**China Clamps Down On Corporate Data, Ramps Up Exit Bans**
China Clamps Down On Corporate Data, Ramps Up Exit Bans
As China beefs up its military to focus on "preparations for war" (per the US State Department-funded _Radio Free Asia_ (https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-recruits-05022023133839.html)), Beijing is also ramping up restrictions on corporate information provided to overseas clients, as well as **exit bans on** **corporate executives who simply want to leave the country.**
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In recent months, Chinese financial data providers have stopped providing detailed information on the nation's companies to outsiders, _Bloomberg_ (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-03/china-restricts-overseas-access-to-corporate-registry-databases) reports.
> _Wind Information Co. in recent months **ended allowing clients using its platform outside mainland China from accessing its corporate registry database,** according to multiple people familiar with the matter. **The change is due to regulatory requirements**, and other parts of their service are continuing as normal, they said, declining to be identified because the matter is sensitive._
>
> _**Investors operating in China are facing a more challenging environment despite Beijing’s push to improve ties globally.** US consultancy firms are under the spotlight in particular, with authorities in recent weeks targeting (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-28/foreign-executives-in-china-ask-who-s-next-after-bain-probe) the China offices of **Bain & Company, Mintz Group and Capvision,** according to media reports. **The government last month passed (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-26/china-approves-spy-law-as-xi-focuses-on-national-security) a new counter-espionage law that expanded the list of activities that could be considered spying, intensifying the risks for foreign firms**. -Bloomberg_
According to George Magnus, the move "underscores" the CCP's construction of a new wall to the rest of the world.
"In decades of private sector and academic research, I’ve stumbled into occasional publishing problems with sensitive governments, but never come across sensitive governments shutting down or restricting access to domestic data sources," he said.
Wind Information Co. collects data on over 200 million enterprises as well as 270 million legal representatives and executives, according to its website. The information includes shareholder and affiliate data, as well as fundraising and investing activities, legal disputes and operation risks.
**Meanwhile**, Beijing is also implementing **exit bans** \- barring people from leaving the country, including foreign executives, _Reuters_ (https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-exit-bans-multiply-political-control-tightens-under-xi-2023-05-02/) reports.
> _Scores of Chinese and foreigners have been ensnared by exit bans, according to a new report by the rights group Safeguard Defenders, while a Reuters analysis has found an apparent surge of court cases involving such bans in recent years, and foreign business lobbies are voicing concern about the trend._
"Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012, China has expanded the legal landscape for exit bans and increasingly used them, sometimes outside legal justification," according to a report (https://safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/new-report-trapped-china-s-expanding-use-exit-bans) from Safeguard Defenders.
"Between 2018 and July of this year, no less than five new or amended (Chinese) laws provide for the use of exit bans, for a total today of 15 laws," said the group's campaign director, Laura Harth.
According to the group, which cites a 2022 academic paper which found 128 cases between 1995 and 2019, "tens of thousands" of Chinese are being banned from exit at any given time - a huge escalation assuming this is accurate. **Reuters,** having analyzed records on exit bans, reports an eight-fold increase in cases between 2016 and 2022.
One such person prevented from leaving China earlier this year is Singaporean executive at the US due-diligence firm Mintz Group, which said in late March that authorities had **raided the firm's China office** and detained five local staff under suspicion of engaging in unlawful business operations. CCP police also visited Bain & Co's Shanghai office and questioned the staff.
"Because of rising tensions between the U.S. and China, the salience of this (exit ban) risk has risen," said Lester Ross, a veteran lawyer in China who has handled exit ban cases.
"I've seen a rise in companies and entities being concerned about this and asking for our advice on how to prepare and reduce risks" of exit bans, Ross said.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-dur…
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/china-clamps-down-corporate-data-ramps-exit-bans
**So Much For SkyNet - Warehouse Robot Collapses After Working 20 Hours Straight**
So Much For SkyNet - Warehouse Robot Collapses After Working 20 Hours Straight
_Authored by Katie Hutton via TheMindUnleashed.com,_ (https://themindunleashed.com/2023/05/a-warehouse-robot-collapsed-after-working-for-20-hours-straight.html)
When you’re working on the production line at a factory and trying to fulfill ever-changing deadlines, being a busy robot might make life challenging.
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It is even more gruesome when you consider that the robot in question was designed to last for the longest amount of time possible.
Meet Digit. The motorized moving mess of bolts and wires known as Digit was the subject of the evaluation. And to be honest, throughout the twenty hours that it was working hard, Digit put in quite the effort and exhibited all of its nifty tricks and circuitry sorcery to all who were there.
**Those unfortunate enough to have witnessed the tail end of Digit’s demos definitely had at least one or two eyebrows raised.**
> With a 99% success rate over about 20 hours of live demos, Digit still took a couple of falls at ProMat.
>
> We have no proof, but we think our sales team orchestrated it so they could talk about Digits quick-change limbs and durability. #ConspiracyTheories (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ConspiracyTheories?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)pic.twitter.com/aqC5rhvBTj (https://t.co/aqC5rhvBTj)
>
> — Agility Robotics (@agilityrobotics) April 6, 2023 (https://twitter.com/agilityrobotics/status/1644117447098929152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
_AFTER ALL, DIGIT DID EXPERIENCE SOME DEGREE OF FAILURE. AS IN, HE WAS OUT OF THE RUNNING FOR THE TIME BEING AFTER ITS COLLAPSE. THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPANY, ON THE OTHER HAND, BRAGGED OF A PHENOMENAL SUCCESS RATE OF 99.99 PERCENT FOR JOBS COMPLETED BY WAREHOUSE BOTS._
> _“We started with scientific breakthroughs and layered on top of that world-class engineering,_” they said in a press release. (https://agilityrobotics.com/news/2022/future-robotics-l3mjh)
>
> **_“We approach everything with a focus on function. Our robots were designed from day one to do work and get the job done,”_** they add.
In April, Agility Robotics posted the video, announcing that the hard-working bot has successfully completed over nearly 20 hours of live demonstrations despite suffering a few “scrapes and bruises” while doing its responsibilities.
Liz Clinkenbeard, vice president of communications at Agility Robotics, disclosed to the Associated Press (https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-video-robot-deactivates-itself-526120080628) that the company wants to show how a cool robot like Digit can pick itself up and move on when things are going badly for it.
**_“We wanted to show that Digit did fall a couple times, that it’s a normal part of any new technology, and it’s not a big deal,”_** she said. When Digit drops, it is often because of a fault in the program or with the sensor.
> Is this stability testing or an excuse to take Digit out on a nice spring day? Sometimes it's hard to know the difference. ☀️ pic.twitter.com/yFk6NSgsBb (https://t.co/yFk6NSgsBb)
>
> — Agility Robotics (@agilityrobotics) April 28, 2023 (https://twitter.com/agilityrobotics/status/1651753309622128640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
_“SOMETIMES IT MAY NEED A REPAIR; RARELY SOMETHING THAT TAKES MORE THAN 15-20 MINUTES,”_ SHE ADDED. _“WE DO WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT NOT OVER-HUMANIZING A MACHINE (https://www.unilad.com/technology/worlds-most-advanced-robot-human-creepy-video-184101-20230412?source=lbozbl) OR ASCRIBING INTENT._
_WHILE DIGIT LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE A PERSON, IN REALITY IT IS A COMPUTER THAT CAN DO PHYSICAL WORK, AND IT’S FOLLOWING A PROGRAM.”_
Since then, the footage of Digit falling over has been posted across many social media platforms. The footage has resulted in some quite obscene jokes being made concerning the well-being of the robot.
Some of the comments made on social media about **Digit hinted that the hard-working AI may have offed itself because of the menial tasks it was forced to perform for little pay.**
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 22:50
**Escape The Collapse? Billionaire Buys 5,000 Acre Farm Near Jackson Hole**
Escape The Collapse? Billionaire Buys 5,000 Acre Farm Near Jackson Hole
In the event of a societal collapse or a banking crisis escalating into a financial meltdown (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/st-just-hit-fan-across-markets-regional-banks-freefall) akin to 2008, some billionaires own vast amounts of farmland around the world, which serves not only as a hedge but also provides spacious retreats for them to take refuge.
Despite a US housing market that has frozen for average folks after a record-breaking run in mortgage rates and home prices still at elevated levels, triggering the worst affordability in a generation, billionaires are still making moves.
The latest is billionaire industrialist Steven Rales, who recently purchased "Diamond G Ranch," a property that spans 5,000 acres and is located 90 minutes east of Jackson Hole, for a whopping $71 million, according to The Wall Street Journal (https://www.wsj.com/articles/billionaire-industrialist-buys-wyoming-ranch-with-ties-to-the-disney-family-e43b8d19), citing property records.
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The property has everything one needs to escape the apocalypse. And or, if that doesn't happen, have valuable land that will only appreciate.
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"It has an estimated 5 miles of the Dunoir River on private land with immediate access to 2.5 more miles on public land that is rarely accessed by the public. The Dunoir is a world-class trout fishery with trout in the 20 plus inch category. Wildlife – Bear, elk, moose, antelope, mountain lion, coyote, wolverine, multiple bird species, and both bighorn sheep and mountain goats are often seen in the adjacent national forest. It is one of the richest, wildest places for wildlife we have ever seen," said real estate firm Hall and Hall, who brokered the deal late last year.
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In recent years, the list of billionaires, including Bill Gates (https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bill-gates-granted-authority-buy-2100-more-acres-north-dakota-farmland), Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffet, purchasing farmland has been increasing. And we've shown readers that farmland is an excellent hedge in economic downcycles: _"US Farmland Bucks Real Estate Downturn."_ (https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/us-farmland-bucks-real-estate-downturn)
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 22:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/escape-collapse-billionaire-buys-71-million-farm-near-jackson-hole
**World On Cusp Of Woke Totalitarianism As Governments Act To End Freedom Of Speech**
World On Cusp Of Woke Totalitarianism As Governments Act To End Freedom Of Speech
_Authored by Michael Shellenberger and Alex Gutentag via 'Public' substack,_ (https://public.substack.com/p/world-on-cusp-of-woke-totalitarianism)
_**Media blackout as politicians in EU, US, UK, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, and Australia seek to jail citizens for wrongthink under the cover of a Big Lie about "hate speech"...**_
The Twitter Files gave us a window into how government agencies, civil society, and tech companies work together to censor social media users. Now, key nations are attempting to enshrine this coordination into law explicitly.
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**Around the world, politicians have either just passed or are on the cusp of passing sweeping new laws, which would allow governments to censor ordinary citizens on social media and other Internet platforms.**
Under the guise of preventing “harm” and holding large tech companies accountable, several countries are establishing a vast and interlinked censorship apparatus, a new investigation by Public finds.
Politicians, NGOs, and their enablers in the news media claim that their goal is merely to protect the public from “disinformation.” But vague definitions and loopholes in new laws will create avenues for broad application, overreach, and abuse.
In Ireland, for example, the government may soon be able to imprison citizens simply for possessing material that officials decide is “hateful.” Under the RESTRICT Act in the US, the government may soon have the authority to monitor the Internet activity of any American deemed a security risk.
**Governments aim for total control.** In Canada, a state agency can filter and manipulate what Canadians see online. In Australia, a single government official can compel social media companies to remove posts.
Governments and allied NGOs intend to force tech companies to comply with their rules. UK lawmakers have threatened to _imprison_ social media managers who don’t censor enough content. And Brazil has introduced severe penalties for platforms that fail to remove “fake news.”
**The key area of action is the European Union.** It is seeking sweeping new powers to regulate social media companies. And if it acts, it may change how social media companies operate worldwide, given the EU’s economic power and influence globally.
Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, large tech companies must share their data with “vetted researchers” from non-profits and academia, which would cede content moderation to NGOs and their state sponsors.
The US’s RESTRICT Act, sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), threatens 20 years in prison or a $250,000 fine for accessing blacklisted websites through “virtual private networks,” or VPNs, which are ways to create a private connection between a computer or phone and the Internet.
There has been no moment similar to this one in the roughly 30 years of widespread public Internet usage in Western societies.
Officials have introduced these policies mostly in the dead of night with little publicity or outcry. There has been a virtual blackout of what’s happening by mainstream news media corporations, with many appearing to support the new laws.
As shown with the Twitter Files, the Censorship Industrial Complex is as much about discrediting accurate facts, true narratives, and content creators who threaten its power while boosting the ones that do.
**We are thus witnessing the emergence of a governmental apparatus with the power to control the information environment in ways that determine what people believe to be true and what is false.**
As such, it is no exaggeration to say that the West is on the cusp of a new and much more powerful form of totalitarianism than either Communism or Fascism, which were limited in their reach by geography.
**If we are to defeat it, we must understand it.**
Why are governments seeking to crack down on freedom of speech from New Zealand to the Netherlands and Brazil to Canada? Why now? And why are they getting away with it?
Inside The Plot To Censor The Planet
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_RESTRICT Act sponsor Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) (center) with United Kingdom MP Damian Collins (L) and Ukrainian MP Hanna Hopko (R) at a press conference by government-funded censorship advocacy NGO called “The Atlantic Council” on July 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)._
**The timing of the global crackdown on free speech does not app…
**China Updates Conscription Law, Eyeing 'High-Tech Regional Conflict' Over Taiwan**
China Updates Conscription Law, Eyeing 'High-Tech Regional Conflict' Over Taiwan
China rolled out a new recruitment policy this week, including an update to its military conscription law, which came into force Monday after being approved by the State Council and Central Military Commission.
The effort is aimed at creating a **more high-tech and cyberwarfare capable army involving highly skilled personnel**. The new guidelines explicitly say the People's Liberation Army (PLA) should **"focus on preparations for war"** and needs more soldiers utilizing high-tech weaponry.
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The guidelines expand the military's ability for short-notice enlistments in instances of highly qualified recruits, as well as prior service personnel, and even college students who have knowledge of space and cyberwar domains.
According to some of the updated policy and rules (https://www.asiafinancial.com/china-lifts-pla-recruitment-amid-space-cyber-warfare-push):
> _The amended rules require the recruitment of "high-quality soldiers" in a "lawful, precise and efficient manner."_
>
> _There is scope for wider mobilization of the population in the event of war, including the recruitment of women to active service if numbers require it, as well as previously demobilized soldiers, who may return to their old posts and rank "if they meet the requirements."_
"During wartime, the State Council and the Central Military Commission may adjust the requirements and methods used to enlist citizens to active service," according to one of rules published in state news agency _Xinhua_.
This came the same week as an Axios report (https://www.axios.com/2023/05/02/taiwan-war-us-philippines-japan-korea-australia) which reviews how each allied US country in the Pacific is nervously preparing for possible showdown over Taiwan.
"A war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan would be **a nightmare scenario for America's allies in the Pacific**, but it’s becoming increasingly clear what roles they might play if one breaks out," wrote Axios.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 21:50
**Attempt To Remove Soros-Backed Prosecutor Moves Forward; She Vows To Fight 'Witch Hunt'**
Attempt To Remove Soros-Backed Prosecutor Moves Forward; She Vows To Fight 'Witch Hunt'
Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/attempt-to-remove-soros-backed-prosecutor-moves-forward-she-vows-to-fight-witch-hunt_5237853.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge) (emphasis ours),
Days after an embattled prosecutor vowed she would never resign from office, **a judge ruled that removal proceedings against her would continue.**
On May 2, Visiting Judge John Torbitzky ordered seven out of 10 claims against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to move forward. He denied her lawyers’ request to throw out all of the accusations.
Torbitzky has been presiding over the case that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey brought against Gardner, a Democrat.
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_St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 13, 2020. (Jim Salter/AP Photo)_ (
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**Gardner has accused Republican Bailey of playing politics.**
Bailey filed a petition alleging that Gardner shirked her responsibilities and should forfeit her elected office. Her lawyers say Gardner committed no intentional acts that would warrant her removal.
Torbitzky said he made “reasonable inferences” that Gardner willfully failed to “prosecute cases, make charging decisions, keep victims informed, and ensure defendants and victims receive a speedy trial,” as Bailey alleges.
The judge dismissed three allegations that didn’t fit the type of conduct that could lead to an officeholder’s removal.
Gardner also faces other accusations. Last week, a separate judge found that her office’s no-shows at court proceedings warranted an allegation of “indirect criminal contempt.” A hearing in the contempt case is set for May 30.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that an assistant prosecutor involved in that case has resigned, as did a second assistant who avoided a contempt citation.
The recent departures are adding to judges’ concerns about Gardner’s office being understaffed, a court spokesman said. (https://apnews.com/article/st-louis-prosecutor-shortage-aa5b56b116be77b775999a5bd9adc316)
‘Witch Hunt’ Alleged
During a public meeting at a local church on April 29, Gardner said her enemies “want to capture every word I’m saying, so they can use this as a soundbite for criminal contempt or a vehicle to try to take me out of office.”
“ **What you’re seeing is a witch hunt,**” she said in the meeting recorded by KSDK News and posted on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDXWQEakjNs&list=PLtxwUv5r5kpUZ25ImWsTTwqA_NzABMIb7&t=22s)
Gardner declared emphatically: “I’m not leavin’. I’m not resigning. I’m not doing nothing. \[sic\] You will have to remove me.”
And, at one point, she said, “You can’t take me out, because I’m not afraid of none of this \[sic\].”
Gardner, seeking reelection in 2024, is among many progressive prosecutors who received backing from funds from billionaire George Soros. According to The Missouri Times, (https://themissouritimes.com/soros-gets-involved-in-st-louis-circuit-attorney-race/)Gardner’s campaign benefited from Soros’s largesse. Several Soros-backed prosecutors have been accused of being soft on crime.
‘Change of Judge’
In the removal case, Torbitzky’s ruling followed an April 18 hearing where he heard arguments from both sides.
The state Supreme Court, which appointed Torbitzky, will need to select another judge to hear the case. Torbitzky had no choice but to grant Gardner’s lawyers’ request that he be replaced.
A Missouri procedural rule (https://casetext.com/rule/missouri-court-rules/missouri-rules-of-civil-procedure/rules-governing-civil-procedure-in-the-circuit-courts/rule-51-venue-including-change-of-venue-and-change-of-judge/rule-5105-change-of-judge-procedure) allows “a change of judge” once in every civil case, no questions asked. When they filed a motion under that rule, Gardner’s lawyers gave no reasons for seeking a replacement judge.
Meanwhile, Bailey is accusing Gardner’s lawyers of stonewalling requests for records and stalling the proceedings.
_Read more **here...** (https://www.theepochtimes.com/attempt-to-remove-soros-backed-prosecutor-moves-forward-she-vows-to-fight-witch-hunt_5237853.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge)_
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 21:30
**US Navy Enlists Drag Queen For 'Digital Ambassador' Role To Attract More Recruits**
US Navy Enlists Drag Queen For 'Digital Ambassador' Role To Attract More Recruits
And the Department of Defense wonders why multiple military branches are projected to miss their recruitment goals (https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2023/04/25/us-military-recruiting-struggles) this year? The Navy expects to fall short by over 6000 sailors in 2023, while the military struggles with a growing lack of interest, not to mention a lack of physically viable candidates. So, they have embarked on a new strategy, giving their marketing the Bud Light treatment.
That's right, the Navy has recruited a squadron administrator and drag queen (https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/01/us-navy-drag-queen-recruitment/) using the name "Harpy Daniels" to be their new "Digital Ambassador." The post is designed to inspire more civilians to join the Navy.
> The U.S. Navy hired this non-binary drag queen as a “digital ambassador” to try to recruit people pic.twitter.com/l3LIEtndVD (https://t.co/l3LIEtndVD)
>
> — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 2, 2023 (https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1653481253650288652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The attempted "woke-ification" of the US armed forces is a growing trend, with military brass defending the teaching of CRT (Critical Race Theory) among officers and numerous recruitment ads depicting far-left concepts. Here is a training video from the Navy featuring two engineers from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center explaining the use of pronouns, gender neutral language and how to be a "good ally" to the LGBT community.
And who can forget this social justice advertising gem from the US Army:
For good measure, let's not forget the woke and narcissistic messaging of recent CIA recruitment ads:
The Navy claims that DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives are not hurting recruitment, yet interest in military service continues to plummet in the face of the woke shift.
The repellent nature of leftist branding efforts in the military should be obvious. In the past, the majority of those volunteering for military service have always been politically conservative or independent, with only 29% of current serving identifying as Democrats. Leftists have long been widely opposed to military participation in general, even though, ironically, the Democrats are now becoming the preeminent party of war when it comes to Russia and the Ukraine situation.
They want America to go to war, they just don't want to be forced to fight those wars themselves. War is an ugly business replete with unfairness and inequity. Trying to appeal to progressives within Gen Z is not going to work out well for the DoD.
Another factor is the mindset of the average leftist - It is a philosophy that lends itself to weakness, entitlement and often mental illness, making training goals difficult or impossible. Over 42% of Gen Z (https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/survey-42-of-gen-z-diagnosed-with-a-mental-health-condition/) has been diagnosed with at least one mental health condition. This is why many businesses are now more likely to reject applications from job seekers that use preferred pronouns (https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/diversity-inclusion/resumes-with-theythem-pronouns-get-less-interest-from-employers/438854) in their resumes. These people are far more trouble than they're worth.
The only recourse for a woke military would be to dramatically lower standards and turn basic training into a day care, which is exactly what they have been doing incrementally over the past several years. The question is if this is delusional or deliberate self sabotage. Is the US military being deconstructed from within? Or, are these people simply inept?
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 21:10
**15 Days Finally Ends After 1,141 Days**
15 Days Finally Ends After 1,141 Days
_Via The Brownstone Institute,_ (https://brownstone.org/articles/15-days-finally-ends-after-1141-days/)
On Monday, the White House announced its Covid-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travelers will expire on May 11, coinciding with the end of the Covid public health emergency. **The 15 Days to Flatten the Curve that began (https://brownstone.org/articles/the-70-seconds-that-shook-the-world/) on March 16, 2020, stretched to 1,141 days.**
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**In some ways, the repeal is a victory against the irrational tyranny behind the vaccine mandates that have been part of the entire lockdown paradigm.** Americans no longer have to choose between taking an experimental, ineffective medical product and keeping their job. We no longer have to endure the irrationality of enforcing vaccine mandates for air travelers but not for illegal immigrants at our southern border. We no longer have to listen to the tyrannical paternalism behind forcing people to receive a shot that they don’t want while insisting that it is saving their lives.
At the same time, however, it is far from a victory; we have returned to what should be the normal state, and we already witnessed the suffering that the mandates incurred. Millions of people were forced to choose between the truth of their convictions and earning a living. Others lost years of visiting loved ones in foreign countries. The people who implemented this Hell remain in power, and they appear unremorseful.
**The Biden Administration did not admit error in its policies; instead, it took great pride in its two years of forced jabs.**
> _“Our COVID-19 vaccine requirements bolstered vaccination across the nation, and our broader vaccination campaign has saved millions of lives,” the White House boasted (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/the-biden-administration-will-end-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-for-federal-employees-contractors-international-travelers-head-start-educators-and-cms-certified-facilities/)._
>
> _“While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary.”_
**There is no solid evidence for any of those claims.** And substantial policy questions remain. Since March 2020, Covid served as the basis for political initiatives far beyond the realm of public health. It was used as the justification for eviction moratoriums, travel restrictions, domestic-capacity restrictions, closures, mask mandates, and student debt relief. Considering the future requires an understanding of the Biden White House’s mandate regime.
The History of the Mandates
**Beginning in July 2021, President Biden issued a series of Covid vaccine mandates.**
In September 2021, he announced (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202100725/html/DCPD-202100725.htm), “Next, I will sign an executive order that will now require all executive branch federal employees to be vaccinated — all. And I’ve signed another executive order that will require federal contractors to do the same. If you want to work with the federal government and do business with us, get vaccinated.” He then announced that the Department of Labor would require all employers with 100 or more workers to get vaccinated.
_**“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,”**_ he scolded unvaccinated Americans. _**“Your refusal has cost all of us.”**_
The following month, Biden banned (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/10/25/a-proclamation-on-advancing-the-safe-resumption-of-global-travel-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/) international air travelers from entering the United States without proof of receiving the Covid shots. Visitors remained able to enter the country testing positive for the virus so long as they had agreed to the President’s mandatory injection program.
**But President Biden’s disappointment in his citizens did not convince the American public of the righteousness of his crusade.** In the ensuing months, the shots’ lack of efficacy became readily apparent, and Americans were reluctant to get their “boosters.”
Biden did not relent, however. He publicly scolded (https://nypost.com/2022/01/23/aaron-rodgers-slams-biden-after-unvaccinated-qb-joke/) Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for not getting the shots and insisted that there was a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” going into 2022.
In August 2022, the White House faced backlash when tennis superstar No…
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/15-days-finally-ends-after-1141-days
**Debt Ceiling, No Worries? Biden Offers $500K Grant For 'Pakistani Transgender Youth' To Learn English**
Debt Ceiling, No Worries? Biden Offers $500K Grant For 'Pakistani Transgender Youth' To Learn English
While President Biden demands that Republicans pass a no-strings-attached, 'clean' debt limit increase without requiring Democrats to make sacrifices, **his administration is throwing around cash like a drunken sailor at a whorehouse.**.
**
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To wit, the Biden administration is now offering a grant to help teach English in Pakistan by providing, in part, "intensive professional development courses for Pakistani transgender youth."
According to the grant, the US State Department wants to teach English language skills to Pakistani youth **so they can "better participate in the global community and prepare them for success in the workplace,"**_Fox News_ (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-offers-500k-grant-english-teachers-pakistan-focus-transgender-youth) reports, adding that the grant aims to reach its goal by focusing on three components; (1) "Professional Development for English Language Teachers from Non-Mainstream Institutions; (2) Professional Development for novice Pakistani English language teachers; and (3) Professional Development for Transgender Youth and for Afghan Teachers, Students, and Young Professionals Residing in Pakistan."
> _**The program component that includes a focus on transgender youth accepts proposals from applicants "for a minimum of $25,000 and a maximum of $75,000 to implement:**(1) intensive professional development courses for Pakistani transgender youth (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2024-hopeful-vivek-ramaswamy-concerns-trans-rights-movement-negatively-impacting-kids) from the ages of 13-25, and (2) and intensive professional development courses for Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals residing in Pakistan."_
>
> _These components aim to improve English language communication skills among trainees and connect them to a professional alumni network. **Participating teachers will "share what they learned in these trainings with English-language professional colleagues, thereby influencing pedagogy in their schools and communities."** -Fox News_
Those interested in some of the $500K are encouraged to address the question of "What is the most effective way to reach the greatest number of Pakistani transgender youth and Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals from diverse locations across Pakistan?"
According to the State Department, the project focuses on transgender youth as it does with other "marginalized communities," and noted that the funds won't be used towards gender transitions.
"In this specific grant, the Department provides funding for English-language learning, an integral skill that helps unlock educational and employability opportunities, for marginalized communities, in this case transgender youth," said the spokesperson.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 20:30
**No, Washington Post, The Experts Were The Whole Problem**
No, Washington Post, The Experts Were The Whole Problem
_Authored by John Tamny via The Brownstone Institute,_ (https://brownstone.org/articles/washington-post-experts-were-whole-problem/)
> _"On the field of war what is at stake is the thing that matters most to any man - the saving of his own skin.”_
>
> \- Leo Tolstoy, _War and Peace_, p. 889
The quote from Tolstoy’s _War and Peace_ is a useful way to begin addressing **the _Washington Post_ editorial board’s confident assertion that “’A collective national incompetence in government’” was at the root of the U.S.’s alleged failure vis-à-vis the coronavirus in 2020.**
According to the _Post_ quoting from a recently released report (“Lessons from the Covid War”), “The United States started out ‘with more capabilities than any other country in the world,’ but “it ended up with 1 million dead.”
Were he still around, one guesses Tolstoy would mock the conceit of the _Post’s_ editorialists.
**That’s the case because “the thing that matters most to any man” is “the saving of his own skin.”**
That this needs to even be said speaks to how wrongheaded the _Post’s_editorial board’s approach (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/24/covid-pandemic-government-response-report/) to the virus was, and still is.
**It implies we have dead because government didn’t act properly, as though free people eager to live were unequal to a virus that the right kind of collective governmental action was more than equal to.**
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**Ok, but what was government going to do? Better yet, what if the virus had struck in 2009 when _Barack Obama_ was still in the White House. What would _he_ have done? Would he have instructed a virus that was spreading faster than the flu to take a “time out?”**
The simple truth missed by the _Post_ is that as humans we’re wired to preserve ourselves. On the matter of life and the presumption of death, government is excess. Whatever solution Obama might have come up with, or whatever Donald Trump did come up with, or (try not to laugh) whatever Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would have done if the virus had revealed itself in 2021 would have been vastly unequal to the solutions crafted by free people.
**Deep down the _Post’s_ editorialists must know the above is true.** Indeed, it’s not that the Soviet Union lacked experts, or that Cuba lacks experts now. The problem was and is that the remarkable knowledge of very few very smart people will never measure up to the collective knowledge of the citizenry. That’s why communism failed so impressively in the Soviet Union, and it’s why it fails in Cuba. Translated for those who need it, the people are the market and markets work.
As I make plain in my 2021 book _When Politicians Panicked (https://www.amazon.com/When-Politicians-Panicked-Coronavirus-Opinion/dp/1642938378/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1682727290&sr=8-3),_ **the problem was experts and politicians substituting their limited knowledge for that of the people. _That was the crisis_.** Not so, according to the _Post_ and the report they cite.
Supposedly the “leaders of the United States could not apply their country’s vast assets effectively enough” such that “1 million died.” Wrong. Over and over again. To see why, imagine if 10 million Americans had died in March of 2020. Can the _Post_ editorial board think of what government might have done that would have somehow improved on a feverish individual desire to survive against long odds? The simple truth glossed over by the _Post_ is that the more threatening a virus is (and the _Post_ seems to view what most didn’t know they were infected with as wildly threatening), the more superfluous government action is.
**Really, who reading this needs to ever be forced to avoid behavior that might result in sickness, or even death?** And if the reply to this question is that some people _DO_ need to be forced, you’re making the best case of all for unfettered freedom. Think about it. Those who reject expert opinion are the most crucial “control group” as a virus spreads. By going against the grain, we learn from their freely arrived at actions if the virus is as lethal as presumed, or not, how it spreads, how to perhaps avoid its spread, and all manner of other important bits of information suppressed by one-size-fits-all national solutions.
It cannot be stressed enough that free people crucially produce information. Instead of allowing them to produce it in abundance in 2020, the response arrived at by Democrats _and_ Republicans was to lock people in their homes, thus blinding a na…
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/no-washington-post-experts-were-whole-problem
**Bolsonaro Raided, Aide Arrested Amid Fake Covid-19 Vaccination Records Scandal**
Bolsonaro Raided, Aide Arrested Amid Fake Covid-19 Vaccination Records Scandal
The mansion of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and other locations in Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro were raided by police on Wednesday as part of an investigation into fake Covid-19 vaccine cards.
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As part of the arrest, Bolsonaro's "right-hand man" Lt Col Mauro Cid Barbosa was **one of six people arrested** Wednesday morning, _T_ (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/03/brazilian-police-search-jair-bolsonaro-mansion-arrest-aide) _he Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/03/brazilian-police-search-jair-bolsonaro-mansion-arrest-aide)_ reports.
> _**Two of Bolsonaro’s security guards were also taken into custody.** The ex-president was expected to be questioned later on Wednesday. Bolsonaro’s mobile phone was seized at his residence in Brasília and he was obliged to hand over the password after initially resisting._
>
> _**Federal police reportedly believe a series of official Covid vaccination records were falsified on Brazil’s health ministry database** in order to produce bogus vaccination certificates that would permit international travel, including to the US. -The Guardian_
The allegedly falsified records include those for Bolsonaro, his 12-year-old daughter Laura, and Mauro Cid Barbosa and his family. The records were reportedly entered into the health ministry's database between November 2001 and December of last year - Bolsonaro's last month in power after losing the last presidential election to far-left rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, who repeatedly claimed that he had refused vaccination, had also refused to make his vaccination records public.
According to Lula, Bolsonaro should be brought to justice for his actions during the "slaughter" of Covid-19.
"Good morning and \[have\] a nice Wednesday," Lula tweeted as police rummaged through Bolsonaro's villa.
> The investigation seems to involve suspicions that Bolsonaro forged vaccine certificates: i.e., he was never vaccinated by had documents attesting to his vaccination, including to enter the US. Bolsonaro denies this.
>
> Read about this judge here:https://t.co/VCs9u4bM0l (https://t.co/VCs9u4bM0l)
>
> — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1653867696734257152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Other Bolsonaro foes chimed in.
"Brazil was governed by a group of Hollywood-style gangsters," said leftwing congressman Guilherme Boulos in a tweet.
**This isn't the only investigation into Bolsonaro**, who's being probed over several suspected crimes and transgressions while no longer enjoying prosecutorial immunity.
Bolsonaro, meanwhile, told reporters he was "surprised" at the raid, and denied any involvement in "adulteration."
"I wasn’t vaccinated. Full stop," he said, adding " **I have nothing else to say.**"
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 19:50
**A Record Low 13% Of Eighth Grade Students Are Proficient In History**
A Record Low 13% Of Eighth Grade Students Are Proficient In History
_Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,_ (https://mishtalk.com/economics/a-record-low-13-percent-of-eighth-grade-students-are-proficient-in-history)
_**The Nation's Report Card for history for 2022 is shockingly low. I have the solution...**_
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**Nation's Report Card**
Please consider the NAEP History Report Card at Grade 8 (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ushistory/2022/) for the US.
> NAEP reports scores at five selected percentiles to show changes over time in the scores for lower- (10th and 25th percentiles), middle- (50th percentile), and higher- (75th and 90th percentiles) performing students.
>
> **In 2022, the scores for students at the 10th, 25th, 50th, and 75th levels declined compared to 2018. Scores for lower-performing students declined more than the score decrease for those at the 75th percentile compared to 2018.**
>
> 
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>
> **This is a continuation of a decline seen at all select percentiles except for the 90th percentile when comparing the 2018 scores to those in 2014.**
>
> In 2022, there were no significant changes in scores at any of the selected percentile levels compared to 1994.
299 out of 500, just under a 60% score, is in the top 10 percent of the class.
**Proficiency Levels**
- NAEP Basic Achievement Level: 252 (50.4 Percent Score)
- NAEP Proficient Level: 294 (58.8 Percent Score)
- NAEP Advanced Level: 327 (65.4 Percent Score)
**2022 History Proficiency**
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**Proficiency Synopsis**
- Only 1 percent of "advanced" students could manage better than a 65.4 percent score.
- Only 13 percent of students were deemed "proficient" at 58.8 percent or better.
- Only 46 percent of students could manage to get just over half the questions correct.
**When I Went to Grade School**
- Below 70%: F
- 70-77%: D
- 78-84%: C
- 85-92: B
- 93+: A
My, how times have changed.
**Proposed Solution (Sarcasm)**
- Below 26%: F
- 26-34%: D
- 35-42%: C
- 43-50%: B
- 51+%: A
Of course, we need to take external factors into consideration. **Anyone from a disadvantaged home gets to add 26 percentage points to their score.**
Second we need to stop publishing results. Instead, we just post final grades.
**Proficiency scores will skyrocket** and we can then pat our education system on the back for a job well done.
\* \* \*
_Like these reports? I hope so, and if you do, please Subscribe to MishTalk Email Alerts (https://follow.it/mish-talk-global-economic-trend-analysis?action=followPub)._
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 19:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/record-low-13-eighth-grade-students-are-proficient-history
**Nordstrom Closing San Francisco Stores, Citing "Deteriorating Situation" Amid Crime Crisis**
Nordstrom Closing San Francisco Stores, Citing "Deteriorating Situation" Amid Crime Crisis
Stick a fork in San Francisco: the city seems to be beyond repair.
**After 35 years, Nordstrom is closing its downtown San Francisco stores, citing "the deteriorating situation"** in the city plagued by crime and governed by mindless progressives.
According to ABC7 News (https://abc7news.com/nordstrom-san-francisco-closing-westfield-mall-nordstroms-store-downtown-stores-union-square/13205127/), the Nordstrom Rack on Market Street will close on July 1, and Nordstrom inside Westfield Mall will close in August.
Jamie Nordstrom, Chief Stores Officer, sent a letter to impacted workers of both stores and explained that "the **dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years**, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully."
The impending exodus of Nordstrom comes as several other retailers, such as Office Depot, The Container Store, Anthropologie, Whole Foods (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/downtown-san-francisco-whole-foods-closing-due-high-theft-and-hostile-visitors), and Saks Off 5th, have all recently announced store closures. The reason for the closures is that cost of operation for retailers is soaring as progressive city officials won't address out-of-control thefts and street crime.
Since 2020, twenty retailers have closed their stores in San Francisco's Union Square, as the San Francisco Standard reported. All have pointed to theft. In other areas, CVS and Walgreens have shuttered stores (https://www.zerohedge.com/political/walgreens-closes-17-san-francisco-stores-due-out-control-shoplifting).
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As for the retailers who remain in the city, such as Target, they've had to lock entire aisles behind safety glass (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/san-francisco-target-places-products-behind-security-glass-amid-shoplifting-crisis) to prevent shoplifting.
> This is what Target in San Francisco looks like pic.twitter.com/7mVnnbO8cK (https://t.co/7mVnnbO8cK)
>
> — Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld\_) April 21, 2023 (https://twitter.com/ClownWorld_/status/1649501139292016640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The retail departures are yet another blow for the city as the tech downturn worsens, coupled with the regional banking crisis (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/st-just-hit-fan-across-markets-regional-banks-freefall), which has spread into commercial real estate, mainly the office space segment (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/state-commercial-real-estate-goldman-expects-sharp-spike-office-delinquency-rates).
The gold-standard measure of office occupancy trends is the card-swipe data provided by Kastle Systems. The average office occupancy in San Fran is around 45%, still well off the highs from pre-pandemic levels.
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This means that workers have been slow to return to the office, which is evident as Salesforce (https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/salesforce-ditches-last-san-francisco-office-commercial-vacancy-rate-hits-all-time-high), Meta Platforms, and other tech companies are hemorrhaging office space, hurting the local economy.
Other stores in the crime-ridden city may also be leaving soon due to approaching lease end dates.
\* \* \*
**Jamie Nordstrom, Chief Stores Officer, sent the following message to employees:**
> _"Today we announced that we've made the difficult decision not to renew our leases at the San Francisco Centre Nordstrom store and our Market Street Rack store across the street. Market Street Rack's last day of business will be July 1 and we intend to close San Francisco Centre at the end of August._
>
> _Decisions like this are never easy, and this one has been especially difficult. We've spent more than 35 years serving customers in downtown San Francisco, building relationships with them and investing in the local community. But as many of you know, the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully. With both leases set to expire, and after looking closely at our opportunities in the region, we believe we can better serve our customers there by focusing on our 16 nearby Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack locations, as well as online._
>
> _I want to be really clear that this decision had nothing to do with our team's hard work. They should be proud of …
**Watchdog: IRS Has Spent $10M On Weapons, Ammo, & Combat Gear Since 2020**
Watchdog: IRS Has Spent $10M On Weapons, Ammo, & Combat Gear Since 2020
_Authored by Eric Lundrum via American Greatness,_ (https://amgreatness.com/2023/05/03/watchdog-irs-has-spent-10m-on-weapons-ammunition-and-combat-gear-since-2020)
Anew watchdog report reveals that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been **stockpiling $10 million worth of weapons, ammunition, and combat gear since 2020.**
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The _New York Post_ (https://nypost.com/2023/05/02/irs-has-spent-10m-on-weapons-ammo-and-combat-gear-since-2020-watchdog/) reports that the findings, released by the group OpenTheBooks, show the IRS spending $5 million in 2021 alone as the agency ramped up the militarization of its agents. In the last three years, the IRS has spent a total of $2.3 million on ammunition, $1.2 million on ballistic shields, $474,000 on Smith & Wesson rifles, $463,000 on Beretta tactical shotguns, and $243,000 on body armor.
In addition to these purchases, **the IRS’ expenditures include an additional $1.3 million that was spent on “various other gear for criminal investigation agents,” without any specifics as to what this “other gear” may entail.**
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The slew of new purchases build off of an arsenal that was already well-stocked prior to 2020, with the IRS already having in its possession **roughly 5 million rounds of ammunition designated for its 2,159 special agents.** Before 2020, the IRS owned 4,500 firearms, which included 621 shotguns, 539 semi-automatic rifles, and 15 submachine guns.
In conjunction with the spike in weapons purchases, **the IRS has been hiring significantly more agents in all 50 states.** In the job listing for new applicants, the agency notes that any potential applicants must be willing to “carry a firearm; must be prepared to protect him/herself or others from physical attacks at any time and without warning and use firearms in life-threatening situations; must be willing to use force up to and including the use of deadly force.”
The weapon stockpiling and additional hiring comes after the IRS was given over $80 billion in new funding as a result of the highly-partisan Inflation Reduction Act, which was worth $739 billion overall.
The agency has since claimed that the $80 billion was necessary in order to hire nearly 87,000 new agents across the country over the next 10 years, which has **raised concerns among Republicans about the weaponization of an agency that has already been used to target conservatives in the past.**
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 18:50
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watchdog-irs-has-spent-10m-weapons-ammo-combat-gear-2020
**NYC's Novel Idea To Solve Rampant Car Theft Is Hand Out Free Apple AirTags**
NYC's Novel Idea To Solve Rampant Car Theft Is Hand Out Free Apple AirTags
Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City would **distribute hundreds of Apple AirTags** to residents as part of a **cunning plan to combat a spike** in car thefts across the five boroughs.
> _"The **aggravated number of grand larceny autos continues to drive up crime in our city**," said Adams. These GPS-tracking devices are a "really amazing piece of ingenuity" and will allow police to track stolen vehicles._
He said the 500 AirTags will be distributed to residents in the coming days. The Association for a Better New York donated the devices amid a **spike in crime**. The latest data shows **car thefts jumped 19.4% in the Bronx** from this time last year. Citywide, the number of stolen vehicles has risen from 3,756 to 4,184, up 11.4%, over that same period.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell had this to say about the AirTags:
> _"It allows our officers to be more strategic while mitigating pursuits, keeping us safe and keeping the community safe._
>
> _"Hopefully we recover your car undamaged, we take a bad guy off the streets, and you get a car back to conduct your business and it doesn't impose on your life."_
> The 21st century calls for 21st century policing. AirTags in your car will help us recover your vehicle if it’s stolen. We’ll use our drones, our StarChase technology & good old fashion police work to safely recover your stolen car. Help us help you, get an AirTag. #GSD (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GSD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)pic.twitter.com/fTfk8p4lye (https://t.co/fTfk8p4lye)
>
> — NYPD Chief of Department (@NYPDChiefOfDept) April 30, 2023 (https://twitter.com/NYPDChiefOfDept/status/1652759702697017345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
While the mayor urged New Yorkers to use the AirTags, the internet laughed at the new plan...
**_"Democrats will do anything but enforce the laws,"_** a Twitter user said (https://twitter.com/TyceAlbertP/status/1653555028571959296?s=20) while replying to the story published by ABC News.
Someone questioned (https://twitter.com/tenniswgc/status/1653562653015519232?s=20): **_"How is this going to help? The judges let the thieves go through their no bail program."_**
People seem fed up (https://twitter.com/MassholeRyan/status/1653556232999821314?s=20) with progressive city leadership...
> **_"And then what? You track down the car with the thief still behind the wheel, what do you do? Arrest him for the 10th time and then let him out in 48 hours? I hope you're buying a lot of air tags."_**
This is all just for optics, as Adams fails to confront a wave of car thefts.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 18:30
**Supreme Court Intervenes After Gun Rights Advocates Challenge "Assault Weapons" Bans In Illinois City**
Supreme Court Intervenes After Gun Rights Advocates Challenge "Assault Weapons" Bans In Illinois City
_Authored by Jonathan Turley,_ (https://jonathanturley.org/2023/05/03/justice-barrett-gives-illinois-officials-until-monday-to-respond-to-challenge-of-assault-weapons-ban/)
We recently discussed (https://jonathanturley.org/2023/04/29/federal-judge-enjoins-illinois-assault-weapon-ban/) a federal judge enjoining the new Illinois law banning “assault weapons.”
**Now a gun shop in Naperville, Illinois has made it to the Supreme Court in seeking injunctive relief and Justice Amy Coney Barrett has given the proponents of the law until Monday to respond to the request.**
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On Tuesday afternoon, Barrett issued the order to the city of Naperville in Illinois after Robert Bevis, owner of Law Weapons & Supply, challenged two bans.
**First, he is challenging the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) that was the subject of the earlier injunction.**
> _“This is an exceedingly simple case._
>
> _**The Second Amendment protects arms that are commonly possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, especially self-defense in the home,”** the plaintiffs wrote in their emergency application._
>
> _“The arms banned by Respondents are possessed by millions of law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, including self-defense in the home.”_
The petitioners went on to argue that the recently passed local and state laws violate the 2008 and 2022 precedents.
> _“Under this Court’s precedents, ‘that is all that is needed for citizens to have a right under the Second Amendment to keep such weapons'” the plaintiffs continued. **“There cannot be the slightest question, therefore, that the challenged laws are unconstitutional.”**_
>
> _**“The challenged laws are unconstitutional** because ‘\[w\]hen the Second Amendment’s plain text covers an individual’s conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct.’ Plaintiffs desire to keep and bear for lawful purposes (including defense of their homes) the semi-automatic firearms and firearm magazines banned by the challenged laws,” they wrote._
**Second, he is challenging a separate Naperville city ban that he says is destroying his business.**
> _“Mr. Bevis has extended his personal credit, missed personal payments like home and car payments, maxed his credit limits, and taken out loans to pay the monthly bills,” the plaintiffs wrote, adding that his company will be unable to abide by the terms of its 15-year commercial lease for its business property or pay equipment leases and purchase inventory “if these bans remain in effect any longer.”_
Here is the key question in _Bevis v. Naperville and the State of Illinois,_ No. 22A948:
> _**Can the government ban the sale, purchase, and possession of certain semi-automatic firearms and firearm magazines tens of millions of which are possessed by law-abiding American for lawful purposes when there is no analogous historical ban as required in D.C. v. Heller (2008)…and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022).**_
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When Barrett was up for confirmation (https://jonathanturley.org/2020/10/13/the-barrett-hearing-questions-and-answers/), I noted that the Second Amendment could prove one of her most interesting legacy areas of jurisprudence. Her dissent in _Kanter v. Barr_ (https://casetext.com/case/kanter-v-barr?)as an appellate judge was a powerful defense of Second Amendment rights. Rickey Kanter was convicted of one count of felony mail fraud for defrauding Medicare in connection with therapeutic shoe inserts. Focusing on the “history and tradition” of such restrictions, Barrett also took on the voting rights and jury service point with a key distinction:
> “The problem with this argument is that virtue exclusions are associated with civic rights—individual rights that “require\[ \] citizens to act in a collective manner for distinctly public purposes.” _See_ Saul Cornell, _A New Paradigm for the Second Amendment_ , 22 LAW & HIST. REV. 161, 165 (2004). For example, the right to vote is held by individuals, but they do not exercise it solely for their own sake; rather, they cast votes as part of the collective enterprise of self-governance. Similarly, individuals do not serve on juries for their own sake, but as part of the collective enterprise of administering justice…
>
> _Heller_ , however, expres…
**Gov. Newsom Activates National Guard And Highway Patrol To Combat San Francisco's Drug Crisis**
Gov. Newsom Activates National Guard And Highway Patrol To Combat San Francisco's Drug Crisis
Gov. Gavin Newsom has called up the California Highway Patrol and the California National Guard to combat San Francisco's out-of-control open-air drug market (https://www.zerohedge.com/political/san-francisco-opens-door-supervised-drug-consumption-sites) as parts of the progressive-run city descend into chaos.
According to ABC7 News (https://abc7news.com/sf-drugs-fentanyl-crisis-drug-market-crackdown-san-francisco-tenderloin/13200067/), CHP officers will be deployed across Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, while guardsmen will run intelligence analysis operations behind the scenes. The governor brought the two agencies together as the drug-related deaths in the city jumped 41% in the first quarter.
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Newsom's announcement last Friday did not specify the number of personnel on the ground or which units of the Natural Gaurd will be providing intelligence analysis. Supervisor Matt Dorsey said:
> _"As we hopefully wind down the drug market, we also have to make sure that we are winding up support for the people who are going to have a harder time finding drugs."_
San Francisco recorded 200 drug-related overdose deaths in the first three months of the year compared with 142 in the same period last year. Homelessness doubled as junkies littered the streets in tent cities while crime soared.
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"It's a crying shame that a city as wealthy as San Francisco can't get its act together to deal with overdose deaths," Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a professor of addiction medicine at the University of California San Francisco, recently told The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/27/overdose-deaths-in-san-francisco-hit-200-in-three-months-a-crying-shame). He said the city's approach to addressing the drug crisis has only worsened things.
> _"We're a politically divided city between the people who have a lot of money and want the streets swept and those who think a compassionate, science-based, health approach is appropriate," Ciccarone said._
Last year, residents had enough of the Soros-backed district attorney, Chesa Boudin (https://www.zerohedge.com/political/san-francisco-ousts-soros-backed-uber-progressive-da-recall-vote). They recalled Boudin and forced Mayor London Breed to appoint a new district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, who vowed to take a new path of law and order.
Years of failed progressive policies are to blame for transforming some neighborhoods into third-world-like environments.
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Newsom's call to deploy CHP and National Guard forces is an admittance that liberal policy is bad policy. And residents are waking up to this by booting out these reckless lawmakers.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 17:50
**Ukrainian Oligarch Offered Cash For Anyone Willing To Fly Drone Into Moscow**
Ukrainian Oligarch Offered Cash For Anyone Willing To Fly Drone Into Moscow
_Authored by Alex Rubenstein via TheGrayZone.com,_ (https://thegrayzone.com/2023/05/02/ukrainian-banker-cash-drone-terror-russia/)
_Days before a failed drone assassination targeting Putin, Ukrainian banking baron Volodymyr Yatsenko **offered a $500,000 bounty to any weapons maker able to land a drone in Red Square** during Moscow’s upcoming Victory Day parade._
On April 23, a Ukrainian drone laden with 30 Canadian-made C4 explosive blocks crashed near Rudnevo Industrial Park in Moscow. Ukraine-based operators deployed the 37 LB arsenal in a failed bid to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was scheduled to visit Rudnevo that day.
The drone ultimately failed to hit its target, crashing roughly 12 miles from its intended destination. Russian media (https://tass.com/emergencies/1609419) reported authorities discovered three similar unmanned aircrafts in the surrounding area. By the time the Canadian-manufactured bombs arrived in Moscow, the government in Ottawa had provided Kiev with nearly 6 billion dollars worth of aid to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s military.
> Earlier this week, Ukrainian banker Volodymyr Yatsenko offered $549,000 for anyone who committed drone terror in Russia’s Red Square ahead of the country’s Victory Day Parade.
>
> Today’s assassination attempt on Putin was not a “false flag.”
>
> pic.twitter.com/Td9DnhVtpr (https://t.co/Td9DnhVtpr)
>
> — Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/jacksonhinklle/status/1653785678776528896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The Ukrainian UJ-22 drone’s (https://ukrjet.ua/ukr#2) flight originated in the country’s Kharkov region. Yuriy Romanenko, co-founder of a think tank (https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/politik-ausland/attentat-auf-kreml-diktator-scheitert-knapp-17-kilo-sprengstoff-sollten-putin-to-83699094.bild.html) with close ties to Kiev’s intelligence services, **credited Ukraine’s Secret Service (SBU) with orchestrating the assassination attempt**. Romanenko wrote on Twitter: “Last week, our intelligence officers received information about Putin’s trip to the industrial park in Rudnevo… Accordingly, ours launched a kamikaze drone, which flew through all the air defenses of the Russian Federation, and fell not far from the industrial park.”
**“Putin, we are getting closer,”** Romanenko warned.
The drone was carrying m112 explosive charges, which are **used by several states including Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom**. According to Russian media, the explosives recovered from the botched attack were of Canadian origin (https://t.me/breakingmash/43472).
The failed attempt on Putin’s life came amidst a wave of drone incursions into Russian airspace in recent months. A day after the unsuccessful April 23 offensive, the Russian outlet SHOT recorded (https://t.me/shot_shot/50529) 10 drone attacks in the Belgorod border region, some of which included French LU-213 fragmentation grenades and American-made Switchblade drones. The Switchblade has been used in previous air assaults on the region as well.
The uptick in drone attacks inside Russian territory followed Kiev’s July 2022 launch of an “Army of Drones” campaign, an official effort to raise funds, dubbed “dro-nations,” to assist Ukraine’s procurement of foreign-produced, unmanned aircrafts.
**_Screenshot from Ukrainian World Congress website urging visitors to “dronate” to their cause_**
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The fundraising push, which counts the Western-backed online troll farm (https://thegrayzone.com/2022/10/28/spooks-mercs-hawks-nafo-troll/), NAFO, and the Ukrainian World Congress (https://thegrayzone.com/2023/03/04/biden-officials-ukraine-rally-nazi/) as formal partners, has enlisted famed Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, as its top brand ambassador. “ **Honored to be an Ambassador for the Army of Drones and to help President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in any way possible,” Hamill tweeted** in September 2022, attaching a photo of himself on a video call with Ukraine’s president.
The covert nature of Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russian territory makes them difficult to tally on an authoritative basis. A reporter for the British state-funded BBC pressed (https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65389215) a Kiev official to provide such data to no avail while participating in a “a training session for Ukraine’s latest group of drone pilots in a secret location on the outskirts of Kyiv.” The BBC filed its dispatch from the heart of Ukraine’s “Army of Drones” on April 25, just two days after the a…
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukrainian-oligarch-offered-cash-drone-terror-russia
**Here We Go Again: Troubled California Bank PacWest Craters 60% On Report It Is Seeking Buyers Or Capital Raise**
Here We Go Again: Troubled California Bank PacWest Craters 60% On Report It Is Seeking Buyers Or Capital Raise
Earlier today, when Jerome Powell openly lied to the American People during the FOMC press conference stating without a hint of irony that the US banking system is " **sound and resilient"...**
> Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says that "the US banking system is sound and resilient."
>
> What do you think? 🤔pic.twitter.com/qDktlpOln4 (https://t.co/qDktlpOln4)
>
> — Human Events (@HumanEvents) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/HumanEvents/status/1653864923955617792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
**...we balked:** how could this former lawyer lie so brazenly to the American people, the narrator wondered, when in just the past few weeks we had seen over half a trillion in bank failures, making the current bank failure episode even worse than the global financial crisis?
> POWELL: U.S. BANKING SYSTEM IS SOUND AND RESILIENT
>
> Narrator: we just had over half a trillion $ in bank failures in the past month pic.twitter.com/YvhloFIGIX (https://t.co/YvhloFIGIX)
>
> — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1653830260431941632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
**Well, as usual, the narrator was right,** because while Powell's lies were still ringing in our ears, the next regional bank collapse was on its say.
Shortly after the close, Bloomberg reported that another regional, California-based bank (of course), PacWest Bancorp., **was weighing a range of strategic options, including a sale.**
The Beverly Hills-based bank - whose financial conditions it appears has been far worse than the Fed, which just hiked another 25bps, thought - has been working with a financial adviser and has also been considering a breakup or a capital raise, according to Bloomberg sources. While it is open to a sale, the company hasn’t started a formal auction process.
According to the report, "an outright sale has been hindered because there aren’t many potential buyers interested in the entire bank, which comprises a community lender called Pacific Western Bank and some commercial and consumer lending businesses, the people said." And similar to SVB and FRC, " **a potential buyer would also have to potentially book a big loss marking down some of its loans, the people said.**"
On Tuesday, PacWest tumbled 28% as investors retreated from regional bank stocks following JPMorgan’s deal on Monday for the failed First Republic Bank, a transaction which did nothing to ease concerns about regional bank viability, which was to be perfectly expected **since today's rate hike would only make the regional bank deposit run even bigger, something which was obvious to everyone...**
> But surely at 5.25% all shall be well https://t.co/VMZbvApokm (https://t.co/VMZbvApokm)
>
> — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 2, 2023 (https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1653420114694242305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
**... except the Fed!**
And sure enough, following the Bloomberg report, PacWest - which had $28 billion in deposits at last check (far less as of this moment) and $44 billion in assets, **saw its stock plunge more than 60% after hours...**
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Bear in mind that just a week ago, PacWest shares surged 17% after the midsize lender said deposits stabilized toward the end of March and rose in April.
> _**“Importantly, deposits stabilized in the latter part of March and rebounded nicely in April, increasing approximately $700 million subsequent to quarter-end,”**_ President and CEO Paul Taylor said in the release
Tonight's dismal news comes six weeks after PacWest said it had shored up its access to cash by raising $1.4bn via a lending facility from Apollo-backed investment firm Atlas SP Partners.
According to its last public statement, PACW had **$29 billion in deposits** (significantly smaller than SVB and FRC), but more problematically, over three-quarters of its lending is to real estate, and **8% to venture capital (with its VC business representing $6bn in deposits at the end of March).**
It seems things 'escalated quickly' since then.
The broad Regional Bank index is tumbling after hours, now at its lowest since Oct 2020...
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... and is dragging down other regional banks with it, especially anything with "west" in its name:
Western Alliance is down 30%..
?itok=A…
**Here We Go Again: Troubled California Bank Pacwest Craters 60% On Report It Is Seeking Buyers Or Capital Raise**
Here We Go Again: Troubled California Bank Pacwest Craters 60% On Report It Is Seeking Buyers Or Capital Raise
Earlier today, when Jerome Powell openly lied to the American People when during the FOMC press conference he said that the US banking system is " **sound and resilient"** we balked: how could this former lawyer lie so brazenly to the American people, the narrator wondered, when in just the past few weeks we had seen over half a trillion in bank failures, making the current bank failure episode even worse than the global financial crisis?
> POWELL: U.S. BANKING SYSTEM IS SOUND AND RESILIENT
>
> Narrator: we just had over half a trillion $ in bank failures in the past month pic.twitter.com/YvhloFIGIX (https://t.co/YvhloFIGIX)
>
> — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1653830260431941632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Well, as usual, the narrator was right, because while Powell's lies were still ringing in our ears, the next regional bank collapse was on its say.
Shortly after the close, Bloomberg reported that another regional, California-based bank (of course), PacWest Bancorp., **was weighing a range of strategic options, including a sale.**
The Beverly Hills-based bank - whose financial conditions it appears has been far worse than the Fed, which just hiked another 25bps, thought - has been working with a financial adviser and has also been considering a breakup or a capital raise, according to Bloomberg sources. While it is open to a sale, the company hasn’t started a formal auction process.
According to the report, "an outright sale has been hindered because there aren’t many potential buyers interested in the entire bank, which comprises a community lender called Pacific Western Bank and some commercial and consumer lending businesses, the people said." And similar to SVB and FRC, " **a potential buyer would also have to potentially book a big loss marking down some of its loans, the people said.**"
On Tuesday, PacWest tumbled 28% as investors retreated from regional bank stocks following JPMorgan’s deal on Monday for the failed First Republic Bank, a transaction which did nothing to ease concerns about regional bank viability, which was to be perfectly expected **since today's rate hike would only make the regional bank deposit run even bigger, something which was obvious to everyone...**
> But surely at 5.25% all shall be well https://t.co/VMZbvApokm (https://t.co/VMZbvApokm)
>
> — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 2, 2023 (https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1653420114694242305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
**... except the Fed!**
And sure enough, following the Bloomberg report, PacWest - which had $28 billion in deposits at last check (far less as of this moment) and $44 billion in assets, **saw its stock plunge more than 60% after hours...**
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... and is dragging down all regional banks with it, especially anything with "west" in its name:
- \*WESTERN ALLIANCE BANCORP SHARES DROP 10%
And while we are stunned by this level of Fed incompetence: after all, just hours ago Powell was reassuring everyone that US banks are safe and sound...
> This is unprecedented humiliation for the @federalreserve (https://twitter.com/federalreserve?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw).
>
> Just 2 hours earlier, Powell said US banking system is "sound and resilient", seemingly unaware that yet another of the largest California banks was teetering on the edge.
>
> How is this level of incompetence possible
>
> — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1653868838046298114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
... not even the Fed will allow this idiocy to continue, and either it will cut rates and inject trillions more in liquidity now that we are clearly at the small bank reserve constraint...
> oh the irony: FRC take under by JPM (funded by the FDIC/US taxpayers) drained $75bn in reserves. And we are right back on the reserve constraint critical threshold. Hence the banking crisis is baaaaack https://t.co/EvbkxvkOct (https://t.co/EvbkxvkOct)
>
> — zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 2, 2023 (https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1653546050081243136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
... or it will have a banking crisis on its hands the likes of which have never before been seen.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Wed, 05/03/2023 - 17:15