Weekly News-May-23-2024
Here are our top 5 stories of the week.
#1 – Trump and Treasurer Bessent Admit Tariffs Are ‘Unsustainable’ as US Capitulates to China Again, But Now Floats Raising New Tariffs On Other Countries
By Jacob M. Thompson | WinePress News
The U.S. trade war it has launched against China and the rest of the world has certainly been both confusing and interesting to say the least. I have not talked about this as frequently for this reason, but in this report I will briefly go over some of the more salient points that have transpired this last month or so to date.
As a reminder – in April, after Trump’s Liberation Day when he levied sweeping tariffs on the world in a jumbled tariff formula (basically the trade deficit divided by imports, or a baseline of 10%), roughly a week later the U.S. dialed back the scope of the tariffs on Chinese imports in a number of sectors, exempting a number of tech and appliance sectors, manufacturing and auto parts, and other items… Read full article >
#2 – Bibi Defiant, Unfazed: ‘All Of Gaza Will Be Under Israel’s Control’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained defiant and came out swinging in a Wednesday press conference amid growing international isolation and pressure, even from allies.
He declared at a press conference in Jerusalem that Israel will control all of Gaza when the military offensive ends, and this remains the ultimate goal – to fully and finally crush Hamas. Read full article >
#3 – House Passes Bill Stripping States’ Right to Regulate AI—After FDA OK’s Use of Your Blood and Genetic Data Without Consent
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the 1,116-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that removes all 50 states’ right to regulate artificial intelligence (10) for the next ten years.
The only Republican Representatives to vote ‘no’ were Thomas Massie (KY) and Warren Davidson (OH).
Every other GOP member voted to block your state from regulating AI… Read full article >
#4 – FBI Shuts Down Internal FISA Watchdog
By Veronika Kyrylenko | The New American
FBI Director Kash Patel has quietly shuttered the bureau’s Office of Internal Auditing, a unit responsible for monitoring and improving compliance with surveillance laws. The office had been central to policing the FBI’s use of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), an unconstitutional wiretapping authority set to expire in April 2026 unless Congress acts.
According to a New York Times report quoting officials familiar with the matter, the move is part of a broader internal reorganization… Read full article >
#5 – WHO Pandemic Treaty Sparks Sovereignty Concerns Amid Secretive Voting and U.
By Willow Tohi | Natural News
A controversial global pandemic treaty was adopted by the World Health Organization(WHO) on Tuesday, May 20, despite heavy criticism over its undemocratic adoption process, vague legal framework and perceived threats to national sovereignty. The agreement, formally the “Pandemic Accord,” was finalized at the 78th World Health Assembly amid a contentious debate that underscored widening rifts between nations prioritizing local governance and those ceding authority to international institutions.
The vote, held in a committee setting, saw 124 member states vote in favor while 11 abstained — including the U.S., which announced its withdrawal from the WHO last year — as 46 countries were absent… Read full article >
Here are our top 5 most underreported or most bizarre stories of the week.
#1 – Regeneron Buys 23andMe (and People’s DNA Data) for $256M
By Ken Macon | Reclaim The Net
Regeneron has moved to purchase 23andMe for $256 million following a bankruptcy auction that placed the troubled genetic testing firm’s future, and its massive DNA database, up for grabs. The acquisition would hand Regeneron control over 23andMe’s genetic analysis service and a data repository built from 15 million individuals who submitted personal and genetic information over the years.
The pharmaceutical company stated that it sees this information as a tool for accelerating drug development. It also pledged that it would “prioritize the privacy, security, and ethical use of 23andMe’s customer data,” a promise that comes amid mounting concerns over how that information might be handled under new ownership. Read full article >
#2 – Elon Musk is Using His Grok Chatbot at DOGE to Analyze Sensitive Data Belonging to Millions of Americans
By Reuters | Fast Company
Billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE team is expanding use of his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok in the U.S. federal government to analyze data, said three people familiar with the matter, potentially violating conflict-of-interest laws and putting at risk sensitive informationon millions of Americans.
Such use of Grok could reinforce concerns among privacy advocates and others that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team appears to be casting aside long-established protections over the handling of sensitive data as President Donald Trump shakes up the U.S. bureaucracy. Read full article >
#3 – U.
By | The Intercept
The ever-growing market for personal data has been a boon for American spy agencies. The U.S. intelligence community is now buying up vast volumes of sensitive information that would have previously required a court order, essentially bypassing the Fourth Amendment. But the surveillance state has encountered a problem: There’s simply too much data on sale from too many corporations and brokers.
So the government has a plan for a one-stop shop. Read full article >
#4 – Expert OB-GYN Tells Congress that the COVID Shots ‘Mirrored’ Effects of Chemical Abortion Drugs
By Doug Mainwaring | LifeSite News
A respected obstetrician/gynecologist began his testimony before a Senate hearing on COVID-19 shot adverse events yesterday by announcing that it would be “difficult to conceive of a more egregious breach of medical ethics by the government-controlled medical-industrial complex than the promotion of COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women.”
“This campaign was not accidental,” said Dr. James Thorp. “It was calculated. Pregnant women were targeted deliberately.” Read full article >
#5 – The Pentagon Is Using A Fabricated Chinese Threat To Build Genetically Engineered Soldiers
By Kit Klarenburg | MintPress News
On April 8, a bipartisan commission chartered by Congress warned that China is rapidly advancing a terrifying new military threat: genetically engineered “super soldiers.”
The report by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) urges the U.S. to respond with a sweeping effort to militarize biotechnology. It offers little concrete evidence that such Chinese programs even exist. Read full article >
