**Apple, Google Team Up To Create 'Alerts' For Spying And Location Tracking**
Apple, Google Team Up To Create 'Alerts' For Spying And Location Tracking
_Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/apple-google-team-up-to-create-alerts-for-spying-and-location-tracking_5239165.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge) (emphasis ours),_
**Apple and Google on Tuesday proposed creating alerts amid reports of stalking via Apple’s AirTag and similar tools, according to a release issued Tuesday.**
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_Apple's AirTag. (Stock photo/Onur Binary/Unsplash)_ (
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The new proposed industry standard will allow the Big Tech companies to “allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorized tracking detection and alerts across iOS and Android platform,” the joint release (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/05/apple-google-partner-on-an-industry-specification-to-address-unwanted-tracking/) said, adding that “best practices and instructions” will be included for such devices.
“Today, Apple and Google jointly submitted a proposed industry specification to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracking,” the release said.
“ **Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have expressed support for the draft specification**, which offers best practices and instructions for manufacturers, should they choose to build these capabilities into their products,” it added.
Dave Burke, Google’s vice president of engineering for Android, claimed Tuesday that stopping unwanted Bluetooth device-based tracking will be adopted across the tech sector. According to a proposal (https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-detecting-unwanted-location-trackers/), tech firms are aiming to perform “unwanted tracking detection” on such devices that “can both detect and alert individuals that a location tracker separated from the owner’s device is traveling with them,” and it would also “provide means to find and disable the tracker.”
“ **Bluetooth trackers have created tremendous user benefits, but they also bring the potential of unwanted tracking, which requires industrywide action to solve,**” Burke said in the release.
“Android has an unwavering commitment to protecting users, and will continue to develop strong safeguards and collaborate with the industry to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth tracking devices.”
Erica Olsen, senior director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, told news outlets that AirTags and similar products are being used by domestic abusers. “It’s imperative for advocates and technology companies to work together on solutions to minimize the opportunities for misuse,” Olsen said of Bluetooth trackers (https://news.yahoo.com/apple-google-aim-expose-bluetooth-214359353.html).
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_Detail of the Bluetooth button of an audio system in Mexico City on Dec. 6, 2018. (Omar Torres/AFP via Getty Images)_ (
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An AirTag is a quarter-sized tracking device that sends out a Bluetooth signal to tell the owner of its location. It and other Bluetooth location-tracking devices and tools allow people to find lost luggage, keys, and other items, but there have been increasing reports of people misusing them to stalk, spy on, or track the whereabouts of people.
Security Threat
AirTags were rolled out in 2021, but **it wasn’t until early 2022 that Apple acknowledged the devices pose a security issue (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/02/an-update-on-airtag-and-unwanted-tracking/).**
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products. **Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag,”** it said.
“It’s why the Find My network is built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking. We hope this starts an industry trend for others to also provide these sorts of proactive warnings in their products.”
In late 2022, Apple was sued by two women who alleged that their previous partners used AirTag devices to surveil and track their whereabouts, potentially putting them in harm’s way.
In June 2022, an Indiana woman also…
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/apple-google-team-create-alerts-spying-and-location-tracking
**Elon Musk Touts Twitter Fact Checks As "Ending Censorship In Guise Of Virtue"**
Elon Musk Touts Twitter Fact Checks As "Ending Censorship In Guise Of Virtue"
_Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News (https://summit.news/2023/05/04/elon-musk-touts-twitter-fact-checks-as-ending-censorship-in-guise-of-virtue/),_
**Twitter owner Elon Musk has lauded the Community Notes feature on the platform, saying that the fact checking system is proving successful in “ending censorship in guise of virtue.”**
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_CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images/Twitter Screenshot_ (
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Musk responded to a tweet by The Babylon Bee’s Seth Dillon stating “Twitter used to be a place where false narratives were protected and promoted. Now it’s a place where they’re challenged and corrected.”
Musk responded, “Ending censorship in guise of virtue, handing control of the narrative to the people and actually accurate fact-checking are essential goals.”
“Naturally, those who used to control the narrative and censored views they disliked are less than thrilled,” Musk further asserted, adding “How tragic.”
> Ending censorship in guise of virtue, handing control of the narrative to the people and actually accurate fact-checking are essential goals.
>
> Naturally, those who used to control the narrative and censored views they disliked are less than thrilled.
>
> How tragic.
>
> — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1653954235598508032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The Community Notes feature (https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/community-notes) works by allowing all Twitter users to collaboratively add ‘context’ to posts. “If enough contributors from different points of view rate that note as helpful, the note will be publicly shown on a Tweet,” the platform states.
The system significantly reduces the risk of any partisan sources influencing the fact checks, as is apparent on other platforms such as Facebook (https://summit.news/2022/08/18/facebook-fact-check-censors-factual-claim-irs-is-arming-agents-to-use-deadly-force/) where clearly non-independent actors (https://summit.news/2023/04/21/facebook-censors-hersh-story-about-ukraine-government-corruption-by-using-fact-check-from-pro-ukraine-group/) are influencing content (https://summit.news/2023/04/20/facebook-censors-seymour-hershs-article-about-us-involvement-in-nord-stream-pipeline-attack/).
In a further post Wednesday, Musk again highlighted the Community notes feature when the so fact checkers Politifact were fact checked themselves over a post denying Teacher’s Union President Randi Weingarten’s previous staunch opposition to reopening schools after the pandemic.
Musk posted a pants emoji and and ‘on fire’ emoji:
> 👖 on 🔥
>
> — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1653935545758928896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Musk also responded to another post adding much needed context to a story about a video of a man who was killed while “suffering a mental health crisis”:
> Jordan Neely loved to dance and perform.
>
> On Tuesday, while suffering a mental health crisis, he was choked to death while people watched and cheered.
>
> Jordan needed care. Instead, he was brutally murdered. This is not who we are as New Yorkers.
>
> pic.twitter.com/F4TmtlDEQW (https://t.co/F4TmtlDEQW)
>
> — NY Working Families Party (@NYWFP) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/NYWFP/status/1653765037054480384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> Notes ftw again
>
> — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1654027795041865731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The Twitter Community Notes feature is now adding true context to tweets, including those by Democrats and Joe Biden, who continue to make false claims:
> Biden got fact-checked again, this time on the US defaulting on its debts. pic.twitter.com/y6ZTWbi6ow (https://t.co/y6ZTWbi6ow)
>
> — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1653857962262396929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> Jean-Pierre: "When it comes to illegal migration, you have seen it come down by more than 90%.”
>
> pic.twitter.com/unGIAQQswv (https://t.co/unGIAQQswv)
>
> — Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) May 1, 2023 (https://twitter.com/FreeBeacon/status/1653134811609939968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> Don't look away.
>
> This is a member of Congress promoting a dangerous, anti-Israel lie that incites further conflict and violence.
>
> Even after proven false, she still hasn't taken down her post.
>
> Why is @RashidaTlaib (https://twitter.com/RashidaTlaib?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) adding fuel to the fire instead of calling for calm and peace? https://t.co/pKhmjtTAKj (https://t.co/pKhmjtTAKj)
>
> — AIPAC (@AIPAC) March 27, 2023…
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/elon-musk-touts-twitter-fact-checks-ending-censorship-guise-virtue
**"Going To Be Bumpy": World's Largest Container Shipper Warns Of Downturn**
"Going To Be Bumpy": World's Largest Container Shipper Warns Of Downturn
World's Largest Container ShipperThe world has a handful of shipping companies, and one of the ones we follow is A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, which warned of a "radically changed business environment" as profits declined in the first quarter due to slumping transport volumes and sliding freight rates, Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/c9808a10-a9d9-45ee-ac80-3da93172f290) reported.
Maersk, which transports close to one-fifth of the world's containers, beat analyst expectations in the first quarter but outlined earnings for the remainder of the year would be weaker. It said the first three months of 2023 "will be the best quarter of the financial year."
> _"Guidance for 2023 continues to be based on the expectation of a_ **_muted 2023 global GDP growth and that volume declines_** _will stabilise by the end of H1, leading to a more balanced demand environment. In this_ **_normalization path, Q1 is expected to be the best quarter of the financial year_** _."_
Chief executive Vincent Clerc told the FT about a large influx of new vessels about to hit the world's top shipping lanes ordered during the last several years. He expects those ships to be delivered in 2024.
> _**"It's clearly going to be bumpy** because there are quite a few coming this year and quite a few coming next year, too. The volumes are coming back after, but it's not like the macroeconomic backdrop points to a lot of growth to take care of this," he added._
During the first quarter, Maersk reported a 56% plunge in EBITDA, amounting to $3.97 billion, compared to analysts' median estimate of $3.55 billion. The quarter saw a 9.4% reduction in volumes and a 37% drop in freight rates, which now hover near the break-even point.
In a separate interview, Clerc told Bloomberg there's still a lot of uncertainty ahead as global business activity slows and companies race to reduce inventories at warehouses due to overstocking during the pandemic years. In return, demand for container ships has sunk on major shipping lanes from Asia to Europe and the US. The downturn in shipping began in late 2021 when container rates topped out.
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Simultaneously, the IMF trimmed its global-growth projections (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/risk-harder-landing-imf-cuts-global-gdp-outlook-warns-heavy-downside-risks-due-banking) in its latest World Economic Outlook report, warning about the increasing risks of a 'hard landing.'
And the days of overconsumption of goods, brought on primarily by fiscal stimulus, are over, and one of the main reasons global shipping lanes are slowing. When Maersk speaks, it's worth a listen as economic storm clouds are gathering.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 05/05/2023 - 05:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/going-be-bumpy-worlds-largest-container-shipper-warns-downturn
**New Footage Shows El Paso Engulfed In 'Mass Migration Dumpster Fire' As State Of Emergency Declared**
New Footage Shows El Paso Engulfed In 'Mass Migration Dumpster Fire' As State Of Emergency Declared
On Monday, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre made an absurd claim (https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-biden-press-secretary-claims-illegal-immigration-down-90): _"When it comes to illegal migration, you've seen it come down by more than 90%"_ under the Biden administration. And if that was the case, why did a Democrat mayor of a Texas border town declare a state of emergency?
Well, new footage from border town El Paso, Texas, shows a sobering view of a worsening migrant crisis that the Biden administration, liberal media, and progressive politicians have ignored for two years while calling anyone who pointed it out 'racist.'
> Illegal immigrants scramble for supplies in El Paso, Texas following the declaration of a state of emergency over the ending of Title 42.
>
> pic.twitter.com/3ariGxU45b (https://t.co/3ariGxU45b)
>
> — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1653942584593764352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> Illegal aliens waiting to cross into El Paso due to expiration of Title 42
>
> pic.twitter.com/Dgcj7eVOhA (https://t.co/Dgcj7eVOhA)
>
> — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1654126100304519168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> Anybody who is pro-open borders has never been to border towns like El Paso which are plagued with mass migration dumpster fires like this pic.twitter.com/nmsE2u02L9 (https://t.co/nmsE2u02L9)
>
> — Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/stclairashley/status/1653807572632186887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> Biden’s Border Invasion, Today 5/3/2023 #bidensborder (https://twitter.com/hashtag/bidensborder?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)#ElPaso (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElPaso?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)#invasion (https://twitter.com/hashtag/invasion?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)#texas (https://twitter.com/hashtag/texas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)pic.twitter.com/lGu6eXdIAZ (https://t.co/lGu6eXdIAZ)
>
> — Oreo Express Normal/Not Mentally Ill (@OreoExpress) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/OreoExpress/status/1653877402601418754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
"It's difficult to describe, Jim, with words… The magnitude of the number of individuals," a CNN reporter said. If CNN can no longer cover for the Biden administration, then they're in trouble...
> The situation in El Paso is so bad that even CNN is flabbergasted.
>
> “It’s difficult to describe, Jim, with words… The magnitude of the number of individuals.”pic.twitter.com/ugarf7HwHr (https://t.co/ugarf7HwHr)
>
> — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1653798974040715264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Even MSBC has been forced to cover the migrant crisis.
> The liberal media is finally covering the number of migrants in El Paso. Our southern border is being destroyed and they have denied for 2 years. Appalling. pic.twitter.com/2vAI0x30no (https://t.co/2vAI0x30no)
>
> — SweetPeaBelle (@SweetPeaBell326) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/SweetPeaBell326/status/1653790728726671360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
El Paso is transforming into what appears to be a 'third world'-like country, primarily due to the surge in illegal border crossings.
> #ElPaso (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElPaso?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)#Texas (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) right now… officer JPedroza needs to clear these sidewalks for US citizens so he can stop issuing tickets to pedestrians going around this mess. pic.twitter.com/2FEbxnIb7p (https://t.co/2FEbxnIb7p)
>
> — real Anthony Aguero (@AgueroForTexas) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/AgueroForTexas/status/1653668046903336967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
With the upcoming expiration of Title 42, a pandemic-era border policy that allows border agents to turn migrants away on public health grounds, this will only indicate a new wave of illegal border crossings is imminent.
_"El Paso mayor has declared a state of emergency. Biden is sending 1500 troops (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/biden-sending-1500-troops-southern-border-deal-surge-illegal-immigrants). **The border has been lost**," Citizen Free Press tweeted._
Indeed.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 05/05/2023 - 05:35
**Discord Leaks Created Tension, Frustration Between US & Ukraine**
Discord Leaks Created Tension, Frustration Between US & Ukraine
_Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,_ (https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/259457/?feed_id=5282&_unique_id=6452d754e4f17)
Kiev appears frustrated (https://archive.is/VGjDr) with the White House over the leaks of highly classified documents. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he learned of the leak through the media and has not yet spoken with President Joe Biden regarding the trove of documents.
"I did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand," Zelensky said. **"We did not have that information. I personally did not. It’s definitely a bad story."** The _Washington Post_ reports the highest-level conversation about the leaks to date was between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
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The documents, allegedly leaked by Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Tiexiera, paint a bleak picture for the Ukrainian war effort. The documents show the expected counteroffensive may not succeed (https://news.antiwar.com/2023/05/02/ukraine-says-waiting-for-better-weather-for-spring-counteroffensive/). Among other key revelations, the documents exposed that Russian forces were disabling (https://news.antiwar.com/2023/04/16/defense-official-confirms-leak-american-smart-bombs-are-failing-in-ukraine/) American-made smart bombs, Kiev is **running out of air defenses and the White House is spying on the Zelensky administration.**
The Ukrainian leader said he was not free to speak his mind about the documents making their way into the public eye. "I cannot risk our state." Zelensky continued, “Where I can speak frankly, I do it. But there are high risks… I would tell everyone what I think of them. But here the story is a little different. We are all responsible.”
However, Zelensky was **willing to express some complaints** during his one-hour private interview with _Washington Post_ reporters. "It is unprofitable for us… It is not beneficial to the reputation of the White House, and I believe it is not beneficial to the reputation of the United States," he said.
The leaks have created some fractures between Washington and Kiev. The Post spoke with unnamed Ukrainian officials who believe **"Washington’s inability to protect sensitive information could lead to Kyiv sharing less intelligence with the United States."**
Zelensky refused to confirm the documents’ authenticity but claimed the leak benefited Russia. "For us, anything that informs our enemy in advance in one way or another is **definitely a minus for us**. I don’t see any advantages here," Zelensky said.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 05/05/2023 - 05:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/discord-leaks-created-tension-frustration-between-us-ukraine
**Air-Launched Hydra 70 Rockets Approved For 1st Time In $300M Ukraine Package**
Air-Launched Hydra 70 Rockets Approved For 1st Time In $300M Ukraine Package
The White House unveiled a new $300 million arms package for Ukraine this week, which uses the Presidential Drawdown Authority, meaning yet more Pentagon stockpiles will be depleted.
The funds continue to be drawn from the $45 billion aid package Congress authorized in December, but a key new item in this particular package is the **Hydra-70 rocket**. It marks the first time that the unguided missile which is usually fired from aircraft as an **air-to-ground missile** has been authorized.
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_Hydra 70 rockets next to an AGM-114 Hellfire. Wiki Commons_ (
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Additionally, more howitzers, artillery rounds, and projectiles for HIMARS rockets systems will be included in the new package which was announced Wednesday.
According to a description of the Hydra-70 weapon system produced by General Dynamics (https://www.newsweek.com/hydra-70-rockets-us-military-aid-package-ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-1797976):
> _Hydra-70 rocket systems are a range of 2.75-inch, or 70 mm, unguided air-to-surface rockets, described by defense manufacturer General Dynamics as "a lethal and lightweight weapon system with multi-mission capability."_
>
> _The system can use nine different warheads, providing what General Dynamics called a "tailor-made solution" to the operator's needs. **They are an "affordable" way of zeroing in on "lower-value targets on the battlefield,"** the defense contractor said._
>
> _They are fired from aircraft, and are **compatible with the likes of the Apache helicopter and the F-16 fighter jet**, General Dynamics said. It is the world's most commonly used helicopter-launched weapon system, according to the military website Army Technology._
In Ukraine's case, Hydra-70 rockets will likely be launched from helicopters, but the F-16 continues to be debated among Western allies as a possible future aircraft for Ukraine's air force, but is not yet approved, also given the training process would be lengthy.
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_Image: US Army_ (
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The Pentagon has listed the weapons which make up the newly approved $300 million package as follows (https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3383288/biden-administration-announces-additional-security-assistance-for-ukraine/):
- Additional ammunition for HIMARS
- 155mm Howitzers
- 155mm artillery rounds
- 120mm, 81mm, and 60mm mortar rounds
- Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles
- AT-4 and Carl Gustaf anti-armor weapon systems
- Hydra-70 aircraft rockets
- Small arms and small arms ammunition
- Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing
- Trucks and trailers to transport heavy equipment
- Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair
- Spare parts and other field equipment
In the meantime, further escalation is in the air given Ukraine has grown more brazen in launching drone attacks inside Russian territory, including this week's drone attack on the Kremlin, which the Russian government denounced as a "terrorist assassination attempt" against President Putin.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 05/05/2023 - 04:15
**Infectious Disease Experts Advise Health Care Facilities To Drop Universal Mask Policies**
Infectious Disease Experts Advise Health Care Facilities To Drop Universal Mask Policies
_Authored by David Charbonneau via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/infectious-disease-experts-advise-health-care-workers-drop-universal-mask-policies_5227291.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge) (emphasis ours),_
In another sign of changing attitudes to pandemic policy, **infectious disease specialists writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine this month argued against the continuation of universal masking policies for doctors, nurses, and other health care workers.**
_
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In the article (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0793), the eight authors, who are infectious disease specialists associated with Harvard and Washington University medical schools among others, **offer a timeline of the evolving responses to the pandemic**. The timeline leaves out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) initially confusing advice on masking but acknowledges that factors like the development of immunity, the evolution of the virus, and development of pharmaceutical “countermeasures” have fundamentally reshaped the landscape of the pandemic.
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_© 2023 American College of Physicians. Used with Permission. Erica S. Shenoy, Hilary M. Babcock, Karen B. Brust, et al. Universal Masking in Health Care Settings: A Pandemic Strategy Whose Time Has Come and Gone, For Now. Ann Intern Med. \[Epub 18 April 2023\]_ (
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“ **The burden of SARS-CoV-2 has been mitigated over time**,” the authors state, “through access to testing, substantial population-level immunity providing durable protection against severe disease, a series of less virulent variants, and widespread availability of medical countermeasures, which in combination have resulted in decreasing infection mortality rates.”
They conclude that “ **SARS-CoV-2 has transitioned to a more stable phase, during which the choice and intensity of mitigation efforts must be commensurate with the risk and align with management strategies**” for other endemic, transmissible diseases.
“Recognizing these changes,” the authors state, “many pandemic interventions have been deimplemented,” but, “Masking requirements and other restrictions remain notable exceptions.”
Some in the medical field, such as Dr. Kalu Ibukunoluwa and co-authors writing in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology in January, argue (https://med.emory.edu/departments/medicine/divisions/infectious-diseases/serious-communicable-diseases-program/pdf/kalu-2023-back-to-the-future-redefining-unive.pdf) for making universal masking requirements in health care settings permanent, stating that such “universal source control masking … should become the ‘new normal’ for all healthcare institutions.”
However, Dr. Erica Shenoy, an infectious diseases physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, lead author of the study and her co-authors disagree.
_Read more **here...** (https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/infectious-disease-experts-advise-health-care-workers-drop-universal-mask-policies_5227291.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge)_
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 05/05/2023 - 03:30
**21 Russian Cities Cancel V-Day Parades As Tit-For-Tat Drone War Heats Up**
21 Russian Cities Cancel V-Day Parades As Tit-For-Tat Drone War Heats Up
Russia has witnessed **several drone attacks against its territory and infrastructure over the past 24 hours**, following the pair of drones sent against Kremlin buildings in the heart of Moscow, which was denounced as an assassination attempt on Putin.
**Separate overnight drone attacks damaged oil refineries** in the southern oblasts of Rostov and Krasnodar (https://tass.com/emergencies/1613317). The Krasnodar attack involved four drones and caused a large fire, while the Rostov attack resulted in limited damage. Russia's RT counts multiple recent incidents, detailing (https://www.rt.com/russia/575757-rostov-oil-refinery-drone/): "Earlier in the week, there was a drone incident at another oil facility in the same region, and last week, **an oil terminal was hit in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea**."
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_AFP via Getty Images_ (
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"Kiev claimed responsibility for the latter, stating that the attack was **meant to disrupt Russian military logistics** ahead of the long-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive."
This flurry of attacks from Ukraine, possibly with help from Western intelligence (as Moscow is currently alleging (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/white-house-rejects-kremlin-statement-us-undoubtedly-behind-drone-attack-kremlin)), has put the Russian population on edge just ahead of planned annual military parades commemorating the Soviet victory in World War II. Last year's events, nearer the start of the war, were also toned down and some of them scrapped altogether.
The 'Victory Day' holiday on May 9th typically involves large military parades in the centers of dozens of cities, but the stepped-up drone attacks have unnerved authorities (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/05/04/at-least-20-russian-cities-scrap-wwii-victory-parades-a81032):
> _**At least 21 Russian cities have called off their annual military parades** marking the Soviet victory in World War II next week, the independent Vyorstka media outlet reported (https://t.me/svobodnieslova/1903) Thursday, as the country has alleged a flurry of drone attacks on its territory ahead of a Ukrainian counteroffensive._
>
> _...Cities near Russia's border with Ukraine, which have faced repeated shelling and drone strikes in the 14 months since Moscow launched its offensive on Kyiv, **will not hold their Victory Day parades**._
Already Moscow authorities are taking extreme precautions, which has included sealing off Red Square to the public for two weeks ahead of festivities.
> Locations of fuel depots/oil refineries struck inside Russia in the last week:
>
> 🟢Sevastopol - 29 April
>
> 🟡Volna - 03 May
>
> 🔵Il'skii - 04 May
>
> ⚪Novoshakhtinsk - 04 May (No images, claim only)
>
> 🔴Stavropol - 04 May pic.twitter.com/yyny9uYgUY (https://t.co/yyny9uYgUY)
>
> — Kyle Glen (@KyleJGlen) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/KyleJGlen/status/1654075479559684096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Some of the westernmost regions near Ukraine had already canceled their pubic events weeks ago, including hard-hit Belgorod as well as Kursk regions. Belgorod recently had four civilians die as a result of Ukrainian drone and missile strikes. It has suffered sporadic cross-border incidents throughout the conflict, given its close proximity to the border.
**No-fly zones, including for small drones, have also been imposed over major cities**, notably Moscow and St. Petersburg. This as the Ukrainians have gotten more brazen, even as the much-touted Spring counteroffensive has stalled, with the main reason given being the mud and weather factors.
_Ukraine is bracing for Russian retaliatory attacks..._
> Drones over Kyiv downtown, air defense at work.#StandwithUkraine (https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandwithUkraine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)pic.twitter.com/Wr2XliMelv (https://t.co/Wr2XliMelv)
>
> — Arad Benkö (@AradBenkoe) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/AradBenkoe/status/1654179343847833610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Later into the evening hours Thursday (local time), **intense drone activity was reported over Kiev**. It seems Russia has initiated a retaliatory response for the Wednesday drone strike on the Kremlin.
**Stunning video has emerged of a successful intercept** by anti-air defenses over the Ukrainian capital:
> ⚡️#BREAKING (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Video shows air defence taking down drone in Kyiv pic.twitter.com/BZeoJEd69H (https://t.co/BZeoJEd69H)
>
> — War Monitor (@WarMonitors) May 4, 2023 (https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1654185760554209292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Air raid sirens reportedly went off in the capital as the Ukrainian population braces f…
**Why Turkey's May 14 Election Really Matters**
Why Turkey's May 14 Election Really Matters
_Authored by Austin Bay via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/why-turkeys-may-14-election-really-matters_5239559.html) (emphasis ours),_
**Turkey’s May 14, 2023, national elections are critical, foremost for Turkish citizens. Their democracy is at stake.**
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_In this aerial photo, thousands of supporters wave flags and chant slogans while waiting for the arrival of eader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and the presidential candidate of the Main Opposition alliance during a campaign rally in Izmir, Turkey, on April 30, 2023._ (
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But that isn’t the only reason Turkish and European media call next week’s vote the most important in 100 years. The election, which pits the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against the much more moderate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, also affects NATO solidarity, political stability in Eastern Europe, and the West’s ability to counter Iran, Russia, and China in the Middle East.
**Erdogan, who leads the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), advocates the “executive presidency”** (authoritarian power and control vested in the president). Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is a moderate pro-parliamentary process candidate. He is backed by a six-party coalition committed to ending Erdogan’s reign of economic error, police intimidation, and, in the wake of the February earthquakes, destructive corruption.
For Turks the 100-year mark has genuine significance. A century ago, in 1923, from the WWI ruins of the Ottoman Turk empire, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk established the secular Turkish Republic—a nonsectarian republic in an overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
**Ataturk was a true revolutionary.** To state the grand historical case, he is the only man to successfully create a political system to modernize a culturally Islamic nation. Ataturk pursued economic modernization. He emancipated women and ended the Islamic Caliphate—both acts horrifying radical Islamists then and now. In 2001 Osama bin Laden was still condemning him.
Turkey’s 21st-century democracy is Ataturk’s legacy.
Erdogan, a man notoriously jealous of Ataturk, intentionally attacks and diminishes Turkey’s democratic institutions. Since 2003, when Erdogan became prime minister, year by year Turkey’s government has become less secular and more authoritarian as Erdogan forged his powerful executive.
**His record for jailing journalists and intimidating opponents is fact, not theory.**
He is also a threat to the integrity of NATO, which means he’s a threat to U.S. security. When he purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, Erdogan put the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s technological edge at risk.
When it serves him, Erdogan values NATO’s commitment to defend Turkey. In April 2012, after confrontations with Syrian troops, he suggested he might invoke NATO Article 5 if fire spilled across the border. However, his deliberately rogue behavior has damaged the alliance. He continues to oppose Swedish membership. As recently as January 2023, good rumor had it that active and retired NATO officials were so concerned about Erdogan’s unreliability that NATO ought to consider expelling Turkey.
Kilicdaroglu says he will revive Turkey’s bid to join the European Union and support Sweden’s admission.
**Erdogan’s economic and political mismanagement may lead to his defeat.**
In 2002 Erdogan won his first national election on a platform to attack inflation, improve the economy, and fight corruption. In fall 2022 annual inflation hit 86 percent, a 24-year high.
The February earthquakes were the worst natural disaster in the history of modern Turkey—the Feb. 6 quake might be the biggest in 2,000 years.
In Turkey an estimated 280,000 buildings were either destroyed or suffered “structural compromise” so they must be abandoned. The number is a fact, not an opinion. In early April Turkey’s interior ministry raised the death toll to 50,399. Relief organizations reported around 1.5 million Turks who survived the earthquakes were still living in tents or other temporary facilities.
**Erdogan’s slow and poor response has made the earthquakes an election issue he cannot shake.**
Did cronyism hamper recovery? Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD, the agency tasked with handling the disaster) is run by a political appointee who has little emergency management experience.
Government failure to enforce construction standards is definitely an issue. Some critics suspect corruption by national and local officials contributed to the disaster. Government “…
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/why-turkeys-may-14-election-really-matters
**Was The Tucker "Take Down" A Deep-State Hit?**
Was The Tucker "Take Down" A Deep-State Hit?
_Authored by Mike Whitney (https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/was-the-tucker-take-down-a-deep-state-hit/),_
> _**“When honest people say what’s true … they become powerful…. That’s the iron-law of the universe, the truth prevails.”**_
>
> _\- Tucker Carlson_
_
?itok=4-PvIqGY (
?itok=4-PvIqGY)_
Can we stop pretending that Tucker Carlson was fired because of the Dominion lawsuit? That’s a bunch of baloney. Carlson was fired because he used his prime-time platform to expose the crimes and illicit goings-on of the most powerful men, corporations and agencies in the world. That’s why he was fired, because he revealed the truth about big pharma’s toxic injections, Fauci’s deranged lockdowns, Brandon’s police-state surveillance, the expansive deep-state censorship program, CRT, BLM, ESG, George Floyd, drag-queen children’s hour, the oddball cult of trangenderism, Ukraine’s crummy dictator-president Zelensky and all the other pernicious inanities that are being used like a wrecking-ball on the nation’s moral and historical foundation. Tucker exposed them all.
That’s why he was fired. It had nothing to do lawsuits or disgruntled employees whining about a “toxic work environment”. Nor did it have anything to do with ratings or money. This was a carefully-calculated, narrowly-supported targeted assassination of the man—who more than any other—had become a problem for the reprobate Mafia that runs the country and who is determined to silence or annihilate anyone who speaks out against them.
So don’t be duped by articles in the MSM. They are there to misdirect and confuse, not to inform. Have confidence in what you’ve seen with your own eyes and know to be true. Tucker Carlson was a victim of a system that no longer tolerates free speech, even-handed criticism or any divergence from the official narrative. Who doesn’t know this already?
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?itok=gmH-_4vf)
How many readers remember the night that Tucker ran a segment on the JFK assassination? Here’s a short recap from an excellent article by Lew Rockwell:
> In a remarkable television broadcast on December 15, 2022, Tucker Carlson made an explosive charge. He pointed out that, contrary to law, the White House was refusing to release thousands of pages of documents about the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. **Carlson said that these documents proved CIA involvement in the assassination** and that someone within the government who had looked at these documents made a direct statement to this effect.
>
> …. We spoke to someone who had access to these still hidden CIA documents, a person who was deeply familiar with what they contained. We asked this person directly, **‘Did the CIA have a hand in the murder of John F. Kennedy, an American President?’ And here’s the reply we received verbatim. Quote, ‘The answer is yes. I believe they were involved.** It’s a whole different country from what we thought it was. It’s all fake.’ “Why Tucker Carlson had to be Purged” (https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/05/lew-rockwell/why-tucker-carlson-had-to-be-purged-2/), Lew Rockwell
So, after 60 years, someone finally had the courage to tell the truth on national television. That’s shocking.
But how many people who saw that segment reacted the same way that I did? How many people said to themselves, **“They’re not going to allow this to continue, they’re not going to let Carlson expose their crimes to the world. No way. Whatever it takes, they’re going to shut this guy up.”**
And that’s what they’ve done, they’ve shut him up.
There are things you can’t say in America, and that is one of them. **You cannot say the CIA killed John Kennedy even though the majority of people know that it’s true.** Because it doesn’t matter if it’s true. Just like it doesn’t matter that it took place 60 years ago. You still can’t say it, because the people who own the media—and who sit on the boards of all the other global corporations—don’t like it when you criticize the organization that does their dirty work. They won’t allow that.
This is the lesson of Julian Assange, which is: Do not reveal the crimes of elites and—if you do—you’re going to be crushed. Assange violated that rule and now faces a lifetime in solitary confinement. They’ve not only ruined his life, they’ve also trotted him out in front of the world media to make an example of him. And the message they’re trying to s…
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/was-tucker-take-down-deep-state-hit
**What Happened To All The Stretched Limousines?**
What Happened To All The Stretched Limousines?
Several decades ago, limousines could be found in every major city. The luxury stretched vehicle ushered occupants to boardroom meetings, penthouses, nightclubs, and sporting events. But somewhere along the way, the limousine slowly and then rapidly disappeared from city streets in a world now dominated by black SUVs.
The stretched limousine dominated the luxury chauffeur service industry in the 1970s and 1980s. After multiple stock crashes, the first in 1987, the second in the early 2000s, and the third in 2008, the luxury mode of travel lost its lust with high net-wealth individuals.
?itok=e_Ze162F (
?itok=e_Ze162F)
Slowly but surely, the town car became the vehicle of choice in the 2000s. Then the rich demanded Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Suburban, as well as Mercedes S classes, while demand for stretch limos plummeted.
Now chauffeur services are dominated by "black SUVs, buses and vans," NYTimes (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/business/limo-service-decline.html) explained.
> _"The limo business isn't your father's limo business anymore," said Robert Alexander, president of the National Limousine Association (NLA)._
According to NLA data, stretch limos represent about 1% of services offered by chauffeur services nationwide, down from 10% a decade ago.
> _"The stretch limo is — what's the expression? — gone like the dodo bird," Alexander said._
As Alexander pointed out, another factor contributing to the near "extinction" of limousines was the emergence of ride-hailing platforms like Uber and Lyft over a decade ago. These platforms spurred a surge in demand for luxury SUV chauffeur services, further diminishing the stretched limo market.
It's clear the limo industry has taken a drastic turn in recent decades. And the next move the limo industry is making is into luxury Sprinter vans.
Matthew Daus, a lawyer and a former commissioner and chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, explained the limo industry has "muscled into the motor coach and the charter industry" after the pandemic.
Stretched limos are gone for now, but luxury chauffeur services are still thriving. It's just the mode of transport has changed. And in a country where progressive policies have sparked a nationwide crime wave in major metro areas, no one in their right mind would dare drive around in a moving target.
Looking ahead, the proliferation of self-driving cars could also make professional chauffeurs extinct in the coming decades.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 23:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/what-happened-all-stretched-limousines
**Is It A Good Thing For Ordinary Americans If The US Loses Reserve Currency Status?**
Is It A Good Thing For Ordinary Americans If The US Loses Reserve Currency Status?
_Authored by Ryan McMaken via the Mises Institute (https://mises.org/power-market/its-good-thing-ordinary-americans-if-us-loses-reserve-currency-status),_
Earlier this month, Larry Kudlow insisted (https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/larry-kudlow-its-incumbent-us-maintain-reserve-currency-status-dollar)that it is **"it's incumbent on the U.S. government, no matter who's in power, to maintain the reserve currency status of the dollar."** Kudlow laments that a toppling of the dollar from that perch "seems to be the direction we're going in."
?itok=bhE490_1 (
?itok=bhE490_1)
Kudlow's remarks came a day after Donald Trump declared (https://thedalesreport.com/trends/donald-trump-china-trying-to-displace-the-u-s-dollar-as-the-worlds-reserve-currency/) that China is trying to displace the U.S. Dollar \[sic\] as the NUMBER ONE CURRENCY" and that if this occurs, it would be the biggest defeat for our Country \[sic\] in its history."
**Neither Trump nor Kudlow actually explain why maintaining reserve currency status is so important.** After all, it's clear that it is not necessary for a country's currency to be a reserve currency in order for that country to have a high standard of living and a high degree of economic freedom. We could simply look to Norway and Switzerland to see that.
What's Good for the Government Isn't Necessarily What's Good for the People
Trump and Kudlow seemingly can't tell the difference between what is good for the US government, and what is good for the people. The idea that global reserve currency status for the dollar is essential to "America" relies on the false notion that the interests of the US regime and the interests of ordinary taxpaying Americans are one and the same. These interests rarely coincide, however, and they _certainly_ don't when it comes to reserve currency status. **This is especially the case when the dollar is unbacked by any commodity like gold, and is simply a floating fiat currency that can be inflated at the will of the regime at any time.**
That global reserve currency status benefits the regime itself is obvious. This status for the dollar does indeed allow the regime to more recklessly inflate the dollar and increase deficits. This enhances the US regime's ability to bribe voters with enormous welfare programs and involve the US regime in a dazzling array of wars that have nothing to do with defending US territory. **None of this, however, improves the standard of living of Americans who pay the bills**. Even worse, when the dollar ceases to be the dominant reserve currency—an event that is inevitable—holders of dollars will see their purchasing power plummet. Yet, it not the end of reserve currency status that is to blame for the inflationist pain. Rather, the fault will lie with the decades of monetary and fiscal mismanagement made possible by the dollar's status as global reserve currency.
**To demand the regime continue to cling to global reserve currency status is to demand a continuation of the policies that have hollowed out the financial well-being of Americans for decades**.
Trump and Kudlow, however, are not troubled by this. For them, it appears that the supposed importance of reserve currency status is not about economic concerns, but is really a _political_ project. This shouldn't surprise us given many of the narratives surrounding the dollar's status—which focus on China and Chinese geopolitical power as the main reason to fear a decline of the dollar. This isn't about protecting your wealth or reining in government power. It's about increasing US government power in the name of fighting the latest foreign "axis of evil."
In fact, China's currency, the yuan, doesn't even pose a threat to the dollar (http://mises.org/wire/why-dollar-still-beats-euro-and-yuan). The yuan is a fifth-place also-ran in the currency race. So, for now, the dollar still reigns supreme, and being the regime whose currency enjoys global reserve status comes with many advantages.
Why Reserve Currency Status Enhances State Power at the Expense of the Taxpayers
**The first advantage is reserve currency status brings a greater global demand for dollars**. This means more of a global willingness to absorb dollars into foreign central banks and foreign bank accounts even as the dollar inflates and loses purchasing power. Ultimately, this means the US regime can hoodwink the voters into accepting more monetary inflation, more financial repression, and more debt for many years before domestic pric…
**After Bungling Sudan Crisis Response, Biden's Solution: More Sanctions**
After Bungling Sudan Crisis Response, Biden's Solution: More Sanctions
The Biden administration has come under intense criticism for its meager and flat-footed response (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/turkish-evacuation-plane-comes-under-attack-sudan) to the Sudan crisis, now reaching three full weeks, and with over 550 people killed and thousands wounded. Each time a truce is declared, it is quickly broken with gunfire and shelling in and around Khartoum. **Two Americans were reported killed**near the start (https://abcnews.go.com/US/2nd-american-dies-amid-violence-sudan-state-department/story?id=98877370) of the violence. Thousands of US citizens reportedly remain in the country.
**Biden's solution? Sanction more stuff**... "President Biden on Thursday called for an end to the violence among warring factions in Sudan and expanded his administration’s ability to sanction individuals who undermine peace and stability in the war-torn nation," _The Hill_ (https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3987911-biden-expands-sanction-authorities-to-respond-to-violence-in-sudan/) reports.
?itok=XVw-H5qy\
_Via AFP_ (
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Biden said in a statement, "The violence taking place in Sudan is a tragedy—and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy."
"I join the peace-loving people of Sudan and leaders around the world in calling for a durable ceasefire between the belligerent parties," he continued. "This violence, which has already stolen the lives of hundreds of civilians and began during the holy month of Ramadan, is unconscionable."
He emphasized, the conflict **"must end."** Biden said further: "Our diplomatic efforts to urge all parties to end the military conflict and allow unhindered humanitarian access continue, as do our efforts to assist those remaining Americans, including by providing them information on exit options."
The newly announced measures **allow the US to expand sanctions on any individual or entity** which is threatening the peace and stability of Sudan. The executive order authorizes potential sanctions on any Sudanese officials involved in "destabilizing the country and undermining the democratic transition." We highly doubt either of the two rival generals locked in conflict will care - **certainly the threat of sanctions will have no force with them**. It will be no 'deterrent' to anything.
The two generals now fighting over the capital had previously united in a 2021 coup to take shared control of the country. The battles pit the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo -- who's also known as Hemedti and has served as Burhan's deputy head of state.
However, recent months have seen mounting tensions between the SAF and RSF, as the generals have clashing positions in negotiations for the establishment of civilian government, something the country's been trying to achieve since a 2019 revolution overthrew the 30-year reign of President Omar al-Bashir.
> Check out this timeline leading up to the current state of Sudan 👀 pic.twitter.com/ckMnJVL71s (https://t.co/ckMnJVL71s)
>
> — VRosen (@vrosen11) April 24, 2023 (https://twitter.com/vrosen11/status/1650296029798096898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
There's been a significant evacuation operation underway by many global countries since the outbreak of street to street fighting, including China which has even sent warships to take its nationals from Sudan's Red Sea ports. The US State Department, however, has been (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/turkish-evacuation-plane-comes-under-attack-sudan) **accused of turning a blind eye**.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 23:00
**Maria Bartiromo Responds To Ex-Fox News Producer’s Allegations**
Maria Bartiromo Responds To Ex-Fox News Producer’s Allegations
_Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/maria-bartiromo-responds-to-ex-fox-news-producers-allegations_5239409.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge) (emphasis ours),_
**Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo’s team issued a response after a former producer claimed that she used her personal connections with then-President Donald Trump to protect her status within the network.**
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_Maria Bartiromo appears on her "Mornings with Maria Bartiromo" program, on the Fox Business Network in New York on June 23, 2015. (Richard Drew/AP Photo)_ (
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A former producer, Abby Grossberg, filed a lawsuit against Fox News and several others, including former host Tucker Carlson, for what she alleges was harassment and mistreatment during her time at the network. Since Fox News announced Carlson’s departure last week, Grossberg has conducted several interviews with news outlets and most recently with Time magazine (https://time.com/6275961/tucker-carlson-lawsuit-abby-grossberg-interview/), where she produced her latest allegations against the network and now Bartiromo.
Grossberg, who had worked with Bartiromo before she joined Carlson’s team, claimed Fox News had an environment that was unfavorable to women while discussing Bartiromo. She made similar claims in her lawsuits against the network, filed in the U.S. Southern District of New York.
“ **If they were marginalizing her, she could always say, ‘I can get the President of the United States on the phone,**’” Grossberg claimed to Time magazine. “She had that power over Fox, and it protected her.”
But Bartiromo responded by saying that her allegations were false. The Epoch Times has contacted Fox News for comment.
“ **I have interviewed four American presidents and several international heads of state during my distinguished career and have had rapports with leading figures across the world**,” Bartiromo’s team told news outlets Wednesday in response to Grossberg’s claims to Time magazine. “These allegations are absurd and patently false.”
Fox News also told outlets that Grossberg’s comments were false. The spokesperson said Bartiromo—who worked at CNBC, CNN, and Fox for decades—”does not need to rely on any one person or organization as her contacts reach far and wide.”
In another statement about Grossberg’s assertions, the network also told outlets that it “will vigorously defend Fox against all of her unmeritorious legal claims, which are **riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees.”**
“Maria Bartiromo has cultivated an extensive list of contacts over the course of 30 years that enable her to connect with numerous sources spanning business and politics … across Republican and Democrats, CEOs to analysts worldwide,” Fox News also said.
More Details
Meanwhile, Grossberg became the subject of controversy last week when a lawyer representing (https://www.theepochtimes.com/former-tucker-carlson-tonight-producer-suing-tucker-carlson-never-met-him-lawyers_5226180.html) her told The Spectator that she never actually met in person with Carlson when she worked for him. The lawyer suggested that because Carlson worked at his personal offices in Maine and Florida, a number of staffers didn’t meet with him personally.
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_Tucker Carlson in Esztergom, Hungary, on Aug. 7, 2021. (Janos Kummer/Getty Images)_ (
?itok=41RuCgBX)
“ **Like many on the \[‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’\] staff, Abby never met Tucker Carlson in person because he taped the show from his personal studios in Maine and Florida,** and he did not visit Fox’s NY HQ during her time there,” Kimberly A. Catala, a Grossberg attorney, told the news outlet.
The Epoch Times reached her lawyers for comment and one responded by confirming that her comment to the news outlet was accurate, but accused The Spectator and other media outlets of taking them out of context. Her lawyers also said she frequently communicated with Carlson via text messages, phone, and email.
_Read more **here...** (https://www.theepochtimes.com/maria-bartiromo-responds-to-ex-fox-news-producers-allegations_5239409.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge)_
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 22:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/maria-bartiromo-responds-ex-fox-news-producers-allegations
**Bad Actors Using AI "Could Do A Lot Of Damage," Microsoft Chief Economist Warns**
Bad Actors Using AI "Could Do A Lot Of Damage," Microsoft Chief Economist Warns
Microsoft Corporation's Chief Economist, Michael Schwarz, stated his primary concern about the swift integration of artificial intelligence in the economy is not the impending wave of job losses (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ai-will-lead-300-million-layoffs-us-and-europe) but instead bad actors acquiring AI systems for nefarious purposes, according to Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-03/ai-will-cause-real-damage-microsoft-chief-economist-warns#:~:text=Artificial%20intelligence%20will%20be%20dangerous,panel%20in%20Geneva%20on%20Wednesday.).
> _"I am confident AI will be used by bad actors, and yes, it will cause real damage," Schwarz said at the World Economic Forum's Growth Summit 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. He said, "It can do a lot of damage in the hands of spammers with elections and so on."_
Schwarz emphasized that AI undeniably requires regulation, but he advised lawmakers to have a "wait-and-see" mindset until the technology causes "real harm."
> _"Once we see real harm, we have to ask ourselves the simple question: 'Can we regulate that in a way where the good things that will be prevented by this regulation are less important?'"_
>
> _"The principles should be, the benefits from the regulation to our society should be greater than the cost to our society," the exec said._
According to Schwarz, Microsoft is constructing safeguards to minimize the potential risks posed by AI tools. The company integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into its Bing search function a few months ago, while Google launched Bard chatbot in March.
Any successful AI regulation must exclude AI training sets. He said if regulated, "that would be pretty disastrous. If Congress were to make those decisions about training sets, good luck to us."
> Is the possibility of losing jobs to AI a cause for concern? Michael Schwarz (@Microsoft (https://twitter.com/Microsoft?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)) suggests that there is a more pressing issue we should be paying attention to instead. #GrowthSummit23 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GrowthSummit23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)pic.twitter.com/DWMEWp7kjJ (https://t.co/DWMEWp7kjJ)
>
> — World Economic Forum (@wef) May 3, 2023 (https://twitter.com/wef/status/1653664231642759168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Last month, Elon Musk told Tucker Carlson he had been a longtime advocate of 'sensible' AI regulation to ensure companies don't skip on safety measures, thereby mitigating some harm to the public. He said an agency would need to be created to oversee the technology.
_"I think we have a better chance of advanced AI being beneficial to humanity in that circumstance," the billionaire said._
Musk warned how AI systems in the hands of bad actors could negatively influence public opinion.
While industry insiders and lawmakers have the will to regulate AI, the path forward appears difficult because of the ever-changing nature of the technology. And imagine if the technology is used to sway the 2024 presidential elections...
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 05:45
**New COVID Vaccinations/Boosters Slow To A Trickle**
New COVID Vaccinations/Boosters Slow To A Trickle
Pharma company Pfizer (https://www.statista.com/topics/1394/pfizer/), makers of popularCovid-19 vaccine (https://www.statista.com/topics/6172/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccines-and-treatments/) Comirnaty, reported their Q1 financials yesterday.
While the company exceeded expectations, **there is nevertheless a big chunk of revenue missing** in this quarter’s report compared to the same time last year. Total revenue was down 29 percent since Q1 of 2022.
As Statista's Katharina Buchholz notes, (https://www.statista.com/chart/29906/daily-new-covid-19-vaccine-doses-initial-protocol-booster/) **this change is closely related to the number of Covid-19 vaccines given out globally**. Numbers from Our World in Data (https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations) show that **new vaccinations around the world have slowed to a trickle.**
While in mid-2021, an average of as many as 38 million doses were given out each day, this had decreased to between 500,000 to one million daily doses most recently.
(https://www.statista.com/chart/29906/daily-new-covid-19-vaccine-doses-initial-protocol-booster/)
_You will find more infographics at Statista (https://www.statista.com/chartoftheday/)_
**Interestingly, booster shots have generally not overtaken initial protocol immunizations, instead staying far behind them in 2023 after having been the most common type of Covid-19 vaccination for a short while in mid-2022.** Booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been available in many developed countries – which is where most coronavirus vaccines were given out in general - and have continued to be recommended at least for older people. However, uptake has been far from universal. For example, while close to 70 percent of the U.S. population had received a full initial immunization (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-people-booster-percent-pop5) against Covid-19 most recently, only around 17 percent had received a booster. The numbers were 94 percent and 43 percent for those over the age of 65, respectively.
The number of Covid-19 booster shots might increase once more if an annual vaccination against the disease would be recommended. **In the United States, the FDA in January voted in favor of such a regimen (https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20230124/fda-wants-an-annual-covid-vaccine) that would work similar to the annual flu shot and could potentially start to be given out this fall.** More than one annual shot could still be recommended for older or immuno-compromised people.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 04:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/new-covid-vaccinationsboosters-slow-trickle
**What Russia, OPEC, And The West Want From The New Global Oil Market**
What Russia, OPEC, And The West Want From The New Global Oil Market
_Authored by Simon Watkins via OilPrice.com,_ (https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/What-Russia-OPEC-And-The-West-Want-From-The-New-Global-Oil-Market.html)
- **OPEC has repeatedly warned of the danger of undermining oil industry investment and has cut production to ensure oil prices remain higher.**
- Meanwhile, the United States has rigorously attempted to keep oil prices lower in order to keep fuel prices down and protect against inflation.
- At the same time, **Russia is fighting to take market share from OPEC producers by helping to push prices higher while selling its oil at a significant discount.**
The recent comment by the Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais, that the International Energy Agency (IEA) should be “very careful about further undermining” oil industry investments highlights the ongoing war between the big net buyers of oil allied to the U.S., and big net sellers of oil in the OPEC grouping. Contemporaneous news that Russia has slashed OPEC’s share of one of the biggest global buyers of oil, India, to the lowest in over two decades also illustrates Russia’s position in the new global oil market order, as analyzed in my new book on the subject (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C2RRNWNY).
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Al Ghais’s comment is right in and of itself – the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy does need to be carefully managed to ensure no disruption to ongoing global power supplies, and this requires investment. However, the implication in his later comments that oil prices must be above US$80 per barrel (pb) of Brent to allow for such investment is wrong. In many of the leading oil-producing countries of OPEC – Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran – the ‘lifting cost’ (the price of extracting one barrel of oil from the ground, not including capital expenditure) is literally just one or two dollars. With genuine capital expenditure added in then this per barrel extraction lifting cost is around six to eight dollars in these countries. Other countries in OPEC have higher figures certainly, but not by much in most of them.
**The difference between the actual cost of taking a barrel of oil out of the ground and US$80 is mostly accounted for in the government budgets of OPEC countries not by investment in energy infrastructure to sustain future supplies but rather by investment in other state-directed projects unconnected to the energy sector.**
In Saudi Arabia’s case, vast sums of money flowing into its flagship oil company, Saudi Aramco, have been used for many years as funding for what might be regarded as various vanity projects (Neom, to name but one) and socio-economic projects (creating the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, among many others). This, along with several other toxic elements attached to Saudi Aramco, was the reason why it could not find a reputable international stock exchange to take its initial public offering (IPO) and why it struggled to find Western investors to buy into the IPO. It is understandable why Saudi Arabia uses its chief revenue source to fund such projects, but to include these as being a true rationale for oil prices to stay above US$80 pb is to conflate two separate issues as far as much of the global oil market is concerned.
**On the other side of the oil price equation is the U.S. and its principal economic and security allies both in Europe and Asia.** For these countries that are net importers of oil and gas, sustained oil prices above US$80 pb of Brent, and corollary rising gas prices, mean that inflation will remain higher for longer, which will keep interest rates higher for longer, which will increase the economic damage done to them. For the U.S., these fears have very specific ramifications: one economic and one political, as also analyzed in my new book on the new global oil market order (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C2RRNWNY). The economic one is that historically every US$10 pb change in the price of crude oil results in a 25-30 cent change in the price of a gallon of gasoline. For every 1 cent that the average price per gallon of gasoline rises, more than US$1 billion per year in consumer spending is lost and the U.S. economy suffers. The political one is that, according to statistics from the U.S.’s National Bureau of Economic Research, since the end of World War I in 2018, the sitting U.S. president has won re-election 11 times out of 11 if the U.S. economy was not in recession within two years of an upcoming election. However, sitting U.S. presidents who went into a re-election cam…
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/what-russia-opec-and-west-want-new-global-oil-market
**Over 130 Arrested In Coordinated International Mafia Raids Involving 10 Countries**
Over 130 Arrested In Coordinated International Mafia Raids Involving 10 Countries
Police in Europe and South America coordinated to arrest over 100 people Wednesday in a wave of raids on the 'ndrangheta, a notorious Italian crime group that's arguably the world's well funded.
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_Police arrest a person at a residence in Hagen, Germany, on Wednesday.Alex Talash / AFP - Getty Images_ (
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In total, 132 people were arrested across 10 countries in an operation that involved 2,770 officers, according to _NBC News_ (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/arrests-europe-raids-italy-ndrangheta-mafia-group-germany-rcna82585), citing the international policing agency of the European Union.
"Members of one of the world’s most powerful criminal networks have been taken into custody," said Europol, which referred to the Wednesday operation as the "largest-ever coordinated hit" against the crime group.
"The mafia-style organization is responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade, combined with systematic money laundering, bribery, and violence," the statement continues.
> _**The Carabinieri**, a branch of Italian law enforcement, **said it arrested 108 people on charges including international drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons possession.**_
>
> _Arrests were also carried out in **Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, Romania and Spain, as well as in Brazil and Panama.**-NBC News_
Of note, **officers in Munich raided a car wash that was being used as a front for mafia activity**.
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_A1A Carwash, Breaking Bad. "Have an A1 day!"_ (
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> _**Some 500 officers took part in raids in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany.** Another 500 emergency services personnel were involved in searching 51 addresses in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia to the north._
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> _An unnamed 47-year-old man was arrested in the city of Saarbrücken, Germany's southern border with France, **in an operation involving 30 special police units and riot police.** Both his house and business premises were searched, prosecutors said. -NBC News_
In recent years, authorities have ramped up action against the 'ndrangheta - putting some 350 suspects on trial in 2021 using a specially-built courthouse in the Calabria region. Over 15,000 pages of evidence were submitted in the trial.
In February, a 'ndranghetha hit man, 63-year-old Edgardo Greco **who had been on the run for 16 years**, only to be arrested in France where he had been working as a pizza chef (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/mafia-hitman-found-working-pizza-chef-france-rcna68957).
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_Edgardo Greco, a convicted murderer linked to Italy's most powerful organized crime group, the 'ndrangheta.Carabinieri Cosenza / AP_ (
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Greco was convicted of killing two people in the early 90's and sentenced to life in prison. The pair were **beaten to death with a metal bar in a fish shop** in Calabria. He's also accused of attempted murder in a separate case.
And in January, **Italian police arrested the most wanted man in the country, mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro**, a fugitive of more than 30 years, and the suspected leader of the Cosa Nostra crime group.
> _The investigation that prompted Wednesday's arrests centered on **several powerful San Luca, Calabria-based families**, which Europol said have been waging an interfamily feud for years, leading to fatal shootings in Italy and Germany (https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20271794)._
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> _The crime group was responsible for trafficking drugs from South America to Europe, the agency said, as well as smuggling guns from Pakistan to South America. -NBC News_
According to Europol, the investigation also uncovered "extensive global money laundering system, with massive investments in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil."
Items seized in the raids include gold bars, handguns, assault rifles and stacks of cash.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 02:45
**US In Talks On Establishing Military Bases In Finland**
US In Talks On Establishing Military Bases In Finland
_Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,_ (https://news.antiwar.com/2023/05/02/us-in-talks-on-establishing-military-bases-in-finland/)
The US and Finland are working out a deal that would allow the US to establish (https://www.newsweek.com/us-troops-deploy-finland-bases-russia-threat-nato-f-35s-air-force-1797783) a military presence in the Nordic country, as Helsinki is now a member of NATO.
According to _Newsweek_, Finnish Foreign Ministry official Mikael Antell confirmed the two nations are negotiating a Defense Cooperation Agreement that may allow for the **construction of significant military infrastructure on Finnish soil**.
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_Getty Images_ (
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The potential agreement **would not include nuclear weapons**, although Finnish officials havepreviously not ruled out hosting nukes (https://news.antiwar.com/2022/11/02/both-sweden-and-finland-wont-rule-out-hosting-nato-nuclear-weapons/). The US has nuclear weapons stationed in five NATO countries under the alliance’s nuclear sharing program but not in any nations that became members after the end of the Cold War.
Antell said the potential DCA "enables troops to enter the country, stay on the ground, the pre-storage of material and possible infrastructure investments through the funds granted by the US Congress to the Pentagon."
The US and Finland have been in talks on the DCA since last fall, and discussions on the deal took place in Helsinki last week.
"The agreement also defines the facilities and areas where the cooperation would be focused," Antell said. "They are basically military areas and garrisons. In principle, there can be more than one, but the discussions are still open in this regard."
Finland shares an over 800-mile border with Russia, and **its ascension into NATO means the region will become further militarized**. Moscow has plans to beef up its military presence near the border in western Russia and has said it will take more steps to respond to the expansion of NATO infrastructure in Finland.
Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 05/04/2023 - 02:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-talks-establishing-military-bases-finland
**Blinken's Immaculate Conception Defense: Why Things Are Likely To Get Worse For The Secretary Of State**
Blinken's Immaculate Conception Defense: Why Things Are Likely To Get Worse For The Secretary Of State
_Authored by Jonathan Turley,_ (https://jonathanturley.org/2023/05/03/blinkens-immaculate-conception-defense-why-things-are-likely-to-get-worse-for-the-secretary-of-state/)
Below is my column in the New York Post on the response of Secretary of State Antony Blinken to allegations that he was the original source for the Russian disinformation claim behind the Hunter Biden laptop. I wrote previously that **Blinken is struggling to avoid the look of a “made man” who earned his bones in the Biden Administration (https://jonathanturley.org/2023/04/24/antony-blinken-and-the-made-men-of-the-biden-administration/).**
Things are now **likely to get worse** after a **U.S. senator added an alleged false statements charge** to Blinken’s controversies.
Here is the column:
**Secretary of State Antony Blinken is claiming the political version of the immaculate conception.**
In a Fox interview, Blinken suggests that he is free of blame in the creation of the 2020 letter from former intelligence officials claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story was likely Russian disinformation.
Despite the primary organizer of the letter naming him as the Biden campaign adviser who first raised the claim, Blinken insists that he remains without sin.
**All of the letter signatories are taking the same position.**
No one is at fault in one of the most calculated false stories ever planted in the midst of an election cycle.
That would be hard enough to believe, but it’s not even the only lie Blinken is accused of telling in relation to Hunter Biden.
**Blinken is also facing questions over allegedly false statements made to Congress related to Hunter Biden.**
He claims he never emailed Hunter, when messages on the president’s son’s laptop show he did.
Let’s start with the letter.
**With an enabling media, Joe Biden was able to use it to dismiss the evidence of possible influence peddling and criminal conduct on the laptop.**
During the presidential debate, an irate Biden cited the letter as proving that the laptop story was “garbage” and part of a “Russian plan.” (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/white-house-wont-say-if-biden-stands-by-hunter-biden-russian-disinformation-claims) He added that “nobody believes” that the laptop was real.
Media and social media companies then buried the story, including some like Twitter banning its discussion before the election.
In the close election, the false story worked to negate a damaging scandal of corruption involving millions of dollars from foreign sources, including some involving figures associated with foreign intelligence.
After the Republican takeover of the House, former acting CIA Director Michael Morell was called before Congress to give a statement.
When pressed on how this letter came about, Morell reportedly did not hesitate: Blinken.
**He said Blinken was “the impetus” of the false claim.**
Morell then organized dozens of ex-national security officials to sign the letter claiming that the Hunter laptop story had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
On Monday, Blinken told Fox News State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall that “with regard to that letter, I didn’t — it wasn’t my idea, didn’t ask for it, didn’t solicit it. And I think the testimony that the former deputy director of the CIA, Mike Morell, put forward confirms that.”
Morell called him the “impetus” for the letter. So perhaps Blinken is trying to dance on the semantic pinhead of being the “impetus” as opposed to the “solicitor” of the claim. Morell did not appear to have any doubts or hesitation after speaking with Blinken and quickly assembled an array of experts to make the false claim. Morell admitted to Congress that one of his goals was “to help then-Vice President Biden in the debate and to assist him in winning the election.”
**So it turns out no one is at fault. Not the “impetus,” not the organizer, not the signatories, not the media. Indeed, maybe it is the public for being chumps in buying this scam.**
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**Blinken is facing a more serious question raised by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who declared that Blinken told “boldface” lies when he testified under oath to Congress in 2020 on the controversy. Johnson said that Blinken said he never emailed Hunter Biden (https://nypost.com/2023/04/25/hunter-biden-told-burisma-colleague-of-blinken-meet-emails/).**
Yet emails between the president’s son and Blinken (https://nypost.com/2023/04/21/state-dep…