Pollinators are in trouble. Their habitat has to be protected, including the very cautious use of pesticides.

September 29, 2021
By Graeme Massie

On the left is: Rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), (an endangered species native to North America.

The American bumblebee (click here) population has plummeted by almost 90 per cent and is edging its way towards Endangered Species Act protection, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency says that adding the insect to the ESA “may be warranted” and will now carry out a one year review.

In the past two decades bumblebee numbers have dropped 89 per cent in the US and they have completely disappeared from eight states....

This is a direct result of failed government recognition of the problem and huge voids in policy.

September 28, 2021
By Jeffery Ball

Six years ago, (click here) Liz Babb and her husband, Angelo Aloisio, retired financial services executives and new empty nesters, sold their place in San Francisco and moved to the woods. They bought a 1970s house on a steep slope in Portola Valley, an enclave of forested canyons minutes from Silicon Valley’s center that boasts a bohemian history, a reputation for moneyed discretion, and jaw-dropping views. It was an iconic—if, by local standards, modest—northern California dream home: wood construction, picture windows, multiple decks, and, everywhere, trees.

Lush vegetation blanketed the property: oaks, redwoods, and all manner of shrubs and bushes. They enveloped the house, but not only that. Soaring through the center of the structure—rising from the dirt, through the first-level floor, up three stories, and out the roof—stood a massive oak, its trunk encased by interior glass and its branches and leaves canopied over the house. “We were ready for our rural adventure,” said Babb, an avid hiker. When she first saw the shelter-magazine-worthy aerie, she recalled, “I fell in love with it.”...

This level of deceit and manipulation will probably be common within the climate crisis because government policy is grossly absent in all aspects of American life.

October 5, 2021

A federal jury (click here) in Los Angeles awarded $6.3 million to actor Shannen Doherty on Monday in a lawsuit alleging that State Farm failed to pay sufficiently for damage to her house in a 2018 California wildfire.

The jury found that the insurance giant’s failure to pay policy benefits for Doherty’s Malibu home were “unreasonable and without proper cause.”

The verdict covers damages to Doherty’s house and property, emotional distress and attorney’s fees....

The Paradise fire is an insurance companies nightmare. It is densely laced with increased premiums across all sorts of risk, not just high risk. No one would have classified Paradise as a high risk insurance issue. It is time such devastation be defined by the climate crisis. The climate crisis can no longer be ignored and must be part of government priorities.

Homes (click here) leveled by the Camp fire at the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park retirement community in Paradise, Calif., in 2018.

Paradise is an absolute failure of federal policies to embrace the climate crisis and rise to the occassion of protecting American lives, property and the American Dream.

This IS another method of solving the climate issue. Making everything work with new moleculels that can do the job.

This capacity is a game changer.

...Many research areas and industries (click here) are dependent on chemists’ ability to construct molecules that can form elastic and durable materials, store energy in batteries or inhibit the progression of diseases. This work requires catalysts, which are substances that control and accelerate chemical reactions, without becoming part of the final product. For example, catalysts in cars transform toxic substances in exhaust fumes to harmless molecules. Our bodies also contain thousands of catalysts in the form of enzymes, which chisel out the molecules necessary for life.

Catalysts are thus fundamental tools for chemists, but researchers long believed that there were, in principle, just two types of catalysts available: metals and enzymes. Benjamin List and David MacMillan are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021 because in 2000 they, independent of each other, developed a third type of catalysis. It is called asymmetric organocatalysis and builds upon small organic molecules.

“This concept for catalysis is as simple as it is ingenious, and the fact is that many people have wondered why we didn’t think of it earlier,” says Johan Åqvist, who is chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

Organic catalysts have a stable framework of carbon atoms, to which more active chemical groups can attach. These often contain common elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur or phosphorus. This means that these catalysts are both environmentally friendly and cheap to produce....

California has been involved with THE MOVEMENT toward net zero greenhouse gas emissions for years.

Zero Net Energy buildings and Districts (click here) provide innovative, feasible, and cost-effective approaches to reducing California's greenhouse gas footprint and achieving the State's aggressive climate goals. The new Commercial and District Zero Net Energy Plan along with a new Decision-Making Tool provides a refined focus on  ZNE that incorporates energy storage, controls, and local renewables.

None of these concepts are new. They are tried and true, but, the media doesn't carry the good news about climate. They rather talk about a loser of a former president because it gets them ratings. Google appears to have banded Trump from You Tube, by the way.

If Trump is banded online why isn't he banded everywhere?

Hawaii has always been a Democratic stronghold. They are moving into the future with EASE.

October 7, 2021
By Scott Kim

While marking Energy Efficiency Day on Wednesday, (click here) Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said promoting greater energy efficiency is key to helping residents and businesses save money, preserve the environment, and create jobs.

Blangiardi lauded the city’s partnerships with organizations such as Hawaii Energy, which gives rebates to residents and businesses to lower energy consumption through measures such as switching to LED lighting.

Blangiardi said the city is working to reduce energy use by upgrading city buildings and facilities. He said it's a pocketbook issue that affects all residents.

"So anything that we can do to add to the efficiency and put money in people's pockets is something that we're really interested in doing — not the least of which is I think on a going-forward basis is going to be a great source of really exciting jobs for our younger people coming forward, and careers to be had," he said....

President Biden needs to continue to push the Congress to pass these bills.

Big Oil and Coal want to defeat these bills and force Congress to end the 51 vote requirement for reconciliation. This is all big money pushing the end to the climate agenda that is more important than clashes with China in the high seas. It would be interesting to have the US Navy actually admit there are issues at sea with climate.

But, these bills should not fail. They need to be passed becuase President Biden needs this to bring home the message the USA is ON BOARD with climate mitigation. This is the last time Big Oil and Coal can bring about an agenda of sustained petroleum use on a broad scale such as the USA economy. The coal and oil industries cannot win this fight. The US Congress must pass these bills for the absolute best interest of the USA and it's people. This is not a matter of politics, it is life and death for many. The USA has lost lives to the climate crisis. We cannot let those lives go unnoticed and we must act to end this ravage of this planet.

The car companies are already on board with new EVs and I am completely proud of them. They cannot fail. We must also address mass transit and secure a place in movement for all Americans. This is not a "Wish List." These bills are long overdue. LONG OVERDUE. They cost more today because they have been delayed by a corrupt affiliation between Congress and the money oil and coal wave in their faces for big money elections. All that corruption must end.

2030 is not far away. In more than two months 2022 will be here. It only seems like yesterday we were saying we have 11 years to "get this right." Now, we are down to eight AND MUST MOVE FORWARD. 

October 10, 2021
By Brad Plumer and Winston Choi-Schagrin

President Biden (click here) has framed this moment as the country’s best chance to save the planet.

“The nation and the world are in peril,” he said weeks ago in Queens, where 11 people drowned in their basement apartments after floodwaters from Hurricane Ida devastated communities from Louisiana to New York. “And that’s not hyperbole. That is a fact. They’ve been warning us the extreme weather would get more extreme over the decade, and we’re living in it real time now.”

Mr. Biden’s plan to try to fortify the United States against extreme weather — and cut the carbon dioxide emissions that are heating the Earth and fueling disasters — is embedded in two pieces of legislation pending on Capitol Hill. The future of both bills remains in question, with tension between moderate and progressive Democrats over the size and scope of many details....

Do NOT let this go by because it is Facebook.

This is about the USA's sovereign right to protect young minds and their self-esteem. This is not a bullying issue, this is an emersion issue when it comes to the damage being conducted KNOWINGLY by Facebook.

This is a First Amendment issue that requires legislation to end the assault by computerized companies working to maintain high levels of profit. CHILDREN and our democracy is not a bargaining chip, it is a SOVERIEGN right to protect adverse elements within the borders of the country. There is a limit and allowing Russia free reign of American minds is not part of the First Amendment.

'SNL' (click here) sketch on Facebook whistleblower hearing pokes fun at US Senators' disconnect with social media.

If a US Senator "doesn't get it" they should not be making decisions about social media which pummeled the USA electorate with Russian propaganda. This is serious. This is about our democracy and our children. Get real.

It may be that President Biden will need to address the country to make it known as to what the problems are and how they will be resolved. The American people want this type of problem to end and not continue. I think that is the place of the President to talk to the people and offer solutions to legislation to pass through Congress. 

 

Taiwan is not shrinking from a conflict. China needs to regroup and realize it doesn't exist in that region alone.

I realize The West has a One China policy. China is under estimating the power of their states wtih democracies. The die was cast a long time ago. China has control of Western style states in their commerce and they make China wealthier. Why is China putting that in jeopardy when the world appreciates the economic relationships with Chinese Democratic States like Taiwan. It is foolishness for China to chase ideologies that make it weaker than stronger.

 

This was not a accident and I don't believe how stupid China can be. Enough.

Austrailia just ordered nuclear powered submarines from the USA. This is about that purchase. Communists always pull strong man tactics as if this is going to scare anyone in The West. This only makes these countries fell more secure in knowing China is afraid of them to share the same internatinoal waters.

October 7, 2021
By Dan Lamothe

...Similarly to the improved Los Angeles Class, the Seawolf (click here) does not have any external weapons. The submarine is armed with both the land-attack and anti-ship version of the Tomahawk missile from Raytheon. The land-attack Tomahawk has a range of 2,500km....

A nuclear-powered Navy submarine (click here) has been damaged in a collision in the South China Sea, injuring U.S. sailors but leaving the multibillion-dollar vessel operational, officials said.

The collision occurred on Oct. 2, but was not disclosed until Thursday. A Navy official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, said keeping the matter quiet for several days allowed the crew of the USS Connecticut time to travel back to Guam, where the attack submarine is expected to arrive soon. Sailors suffered minor and “moderate” injuries, the official said, without specifying the extent of them.

“The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition,” the Navy said in a statement. “USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational. The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed.”

The Navy said in its statement that the service has not requested assistance to respond to the mishap, which was first reported by USNI News. The service plans to investigate what happened. The Navy official said it is believed the vessel could have collided with an inanimate object, such as a submerged shipwreck or shipping container....

More treasonous mumbo - jumbo out of Iowa.

This rally was for money that leads to power and Trump's attempt to tamp down the investigations and lawsuits. I briefly heard a reporting whereby the crowd was chanting that Trump will win in 2024 (about money) and that he will save the world. 

There is only response that comes to mind about Trump and the world:

"I rather be Red than Dead."

Trump's answer while he was in office and now is that he will surrender to communism because he has a shot at millions if not billions. Trump surrendered the esteem of the USA all during his time in office. There is a problem with credibility and it shows.

I can't help believe Chancellor Merkel felt safe in retiring because Joe Biden is in office and a safe transition is possible.

October 9, 2021

By Thomas Beaumont

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley and Gov. Kim Reynolds (click here) embraced Donald Trump’s return to Iowa on Saturday, standing by the former president as he repeated his false claims of voter fraud and a stolen election to a crowd of thousands.

The state’s senior senator, who recently announced plans to run for an eighth six-year term, praised Trump as he introduced him by noting there was “a great crowd honoring a great president of the United States.”

Neither Grassley nor Reynolds made any reference to Trump’s post-presidency, during which he has continued to lie about the results and urge Republicans to conduct “audits” of the vote counts. Reynolds, also seeking reelection next year, gushed with praise for Trump in her brief remarks....

I was thinking back to an incident that happened after September 11, 2001.

I don't know who is the greater threat to the USA, the Pakistan ISI or the Pakistan Supreme Court. The ISI  protected Osama bin Laden and they reconstituted the Taliban. Now, the Pakistan Supreme Court turned loose a known killer. This is not a friend to the USA. Considering the danger that may exist in the world, the Pearls are best to get on with life outside the media spotlight.

I think travel to that region has always been tenuous. I believe today with convicted terrorists allowed to leave prison it is even more dangerous. It was time for the USA to leave Afghanistan. There is dearly little this country can do to influence another in that region after four years of destroying the USA image of strength and democracy.

February 4, 2021
By Mariane Pearl

Almost two decades ago, (click here) the people of Pakistan sent me messages expressing sadness and anger at the murder of my husband, Daniel Pearl, in their beloved country. Danny was 38 and the Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief for South Asia. “I am a Muslim and this, my friend, is not Islam,” one wrote. My favorite message read: “Your husband had a great smile ... a happy mixture of Pope John Paul and Dean Martin.”

On Jan. 23, 2002, we had just arrived in Karachi, an intricate puzzle of a city. In the recent years, it had metastasized into a hub of blind hatred and violent militancy. Danny was in search of a radical Muslim cleric who had led a man to try to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami. In these last few days, Danny’s schedule had been hectic. He was exhausted and increasingly worried about what he was finding, but he dressed with his usual understated elegance and headed out. It was to be his last interview before we were to fly to Dubai for a break. Three hours later, I just knew by intuition that Danny had been kidnapped. Soon after, the name came up: A man named Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh kidnapped him with the intention of murdering him. I never saw Danny again.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that Saeed and the accomplices responsible for this crime should be released from prison and absolved of any wrongdoing. The High Court of Sindh, where Saeed was held, argued that the men should have been charged only with kidnapping, which carries a prison sentence of seven years, not murder....

There needs to be a conference whereby all the Republican objections are codified and reputed once and for all.

I find Senator Grassley's questions of the Honorable Kristen Clark very revealing about Republican priorities. They FAVOR THE POPULOUS and not the facts. It is just that simple. Legislators at all levels of government are suppose to support the facts. It is the TRUTHFUL FACTS that make for a strong democracy. Republican catering to populous polls rather than facts is a huge problem for this democracy. The upcoming elections MUST demand the facts be upheld in any and all context of the elections, including advertisements and debates.

Populous polls are not the facts, they are opinion.

Senator Cruz owes the Honorable Kristen Clark an apology. She clearly stated she does not consider parents terrorists and he stated she did. He is wrong. There is also legal recourse against the Justice Department for any Governor that considers their treatment unfair. Governors are not helpless.

 

The Plutocrat Republicans carrying Trumpism messages cannot be allowed to remain in power.

If you love the USA, then understand what Edward Snowden is talking about is EXCATLY what the communists in China and Russia are using to cause hate and decension in the USA. By consenting to the use of the hate and dessension to their benefit, the Republicans are allowing the powers of Russia and Chinese communists to destroy democracy in the USA and other countries that embrace democracy as their governance.

Get over it. This is real. People are being manipulated for power and money.

To be clear, what the Republicans are engaged in is diabolical. They are consenting to allow communiists to degrade and end the democracy as guided by the USA Constitution. What is so dangerous about that party is that they willing allow their POPULOUS orientation to dictate their policies direction. Taht is not democratic, it is dangerous. The Republicans are accepting the results of polls as their guiding principle and not the Rule of Law.

The extremist agenda is now the Republican agenda and the country is not better for it. Do to Republican leadership we have a runaway virus among us and the stress in the country is astronomical and resulting in a huge jump in violence and death because of that violence. We have orphans because of COVID-19. Orphans. That isn't the USA. At least it wasn't.

  

There are several reasons why the prosecution of Rick Snyder is amiss.

August 6, 2021
By Lee Devito

Former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver (click here) responded to Metro Times' recent cover story about the city's water crisis, and commended reporters Jordan Chariton and Jenn Dize of independent news outlet Status Coup for helping to continue to draw awareness to the issue.

Status Coup, which reported the story co-published by Metro Times and The Intercept last month, interviewed Weaver during a visit to Flint on Thursday, where the former mayor, who served from 2015 to 2019, took aim at... well, everyone —including the media, former Governor Snyder, and even current Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel.

"You know, I always talk about 'how to get away with murder?'" she said. "Ask Snyder, and ask Nessel. They're all helping him do it."

When asked about the article, Weaver said, "I wasn't surprised because this whole thing has been a cover-up from the very beginning, and that's what we have been talking about — those that those of us that have been ... yelling and screaming and trying to keep the story alive from the very beginning."

The article reported evidence that the phones of Snyder's top health officials and aides had been wiped just before a criminal investigation was launched. It also reported on a letter drafted by Schuette accusing Snyder of interfering with his office's investigation by launching "sham" investigations of his own....

Karen Weaver was in the middle of the crisis in Flint. She knows it better than most legislators or law enforcement people. If she states there are things amiss with the prosecution of Rick Snyder it should be reviewed yet again with her assistance. I think she is spot on with the issue of erased cell phones. NO ONE HAS BEEN CHARGED that I am aware of for TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE.

July 28, 2021

New York - On Wednesday, (click here) the Democratically-controlled House Oversight Committee responded to a bombshell report in The Intercept by Status Coup's Jordan Chariton and Jenn Dize on the Flint water crisis that revealed phones belonging to top officials in former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's administration were erased and/or altered—with key communications and data from the 2014-2015 period Flint received toxic drinking water from the Flint River gone when criminal investigators obtained the phones....

These illegal acts are noted by people concerned about the ease with which the cover-up occurred. There is a far more casual approach to these issues in the year 2021. There needs to be ACCOUNTABILITY and it is not pursued from what I can tell. This can't simply be noticed and then allowed without penalty. The former Governor was responsible in maintaining the integrity of the facts within those phone records. Those records were State of Michigan property.  The current Attorney General needs to do more than shrug her shoulders about tampered evidence and bring charges for these illegal acts.

The reason there are economic shutdowns is for the very reason Minnesota is panicked.

...“Across the state, we have more hospitals reporting that they have zero available adult medical surgical beds and zero adult ICU beds available during this latest surge,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters. “These are numbers we didn't see even in the worst of last fall’s surge.”

The state is now down to 1 percent of hospital beds available in the Twin Cities metro region, 5 percent in the southeast and 7 percent in the central part of the state, she added.

The latest numbers also show there are no pediatric hospital beds available in the central Minnesota region, only two in the southeast, one each in the northwest and south-central areas and seven available in the metro area, she said.

She pleaded with eligible Minnesotans to get vaccinated and take precautions to slow the spread of the disease. “There’s, unfortunately, plenty of room for the virus to do its harm.”...

I told you so. There are currently not enough pediatric intensive care beds for all the children stricken with COVID-19 or it's variant. 

Why did the USA do this? Why did children stay home and educate across the internet only to cause this disastrous effect on those very same children now. Why did people decide child illnesses with potentially permanent disability and/or death didn't matter?

I WANT ANSWERS! If this was corporate profit-driven, then I want to know. It makes no sense for an entire country to disregard the concerns for children over the past year only to have them get sick and/or die.

THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS OUTCOME FOR AMERICAN CHILDREN!!!!!

This is an American tragedy of monumental proportions.

October 6, 2021

By Regina Mobley

Portsmouth, Va. - The world is going to miss Teresa. (click here) That’s what her parents have to say about the bubbly 10-year-old Hillpoint Elementary School 5th grader who they say died from COVID-19 on Sept. 27 at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters.

“The world is gonna miss out on her. She had so many dreams, so many goals that she wanted to do; she wanted to be a teacher, she wanted to design clothes. She impacted so many people,” said Teresa’s mother, Nicole Sperry.

Suffolk Public Schools (SPS) in Virginia is responding to reports from the Sperrys that their daughter was assigned to escort sick children to the nurse’s office. Teresa’s father shared an account with Andy Fox, saying Teresa was proud of her role working as a so-called “nurse.”...

HUD's requirements for insulating manufactured homes MUST improve. Why is there a different U value for these homes?

Most manufactured homes are purchased by people, including the elderly, with low incomes. They are not going to have money laying around in order to insulate their homes and end up with either utility subsidies and/or high energy bills due to the lack of good government requirements.

The HUD-code for mobile homes (click here) is primarily a “performance" code, rather than a “prescriptive" code, meaning pretty much what it sounds like: instead of specifying what to install and how to install it, the code sets performance standards that give the manufacturer some leeway in how they choose to meet the standard.

The insulation performance standard is a U-value, also referred to as a U-value, which is the overall coefficient of heat transfer through the envelope of the home. The map above shows the U-value requirements for the three thermal zones that HUD has mapped for their standards. A lower U-value number means better insulation....

The problem with these manufactured homes is that leaving out significant insulation is a profit issue. Without mentioning the manufacturer, the amount of insulation is minimal or NON-EXISTENT.

Literally, whether heating or cooling, the DUCT systems that carry the air have to be warmed or heated before the heat will arrive in the living area. That means the manufactured home will become far colder or hotter before the air actually changes the temperature in the living area. It is the most outrageous infraction of energy efficiency I have ever witnessed.

Literally, there are manufactured homes that are colder at night because of the outside temperature and warmer during the day for the same reason and it depends if the sun is shining or not. If during the day it is cloudy, the internal temperature of these homes will be cooler than if there is sunshine. All this temperature change in these homes occurs because the heat or cold hits the aluminum skins of the walls, but, especially the roof. If the sun is shining and the temperature outside is 80 degrees, the interior temperature is more than 80 degrees because the manufactured home becomes an oven. Sure, there is air conditioning, but, the amount of energy it takes to roll back the cost of cooling an oven is ridiculous TO ANY CONSUMER.

The climate crisis is brutal. People have already died from heat or cold-related issues. The people living in these manufactured homes are more vulnerable to extreme temperatures that kill. This is a public health concern and should be readily addressed by HUD to demand highly insulated walls, roofs and floors. Those manufactured homes already in use MUST be viewed as dangerous and potentially insulated to meet modern-day standards to CONSERVE ENERGY and protect those living inside.

The same standard MUST be included in any FEMA trailers purchased by the government as temporary shelters. To leave these people vulnerable to heat and cold when this country can do something about it, is immoral and extremely costly to the climate itself.

This is going to be an ongoing problem. Be grateful of the Army Corps. Blue Roof tarps.

The federal government needs to be sure their blue roof tarps are well stocked. This issue isn't just Louisiana. This is going to be a countrywide problem with severe storms on the increase.

October 7, 2021

By Greg LaRose

It won't be until some time next year (click here) that the supply of roof shingles will catch up to demand, according to a homebuilding industry analyst. The shortage is particularly acute in south Louisiana, where two straight years of major hurricane impacts have also stretched the contracting workforce thin.

The shingle shortage has its roots in the COVID-19 pandemic, said David Logan, an economist for the National Association of Homebuilders. The problem grew worse when Hurricane Ida forced multiple refineries to shut down. Shingles are largely made from asphalt and petroleum byproducts.

"You're talking about a huge amount of raw materials that essentially have been lost, that the industry will have to catch up to without any increase in capacity," Logan said.

Even once the shingle supply gets back to normal, Logan said there will be the issue of logistics. Transportation and distribution have also seen labor shortages from the pandemic, and that could delay getting products to markets where demand is highest, he said.

Local homebuilder Frank Morse has most of his crews handling work that involves roof repair in the New Orleans area. He's telling clients not to expect much choice when it comes to shingle options, and he said most customers are willing to sacrifice aesthetics for function.

Morse is on the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors and said the agency has made it a priority to assist legitimate out-of-state contractors that want to be certified for work in Louisiana. He acknowledged that the process could take weeks, rather than days, but said consumers benefit in the end....

COVID-19 vaccine hysteria has to stop.

There is a lot of vigilantism in the USA with having high numbers of guns in the country in the hands of average people. This is an example of how the right-wing political media is turning the USA into a blood bath due to the politicization of a vaccine that helps protect Americans and will end the spread of the virus and its ability to mutate to a far more dangerous form.

Jeffrey Allen Burnham literally took it upon himself to challenge his brother, Brian, a licensed and practicing pharmacist, to end the administration of vaccines by killing him. This is an outrageous outcome. There needs to be an FBI investigation as to who or what educated Jeffery Burnham about the vaccine to the point of hysteria and killing his own family over the vaccine.

Jeffery Burnham is in custody and needs to be interviewed to his ideas of what resulted in spurring him to act with violence. The source has to be known and stopped. Someone or some country is out there causing deep-seated fear to move a man to kill his own family in attempts to stop the administration of vaccines. No one can ignore this. The source MUST be discovered and their influence ended. 

October 7, 2021

By David Collins

Ellicot City - The man accused of killing three people (click here) wanted to confront his brother, who he's accused of killing, based on his profession and COVID-19 vaccines, court papers obtained by sister station WBAL-TV indicate.

Jeffrey Allen Burnham, 46, was arrested in West Virginia after a manhunt last week. He was extradited Tuesday back to Maryland on charges of murder and auto theft.

Burnham is accused of killing three people in Maryland: Rebecca Reynolds, 83, his brother, Brian Robinette, and sister-in-law, Kelly Robinette.

According to police charging documents, Burnham went to the Ellicott City home of his brother, who was a pharmacist, to confront him about administering COVID-19 vaccines. Investigators based the motive on statements Burnham allegedly made to his mother, Evelyn Burnham, a day before the killings.

The charging documents state: "Jeffrey stated to Evelyn that he wanted to confront Brian about the government poisoning people with COVID vaccines and that he repeatedly stated, 'Brian knows something.'"

Court papers show the Robinettes were shot multiple times by a .40-caliber handgun. The documents state that police said they found an empty box for a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun in Jeffrey Burnham's residence....

The debt limit directly impacts economic interests that are already established.

October 7, 2021
By Shalini Nagarajan

Global stocks rose on Thursday (click here) after progress in talks between lawmakers on the US debt ceiling helped improve risk sentiment, while bitcoin continued to trade around five-month highs close to $55,000.

Futures on the Dow Jones rose 0.4%, while those on the S&P 500 rose 0.6% and the Nasdaq rose 1% as of 4:40 a.m. ET, suggesting a stronger start to trading later in the day.

Both parties made some headway Wednesday after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was willing to offer a short-term debt ceiling extension until December to stave off catastrophic financial repercussions.

This means President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats would be able to finish their fiscal spending package, of between $1.9 trillion to $2 trillion, and include a further increase to the borrowing limit into one large reconciliation package near year-end, Deutsche Bank strategists said....

Today is a great day for journalism. I am thrilled these two wonderful journalists have been recognized.

Ms. Reesa stated in an online interview stated, "Violence online doesn't stay online." She is spot on.

October 8, 2021

Seeking to bolster press freedoms (click here) at a time when journalists find themselves under increasing pressure from authoritarian governments and other hostile forces, the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday was awarded to two journalists thousands of miles apart for their tireless efforts to hold the powerful to account.

The journalists, Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitri A. Muratov of Russia, were recognized for “their courageous fight for freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”

“They are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions,” the committee said in a statement released after the announcement in Oslo.

Ms. Ressa — a Fulbright scholar, and a Time magazine Person of the Year for her crusading work against disinformation — has been a constant thorn in the side of President Rodrigo Duterte, her country’s authoritarian president.

The digital media company for investigative journalism that she co-founded, Rappler, has exposed government corruption and researched the financial holdings and potential conflicts of interest of top political figures. It has also done groundbreaking work on the Duterte government’s violent antidrug campaign.

“The number of deaths is so high that the campaign resembles a war waged against the country’s own population,” the committee said. “Ms. Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.”...

In 2016, the Philippines was racking up the War on Drugs death rate of 12,000. The world was appalled. Today, the death rate of the War on Drugs is hidden among the COVID-19 death rate. The COVID-19 remains high in the Philippines. The current death rate in the Philippines is 39,232. That is the two-year total to date. That just about matches the death rate of the internal war experiencing in the Philippines. The cases are beginning to drop off, but, not substantially.

These deaths are in a population of slightly more than 109 million people.