesterday was no exception.

Read moreSimon Black: I Love How Everyone Pretends The Bank Crisis Is Over…

Small European Countries “Morally & Financially Exhausted” By Ukraine War Effort

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– Small European Countries “Morally & Financially Exhausted” By Ukraine War Effort:

Ukraine’s Western backers have of late expressed more and more skepticism over the future success of the war effort against Russia. This doubt grew louder and more public starting two weeks ago, when Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview with Polish media that the window is closing on a major new Ukrainian counteroffensive. He then acknowledged that his country may not be able to maintain current levels of assistance to Kiev.

“The window of opportunity is open this year. After next winter, it will be extremely difficult to maintain the current level of assistance,” Pavel was quoted as saying. “War fatigue is not only the exhaustion of human resources and equipment, the destruction of infrastructure in Ukraine, but also fatigue in the countries that provide aid.”

This week another small central European country has echoed the same. Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová said at a foreign policy event that Slovakia is “morally and financially exhausted” after more than a year of support given to Ukraine, and as war refugees pour in.

Read moreSmall European Countries “Morally & Financially Exhausted” By Ukraine War Effort

Era Of Remote Work Ends For Millions Of Americans

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– Era Of Remote Work Ends For Millions Of Americans:

Authored by Jane Nguyen via The Epoch Times,

Millions of Americans stopped working from home in 2022, according to a Labor Department report released on March 22.

The agency said that 72.5 percent of establishments, defined as each business location, reported little to no telework among employees between August and September 2022, a 12.4 percent increase from 2021.

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LOW TEMPERATURE RECORDS SLAIN ACROSS MIDWEST; MORE SNOW DUMPED ONTO CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS; ICE AND SNOW TO EXTEND INTO APRIL; ISRAEL’S COLD SPRING; + RECORD LOWS SWEEP NEW ZEALAND

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Italy Bans OpenAI’s ChatGPT Over Privacy Concerns

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– Italy Bans OpenAI’s ChatGPT Over Privacy Concerns:

Italy’s data protection authority has temporarily banned OpenAI’s ChatGPT over alleged privacy violations. The ban will remain in effect until OpenAI complies with the European Union’s privacy laws.

In a statement, the Italian National Authority for Personal Data Protection said ChatGPT violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in multiple ways, including unlawfully processing people’s data and failing to prevent minors from accessing the AI chatbot.

The Italian privacy regulator warned OpenAI it has 20 days to respond to the order or face fines:

Read moreItaly Bans OpenAI’s ChatGPT Over Privacy Concerns

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Damascus For Second Night In A Row

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– Israeli Airstrikes Hit Damascus For Second Night In A Row:

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

Israeli airstrikes targeted the Syrian capital of Damascus early Friday morning for the second day in a row, marking the fifth time in March that Israel bombed Syria.

Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that Syrian air defenses “intercepted hostile targets” in the airspace of Damascus. There was no mention of any casualties or damage caused by the strikes.

Less than 24 hours earlier, SANA reported that two Syrian soldiers were wounded in Israeli strikes on the Syrian capital. Israeli officials haven’t commented on either strike, as Israeli typically does not take credit for individual airstrikes in Syria.

According to the Times of Israel describing the latest:

Read moreIsraeli Airstrikes Hit Damascus For Second Night In A Row

Saudi Arabia Joins China-Led Economic And Security Bloc – Russia Also A Member

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– Saudi Arabia Joins China-Led Economic And Security Bloc – Russia Also A Member:

In the latest evidence of major shifts in global power dynamics, the Saudi government has approved the kingdom’s partial membership in a Chinese-led economic, political and security bloc.    

Saudi Arabia will join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with the initial status of a “dialogue partner.” Formed in 2001, the SCO’s full members are China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Iran is expected to become a full member later this year, while other dialogue partners include two more countries that have traditionally been in the U.S. sphere of influence: Qatar and Egypt. Underscoring the group’s security component, SCO members will conduct a joint “counter-terrorism exercise” in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region — north of Kazakhstan — in August.

“By engaging with these U.S. rivals, it really does seem like this multipolarity is in full-bore here now,” Atlantic Council fellow Jonathan Fulton tells The Wall Street Journal.

Read moreSaudi Arabia Joins China-Led Economic And Security Bloc – Russia Also A Member